dancing nisser - part two

Here are the rest of my cross stitched nisser. Aren't they cute? My very favourite is "ms. single" dangling from a tree. Not because being single is such a great thing (all though it can be), but because she looks feisty and so full of life. She is dancing and having fun all by herself.

The nisser are stitched on danish linen that I received as a gift from a danish exchange student we housed more than ten years ago, when studying in Trondheim. I still have enough linen left in case I get inspiredto do another set of these nisser.

On another note...This is the night before the night "little Christmas eve" or "lillejulaften" as we would say here in Norway. Tonight is the night when we decorate the Christmas tree (after untangling the lights from last year) and when we put all the parcels under the tree. Today Christmas officially begins in our home. We will eat ginger bread cookies and drink "gløgg" (something similar to glüwein) If you want to read more about our traditions for this day you can read more here.

Today is also the day when both my brother and Mr. Life in Yonder comes home. It will be the first time my brother meets Astrid as he has been away this fall and I can't wait for him to meet her. Ohh, and toda is Astrid's two month day b-day! I'm so in love with her.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Dancing "nisser"

How are you all doing? Have you manage to get everything ready for Christmas? Since I finished all my "have to does" last week, this weekend I have been able to begin some stitch work on the Japanese cotton/linen blend I showed you on Friday. I would have loved showing you photos but as you know they turn out crappy with the winter light, and today on the Norwegian west coast (where I am) there is a storm like no other. Mountain roads being closed, wind making the windows bend inwards, lightning, thunder, and rain, rain, rain. Skies are dark, dark grey, meaning even less light than usual.

Anyhow since I can't show you what I'm working on right now I thought I show you some cross stitch I did many years ago. I have cross stitched seven small linen squares with "nisser". I don't know what the squares are called in english, but they are used to put in between the first course plate and the second course plate. Both as a decoration and so that the plates don't scratch together. I found the motives in a norwegian craft magazine from the 80's. My plan was to make two of each but so far there is just one set. I have posted three photos now, and I'll post the other four later. Have a nice day!

5 days to Christmas Eve

I can't believe how fast this week flew! It's already Friday again. This week was all about finishing the last Christmas presents, cleaning up a messy (very messy) table, going to the post office, wrapping up gifts, and making the suitcase for Astrid and me before leaving for my mothers house where we will be spending Christmas (Mr. Life in Yonder will come the 23rd).

Last weekend I managed to finish two more place mats. Unfortunately, due to the very short day and lack of light I didn't have time to take photos before sending the presents off to the recipients. It is a pity because on one of the place mats I cross stitched a charted monogram from this book, and I wanted to show you how nicely it turned out. I loved stitching it, seeing how the two letters intertwined, making their own pattern. I'll show you next time I stitch one since I will most likely stitch more of these.

This week in between everything else I had to do I also found the time to sew together two felt houses that I cross stitched last winter but never got around to mount. I still need to fill them with wool and perhaps some cinnamon and cloves to give them a "Christmasy" scent. I have more of these houses stitched up with different motives ready to be sewed together, but I always seem to come up with new projects before I get around to finish them.

And how am I not going to want to start a new project when my mailbox get filled with beautiful fabrics bought online. It is impossible! Like these two (sorry for the bad quality, but daylight is scarce). Beautiful Japanese linen and cotton blend fabric. Perfect for embroidery and zakka projects. I fell in love with them as soon as I saw them. And when I got them between my hands I fell in love even more, regretting I didn't buy more. I tried, but there was of course no more left.

Christmas Craft Weekend

This is the last weekend I’m home before I leave for my mom’s house to celebrate Christmas. I’m planning on spending the days making gifts to my nephews, nieces and the children of some good friends. My living room looks like a mess with fabrics stashed in bundles here and there and my table covered with thread spools, buttons, trims, a rotary cutter and scissors.

I have already made placemats for two super cute girls (they don’t know about the blog so the surprise is not spoiled). Now there are four more to go before I can pack up the sewing machine and clean the table. Hopefully by the end of the weekend I have completed this years home made gifts.

I share with you this wonderful snow man that our neighbourhood kids made a couple of days ago.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Christmas has come to our house

Today my parents in law are coming from Barcelona to visit us and to meet Astrid for the very first time (not counting Skype). To make their stay special I have put out this years Christmas decorations early (usually I wait until the weekend before Christmas eve).

Christmas in Spain and Norway are generally speaking quite different. In Norway you can’t have a good “Christmas feeling” or atmosphere without at least a dozen of lit candles. In Spain for the most part candles are associated with either church, or funerals. In Norway we have a big tradition of “Nisser” (small bearded men and women wearing red clothes. They take care of your house and animals, if you take care of them, meaning give them sour cream porridge once in a while).

In Spain the big tradition is to celebrate the three kings that visited Bethlehem to see the new born. In Norway we celebrate the waiting of Christmas Eve, the Advent time. Children (…and some grown ups) have advent calendars. Most people also put a star in one of their windows to symbolize the star which showed the shepherds and the three kings the way to Bethlehem. Both countries have nice traditions but quite different.

Last year I had white and purple Christmas decorations. Remember the white trees? This year I want a more traditional red and white Christmas. Since I forget from year to year what I have in the attic, it was almost like Christmas Eve yesterday when I opened the different boxes with decorations.

I have been putting things together in new combinations, trying out and exploring what works out best. Back and forth, up and down. My goal was to not exaggerate, decorating a few spots in the house so that the feel is Christmas and not a gift or decorating shop. For some that is boring for me it is part of the relaxed Christmas feeling I like.

A Lavender Thank You

In my last post I said I had some loose ends still to be tied but that they might be fun to do. I was thinking about the “pay it forward” crafty exchange. Last October I promised to send a home made goodie within 365 days to the first three people leaving a comment on the post. I should of course never have committed to a time limit since I’m hopeless at keeping deadlines. The 365 days came and went. But I will keep my promise of sending a home made goodie together with the saying “better late than never”. These small Thanks giving houses filled with jersey lavender are about to be packed and sent on there way. Thank you for waiting!

Loose ends

Do you remember this scarf? The cherry scarf by Danish Helga Isager… I started with it back in January (how time flies!) and it has been laying in my knitting basket together with a dozen of other unfinished knitting projects, waiting to have its loose ends tied. I dread tying loos ends, at least those kinds of loose ends. Since I have been away for such a long time I actually have several other loose ends to tie as well. Luckily these are less dreadful, and some are actually fun. I´ll let you know in the coming posts.

I present to you...

…Our little daughter Astrid Vida who was born two weeks before her due date. After almost 24 hours of labour she arrived on Thursday October 23rd at 02:46 in the morning. She was 49 cm tall/long and weighed 2954 g. Giving birth was such an amazing experience!

After three days in the hospital, where they gave us an intensive course in breast feeding, we went home to practice. We have now been home for almost two weeks. She eats well, farts, sleeps a lot and exercises her lungs frequently when she cries and screams to let us know she’s hungry. We are utterly in love and think our princess is the best thing that could happen to us.

Finally finished & back again

After a long unplanned blog break I’m back to blog land.

Before I continue I would like to say a big THANK YOU (!!!) to everyone who has written to me during these nine months, either to ask me how I’m doing or to tell me that they miss me. All the mails and comments have been highly appreciated. It felt good to know that you thought about me and cared enough to write some lines. Your words gave me positive energy in an otherwise tough time and it motivated me to come back… although it has taken some time; now I’m here.

In February I found out I was pregnant; the week after, I found out that my employer wasn’t going to prolong my contract…I was without a job. The following days and worries took away all my energy. I needed to use all my time in finding a new job before my belly became too obvious.

Fortunately nothing is as bad as not being good for something. The situation gave me the opportunity to experience, and be reminded of how many good friends I have and how they are there for me when most needed. A former co-worker talked with his boss and after a week and a half I got a job interview. A couple of months later I had a new job. The best part was that my new employer new I was pregnant and still wanted to hire me.

Here in Norway we have nine months of 100% paid maternity leave (or 12 months with 80% paid maternity leave). The only requirement is that you have been working six of the last ten months before the leave starts (it usually starts three weeks prior to the due date). So as you might understand, this made it even more important to find a new job as soon as possible. I am therefore tremendously grateful for my friend that reached out a helping hand.

With the pregnancy end beginning of a new job it took me longer to come back than I thought, but here I am. And the first thing I want to show you is the finished needle book that I’ve made for Laurraine. I am especially in love with this needle book because it has its origin in a flickr-comment Laurraine made on the first needle book I made. She is an angle for being so patient with me, since this is a swap that has been on for more than a year, I hope you like it Laurraine…it’s finally on its way.

Klippeangst - Cutting anxiety

Hei igjen! Håper alle sammen har hatt det fint de siste dagene! Jeg har brukt helgen til å begynne Blue & Bear prosjektet som skal bli en nålebok til Laurraine. Vi har snakket om å gjøre en liten swap i evigheter og nå skal jeg til pers med det hun skal få av meg.

Designet på denne nåleboken er litt annerledes en Tilda-nåleboken jeg laget i fjor. Som første ledd i prosessen har jeg derfor klippet ut mønsteret i plast. Det gjør det enklere dersom jeg vil sy flere nålebøker senere. Neste steg i prosessen er å klippe ut stoffbiter. Det gruer jeg meg til. Ikke fordi det er kjedelig (slik som mange andre synes), men fordi det sniker seg en redsel i meg for at jeg klippe feil og ødelegge stoffet. En hobbydame med angst for å klippe i stoff er en dårlig kombinasjon. :-)


Hi again! I hope everyone has had a nice couple of days. I have used the weekend to begin the Blue & Bear project which is going to be a needle book for Laurraine. We have been talking about doing a little swap for ages and finally I will begin to make her swap gift.

The design of this needle book is a bit different from the Tilda needle book I made last year. The first step in the process is therefore to cut a stencil in plastic. This makes it easier in case I want to make more needle books in the future. The next step in the process is to cut the fabric. This part I never look forward to. Not because it is boring (like many other crafters think), but because I always get a sneaky fear that I’m going to cut wrong and destroy the fabric. A crafter with anxiety of cutting fabrics is a bad combination. :-)


Hola de Nuevo! Espero que lo hayáis pasado bien estos últimos días. Este fin de semana he aprovechado para empezar el proyecto “Blue & Bear”. Va a ser una libreta de agujas para Laurraine. Durante mucho tiempo hemos estado hablando de hacer un pequeño swap y por fin hoy voy a empezar a hacer su regalo swap.

El diseño de esta libreta de agujas será un poco diferente a la libreta de Tilda que hice el año pasado. Por eso el primer paso en el proceso es hacer una plantilla en plástico. Eso lo hará más fácil por si decido hacer más libretas de agujas en el futuro. El siguiente paso será cortar la tela que voy a usar. Para mi eso siempre es lo peor. No porque me aburra (como a muchos otros), sino porque siempre me entra el miedo de que vaya a cortar mal y estropear la tela.
Hacer de costurera y tener miedo a cortar telas es una mala combinación. :-)

Blått & Bjørner - Blues & Bears

Jeg er i gang med et nytt sy-prosjekt. Kan nesten ikke vente med å begynne å tegne, måle og klippe i stoffene.

I’m beginning with a new sew-project. I can hardly wait to draw, measure and cut the fabrics.

He comenzado un nuevo proyecto de costura. Estoy deseando empezar a dibujar, medir y cortar las diferentes telas.

Vårtegn - Signs of Spring

Forrige tirsdag fikk jeg besøk av Camilla, en venninne fra studietiden. Hun har ikke vært på besøk her siden like etter at vi flyttet inn i leiligheten. Den gang stod den tom bortsett fra en seng (to feltsenger + en overmadrass) og fire klappstoler fra IKEA. Slik bodde vi faktisk i to måneder. Så for noen uker siden ringte Camilla og inviterte seg selv (perfekt siden jeg er elendig til å ringe vennene mine) til å komme på besøk for å se leiligheten med møbler. Som innflytningsgave hadde hun med seg disse fantastisk fine kirsebær grenene. Hele resten av uken har jeg fulgt med hvordan knoppene har forandret og i dag sprang de endelig ut i blomst.

Last Tuesday Camilla, a friend from my student years, visited med. She hasn’t been here since right after we moved in to the apartment. Back then it was empty except for a bed (actually two camp-beds + a mattress pad) and four folding chairs from IKEA. We actually lived like that for two months. A couple of weeks ago Camilla phoned me and invited herself (completely perfect since I’m lousy at calling my friends) for a visit to see the apartment with furniture. As a house warming gift Camilla brought these fantastic branches of white cherries. I have been keeping track of them during this past week, studying how the sprigs have changed until today when they finally came into bloom.

El martes pasado Camilla, una amiga de mi época de estudiante, vino a visitarme. La última vez que estuvo de visita acabavamos de mudarnos. Entonces el piso estaba vacío, salvo una cama (dos plegatines + un colchoncillo) y cuatro sillas plegables de IKEA. Así estuvimos viviendo dos meses. Hace un par de semanas Camilla me llamó para autoinvitarse (perfecto ya que yo soy fatal para llamar a mis amigos), para ver de nuevo el piso, esta vez con muebles. Como regalo de inauguración del piso me trajo este precioso ramo de cerezas blancas. Lo he estado observando durante toda la semana, viendo como ha ido brotando hasta que hoy por fin ha florecido.

Grønt er hot! - Green is hot!

Forrige torsdag stakk jeg innom en av de mange indiske og pakistanske spisestedene på Grønland for å spise Chicken Tikka Masala. Den deilige maten jeg fikk ble servert med salat og en liten dæsj grønn chutney. Chutneyen var så sterk og god at jeg ikke kunne motstå meg å spørre kelneren om å få litt til for å spise sammen med det jeg hadde igjen av kyllingen. Etter en liten stund kom han tilbake med et beger full av den herlige chutneyen, og forklarte at den var hjemmelaget og bestod av grønne chillier, løk, mint og tamarind. Vel hjemme med begeret vel oppbevart i kjøleskapet vårt var det derfor ikke noen overraskelse for kjæresten min at dette ville bli den store Chicken Tikka Masala helgen.

Jeg har søkt på nett etter oppskrifter på grønn chilli chutney som har de samme ingrediensene som den utrolig hyggelige kelneren delte med meg, men uten å lykkes. Så derfor måtte jeg lage på magefølelsen og den ble )om jeg kan si det selv) rimelig god. Jeg er fornøy.

I min jakt på oppskrifter oppdaget jeg videojug (en slags youtube) hvor du kan se hvordan ulike matoppskrifter lages. For en fantastisk ide!

On my way home from work last Thursday I had some Chicken Tikka Masala at one of the many cheap and good Indian and Pakistani places in Grønland (a part of town in Oslo). It was served with a salad and a tiny spot of green chutney. The chutney tasted so hot and good, that I couldn’t resist asking the waiter for a bit more to company what was left of the chicken. After a while he came back with a lidded container full to its brims with the delicious chutney, and explained that it was homemade with green chillies, onion, mint and tamarind. With the container stored safely at home in our fridge it was no surprise to my boyfriend that this would be the grand Chicken Tikka Masala Weekend.

I have been searching the net for recipes on green chilli chutneys that have the ingredients the waiter so kindly revealed, but no luck. Sy foloowing my gut feeling. And it turned out (if I might says so) pretty good. I'm satisfied.

On my recipe search, stumble upon videojug (a kind of youtube) where you can see how different recipes are made. What an awesome idea!

Babyteppe nummer 2 - Baby quilt number 2

Jeg er endelig ferdig med mitt andre quiltede babyteppe. Jeg glemte å ta bilder av det ferdige teppet før jeg ga det bort så dere må klare dere med disse ”underveis” bildene. Det virker som om alle rundt meg skal ha barn så jeg har allerede begynt å planlegge teppe nummer tre.

I finally finished my second baby quilt! I actually forgot to take a photo of it before I gave it away so you’ll have to manage with these “in progress” photos. It seems everyone around me is having a baby so I have already begun planning a third quilt.

Por fin he terminado mi segunda manta de bebé. Olvidé sacar fotos de la manta terminada antes de regalarla, así que teneis que conformaros con estas fotos tomadas durante el proceso. Parece que todo el mundo a mi alrededor va tener un bebé, así que ya he empezado a planear una tercera manta.

Tea for two and two for Sans & Sans

Etter å ha lest bloggen til Green Olive Tree var jeg nødt innom Sans & Sans og kjøpe te da jeg var i Barcelona. Jeg kjøpte litt av Rooibos teen hun anbefaler og kan ikke gjøre annet en å anbefale den på det varmeste. Den smaker godt og lukter helt herlig!

After reading Green Olive Tree's blog I just had to pass by Sans & Sans to buy tea when I was in Barcelona. I bought some of the Rooibos tea she recommends and I cannot do anything but recommend it strongly. It tastes good and smells fantastic!

Despues de haber leido el blog de Green Olive Tree me vi obligada a pasar por Sans & Sans y comprar un poco del thé de Rooibos que recomienda cuando estuve en Barcelona. No puedo hacer mas que recomendarlo yo también. Sabe riquísimo y huele fántastico!

Sans & Sans Fine Tea Merchants
C/Argenteria 59
Tel:93 319 6081

Eat your heart out

Today I’ll share a gastronomic discovery that we’ve done when in Barcelona. It is no secret that I love everything about food; shopping groceries, reading cook books and recipes, cooking and of course eating delicious meals. Back in august when spending our summer vacation in Barcelona we passed by the restaurant 99.9 % origen(s) but it was full. We decided to make a new try on our next visit and this Christmas we did and succeeded at getting a table.

What makes this restaurant special is that it changes its menu with the seasons, and the kitchen mainly uses ingredients that are typical to each season. Their menu is like a magazine where you can read about the different ingredients and how and when they first were introduced in the Spanish and Catalan kitchen. History and gastronomy in one sitting; can it be better?

I’ll share what I ordered to let you get an idea about the place and why I'm in love with it. For starters I chose toasted bread slice with “almadroc”. The menu says that “The almadroc sauce comes from a medieval recipe and is done from grated cheese, garlic and boiled eggs (see photo). All the ingredients are chopped and mixed with olive oil. This recipe is found in the Sent Sovi book (s. XIV)”.

I ordered rabbit with sweet potato as a main dish. The menu says:” The ancient Romans raised rabbits and hares in the open. Rabbit meat is one of the healthiest due to its low fat content. In this recipe it is cooked with another autumn fruit, a tuber, the sweet potato is a protagonist of the All Saints Festival along with the chestnuts and the “panellets”.

And last but not least I had to have some dessert: Creamy Turron of Jijona (almond paste with whipped cream), with pieces of chocolate cake soaked with rum and crunchy chocolate biscuits.

Eat your heart out!

Origens
Passeig del Born 4
Tel. 93 310 75 31

Blogpris - Blog award

Det har vært noen veldig hektiske uker på jobb, men endelig har jeg fått tid til å sette meg ned å skrive. For to uker siden fikk jeg hele tre blogpriser. Jeg føler meg beæret over at dere liker å lese blogginnleggene og har tenkt på meg. To av prisene jeg har fått heter ” You Make My Day award” og det er nettopp det Caroline, Prunila og Tora har gjort ved å gi meg disse prisene. En solstråle i en ellers regntung hverdag. Tusen takk!

It has been some very crazy weeks at work, but finally I’ve found the time to sit down and write. Two weeks ago I received no less than three blog awards. I feel honoured that you like reading my blog and have thought about me. Two of the awards are named “You Make My Day award” and that is exactly what Caroline, Prunila and Tora have done by giving these awards to me. They are sunshine in an otherwise rainy day. Thank you!

He tenido unas semanas locas en el trabajo pero por fín encuentro tiempo para sentarme a escribir. Hace dos semanas recibi nada menos que tre premios de blog. Me siento honorada de que os gusta leer mi blog y que habei pensado en mi. Dos de los premios que me han dado se titula “You Make My Day award” y es precisamente lo que Caroline, Prunila y Tora me han hecho al darme estos precios. Es un rayo del sol en un dia lluvioso. Gracias!

I would like to pass the award onward to all you readers and everyone that take the time to leave wonderful, nice and funny comments. I would also like to give the award to everyone in my blogroll. Reading your blogs make my day.

Endelig bilde - Finally photo

Endelig har jeg fått tid til å ta et bilde av vesken jeg fikk av Diane i dagslys! Er den ikke fin??!?

Finally I have had the time to take a photo in daylight of the purse I received from Diane. Isn't it lovely??!?

Por fin he tenido tiempo de hacer una con luz natural al bolso que me ragaló Diane. ¿A qué es bonito?

Barcelona garn - Barcelona Yarn

The sign on the door of "La Barcelana". More photos in my flickr

Dagen etter at jeg hadde vært sammen med jentene I ”Barcelona Knits” kjøpte jeg et kart og begynte jakten på de to garnbutikkene M hadde anbefalt meg. Det jeg trodde bare skulle ta noen timer endte opp med å ta en hel dag, både på grunn av at jeg gikk meg vill et par ganger, men også på grunn av alle de fine butikkene jeg bare måtte en liten tur innom. Da jeg endelig fant butikkene var det begynt å bli mørkt så bildene er ikke veldig bra, men nok til at du får en liten titt. Den første butikken jeg besøkte var "La Barcelana" (”lana” betyr ull/garn). Dette er både et tekstilverksted med store vever og en garnbutikk. De impoterer garn fra Argentina og det morsomme er at de selger garnet per 200 gram. Jeg kjøpte to nøster a 200g. Den argentinske damen som jobber der er kjempesøt og vil hjelpe deg med det du trenger. Men hvis hun sier at det holder med et nøste hvis du skal strikke et skjerf må du vende det døve øret til og kjøpe to (tips fra en erfaren Barcelona strikker)!

Den andre garnbutikken jeg besøkte var ”Persones Llanes”. Her hadde de større variasjon med garn som Lorna’s Lace, Malabrigo, Sara Silk (resirkulert silke) og til min store overraskelse hadde de også garn fra garnstudio. I tillegg har de tilbehør for å lage pon ponger, maskeholdere, strikkepinner m.m. Jennifer og Miquel som er eierne av Persones Llanes er utrolig hyggelig, vennlig og hjelpsomme. Jeg anbefaler et besøk til bloggen til Miquel for å se noe av gerilja strikkingen de har gjort i Barcelona. De har til og med en flickr gruppe hvor du kan poste dine egne geriljastrikke bilder. Og mens vi snakker om geriljastrikking: har dere besøkt Pinneguris blog for å se hennes fantastiske geriljastrikking i Bergen?


The day after I spent some time with the “Barcelona Knits” Girls I bought a map and went in search for the two yarn stores that M had recommended. In between the times I got lost and all the nice shops I just had to peek inside, what I thought would take a couple of hours took me a whole day. By the time I found the shops It was already becoming dark so the photos are not the best, but enough for you to make yourself an idea. The first shop I visited was “La Barcelana” (“lana” means wool/yarn). This is both a textile workshop with large free-standing hand looms and a yarn shop. They import wool from Argentina and the fun part is that they sell it by weight. I bought two 200g skeins. The Argentinean woman working there is very sweet and she will help you out. But if she tells you that one skein will do for a scarf don’t pay attention to it and buy two (tip from an experienced Barcelonan knitter)!

The second yarn store I visited was “Persones Llanes”. Here they have a wider variety of yarns, like Lorna’s Laces, Malabrigo, Sari Silk (recycled silk) and to my surprise they also had the Norwegian yarn “Garnstudio”. In addition they have a lot of accessories like pom pom makers, stitch holders, needles and more. Jennifer and Miquel, the owners of the Persones Llanes are very nice and helpful. I recommend a visit to Miquels blog to see some of the guerilla knitting they have done in Barcelona. They have even made a flickr group where you can post your guerilla knitting photos. And while we are talking about Guerilla Knitting: have you visited Pinneguri's blog to se her excellent guerilla knitting in Bergen?

El día después de haber estado con las chicas de “Barcelona Knits” me compré un mapa y empecé la busqueda de las dos tiendas de lana que me había recomendado M. Lo que en principio pensaba que iban a ser un par de horas acabó siendo un día entero. Tanto porque me perdí un par de veces como porque hay tantas tiendas bonitas que es difícil resistirse a entrar en ellas para echar un vistazo. Cuando por fin encontré las tiendas estaba empezando a oscurecer y las fotos no han salido muy bien, pero suficiente para que os hagáis una idea. La primera tienda que visité fue “La Barcelana”. Esta es una tienda de textil con telares enormes donde también venden lana. Importan lana desde Argentina y lo gracioso es que te la venden a peso. La mujer Argentina que trabaja allí es super simpática y te ayudará con lo que necesitas. Pero si te dice que con una madeja tienes suficiente para hacerte una bufanda no le hagas caso y comprate dos; (¡es un consejo que recibi de una tejedora barcelonesa!)

La segunda tienda que visité fue “Persones Llanes”. Aquí tienen más variedad de lanas como Lorna’s Lace, Malabrigo, Sara Silk (seda reciclada) y, para mi enorme sorpresa, lana noruega de Garnstudio. También tenían varios accesorios, pero excepto las agujas de clover desconozco el nombre en español de los otros accesorios. Podéis leer la versión inglesa y así podréis sacar el nombre en español. Por favor, dejadme un comentario con los nombres en español, así aprendo. Jennifer y Miquel, los dueños de la tienda, son muy simpáticos y amables. Recomiendo una visita al blog de Miquel donde podréis ver el punto guerillero que han hecho en Barcelona. Hasta tienen un grupo de flickr donde podéis dejar fotos de vuestros propios puntos guerilleros. Hablando de punto guerillero: ¿Habéis visitado el blog de Pinneguri para ver sus fantásticos puntos gerilleros en Bergen?

La Barcelana
Calle Brosoli 1
# 933 198 451
Metro: Jaume I

Persones Lanes (They are changing their name to “All you knit is love”)
Plaça de la llana 7 (The plaza of yarn)
# 93 310 7180
Metro: Jaume I


Miquel in "Persones Lanes" (All you knit is love)

Barcelona Knits

“Barcelona Knits” er en gjeng jenter som treffes en gang i uken for å strikke, snakke og dele erfaringer med hverandre. Jeg har fulgt bloggen deres en stund og bestemte meg for at hvis Barcelonaturen klaffet med et av deres møter så skulle jeg ta turen innom. Og som tenkt så gjort. Siden det var juleferie var det færre jenter som møtte opp enn vanlig, men jeg hadde det likevel kjempekoselig sammen med de tre som kom; Crazy Vet, Sara og Mkazumi. Jeg lærte til og med to nye strikkeoppskrifter; en som heter wisp og et som Crazy Vet fant opp ved en feiltagelse. Jeg lært også litt elementær engelsk strikketerminologi. Mkazumi ga meg den ultimale ”du må i besøke disse garnbutikkene” guiden, som jeg hørt på med stor oppmerksomhet. Den jenta kjenner hver minste lille krok av Barcelona. Jeg på min side måtte kjøpe et kart, men klarte likevel å gå meg vill et par ganger mens jeg lette etter butikkene. Mer om det og garnbutikkene neste gang jeg får tid til å sette meg ned å dele litt med dere.

“Barcelona Knits” is a group of girls that gets together once a week to knit, talk and exchange experiences. I have been reading their blog for a while and decided that if my stay in Barcelona coincided with one of their gatherings I’d pass by. And so I did. Because of the Christmas holiday there were not as many girls as usual, but I still had a great time together with the three girls that came; Crazy Vet, Sara and Mkazumi. I even learned two new patterns; the wisp, and another one that Crazy Vet accidentally invented. I also learned some basic English knitting terms. Mkazumi gave me the ultimate “you should visit these yarn stores” guidance which I listened to attentively. That girl knows Barcelona like the palm of her hand, every single little street. I on the other hand had to buy a map and still I got lost a couple of times in my search. More about that and the yarn shops next time I have the chance to sit down and share.

“Barcelona Knits” es un grupo de chicas que se juntan semanalmente para tejer, charlar e intercambiar experiencias. He seguido el blog que tienen durante una temporada y decidí que, si nuestro viaje a Barcelona coincidía con una de las quedadas, me iba a presentar. Y lo hice. Como estábamos en plena Navidad no había tantas chicas como es habitual pero aún y así me lo pasé genial con las tres chicas que estuvieron: Crazy Vet, Sara y Mkazumi. Incluso aprendí dos patrones; el wisp y otro que, por accidente, se invento Crazy Vet. También aprendí unas cuantas expresiones de tejer en inglés. Mkazumi me dió la gran guía de “tiendas de lanas que te recomiendo visitar” y yo escuché atentamente. Esa chica conoce Barcelona como la palma de su mano, cada rincón. Yo, sin embargo, tuve que comprarme un mapa y aún asi me perdí un par de veces en mi búsqueda. Más sobre todo esto y sobre las tiendas de lana la próxima vez que tenga tiempo para sentarme y compartirlo con vosotras.

Enda et kirsebær - Another cherry

I høst har jeg forsøkt å utfordre den dårlige selvtilliten jeg har i forhold til strikking. For å øke mestringsfølelsen har jeg holdt meg til enkle, meget enkle oppskrifter. I jakten på enkle strikkeoppskrifter fikk jeg hjelp av Mette som tipset meg om Helga Isagers ”Cherry - scarf”.
Den helgen jeg besøkte bestemoren min fikk jeg hjelp til å begynne på skjerfet og så snart jeg ble ferdig med alle julegavene og det andre kirsebær skjerfet fortsatte jeg med dette. Nå er jeg nesten halvveis og jeg gleder meg allerede til kunne bruke det for det er utrolig mykt og deilig. Jeg bruker tynn alpakka som jeg kjøpte på ”Du store alpakka” i desember.

This fall I have tried to challenge my low self confidence in knitting. To increase my sense of mastering I have chosen easy, very easy patterns. In the hunt for easy knitting patterns I received help from Mette who tipped me about the “Cherry-scarf” by Helga Isager. The week end I visited my grandmother she helped me to begin knitting on this scarf and as soon as I finished making and buying all the Christmas presents and finished the other cherry scarf I continued with this one. Now I am halfway and looking forward to use it because it is delightfully soft. I am using thin alpaca that I bought at “Du store alpakka” in December.

Este otoño he intentado superar mi baja auto confianza a la hora de tejer. Para aumentar mi autoestima he elegido tejer patrones fáciles, muy fáciles. En mi búsqueda de patrones fáciles recibí ayuda de Mette quien me dio la pista de la "bufandaa cherry" de Helga Isager. El fin de semana que visité mi abuela ella me ayudó a empezar con esta bufanda. Una vez terminados los regalos de Navidad y la otra bufanda cereza, seguí con esta. Ahora estoy casi a mitad y con muchas ganas de poder ponérmela porque es increíblemente suave. Estoy usando alpaca fina que compré en “Du store alpakka”, en Diciembre.

Nytt år - New Year

Velkommen tilbake til Life in Yonder og velkommen til 2008! Håper dere alle har hatt en fin jul og at disse første dagene av året har vært en fin start på 2008. Jeg har så mye å dele med dere at jeg ikke vet hvor jeg skal begynne; de fine overraskelsespakkene jeg fikk like før jul, det nye skjerfet jeg begynte å strikke på like før vi dro til Spania, de hyggelige jentene i Barcelona Knits, 2 garnbutikker i Barcelona, en super te butikk, herlig tradisjonell katalansk og spansk mat, de deilige muffinsene fra bakeriet ”180 grader” eller et nytt baby quilt jeg har begynt å jobbe med. Jeg må derfor forsøke å dele det over flere poster slik at jeg klarer å få med alt uten at det blir et tre kilometer langt blogginnlegg.

Jeg tror jeg begynner med overraskelsespakkene jeg fikk like før jeg dro på juleferie. Diana sendte meg ”Pay it forward” gaven min; en strikket og tovet veske i nydelig grått og rødt. Sammen med vesken lå et kjempekoselig kort. Tusen takk Diane! Gleder meg til å bruke den så snart våren kommer. Jeg har dessverre ikke fått tatt bilde av den men jeg skal vise dere vesken så snart jeg har fått tatt bilde i dagslys. Jeg fikk også en annen overraskelsespakke før jul. Nora sendte meg disse deilige og myke ullstoffene. Jeg er spesielt takknemmelig for jeg vet hvor travelt hun hadde det med å organisere bryllupet sitt (hun giftet seg 5. januar) og likevel fant hun tid til å springe på postkontoret. Tusen takk Nora!

Welcome back to Life in Yonder and welcome to 2008! I hope everyone has had a nice Christmas and that the first days of the year have been a good start to 2008. I have so many things to share with you that I don’t know where to start; the nice surprise packages I received right before Christmas, the new scarf I began before we went to Spain, the nice girls from “Barcelona Knits”, 2 yarn shops, a super tea shop, lovely traditional Catalan and Spanish food, the lovely muffins from the bakery “180 degrees”, or a new baby quilt I’ve started to work on. I will have to do it over several post so that I can write about it everything without ending up with a three kilometre long post.

I’ll begin with the surprise packages I received right before we went on Christmas holiday. Diana sent me my “Pay it Forward” surprise; a knitted and felted bag in lovely deep grey and red. Together with the bag was a lovely card. Thank you so much Diane! I look forward to using it this spring. Unfortunately I don’t have a photo to show you yet but I’ll post one as soon as I can take on in day light. I received another nice surprise as well. Nora sent me these lovely and soft wool fabrics. She got married the 5th of January and even so she found time to run to the post office. I am so grateful. Thank you Nora!

¡Bienvenidos otra vez a Life in Yonder y bienvenidos a 2008! Espero que hayáis tenido unas buenas navidades y que los primeros días del año hayan sido una buena manera de empezar el 2008. Tengo tantas cosas que compartir con vosotros que no se por donde empezar; con los paquetes de sorpresa que me llegaron antes de Navidad, la nueva bufanda que empecé antes de irnos a España, las chicas simpáticas de “Barcelona Knits”, las dos tiendas de lana, una tienda de té fenomenal, comida tradicional catalana y castellana, las riquísimas magdalenas de la pastelería “180 grados”, o la nueva mantita de bebe tipo quilt que he empezado. Para que no acabe siendo un post de tres kilómetros pienso repartir todo escribiendo varios posts.

Empezaré con los paquetes sorpresa que recibí justo antes de irnos de vacaciones en Navidad. Diane me envió mi sorpresa de “Pay it forward”; un bolso tejido y de fieltro en rayas grises y rojas. Un gris y rojo precioso. También me envió una postal preciosa. ¡Gracias Diane! Desafortunadamente no tengo foto para enseñaros pero pondré una en cuanto pueda hacerla con luz natural. También recibí un paquete sorpresa más. Nora me envió unas telas de lana muy suave. Ella se casó el día 5 de Enero y aun y así encontró tiempo para ir a correos y enviarme estas preciosidades. Estoy muy agradecida. ¡Gracias Nora!