A lazy sunday with chocolate balls

It's been a slow sunday, partly because my husband gave me the loving gift of a cold.
On the up-side, when you have a cold you really deserve the no-bake godness that is Swedish chocholate balls.

100 g room tempered butter
100 ml sugar
300 ml oats
3 tabel spoons cacao
3 tabel spoons coffe (or water/milk)

Mix it all up, roll into balls, roll in pearl sugar or coconut flakes, put in the frindge for 1 hour or so.

Every Swede probably knows this inside out, it's the first thing you lern to bake as a kid since there is no oven or any other hot/sharp objects involved.

Now, back to watching Community.
Check out the other Sunday Pictures over at Fabriken

Felted Seat Pads

The birthday gift project that I showed a glimpse of here is finished, felted and gifted.
 I crocheted 2 wool pads for sitting on outside, preferably in the woods together with a thermos of coffee. They became quite tedious in the end, but they turned out nice and thick once felted (in the machine, 60 degrees celsius). 100% wool, size 6 hook, lots of TV, round and round.

Round and round it goes..

Edging

I made a seam along the edges and put on handels so that you can strap them to your back pack.

I still have some of the yarn left that i have to figure out what to do with.

Ordning och Reda / Organizing Inspiration theme

There is a inspiration theme going on over at the Swedish blog called Fabriken (I found it today), the theme is "Ordning och Reda" (which google translates to orderliness, can any US/English native tell em if that really is a word? anyhow.. lets call it organization).

Organization is not always my strongest card, but I'm working hard at it and getting better. I have two storage solution previously posted on this blog that I'm particulary satisfied with.

First of, my (by far) most popular project, the DIY framed table organizer

 

It's perfect for storing papers and notes, pencils and other nick nacks you want to have easily accessible 

 Secondly, my very practical kitchen organizer

I keep seeds, nut and almonds in the small glass drawers in the middle, and in the bigger ones i have different kinds of flour, sugar and oats. I love not having to dig out all different packages when baking, spilling all around me since there is always some hole somewhere in one of the flour bags. It was a thrift find of my step mother but since she didn't use it, I got it. Lucky me, right?

Check out all the other organizing inspirations over at fabriken! (Even if you don't know Swedish you can look at the pretty pictures)

(Thanks to Popetotorora for posting your organizing inspiration leading me to Fabrikens blog)

WIP Wednesday / Baktus Scarf

So I though I would jump on the WIP Wednesday train that Tami's Amis has got going.

Right now I'm working on a Baktus scarf in two colours.

I bought 2 skeins of Fantasi from Järbo since i really liked to colour changes, it goes from a dark purple to a bright green, with long colour changes. With variegated yarn i prefer not to busy and complicated patterns, so i decided on the simple Baktus scarf. Im knitting 2 rows of fantasi and two rows of some other purple yarn i had, i have no idea what it is...

I really like the stripes, and how they change colour with the Fantasi yarn. It's a very easy knit, so I think this will be my go-to-project when i just want to knit a couple of rows. 

But I must cast on something a bit more challenging as well, there has been to much simple minded knit/crochet going on lately. More on that note tomorrow.

Crochet scrap yarn hat

 I was sorting through my yarn the other day (again, where does it all come from?!). I realised i hade quite a few different gray left over yarn bits from different projects (seems like i enjoy knitting in grey) which where all a bit to soft/fluffy/expensive/generally nice to go to waste.


The small amount was just enough for a hat.
Crocheted with hook 6.















Another fun way to make use of scrap yarns is to make a yarn ball wreath, instructions here

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Treat yo' self / DIY Body scrub

Due to some persistent health issues i felt quite down the other day. Being home alone did not make it better.

A bath I thought, that was ages ago. And why not go full cliché with bubbles, face mask and body scrub.

I felt like someone from a chick flick. I also felt awsome.

Home made body scrub, nicer than it looks.

... and bubbles!

Body scrub is one of those really easy DIY things.
I made mine from:

50 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
50 ml (1/4 cup) table salt
50 ml (1/4 cup) brown sugar

You can use other kinds of oil as well. I guess white sugar will also wok.  I wouldn't use sea salt for the scrub though, unless you are planning on using it as a weapon.



My skin gets ridiculously soft after a bout with this. I don't use it n my face since i have oily skin, and i also feel that the grains are a bit to big for the more delicate skin in your face. 

This scrub works equally well for dudes and dudettes, since the scent is very neutral, a bit olivey and tad sweet.

Saturday entertainment

Where better to spend your Saturday than a place like this? None, I tell you, none. 

We took a trip to an antiquity shop 10 km outside of the city (Mattex Antik, for locals to Umeå).

So many pretty things, the place was quite big. In the end, we bought a beautiful mahogny cabinet for our bedroom. A bit expensive, but it was perfect, and i think it is going to stay with us for a loong time. I'll upload a picture when we have painted our bed room, the black(!) walls is not optimal for photography.

 

I wish i could have brought this lamp with me home as well, but 1700 sek (260 usd) is a tad more than I am willing to spend on something I might aswell bang my head into an break (Not even I, queen of clumsy, should be able to break a mahogny cabinet by bangning my head into it).

Lost and found, Valentine cup

When visiting my dad I often check out the flee markets in the area.

When visiting my dad I often forget things behind.

These two can actually become a pretty good combo. When visiting this summer I found a Valentine cup from Rörstrand in really good condition which made me quite happy. I find it hard to get a hold of nice retro cups that holds more than a tablespoon of beverage.

Then i forgot to pack it, and after a while i forgot its exsistence. Until this week when i got back and found it. So now it has made me happy twice!

 I should perhaps hide away my things and forget them more often....

Give away by Hildas Hem / Craft & Creativity

I am always impressed by people who manage to make a buisness out of their blog. Hildas Hem is a blog about DIY, home decor and food but she also makes her own onlne magazine.

Right now she's hosting a give away where you can win a 500 sek (77 us dollar) gift card at Craft & Creativity, another blog who started up their own web shop Make & Create, whit lots of crafting supplies.
(Hildas hem is in Swedish but Craft & Creativity is bilangual Swedish/English)

A big kudos to you girls, who make these things happend.
Head over to Hildas if you want a chance to win the gift card. I know I do.

Cross stitch china

If I would have known someone who likes to cross stitch, I would have found a great gift in these cross stitch looking cup and plates during my latest thrift store run.

I ended up bying 4 charis for the living room dining table (well, board game table really) instead, they need some new fabric and stuffing but it's one item less on the to do list. 

Now we need a bureau for the bed room. Problem is, i know exactly what i want (50ies/60ies teak) and wont settle until i find it!

On the road crochet

5 hour train ride, thank god for knitting/crochet and radio.
Working on a birthday gift in a beautiful untwisted wool. Some times small things makes me  happier than they probably should, like when my metallic crocet needle matches my yarn.

Two-at-once knitting

So i gave this two-socks/gloves-at-the-time with magic loop thing a try. I always knit with magic loop when i knit in the round (it's the best, so long as you have relatively soft and bendy cables), but never tried the two-at-once thing.

The tutorial I used was from Knitting Giraffe. It was a bit tricky, with all the yarn ends dangeling about. It would have been easier if they werent the same color, but well, then the whole idea of doing two identical things at once woulde be lost.

I got the hang of it though, and after a couple of rows it became much easier. That did however coincident with the moment i realised that the cuffs of my Maplewood Mitts to be was way to big. Way.

Sigh.
I will still make them though, but i think i'll stick with one at the time.

A thrifty gift, home made kitchen towels.

Kitchen towel made from second hand finds, table cloth and lace.

My mother in law is a tinker of rank. She is the jedi-tinker and i am a mere padawan. For christmas we recived these home made kitchen towels, which i really like. They are made from one big second hand table cloth cut into towel size and second hand lace. I am really impressed by the application, they are sewed on by hand, hand you can just barely see the stitches from the back side if you look closely.

Sneaky invisible stitches

Todays project: baking

Today is spent baking for my mothers licentiate seminar on friday (Go mom!).
Biscotti and maple syrup cookies so far, chockolate cookies in the oven,

 The biscotti turned out a bit on the sweet side, but i guess it'll be fine with some black coffee (as us swedes tend to prefer it).
The Maple syrup cookies turned out great, the ones that i did not forget in the oven that is. Picture not included, i think that is for the best.

Almond Biscotti from Receptfavoriter.se

It's alive! (Kind of)

So, yeah. Long time no see. Sorry about that.. But im planning a revival! And this post is to try out mobile blogging

So what have i been up to? I spent 5 weeks diving in malaysia, lived in norway during the summer, moved to 600 km south but still ended up in northen sweden, started about 1000000 project and finished a few. Some content is due shortly, for now you can look at my beautiful view!