Springspiration

Slow Knitting This Week 

Over the weekend, I started a pair of socks for B.  I knit just enough to see if the toes fit.  Not quite.  Do over.  Then I had trouble getting the figure eight cast on to work properly. After three failed attempts, I finally got it right last night.  I'll post photos as things get going. 

After the second failed sock cast on, I decided to work a few mindless rows of B's sweater (what a lucky guy, he's got two projects going!) only to discover that I'd made an extra stitch about six rows back, creating a very unsightly button hole.  B has a habit of putting holes in his sweaters, but I should at least give him a hole-free one to start with.  Rip.  Rip.  Rip. 

Spring Fling

Spring has finally sprung in Holland.  We had a particularly long and gloomy Winter this year, full of rain and overcast skies.  Recently, we've had uncharacteristically great weather: sunny and warm.  Birds chirp, flower petals float on the breeze - it's a scene from "Fantasia" around here. 

On Sunday, B and I took Nigel Beagle to see the flowers at the Keukenhof*, a massive garden with a stunning collection of bulbs.  We're talking seven million tulips, hyacinths and daffodils like you've never seen.  We were blown away.

The shapes and colors were very inspirational.  Here are a few shots to get your creative juices flowing. 

Spring On the Web

Some of my favorite knitting bloggers have also lit a few flames in my brain.  As we strolled around the Keukenhof, I couldn't help but think of Ruth's (Knitting on Impulse) Playing With Color series, wishing that I was at that stage where I can design my own projects.  How fun would it be to knit a series of something-or-others based on the colors of Spring?   Her process of extracting the essential hues from photos of nature is a neat way to select surprising color combinations that work.

 

Meanwhile, I've been totally floored by Cara's (January One) progress on her miter blanket.  She's nearly finished after only about a month of work!  I dunno if she's a role model or a madwoman.  It's interesting to note how her project has moved me over time.  I didn't initially like the look of the miters, but I admired her for taking on the project at all.  As soon as she started posting photos of the miter squares arranged like a blanket, a seed started to sprout in my mind.  I wonder if I could ever tackle a project like that.  The miters, the colors, everything - it's all grown on me.  I love it.  I want one too!

Pink Lemon Twist gets my "Essence of Spring Award."  I'm not a shawl girl by any stretch of the imagination. I have a couple of obligatory pashminas that I wear on those very rare strappy dress occassions.  But you'd never catch me knitting a complicated lacy number for myself, at least not in stole form (I have an unfinished scarf I haven't revealed yet).  However, Kay (of Mason-Dixon Knitting) mentioned Melanie's hanami stole the other day, and my mind started to whirl.  I love hanami, and I'm a lucky ducky because I've viewed cherry blossoms in Japan and Washington, DC.  This stole captures the essence of hanami perfectly.   Surely I know at least one person who would wear this!

I continue to pine for sock wool, even though I have enough to keep me busy for, well, EVER.   Who can blame me when there's so much truly great yarn out there.  Fleece Artist hooked me in the first place, but what I really wanted was to sign up for Sundara's Petal Collection, which I discovered shortly after my yarn binge.  Sundara dyes yarn in flower-inspired shades, and ships out limited-edition skeins each with its own sock pattern.  I managed to control myself, and now the Summer/Fall collection is closed to new members.  This is probably a good thing.

In the Shameless Self-Promotion Category, Lucia (The Knitting Fiend) added one of my posts to her Knitting Blog Carnival the other day.  Lucia writes haiku poems about strange and beautiful knit and crochet items.  She has an amazing collection of vintage patterns and books, and is also a 'net sleuthing maven.  The things that woman finds!  Lucia has also programmed sock, shawl and sweater calculators to help you work out the perfect fit.

What's your springspiration?

* If you're into bulbs, bookmark that site and remind yourself to check it next Spring when they should have their online store up and running.  Their rates are unbelievable, and they will take care of the agriculture inspection.  Order in Spring and they'll send you the bulbs in time for planting in the Fall.  I *think* they send the flowers from their garden.  Awesome.

Comments

[Heather]

Oh, I love the Keukenhof--when I lived in France I went several times, very truly inspirational.
I am also very motivated by what other bloggers are doing and am trying to use that motivation to knit from my stash and not buy more yarn!

[becky]

You know, when you mentioned you were going to see tulips in Holland I wondered if what I pictured in my mind was fantasy- clearly it was not- those photos are stunning! I've been following Knitting on Impulse as well and was wishing the same things.

It makes me crazy when the only things I have on the needles are things that I've had to go back and fix. I get to feeling pretty defeatist about it and then want to cast on something else. You'll pull through the socks and the sweater. Lucky B!

I also found January one blog via your favorites and I felt the same way about miters. It was just so cool what she's done. I don't know if I'd have the patience for it.

My springspiration is to definitely pull away from insisting on finished objects for myself. I need to experiment more- that takes time and actuall uncommitted knitting. Doing so from the stash would be even better.

[Jen]

Heather: I'm pretty sure that the Keukenhof is one of the best things in Holland. B's Dutch coworkers each had the same response when we said we were going to check it out: "Only tourists go there." Their loss - it's amazing!

Becky: Oh it's for real, alright. But everything is so perfect, you almost wonder. I think they hand wash and wax each petal - not a single one looked bug chomped or wilted. I'm not feeling so much defeated as I just don't have a lot of time to knit this week. Deadlines. Shmedlines. I just got some editing work this morning.

[becky]

Jen-

I'm at a school where I don't have your email bookmarked and I have to thank you for recommending Eat, Pray, Love.

I was so laughing out loud this morning when I heard. "Operation Self Esteem, day f-ing One."

There are so many life parallels to some of the events that transpired. I found my way out on a different path. To have so many similar life experiences "pre-journey" and have the real feelings articulated and accounted humorously lifted so much from the circles in my head! More on email later.

Also- the camel in a telephone booth line is one that won't leave me soon.

[Jennie]

Oh my, can I just say I love your photos! Unbelievably gorgeous! I love the pure beauty of spring, I just hate the allergies I get from it. hehe. Thanks so much for sharing such beautiful images.

[Jen]

Becky: Glad you like the book. I loved that the author reads the audiobook herself. She breathes so much life into it.

Jennie: Thanks! I was a bit worried about slow connections when I uploaded so many photos, but I couldn't help myself. I wish I had a nicer digital camera, b/c it's hard to get things in focus on a point and shoot. Some day I'll give myself permission to buy the Nikon D80 that I covet. :)