welcome apoidea, little beebee and fly al

I ordered a bee bob, but as small sized woollies can't travel alone along came Fly Al. A bobbaloo so full of panache he even intimidate the cats. Which is indeed a very rare trait for a small sized wolly.



He is without a doubt the weirdest and coolest bob in the Scandinavian bobbaloo settlement so far. I do believe we are all very lucky he has arrived.



Apoidea and her little BeeBee are of course a perfectly adorable pair too. Peachy perfect with a fine pair of wings for humming and honey collecting.



So happy they've arrived, Apoidea and Fly Al. They've already wind up a right buzz amongst the other bob settlers. Who knows what will happen next? Watch this space.

All bobbaloos are needlefelted with talent and love by Kit Lane, in Minnesota. 

And they have their very own book of vegetarian delights by me.

the proof is in the hedgehog gingersnaps

Finally. Finally I have gotten down to a) bake that organic gingerbread dough I've been emaning to bake since before Christmas - thank you due date - and b) put the cat baking roller to the test.



And as you can see it works swell! I used my regular roller to roll the dough out and the I used the cat roller to make the pattern. And came to the conclusion that a) the dough need to be as thin as possible or b) be of the kind that don't rise so much when baked plus c) a lighter dough most likely shows the pattern better.







I used Moomin characters, dog, heart, dala horse and hedgehog cookie cutters and I love that the shape that turned out best with the cat rolling pin was the hedgehog cutter.

Since there will be a lot of cakes baked in this residence due to the seasonal kind eggs in the weeks to come I will most probably not bake more cookies anytime soon. But on the other hand I'm really keen on baking my own shortbreads. Finally. And how awesome wouldn't that be, cat patterned shortbread...



The fantastic rolling pin (that comes in different patterns, but seriously the cat one is obviously the best one) is from Valek Rolling Pins on Etsy.

look, a parrot scarf!

I may be a knitter, crocheter, yarn addict myself but I don't shy away from beautiful things created by others. So as soon as I saw Nina Führer's shop on Etsy with gorgeous animal scarves I knew I had to have one. And I was lucky enough to be able to get it with some Christmas money, hooray!



Of all the different animals on scarf to choose from the cockatoo was the most adorable and realistic to have wrapped and on your shoulder imho so the choice was obvious. Even if every piece is cute - although admittedly as it is with foxes, even wool ones signals a real dead fur fox around your neck, I can never really look past that - this was THE one for me.



It arrived the other week and it's absolutely gorgeous. Possibly not appreciated by the feline inspectors because "sigh, another furry one who will no doubt demand time, attention and cuddles", but the more appreciated by me. The design is seemingly simple and understated and at the same time very impressive. Over all a fabulous piece. I haven't had the opportunity to wear it just yet, but the wool (not merino wool of course) is soft and warm. The parrot is adorable and its beak is a clip that serves as a clasp.



I'm so happy about this wonderful parrot scarf but I really need to practise how to wear it in a way that makes the piece justice AND keep me warm in the harsh winter we're having in Sweden. Easier said than done. This is so much more than just wrapping a wool scarf around your neck to keep warm, this is a piece of art that needs proper flaunting.

the cat baking roller

Six months later I decided it was time to order that roller pin engraved with cats. As a Christmas gift for myself and a reward for really hard work these past few months one might say. Ginger snaps baking will of course be so much rewarding with embossed cats in rolled dough, right? Right. And I'm sure there won't be any such unfortunate seasonal cookies as there once was when no cat baking roller was in sight.



As you can see the roller looks fantastic. And obviously it has been inspected (sniffed and licked on) thoroughly.



The complimentary cookie that came with the pin was needless to say in crumbles upon arrival, but the paw inspector decided it was a somewhat decent fee for inspection.



But not even the cutest of rolling pins or nicest of cat cookies can compete with the grumpy weather cat 2.0 status of course.

I will update this post once I've had the time to bake with the rolling pin. There's ginger snaps dough in the fridge just waiting, so that can happen any day.

The fantastic handmade baking roller comes from Valek Rolling Pins on Etsy

three magic wristwarmers on a string

As constant snoopervision or lens louse behaviour is obligatory in this residence you can never ever really get away from it. Like even if you hang things on a string to be photographed you can always rely on the feline inspector to appear where you least expect it. Please find one fault in this picture.

No, not even three perky wristwarmers get to bask in the glory of a blogpost of their own. Pesky paw inspection is a must.

One pair of wristwarmers I've made to order the other two is actually for sale, because I couldn't stop knitting, more magic was needed. I might have to list them in my hibernating Etsy-shop. Feel free to give me a holler if you're interested!

all about the animals in 5 ways

Sebastião Salgado, exhibition Genesis currently at Fotografiska, very well worth a visit if you're in Stockholm

I promise you'll go from tears to laughter, if you read/watch these five pieces. As it's always better to go from sad to happy, let's begin with the tears bit (but it all ends well!). Not every piece is brand new, but they are all worth a peek or two. That I promise too.

~ Depressed goat gets reunited with his bestie donkie friend - be prepared with tissues galore.

~ Gorgeous, sweet and quirky family photos of children and animals in a rural Polish village - these photos will only warm your heart.

~ Cat people are apparently smarter than dog people - but that we already knew, right? Right.

 ~ Very, very high on my wish-list now is this lovely rolling pin with engraved cats... I'm sure the cookies will taste even better with it, can be bought in the Etsy shop - in the curious case you wouldn't want cats as motif there are other motifs as well.

~ Last, but certainly not least, Fat Cat Art will make you burst into laughter, absolutely brilliant photomontages with a fat, red cat inserted in famous paintings. The cat's expressions are priceless.

dare to be remarkable

Sometimes you read a sentence, a few words only and they immediately speak to your heart, you simply  embrace it completely. A quote that strike a special cord that resonates deep within.

And then when those words, those quotes come on anything wearable resisting is futile.

When I a while back first saw the "be a lamp, lifeboat or ladder" on one of Swoondimples earrings I just completely got it. (And this was the first I had heard of the poet/mystic Rumi.)

Sadly those earrings were already sold. But another pair caught my eye, with another life lesson we all have to remind ourselves of from time to time "dare to be remarkable". Oh, I may not be an earrings addict anymore, but I admit to be a sucker for good, wearable quotes - thus earrings and a "be a lamp,  lifeboat or ladder" pendant sailed over the ocean to come live with me. 

Haven't decided what kind of necklace I'll make for the pendant but I'm leaning towards keeping it really, very simple. Since pendant itself speaks volumes.

Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder. 
Help someone's soul heal. 
Walk out of your house like a shepherd.
~Rumi

Follow the links in this post for more jewellery from Swoondimples

green beauty

Whenever I get something in a special colour I automatically start seeing colour matching things everywhere. In this case it was the cute and quirky (the best word combination you can describe something with, wouldn't you agree?) hair stick from swoondimples that was the instigator of seeing green beauty around me.



Like the fresh asparagus.



And my latest purchase of a fabulous grassy, appleish, obviously asparagusy green nailpolish.
An old handdyed silk scarf.
Sweet apple pie organic rooibos tea.

Green beauty.



Previous sweet things from talented Heather Wynn Millican at swoondimples -
bird earrings, favourite jewellery of 2006
fortune favours the brave earrings
love clasp
make today awesome earrings

awesome earrings

To be honest, the days when I was a confessed earrings addict are just a distant memory. I mostly browse and find pieces very pretty and covetable, rarely, very very rarely buy them. And I rarely use earrings, not sure why, may have to do with 'can't be bothered chosing' or simply because they're not really visible with hanging hair and big scarves.

These two pairs are the exception to my new "not buying earrings" life. Because a) who can resist something awesome and dangling and b) i adore the gingko shape and when on a trip, earrings are such a good kind of usable keepsake.

The "make today awesome" pair comes from lovely Heather Wynn Millican, swoondimples on Etsy - one of my first favourite earrings came from her 2006, 2010 I got "fortune favours the brave" and 2011 the love clasp (which I have yet, sad to admit, to turn into something extraordinary...) - they do inspire to go out and make great things. Admittedly the fact that upon inaugurating them I had a really crappy day have slightly put me off wearing them, oh dear. Silly silly, I'm sure it was just 2012 doing its last bad act.



It's a lovely, quirky pair of earrings, made of silver, mother of pearl and polymer clay. Extra plus for the rubber posts that come with (I've found that too often when buying earrings on Etsy the ones with no posts provided are pretty much unwearable without since they're in danger of getting lost all the time.)

Love the complimentary sweet bird pendant too. Let. 2013. be. the. year. I. got. back. into. making. jewellery.



The other pair is a gingko leaf pair, delicately made in brass. I pondered over them for a few days at the Christmas fair in Budapest, silver - too bright a finish for my taste - copper - too boring with my hair colour - so brass it was. I got a business card at the market stall, but website unfortunately isn't working. If you are interested in knowing the designer's name, let me know and you can do your own detective work with that.



What's your relationship with earrings?
Do you have a favourite pair and why?

magical wristwarmers 2012

'tis the season of magical wristwarmers.
been doing them for four years now.
three finished so far this season.
two perky pairs have moved to new home.




the pink/grey pale pair with furry rim i treated myself to.
i may prefer bolder colours but i still love the soft, sweet hues in that yarn.

interested in having a pair of your own?
let me know, i sell them via the pia k stockholm etsy-shop,
but i keep it empty unless there are specific orders.

little birds and teacups

I favourite so many sweet things on Etsy - who doesn't? - but I rarely buy things there these days - well, apart from bobbaloos that is, obviously - but whenever one needs something small, pretty, not available in every chainstore to fit in a little parcel, Etsy is the place to go.

When I got these two pairs of ear-posts for the upcoming Easter eggs I also got myself the bird quartet hairclips. You never get too old for hairclips, right? Right. And I really should make an effort to have different hairstyles - what's the point of having long hair and wanting it even longer if you don't have different dos? - and with the no-hat season pretty much already here I'm all out of excuses for not making a regular effort with that.

How about you, do you find it easy to change your hairstyle or do you stick to the same rut?
Is it because your lazy or because you really enjoy it that way?
Do you have any favourite hair-dos, braids, ponytails or something completely different?
And have you found something really nice on Etsy hairwise that you'd like to share?



These cuties in teacup and bird-mood comefrom Layla Amber on Etsy. She has all sorts of cute things in her shop, but admittedly I'm especially smitten by her tiny birdies.

wicked witch of the east bookmark

Briefly mentioned last week, but really deserving a little post of its own, this is indeed a rather awesome bookmark. When I saw it on Etsy I of course immediately knew I had to have it, stripey stockings, red shoes, wicked witch of the east.

I think it's an ingenious and lovely quirky idea, even though I'll have it more as an inspiration piece than as a bookmark. From HoneyCase on Etsy.

And it doesn't hurt that it's also quite possibly the most photogenic bookmark I've ever had. (And paw approved too.)

one cat ticket pendant

Apart from bobbaloo stalking finding I rarely frequent Etsy these days. So this sweet pendant - bought before summer, not blogged until now. Strange how un-bloggable things feel after only a while, if you don't write instantly it feels somehow... uninteresting. I really don't like the common notion of instant gratification in our modern society, and this if-I-don't-write-about-it-instantly-it's-not-worth-writing-about is a part of that notion. That I too succumb to such silly ideas, that is not something I'm proud about... End of sidenote-ish - was a rare treat, found it via Pinterest (that I rarely frequent either).

But I couldn't resist such a quirky, fun and fuss-free (plus affordable too) little cat wooden pendant. From Buster and boo on Etsy

the bobbaloo gaggle effect

Time has come to tell about the wee woolly ones who saw it fit to migrate to Sweden during the summer that was. Well, some of them did arrive quite recently, but since it's Indian summer still... A proper introduction, so noone feel left outside. And that I'm addicted very fond of bobbaloos we've already established, so no need to point out the obvious, okay? Let's just enjoy their adorableness, personalities and last but not least, their little heinies.

Walter and Sherman, the Berlin boys

When in Berlin I was waiting for the lunch to arrive at department store KaDeWe's top floor Wintergarten restaurant (which I btw highly recommend a visit too) when I casually browsed the iPhone for possible WiFi - if not at a Starbuck's or hotel you rarely get that - so my great surprised it connected and as casually as I browsed for Internet connection I browsed The Shop. There were bobbaloos for sale. Squee. Clearly the settlement lacked ursabobs - poor Rodney with his sweet-tooth being the only one that far - so Sherman was soon on his way to Sweden accompanied by Walter. They sound like the perfect radar couple in a political talk-show - so far they have not really lived up to those names, but I'm okay with that.

Chubs is very happy about someone clearly her li'l brother having arrived                                               

Rodney is educating Sherman about the importance of eating lots of cakes

Needless - or not, pun not initially intended - to say both Walter and Sherman has perfect wee butts

Zanna and Weegurt met Rutger and it wasn't scary at all, or at least not as scary 

as the curious incident with the cat in the daytime...

You can not put a jacabob up for adoption named Weegurt - pink or not - and not think I'd jump for buy/joy. Weegurt was accompanied by a feisty orange friend named Zanna. Zanna has the most amazing mixed orange colour and Weegurt is sweetness bobbaloified.

Wilco and Wilby - with a curious threesome Chubs, Nilla and Walter in the background

A great horned bobbaloo has been on my wishlist, when I spotted Wilco I knew he was the one. He was to travel alone so when I opened the parcel and find him travelling with a wee colourful friend named Wilby I was delighted. *thank you kindly D*

Perfect from every angle of course

Q and Squink

I might, just might, have mentioned to Kit that a Questionable DNA bob was also on my wishlist - no sooner did one appear reserved for me. Q traveled with jacabob Squink - because seriously, they travel best in twos, obviously.

And then, for a while, everything was peaceful and content in the Swedish bobbaloo settlement. Until. Until there were rumours about some tiny and fabulastically named bobbaloos soon to appear in shop. I the bob gaggle sat in front of computer eagerly watching the shop until those two appeared.

Miffwinkle and Wifflesteinborgen - with Kismet in the background

Wifflesteinborgen and Miffwinkle, ah, such names would simply be wasted living anywhere but in the Stockholm, Swedonia bobbaloo settlement. Also called Tinier and Tiniest.

Magnolia with li'l brother Wifflesteinborgen

And then there was Magnolia, purely accidental. But who in their right mind can resist someone pink and green - and the perfect opposite colour match to Wifflesteinborgen? Not an addict someone very very fond of bobbaloos.

So at the moment the gaggle consists of an uneven number. As everyone (bobbaloo or not) needs a special friend I'm looking into solutions to fullfill that need. Until then they take their different turns to tag along on outings and eat lots of cake - for some reason they generally seem to prefer that before other vegetarian options - and seem content with life in this settlement. Although I've heard whispers about them thinking a proper dwelling for bobbaloos, a roof of their own, would be something highly appreciated. Who knew beings so small could be so demanding? It must be the gaggle effect.