ConnieLene – KnitDesigner

Yesterday I went to Maastricht with my white, large, ball cover – to test it against one of the many balls in Maastricht. Now I had not seen these balls previously, I didn’t know the size, I didn’t know how public the space was, and I didn’t know just how cold it would be.

When I left home in Haarlem at about 7am, the temperature was -5.1, and that is cold and everything was very white. The flurry of snow we expected had covered everything with white icing. Not thick icing, but just enough for that beautiful look.

Now my ball cover and I have not met much in the last week or so, well, not on a regular basis, and it was still unfinished. But my partner in these activities, my best beloved was to be in Maastricht on business and we arranged to meet after one of his meetings – so he could help with the plan. Which meant I had to knit on the train – and I think I’ll tell about that in another post, because that was an experience.

Now Best Beloved had discovered the balls of Maastricht, well he had eventually noticed the balls on one of his many trips there, as you may remember there has been lots of ball talk in our house of recent times. So the balls drifted to the surface one day and he remembered to tell me there are many such balls in Maastricht and Maastricht is very very cold. Have a look here for a story about a very cold Maastricht

As I walked along the road to our rendevous point – it began to snow and it was frightfully cold.

We met, quickly chose a ball, took off our gloves in readiness, BB to take a photo or a video and me to cover the ball. Just picture it, two over 60’s disguised by many layers of clothing, acting oddly by a long row of very cold balls and without the comfort of darkness.

The spot was at a roundabout – and in the centre of the roundabout is a forest of stars. The stars sit on top of poles of various lengths – the lower ones are easily within reach of a tall person and they are all white and those stars turn on the top of the poles with the breeze. Couldn’t they be a coloured forest of stars?

I digress – In the freezing cold we managed one photo, a video with really bad conversation on it – “look at my cold hands, the cover is too big, it fits better because it goes over easier, but that means it is too big. Are you really recording, don’t you have to have your finger pressing the button, My hands are frozen, look at my hands”.

And then we saw the other balls – further in – and they are big like my Haarlem balls.

No, we didn’t do it. It was just so cold that we did not have the courage or strength to take the ball warmer and try to put it onto one of the bigger balls.

We went had lunch at a place called Ipanema instead. The food was great, coffee okay, the place was warm, lovely and warm – but there was nothing Ipanema’ish about it.

I have created quite a few knitted capes of several different styles over the last few years and have decided to make this knitting pattern available on Ravelry as soon as I can.

I have struggled with my creations since I arrived in the Netherlands and apart from the lack of a huge range of yarns I have not had a “body” to test shapes and flow of any of the pieces I have been working on. In New Zealand I had access to a torso as well as my daughter who has been a very patient model all her life.

Today I have fixed that – I purchased not one but two torso’s from a 2nd hand clothing shop which is closing down here in Haarlem.

One – all black with minimal facial features and no arm sections – and the headless wonder but with the upper arms. The purples triangular (but not Danish shawl style) scarf/shawl on my black model is now completed and has gone to Natasha.

I carried the grey torso with upper arms, under my arm, I took the head off the black one and put torso into my trolley upside down and the head rested inside the body – sort of and then proceeded home with them. I tried not to check too hard – but I think some tourists may have taken photos of me marching across the Grote Markt (big square) with my unusal purchases.

I can understand the desire to photograph such sights. I have twice seen a lady riding her bicycle with a mannequin leg in each of her saddle bags. So looking at her from behind there are 2 legs in the air and a body and head facing the other way between them. Do I ever see her when I have my camera out – Nooooo way. Darn.

This gallery highlights a small selection of unique designs created prior to 2000. They have been created for various exhibitions or as individual commissions.