S. S. Stavangerfjord ".....a little bit of Scandinavian history...."

Hello everyone.  I hope you are enjoying your weekend.  It's been a busy weekend around here.  Yesterday, I attended my monthly meeting of the Daughters of Norway.  Our lodge meets once a month and since I'm the secretary, I attend each meeting.  It's a lovely group of ladies that enjoy hearing about our Scandinavian culture besides eating and drinking coffee!  On a more serious note, we do raise funds for numerous scholarships and give back to the community where it is needed most.

Our guest speaker yesterday was our longtime member Astrid.  She shared with us her family's journey from Norway to America.  It was so interesting and when she said that her family had sailed across the Atlantic on the Norwegian American Line ship the  S. S. Stavangerfjord I jumped in my seat.  My family too had sailed on the Stavangerfjord back in 1955.  Although I was under two years old and can't remember anything, my family has always told me the stories associated with this voyage.

Astrid told us a story of celebrating her birthday on the ship and having a ribbon on her hat that read: S.S. Stavangerfjord.  Well, here's a photo of those same ribbons from the voyage my family took:

 Above is an old postcard photo of the Stavangerfjord.  We boarded this ship in New York City.  Back then they still had different classes of passage; first, cabin and tourist.   Below is some technical information about this grand old ship.

And, here's the front page of the Passenger list from the sailing that my family took:

I can't forget about the great food the Scandinavians enjoy, so here is a copy of one of the dinner menus on the sailing:

 

Above is a photo of the egg cups from the Norwegian America Line ships.  They were made in Norway by Porsgrund, a Norwegian porcelain company.

My beloved Danish grandparents immigrated to Washington state from Denmark in the 1900's.  Here's a photo of them taken around the same time as this trip:

When I decided to write this post I knew I had all the keepsakes put away some where.  I looked high and low for these items and finally found them tucked away with my cookbooks.  While looking for them, I came across this knife of my father's:

 

If you look real close, you will see the words Stavangerfjord on the bow of the ship.  During these past few years, I have met two people who have sailed on the Stavangerfjord; Astrid and another Norwegian lady who was a musician on the ship back in the 1950's. 

This ship and many like her sailed many miles across the sea, carrying its passengers back to the homeland or to their new home.  From what I have read, the S. S. Stavangerfjord was retired in 1963 and I believe sold for scrap metal.  I'm sure there are many many passengers who have fond memories of sailing on this grand old ship. 

If you are of Scandinavian descent, please click on the link above for Daughters of Norway and see if there's a lodge near you.  It's a wonderful way to meet new friends and learn about your Scandinavian heritage.

I wish each of you a wonderful fun filled week.

Pat

Lilly reminded me (between her cap naps) that you should pop over to Handmade Monday to see some great ideas!

VALENTINE CROCHET HEART BUNTING with PATTERN

Hello.  I missed posting last week since I had out of town guests.  They were here for Super Bowl and it was great to see the Seahawks win.  I'm not a big football fan (I really don't understand the game) but since I'm from Washington, I had to cheer on the Seahawks.  Last time they went to the Super Bowl, I was living in Gig Harbor right next to the Narrows Bridge.  They hung blue and green lights on the bridge span and it was so fun.

I have been busy with lots of projects but I will share with you what I have finished.  Last year I bought some lovely cotton yarn from Planet Penny.  I crocheted a few items and finished them.  But, then I came up with a pattern of hexagon granny squares; you put them together to make a bag.  Well, after numerous times of trying of put them together, I gave up.  Last week I came up with a new idea of using spray starch to block the finished item.  It worked!!  But, as you can see, I didn't make a bag but a large doily/runner for my table.

I felt so good getting this project finished.  I think I have two unfinished projects now to work on......

Here's another item that I made this past month:

 

As you can see, it's a Valentine heart bunting.  I found the crocheted heart pattern here.  I added one extra row around each heart by starting with a single crochet and doing a half double crochet on either side of the top of the heart.  I then crocheted a cord, adding the hearts as I went along.  I threaded red ribbon through the cord.

As for blocking, I used my spray starch.  I placed a towel on my ironing board, put the hearts on the towel and sprayed each one. Use plenty of spray and use your hands to smooth out the heart.  There's no need to pin it since it will keep its shape.  I let one side almost try and then turned the hearts over and sprayed the other side.  I love using spray starch for blocking!!

That's about all I have to share with you this week.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend and keep warm if you are in wintry weather!

blessings,

Pat

Lilly just reminded me that you should check out Handmade Monday to see some wonderful craft ideas!!