What took me so long...

Yeah, what took me so long. 

Not sure. 

Moving to Sweden took a lot of time and energy and before that, I was running on fumes. 
In the end, even the fumes were gone and I collapsed. Or rather, my body decided it had had enough and it was time to rest. 

That set in motion a whole other movement in life. Decision time. 

A lot had to be decided. All the things I had postponed, were on the table and needed attention. 
My body decided to cooperate and after 2 months, we made the big decision. 
To move out of our house. The conversation was short because we have had done it before. 

But the outcome was different and we were probably a bit stunned that we were in exactly the same position on it. We agreed. It was time to move to Sweden. 

Just like that. And when we told the kids, they agreed. It was 10 years in the making. 

It all fell into place. The kids had their own lives, work, homes, and children. 
The housing market was going up. I felt quite done with my work as a postie. 
And my husband was already in Sweden often once a week. So why not turn it around. 

Me knitting on the couch in Sweden, while my husband works from Sweden to the Netherlands. 

(sorry, Google is playing hard to get and doesn't allow me to add pictures). 

Anyway. 

We arranged to sell our house, I packed what we thought we would be taking with us and throw everything else away, gift it, or recycled. There was still a lot left, enough to fill half a trailer. My husband would drive himself and I'd take the car to Sweden. 
Halfway in the trafficjam, we stood next to each other and we kissed. Him in the cabin, I hanging on the side. It was hilarious. 

So, for the past 6 months, we unpacked, settled and applied for everything we needed to apply for. Person-number, bank account, ID cards, car registration, healthcare. 
Oh, I forgot to tell you. We had gone to a Emigration event, and found a stand on EXACTLY the little town we had planned on. The housing company offered rentals, and we accepted. 

We arrived on an unusual hot day, even for Sweden, and unloaded the truck. Due to the heat it took 5 days. We had time and it was like 30°Celsius. 

 And indeed, I knit on the couch in our cozy apartment. I made 3 new bauble designs, finished the 6th Winter Lake in black cashmere and knit a pair of mittens to match the Norra shawl. 

But, I also felt a bit lost. A lot. Not working for the mail gave me all the freedom. Which is not good for me. A bit too much freedom. No internet in the beginning. In januari (2025) I had started to learn Swedish with DuoLingo and that ended in june. It just stopped giving me new words to practise. When we arrived here, and got a temporary number, I applied for a library card immediately and got myself more books to learn. 

That way, I was able to at least have the very basic ability to read a bit and have a conversation on the phone with whomever I needed to speak to. And that was the tax service and the dentist. And the man at the library. He also helped me in December to apply for SFI, school to learn Swedish for Foreigners. That's me. 

My husband is doing his best to arrange things at his job, so he can work there and here. It is taking longer than the Swedish tax service. 
In the meantime, we looked at 24 houses. Small, big, huge, big garden, field, in the forest, in the village, near a road or not at all. There was this very cute red house, ticked all the boxes. 
Lots of land, own driveway, big garden. Close to the big village, yet nice and quiet. 
I. 
Did. 
Not. 
Fit.
In. 
The.
House. 
The ceiling was so low: no. 

Another house was adorable, white, roomy, big garden, end of the road (almost).  
The roof leaked. Because it rained, we noticed it only after the second viewing. 
The yellow house was a total bust. Apparently it had 2 front doors. Because it was a 2 family house in 1. One downstairs, sleeping in the livingroom. The upstairs with own bathroom and kitchen... so strange. 

Looking at houses (often by myself or scouting outside with my husband when he was home) is like dating. You have to have a click. A connection. And it takes energy, and I didn't have much of that left. After a pauze we finally had an appointment with a bank. 
That's very special, most banks want to handle everything online. But the forms don't allow for overtime or other 'special circumstances'. 
This little bank allowed us to explain and was very forthcoming. So much so, that we went to a viewing on tuesday. To the bank on wednesday. Another house viewing on thursday. 
I was by myself and most of the people I had seen on Tuesday, were there on Thursday. 
I didn't want the Tuesday house. We wanted the Thursday house. I made an offer on the spot. 

By Monday morning, there were no other offers made. And Monday afternoon I signed the intial purchase. With permission of the bank, of course. The offer was a whisker over the asking price. And they accepted. They're happy, we're happy. 

Packing has already begun. The July move was almost 900km, now it's only 3km. The weather now is the total opposite. In July it was 30° Celsius, as I am typing this, it is -14°C. So we decided to spend a little of our savings on movers to help with the big stuff: couch, beds, furniture and most boxes. 

That means that in 4 weeks time, I'll be sitting and knitting on my couch in a real Swedish home. It was built in 1938, with a nice field in the back. Updated and expanded so we have an extra room, a big livingroom and... a sunroom. 

It is literally on the other side of the village, from where we live now. I'm looking forward to gardening, more walking. Be outdoors and knit stuff to wear. 
I'm liking the climate here. The lake is close, less than 100m. Forest is a bit further away, perhaps 500-600m. I've been there to photograph my baubles when it snowed in November. 

The prelude will end here, this januari. And in February, the main course. 
The Swedish life will begin. Waiting until my husband comes home, hands in the ground planting veggies, knitting in the sunroom. Walking together through the forests or go to the beach. Me going to school learning the language.
And, to make the dream complete, buy a motorcycle and discover more runestones and ancient sites. 

February is always a big month for me. It's the month where my husband celebrates his birthday, I started my garden and later my knitting business. And in 2018 the Facebook group for Fine Shetland Lace. Wonderful events. 

To conclude, I also am able to tell you that A Passion For Lace is now my official webshop. That means I have to say goodbye to Kantwerk. 
It has served me very well, since 2009. 
When i started, I never could have guessed what it would bring me / us. 
I've been invited to so many places, events and sometimes even peoples houses. 
It made it possible for me to teach all over the Netherlands, and even in Belgium and Shetland. How wonderful is that!? 

I want to build further here in Sweden. I've set in motion my request to continue here. Selling my designs for you to knit. 
The webshop is now: https://apassionforlace.com and my Ravelry and Etsy shop will continue to be accessable. 

It will be possible that when I'm granted to work here as A Passion For Lace, there will be shawls for sale again. Or commissioned knits. I will let you know how it goes. 

For pictures and other stories, you can find me on Threads. 

Thank you for reading, and it is likely I will post more often.