ConnieLene – KnitDesigner

We were wandering about town last evening making a decision about where we should eat to celebrate our 42nd wedding anniversary.

We wandered about the square, checked the menus of all the places we have eaten at before, and those that we haven’t yet, and in the end we decided to try the new restaurant “Sumo” – and it was a great meal, great restaurant, great staff, even great wallpaper if you please. But this little story is not about our meal where we celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary.

It is about the balls of Haarlem. You know the ones – The Great Balls of Haarlem”

I know I have spoken of these often, or should I say that “I have written about these often”. I have been photographing these balls of Haarlem for more than 1 and 1/2 years now – and I will have to post a gallery later.

But now it seems they really will not be back.

We have been watching as they rebuilt the road, reinstalled some of the balls, removed some of the balls, reinstalled more of the balls, and have had others balls nestled next to the St Bavo Church waiting to be reinstalled.

The square looked very very forlorn last evening. It wasn’t celebrating with us, it was cold and unyielding. It was crisp and sharp and defined, and missing the ambience that we have grown to know and love.

The balls, the great Balls of Haarlem have been replaced with cylindrical stainless steel posts and the balls are all thrown into the corner. They are surplus to requirements here in Haarlem, and the square looks so so wrong.

I simply cannot say anymore just now, I am gutted, I am sick to the core, I feel very very sad.

I must go to the square now, and see what it is like in the day time, and to take photos in case the balls are still there in the pile waiting to be removed. Believe it or not – we didn’t take the camera last evening.

I am passionate about those balls and I am going to miss them very much.

I was wandering about the internet – which is remarkably easy to do – and I happened upon a blog I have not read before and there in was the challenge. Knit Sisters Blog – A year of knitting dangerously

Excerpt from the blog: and do follow the link above and read the rest. It is good reading.

Item 1 on the list is – Learn something new

…… However, there are a couple of techniques that I’d like to tackle this year: entrelac and twined knitting. These seem worthy goals. (Please do not unkindly point out that I have not included intarsia in this list; I feel that intarsia should not be asked of anyone.)

I will not be unkind regarding the exclusion of Intarsia.

I will however take umbrage at the vague suggestion that taking up intarsia as a challenge could be somehow “unworthy”

Now I really am in a state of distress, my heart is going crazy. How could any form of knitting be considered unworthy? If you had remained silent, I would never have know of your view with regard to Intarsia.

Below are some points for Intarsia knitting which I personally regard as an important item in the arsenal of any knitter – especially the freeform colour work.

And I do have to say it again – I really want everyone to play with intarsia.

I do have to confess, even though I have done so many times before – I do have other knitting skills to be learnt on my list as well, such as the knitting of socks – (still on my to do list for 2010, and they were there in 2009 as well, and I am sad to say I have 2 IOU’s for 2 pairs of hand knitted red socks, for Best Beloved and Son) – and if you take up the challenge to knit a piece of freeform intarsia, I will add Entrelac and twined knitting to my list for 2010.

So to Knit Sister – Sarah

Take up the challenge – Knit dangerously with Intarsia please

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.

The news is in – the ball cover has gone – it was noted at about 3.30 pm today (Wednesday) that there is no longer a red and white knitted cover on any of the balls by the side entrance to the Vodafone building in Maastricht

I am not heart broken this time
I am not gutted

I am busy knitting something orange for Queens Day and I have two patterns to finish. I have also purchased an orange hat with orange flowers to wear should we wander about on the day to experience all things orange. Check out Koninginnedag – Queens Day here

I am sorry I didn’t finish all the ends properly.

We don’t know if it lasted the weekend, we only know it was there 3.30pm Friday and today we know it is not there. It could have gone at 3.35pm on Friday.

I think we have said it already – we (Best Beloved and I) installed a ball cover / disguise on a ball outside Vodafone offices yesterday morning in Maastricht.

Maybe Vodafoners are so used to odd ball things which is why they just walked by without so much as a sideways glance.

So successfully installed.

Ball Cover was tooo Big

We were not accosted by anyone

TNT deliverers noticed. Vodafoners walked by.

It was still there at 3.30pm

And they didn’t notice

we (Best Beloved and I) installed a ball cover / disguise on a ball outside vodafone offices this morning in Maastricht and the b……. thing was too big. – it was too big – it was too big – it was red & white all over – and had the Vodafone teardrop logo on it.

And no-one noticed us at all – not that it was too big – just that it was there – they didn’t even see it.

The TNT delivery guys – they saw it! Cyclists saw it.

It was still there at 3.30pm

This one even has my card on it – never done that before.

Wouldn’t you think that an oversized ball cover would be noticed – especially with your logo on it.

and no comment was heard – anywhere.

Flower parade tomorrow

train to catch, train to catch

Ball to cover, ball to cover

Hope it fits, Hope it fits

Hope no one is about

Gotta Go, Gotta Go, Gotta Go

Damm

Hope it will be fun in Maastricht – It was so much fun in Haarlem

I am going to knit NOW – because I may have an opportunity to maybe install a red and white ball cover in Maastricht on Friday morning if Best Beloveds work means he needs to be there overnight.

I cannot install alone, and there have been no offers of assistance in the Netherlands – so I must use Best Beloved to record the activity; and of course, I must also finish knitting the cover or it will be an opportunity wasted.

Must knit, must knit, must knit, must knit
red and white, red and white, red and white, red and white

Am a bit stressed about this one
Must knit
must knit

NOT a Danish flag then.

I feel like I am buried under balls of many types – polystyrene for textile art knit applications in the public arena as well as hundreds of balls of yarn for patterns and ideas – and I come up for air and hope the ball in my hand is suitable for the idea running around in my head.

I have purchased 2 large polystyrene balls – one about 160 cm round and the other about 124cm. These nearly match two out in the big wide world. It means I do not have to go out and test the knitting against the balls.

The problem is, or it may not a problem and just something new to consider. I want to create textile art pieces for these balls for permanent exhibition.

How do you keep a ball standing still?

How will a knitted textile stand up to being on a spherical object long term?

Does anyone do it already – so that I can find out the answer to the permanancy question?

I think small round weights of some kind will hold it steady, or perhaps the ball could be set into a round saucer shape inside a square plinth or stand, or something. That part can be worked out quite well.

But the spherical textile – what will happen there – I do not know. So only time will tell, or maybe someone will help me with that information. I do hope so.

The trouble is that these balls keep on coming into my head space – and I am working on my patterns, and I do need to do to that to help pay for future yarns, and I am just a bit discombobulated.

I am also working out which patterns to include in my Intarsia book – so I become even more discombobulated – if that is possible.