zaterdag 30 maart 2013

egg hat ..... or egghead ?

Cold, cold, cold !
Easter is here, 
but Spring is nowhere to be seen

The only Spring is inside the house at the moment

;-)

Today I finally finished my third attempt 
in double knitting.
First there was the straight scarf.
Second was the headband  (with in- and decreasing)

And thrird
can I do it in rounds ? With decreases ?
Something small, just as a trial, a tiny hat perhaps ...

Yes, I can !

Hurray ... on top of the Easter Bunny world !
or
.....

it might just fit 
as a warm hat for someone 
during a cold Spring ??? 

So, a lovely (Easter) weekend to you all 


vrijdag 29 maart 2013

continuing boro

Still a bit weak, but I'm back !
Flu is such a silly illness 
(most of the time)
but it can knock you right of your socks
Now it's over, so : 
time to continue Boro

Ha, só many pieces have already been replaced,
which was to be expected, of course !
But the pieces at the bottom of the back I was sure about 
are now being "glued" to the fabric of the jacket
(noooo,  no real glue of course, but Jude's "glue-stitch" )
Raw edge or needle-turned, just as it goes

and then other stitches follow ...

Mmmmm, I love how the "pattern continues" 
from one piece of fabric to the next
The shibori : I purchaged from Glennis Dolce
who brought it with her from Japan,
(ouch ..... and I cut right into it ...)
the piece that it connects is from an old cushion cover 
I already cut into before :  for this

The eyes I found in the "Blaudruck" fabric are finished now 
and there will be a bit of colour in the flowers

Even a lot more colour on the top ánd the front of the jacket
(is my plan)



woensdag 27 maart 2013

flu

Finally the flu got me
...
no appetite, 
hours of sleep during daytime 
...
no, not funny
I'm even too weak to pick up a needle 
when I'm out of bed 
...

But, all of that will pass 
SOON
I hope 

woensdag 20 maart 2013

stitching boro

I think the title of the last post 
was a bit misleading :
I didn't mean to say that 
"boro is boring"

Oh no, on the contrary, I would rather say that
stitching boro is fun !

stitching has begun 

The jacket (of an expensive brand) which I bought during sale at the end of a season,
is very well made.
Before I started pinning pieces to the jacket
I undid the bottom seam of the lining.
Then I put a magazine inside so I won't get through and through
when pinning or stitching my dear scraps.

There is some wonderful original 
"Einbecker Blaudruck"
which I bought years ago when on holiday in Germany.
This Wittram family handprinting business 
uses the same old woodblocks 
that are in the family for hundreds of years !

I often took it in my hands, admired it, and put it back in the drawer,
but now there is a long strip of it all along the backside 
and another pattern, with much bigger flowers on it, at the bottom.
Ha, and when I was glue-stitching it I saw the 
eyes !

you will see them more clearly when móre stitching is done

The inchies, leftovers of some other project and some biscornu's
have found their place next to the entrance of the pocket. 

Yes
it really is fun.
(much like brighten up your old jeans in the 70's)


dinsdag 19 maart 2013

boro ? no : boring

Boro
was a word that didn't mean anything to me 
some time ago
...
Then I participated in Jude's on-line class
"Contemporary Boro"

Boro comes from the endless ongoing process 
of mending originally from Japan :
pieces of fabric were meticulously stitched 
onto garments with holes, tears or weak spots 
to give them a longer life

That is the kind of stitching Jude often uses in her work.
Making use of old pieces, little leftovers, 
recycling.
It's a fun way of merging all kind of scraps 
haphazardly into something new.

Ha, it's about time I start stitching again !!!


So I took this old jacket.  Any holes ? tears ? weak spots ?
NO a very neat tidy jacket !
but ... boring 
(from another era ...)
and therefore just the right thing for my project

Lots of scraps 
and pieces of fabric that are dear to me :
my contemporary Boro 

O yes, there will be lots of changes of plan along the line
pieces added, removed, replaced by others
it will be :
"just going"   


zondag 17 maart 2013

birthday

I can hardly realize 
that it's already
39 years 
ago that our dearest was born
.....
time flies
...
Still so happy she's around  !
Now she herself is a proud mother of three 
We had a fun day with lots of nice people

Normally we measure the time of her birthday 
in the start of the daffodils blooming
.....
alas : all still very green !
(or maybe some tiny specks of yellow on a warm south facing spot,
the photo is last year's)

After the first very warm bit of spring two weeks ago
the winter cold came back

But ... I was lucky to get some flowering branch from a friend
so there still is the beginning of spring inside

Magnolia

*
Now that it's almost Easter
my old colleagues from school come to borrow my hand puppets 

This bunch will be ready to perform in the puppet-show

(still have to locate the spring fairy ...
in another box probably ...)




zondag 10 maart 2013

touching

Last Friday, March 8, was the International 
Women's Day 

("Venus de Merino" made by daughter)

I originally planned to do a post on that
but couldn't find the right words for my feelings,
all the important things I would like to say
.....
it's hard sometimes 
when you sit in front of the computer keyboard
...

But today I found on YouTube a small part of an interview with 
Whoopi Goldberg 
that I saw that Friday night on Dutch Television :
what a marvellous woman that is,
and what a fantastic interview !

And this particular bit was so touching !!!
*


(Well, in fact it should be "women's day" every day :
and then I don't think of most of the women here in Holland,
where almost everyone can freely plan her own life ...
no,
those places where women/girls aren't allowed to have proper education,
are raped for no other reason than
just being a women/girl,
baby girls are killed because parents prefere boys,
and young girls are forced to marry ...
that's why it should be on our mind every day)


donderdag 7 maart 2013

another rainbow

Today I recieved the little felted piece
of our felting-exchange
We're halfway through the year already
and each and every one of the pieces 
is so different !
I love all the creativity of other people !

This one is again of one 
of the ladies I met at the Sara Lechner workshop
where it (kind of) all began.

Not only a hot white sun
but a lot of beaded raindrops
and a rainbow !!!

(the card says : you don't have to lóók for a four leaf clover,
if you're lucky, you'll find one ...)


Well, this time 
I think I just found one 

Thank you very much C !

dinsdag 5 maart 2013

busy hands

The weather was, as promised, 
even better than yesterday.
Although we enjoyed the sunshine and the flowers in the garden,
we were inside most of the time,
but : with the door wide open !

"We" were two friends and me, "workshopping"
One friend renewing the encounter with felt
and one making "first contact"
It's fun to see people enjoy the same craft as you do.

Busy hands making a bowl

... and finished


The "new" hands working :

after the first test swatch, flowers on a string

...and finished too 
(with a little bit of help from me
because it was a lot, for a first time)

That was a well recieved belated birthday present !


(see you next time, ladies)






maandag 4 maart 2013

what a day !

What a beautiful day :
SPRING
and tomorrow will be even better !


Doesn't this makes you cheerful ???

The weather was so warm it was great to knit a bit 
sitting in the doorway !

I made a headband of the leftovers 
of my double knitted scarf.

Now there are only really tiny bits left 
of the two Noro Kureyon Sock skeins !!!
(these bits I removed from in between  
so the combination of the front and back colours would be better)

So now all is finished and I will write the pattern I made
on Ravelry