ConnieLene – KnitDesigner

Knitters & Designers Daily

This newsletter is created from the tweets of wonderful knitters and designers that I have included in my twitter list. I will continue to update the list so that it will include all the wonderful and multi talented knitters and designers out there in cyber world (all those I can find). I am hoping that the information will be interesting, challenging, useful and newsworthy.

It could mean that if you do not yet use twitter you can keep up with the information that is provided through twitter.

Please note that it is a paper.li generated newsletter. I have created the list of tweeters – the application creates the newsletter from the tweets of those wonderfully talented people.

Please subscribe to the newsletter as that might be the only way I can tell if the news works. I believe that you will be emailed a note to say the news is ready to view.

If you enjoy it it would be great if you let me know.

Knitters & Designers Daily

Where to start?

Well we are relocating back to New Zealand. Why?

That permanent position that Best Beloved took on here in the Netherlands suddenly had an unexpected end date. Why is that? It seems that the company has a rule that you cannot work for this company after the age of 65 and Best Beloved is 65. Not only that, you must leave at the end of the month previous to the month in which you do turn 65. As it happens Best Beloved was 65 on the 15th of August last year (2010). There was some negotiation from November 2009 (when some bright spark in the HR department discovered that OMG – he will be 65 next year and must be told he has to go) and a contract was finally agreed some time in June (7 months later) and signed in August I think, just as he was racing to the finishing post. His contract gave him up to 31st July this year being the month before he turns 66. What an enlightened company.

So we are going back to New Zealand a little earlier than planned because much as we love living here we simply could not afford to live here as retirees. And of course there is a huge plus to returning to New Zealand – we will be back with family and friends, back with daughter and grandson, back with my sister who is ill, and back to a house with a garden, back to a new chapter of our life together with Best Beloved as a retiree.

Sadly we will also be back to requiring a car – but that is another story.

Also sadly for us, our son and his family will still be living in Switzerland, we will not have access to live music as we have here, museums, Europe, Denmark, Danish family specifically and then of course there is the cycling etc etc etc….. We do not cycle in New Zealand as the bike lanes are few and far between.

To get our fill of cycling our return journey will begin with us cycling from here in Haarlem, the Netherlands to Untersiggenthal in Switzerland, approximately 900k’s. That story will be recorded on our personal blog. You know the kind of stuff – two crazy oldies last seen cycling into the sunset…… We are planning the route so we are not too far from railway travel options should it prove a journey too difficult on bad days – like asthma days, or falling off the bikes, you know the kind of stuff.

And for me this year brings new experiences with my work – I have 3 workshops booked and 2 more in January 2012.

The first is “Freeform Intarsia”and will be here in the Netherlands at a Knit Retreat in Swalmen, in North Limburg region. I will post the details when I have them. It will be in the week 11-15th of July. Thank you to Miriam Tegels whom I met at a workshop with Nicky Epstein last year. Miriam holds the Guinness World Record for Speed Knitting. She is also a talented knitter in all areas who will be taking 4 workshops during the retreat.

The New Zealand workshops will be held in Ellerslie at Mishi Yarns in November and then again in January 2012. Thank you Michele. Michele is Mishi Yarns in Ellerslie and has sourced as many New Zealand made yarns as possible including Naturally Yarns, Zealana, Rare Yarns, Supreme Possum Merino, Touch Yarns, Knitsch Sock Yarns, Vintage Purls and Forever Green Elan. So if you want New Zealand yarns contact Michele.

The Freeform Intarsia workshop detail is here. I will post a link to the Colour Play workshop when have that ready.

The list could be longer, but it is all I can handle today.

I have often expressed the wish to attend a knit and stitch show or other similar anywhere in the world. We have been here in the Netherlands for just over 2 years and I haven’t made it as yet.

As luck would have it – Best Beloved wanted a trip to the UK, and he wanted it originally in the last week in September. Discussions at his work ensued and he is taking the week the 2nd to 10th October. As luck would have it “The Knitting & Stitch Show” at Alexandra Palace is on the 7th – 10th and I can be there. I don’t know on which day(s) yet, I don’t know if I will be able to take any classes or whether I will just look and see [buy]! as I might only have one day.

Can’t believe it really, Best Beloved has leave & we’re going to the UK and The Knitting & Stitch Show is on. How lucky can I be.

I am going to the HANDWERKBEURS AHOY in ROTTERDAM on Friday 15th October as well – two in one month. Brilliant. And I am doing a class with Nicky Epstein.

As luck would have it October is turning into a great month.

And I have been warned – @lapurplepenguin – Take big empty bag to Ally Pally – however disciplined you plan to be, you come out laiden.

I wonder what Best Beloved will make of that news then.

Aug 17, 10:51pm

Will I dream the skirt stitch counts? k1 – 25, slip 1, k1, PSSO, k1-25, slip 1, k1, PSSO, k1, will it work like counting sheep? snore bizzzz

Aug 18, 10:42am

Skirt is still in progress – think about the lace, not sure yet if I will add it. Maybe the lack of time will influence the decision.

12:31pm

Brain dead in the knit dept today. Skirt is at crisis point – what to do?????? stop or go on ???

12:35pm

should I be tweeting, kweeting, kneeting, knieting, knitting? I think I should, I think I could, I think I will, I think I am KNITTING now!!

2:30pm

Skirt at 200 stitches, casting off, then I will check my brain & decide what next. Brain is a little strung out just now, need colour & drama!

7:40pm

Skirt is sitting on chair saying go on, do something, do something else, go on. So I did do something. I bought yarn at De Afstap in Amsterdam

10:19pm

Thinking of top part of this outfit. Is it really called that today? I don’t know. I am to create full deal – top to toe for the parade.

10.25pm

Top design loses, bed wins. Brain is shutting down. I was skyping NZ at 1.30am my time (NL) to talk with sister at 11.30am her time (NZ)

Aug 19, 9:19am

Pile of mags, internet, knit books, ideas file, friend Meredith in Adelaide, We have to design the perfect top to go with the perfect skirt.

From Connielene – NOT A TWEET: There will be no more pictures – as I do have to keep the lid on what I am creating. I will still tweet a little of course so there may be a further chapter in the story of Lake Hawea.

Tweets for the uninitiated – can be no more than 140 characters. If you take the trouble to count the tweet characters you will see that mine here are 140 or 141 or 142. What that means is that I have added a full stop, or a space when I added them to my blog – which I ignored when I tweeted to keep the piece within the 140 characters.

The skirt on my needles is being knit in the round from the waistband. The increases and now the decreases are being managed using the hyperbolic plane method. I have used this for increases many times now, but this is the first time I have used the concept for my decreases. It will be very interesting to see it a little further on as I am unsure just how it will hang. I hope it doesn’t add a twist to the skirt. BUT I will have to continue and wait with you to see the result.

I am knitting with Touch Magic Merino for Socks which is from Alexandra and WoolOn is included in the Alexandra Blossom Festival. It is such a pity that I will not see this skirt on the stage there.

It is jumping the gun a little – I have to finish it first, and then the top, and then the capelet and the beret, maybe. It depends on time really.

I will endeavour to keep you posted.