have a frabjous walpurgis night ~

Where did April go, does anyone know?

Here it's been a busy month, unusually cold for this time of the year but quite a lot of sun, and hey presto, suddenly it's time to say goodbye. When I compared to April 30, 2011 the garden and nature are no way near the green grandeur as it was then, but I guess last year was pretty cold too.

Today offered a few hours of warming sun - perfect for clearing the garden, I'm glad we're almost done and ready to fill the pots with pansies and such. Also, first breakfast outdoors, bliss! - then it got incredibly chilly, dark and rainy. So now I'm in no mood to do anything other than have lentil stew for dinner and cuddle up in the sofa with yarn, a cup of tea and something good on TV.

Have a lovely Walpurgis night (Valborgsmässoafton),
Bye bye April, welcome May!

a brand new pia k stockholm website

Finally I've gotten around to revamping the Pia K Stockholm website, something I should have done ages ago, but better late than never. It's a work in progress and far from finished, but I kind of like it like it is, not a lot of words, or pictures, just a few glimpses (but links to more of them). Plus simple contact information. Really, what more needs to be, if you think about it. In this world were we're drowned in information, texts and images, all the time, everywhere.

I'm glad I got around to the revamping with the new MOO cards arriving, perfect timing really.

I've been crocheting a lot of bowties recently - more of the happy bunch later - bitten by the springtime cotton yarn bug and of course, the endless thing that is lovely colour combinations... I'm glad M has not been negative at the thought of actually wearing them. Bowties are such a dapper little thing, wouldn't you agree?

shoes for sale

Doing a bit of spring closet cleaning I've decided that it's about time I sell the shoes that just don't fit anymore, unfortunately (for me) most of them haven't even been worn or only worn once. You can find the actual ads with prices (in Swedish) here and here, but I'd be happy to send them by mail (with an additional charge for the postage fees of course) anywhere.

Eight pairs, two pairs are in size 39, the rest is size 40. Five of them are of well-known brands and great quality, three of them are of lower price but nontheless very nice indeed. If you're interested in any of them, please get in touch.


Fabulous brogue boots from Italian Fru.it,
size 39, never worn

Lovely red maryjanes from Dr Martens,
size 40, worn once -
really comfortable but sadly my feet need size 41 these days

Clarks Indigo,
size 40, never worn

Tamaris,
size 40, never worn

Really cute maryjanes flats from German Görtz M,
size 40, worn a couple of times -
supercomfy, but for me too small now

Noa Noa,
size 40, never worn

H&M,
size 40, never worn

The black pair on top is a pair of Camper twin shoes,
size 39 (but roomy, that's why I got them once upon a time and that's why I wrongly wrote 40 in the ad...), never worn

sweet cakes bakebook

Having Saturday breakfast at one of my favourite cafés - blogged about the place 4,5 years ago here - is always a treat. This time we also found that they'd published their own bakebook, "Söta kakor" = Sweet cakes/cookies, by Cafe Tant Gredelin.

I certainly don't bake as much as I used to, but getting my own signed copy was obviously a must.

To be honest it was a long long time since I felt cook- and bakebooks were inventive and inspirational, so many recipes are the same or very similar, like they desperately trying to invent the wheel all over again. Even if I mostly get them to look at pretty pictures I also find that the style of pictures continues to be oh so very similar too. We're living in a world where it gets continously harder to be truly original, be it cookbooks or crafts or fashion or anything really. 

It would have been nice if the recipes held less sugar, no gelatine (or at least pointed to the vegan options) and the cake tin measures. That said, I do overall enjoy the bakebook - mainly because there are two favourite bake goodies from Tant Gredelin in it I'd love to try making myself (custard bun and  crunchy raspberry pie with white chocolate) and other mouthwatering things too of course. It's a sweet book, in every sense, much like the cafe itself.

nailpolish per diem

... or rather per weekend (although it usually lasts a normal week), this weekend it's essie island hopping (dark pink) and in stitches (muted, pale rust).

and look what couldn't be resisted, got a tip about it the other day, got it the day after; tiny fruit and veggies to somehow be glued to the nails. adorable, silly and affordable.

have you done something fun with your nails recently?

spring has sprung

if crocuses and scillas everywhere is anything to go by,
i truly think and hope so.
such a lovely, delicate time of the year!

how's your spring coming along?

a pug named malte

Welcoming the snuffly, weird and charming pug named Malte into the home for a few hours now and then continues to be a treat.



Unlike the one and only, forever missed, little loaf named Malte he's not used to posing for photos and it's tricky, to say the least, to get him to sit still and look in to the camera. But now and then we end up with something fun and unexpected.

Happy Wednesday,
the last one of April
(gosh, this month has really really flown by)!

world book day 2013

Since I lost my usual reading mojo in 2010 - still one of my greatest sorrows, books and literature have always played such a big part in my life, that I'm no longer able to consume and treasure it like I used to, that hurts... - I can't seem to neither concentrate nor get through books like I once did. It's not the pile of new books that keeps growing anymore, but the pile of half read ones.

I don't know a lot about new writers anymore, I don't really know if my favourite writers have new books published, I don't browse bookstores like I used to and I usually get my pocket books at charity shops these days. If and when I buy books they're mostly craft books, photography and travel books, cookbooks, fun, uncomplicated, coffee table-style of books.

The heap above is my latest batch of new books, lo and behold two of the books are actually proper books with lots of text. The pocket edition of one of my favourite writers, Swedish crime novelist Åsa Larsson, and the other one is "Bad Karma" by David Safier. And this is my main reading squeeze at the moment, this is what I read on World Book Day today.

Loved the book cover when I spotted it in a book shop (one of those these days rare occasions) and the notion of karma has always intrigued me thus the story did too (it reminds me of one of my favourite books "Caipirinha with Death" by Maria Ernestam).

If the book's original language is English I usually read it in English, translations can both spoil and enhance, so I went ahead and ordered this one in English. It was only until I got it I saw that it's a German writer... Unfortunately, so far, the English translation annoys me, not sure if it's not a very well written story or if the translation is bad, but I kind of regret that I didn't buy it in Swedish instead. (Sadly my German isn't that great alas.)

Still, the story IS promising, so I will persevere, even without that special reading mojo.

What do you read on World Book Day this year?

earth day 2013

every day should of course be planet earth day.
with kindness and compassion.
stop this crazy addiction called meat eating, like there's no tomorrow.
at this meat eating rate there will be no tomorrow.
make kind and healthy everyday choices.
say no to specieism.
eat your veggies.
cuddle a furry friend.
have a pastry.

happy earth day ~

green shoes per spring diem

It's been ages since I blogged at the shoe per diem blog, but I still think it's a lovely idea/project. It has certainly made me look at shoes, socks, footwear and the situations we walk ourselves in with the shoes on quite differently.

And also, change my shoes and socks regularly - yes I may be a mad shoe-gal, but even I tend to go with a few favourites if I don't remind myself to change and play with combinations - especially spring and autumn, when it's too soon to start wearing boots and too early to go barefeet. Thus I've continued to make the shoe-most of every day.

After a pretty glum and cold week we've had a marvellously sunny weekend - still cold cold winds here, but if you sit/walk in the sun and layside it's been lovely. A perfect round off to the shoe weekend was of course green (applegreen maryjanes from El Naturalista, socks from Gudrun Sjödén).

How was your shoe weekend?
Good, bad or couldn't you care less what your feet wore?

yellow handbag

Every season my love for colours make me go giddy over one or two special colours, which isn't necessarily neither pink nor green, ya' know my favourite colour combo or the two colours I constantly end up choosing between.

This season it's yellow - like that loveable cardigan the other day - a colour I have very few items in since no matter how lovely it is, clothes-wise it's a very unflattering colour for my skin-tone. And if one has to chose, one always chose flattering, the opposite would be quite pointless somehow.

Of course, the unflattering to skin-tone colours can always be worn in not-near-face garments, but I've never really never felt drawn to anything yellow other than blouses or sweaters and such.

But now I really want to sew a simple yellow skirt for this summer. And I've just got myself a very sunny yellow vest which will be lovely when summer strikes. And I've coveted the perfect yellow handbag for some years, but since I don't want a leather one and I'm quite particular about the model, it has to be a roomy messenger bag, it's been in vain so far.

Until today, when I spotted this beauty in a shop window - the always have such lovely mouthwatering displays in that shop - unpretentious, practical, perky and cute. In canvas and very covetable I'd say. From Swedish brand Hope - which is not a brand that interests me usually, dull colours and bland design imho. But oh, this handbag... Straight to the top of my spring wishlist.

Do you have an extra soft spot for any special colour/s this season?
If so which and why?

moo cards 2013

time to order some new business cards, they just arrived. and i'm overall very pleased with the outcome (some of the photos as usual turned out too dark in the printing, but the majority were lovely).

this time, very unlike me, i went with my face on the prosit ones. as much as i dislike showing my face in front of the camera it is, granted, easier to remember a person with a face on the business card. so i tried it and, to my surprise, the end result is rather likeable.

although, as usual, i much prefer the bright green and pink backsides of the luddkolt's (british shorthairs) and pia k stockholm (jewellery and knitting) ones before the muted colour i chose for prosit. my attempt of being more 'professional'; a muted coloured backside of my business cards. the silliness. next time i'll go pink or green for prosit too.

business cards from (as always) moo

pug hotel

for a few hours today this house was a pug hotel. malte's friend the pug, also named malte, came to stay since his owners were away.

he was such a joy, all superexcited to be here, desperately wanting to play with the cats - who were so less than impressed - but settling with a little plastic bowl he found and then carried around. until he fell asleep in the sofa, snuffling and snoring loudly. we did a lot of cuddling too. and in the end a couple of the youngest cats showed a bit of interest, i guess his behaviour reminded them of little loaf.

oh, the pug as a breed these days won't win any soundness contests, and the cuteness is debatable. but character and personality is not, and this pug named malte has lots. it was such a treat to have a little dog in the house again, if only for a few hours.

nordic food

i got this cook book since i thought it would be about eating in season, locally produced, foraging and compose meals mainly with seasonal vegetables. recipes with no meat but nordic fishes like salmon and herring and not a lot of dairy products.

let's just say reading it is quite disappointing, both textual and recipe-wise, the writing is dull, the content surprisingly unmodern, the completely vegetarian recipes very few, meat plays a big part and dairy too. not a word about the obvious benefits of a vegetarian or vegan diet or healthy substitutes to meat and dairy.

to be honest i'm lost for words at how they've blown a great cookbook idea and ended up with this. the best thing about it is the lovely photos, sadly the rest isn't at all what one would expect of a cookbook like this.

'nordens bästa mat' (the best nordic food)
by viola adamsson and katja palmdahl

green and yellow

so happy about the recent glittery green nailpolish, perfect really to brighten a glum, rainy day (like today).

the only thing sunny spotted today was this cardigan, loved it. amazing yellow hue, cool pockets and a lovely simple model that'll go great with pretty much everything. it's marimekko and its price was reduced with 30%, but still (given it's not handmade or organic) very expensive, in fact one might say ridiculously expensive. but really lovely, one can dream, feel colourful inspiration and enjoy its loveliness without parting with money. a woolly slice of sun.

commuter life

One of the big drawbacks of living in a city is the commuting, something I've basically done since highschool, on buses and trains. I truly hate rush hours and I can't stand the crowds, rudeness and stress of people. Be it in a train, bus or tailback.

But I think the public transportation system is a brilliant thing, from an environmental, cost effective and health point of view. I also think it's completely mind-boggling that there are still countries with a "healthy" budget that in this day and age do not have a decent infrastructure and well-built public transportation system.

Something I'm really grateful for these days is the fact that I rarely have to take my trains and buses during rush hours, it's so liberating! So those times, when I do have to commute, take the train, and it's practically empty from certain stations given the time of the day or evening, it's a simple bliss.

What kind of public transportation do you use regularly?
Is it enjoyable rides or just a case of "have to"?

making the shoe-most of every day

so far, as most usual, april has proven the typical capricious month, snow, hail, ice, rain and sunshine.

today though, from glum morning to sunny midday and up to +12c - i guess spring is still on the agenda. even if there'll yet be more snow, i think it's prudent to make the shoe-most of every good day.

thus today i changed the autumn/winter boots (in the picture is the el naturalista birthday boots) for the spring equivalent and also inauguration of a winter sales pair. liberating somehow, but at the same time confusing. to wear the appropriate amount of clothes to not be cold or hot, but just comfortable, this time of the year is always tricky that way.

how do you meet spring comfortably,
the capricious month of april?

red raw and sun beetle

the sight of my favourite car model always makes me smile.

a green beetle is THE colour for me, but just seeing its happy instigating, chubby shape is a joyous thing.

sunny yellow parked on a tired looking, dusty, early spring stockholm street, fun.

passing a red raw on the road, fun fun.

# $ @ % ! socks

smittened by these quirky socks (from gumball poodle, at sock dreams, like the bookworm, tofu and genius socks), very comfy too.

but to be honest, i wish they came in other colours than black because sure enough, lint magnets they are. just the me thinking 'cat' and they're full of hairs. once again i'm reminded there are just so many reasons not to wear black.

but the socks' design rocks.

have a sockfull weekend!

the power of introverts

I've never concidered myself outgoing and extrovert, even less so with age, but on the other hand I've never seen myself as shy and anti-social. I love spending time with people I find interesting and inspiring, public speaking is great fun (come to think of it, it's been far too long since I did it last), but I am equally happy to spend time with myself, reading, writing, knitting, pottering around the house or being by myself in a public place.

I don't do the group thing, because I find it incredibly dull and uninspiring, plus it tends to be filled with extroverts that dominates the conversation and aren't the least bit interested in anything than talking about themselves. Listening isn't a word in their vocabulary. I've always prefered the one on one thing, or at least not a big group thing, it's just so much more rewarding intellectually. I want to really listen, I want to really be heard, I heart meaningful conversations with inspiring people, one on one. Something that was confirmed on last year's Geek Girl Meetup.

Recently I stumbled over this article on Twitter, about caring for your introvert and about our society not nearly making enough room for that type of personality. It stroke many cords in me, in fact I cried a bit.

When I posted it on Facebook a friend linked her comment to this Ted-talk with Susan Cain about the power of introverts. I hadn't heard about her before, but I obviously loved it (and she was a lawyer, see lawyers never lose their appeal) and cried some more. It's full of wisdom and goodness, like letting introverts be more themselves in this chaotic world full of problems and madness, the more likely they are to come up with creative solutions extroverts would not.

I also loved, loved, loved her little list of three things -

1) stop the madness for constant group work - I truly loath group work, always have, always will, but that doesn't been I don't think we should talk, meet, discuss ideas, interact and work together. It's just a very bad idea to force people to always do the group thing, many of us do not thrive with that, many of us are very less than creative and effective in such milieus.

2) unplug more often, go into the wilderness and have your own revelations

3) take a good look at what's in your suitcase and why you put it there - you have to listen to her talk to get the background to this

And in a world full of (extrovert) people that constantly try to surpass eachother with load voices, have the courage to speak softly. Yet no less meaningful words, rather the opposite, just look at the introvert Gandhi. Who did what he truly felt he had to do, not because he wanted attention for himself.

I wish people, this world, could be more wise and see how different personalities compliment eachother, instead of lauding the one who talks the loudest. Listen to the one who speak softly next time and encourage others to be quiet and do the same.

the arrival of top ten plus one

The "really more, nailpolish?" orders have arrived. It took only a week from orders placed, thus making it even more unnecessary to drool over overpriced nailpolish in Swedish stores.

Miniature bottles are the best, but sadly rarely available in good quality nailpolish here, thus I'm very pleased about my OPI Top Ten package. The one I really really wanted was the red one, but I'm so pleased with 6-7 of the colours, 1-2 not so much and one is simply dreadful (I think it's quite obvious just from looking at the picture which one I mean...).

Obviously I had to try all of them on at once, after all ten fingernails is perfect for ten different colours.



From left to right;
Alpine Snow - I have no idea who'd want to have Tip-Ex fingernails, the only thing it's good for is making dotty nails
Bubble Bath - I just don't get why anyone would paint the nails with a basically non-visible polish?
Tickle My France-y - a rather sweet and unobtrusive pale pink, stylish and subdued
Kiss Me On My Tulips - fabulous pink which will look great with a tan
Red Lights Ahead... Where? - fabulous orangey red which also will look great with a tan



Lincoln Park After Dark - love this dark chocolatey purple colour
Vampsterdam - a rather boring, bland, uninteresting purple if you ask me
You Don't Know Jacques! - like it a lot, kind of dark grey with a hint of pink
I'm Not Really a Waitress - a dark metallic red which I'm surprised at how much I enjoy, I don't like metallics but this is really rather lovely, a great winter polish
Big Red Apple - pretty pretty red, the colour I really most wanted and I'm very pleased with the red hue, even if 4-5 of the other colours are even nicer



When the green bottle arrived all by itself ( China Glaze Running in Circles, my first try on CG) I promtly removed the Tip-Ex nail and replaced it with a bit of glittery green. I don't do glitter in general either, but it was such a nice green hue (and a well known truth is that you can't have too much green things in your life) and the glitter bit is actually quite perky and nice. In fact next week all fingernails will go glittery green.

What's your current favourite nailpolish/colour?

pimbo in pink

At one of our newly found favourite cafés, Chic Konditori -

well, it's been around for ages, probably way before I was born actually, but it's only very recently I've come to appreciate it a lot. Very unpretentious, thus very relaxing, and they serve great, simple sandwiches, classic pastries and heavenly smoothies and fresh orange juices. We tend to have weekend breakfasts and fika there very regularly -

they serve very nice water with raspberries. (Much like the strawberry water.) The other day wee Pimbo was fascinated about all the pinkness of the water. I quite liked the way the snap turned out. (No bobbaloo was harmed in the taking of that picture.)

the woolly tiger set

I made someone happy, very happy today. It's a funny thing, that something you totally dislike (in this case animal patterns and prints) can be much loved my someone else (said animal patterns and prints).



Thus when I made this tiger yarn beanie and posted it on Instagram one of my regular customers loved it - although I'm keeping the first one for myself, simply because it is kind of magic how a yarn can be transformed like that into a tiger pattern - and wanted one herself. As I know she adores animal patterns I suggested she might enjoy a whole set, socks and wristwarmers - and she totally did.



And I have to say, that even if I totally still dislike the animal pattern thing, I think she looked adorable with her new tiger set. In fact it kind of rocked. Even if I still prefer knitting in other kinds of magical yarn it has, granted, been great fun to watch the pattern grow into a finished product.

I've thoroughly enjoyed making different beanies and caps this winter, fiddled with colour combos and different yarns. I might finish one or two more before this season is over, it's such a nice in-front-of-the-telly project. And I will definitely do a couple of more posts of said headgear. Woolly fun.

What has been your favourite yarn projects this past winter season?

woe empty food bowls

Oh the tragedy, an all nighter without enough food.
Someone forgot to feed us, someone forgot to refill our bowls.
Our tummies are tiny, our belly buttons hollow.
The bowls are too few, the feeding station to small.
We would like to make an official complaint,
can somebody hear us?

spirit lifting diffuse

one good thing about spring, of a gazillion obviously, is that so many happy socks can finally come out and play with their shoe friends.

you can always, always, ALWAYS rely on them lifting the spirits. in fact i feel quite philantrophical (very unlike me) sporting such outfits, sprinkling moodlift with happy socks, happy shoes.

first outdoors meal of the season

it wasn't very warm and there are still spots of ice and snow in the suburbs, but with a fabulous amount of sun and leeward it was still totally enjoyable to have lunch outdoors.

first outdoors meal of the season was rösti with ginger, chèvre cream and lentils. it was rather lovely.

have you had your first outdoors meal yet?
what was it?

happy one year, ågot ~

A year ago today, three little blue kittens were born. Three boys that after a while turned out to be two boys and a girl, a very dotty little lass with a loud voice. Her name then changed from Ågaton to Ågot and today she turns one. (Her brothers too obviously, but since they live in other forever homes I can only wish them a happy birthday from afar.)





These days she isn't very loud voiced, but still adorable, mischiveous and at times a bit too inventive for comfort. She loved her friend Little Loaf and she still acts disappointed when we come home and there's no loaf with us. She enjoys cuddles, tin food, the garden (even when it's still cold) and making a rumpus with her halfsisters White and Red.

Happy birthday tiniest, sweet one!