What does the fox say!

Foxes are so in fashion at the moment and they are so cute! Some fellow countrymen of mine have become a big hit on YouTube with the song "What does the fox say". I have never heard a fox before... so I believe them when they give out the stages sounds!

I have played around with foxes in knitting for some while and got around to a hat that I really love!

The knitting pattern for the hat is available in the current issue of The Knitter (issue 64), and will be available on Ravelry next year.

It's a fun and fast knit that gives a super hat to wear as winter approaches! 


 

I bought Molly Makes the other day and the free kit was two felt fox brooches! Both were made the other day and worn at a party on Saturday!

The fox is a clever little fury friend, and she lend herself so well to designs for all sorts of things. I have so many favourite foxt things on Etsy!

I love this bookends from Article. They are a very creative duo in Ukraine.

Searching for "fox" on Etsy gave nearly 50 000 hits! Is the fox the most popular animal in design?! 
What a bout these lovely jars on the breakfast table?!  I would certainly feel inspired after breakfasting with these lovely foxes!

They are made in London by Poussepoussecitron.








As I love needle felting I can not help admiring these beautiful foxes. They are made by Sarafina Fibers in Elkton, Maryland, USA.










What about wearing these great mittens as you wiz down the street? I simply love them and they do go well with my hat.

They are made by warmYourself in Poland, and if you are quick to buy you can take advantage for the autumn sale in store.








I made a smartphone cosy based to the hat pattern and here it is! If you want to make it you can buy the pattern on Etsy.



The classic story form the woods including foxes would not be the same without a hare! One of my favourite shops on Etsy stocks a lot of lovely hares. Annette in Scotland manages so well to capture the movement of the hare in her wonderful soft sculptures.Check out her shop TheLeveretsNest. 
She ever so often support animal welfare charities and she is an excellent painter too.


Click to find out!





Doing up the little room

It's been a long time since I have blogged and that means I have been busy with vacation and fun projects at my summer house.

I have redecorated the toilette at the cottage and it's been great fun. It's in a shed attached to the cottage but the only entrance is from the garden. The toilet had some torn 70s wallpaper, the cistern was leaking a bit and the rest looked like it was knocked together on a Saturday night.

I did not want to spend a lot of money so clever solutions had to be found. So here is what I did!
I found an old scrolled shelf at a charity shop and hung it over the toilet roll holder. 

 As there are no electricity in the shed and I wanted a chandelier I used a paper-pop-up form Talking Tables and hung some real crystals on it. As for actual lighting I have a garden shed solar lamp and attached a crystal to the pull as well!
The shelf over the toilet roll is a perfect place to display beautiful flowers from the garden. If people are spending some time in the little room they can admire the flowers or read some of the magazines provided.

I added some pea flowers to give off the lovely scent to the room. I love the bird vase that I got at a sale in a local flower shop. 
The ceiling is a rustic wooden board and I decided to paint it as it was. To draw some attention away for the ceiling I bought some fake plaster moldings that was cheap and easy to glue in position.

The wallpaper was bought at a clearance at Laura Ashely and as the room is tiny I didn't need much.

For the flooring I used some left over vinyl from when we redecorated the hall in the flat in town. It's good economy to get every little bit used.

It's a big surprice to first time visitors as they first enter the shed with garden tools and other bits and pieces. The they open the door to a little summery time on their own!
I'm really happy with the result. 

What do you see?

Reflection in the window with the tree tops in the foreground.


































The weekend has been lovely. It started with our National Day festivities on Friday and then the first warm weather of the year came upon us! I spent days at the summer cottage, literally watching things grow.

On warm evenings we sit outside on out partly glazed-in veranda. As the evening grew older, I  saw a reflection of the hill behind the cottage in the window. As the clouds were dark it looked like a landscape in the sky! I managed to capture the view with my camera and I think it looks so spectacular that I want to share it with you.
Reflection in the window with the clouds as a backdrop.







To poke an Owl

This morning I poked an owl! It's not something I do every morning. In fact it is the first morning I've done it and therefor the first owl!

I was asked by Eden Arts Canopy Project in Cumbria, UK, if I would make something for their exhibition at Acorn Bank National Trust property near Penrith.

After a very busy February and March I didn't think I had the time, but this morning I sat down with the wool and the felting needles and gave it a go. Barn owls where the inspiration and here is the result.

If you think the feet looks weird, they are only temporary, made out of paper clips. I will make proper feet after a visit to the store to buy wire.

The Canopy Project can be seen from April 6th until 3rd November in the woods at Acorn Banks. Hopefully this little owl will be sitting in a tree and looking down at you wondering how it ended up in England when it saw it's beginning in Oslo, Norway. Say hello to the owl form me if you see her! 


I am back form the shop and the owl has got new and improved feet! 

 
 
If you want to find out more about the Eden Arts Canopy Project go to the canopy project on their website.http://www.edenarts.co.uk/portfolio/canopy/ 

Sale at the yarn store!

 One of my favourite yarn stores had a sale on today. Yarn stores in Norway carry mostly wool and very little fancy yarn. However, plain wool can be made into wonderful garments and accessories!

Here is what I got!

The white, mustard and grey yarn is bulky and I have a cushion in my mind for that one. Some of the white yarn will be dyed with Kool Aid and food colouring!

The teal and browish alpaca is bulky too and I am not sure what to make of this. I watched the movie Robin Hood with Cate Blanchett and Russell Crowe the other day and was taken by the colours in a dress Marion was wearing - and that is the reason for these colours.
I bought a bunch deep red and white dk weight superwash wool is for a top I will make for the autumn I think.

By and large I am happy I didn't come home with more. I have ideas for what I got (almost all of it), and I have a cupboard full of yarn already!