Knitted Jumper becomes TV star

If you live in the UK you've probably been watching the Danish crime series The Killing. Being Danish I can't help but be a little proud of a danish tv drama making it onto the BBC and of all the great reviews it has been receiving.

When it aired it in Denmark a few years ago, the main character's hand knitted jumper received so many comments and people started knitting similar ones. It's really funny how the exact same thing is happening here, for example in this Guardian article.



The jumper is knitted by Gudrun & Gudrun, which is owned by two Faroese women who make really beautiful jumpers. The Guardian article implies that they are really expensive (£236) but just think of all the hours that it takes to actually hand knit a jumper! I think it's a bit sad that we are getting so used to being able to buy cheap clothes from Primark and H&M, that we don't want to pay a fair price for a piece made with love and true skill by a small independent company.

Crochet Hits the Catwalk

Last week was London's fashion week and for the first time in ages crochet was featured on the catwalk. This was thanks to Cristopher Kane's new collection featuring crocheted jackets and dresses.

I think it's great that crocheting is making a come-back but I think it's a pity he only really used the very traditional crochet stitch when so many more exciting textures can be achieved.

Several reporters have already questioned the sex appeal of crochet - Kane simply replied: "Actually, I know some really hot girls who wear crochet."

Made me smile. You can read more about it here.

Apparently all the garments were crocheted by one woman at the Johnstons of Elgin mill in Scotland. Please could I have that job?

P.S. If you fancy one of these dresses but feel like they might be a bit over your budget, why not come to one of my classes at The Create Place or book a one-to-one/small group tuition with me? The dresses are made using the same stitch as the granny squares.

The image is from here.

crocheted bangle

A while ago I spotted this beautiful one-ply yarn at Loop and I just had to have it. It's hand dyed by a woman's cooperative in Uruguay. Because I loved the yarn so much, I kept thinking that I should save it for something special. Well, I finally found something to use it for and I'm really happy with the result, so I'm busy making a few more.

The first one is on sale in my etsy and folsky shop.

Granny Square Love

Today at the Wednesday Craft Mornings I host at The Create Place, we were talking about how much we love crocheting granny squares - they are relatively quick to make, it's a good project to do while chatting or watching TV because you go into the gaps rather than the stitches, you get a sense of satisfaction every time you complete one and there are so many things you can make from them.

I've put together a few granny square designs that I find inspiring, if you do too why not book a class with me (either one-on-one or with friends) or come to one of my classes at The Create Place on the 1st of March or the 2nd of April.




I think I might make the basket (or three) for some of all my yarn.

The images are from the following sites:
1 necklace
2 coin purse
3 shoulder bag
4 dog coat

5 cushion
6 blanket
7 lamp
8 basket

Yarn Addiction

I have baskets of yarn in every corner of my living room, I constantly find forgotten yarn in handbags and various drawers. I seriously have a lot of yarn and could knit or crochet constantly until Christmas and still not run out of yarn. But I always come up with an idea for a new project, which definitely requires a very specific type of yarn or colour that I isn't already part of my growing collection.

I am very excited about a new project of mine that is all about traditional Scandinavian knitting patterns. They have some beautiful patterns that would look amazing in the right colours. Naturally I need some very specific Icelandic yarn for this project, luckily my sister is going to Iceland this week so she's going to pay the Lopi factory a visit and bring me back some beautiful colours. I might also have to get a new container to store it in...

The pictures are from Ravelry, I'm not sure if the link works for non-members...

Make a Hen Happy

If you're searching for a new knitting project, then look no further.

The retired battery hens at the nearby Lee valley Farm, need lots of knitted jumpers to keep warm. The poor chilly chickens are so used to being kept indoors that they haven't grown feathers all over and therefore need some extra help staying warm during the cold months.

You can find a complete knitting pattern and read more about the project here.

Thanks Cara for sending me this.

Why not?

If you run out of linen, aida, or any other fabric, why not embroider a few slices of bread instead?

Found here.

So proud

of everyone who came to my Crochet a Valentines Heart class at The Create Place, last Saturday afternoon.

Quite a few of the students had never crocheted before, but came away with a beautiful, 100% hand made, heart after two hours. I hope they'll continue their crochet journey!



Proud faces!


Jill's beautiful arrangement.





Oh and I'll be at The Create Place again tomorrow for the free craft Wednesday - pop by if you can :)

Happy Valentines

Hope you all have a lovely day, however you celebrate it. I'm personally not a fan, when I was growing up in Denmark we didn't even know what Valentines day was, but I guess it's nice to have an excuse to spread a little love. The sun is shining in London today, so we've taken the day off and are off to see the view from St Paul's Cathedral.

Tennis Ball Bracelet

I've been looking at lots of jewelery lately trying to find some inspiration. I came across these fun bracelets made by Elke Munkert. Love them.

It reminded me of how fascinated I was with badminton feathers when I was little. While my dad and his friend was playing badminton, I would sit by the court and play with all the discarded feathers and practice how to whistle at the same time. Maybe I'll try to make something out of badminton feathers...

100% Natural

When I'm working I'm almost always listening to BBC Radio 4, it somehow makes everything much cosier and it reminds me of my grandmother who always has the Danish equivalent station tuned in on her radio. Yesterday there was a program about immigration in Denmark and it actually made me ashamed of being Danish and I found myself hoping that not many other people were listening to it. Some people can be so narrow minded, selfish and ignorant - of course this is not all Danish people, far from it. Even thinking about it now it makes me angry and I'm happy to be living in a big melting pot like London, where of course there are problems too, but so many people from completely different backgrounds can live here together and make it a vibrant exiting place to be. I have always been made to feel welcome here, as opposed to the Mexican woman who was married to a Dane for 8 years, paying her tax, about to give birth to their son, but could not actually get a residency permit.

Anyway, this was not what this post was meant to be about, I just needed to vent. What I wanted to write about was another program I listened to which was about ice music from Norway. Terje Isungset makes instruments out of ice and performs concerts in carved ice arenas, mostly in Norway. It sounds incredible, unbelievable actually, and there is something so beautiful about the fact that the instrument is constantly changing and will eventually completely melt away. If you're in the UK you can listen to the pod cast here, if not then you can read and listen here.

The images are from Terje's website

If you'd like to listen to the program about Danish immigration, it's available to people in the UK here.

All you need is

It's may be a cliché but it's very true. I'm having one of those days where everything seems to be going just a little bit wrong. I woke up slightly hung over, today's mail consisted of two huge bills, a cyclist cycling on the wrong side of the road nearly knocked me off my bike and then I got the shops only to discover I had forgotten my money. But Ben is on his way, we'll cook a roast, drink some wine, watch lots of TV and that makes everything else better than OK.

I loved making these two embroidered wall hangings, I'll definitely be making more of them. These two will go on sale for £20 at my folksy shop early next week. If there is anything you'd like me to embroider - names, dates etc, do let me know, I take custom orders. It's a great personal wedding or christening gift.

Rope Lamps

I just spotted these rope lamps on this blog

Lovely and inspiring!

Knitting at Heals

Over on the Fabrications blog, you can have a look at what Cansu has been up to at Heals (see previous blog post).

I wish I had time to go have a look myself, but this week has been so busy, hence my absence from the blog - sorry about that. And I'm even more sorry if I haven't replied to your email. Busy is good though, I've been making lots of new things for the Valentine pop up shop, which is open this coming Saturday, so if you're in East London please stop by and say hello, if not, then I'll be posting about it here and probably adding some new things to my etsy/folksy shop.

Right I'm going to have a cup of Horlicks and then off to bed.

Knit at Heals

This week Slade art student Cansu, will be knitting the pillars of Heals on Tottenham Court Road. She'll also be holding small workshops teaching the basics of knitting, so the public can help complete her project.

It's part of the Heals Reveal's project and you can read more about here