So...
2011 is almost over.
And what a year it was!
We had dark, gloomy storm clouds, heavy downpours and thunder and hail.
We had white puffy clouds, speckled with some gray and lovely sky in between.
We even had no clouds at all and bright skies, sun, moon, stars and meteors!
Allow me to wish all of us nothing but the best for 2012 and let me leave you with this:
Haste ye back, we loue you dearly,
Call again you're welcome here.
May your days be free from sorrow,
And your friends be ever near.
May the paths o'er which you wander,
Be to you a joy each day.
Haste ye back we loue you dearly,
Haste ye back on friendship's way.
31 December 2011
19 December 2011
Dyeing: colourful adventures
So, to break up the dark and rainy days we currently have I dyed some rather colourful yarn.
It's not in the shop yet, it still needs to be washed and dried one last time.
This is Bright Meadow
The turqouise completely disappeared.
And this is Blue Velvet:
It's not in the shop yet, it still needs to be washed and dried one last time.
This is Bright Meadow
The turqouise completely disappeared.
And this is Blue Velvet:
16 December 2011
Dyeing: Dye-a-long Midwinter (microwave dyeing)
The Dutch Dyers are having a December DAL and this is what I did.
The subject is Midwinter, the colours allowed are green and red and the tool is a microwave.
Preparation:
- sockyarn (wool/nylon)
- SEWO colours green and a mix out of carmine and red
- vinegar
- microwave dish
Soaked the yarn in a mix of water and vinegar in the microwave dish. Left it in there.
Mixed the colours with hot water. The cup for green is half-filled, the red one is full.
Pour the mix over the yarn in the water, green in one corner, red in the other.
Off into the microwave. 2 minutes on highest setting to start with.
Got it out and mixed the colour-water a bit. The top was well soaking up the dye, the sides and bottom weren't.
Back into the microwave for 2x4 minutes with a 3 minute break.
Water was clear now.
This is how it looks now:
Some interesting stuff going on here:
- where did the blue come from? It's not that visible in the picture, but in person there is a blue visible.
- it varies from bright to subtle, the yarn on the surface is a lot brigher/saturated than the yarn at the side or bottom of the dish.
It has to cool down now and then go through a rinse/wash and dry. Which might take days given the weather ;-)
The subject is Midwinter, the colours allowed are green and red and the tool is a microwave.
Preparation:
- sockyarn (wool/nylon)
- SEWO colours green and a mix out of carmine and red
- vinegar
- microwave dish
Soaked the yarn in a mix of water and vinegar in the microwave dish. Left it in there.
Mixed the colours with hot water. The cup for green is half-filled, the red one is full.
Pour the mix over the yarn in the water, green in one corner, red in the other.
Off into the microwave. 2 minutes on highest setting to start with.
Got it out and mixed the colour-water a bit. The top was well soaking up the dye, the sides and bottom weren't.
Back into the microwave for 2x4 minutes with a 3 minute break.
Water was clear now.
This is how it looks now:
Some interesting stuff going on here:
- where did the blue come from? It's not that visible in the picture, but in person there is a blue visible.
- it varies from bright to subtle, the yarn on the surface is a lot brigher/saturated than the yarn at the side or bottom of the dish.
It has to cool down now and then go through a rinse/wash and dry. Which might take days given the weather ;-)
13 December 2011
Life: Lilly in Cakeland
Hi folks,
this is Lilly! I'm taking over from Kerstin today. She has some knitting and dyeing to do. Something about UFO and sleeves and she will knit them now or never.
Let's just leave her alone.
I've got something to tell you!
We went on an adventure!
My first!
First, we took the train to the big city!
Kerstin was going to get a new pair of denims with a gift voucher she had received. Shall I tell you what? For a girl she is extremely un-fussy when it comes to shopping, it's almost scary.
And while she was at it she went to get check out the bookstore (oh, how I love this place! I have to tell her to let me loose in there next time we hit the big city!) and the craft store.
Then we went to a wonderland!
Let's start with the shop window:
I adore that dress. ADORE IT! I wish it was my size <3 Downstairs, a workshop was going on. Plenty of children making CUPCAKES! How utterly adorable. Well, we climbed upstairs - Wouter had to help me, steps too steep for my little legs. We pulled up some chairs and they even had one in my size:
Kerstin went off to order coffee and cupcakes. She got us O.yes.O.yes.O.R.E.O.oh (for Wouter, Oreos are his favourite cookies) and Singing in the Purple Rain (that is with blackberries inside and topped with Violet flower icing - and it had a little heart on it). I stole that one from her ;-)
It matched my dress!
It melted in my mouth. Seriously, it did! It was sooo yummy!
I will never have any cupcake that wasn't lovingly made by hand. Keep the cellophane, get me the real thing!
Then we got Pink Velvet
and ‘Pick me up’ in a cup.
Oh oh!
I should have known!
With that name!
I fell through the rabbit hole!!!!
This is where I came by.
What an amazing place!
I ventured around:
I got out here - because if it matches your hair colour you know it's a sign!
See, we made it out
But I know how to get back there and I will be! And I will bring friends. And have more cupcakes!
You should, too!
Because it's true what they say: CUPCAKES MAKE YOU HAPPY!
I was bouncy the rest of the day! Who doesn't want that?
this is Lilly! I'm taking over from Kerstin today. She has some knitting and dyeing to do. Something about UFO and sleeves and she will knit them now or never.
Let's just leave her alone.
I've got something to tell you!
We went on an adventure!
My first!
First, we took the train to the big city!
Kerstin was going to get a new pair of denims with a gift voucher she had received. Shall I tell you what? For a girl she is extremely un-fussy when it comes to shopping, it's almost scary.
And while she was at it she went to get check out the bookstore (oh, how I love this place! I have to tell her to let me loose in there next time we hit the big city!) and the craft store.
Then we went to a wonderland!
Let's start with the shop window:
I adore that dress. ADORE IT! I wish it was my size <3 Downstairs, a workshop was going on. Plenty of children making CUPCAKES! How utterly adorable. Well, we climbed upstairs - Wouter had to help me, steps too steep for my little legs. We pulled up some chairs and they even had one in my size:
Kerstin went off to order coffee and cupcakes. She got us O.yes.O.yes.O.R.E.O.oh (for Wouter, Oreos are his favourite cookies) and Singing in the Purple Rain (that is with blackberries inside and topped with Violet flower icing - and it had a little heart on it). I stole that one from her ;-)
It matched my dress!
It melted in my mouth. Seriously, it did! It was sooo yummy!
I will never have any cupcake that wasn't lovingly made by hand. Keep the cellophane, get me the real thing!
Then we got Pink Velvet
and ‘Pick me up’ in a cup.
Oh oh!
I should have known!
With that name!
I fell through the rabbit hole!!!!
This is where I came by.
What an amazing place!
I ventured around:
I got out here - because if it matches your hair colour you know it's a sign!
See, we made it out
But I know how to get back there and I will be! And I will bring friends. And have more cupcakes!
You should, too!
Because it's true what they say: CUPCAKES MAKE YOU HAPPY!
I was bouncy the rest of the day! Who doesn't want that?
30 November 2011
Life: it's busy :-)
The last couple of days have been busy with dyeing, packing and shipping orders, nursing a sick husband (just a flu, he is feeling a lot better already), working on a school project with my friend's little daughter (she chose spinning as her class project subject) and all the craziness that happens before Christmas.
Today I got mail!
And I just leave you with two pictures and very little words.
Lilly proudly presents our new flyer and business card.
Design and layout by my fabulous sister <3
My Mom crocheted the two little bags. The idea is to fill them with little sweets, nuts or mandarins and hang them into the tree. I'm not sure where this tradition is coming from, but I love it!
They will look very nice with my knitted julekuler :-)
Tonight I raise my glass to my friends and family, near and far!
Cheers!
Today I got mail!
And I just leave you with two pictures and very little words.
Lilly proudly presents our new flyer and business card.
Design and layout by my fabulous sister <3
My Mom crocheted the two little bags. The idea is to fill them with little sweets, nuts or mandarins and hang them into the tree. I'm not sure where this tradition is coming from, but I love it!
They will look very nice with my knitted julekuler :-)
Tonight I raise my glass to my friends and family, near and far!
Cheers!
27 November 2011
Inspiration: Nature and wool
I logged onto Etsy yesterday to find myself included in this lovely treasury.
It's a stunning piece, with or without my Falkland roving. Brigita collected some wonderful and unique items from all over Etsy.
See the felted slippers?
Several years ago I got my Mom a pair just like these in red, I got them from Finland. My parents lived in a place above a huge gate and the floor was constantly cold. She is still wearing them, having replaced the worn out sole with a new one at one point.
Last year we got my Dad a pair. He grumbled. He wasn't sure he liked them or would wear them.
Well, let me tell you that he wears them. And loves them.
His style has a lower instep and different soles,but they are just as warm.
Not that they are still living in that flat - no, they moved and while the new place is warmer it's also in a part of the country where they get a lot more snow and winters are colder ;-)
My Dad appreciates hand-made, don't get me wrong. He loves it when my Mom and I are around, knitting away on some project. He even knows how a drop spindle works and how to operate it ("you roll it over your leg...") I was puzzled! He grew up on a farm as a boy and has quite some knowledge about how things worked in the past. He can cook, he can mend his stuff (though the copper wire to fix his work overalls drove my Mom mad!) and he gives good advice when I have to remove grease from an old spinning wheel.
Just don't let him near your computer...he likes to crash them ;-)
Anyway - I'm eyeing a nice pair of felted slippers for myself. Just not sure which one...
It's a stunning piece, with or without my Falkland roving. Brigita collected some wonderful and unique items from all over Etsy.
See the felted slippers?
Several years ago I got my Mom a pair just like these in red, I got them from Finland. My parents lived in a place above a huge gate and the floor was constantly cold. She is still wearing them, having replaced the worn out sole with a new one at one point.
Last year we got my Dad a pair. He grumbled. He wasn't sure he liked them or would wear them.
Well, let me tell you that he wears them. And loves them.
His style has a lower instep and different soles,but they are just as warm.
Not that they are still living in that flat - no, they moved and while the new place is warmer it's also in a part of the country where they get a lot more snow and winters are colder ;-)
My Dad appreciates hand-made, don't get me wrong. He loves it when my Mom and I are around, knitting away on some project. He even knows how a drop spindle works and how to operate it ("you roll it over your leg...") I was puzzled! He grew up on a farm as a boy and has quite some knowledge about how things worked in the past. He can cook, he can mend his stuff (though the copper wire to fix his work overalls drove my Mom mad!) and he gives good advice when I have to remove grease from an old spinning wheel.
Just don't let him near your computer...he likes to crash them ;-)
Anyway - I'm eyeing a nice pair of felted slippers for myself. Just not sure which one...
26 November 2011
Knitting: Meet my new colleague
I've been rather quiet lately, haven't I?
First of all the weather was depressing for over a week - we woke up to fog, went shopping, swimming, walking in the fog, came home to fog and started the cycle again.
Living close to a huge industrial area and the Port of Rotterdam doesn't make for best air quality and you can't imagine the smell! Fog means no wind and that was obvious.
I love fog, but it even got me slightly down after about 4 days. How can one get inspired when all you see is this gray-ish nothing? You surely don't want mud-beige yarn to knit or crochet with or watery gray batts to spin?
So I went ahead to knit.
Something just for me!
Something I haven't knit before.
Well, before that there was a little frenzy knit-action going on when all over sudden wild knitted animals were needed.
So, Put was created in a matter of hours. About six in total, I think.
The mane took the longest ;-)
And since today Put has a new friend: Lilly Clouddreamer.
She is my new assistant and mascott.
She still needs clothes.
She has buttons as eyes, a pair of lovely wood buttons, instead of the knitted eyes from the pattern. This is a loving nod towards one of my favourite books (and movies) - Coraline.
She has a blue spiral tattoo on her right arm (a nod to Terry Pratchett and the Nac MacFeegle) and she's got wonderful colourful wild hair. Again a nod towards a favourite character - Delirium, my favourite Endless.
I'm currently going through my stash to find some yarn for a dancing skirt and a nice tank top and shoes for her.
The pattern book by Arne and Carlos is currently only available in Norwegian, not necessary a language I speak, but I managed to understand the pattern quite well! The book itself is a lovely piece of work, many photographs of all sorts of dolls and their wardrobes!
I've seen the cutest creations by other knitters - a skeleton, a witch, a Jack o'Lantern...the variety is endless!
Which colour should I make the skirt....
First of all the weather was depressing for over a week - we woke up to fog, went shopping, swimming, walking in the fog, came home to fog and started the cycle again.
Living close to a huge industrial area and the Port of Rotterdam doesn't make for best air quality and you can't imagine the smell! Fog means no wind and that was obvious.
I love fog, but it even got me slightly down after about 4 days. How can one get inspired when all you see is this gray-ish nothing? You surely don't want mud-beige yarn to knit or crochet with or watery gray batts to spin?
So I went ahead to knit.
Something just for me!
Something I haven't knit before.
Well, before that there was a little frenzy knit-action going on when all over sudden wild knitted animals were needed.
So, Put was created in a matter of hours. About six in total, I think.
The mane took the longest ;-)
And since today Put has a new friend: Lilly Clouddreamer.
She is my new assistant and mascott.
She still needs clothes.
She has buttons as eyes, a pair of lovely wood buttons, instead of the knitted eyes from the pattern. This is a loving nod towards one of my favourite books (and movies) - Coraline.
She has a blue spiral tattoo on her right arm (a nod to Terry Pratchett and the Nac MacFeegle) and she's got wonderful colourful wild hair. Again a nod towards a favourite character - Delirium, my favourite Endless.
I'm currently going through my stash to find some yarn for a dancing skirt and a nice tank top and shoes for her.
The pattern book by Arne and Carlos is currently only available in Norwegian, not necessary a language I speak, but I managed to understand the pattern quite well! The book itself is a lovely piece of work, many photographs of all sorts of dolls and their wardrobes!
I've seen the cutest creations by other knitters - a skeleton, a witch, a Jack o'Lantern...the variety is endless!
Which colour should I make the skirt....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)