Flying the Flag

I have been really looking forward to the World Cup, so when I saw this brilliant Yarnissima pattern I knew I had to track down the yarn and knit a pair for my beloved, which is exactly what I did...



Aren't they fab?! They are knit in Regia Nation Color which has now been reinvented as Regia World. The red, white and blue screamed 'patriot' and it was only after knitting them up it actually dawned on me that rather than flying the Union Jack he would be waving the French Tricolore.

I rushed out and bought something more appropriate



and in order to cover all bases...







Come on England!

Knitting after Le Tour

Life is a little strange without the Tour de France Knitalong...I don't really quite know what to knit next.

I have a few UFO's lurking in the bottom of my knitting bag that I should really pick up, plus an ever-increasing blocking queue that really does need tackling, but of course I decided just to cast-on something new instead!



This is the 'With Added Gust Scarf' and will be for my 'nearly' Mother-in-Law. It is in the lovely Caber yarn by The Yarn Yard and the colours are so stunningly delicate I can't stop holding the piece at arms length and admiring the dye work! The best description I can come up with for it is almost like a muted version of Dolly Mixture sweets, full of lavenders, pinks and greens but quite dusky...just beautiful.

I hope I will be able to part with this one as the previous Gust scarf was intended as a present and didn't quite make it that far!

Hyperbolic Crochet & Coral Reefs

I have had the most amazing visual overload today that has re-ignited the itch in me to pick up a crochet hook again.

The astonishing Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef is currently on display at the Royal Festival Hall and the Hayward Project Space on London's South Bank and if you can get there for a visit I highly recommend it.

Daina Taimina picked up her crochet hook about ten years ago with the aim of creating a model of hyperbolic space, which is where parallel lines do not stay the same distance apart but gradually curve away from each other. This goes against everything we have ever been taught about parallel lines and was so conceptually challenging in the minds of the worlds greatest mathematicians that they have never been able to write a formula for it or indeed even visualise it...enter Daina.

Using basic crochet techniques and increasing in a calculated way, Daina discovered that it was possible to see the curving of the parallel lines and invented Hyperbolic Crochet. These hyperbolic crochet models have gone on to be used around the world as demonstration models in universities and throughout the mathematics field and Daina has gone on to invent hyperbolic sewing.

The finished hyperbolic crochet items resemble pieces of coral and inspired Margaret and Christine Wertheim of the Institute For Figuring to begin crocheting a coral reef in order to raise awareness of the plight of reefs. The Hyperbolic Reef is touring and people are welcome to join in and learn about hyperbolic crochet and add their own piece of coral to the reef. If you can't make it to the exhibition but are still inspired there are instructions on creating your piece and it can then be sent to Margaret and Christine for addition to the model, just follow the link for the IFF given above and the details are at the bottom of their page.

It has been a long time since I experienced the Wow factor and this did it for me! The work is incredible. So inventive, colourful, thoughtful, experimental and breathtaking. Craft brings people together in amazing ways and I will just share this last comment with you...

There was a mother with her young son and daughter at the exhibit and they were so excited and the little girl said, 'is this all really made from knitting' and Mum replied with a 'yes', and the daughter piped up, 'well when I get home can you teach me?'

And so from one generation to the next the craft passes again.

The Lure of the East

Last year I joined a fantastic charity called The Art Fund who are an independent source of funding for UK galleries, museums, and historic houses. In return for funding to buy pieces for their collections the 'establishment' then offers Art Fund members something in return, usually in the form of discounted or free entry to their exhibitions or collections. Brilliant! So I get to contribute towards a little piece of heritage for the UK's galleries, museums or historic houses and I get discounted entry to most of the major exhibitions within London and the 'establishments' get their much needed funding.

Being an Art Fund member has meant that I have been to see a lot more exhibitions than I would have gone to had I just been a member at one gallery as I am not tied to one gallery. This morning I headed off to see The Lure of the East at Tate Britain. I was not sure what to expect so it was a very pleasant surprise!

The exhibition covers work by British artists from the seventeenth to the early twentieth centuries who were responding to the sights of the Near East, including Turkey, Egypt and Palestine. It is a very opulent exhibition, full of rich colour and texture making it perfect for anyone interested in textiles and colour combination.

These are my three favourite paintings:

An Arab Interior by Arthur Melville



Leila by Frank Dicksee



Edward Wortby Montagu in Oriental Costume by George Romney



They are not my usual 'cup of tea' but I am so captivated by the colours I can already feel a second visit coming on...

Street Roses

These beauties grow happily down my street and I am always amazed by their colours...






...I know they will never win any prizes, but that coral colour and the yellow and pink together!

And So To Knitting

Allow me to introduce my current favourite work in progress (WIP)...the Kerry Blue Square Shawl from Traditional Knitted Lace Shawls by Martha Waterman.

I am working in Rowan 4 Ply Soft and it is a lovely yarn to knit with. I have a guilty secret...I am a serial sale stalker. You will find me lurking near bargain bins, rummaging through end of lines and quietly stashing odd balls of discontinued treasure. This is how the striped Kerry Blue has happened.

I have collected a number of half price balls of the 4 ply and they look so fab together. I think I am going to have to go and buy one ball of full price cream but I can live with that. Stashing yarn in this way is such a great way to get a creative project together as you will find yourself trying colour combinations that you may otherwise have never contemplated. I love the murky green with the pink and in turn the green with the brown, yet I am not a big pink fan but it really lifts the other colours. I can't wait to finish the shawl.

The pattern looks really complicated for lace knitters in their beginning days like me but all it requires is a little concentration. It is really quite simple and looks so effective. This will also be my first lace blocking and from what I have heard it is the most exciting part of a lace project...will keep you posted...