More Gotland and the sneaky cold...

It is just beautiful around the Gotland Island. If you visit Sweden - come in the summer and make a trip here. This is the Swedish paradise. For me, this is vacation. So nice and relaxed. Knitting on a cliff with a great view of the sea. My domino-knitted squares is coming along, but to be truthful, Im not to overly hot about this technique. To much cutting yarn. I suspect it is great for using up left-over yarn. But, Im slowly moving along on this little summer top. I know I do not like it that much, since it goes slow. When I luve my knit, it is done in no time. Husband got a cold at Gotland - really sick, and our cuddling made sure I got it to, so I will not bore you with details, but honestly, I have a heavy fever - and the weather is tropical - so I cannot tell what the sweat come from. Anyhow - it feels refresing talking about Gotland - already sinking back in memory-lane. From my friend Vicki - who has been selling silver jewellery every medievel week for 21 (!) years, I bought this finish replica of an artifact. She tells me it is a sun-symbol (probably). Anyway, I miss my friend Monica - VillaYlle - What happened to you and your blog? It is sad to remove "dead" links. Anyhow, it is nice to have vacation, even if you have a cold. Just bumming around the house. Making small efforts to create some order in chaos. Still the living room is filled with the door and scraping. Anyhow, I have been into silver-making as well some years ago. But I guess I will never have enough time for all the handicraft I would like to do. I guess it I should present the YARN - after all - Im a "Yarnoholic". And - the best about Gotland is really the yarn hunt. It has at least two spinning-mills, and the Gotland sheep is just a great wool. Fab! The best about summer and holiday is - that it is ok to procrastinate. Tomorrow, tomorrow.. Then we are packing for the last sailing trip before reality sets in.

My cousins wedding! Gotland!

Wedding of my dear cousin Rebecca. My mom next to her. R's mom on the right. In Leksand folklore is mom's dear. Groom needs no presentation. So, wedding with the works. I tell you, this island have special cermonies. Great lamb and the favourite saffron-cake with slambärssylt (special berryjam from the island), and every time the bride went out - all girls ran around the table to steal a kiss from the groom, and vice versa - all to slamming the fork to the glass. Well... and then there was a Brideshow - "brudvisning" after dinner. This means a one line ad in the local newspaper for invite, and the entire community of people not directly invited to the wedding, shows up for a bit of "drikku å en kringla". Drikku is a homebrew - very special malt, juniper smoked beer-like drink, which is - of course- only local to Gotland. The maker was the third runner up for the "Drikku-world championship". Very good! Kringla is more like a pretzel - salty sticks. Anyhow, very special. Great summer day and night. It already seems so long ago. This was saturday, LAST week. Day after was a family brunch- opening of wedding presents. I also got a present. A fab, fantastic present. All the way from Bolivia. Where I still hope I will get the photo of its original buyer. My dear cousin R's Brother S. luves the south america, and have been there hiking. I of course wanted some yarn - any yarn, just for treasure. He got sick and forgot (or did not find any)- but asked his dear girlfriend C (!) to fulfill my wishes on her trip with a friend. What a story. So here it is, the ball of yarn on a Cadillac (which the wedding couple was moved around in). Alpacka, of course. Feels it is directly from the animal (meaning - could be washed), but a curiosity for sure. Now the problem changes. What to do with it. Make a cap or maybe some half mittens. Anyhow - it is still a treasure!

Stickstämma - Knitting gathering! Leksand!

Or.. when things does not work out. It started wrong. Mother went to Gotland wedding, instead of being my bed and breakfast. Somehow, the unorganized me did not think of rebooking the ticket. Anyhow, first course was to colour in red - plant-colouring. Washing wool and rain haning in the air. I got a phone-call - No, The wedding is on SATURDAY - not on sunday. (well of course, how could my mind slip). To spear you the details, it cut the meet in less than half. So, I swapped course and went some minute to Many coloured crochet (since I thought - there was something to learn!) I did. Did I buy yarn? Of course! Some more of that wonderful angora-merino used in Bohus (but some other colours). Falun museum visit had many surprises. Not only two mittens dated to the 1600 something - in two-end technique. But some inspirational cuffs and mittens. After a great lunch - the "workshop" began. And- crochet in plastic bags might be innovative - but for me at this time, I wasnt up for it at all. I guess the disappointment of missing all the fun did the trick. Anyhow, I have been in Leksand before. The most interesting part was meeting all my dear friends. That meant a lot. Even if I always feel surprised with the cliques are so effective, it is hard to mingle - and it is easy to feel like a social outcast. Interesting. Anyhow - I meet and talked to many interesting persons, so I was content leaving for my beloved - repacking and taking the nightboat to Gotland - for the wedding. More on that tomorrow. And - crochet is not that bad. Look at this cuff, great embroydery. And the "flossa" edge, that is something else. What detail. Looks great! Thanks Stickigt for the pointer. Anyhow, of course I have to mail...I still have a broken laptop though -this is my research lap-top... so email is not configured yet.. for my "private" stuff....