And please.

Noor is thinking exceptionally deep deep thoughts in that second photo.
Then : woosh she moves on again.
I had such fun thinking up this summer top. The knitting was pretty swift.
The yarn soft and cool and the color rich.
Best thing was that I used one of my favorite rather small Liberty pieces, perfect size for this top. Sewed it on to the knitted part (with the sewingmachine even) and presto.
-Ravelry link here
-and a detail here and the back of the top here.


This was my 35th knitting project of the year!
Aw did I really do that much of it?
You know, it has been so good...
I am mostly at home with my two small muses and making knitted things has fitted right in our little home and its tiny windows of opportunity.
The knitting has grounded me, inspired and uplifted me and sometimes even comforted me. It's given me a richer sense of belonging (posting my impressions/expressions on the blog and on Flickr, getting appreciation and feedback from loyal comments and followers) and of friendly communication (Ravelry, where knitters really do come together).
All that, from my thoughts into my hands, over my needles, to... well : to you!


So thank you all so much and please
*be safe
*and peaceful
*and together
*and well.
*Stay well too.
Happiest of holidays to you.

-Lies

Mademoiselle fairyclocks

Been busy. Feels good.

I made Lieveke's dress, with Liberty fairyclocks fabric, adapting a pattern from this book.
I made full use of the one yard of this lovely lawn, bias hemming the dress for extra length.
She loves it and so agreed to pose for only three gummy bears.

Also knitted her an assorted little 'sahara' vest, from supersoft surimerino. Again she likes. She forgot to charge me gummies for this pose heh.

Then I finished little yoga socks for myself- bright blue ones , have a look.
And I am tinkering on a whole new - victorian- project...

Ravelry details :
-sahara vest : click here
-Fuji socks : this way.

It is snowing back in Belgium but It's getting sticky hot here. Funny world.
Just you keep warm/cool friends
-Lies

Tamarillo kozue

Voila 't is done.
Sometimes a knitting thing becomes my friend.
My good friend. My soft one. Patient one. Very quiet one. Security blanket one.
Stealing a few rows here and there.
When in doubt, knit a few more.
When tired. only one or two.
Cashmere, lacy-fine and pure.
Slow but steady.
Straight. Long. Wide.
Bright and dark
like yin and yang.
cherry and plum,
jelly and compote,
Elvis and Gorecki.
And : some exquisite filigree holes.
For...
venting
sighing
thinking
appreciating
contemplating
knitting
laughing (as Noor, full of interest for this thing of mine, whipes her snotty nose with it)!

A few more pics, as usual, in Flickr.
And the tech low down in Ravelry.
And special thanks to the designer Kirsten, what a wonderful thing you thought up.

Happy day all
-Lies

Heh

Heh indeed.
A few sewingprojects in the last couple of months just didn't work out
and every time I even thought of setting up the overlocker and sewingmachine
there would always be one of my kids
wiggling their nimble 'ooooh must fiddle with such fine machinery' fingers
and so I lost a bit of confidence...
but yesterday Gabriel took the kids for an outing
and I made little jodpurs for Noor out of some cherished lawn
from a self-devised patterny-thingy
-ehm I did slightly mess up the first pair (and the pretty Liberty Pepper fabric)-
but heh!

I also finished a sweet little cotton jumper for Noor, I call it the 'cockles' jumper as it has a row of shells neatly placed in the front. More pics here and here, the Ravelry details here.

Onto something new to knit eh. Interested to see what this yarn does for me.
Sure makes a fine ball.

Happy week!
-Lies

Kimono

To celebrate the warm rays of summersun bursting through the gray springclouds.
To celebrate the last peach blossoms, already sprouting into leafs and fuzzyfruitbuds.
To celebrate my trusted sockbook 'Knitted socks East and West'.
The kimono socks in luscious silk-merino.
Begone then winter wet!

Have a nice weekend
-Lies

Bit behind...

Bit behind on things.
In between our whole house being painted,
mad toddlers (no sleep) and an allergic partner (fumes)
I did knit a little Damson shawl (I was thinking as a Christmas gift, this year I'm gonna be ready!? But now I kinda like it for myself ha. Stuff Santa.)
And wound a few balls of yarn as soul-yoga.
I sometimes wish I was still and serene and composed
like that pretty little shell.
Oh well.

Damson : closer look and Ravelry details.

-Lies

Noortje...

Noortje ('noor-cha') means little dear Noor.
She is wriggly and jiggly and squigly.
If there is an other word ending on -igly, she is it.
For sure.
*
She is however, so so loved.
Our little one.
*
Her Ginger cardi is finished.
And I made her a dress to go with it.
Lieveke made her a daisy chain.


Have a lovely Tuesday friends
-Lies

Moon and rice...

Two knits for Noor :
-a lavender/greyish bolero, which I like to call 'wild rice',as the stitchpattern and color of this knit remind me of my favorite kind of purple rice (with cinnamon, cream, fresh vanilla, canesugar and a little bit of egg - in the oven - perfectpuddin')
-a soft silver bell-hat, 'clair de lune'.

Now all I have to do is get a photo of her wearing her new woollies. Oh Noor. She's now 18 months and very very wanting to assert herself with OH NO and ME-THAT and MORE. I do understand, she's only just learned how to express her thought with words... She's actually quite clear and skilled in using her little words. And I accept that modelling some cardi and a hat (!) is not high on the priority list. Not edible. Not noisy. Not in the least messy or wet. NO. A yummy bribe would work except it would be instantaniously rubbed into the new garment. NO. It doesn't have wheels. Ehm no it's not a pussycat. No no. Can't really catapult it like sticky toast. Hang on, this hat, whoosh it can fly, now that is interesting, but no, not painterly like mud. Not bouncy or milky. Nnnn. Nah.

-knitting details here and here, in Ravelry.

Happy M'day friends
-Lies

Dancing queen

-You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
see that girl, watch that scene, diggin' the dancing queen!

Dark river

***
How amusing at first
How melancholy it was later
To see a cormorant show
On the darkening river


-Basho

***


(and I just know the witty master would fully approve of me pairing these socks with his haiku)
Technical (knitting) details : Ravelry
A few more glances : here and here.



***
And this sublime knittingspace, sigh....

***

Sweet Tuesday all
(Don't you like Tuesdays much more than Mondays)
-Lies

Sacre

I started this shoulderwrap nine days ago, on the first of september, New Zealands first day of Spring. I conceived it as a Spring offering (Stravinsky, Le Sacre du Pintemps) for my de facto mother in law Carol , who's having her 70th birtday today.
I chose an exquisite Habu silk, Kusaki zome, in the colorway Mirobalan, -goosberry. It has a sage-y golden air. The shawl pattern is wonderfully balanced between formal and playful.
It was quite hard to knit - the silk being crisp and stiff, but it came out just the way I had wanted it. Understated yet unusual, light, serene, sheer and full of poise. Like Carol.

Here are the Ravelry details, the pattern is Pogona by Steven West.

The sun's finally out, just in time for Carol's little celebratory soiree...!
Enjoy your weekend
-Lies

Perhaps

Mmmm. New stuff. More to show later too.
I have an idea for the above Tsumugi silks.
And yes that lavender turned out rather pink.
Lieveke pats my hand and says : but that's the best one of all mum.
Perhaps it is.

Happy new week then...
-Lies

Shoeshop, and other snappies

It's sunday afternoon and the kids are having playtime at Gabriel's parents,
and what am I doing : looking at pics of the kids.
Ha.

-Lies

Bamboo dew

The sway,
the rustle, and
softly shining :
the strength.

I started this shawl somewhere in january this year ... The beautiful Habu Kusa kidsilk was a gift from my knitting friend Emily (thank you dear sensei). The color of this exquisite featherweight yarn is bamboo, the 40% silk content makes it shimmer like pearly dew, it's very hard to grasp this in a photo. The pattern of the shawl produces an undulating curly flow, I could block this out, but I won't, it's just right somehow. Although the knitting is fairly straightforward, the Kusa kept slipping of the needles here and there and picking up and fixing was rather frustrating. And so I did the knitting in stages, doing a few pattern repeats every so often over the months. I am so glad it's finished now! I'm sending it as a birthday gift to my mum in Belgium, she is the kindest and strongest person I know.

Here are the Bamboo dew details in Ravelry,
and some more upclose in Flickr.

-Lies

Origami

Folded footware
from cherished leftover yarns
for
Leila {Night, Arabic}
and Kura {Morningred, Maori},
our friends' dearest newborn twinsisters.
I thought of their names when I chose the yarns,
and the deep colors of a purple-red Anemone-flower.

***
How to : Ravelry,
One more photo here in flickr.

***
It's grey outside
but Lieveke says
there's nothings to stop us from being
happy really.
Well I agree.

-Lies