A-Z challenge V

V is for Vintage

 I am lucky enough that I have some pieces my mother and grandmother made that I treasure. Vintage is very much in style at the moment, but I think all these pieces are timeless and should be worn and loved and used. And when I use them I think about all the work and love that has been poured into the garments. Vintage is a treasure, sometimes only for sentimental value but sometimes can be important to take care of it for the next generation.

We couldn't find a photo of my grandmother knitting, but here she is busy sewing. I adored my grandmother and I do feel a bit sad that she died before we could share knitting or sewing together, but at least I can crochet with my mother and aunt which we try to do at their cabin.

Here is my mother crocheting in her 

nurses uniform when she did nightshifts 

I think before I was born. But I know she 

and my aunt did a lot of sewing too so

I come from a crafty family and those

that did not work with yarn worked

with wood or metal and things like 

that...

So there is no wonder I love all hand-crafting. 

Here is a "kofte" jacket which is all the style at the moment in Norway, everyone is knitting one, but they are very warm and classic and I can remember my grandmother wearing this so it has been quite durable. My mother is pretty sure my grandmother knited this, but we do know she knitted the red sweater below that my mother wore when she was twelve-ish so that sweater has lived for quite some time.

And then there is the scarf in a mermaid pattern according to my mother which my grandmother knitted to my mother, I love the pattern, it is the same pattern my doll got her dress in that my grandmother knitted for me when I was a kid, that doll is in the attic so we didn't have time to find her and show off, but I thought that dress was the most beautiful dress ever when I was a child and I still cherish it. I hope to be able to knit something like that one day.  

I think clothes that are more than 25 years old and up to almost 50 years old surely must count as vintage?

When is something vintage and do you own any vintage heirlooms?

Finished Friday

I have some finishes to show you and since it is finished Friday today what better than to show off what I have done these past few weeks?

I have found my stitching bug again, yay! And I started and finished this lovely little biscornu turned into a scissor-fob which I will put in my gift-pile. 

Here is the back of the same biscornu and I finished the boy-bunny, I still have one more in this series and am contemplating wether to start it now or do it next Easter, I love having seasonal things to do in its season, but it would also be lovely to actually have a finish... 

And then there is the daffodil in the middle which I started just over Easter, that too is finally finished after I frogged the middle yellow since it was stitched in the wrong place. You would think that I learned my lesson and properly look at the chart, well, I did the same with the darkest green, stitched all the darkest green and then realised it was wrong and had to frog that too. And when it was finally done, I had lost the frame.... I was mad, but as things want to do, it turned up, the same day my beautiful pink scissors and needles set from Tulip did. That was indeed a happy day.

And I finished another bib, the bigger pink one, made a heart on the blue bib and started a third bib, this time in pale pink, but it won't have scallops I think...

And the pink thing in the background of all the pictures is my granny stripe baby-blanket which is way over half way already, just one more skein I think!

So far I have finished One whole skein of pink, but started a second.

The pink for the blanket is already up to five balls I think, but since it is not finished I will not count it.

So, 70 grams out in baby-bibs and 200 grams of scarf

and 

350 grams in these past two weeks.

So I am not doing too well on my two out one in yarn policy, but that might be because of all those half finished things, if I finish them properly I might have more success.
Hey, scratch that, I forgot I had the knitted scarf finish, I never made a proper post about it, but I did finish the blue/green scarf the other day, I will take a picture and show you later, so I think my policy is working better than I thought... Yay me.

Third day of Christmas and third Christmas celebration

Driving in the snow. Did I mention that it is snow! Did I mention I love snow?

We are visiting family again, and so I got tea again, caramel and vanilla, it was really good! Did I mention I love tea? I love vanilla and caramel too.

We played card-games, I won first, then me and my youngest female cousin won together. I love winning. Did I mention I like winning but am a very sore loser?

I finished one scarf yesterday and the second one today and I started the matching wristwarmer and finished one. But there is still two halfs to do. Did I mention I like making things? Did I mention I am not that good at finishing things? Did I mention I love starting new things?

Want to see how the finished hat and beard look on the intended person? Quite handsome, and it fits him too. :) Did I mention I like my cousin? My uncle wants one too now. And did I mention my younger female cousin also wants one?

Friday finishes

I have another two finishes, I had to wait for my trusty model to come home from work so I could take some pictures.

But here they are:

Exhibit A:

My third ever knitted hat, it is finished at last. And I found out what pattern it was too. It was indeed Tristan from Drops.

Exhibit B:

I crocheted a hat as well. Pattern from here, which is also where I found this awesome bobble beard. I know my bobbles are not perfect, but it was a good exercise and I might need to make more.

Both patterns had to be altered a little by me because my yarn was a bit too small, but no worries, I think it looks good anyway.

 although the finished result resembles less like a beanie and more like a bucket hat, might need to practice more crochet hats, I think it looks ok. Crochet hats are hard when you are not the best in crocheting in the round and don't have the specified yarn from the pattern.

M is rocking the inmate look, or maybe is failing at trying the hipster look?

Regarding my knitting adventure, I haven't really done anymore of that even though we are halfway through Socktober already, and all the rest of my secret things on a deadline has been put at the bottom of my yarn bags while I finished and started a few more crochet blankets, oops, and I think I need to make more hats... But they might be for Christmas, the started and finished blankets,  and they are stash busting blankest, so I am doubly allowed.