Skapande

I have not found the energy to work with my projects so much after new years. Most because a new term at work means more to do and I become more tired and don’t do anything creative when I come home from work. But this weekend I finally felt that it was time to start making stuff again. Therefore I started to work on a project that will end up in May. I will come back to that later on.

But finally I could do some woodwork on my own to, and not only teaching my pupils how to work… What a joy it was! To saw, carve and plane and all by hand. Sometimes I almost forgot how fun it is and how relaxed I become when I work with wood.

I didn’t finish anything, but painted 10 new garden decorations, made some plates ready to carve some decorations and text on, think I finished at least three of them. I also made some thinking and preparations on a sculpture I have an idea for. Most important was that I had some nice days in the garage working with wood, listening to great music and at the same time made a lot of thinking on how to become a more skilful woodworker.

Lovely!

Today I gave away one of my notebooks I made this weekend with Hanna. It was so fun and became really nice. I gave this book to my friend Tess, which travelled in India for 3 years. This old book printed in 1943, På indiska färdevägar, On Indian routes/journeys, or something like that if you translate the title of the book became a perfect notebook to Tess. Hanna has this really cool machine that makes this kind of notebooks, and making this is the greatest thing I have made this month I think.

It became an appreciated gift! I really like to give away things that the receiver didn’t expected. It’s so nice to surprise someone with a personal gift! Lovely, I will make more of these books… Hanna has already promised me, happy me!

A new year means new flea markets. Sunday Hanna and I went out with the hope that we weren’t going to buy anything. Only look… but, hey, who were we trying to fool buy saying that? Both made some finds of course.

I came home with three small books about Paddington Bear. Do you remember him? I could not resist buying them, even if I don’t really know what I will do with them more then read. Maybe my niece and nephew can read them later on.

I also bought the book Kastrullresan, The Saucepan Journey, written by Edith Unnerstad. I bought it because I became nostalgic, my sister and I watched the movie many, many time as children. And of course I liked the cover, so 1950’s! This book is printed in 1957, but it is the seventh edition.

I can’t really understand how my sister and I could watch a black and white movie made in 1950 so many times as children in the 80’s. It was a funny movie otherwise I don’t think that we would have watched it time after time. The Larsson family was a bit crazy and lived in a caravan pulled by horses. Why Saucepan journey then? The father in the family has invented a saucepan that whistles when the food is ready. And they travelled around and sold it one summer.

Have you made some finds lately?

I had one really interesting day at work today, one pupil fainted and three cut themselves. But in the end everything went well. But that was not what I was going to write about.

I have made a To-do list for 2007.

This is some of the things I will try to do in 2007. This is without some kind of order. Here we go!

Read more books! – And also try not to buy so many new once.
Knit the shawl…
Make more garden decorations
Don’t use the computer so much. – will be the hardest thing!
Carry out some of all my woodwork ideas.
Save money instead of use them
Work more with Danny Gregory’s book, The creative license
Make one more tavlett, something for the summer holiday!
Attend in some kind of swap.
Print and arrange my photos!
Make some collages.
Re-make the chest I built when I went at the university
Hopefully make more glass necklaces.
Sell more of my created stuff! That has started good; I sold some woodwork last week.

And perhaps I can find some time so I can go to work too. If it wasn’t for the money I rather stay home and just create all day long! Even if these first weeks of 2007 have been really soft, I haven’t made so much yet. Last week I made some embroidery. But I start too feel in the mode again for creating. This list will be a good help and start.

One more thing, Saturday it finally came some snow. I hope it’s here too stay some weeks now. I’m so tired of all the rain that has been pouring down.

Spooky….

This post will be a tribute to the greatest knitter I know. My mom!

She started knit as a child, 7 years old, and has never stopped after that. A friend of her learned here how to knit, and as we all know, if you practise you become better and better on something.

My childhood is filled with home knitted sweaters, socks and caps. Then I didn’t appreciate that my mom always made this things to me. Which now almost makes me ashamed; there are so many people that don’t know how to knit. And I had the nerve to not like the stuff mom made. Of course there where many things I really like, but sometimes I was not happy about a knitted sweater or something. Nowadays I love that mom is a great knitter! And here stuff are all just perfect!

Just in December my mom knitted a dress (no picture on that yet) to Wilma, my niece 4 month, 2 pair of gloves that she felted in the washing machine after she knitted them. I was lucky and received one pair in Christmas gift. And when we watched TV the Christmas weekend she made two pair of socks in almost no time. Amazing! She is so skilful; I will probably never have the same knowledge as she when it comes to knitting. It always becomes perfect. She knit so nice that once several people argued about a sweeter mom had made for a little girl. The receiver of course knew that mom had knitted it. But there was one person who was sure that no one could knit that good. I laughed when I heard that story! ( At the picture; I am playing with the new glove and the sunlight. )

This past summer mom knitted at Säterglätan when we went a course there. (I took a woodwork class) She got a lot of inspiration, because she talks about knitting so much now. Which is so fun because she tend to work too much, so that she has many new ideas on things to knit is great! We all need time to relax, mom too!

Du är bäst Mamma! Keep on knitting!

Here has my nephew played with one of the socks and needles!

The only creative thing I have made this past Christmas weekend was to collect some branches and start carving some new garden decorations. Went for a walk and found this already cut down branches lying in the side of the road. So I just pick them up and carried the home. I felt like a dog or something, finding the perfect stick to take home. But I didn’t chew on them.

I prepared a lot of crowns, hearts and stars for some weeks ago. Thought it could be good to find if I felt for carving some. I think I finished 10 of them or something that day. I sat in mom and dad’s garage, listened to some new records that I received in Christmas present. Two Swedish artist, Laleh and here record Prinsessor, and Moneybrother and his record Pengabrorsan. What’s greater then new lovely music? It was some nice hours, I could think of everything else. That kind of carving I probably would manage in my sleep.

I thought some about Sätergläntan, that I and mom probably will attend a course in July. We have registered us to two different courses. And I already longing for it. But, I have to wait a half year or so to see if I will be accepted. I really hope for it! Also thought some what my goals for 2007 will be. Maybe I can put a list together later, when I have figured it all out, because for the moment I don’t have any idea.

Whiplash

DECEMBER 2006 - JANUARY 2007 is officially GIFTS AND DECORATIONS crafts that you make for the holidays or for gifts.
Show off your traditions, your enthusiasm and your holiday spirit This is meant as a fun end to the year, and to give everyone an opportunity to show off their skills and creations.
Only two categories - GIFT or DECORATION

I feel that I have to participate in this whiplash; I mean I have made 9 Christmas gifts this year. With other words, this will be a long text. When I started to think of what I would give away this Christmas I first thought of my niece and nephew because it’s fun to give them things that I have made. One other good thing is that they are children = I don’t have to make bigger things. So I started to make one small little dress and one t-shirt in the same striped tricot that I found in a store and couldn’t resist.

My mother helped me making a pattern on the dress to little Wilma, 4 month, because I didn’t have any. I added a small pocket on the front, because I found them so cute. To Linus I made a t-shirt just by using one of his own t-shirts that I borrowed from my sister.

I once received a smaller piece of fleece with skulls on, of that I made a sweater to Linus. It’s one really easy pattern. One front and back piece, the arms and the hood. After cutting it out I first sewed the back and front piece together, added the arms and last I sewed the hood to the sweater. The whole thing is made in one and a half hour! So fun to make this kind of sweater to a child!

My father always brings lunch to work, and instead of using a plastic bag I have made him small bags that he can carry the food in. And I noticed that the one he has now is rather well-worn. Therefore I have made him one new bag, the third one I make to him. Some days ago I made a new cover to my calendar and there I used an oh-paper to make a small window. From that I came to think of that I could use the same idea for a bag. I decided to add some pictures that my father probably would like, so I selected one picture of cars and one with car parts. The red picture I have taken myself and the other one I found in a magazine. I sewed them on the fabric and then made a bag of it and added the handles.

At work we made some glass necklaces last week, and they became really good gifts. Therefore I have given away 4 of them. I have given them to my sister, mom, Hanna and one other friend also, Åsa. I think the technique to make this kind of glass things is could fusing. It was fun to make them, to choose and to combine different kind of glass. And then wait with tension for the result after the burning.

Finally I have made one gift in wood to, a shoe-shelf which I made at work one afternoon when I didn’t have so much things to do. First I had to use the plane so I could get the boards as I wanted. Then I cut the parts in the right length and put together the sides. Before putting all pieces together I put on a layer with coat to protect the wood from water and dirt.