Off to Never Never Land!

With the vibrant greens of my short lived summer ebbing, they give way to the colours and temperatures of a Norwegian Autumn. In one way it is sad to see what little sunshine we've had, be smothered in the Nimbostratus and for the relative warmth to plummet into the arctic region of the thermometer. However, there is a sliver lining on these Nimbus clouds, as this change of season allows my crocheting enterprise to bloom, as nearly everything I make, by default, is designed specifically to keep things warm, and not just eggs anymore!

While the temperature in Norway, as I might have mentioned a couple of times, rarely rises into the double figures (with anything in the 20's being unmeasurable with their instruments) I was still surprised, well maybe shocked is a better emotional reaction, to opening my door and stepping outside a few days ago, to discover that zero degrees was as warm as it was going to get on the 27th of August! Now isn't that technically still summer? Well, needless to say, something resembling a human sized egg warmer was in order. So I went surfing, virtually that is, and having trawled through the seemingly endless variety of slipper designs the world has to offer, I discovered the most fabulous design by Gabriela, (cue drum roll) the Peter Pan Slippers.

 

 Peter Pan Slippers on my stylish caravan couch!

 Now it was not easy getting my hands on this pattern, for various, convoluted and altogether uninteresting reasons, but get it I did and I dived into the project with eager fingers and frozen toes. Though the one thing about making stuff is that I rarely end up getting them for myself. My boyfriend, also with blue tinted phalanges, made the request for the slippers before I had even downloaded the pattern. So, resistance being futile, I armed myself with two balls of wool and started, with relish, my newest crocheting venture. (I can see my brothers nodding head on the other side of the world, as the words "Finally, something practical" sprout from his lips.) 

If you can, try picture this scene. A small caravan, nestled amongst trees and mountains in the back arse of beyond, with yours truly inside, wrapped in every piece of warm clothing I own, the tunes of Johann Strauss dancing around me and my crochet hook wildly spinning backwards and forwards creating what appears at first glance to be...a square! You can imagine my disappointment, thinking that I was undertaking some daring, complex pattern that would force ooh's and ahh's from my partner sitting across from me (also surfing but not for crochet patterns I'm sure) and all I ended up with was a square and a brief, utterly unimpressed grunt from said adjacent company! But, it was the assembly of this geometric shape that makes you think about clapping wildly and shouting, 'I believe in faries, I believe in faries'. So with a few adjustments for the recipients paddle sized feet (meaning another ball of wool and extra pieces added into the slipper) the end product transformed my boyfriend into one of Peter Pans lost boys, beaming like a child holding his foot up in the air...new shoe! Success :) 
One down, one to go. Easier said than done though as repeating the exact same thing you've just completed is actually quite an endeavor, and one which I failed at...twice! It took me two attempts at the second slipper to make it match perfectly its predecessor. I felt like the prince trying to fit the slipper on one of the ugly sisters, until finally, third time lucky, my Cinderella was complete with a matching pair.

So practicality has overcome my attempts at pretty and useless. But now I can understand better the feeling of having something you've created actually put into use. Matej dons his beloved attire every time he sets foot in the caravan and I can't suppress a little grin at my 28 year old boyfriend, (embracing his inner child) looking like a Walt Disney character. I think Strauss shall soon be reverberating through my caravan as I attempt to make myself a pair and be turned into Tinker Bell to match my Peter Pan. (Wendy was far to sensible for footwear like this!) Once complete, the Christmas present collection shall start! :)