Berets are fun, so far
I am now on beret six – there is some minor madness when one keeps on playing with a piece. These have all been created using Vero yarn but in the different colours that I have here in the Netherlands.
I do miss my yarns that are still in New Zealand.
How can I miss yarn? I cannot even remember what was in my stash there – just that there were lots of yarns, in lots and lots of colours, from many different places in the world. But I do miss the variety in colour, yarn type, do not have sufficient variety here to create pieces as I was doing in New Zealand. I have purchased a lot of different yarns here in the Netherlands and some in Switzerland and in Denmark – I just do not have the quantity, colour range and yarn types here as I did have at home. It takes time to build up a new stash, doesn’t it?
What to do?
I don’t know.
So right now I am knitting berets.
Originally this was in response to a commission from a friend in Australia. But now I need to consider – do I continue with these? Do I complete the commission? Well yes that I must do, which means that beret 7 must be a funky, fuzzy, multicoloured piece. Then I must write up the pattern and then get back to that carbon footprint bag. Maybe I just put the two graphs out, one for the intarsia footprints and the other for carbon footprint using shadow knitting and leave you to decide – should it be on a bag, blanket, pram cover, cushion or on a sweater – should you happen to want a sweater with a foot print or two on it.
I guess that is what should be done.
The beret pattern – will include one in stocking stitch, and one felted from a stocking stitch knit. I won’t try to define the multicolour, multi fibre, intarsia one – that will be free form with little guidance.
The Haarlem News is not good
I did go into Haarlem Grote Markt (Town Square) last night – just in case the balls were back. It was absolutely freezing cold and there was a different energy than on Tuesday when the Olympians came home.
See the Town Square as I saw it on Tuesday When the Olympians came home
It had been suggested that the magnificant balls of Haarlem had been removed to enable them to set up for the Olympian homecoming party – Sadly those wonderful balls are not back.
They are doing road works next to where the balls were, so maybe, just maybe they will be back when the work is completed.
So that is the news so far – NO Magnificant Balls in Haarlem – I will keep you posted.
The Balls in Wellington City, New Zealand have turned out to be beautiful ball shaped lights – so that is not a good option for covering with a creative textile art piece. Great balls of fire might follow.
We have found natural balls, the Moeraki Boulders on the coast about 40K’s from Dunedin, in New Zealand. We are hoping to find man made spherical objects even further south in Invercargill or on Stewart Island.
What can I say – that hasn’t been said before
I have lots of knitting to do
Mind you, I always have lots of exciting knitting to do. Today I have loaded videos of my grandson with messages to his grandad onto Youtube. These were too big to attach to an email, but they were too wonderful to ignore. We do not have such records from our own children, it is so good to have these of our grandson.
So now Grandad and Grandson can both see from opposite sides of the world – what Tomas had to say and show his Grandad.
While I was working on the videos – my delicious cream neck warmer, and one Vero beret are drying. The beret I should felt is waiting, and so is my new beret on the needles.
I need to add to etsy shops as well today. It is hard to keep up with Ravelry, Etsy, knitting, felting, blocking, patterns, carbon footprint, ball warmers, spherical objects world wide, my intarsia e-book, as well as a very special small person in New Zealand and writing Our story of two older persons doing their OE (Overseas Experience) at a rather late stage of their lives.
Then of course I still need to check the tree – to see if it still has its scarf. If it does, we will remove it this weekend – to allow it to grow and blossom over the spring and summer.
I will leave the scarf hanging on a lower branch – so if someone needs it they can take it.
The news about the balls is not good – see next post
Brioche Stitch is in the news – what is that?
I do try to keep up with what is new in the world of knitting, in yarns, designs, and knitters and designers and their books. I have been researching on the net – and found Nancy Marchants book “Knitting Brioche: The essential guide to Brioche Stitch”.
I didn’t know the stitch – brioche, and the light just went on. It is a form of fisherman’s rib. Now I do know fishermans rib.
Excerpt from Nancy Marchant website… history, I found that among English-speaking knitters, this stitch also had many different names; Prime Rib, shawl stitch, Oriental rib, shaker knitting, patent stitch, fisherman’s rib and brioche stitch were among them.
I do wonder which name came first.
I have only ever knitted one garment, using Fishermans Rib, a sweater for my husband in a soft grey yarn. It was gorgeous – but far too warm for a New Zealand winter. It would have been excellent here in this Dutch winter wonderland. I do remember that I had to purchase extra yarn to complete it as my Best beloved wasn’t so keen then in mixed colours and yarns. I am so glad that as we have matured together he is now more open to wearing my multi coloured creations.
Nancy Marchant, Queen of Brioche and her new book Knitting Brioche: The Essential Guide to the Brioche Stitch
I started looking and found the following links which may be of use if you are exploring Brioche or Fishermans Rib.
The Knitting Fiend … where Lucia blogs for instructions on how to knit Fluffy Brioche, Brioche Rib and Double Brioche
Brioche stitch explained by Pippa W of Cloudy Crochet
I am not an expert in this stitch, having only ever created the one garment using it, and from a pattern. I have just found the link to free Nancy Marchant beret patterns and as I am knitting berets right now, maybe I will have a go at one of these patterns. They do look great not just because they are berets, but because they use this stitch with more than one colour – and you know me, I like more than one colour in a piece.
So I am going to add Brioche or fishermans rib in 2 or more colours to my learning program for my time here in the Netherlands.
The berets I have been knitting do have more than one colour – but that is because the yarn (Naturally Vero), contains more than one colour.
Cheating! Maybe; but they look good.
Hothive Textiles Newsletter February 2010
Thank you for highlighting my “Warming the Cold Balls of Haarlem” in your current HotHive Newsletter
I do hope you receive further article opportunities from all those wonderful creative people out there.
Enjoy this because the concrete ball has gone and so has the Ball Warmer
This week Netherlands-based artist Connie Lene got in touch with HotHive Textiles to show us some pictures of her knitted graffiti, which we couldn’t resist sharing with you. Danish born Connie, who was brought up in New Zealand, has been knitting since the 1950s and when out on a cold winter’s day in her home town of Haarlem, she saw something in much need of one of her warm hats.
Connie explains, “I was wandering around town with my best beloved on a freezing, bitter, bleak and cold day and saw all the magnificent balls lining the side of the Grote Markt (the big town square) of Haarlem. I started viewing my environment with the thought of how could I artistically enhance it however temporarily.”
Hothive Textiles Newsletter February 2010
Take a look at the hive of information available on the HotHive Textile Directory
In Recovery Mode
This will be a great knitting day – I am discarding my Haarlem Ball Project, as without balls there can be no project (that is the news today)
It is a real pity because I was planning a Delft intarsia or fair isle piece, and an orange piece in preparation for Queens Day.
So back to real work today
Knitting, Designing, Colour, Yarn, Abstract ideas, Thinking, Ball Warmers.
Writing, Colour, Intarsia, E-book, Carbon Footprint, Beret’s, Intarsia Jacket, Pattern for Ravelry, Thinking,
Ball Warmers.
It is not as if I have nothing to do.
Grote Markt – Town Square – Haarlem
There are no balls in Haarlem now
In case you want to check out how it looked at night when the balls were there.
You can’t take it with you – the whereabouts of the balls
The websites are back up – thank goodness.
I will upload the photographs we took in the rain today. That is the photographs of the Grote Markt (Town Square) of Haarlem in the rain, and no balls for the ball warmers to warm, or to protect from the rain. Hope the photos are okay as it was a dreadful day here.
If you should know where the great balls of Haarlem are please let me know – as you can’t take it (the knowledge) with you.
I have had an offer from Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand, to send one of the Wellington balls to me here in Haarlem. Should these balls be the same size as the Haarlem Balls – I think I should probably send a Ball Warmer or two to Wellington for them instead. The balls are too heavy to send across the world. Nice thought though, bringing a Wellington Ball to Haarlem.
Someone out there has my first ball warmer – here are the photographs.
Who stole the Balls of Haarlem?
Help! They are gone !
Who took the Haarlem Balls?
Those elegant balls in the most gorgeous town square (Grote Markt) we have been in. Those gorgeous balls that were used to sit on and talk to your buddies in the summer.
Those elegant balls on an elegant curve delineating the road from the square.
Those balls that were so right in a town square of such age, beauty and elegance. No other shape, or style of divider could ever do in that space.
And then of course there are the Ball Warmers themselves, so far none of the measured balls in Maastricht or the loosely measured balls in California match the size of these Haarlem Balls.
So my knitting pattern suggestion will never have another use.
The snow ball and the formal ball gown – will not have a place where they can be proudly displayed.
Snowing, a grey ball being disguised as a snow ball
Why oh why has this happened?????
Is it because I cannot read sufficient Dutch to have known they were to be removed?
Or is it because the newspapers that I can manage to read some of, were not delivered?
I could have installed the Ball Warmers – even for a brief time. These Ball warmers will never be seen in all their glory. People using the square will not be able to smile at the silliness, or the surprise, or the delight of great concrete balls with covers; knitted art designer covers.
Right now I am so shattered, and as I didn’t take my camera with me today – I do not have a photograph of the square without balls.
I will add photos of the square without the balls later maybe, when I have the strength to return. Maybe, just maybe, they will be put back before I can return there.
And this will just have been a nightmare.
OMG
He did measure another ball – and it was 150cm plus the white bit at the end of the tape, his hand span and another bit maybe a couple of inches. How will we work this out?
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Connielene - Unique Designs & Knits
From March 10th 2010
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