ConnieLene – KnitDesigner

Life has been rather miserable since I found that the great balls of Haarlem have finally been replaced with a row of boring shiney posts.

Last Saturday, a very grey day indeed, when were feeling very very down having received sad news from home, we decided to go to Rotterdam for the day.

Why? – to see if we could get out to and see the great sea walls there, a wonder of the modern world they say. But we arrived too late in the day (at about 10.30am), and because it is quite a distance to get to the starting place (about 96k’s), and without a car all the more difficult. Yes, there were other options, but they did not really seem to satisfy – so we are going on a Wednesday soon, when we will satisfy Best Beloveds need to know and see on a special all day tour including the sea wall, gates, museum etc. They only run this specific all day tour on a Wednesday.

We must do it soon, so that with a bit of luck the sea itself will not be boiling so hard (It is the ferocious North Sea after all) that I cannot cope with the boat trip. Very soon, like, before the end of summer. Oh and I think we are there already, at the end of summer, I mean. The air has changed, the light has changed, it is dark much earlier, even the birds behaviour is changing.

But as you can see – I found another stretch of water, a safe stretch, a calm stretch – a concrete river with concrete balls – and now I am inspired once more. I have a completed ball cover, and another one 75% done – and now I may have a place to position them.

A concrete river, with round river stones – WOW!

In the heart of Rotterdam.

That is the news from Rotterdam

and the next news might be after a very busy Wednesday, I just might need some help with this.

Best Beloved phoned me before lunch today – he was out on a short break and walk after a heavy morning. He who never took much notice of the state of tree trunks on his walks rang to say that seven, 7 no less trees have been yarnbombed on Bos en Lommer (Amsterdam Sloterdijk) – way to go.

Have photos via a trusy Vodafone phone – thank you Best beloved.

And then of course because I am a librarian I went on the hunt to find out more about this event Read about it in Dutch here sorry but it really is all in Dutch – and I haven’t discovered an English explanation – what I do know is that it is an urban knitting project in Almere-Haven, Flevoland (an area of the Netherlands) and the artists are listed on the website with links to their own sites – and they are worth a look.

The photos here were taken by Harald Walker – in March this year. So it is not a recent event, this yarnbombing.

Pity my ball warmers didn’t survive.

Best Beloved walks here now and again and has just spied them.

Trees with designer coats.

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 hope that after looking through the site you will choose to be a fan of my Facebook Page or as it is now on facebook I hope you will choose to like ConnieLeneKnits

You can find me in many places on the net –

My Etsy Shop Unique Boutique Knits for patterns and garments

Crazy but this is my other Etsy Shop Connielene Capes and my unique and unrepeatable knits Capes because I adore cloaks and capes, the others because I cannot tell you exactly how I created them other than the pattern for the style but not the intarsia on them.

And because I managed to create and install a Ball Warmer and really enjoyed the experience and the story World Urban Art – a site still in development – Installation art in the urban environment including Knit Art Graffiti or Yarn bombing.

Our travels in Europe – two oldies from New Zealand exploring the Netherlands, Denmark and Europe as time, money and energy allows.

You can find me on Ravelry here and believe it or not I am also on Twitter here as Connieleneknits

I am a Freelance designer, knitter, lover of colour; lots of colour, Intarsia lover, pattern writer, fashion knit trend follower, Colour and yarn trend follower.

They tell me that I am also artist, graffiti knit artist. I know I am a storyteller, writer, blogger, mother, wife, sister, grandmother, teacher, friend, photographer, and speaker.

My loves are colour, texture, shape, flow, drape, drama, magic, passion and yarn and I hope you enjoy the results.

When I can I do participate in fibre exhibitions, and I have curated two exhibitions with a wonderful artist friend. In 2009 I had a felted jacket in WoolOn at the Alexandra Blossom Festival, and a dress with intarsia of course in the Alpaca Festival in New Zealand.

My Mission is to excite and challenge all knitters, designers and wearers of hand created pieces – to experience more colour in their own knitted pieces and to enjoy the freedom and the magic of wearing such a unique piece because it is created with many colours, passion and with magical yarns

My Major Project with delivery in 2011 is My Intarsia Knitting – Book as yet with no name.

I hope you will be a fan of my Facebook Page or as it is now I hope you will choose to like ConnieLeneKnits on Facebook.

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.