Swedish News:

Alexander Skarsgård and Kate Bosworth split. Few drowned in July. Surprise visit. Yarn business sniffs a boom.  

• Alexander Skarsgård and Kate Bosworth split
  Several entertainment sites confirm it: Alexander Skarsgård splits with girlfriend Kate Bosworth after nearly two years together. The pair met on the set of “Straw Dogs”, and have been seen around on sushi dates and music festivals. Skarsgård has reportedly been seen with an unknown brunette. Unknown in the US perhaps, but most Swedes know her as Alicia Vikander – a Göteborg-born actress and dancer who received a Guldbagge Award for her part in the movie “Till det som är vackert” (“Pure”). We wrote about Alicia Wikander and her performance in "Pure" here:
  Alicia Vikander – Shooting Star

• Few drowned in July
  Ten people died in preliminary drowning accidents during the month of July in Sweden – an unusually low number. Last year 14 died during the same period, and during the past 12 years, the average number of people drowning in July has been 24. “We have had many worrisome reports of near-accidents with children in pools, where grown-ups have been lax in watching. Children don’t drown if they are being watched after,” says Karin Brand, Secretary General for Svenska livräddningssällskapet (the Swedish Life Saving Association). Many beaches and public pools are debating whether or not to introduce an age limit to avoid near-accidents with children. “It’s a difficult question,” says Brand. “There really is just one limit that is of importance, and that is whether you can swim or not. And that isn’t always tied to a specific age.” Brand doesn’t know what could be behind the new positive trend of fewer drowning deaths. “It’s good news, but many accidents could have been avoided altogether,” she says. “Looking at the deadly accidents in July, we see that in most cases it’s about people dying when they’ve been swimming alone or been alone in boats. If you’re alone, it’s difficult to get help.” Brand adds that nobody should be out in a boat without a life-jacket. “Nobody questions the safety belts in cars. Out on the sea the life-jacket can save lives, yet it is all to often forgotten and left behind where it can be of no help.”

• Surprise visit
  A family on Lindholmen, in Vallentuna Municipality, got the surprise of their lives when they discovered a strange man taking a shower in their bathroom. “I needed to freshen up,” the man said. The family, who lives in a row house, was awakened by the sound of water running. They waited hours before checking out the bathroom, everybody thinking some other family member was in there. When they finally opened the door, they saw the younger man in the shower without shoes, but otherwise fully clothed. He had no idea how he got into the house, nothing was broken and nothing was stolen. Says the Police’s spokesperson Stefan Gustafsson: “He was most probably under the influence of something. But he was not threatening nor was he unpleasant. He just ended up in the wrong place.” The family chose not to report the incident. The strange man was escorted out the house by the police; he has no prior record.

• Yarn business sniffs a boom
  The yarn business in Sweden looks brightly at the future, sniffing a new knitting boom. The last one took place about 25 years ago, when many Swedes (especially women) knitted mohair and angora sweaters with beadings and room for shoulder pads. And some may remember the needlework and knitting craze of the 1970’s also. So another knitting trend is certainly due. Free style skier Jon Olsson’s knitted cap, it seems, has had a beneficial effect on knitting and crocheting. Knitting has increased in popularity the past few years, so perhaps it is time to dig out the knitting needles? We found a website full of free patterns (in both Swedish and English) here: www.garnstudio.com