Vibe Summer dress - first progress

I have already had a very good start on this Vibe Summer dress, where I brought the yarn at the knitting festival in Horsens this February

I am knitting both the backside as well as the front of the dress in one go using circular knitting needle.

I have just finished 12 cm of rib knit, which will be the lower part of the dress. The effect is, that it gives a more narrow effect at bottom, so the final dress will get "balloon shape".
Now I am ready to increase the amount of knit mask and at the same time change pattern, so the main pattern becomes reverse knit with smaller intersections of straight knitting.

Crisp bread a la Skovdal

I have found this recipe on  crisp bread in my local newspaper (VAF). I have made a few modification. Instead of only wheat flour I have used a combination of whole grain wheat flour and wheat flour. Also I did have any chia seeds in my kitchen, so I increased the amount of linseed from 2 dl to 2½ instead of.

Instead of rolling the entire portion of crisp bread dough on only one piece of baking parchment, I would next time divide the portion into two, so I could get a thinner crisp bread, which only needs 20 minutes baking time. I had to bake these crisp bread for around 40 minutes, as they still lack some crispiness in my opinion.

Another recipe on crisp bread could be this classic crisp bread a la Svansø.


Crisp bread a la Skovdal: - 30 pieces

• 1 dl sunflower seeds
• 2 dl wheat flour
• 1 dl whole grain wheat flour
• 1 dl pumpkin seeds
• 2½ dl linseed
• 1 dl oat flakes
• 2½ dl water
• 1 dl olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• poppy seed for decoration

1. Heat up the fan oven to 180'C.
2. Add all the ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl.
3. Stir it together, and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
4. Divide the crisp bread dough into two portion to get thin enough.
5. Place the crisp bread on a piece of baking parchment, place another piece of baking parchment on top of the crisp bread dough.
6. Use a rolling pin to flatten the crisp bread dough into a thinner size.
7. Remove the top piece of baking parchment, sprinkle the poppy seed on top of the crisp bread dough.
8. Put back the baking parchment, and roll again with rolling pin.
9. Remove the top baking parchment.
10. Cut the crisp bread into piece size, so it is easier to break into pieces after baking.
11. Place the crisp bread on a baking tray.
12. Bake the crisp bread at 180'C for approx 20 minutes, until it let golden in colour.
13. Cool down.
14. Store in an airtight container.

Getting started on Vibe Summer dress

At the knitting festival in Horsens February this year I brought  some Dunlin yarn (55% linen % 45% cotton) for knitting a Summer dress called "Vibe" designed by Else Schjellerup.

As I like the rest of Denmark are spending plenty of time at home to the corona situation, I have plenty of spare time for knitting, so perhaps I even can managed to get this Summer dress for use later this year.

I have to do some adjustment to the recipe, as I have to scale it up in size, so it will fit my body. However, this is quiet easy taking the pattern into account.

I have also decided, that I will knit this dress using circular knitting needle instead of the usual type of knitting needles. This means, that I afterwards do not have sew the dress together.

The pattern consist mainly of reverse knit on the front, so I have also decided to knit straight knit and when turn the dress inside out, when I will wear it. My straight knitting is more regular compared to reverse knitting.

Pinkie - ruby chocolate cake

I still had some ruby chocolate left in my kitchen after making both ruby romance scones and Valentine cheese cake, so I thought why not make a brownie/blondie style cake using ruby chocolate instead of dark/white chocolate and call it a pinkie ?

I have been told, that in order to maintain the red colour of ruby chocolate, the acidity (pH) should be high (=low in pH), so therefore I replaced some of the butter with full-fat sour cream as a a way of the getting of the colour. However, as I started to mix into flour, sugar and egg, the colour became more of the usual cake yellowish colour. So the pink part of the cake is the ruby chocolate melted on the surface of the baked cake.

I had a look as this recipe on ruby chokolade blondies by Gastro Fun as inspiration, and from there I made several modifications.

Pinkie - ruby chocolate cake: - 1 cake

• 100 g butter
• 200 g full-fat sour cream, 38% fat
• 200 g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 210 g wheat flour
• 100 g ruby chocolate - melted
• 200 g ruby chocolate as small pieces of chocolate
• 100 g ruby chocolate - melted for decoration of the cake after baking

1. Heat up the oven (conventional) to 180'C.
2. Melt the butter.
3. Mix melted butter and sour cream together in a medium sized mixing bowl.
4. Melt the ruby chocolate, and stir it into the butter-sour cream mixture.
5. Add in the sugar, vanilla sugar and salt, stir well.
6. Add in the eggs, one by one, stir well between each addition of egg.
7. Add in the flour and stir well.
8. Finally add in the smaller pieces of ruby chocolate and stir well.
9. Cover a baking tray (20 x 30 cm) with baking parchment.
10. Fill the cake dough into the baking tray.
11. Bake the cake in the middle of the oven at 180'C for 30-40 minutes.
12. Check, that the underbaked, before removing it from the oven.
13. Cold down the cake.
14. Melt the last part of the ruby chocolate and pour it over the surface of the pinkie.
15. Enjoy :-)

"Striber på langs" sweater is finished

Finished "Striber på langs" sweater

The time runs faster, when you have a knitting project to spend your spare time with during the time of corona. No time spend on rowing, which is vast right here and now with the sunny and quiet Spring weather, which we have here in Denmark or going to the cinema, theater, water ballet equal a LOT of "free" time.

"Striber på langs" sweater before
washing and pressing

It is means, that I have finished my "Striber på langs" sweater. After the washing of the sweater you need to press it into measurements.

The yarn costed me 693 DKK (= 92€) to make this sweater. And the knit recipe costed 40 DKK (=5.30 €).

So, now I can start on a new knitting project :-) I think, I will look at the various yarns, which I brought at the knitting festival in Horsens here in February, perhaps the Summer dress.

Tea and Easter shopping in Sønderborg

Little did I know, that my expedition to Sønderborg beginning of this month of March was to a cultural & shopping tour outside Vejle for a very long time !

Besides from the art exhibition by Hans Horn at Søbderborg Slot as well as having lunch he nice Cafe Fika I did also do the pedestrian streets of Sønderborg city checking out the various shops.

I found some new Easter decoration in form these eggs and Easter rabbit in paper for decoration of my many windows.

Carstensens Tehandel also have a shop in Sønderborg, so here I brought two bags of tea.

The first tea was black Easter tea (black tea flavoured with egg liqueur combined with flowers of both sunflowers and blue cornflower).

The second tea was Als blandingen, also black tea, named after the the island, where Sønderborg is located.

"Striber på langs" - part 4

Staying at home and keeping distance to other people keeps the knitting needles very busy ! So now, one arm is done on "Striber på langs" sweater and I am ready to get the second arm done.

Right here and now the sweater look like a Summer dress, but after the first washing the sweater is pressed during ironing into the final size, so more wide than long in the shape.

Well, I am getting very close to an end on this project:-)

"Striber på langs" - part 3

During the week-end I also managed to do quiet a lot of knitting on my knit project on "Striber på langs" sweater. So, when you are more or less forced to spend your time at home, it means that you can do a lot of knit as well sitting in front of the TV following the latest development in the corona status.

Right here and now the sweater look like a Summer dress, but after the first washing the sweater is pressed during ironing into the final size, so more wide than long in the shape.

Well, I am ready to start knitting the arms of the sweater :-)

"Striber på langs" sweater - part 2

Spending a lot of time at home due to the Corona virus and the close down of Denmark means I do a lot of knitting on my project on "Striber på langs" sweater. So, when you cannot go to the rowing club, local swimming pool, cinema etc, well when you can do a lot of knit :-)

Lunch af Cafe Fika in Sønderborg

Last Saturday I went on a "cultural expedition" to Sønderborg to see the exhibition of the art by Hans Horn. Right here and now I am reading the book called "Det ensomme hjerte" about a young man's life in Germany during in the 1930s and 1940s and his later life in Denmark. 

The museum is first open in the afternoon, however I went to Sønderborg mid morning, so I could look around the city (= look into the various shops) and enjoy lunch. So for the culinary part of my expedition I located the nice Cafe Fika, which serves open sandwiches for lunch.

I decided to have two sandwiches. The first one with eggs and bacon and the second with eggs and plenty of scrimps. Both sandwiches looked very nice, had plenty of filling and tastes great, so all in all a great experiences. 

The two sandwiches and a fermented malt drink costed me 212 DKK (=28 €). And I will give this lunch 5 stars out of 6. 

Progress on "Striber på langs" sweater - part 1

I have managed to knit almost 20 cm on my new knitting project "striber på langs" sweater, so I am halfway to the arm part of the sweater :-) The yarn has a very smooth to it, so I am looking forward to be able to wear it.

Upcomers Market Spring 2020

Last week-end Upcomers Market took place in Vejle, which is a market, where you can look & feel at the goods from various small designers, maker etc. I find the quality of the goods of this market to quiet high, so it worth going there.

This year I found some green ceramic vases (big surprice !!!), but is quiet some time, since I last brought a green vase :-)

The two vases are made Agnethe Kirkeby. The other green ceramic stuff, which I brought was a cup and a lunch made by Kræs Jelling. So now, I can invite four persons around for lunch/dinner served on various green ceramic plates :-)

"Striber på langs" sweater by Petit Knit

I have brought this yarn for this sweater called striber på langs sweater by PetiteKnit (or longitudinal stripes sweater) at my local yarn shop Garn i skovhytten. In the kit recipe the yarn Arwetta and Tiili from Filcolana is mentioned. However, I could not buy this specific yarn in the yarn shop, so instead of I am using Titicaca (100% pure thin alpaca) by Holst Garn and Yaku 4/16 (100% merino wool) from CaMaRose.

And yes, I have decided to knit the sweater in my favourite colour of green. Another option would have been in dark yellow/orange.

Trip to the area of Limfjorden

Last week-end my mother and I went on trip with a stay at Hvalpsund Færgekro, so it gave us the opportunities to visit towns in the area of Limfjorden. The first day we went to Viborg, where we enjoyed lunch, visit Skovgaard Museet with a fantastic ceramic exhibition and did a little shopping. I found a white port wine (Granham's Blend No 5), which can mixed with tonic and served like  gin tonic.

After spending the night at Hvalpsund Færgekro my mother and I went to Nykøbing Mors, where I also did some shopping in form of both plant, ceramic flower pot and a flower bouquet called "Jante buket" at the flower shop Madame Tusindfryd.

I also found this basket in green, which I planning to use for storing my latest yarn shopping at Horsens knit festival. Finally I brought a dessert wine made on quince  produced by Sindbjerg Vingaard

March - what's up

March - what´s up ?

Now the first calendar month of Spring has finally arrived here in Denmark. We are still 5 weeks away from Easter, however I spend this afternoon to dig out my Easter decoration items, so I can decorate my home celebrating the arrival of Spring.

I have no specific calendar events, which I have focus on in my kitchen during this month. However, the citrus fruits are still in high season, so I think I will make various citrus jams during this month. I will also be knitting on a green sweater this month, perhaps I will also start the knitting on a Summer dress, so I actually can use this dress with Summer ?

So, look by from time to time to see, what is going on in my kitchen.