An Enlightening Experience

A few weeks ago I purchased and then received a light tent. This has completely changed the way I take photos. And I've learned one major thing about myself - I am (or was) scared of light.


Now, I've never been scared of the darkness. Even as a child when I was scared of alligators under my bed (I had a deep blue carpet.... thoughts of sharks appeared later), but this had nothing to do with the dark. When it was time to go to bed, I was able to convince myself that they too were sleeping.


But during the day getting to my room would involve running down the hallway at full speed, making a sharp 90 degree turn at the end of that hallway, and the flinging myself through the air until I landed safely on my bed which was in the middle of my room.


However I digress.....


The first round of photographs I took were a great improvement over those that I took before I had the light tent. However, many members of the European Street Team I know and love were telling me that they were not light enough.


This involved a second round of photography. When this was done, I touched up my photos using my favorite (free) tool: Picasa3. I lightened them so much that I thought they looked unreal. However, my team members cheered me with great energy, saying I had finally got it right.

Had I really? I thought my pictures looked like they were almost touched by the hands of God, light cascading from above.

But apparently there are many who are not agreed with me. The traffic in my stores has soared to almost 3 times what it was before.

And I'm getting hearted. By others than my team members. That too has not happened for quite some time.

So once again I've learned that I do not see the world quite as my fellow man does. Why this surprises me is another good question as I had resigned myself to the fact that I live in a slightly altered universe than many - and feel quite at home here.

Still, I'm starting to get use to the changes, to stretching the walls of my security box. Starting to think: Yeah - that is a really cool picture.

For the love of Mohair

I will admit that I was a bit hesitant when I found some a lot of mohair yarn at my favorite sewing and knitting store. Without anyone actually saying this to me, I felt that it went out of style in the early 1980's. And I'm not sure why.

In the end, the fantastic colors won me over.



How can one NOT walk around with a smile on their face, knowing they are drenched in sunshine?

For those who have their heads in the clouds, a sky blue scarf is perfect. And for those who really have their heads in the clouds, the safety buttons ensure that they won't loose the scarf.

A jolt of cranberry red to splash the world with color.

Finally, this burnt orange always makes me feel toast from the inside out.

I've personally tried wearing these scarves and they are so soft and cozy to the touch. But mine's a pink one and no one's allowed to take it.

A Little Something Turned Big

My biggest satisfactions come from the smallest things. Like when I don't really have faith in an idea, but give it a whirl and am surprised to see the outcome.


I had such an experience last week: a single ball of purple wool and two pewter buttons. I did not expect much to come out of this. In fact, I EXPECTED it to be a waste of valuable time.



Instead, the result was a simple scarf with a lot of versatility. And it's not the fact that it looks good that is the point of this blog. It's the fact that it has taught me something big about myself.


First, the scarf: it's a loose traditional stitch with a twist. This gives it a very organic and lively feel. It will go with all casual items and business attire. Because it's made from soft wool, it will keep you warm while still letting your skin breath. It's a good deal.

Secondly, me: I need to stop analysing things so much. I need to stop trying to predict the outcomes of events and focus on the journey. I need to ENJOY the journey. I need to start being a bit more optimistic about things and expect the best from my endeavors.

And finally, I need to remember and take solice in the fact that as always, great things are hidden in simple packages.

Scarf with Attitude

Sometimes life is a bit difficult. Sometimes people push your buttons in ways that don't like. Sometimes things are a bit out of your control and there's not much you can do about it.

So what can artistically inclined people do during a time like this? Let their nasty feelings out through some of the work in a humoristic means.

What can I say? Life was difficult for me during the coldest time of the year. It's always good to vent your anger towards a semi-mythical figure.

Nobody Likes Me Scarflett

I was given a ball of wool from a friend - she had one left over from her workings. Knowing that I like to use things that others would just get rid of, she asked me if I could use it for anything.

From this ball, I knitted a scarflett. I thought it was fascinating how the extra colors that were entwined within the navy blue wool appeared at a random pattern of their own making: purples, pinks, greens, oranges, and even a bit of yellow making appearances at will.

I knew a piece like this needed a pretty big border. To this I added a fringe in baby pink, in order to bring out the reds found in the purples and to off set the light blues.

Imagine my shock when I held a contest a couple of months later: each participant was required to go through my store and find a piece that they would never, ever, ever buy. Even if someone paid them a large amount of money to do so. This piece got the most votes.

However after a lot of thinking and searching my heart, I've come to the conclusion that this piece is wonderful, and wonderful for someone out there.

I will continue to hold out, until this person and myself cross paths.

Alpaca for Men

Who ever said that the soft, luxurious alpaca wool was just for women? Men also would love to have something cuddly and butter soft against their skin.... as long as it doesn't look as soft as it is.

I was Interviewed! Yeah!

I was recently interviewed by a fellow Etsian: Mea Culpa's Body and Bath Creation. The experience was great and I'm looking forward to my next interview.

1.What is your stores name and what do you sell (and anything else that you wanna share about it)?

--- My store is named Plask Design. I sell mostly cool and innovative winter wear: hats, scarves, and fingerless gloves. I do my best to use, and am experimenting more with, recycled and upcycled materials. I am knitting and crocheting more and more with textiles and plastics as well as traditional wools, cottons and silks. I have also started to encorporate printed material into my store in the form of Traditional Norwegian Recipes, as well as knitted/crocheted postcards that of course are meant to be used and sent off to friends and family. This is because I am actually educated in Creative Writing and Journalism, and am working on my first family travel book which will be entirely published by myself.

-- It is also interesting to note that 'Plask' is actually the Norwegian word for 'Splash'. I chose this as a name for my store for two reasons: 1) I love the sound of the word and feel that it resonates in any language, and 2) the west coast of Norway is one of the wettest places on earth and receives over 3 meters or 10 feet of rain a year. The perfect place to develope designs for the items I make.

2. How long have you been crafting for yourself before you decided to share your designs with other?

-- I can't remember if it was my mother or my grandmother who taught me how to crochet, but I was shown at an early age and then started flying on my own after that. When I first moved to Norway as a newly wed with my husband, money was tight while I went to school to learn the language instead of working. My mother-in-law taught me to knit and everyone that year received socks for Christmas. Once I could do both things, I spent the next 5 years or so playing with different stitches and techniques. It wasn't until I found Etsy and I became more focussed on creating finished products with a high degree of professionalism.

3. Where do you get your inspiration?

-- I actually get my inspiration for the materials I come across. How do I make a bag full of wool, each ball a different color, into a spectacular object that someone will love to have on their body? What will happen if I cut up this kitchen curtain with with gorgeous colors into one continuous strip and make a hat out of it? What can plastic be made into? How do all these different materials feel against the skin? This is the part of the journey I enjoy the most.

4. Is there a funny story where you accidentally screwed something up, but it turned out better than you planned?

-- Not really a funny story, but a long-term learning experience. In the beginning, I didn't understand that a lot of the items I made did look very good at all, until I was finally finished with the product and the decorating of it. Then about 6 months ago I met a landscape painter who was visiting a friend of mine. I saw the stages of his work (I had really seen the beginning stages of a painting) and saw that his work didn't look very good at this point either. This realization made me focus on the final vision of my product and not pay so much attention to how it appears before I get to that stage.

5. How do you see yourself down the road?

-- I really don't know where my creative journey will take me, but I'm pretty much open to anything and any type of material.

6. Do you do this for fun or for serious business?

-- A little bit of both. The economical social structure of Norway is one that I could not live off my work, pay my mortgage payments and keep my children feed. I will be continuing to work in my career (which in itself is very creative) for many years to come. But I am continually thinking of, and planning for perhaps 20 years in the future when I'll be approaching retirement. I hope to have created enough success that I can begin to cut back on my hours of work as I get older.

7. Do you ever get a creative block?

-- I am a mother of two youngsters, aged 4 and 6. I work full time and my husband also works full time shift work. Life is incredibly busy already, but we also add in weekend mountain hikes, trips to our sea-side cabin as well as skiing trips in the winter. This is of course after the house gets vaccuumed. I simply don't have time to have a creative block: there's always an etsy project that needs to be worked on or finished.

8. What is one favorite thing that you made and felt bad selling it - only because you liked it so much?

-- I absolutely love most of my gloves. They're my favorite things to make. Most of them turn out much better than I had envisioned and I always question if 'these' will be the latest pair that I will give to myself.

9. What is a normal day like for you?

-- My husband wakes up around 5am. I usually don't sleep well after that so am often up at 5.45 or so. I make myself coffee, check etsy, my team blogs, my private blog and then my email to see if I received any news from home.
-- 6.30 - 8.00: pack lunches, wake and dress the kids, feed them breakfast, dress and deliver them to the places they need to be and then head to work.
-- 4.00ish - start heading home and pick up the kids. Start dinner if I'm home first. Eat. Start kids on an activity while I do some laundry or clean up the kitchen. Spend some quality time with the kids. Get kids ready for bed, read stories, sing, kiss them goodnight.
-- 8.00ish - do a bit more laundry or one more housework job.
-- 8.30ish - the night is mine and I can work on Etsy. Do check Etsy itself, my blogs, then get to work until about 10.00 pm. Then go to sleep and start the whole thing again the next day.

10. What else interests you besides your craft?

-- Our family spends a lot of time outside. We go on mountain hikes (some are spoken about on my blog: plaskdesign.blogspot.com) and have a sea side cabin we often visit. Here we do a lot of fishing, as well cutting down trees and chopping firewood. During the right times of the year we harvest in a lot of blueberries, raspberries, and apples.

11. Is there something you would like to say as the end of the talk?

--- I think those who use Etsy as an area to shop and/or sell should really start realizing and understanding that they are at the very beginning of a new politican and economic part of history. I truly believe that the internet levels the feilds between big corporations and the private seller. I also believe that in the future (and hopefully during my lifetime) I will be able to see the demise of big industry and the rise of local industries of all types: manufacturing, agriculture and farming, and possibly even areas such as energy creation. Wouldn't that be cool?

Being A Smart Alec - Parental Discretion is Advised

What can I say? I feel like being a smart alec. I've been making beautiful flowers and designs on my pieces of art for over a year, and now I need a change. Don't get me wrong, I like making flowers. I like making beautiful designs. But I do have another side of me that is fighting to emerge - I will make a place for this in my store as well.

So it came down to the question: what would a smart alec say in the dead of winter when everyone else is complaining about how cold it is? And after a little thinking, 'Bith My Ass Jack Frost' comes forth as the one with the most humor. I am curious to know what others will think of this creation.

Any comments are welcome!

Another Textual Sensations Scarf

Here is another one of my Textual Sensation creations that will be put up for sale tomorrow, September 19th, 2008. I was given everything used to make this scarf by two different people.

My next door neighbor is also an advid crafter (mostly sewing, but some knitting as well). She has two children that are smaller than mine and receives all of my clothes that do not fit my children anymore. To show her appreciation to me (although I thought it was her who was doing me a favor - it's much easier to go next door with bags of clothes instead of driving 35 minutes to the nearest Salvation Army Drop Off Center) she bought me a large bag of different types of wool from the Dale Factory that's located north of us.


The material I used to make the appliques (Dreaming of Sunshine) came from a number of cool curtains that a friend of my sister-in-law's was wanting to get rid of. She certainly did not want to throw them out as there was nothing wrong with them. She just didn't want to have them anymore. And in Norway we pay for all the trash that is taken away from our houses (meaning if you only set out your trash container once every two weeks, you save a lot of money), so these curtains would be filling up a large space in her trash container she could be saving for something else.

All in all, it was a win-win situation for everyone. This includes the lucky customer who will decide to buy this product one day. :)

Upcycled Appliques that Bring Forth a Message

Another thing that has completely absorbed me through last few months - making my own hand sewn appliques that deliver a message. Suddenly it's so fun to pull up old sayings, cliches, song titles and movie titles from the far, far past. Phrases that I remember from my early childhood that are deeply connected to important parts of my life... I feel in my heart that this must also be true for others who are of the same generation as me.




On this warm and cozy scarf I've added three appliques that spell out the phrase: Dreaming of Sunshine. For all of us who try to make it through the cold, dark winter months sometimes we need that bit of extra to put a smile on our face and give a bit of warmth to our hearts.

Now that I've started on this path, a plethora of ideas of phrases have started to emerge from my head. I certainly cannot sew that fast, so I've started keeping a diary just for these phrases to be used at future time. I am looking foward to the weeks ahead of me.