How Yarn Guerillas Communicate

What do you see in this picture?



The disclosed Oldenburg Guerilla Knitter mentioned this interesting object to me. The tag below was made by her. After a couple of days some other person added the crochet tag above. The identity of the crochet guerilla is yet unknown (a new mystery...).

If you know some German and/or are interested in Urban Knitting in Berlin, check out last week's TV report here.

Sewing Continued

After the warm-up on the weekend I took some time out for sewing, especially late at night after all my mundane work was done. The fabric I had used for Clara's doll skirt reminded me of some little cute baby kimono I had seen in the book Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross - "Lucy's kimono".



Just too cute. Great book with great projects, but with some mistakes in it, which can be confusing for a beginner. I am not the first to mention it, just check the errata of the book online. Nevertheless, after I had figured out that one pair of the straps has to stay inside and not both of them outside for binding like suggested, everything was all right. Other bloggers mentioned the same mistake on their blogs. As I had already attached one strap to the outside, the kimono is bound to the other side then in the book, but as internet research showed, the correct way of binding a kimono for a woman is with the left side over the right.
Lucky me.



And as there is no little baby girl around at the moment to wear something airy like this, Clara was delighted when her doll Lilly got a new garment this morning.



Remember the Inspiration Corner: Russia?
Finally I made a little project from that.



It is a fabric cover that can be used for books or booklets, in this case it is for a German document called "Mutterpass" - "a mother's pass", an expectant mother's record of prenatal and natal care. With the matryoshkas as symbols for motherhood and fertility just a perfect fit.
I had seen covers like this on dawanda. I am always amazed how it is possible for a sewing beginner like me to see something I would like to sew, with no real idea how to do it, and then find a tutorial on the internet, get started and have a satisfying result in the end. Magic!



I used this video tutorial here. I would only suggest that you add a little bit more seam allowance if you want to topstitch around the cover in the end.

Sunday Sewing

Sunday morning 7.30 am. Clara: Mama, get up! Esmi needs a spring skirt. Can you sew one?
Me: ???????%%%((((%%§§§§§§§%))))% OK.

Clara picked some fabric from my vintage stash, she had her very own ideas about what a spring skirt should look like. I reminded Clara that sewing requires a little patience. And with some very basic sewing skills and no breakfast I mastered a little hemmed A-line skirt with some elastic. When Esmi modeled the result, Clara said: That is just what I wanted. Happy mama.

Fueled by this sewing success and the prospect of Clara spending a couple of hours at her grandma's house playing with her cousin, I happily sewed on. Actually I have been itchy to sew for a while, even waking up in the middle of the night recently with an incredible urge to sew. But you know, job, cleaning, the usual excuses. And when we went to a garden party on Saturday I talked with two other women about sewing and was really full of sewing desire. Springtime calls for sewing, it seems, like the first signs of fall need to be accompanied by needles and wool.



Just to keep my fingers and my sewing machine busy I made a little bag from the book Sew! by Cath Kidston (the pre-cut fabric was included in the book). A warm-up, little baby steps in the sewing direction, but a good start. And once I started stitching some embroidery and knitting stitches followed in the evening. One stitch seems to call for the next.

Laundry Days

The weather for drying laundry outside is here again! Dry in a couple of hours, smelling wonderful of wind and freshness and when I hang up Clara's and my clothes it usually looks kind of like this...

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Fruit: apples, bananas, kiwifruit, pears, plums

Vegetables: a whole lot of potatoes to accompany the asparagus, carrots, cucumber, kohlrabi, red bell peppers, onions, looks-like-leak-but-is-fresh-garlic

Greens: oak leaf lettuce that went straight to the barbecue garden party at a friends' place

Easter Hearts

Ever since I made this crochet heart last June as a gift and two little girls (Clara and her cousin) helped me eagerly with the stuffing of the heart, I promised my niece her own crochet heart for her birthday (ooh, this is a long sentence...). OK, whenever my little niece saw me knitting something she asked me: What are knitting? and When do I get my heart? Christmas came and went by, also her fourth birthday came and went by at the end of March, her little sister was born and I just couldn't get my fingers near the crochet hook. Things should be fun for me.

But then on Saturday night, the weather was right for cotton yarn, the mood was pre-festive, I was relaxed enough and the next day the big family egg search would take place. What about hiding a heart, too?



When Clara saw me crocheting the heart, she asked whether it was for her and to avoid any fights between the cousins I made another heart, crocheting past midnight, watching movies and documentaries on TV about nuns, popes and the life of Jesus Christ, family members falling asleep on both sides of me.



Ravelry notes here.

Fresh & Organic 15

The Easter Bunny has brought some carrots & other green stuff!



Easter fruit: kiwi eggs (hidden), apples, pears, bananas

Easter vegetables: carrots (of course!), zucchini, cherry tomatoes, leak, mushrooms, potatoes, onions, red bell pepper, cucumber, kohlrabi

Easter Greens: batavia salad, rocket

Guerilla Knitting Mystery Solved Extended Version

On Thursday night the mysterious guerilla knitter revealed herself to me - right before my eyes. I was on my way to my Thursday Night Kundalini Yoga class and en route two students joined me on their bikes. We stopped at a railway crossing gate as a train approached (during classes we hear trains come and go by every now and then and it really adds atmosphere to the class, seriously, it reminds me of the thoughts that come and go, the fleeting quality of things).

Standing there, chatting and waiting, one of my students went to the side and started twiddling with something at the gate. She asked us:
Do you know what guerilla knitting is?

My reaction: ????????§§§§§§§////%/%%%%%%(((()))))))))))))///%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is you??????????!!!!!!!???????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At Oldenburg Knit Night we have been asking ourselves for weeks who you are.

As she wants to stay undercover I can reveal only some facts:

- she is an artist, a stone sculptor

- having had an artist's block with her stone sculpting she went for the softer way

- she has had the idea of guerilla knitting for two years and started on March 8, the 100th International Women's Day

- she is not a university student, although she works part time there, all the graffiti at university seemed to send people on the wrong track about the identity and the intentions of the guerilla knitters, including myself

- it is not a group, but only her and a friend, which is remarkable, because they leave their traces in all parts of town

- it is a political statement in a public space

- it will go on

I could pick a flower from her guerilla knitting bag
(guerilla crochet this time).



Now a guerilla flower blooms in my garden.

And I was very happy when she said that Kundalini Yoga really kicked her creativity. Though it looks different then art it is kind of the same.



All I can say again - in my world knitting and yoga seem to be intertwined.

Guerilla Knitting Mystery Solved

I know who it is!
More to come...

Tulip II / Lotus

Right after finishing my Tulip cardigan another tiny tulip fell into my lap, internet-wise speaking. This blog post by the yarn harlot started me off.



The pattern is : "Tulips, A Colorful Cardigan for Baby" by Lindsay Pekny. Instead of using eight different colours I went for a two coloured pink cardigan and the yarn comes from my stash: Rico Baby - Classic Dk.
The pattern comes in five sizes from 6 months to 6 years. As I used smaller needles than indicated, the cardi should fit a 3-6 month's old.
Ravelry notes here.

And it is a Lotus.

Fresh & Organic 14

This is the "raw" way the vegetable box arrives here every Saturday - before its contents are unpacked, kind of re-arranged and photographed.



More interesting because not all visible - this week's contents:
(whose organic goodness please relieve this fatigue and blogging block)

Fruit: apples, bananas, plums, pineapple, pears, kiwifruit

Vegetables: potatoes, cauliflower, cucumber, carrots, batavia salad, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, leaks, red radish, onions

Knit the Park

The knitting guerillas are working all over the city at the moment,
in different parts of town new knitting graffiti are placed.



Yesterday on a bicycle ride we discovered some of it at the entrance of the park near where we live.





When I asked Clara for her opinion, what she thinks about the knitting graffiti and why it is done, she said: to make the trees look more beautiful.



At the other entrance we also found this - fabric graffiti.

Weekend Progress

With lots of lovely sunshine outside and time spent outdoors playing, cycling and relaxing, I still managed to take some knitting with me and work on something small & pink.

Fresh & Organic 13

Fruit: apples, pears, bananas, plums, kiwifruit

Greens & vegetables: spinach, batavia salad, wild garlic, potatoes, kohlrabi, carrots, mushrooms, cucumber, a huge red bell pepper

Knit the University II

As Guenther and Hillit pointed out at Oldenburg Knit Night this week,
the yarn guerillas around the campus are still very active!







Favourite spots seem to be benches and (lamp) posts.









Still no signs of identification of the knitting guerillas and what their intention is. But despite their message Vera thinks knitting graffiti is a very good way to get rid of excess yarn.

PS: More Oldenburg yarn graffiti discovered by Annkari here.

The Masculine Heart Chakra

While the feminine heart chakra I wrote about yesterday is related to pink and the key phrase "I connect", the masculine heart chakra is connected to the colour green, the key phrase "I love" and the topics of circulation, forgiveness, abundance and gratitude.



I love that!

The Fourth Chakra

From the yellow of the third chakra we progress to my favourite chakra, the heart chakra, and my favourite colour - PINK! Pink is the colour of the feminine heart chakra, connected to universal love, loving one-self, service and the awakening to spiritual awareness.



Last week these three corresponding items were delivered: a pink parka perfect for spring, the latest edition of a yoga magazine and some striped pink fabric I have plans for (for winter)...

Tulip

Knitted things do get finished, but at a slower pace recently. I don't knit as much as I did last year (nowhere near the 3-4 hours a day). For different reasons - I still have a job and a family, but I seem to be more occupied with blogging and cleaning. And I need more sleep. What took three weeks last year, takes three months this year. But still, things get done.

The last FO was cast on January 16, at the end of this post. The history of its origin is connected to the knitting community online. I got inspired by German master knitter from Hamburg tichiro. In one of her January posts she showed a couple of free Red Heart patterns here,
I instantly liked the Simple Spring Swing Cardigan - for its simplicity.

Also the purchase of the wool got inspired by tichiro here. The wool came actually first, in September 2010 (triggering my love for bargains).
50 % wool, 50 % alpaca. And then, after finishing the front and back,
I ran out of yarn for the sleeves and the buttonbands. I did my first wool swap with winwood via Ravelry. Thanks again!

And could finish.



I call it Tulip, inspired by the first tulip a week ago. Looks a bit housewifey, in my opinion, and I think my husband even mumbled something about Amish people... The wool is quite scratchy... So not a total success. But still, off the needles. Ravelry notes here. And with all the unusual red I really needed a little pink and purple in the picture...

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Fruit: apples, pears, bananas, plums

Vegetables: sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, cherry tomatoes, egg tomatoes, corn salad, rocket salad, watercress, cucumber, zucchini, carrots, onions, garlic, fennel, red bell pepper

Did you know that sweet potatoes/yams are called kumera in New Zealand and are really common there? I have just cooked a yummy yam-pea-coconut-soup, German recipe here.

Always Wear a Helmet

Yesterday I was in involved in a bike accident. I want to spare you the unlucky details and circumstances. I was unhurt, but the other person suffered a head injury. Healing thoughts go out to this woman. And as I have been quite neglectful recently with Clara wearing her helmet when we go on rides, this accident showed me in a hurtful way that these kinds of injuries could be prevented with helmets. So first thing this morning I went to get me a helmet, too. Better be safe. Have a good and safe day!