From the past

I was so lucky to find kind people, like Mette, who contacted people and arranged for me to meet with my friend's niece.  And then Kaja (the niece) who took an afternoon off from moving to show me the family cabin I visited 45 years ago.

Here is a mix of photos from 2018 (summer) and 1973 (winter-long hair!).

Walking in to the cabin

Cabin - doubled in size from 45 years ago

Tea time

The fireplace is original

Games while it snowed

Sun after a dark winter 1973 (who are these people?)

Mick and Laila, going places or maybe cleaning the rugs

Easter egg coloring contest winner!

Enjoying the view

Kaja fetching water from the well, with just the right tool

A visit after 45 years with niece of our friend from the past. When we were there in March of 1973, there was snow so deep, this was unrecognizable.

Knitters Trip Review

Hard to believe but I was part of this trip to Åndalsnes, Norway almost a year ago. Shame on me for not sharing but life happens.

At the end of the trip, I caught sight of this from the train. Somewhere along the train line between Dombås and Oslo... yarn bombing a loom! Made me LOL!

Along the rail line: A yarn bombed LOOM!  

As I start thinking about my next trip with Knitters, I came across some pics from last year.  I can only hope that the weather is half as good this year as it was last time.  

Park Art from drift wood

Geocaching view of the fjord

Things I find while looking for something else!  Viking burial mounds.

Another view with the playground (mountain) from 45 years ago.

I recently searched SLIDES from 1973 to find the one below... Me skiing during Easter weekend in the mountain valley pictured above!  I remember that we were 5 crazy twenty year olds, and totally alone in this remote area.  (with the comforts of a cabin)

Skorgedalen, March 1973

Some Things I Do ...

I wanted to say I have an alter-ego, which can be sinister, but really it means I live two lives.

I have a home, a great man, and activities which can be defined as hobbies and work.  Then I have this other life which happens 4,000 miles away from home, where I am a live-in grandma, cook and errand runner.  My hobbies follow me to my second life, and I feel loved in both lives. 

Rather than driving everywhere, I use public transportation.

Rather than having meals discussed and prepared for me, I fill the refrigerator with my desires for my family.  This is how the refrigerator looks when I arrive... I fill it.

Rather than sitting in my backyard, I get invited to picnics in the park and discover geocaches on my own.

Rather than listening to the occasional dog barking, and the sound of hammering on the roof of a new house, I listen to children playing, and music blaring from next door.

I get to celebrate with a nation of people who are strictly traditional, wear red, white and blue, and hope it never ends!

Rather than depend on sunshine and hanging clothes out to dry, I cross my fingers and hope that I'll be able to go outside without rain gear and boots.

Rather than fretting about my monstrous stash of yarn, I get to reward myself with new yarn and ideas.

Which can get a little out of hand...  Here's the makings of 3 pairs of socks and a sweater.  What you don't see is the yarn for another 2 sweaters, one which quickly was started and finished so I didn't have to embarrass myself (my own guilty conscience) when packing for home.

Rauma 2

I thought I was back at WEBS!  The warehouse was daunting, and of course, it's off limits to the public. (Did anyone notice I found the apostrophe key?  It says "greater than/less than" and I hit it my mistake!)

The view from their new office windows.

Japanese knitting machines that can produce complete products.

Mr. "Rauma", inherited from his grandfather, showing a Marius sweater.

A little later, getting the feel...starting our felted bag project.

Rauma, where it happens!

I lived in Norway 40 years ago, and quickly understood that the place for knitting satisfaction was a place called Husfliden.  It means Home Crafts, and was pretty much the only place for high quality wool which became beautiful home decorative and wearable articles.

Today, there are still these shops in the major cities, joined with dozens of other shops.  However, Rauma wool is the first and longest producing wool yarn mill in Norway.  (With a little luck, you can click on the link (Rauma wool) and see the whole fascinating process with scenery!)

I didn't know much about it until I took this tour, and now I know they demand respect for their traditions and their innovations.  

I don't know how they will fare in the future given that sheep farmers get so little for their fleeces, and Rauma has overhead costs (i.e. labor) that are crazy.  The best of luck to all of them!

Fleece bails, arrived cleaned

The special fleeces

Spun into thread

Through lots of machines, for plying

Ready for dyeing

Dyeing 

As in most of the manufacturing, their marketed sweaters and blankets are machine knitted and woven.  To be continued.

A Note:  I wanted to include a link to Husfliden, but their website is as unfriendly as the experience you will receive if you set foot in the shop (in Bergen).  I have wandered in every few years, the window displays are very inviting, however, if you don't have know exactly what you want, AND especially if they don't have it, you will be dismissed like an ignorant child.  I confirmed this by reading comments on their facebook page.  Comments were mostly very negative regarding their service.

I wished and it came true!

A few months ago, I was at home thinking about knitting in foreign locales... and there was Clara Parkes, with a lovely list of knitting events and tours.  Thank you, Clara!  

As I scanned over her list of the year, I thought, I wonder what is happening in Norway in May and June, and I saw the dream trip... Trips for Knitters: Åndalsnes, Norway!  Ah, Åndalsnes, home of Rauma yarn mill, AND home of a memorable Easter ski trip in the mountains nearby from 45 years ago.  (Startling, when I did the math... and so little remembered except the train, the cabin, the massive amount of snow and the cozy fire inside.)  

So, I wrote, and was put on a waiting list, with the caveat:  "I will notify you...though I think that unlikely at this point."

I thought to myself, well, being in the country would surely be easier to arrange last minute than from the States.  And 9 days before the scheduled trip, I got the invitation to join them.  YAY!

A 55 minute flight to Oslo (and a little mucking around with See in Oslo) and I joined the fun and scenery as a tourist.

Here's the largest/longest lake in Norway, Mjøsa.  The train follows it for over an hour.

Then we change trains and the real mountain scenery begins:

And later that night, my hotel room view, or should I say, ONE of the views.  Every direction was stunning.  And the weather continued! I'm one lucky knitter!

Now, where could that cabin be, and how did we get there?

To be continued!

A busy summer

Busy with the important job of knitting!  Even though the temps are high, I somehow manage to sit with wool in my lap... and this thing just knits itself.

Can you imagine these colors?  Not me!  I rely on Rowan, Rowan yarns, models knitted up, irresistible... 

I've resisted for many years, but not this time.  

My favorite shop is Norwegian Spirit, located in the train station of Bergen, Norway.  At first I thought it was a souvenir shop (think tourists) because they had a fair amount of Dale of Norway sweaters hanging on a rack out front, but they have a great inventory of Garnstudio yarns and Rowan, and many others.  But it's the Rowan models that take your breath away... and I finally went all in. 

In May, I bought the pattern and yarn for this cardigan.  (Not without the angst of seeing three other patterns that vied for my attention.)  

The colors are nothing I could have imagined, and fair isle... each section begs to be completed just to see what surprise it has to offer!

Upon completion of the body, I realized that it would fit me! YAY!  But I wanted to gift this to my daughter, so I began a second body in her size... Norwegian knitwear is needed year round.  Mine can wait until... winter.

Construction

I received a lot of comments on the "bunad" costume for my granddaughter.  Here are some close-ups:

Hardanger style embroidery used in the apron.  This is a stock, buy-by-the-meter,  lace band.

And another apron... Think of the work if this was handmade!  It would take me many painful months to sew and cut the threads...

The vest is totally lined and sewn to the skirt.  The skirt and vest can both be lengthened here.

The shoulder tops are lengthened or shortened, here.

This is the front of the vest.  There are three hooks holding it closed.  And two more hooks holding the tab.  You can see that the first threads are still there from when the tab was used for the 2-year-old size.  (Looking at close-up photos...someone didn't do a very nice job of attaching the tab...hmmm, me?)

Inside, the vest can grow in width and length.

We'll see how much we need for next year!