A little bit of that and a little bit of this...

I made a pillow for my america-loving nephew, to go with his quilt (which he adores, he told me this holiday. The dog can sleep on it without leaving hair all over! Well, I did make it to survive a big dog...) Different colours - I used Japanese fabric in different textures. Kind of like the outcome.
Used the leftovers for the backing.

And look who snuck in here! My aunt and uncle's new doggie - Odin. He is a Chesapeak Bay Retriever and seven months old. He has a colour that reminds me of a too-lightly baked cookie:) He is still a puppy, though big... He likes to 'taste' people when they come, with the result that your arm is constantly being held in his mouth. Quite gently, but still... lots of teeths... However, he is cute, even when he smiles at you. Again, lots of teeths... They say the smile is a Chesapeake trait?

He is getting company of another one in April. We shall see how he likes being a big brother...

Back to crafts. I knitted socks,

.. a colourful hat,

.. a less colourful hat,

and a pair of very colourful gloves,

for my godchild's birthday this christmas. Just in time for a lot of snow, and a LOT of cold, cold days. I am thinking seriously about hibernating.

Christmas, christmas

This is also a part of Christmas here up north:) though not always. I just returned from celebrating Christmaseve with the family, and ended up having to drive through snow to get home. You get used to driving in snow here, though it is a nuisance at times. However, I do love the colours that comes from snowdrives in streetlights.
Why decorate a tree inside when you get snow and lights outside?

Now I can share some of the gifts I made this year. This is a variation of a pattern from Bente Malm. Instead of a big tablecloth I made it into a table runner instead. This was for my nephew and his girlfriend. Big one to suit a big table:)

Winterroses, as we call them, are pretty new to Norway, and we only get them at Christmas. I do like them.

For my sister-in-law, I made kitchen curtain for her kitchen - two small windows, one for each.

I look forward to seeing them on the window:)

Have a continous good Christmas, all you out there!

Creepiness ensues

I tend to have eyes for the spooky and creepy views these days. Is it my mood or the winter light? I was on my way to visit family on a day with dark wintery skies, snow blowing in gusts over the road and the chill creeping in everywhere, even in the car. Then suddenly, on the end of a 'lonely moore' a single chimney shows up.
These days you seldom see houses burnt down to the ground as the firetrucks are pretty quick, but this house was too far away, with no neighbours, so none of it could be saved. It was incredibly creepy standing out there, with the wind howling around the ears, the light going into grey and not a soul around. Brrr....

And no, no ghosts. Fortunately no one was at home when it burnt down. But creepy, creepy, creepy....

Førjulstanker....

How to translate that one... pre-christmas thoughts? For once something sounds more poetic in my own language. Huh - who would have thought.

I realise I haven't been good at blogging lately. The only reason I can give is that life hasn't been very easy lately, and from what little I can predict it doesn't look like that is going to change in the nearest future.

But now it is advent, preparation for Christmas season. I love this time of year, all the lights and the expecctations. Christmas for me is all of December, until after Christmas eve. After that, I am done:)
So I have taken out my advent candles (I will be lighting three candles tomorrow).
My advent star is hanging in the window, 'guiding the way' until Christmas eve.
And my little Christmas tree:) I got this in Singapore a few years ago. The stone in the middle looks beautiful in the candle light.

Today I hung my stars in the windows. When it gets dark before 4 pm, lights are a crucial and lifegiving part of the Christmas season. This was taken at 3:30 pm - there are few hours of daylight at this time of year. But you can't beat the colours this season brings us.

It is a perfect time for crafts. I am trying out a new one this year. We call it gimping, I think the Americans call it hairpin something? I am to make four of these and then try to crochete it together. We shall see... I will show you the result, if I am able to make it work.

So the next few weeks will be seeing me finishing a load! of christmas gifts, visiting my aunt and uncle in Sweden again, I hope. They have a new dog! A puppy! And celebrating the season with family. The future will have to worry by itself for a little while. If I can keep the vargs at bay in the middle of the night...:)