ConnieLene – KnitDesigner

Refined sophistication – buttoned up collars
Military / aviation
Lingerie as outerwear
leather clothing
the cut out / cutaway – with the cut out pieces worked directly on top of skin or ‘filled in’ with sheer fabrics, detailing can be subtle to sexy
Knee high socks or over the knee socks, or even thigh high socks
White tights
Women’s camel coat
Velvet clothing
Neo double breasted jackets
Sheer clothing /cut outs – mixed with fine laces, the sheer trend mixing elegance with sex appeal
Capes
Thigh high boots
Shoes with socks
Socks under heels
Fur boots & mukluks

I know fashion is fun, I absolutely love fashion, but I don’t wear fashion. How bizarre is that. I guess it is that fashion clothing like all clothing should be fit for purpose, and is not the purpose to keep warm in colder times?

I want wool, mohair, alpaca, knitting, crochet, weaving, colour, color, yarn, garn, woll, felt, filt, layers, and I want warmth, pleasure, comfort, and a little usefulness. I am going to create something for WoolOn that will be fit for purpose, created mainly of wool, and in many colours, and a style or shape or design which is edgy and out there. It must also be in Vogue – Somehow.

Just now it is not easy to find something to tell you about.

Maybe this is called Writer’s Block
Maybe it is called Designer’s Block
Maybe it is called Knitter’s Block
Maybe it is Ball Withdrawal Block
Maybe it is just called Blockety Block

Whatever it should be called in my case – I do believe I have a big case of whatever it is just now.

I am knitting – slowly.
I am thinking about new designs all the time – but slowly.
I am quietly frustrated trying to slowly complete those creations that I told you I was knitting.

So yet another to do list

1. mohair shell sample
2. 100% wool shell sample
3. finish and photograph the carbon footprint bag
4. publish the carbon footprint shadow knitting graph
5. complete and publish the pattern for the sleeveless jacket in English
6. translate the pattern for the sleeveless jacket into Danish
7. maybe translate the pattern for the sleeveless jacket into Norwegian maybe
8. finish black ball cover
9. decide where and when to install black and white ball covers
10. Intarsia E-book or print book planning
11. I may be thinking about knit kits (thank you Constance for bringing that up)
12. I may also be thinking about cloaks again (thank you Constance for bringing that up as well)
13. I may be thinking about the Alexandra Blossom Festival committee invitation to participate in the WoolOn Creative Fashion Event of the 2010
14. I may be thinking about the Fibre and Fleece Exhibition
15. I am NOT thinking about creating for either event while I am in New Zealand
16. I may be thinking about “King of the Mountain” run/walk in NZ on the first Sunday in July

And I am planning a trip to New Zealand to see our very special small person (grandson), our daughter, my courageous Mother In law, and family and friends – and that seems more important than everything and anything else just now.

Maybe that is the cause of the blockety block.

Because this a state of Blockety block – or is that Blankety Blank – if I have forgotten anything then please please remind me, thanks.

And in case it occurred to you, the Constance mentioned above is not me, myself and I. My name is really Connie Lene and not not Constance.

Oh, and did you pick up that my Norwegian is not as good as my Danish, which is certainly not as good as my English.

I am creating a neck warmer to go with the blues, nearly striped, nearly intarsia, beret for my dear friend Jeanette. Not a scarf, but a neck warmer – you see Jeanette now owns and rides a bicycle.

I cannot allow myself to create a scarf for her, because in the time I have been living here in the Netherlands – now in our 20th month, I have viewed with some trepidation the scarves worn by all and sundry. There are many many beautiful scarves here, but they are a little risky as the common form of transport is 2 wheeled as in bicycle, scooter and motor bike. You all know the story of celebrities who have died because of the scarf they wore on that fateful day.

So now I create NOT ISADORA DUNCAN pieces – that is cowls, neck warmers, moebius scarves and so on. See my ETSY shop Category NOT ISADORA DUNCAN SCARF

Creamy rib and cable Neck and Shoulder warmer

Hood / Cowl

Rib & Cable neck / shoulder warmer

In New Zealand I created many many scarves. I used a variety of textured yarns and there are so many non plied yarns out there such as bouclé, eyelash, faux fur, different kinds of ribbons or tapes (ladder and rail road style) and other mixed textured and art yarns. When I created a scarf I always knitted these special yarns along with a fine alpaca, mohair or wool yarn – not only to create a warmer scarf but also for the colour effect and the feel of it next to the skin. I also found that knitting a normal yarn with the fancy meant the scarf held its shape better as well. I did this also with my many knitted shawls. I do still have a few scarves I have knitted – but if you own a bicycle I might not let you buy the scarf.

One could create scarves or shawls with a fancy yarn knitted with a “normal” yarn and never repeat a combination for years and years. If one wanted to that is.

Now having lived here in the Netherlands, I will probably not knit many more scarves as I really like the cowls and neck pieces I am creating and maybe even in mountainous New Zealand there will be a drive towards 2 wheeled transport and that means many more “NOT ISADORA DUNCAN SCARVES”.

Exhibitions include the following:

• WoolOn Creative Fashion Event, Alexandra, New Zealand – October 2009
• Alpaca Exposition 2009 – Fielding, New Zealand September 2009
• Colour Play Exhibition at the Randolph St Gallery – Whitecliffe School of Fine Arts & Design. September 2007
  My unique knit designs on the gallery walls alongside the work of BFA Fashion design students from Whitecliffe. The Vogue Knitting Tour of Australia and New Zealand 2007, hosted by Nicky Epstein attended.
• “Gumbo Ya-Ya” 2002 – This was an exciting multi-media exhibition of paintings, sculpture and knit garments, held at the Yvonne Rust Gallery, The Quarry, in Whangarei, Northland, New Zealand.
• New Zealand Spinning, Weaving and Woolcrafts Society Exhibition held at Victoria University, Wellington
• The Great New Zealand Cloak -1992 Certificate of Merit: Judged by Lucy Goffin, Textile Artist, Great Britain
• Leather and Wool to Wear – 1992
• Wool to Wear – 1991
• N.Z. Wool Capital Fashion Design – 1990 Nominated: The Peter Dunkerly / Woolrest Knitwear in Fashion Award Exhibition at the Century Theatre, Napier
• The Wearable Art Collection
• The Fashion Parade – 1989 – My work was included in an exhibition and parade in Orewa, New Zealand, followed by a parade in Honolulu. All the artists and designers were from Rodney District, north of Auckland.