Knitting in Paris

I did a little knitting in Paris, like you could see in my Pre/Post Paris progress here. I didn't set my knitting intentions too high, and took just one ball of yarn with me for those centimeters before there would be a change in the pattern that would be too difficult to handle while travelling. I knitted some stitches some nights at the hotel ...

... and in the metro.

But what did this sign at the Parc floral remind me of?

I think it's a French translation for "one stitch at a time".

And my usually so true inner knitting radar was also off and on its own holiday. I must confess, I didn't check knitmap before for yarn shops as my priorities have changed a bit this year. There are yarn shops in Paris, I found out now here. But I only found this one by surprise:

www.coudre-broder-tricoter.com

215 rue Lafayette

(Canal St Martin/Gare de l'Est, 10ème) 

 Tricoter - that's knitting in French 

(in case you're curious, coudre is sewing and broder, yes, embroidery).

What I painted this Easter

... whimsical faces ...

... inspired by Juliette Crane and her e-course Bliss.

Pink Moments of the Week

 Here come our Pink Moments of Paris:

at Montmartre

not far from the hotel

Flamingo Chinese cedar

at Parc Floral

a tulip which name and colour resonated with me

40 000 tulips were blooming in the park

at Cité des Sciences

 at Centre Pompidou

How pink can you get?
 

glace framboise

 on our last day it got so warm and sunny
I even got an upper lip sunburn (red, not pink)

Hubby took loads of pictures

and didn't cook vegan

but invited nearly every night 

for dinner at this superauthentic Indian and Sri Lankan restaurant.

At night we could nearly forget where we were:

But then,

we remembered:

Pre and Post Paris

on the day of departure:

back at home:

two inches of knitting

and half a book full of sketches

by Clara, Carolina and me

Pink Moment of the Week

Three-to-four weeks earlier this year than before:

Japanese cherry blossom.

Clara Paints a Face

Clara watched all this face painting of mine recently very curiously. 

With the school holidays boring as they can be on a rainy afternoon, 

I gave her some watercolours and she did her thing.

The only thing I tried to teach her

is that eyes go in the middle of the face 

(I think, even most adults don't know that). 

The rest - I am just amazed.

Moods

It is an interesting process, 

this painting and drawing thing, 

and always a surprise.

You never really know,

where it will lead you

and every day it feels different.

One day a friendly face

from outer space can appear:

(don't look to long at her,

you might get hypnotized)

Another day the mood can be soft & blue:

... when a few pencil lines will suffice.

And the most rewarding days

call for bright colours and your heart in it:

 

Such a mysterious journey I am on.

Crafty goes Arty

As of late my crafty studio has turned into an arty junk room with all surfaces and even the floor being cluttered. The only place where I could paint was this here:

Clara said the other day, that we need to build an extra little house for me where I can paint or that I could use the garage. Hubby, practical as he is, suggested clearing this desk:

Said, done.

I wouldn't have thought how much fun the girls had rearranging all my materials - paints, papers, brushes, inks, washi-tape. So it didn't take long before this inviting space appeared:

Like a breath of fresh spring air.

April Weather

Rain, sun, rain, hail, rain, sun 

and ...

Fresh Beginnings

... new backgrounds for paintings 

and the first two rounds of my new summer tunic.

Summer Knitting

What happened to that green thing that I wanted to knit for spring? Better not talk about it... Green wool will also look pretty under the Christmas tree, I tell myself.

Oh yes, spring is here, it feels like summer is around the corner sometimes, so let's move on to another New Year Knitting resolution (here) ... a white summer sweater.

Cotton feels much better in this weather. And this vegan life of mine has more and more problems with wool.

That's what I found in a bag, in a box, in my studio. A tunic started in the summer of 2010, with a back and a nearly-done-front. No sleeves. I might have liked this leafy pattern four years ago, but I know myself and my knitting possibilities at the moment - I will never be able to knit two sleeves following this lacy pattern. I need mindless-mama-knitting. Frog-frog, rip-rip, that means. A blank slate for a new pattern.

Pink Moment of the Week

... background magic,

when those two girls appeared,

one with an angel wing,

a gift of trust.

Faces

... are the new lesson in my online painting course.

Quite a challenge, 

and quite rewarding also.

 (inspired by these French ladies here)

inspired by Cori Dantini

And I had another lady

that just appeared from the background:

Sun Sun Sun

 ... sorry, no time for blogging.

I am soaking up the sun in the garden.

Analogue and simple life

at its best.

Hello April!

Yes, it's no joke, it's April!

April will see a late Easter this year

and we are going on a romantic trip

(ok, with the girls)

 to a European capital for a week.

(curious?)

Hopefully April will be as sunny 

as Clara's calendar page.