Relocating

Le Lauragais, in the Midi, in France. Walking across vast meadows, cut once in late May and now covered with a short gruffy aftermath, again offering visual protection for field mice darting through the new growth of grass and weeds, I think of the seasons passing year after year, eternally changing, coming and going, surviving us all.

A deer feasting on fresh green grass

I see the deer stepping out of nowhere, feeding on the new grass in the coolness of the evening. A summer meadow flower smell fills the air. I feel acutely homesick for the landscape although I have not even departed yet. I miss the feeling of belonging to this place we will have called home for so long - while I am still there and departure is but a remote day away. Ambivalence might come close to our state of mind.
There are not enough words to describe the feeling of loss and how I dread the time when for inevitable reasons that loss of our paradise becomes real and inevitable. I wish....     Cut.

Salix integra ""Hakuro Nishiki"; Harlekinweide / Zierweide, Saule

Relocating, again. Physically and mentally. This time it is different, circumstances dictated the move. We are heading for a life - a different life - in a city, in Berlin, one of the largest capitals in the world, a sprawling city of more than 3.5 million people, one third of its territory covered by forests, parks, gardens, and rivers. I am discovering private and public  gardens and consider them mine for the viewing.

Bridges: scarf with drop stitch ladders connecting cables

Garden flowers, so different from the wealth and unbridled abundance of wild flowers, so colorwheel-composed and arranged and yet not conveying the same impression of nature's harmony. Tamed for a purpose. Different. Bits of nature parcelled out to alleviate concrete monotony. Showcases in most places, gardeners tending designed gardens, meadows turned weedless lawns, wild flowers replaced by suitable soil and climate-adapted flower arrangements. But still - flowers and 440.000 trees, lovely boulevards and a surprising number of smaller parks contributing to the "green lung" of Berlin.

Bridges: scarf with drop stitch ladders connecting cables

Reapproaching textile work  - it is difficult these days. The now omnipresent conflicts in the world, the wars, and flight and plight of the refugees streaming into Europe, the rising of nationalistic parties in many countries, the presently apparent political chaos caused by the nation-splitting referendum in England - all of this makes it difficult to settle down to something seemingly inanely normal such as textile crafts, I almost feel guilty sitting down with my needles and yarn and concentrate on lacy pattern with a more or less intricate repeat...

Above: An off-white scarf made of ivory-colored mohair and the finest Chinese natural silk and Moroccan embroidery silk, three cables connected by drop-stitch bridges. Just right for days in spring with a northern breeze.

Moroccan Embroidery Silk - adding hues of color to other yarns

Below: Dipping into my huge stash, the approaching summer called for an intensely colorful scarf. It is knit lengthwise. CO on a multiple of 18. Roughly following a Feather and Fan pattern. Meanderings in bright colors and crazy lacy stitch patterns, alternating needle sizes and yarn gauge. If you are uncertain about gauges, this is a good site to get acquainted with yarn calculations. Color mix: of course nature is way ahead of me, could have added a million more colors! Just follow your mood...

Glitzy freeform wrap / scarf for Hélène

Britzer Garten (Berlin)

I thought it might be interesting to introduce a number of famous Berliner personalities:
1) Journalist, writer, author, satirist: Kurt Tucholsky "The New York Times hailed him as "one of the most brilliant writers of republican Germany. He was a poet as well as a critic and was so versatile that he used five or six pen names. As Peter Panter he was an outstanding essayist who at one time wrote topical sketches in the Vossische Zeitung, which ceased to appear under the Nazi regime; as Theobald Tiger he wrote satirical poems that were frequently interpreted by popular actors in vaudeville and cabarets, and as Ignatz Wrobel he contributed regularly to the Weltbühne, an independent weekly that was one of the first publications prohibited by the Hitler government."

 

This is from a poem (1924) on travelling through places and times: 

Die Kinder lärmen auf den bunten Steinen. 

Die Sonne scheint und glitzert auf ein Haus. 

Ich sitze still und lasse mich bescheinen 

und ruh von meinem Vaterlande aus.

Children play noisily on the colorful rocks.

The sun is shining, rays glistening on a roof.

I am sitting quietly, basking in the sun

and take a rest from my fatherland

The Most Precious Gifts

Once again we realized during Christmas that the most precious gift we can give or receive is indeed very personal: it is the person itself, spending time with us. What joy the visit our our daughter and god-daughter brought us! Add to that the first hand-written Christmas Card envelope by our grandson Victor! Another special gift were those thoughtfully phrased Christmas mails I received from Ravelry friends across the world. A wonderful way to start the year 2014. 

Friendship across continents

OMA + OPA - written by grandson Victor in December 2013

On the first day of the new year, we had the traditional German New Year's Brezel (Neujahrsbrezel), made quite unconventionally by our daughter - and I was wondering why I was always taking the long route for making a yeast dough while her accelerated method definitely produced the same results, or even better! It is said that haveing a slice of the New Year's Brezel for breakfast will bring luck throughout  the coming year. Write to me for the recipe if you are planning ahead...

New Year's Brezel - Neujahrsbrezel - (©) Picture by Valerie Mader

It is still winter, a very harsh one in many places of the northern hemisphere, especially in the United States and Canada - and although my god-daughter lives in the US sunbelt she still loves warm hats. It adds to her personal look and comfort. A personal look evolves over time, deviations are allowed and even called for, depending on the season, mood and occasion. And today, the liberty of wearing what one likes and can afford is an immense advantage from the situation just half a century ago. Luckily, the sixties were the time when designers like Mary Quant and model Twiggy came along and triggered an avalanche of fashion changes.

So for my amazing Californian god-daughter often traveling into colder areas of the world, here is the prototype hat in the making: Some bulky wool, a lacy layer of thin mohair, and the reversible hat, knit in the round, is ready for those colder days in two looks. See the finished hat in the next post.

I have seen this free pattern idea somewhere (probably on Ravelry), while the origin of the hat design is unknown. Please contact me if you happen to know the source as I wish to give credit to the designer. It might not be exactly the same because I just memorized the basics some time ago and then winged it. 

The lacy side provides extra warmth and makes the hat unmistakable if worn lace outside. I cast on 72 stitches with a stretchy cast-on method, trying out The Chinese Waitress method, a new one for me and I have no idea from whence it got its name - a bit cumbersome but veery stretchy. Join to knit in the round. Knit the brim of the hat k4, p4 until you have the desired brim height. See the finished hat in this post.

... 11. 12. 13 ... and counting

One of those tempting dates again: The 11th of the 12th month of the year 2013! Of course, I could have gotten up early, too: 08:09:10, or published this post at 13:14:15- at any rate, I just can't let this pallindrome-suitable date 13/12/11 at 11:12:13 pass by without a blog entry. This time about a fake cable and how effortlessly it is made. Not that I don't like real cables, nor do I find them difficult to make. But this illusion version is very nice as well:

Illusion of Cables

See the original pattern - and here my changes to it:  I made only two repeats, with center stripe of 4 stitches (knit WS and RS), each framed by "RS 2 p WS 2 knit" stitches.

Illusion of Cables Scarf with Mohair Flower Brooch

Increased 4 extra stitches each side one row before Cast Off to knit them together (= 4 stitches) in Cast Off row. This gives extra ease and I like the little wingy ends :-) I like the relatively short length, doesn’t get into the way when bending down.

Illusion of Cables Scarf with Mohair Flower Brooch

The fake cables at the left appear to be a bit narrower than the ones to the right, hmmm, no idea why because a) pattern repeat is identical and b) I did not steam the scarf during blocking, just pinned it down evenly and put a wet cloth over it overnight and let it dry. Keeps its original "fuzzy" look very well. Click here Mohair Flower Brooch for instructions for the flower brooch.
And of course I cannot resist a complimentary color: golden yellow as in this non-illusionary Hefezopf (Yeast Braid), its look certainly related to cables, right?

Poppies on the High Plain

In the beginning of summer in the high plain, The Meseta Central in Spain is bursting into colors, predominantly poppy red, delivering one of the two colors of the Spanish flag, the other being the golden yellow of the sun.

The expansive Meseta Central covers a large area of Castilla y León in north-western Spain. At a height of 800 m on average, the air on the plain is fresh and the breeze carries the fragrance of millions of wild flowers gracing the landscape stretching into the far horizon, fusing with the sky. They are lining the roads criss-crossing the area, selflessly providing a source of pure visual and olfactory delight.

Sometimes we can fill our soul's need for joy, for happiness and bliss simply by looking at the roadside...

Happiness is also finding that a lovely yarn store, Elisabeth Tricote, recently opened in our little town. It is like getting an unexpected birthday gift, something that will - hopefully - be a source of delight for years to come. A few pictures and an interesting background story will follow shortly. And as usual when exposed  to a yarn environment, I spent a long time soaking in the wealth of yarn colors and textures, not leaving without at least a small yarn helping: a soft mohair for a wispy light shawlette, and a small roll of fine flax. The two new treasures are already transformed and will be part of a gift to a friend who is not allergic to wearing mohair.

Beads lined up on a transparent thread outline the delicate linen/mohair flower, the center accentuated with a bead in pastel blue. See this Miracle Design Post for the pattern and don't forget to listen to Petite Fleur by Sidney Bechet while you are there!The shawlette is so stretchy and light one can even wear it around one's shoulders during a summer evening, at night, when a fresh breeze awakens and the hot temperatures of the day subside.

The pattern is easy: CO 24 stitches (or more, divisible by four), I added 2 for the edges left and right. Knit 2 rows. Knit pattern row: K4 (YO, K2tog, K2) and repeat until desired length. Knit 1 row. Cast off loosely. I used a US size 12 knitting needle. The pattern is by turvid2008 and published on Ravelry and in her blog. 

 

The pattern looks and in fact is identical on both sides, which is nice if you wish to turn this shawlette into a larger shawl or wrap - reversible patterns that don't have the smell of effort are invaluable!

 

 Links and tips for your textile crafts: this Helpful Tips Link might interest you (scroll to bottom of post).

A child's world

This blog post must start with a textile crafty item before we get to the world of children: here are a few flowers, made of leftover Rowan Kid Silk Haze (see Medallion Wrap). The winter 2012/2013 has been unusually long and I felt I needed to hold some blossoms in my hands! The flowers are really easy to crochet (or knit): chain 30, turn work, make 2 sc in every chain stitch, turn work, make 1 treble into every sc, cut thread and weave in, roll up, pull bottom edges together and secure with some stitches and while you are at it add pearly bead in the center and there you go. I made a slip stitch chain (See this excellent Bosnian crochet stitch Tutorial) at the very edge with a contrasting color and some beads for extra dew-drop glam and to accentuate the spiral shape - click here to see the purple flower brooch as the final touch to a scarf. The flowers are For Sale - contact me and while you are reading on, listen to this alltime favorite: Petite Fleur, played by Sidney Bechet.

In recent years there were several trends, dare I say fads, of taking pictures from unusual angles. The Lomography craze, shooting from the hip and from all angles was state-of-art... for a while. Then the trend to take pictures non-stop with a Memoto camera, as if documenting every second of one's life, or rather every two minutes. This reminded me of the 15 minutes of fame, proclaimed by Andy Wharhol in 1968 - and this statement held so many interpretative options - especially the question of "What is fame?"Or even: "Andy Who?"

Our grandson Victor received a sturdy children's camera for Christmas last year. One might assume that a small child, not even four years old, would not be able to make pictures like adults do, chosing the object, the frame, focus etc. And what a surprise! Victor chose carefully, delightfully tried out angles and places and we found amazing pictures on that sturdy camera chip. First things first:  He took a picture of his face (above), of his his eyes and nose (below) ...

And then of his face, drinking juice through a straw, again taking a picture of himself just to see what he would look like drinking juice through a straw....

He fully understands the process, focusses the camera on what he wants to photograph, and expertly checks the result right after the click. And the pictures are literally taken at his level.

Maybe we should try more often to meet small children at their eye level, and it will be quite helpful to go down on your knees to share the child's view, it is truly a big world out there! Come to think of it: Easter seems to be a perfect time for that - crawling around on a level playing field under bushes looking for all those Easter eggs!

(For a nest chockfull of helpful knitting/crochet tips and tricks click here and go to bottom of post)

Afterimages of Lace

 Profusion de Fleurs
There are so many beautiful images to look at and sometimes I just wish I could have a true Afterimage - especially when I see lace  - I like the idea of having a beautiful picture stay on the retina for a while, even if it does change color! An image of lace I cannot ever see long enough. Lace knitters are a tight-knit community, an oxymoron if you reflect on this. Many want to try out lace knitting just once - and some get hooked - or "needled" as the case may be. And sometimes a new pattern is published and one is totally enamored from the very start, love at first sight - in French so aptly called: "un coup de foudre".

                                   

Here are my latest hits of lightning - the incredibly airy, lacy Medallion Wrap by Kathy Merrick. After I received the Vogue 2012 Special Crochet Issue as a present from of my daughter Anne I ordered the Rowan Kid Silk Haze rightaway, but could not even wait for it to arrive, just had to start instantly with some stash mohair, tirelessly gathered by daughter Valerie. It looks beautiful even in these colors - and I don't think I will be bored with making this pattern twice! By the way - the picture of the old lichen-covered tiles holds a surprise - look closely!
And hold that afterimage - like I do when I see my wonderful grandson Victor on Skype - the screen picture closes with a blubb at the end of the call, but the image of that laughing three-year old stays on!

The next project that needed doing as soon as the image turned up on my computer screen was the ingenious Wingspan by maylin Tri'Coterie Designs. My stash Noro Silk Garden Lite found its perfect project application, after I had originally intended to knit a gilet but was not happy with the outcome. For this wrap, I used the German short row method to avoid visible holes between the wedges. For joining the yarn I used the overlap method by TechKnitting
.
The Wingspan is almost finished - I might add some frills at the outer edge and an I-cord - one shall see.

Wingspan

The Magic of Color

The Magic of Color expressed in two very different tops, using the same pattern and type of yarn.

This beautiful kidsilk haze from Rowan was bought spontaneously some years ago - two skeins were abandoned and lingered in a basket in front of a woolstore - can you believe? I put them safely away in my mohair box and there the twins waited for their great entrance into the world of favorite garments. With the lovely Minimalist Top pattern by Anna Kuduja they found their destination!
The pattern is very easy to follow and I did not change the stitch count, the mohair material is forgiving if one is not quite as slender as the designer.
Since I tend to knit tightly, I cast on double the number of stitches with 2 sizes smaller needles and knitted them together in the first round with the required needle size (US9). This way the edge is very elastic yet snaps back once the top is pulled over the head. One could of course also used the Magic CO method, which is very elastic. I kept track of the joining by setting four markers, a white one for the joining point and a blue one half-way through the round.
I did not want the bind-off to roll in as indeed I want the cast-on edge to roll in - so I am using a ”Surprisingly stretchy bind-off” by Cat Bordhi to finish this beautiful mohair top. The last five rounds are knit in moss stitch. Both methods combined led to a great straight and non-binding bottom edge of the Minimalist top.
It is exactly like the designer said: A Minimalist Top, as light as a feather and very versatile - it will definitely not stay single... (also see this post for more pictures of the Flaming Lobster Top)

Would I have chosen a color like that for myself to wear? Probably not. To my surprise though, people always comment on the color and how well it suits me - this proves that occasionally we should walk out of our self-imagined color cocoon and be open for new experiences!

See here "Listen to the Grape Vine", made with leftover Rowan Kid Silk Haze,