Kategorie: gemacht

New Zealand rocks (pun intended)

Veröffentlicht am von Carina

It must have been 2013, when The Green Dragonfly and I started following each other. (WordPress might know the exact date, but I am too lazy to look it up). Every now and then, Janette would comment on my blog and I would comment on hers – nothing special – that’s what followers do, right?

However, it is different.

Chances are, Janette and I will never meet, as she and her family live literally at the other end of the world from where we are. To fly from her city to mine would take a day. At least. It would mean four different airports and planes. Again: at least. They are getting ready for winter, we await summer. They are in New Zealand, we are in Berlin.

google maps 2017-04-24 um 19.04.37Still, over the years, I came to know her (some) through her beautiful blog and photos, her comments and likes. And every now and then, she and her children (a bit younger than my son) would do stuff we used to do a few years back. Weird. Like playing with crocheted owls. Like wrapping up in granny square blankets.

Like painting rocks.

This is when my son said, „Maybe we can …“ – and yes, we can! So we initiated a rock swap. (Probably the first ever. I don’t think that existed before). Julius chose the rocks and wrote a letter. In English. Just like that. (I’d love to have the confidence of a 12yr old at times). My job was to pack und send our parcel. Simple? Yes. And Exciting!

The Green Dragonfly Häkelmonster painted rocksToday, eight little painted rocks arrived by mail. They came all the way from NZ. It took them less than two weeks. A chocolate kiwi bird kept them company. And we were thrilled!

The Green Dragonfly Häkelmonster painted rocksThank you so much!

My favorite stone is the red heart on turquoise. Well, and the purple smile. Julius immediately fell for the strawberry followed by the purple rock with all these dots and of course the soccer ball (no surprise here) on yellow or … probably all of them!

Of course, the travelling rocks were subject to close scrutiny: Maia and Carter chose bigger rocks than the ones we sent. They use different paint and they do not color the bottom side. And – the most difficult part (at least for us) – we are well aware of the fact that they hide their rocks, those pieces of art, in parks around the city for others to find …

So, I guess, we have to set them free at some point.

We decided that each of us may keep one (heart = me & strawberry = him), another one will go to our lovely neighbor as she has a collection of stones (probably the purple smile, unless she preferes another). The remaining five will be released, so that strangers (scary!) will find them in Berlin.

Not now. In summer.

For now, we’ll wait for our parcel to arrive in NZ. It should arrive any day from now.

Heaven & Space

Veröffentlicht am von Carina

The Carolinas were heaven and space. Heaven to be with my two friends and their daughters (no husbands, no sons). So many daughters, a total of five, beautiful, bright, loveable young women. We would spend hours on the porch of our airbnb house, talking, laughing, knitting (me).

And then there was space. Probably not the (aero)space Martina Behm had in mind when designing the shawlette. More of a letting-your-mind-wander-space when looking over the ocean in Charleston, when driving all the way up to Mount Airy, when being with a friend not talking at all (but communicating nonetheless).

One week in North and South Carolina was just as wonderful as I was hoping it would be. We stayed on a boat in Charleston, discovered the city by bicycle, had drinks at a roof-top bar, admired each and every crape myrtle’s pink beauty and every Charleston Single House. We enjoyed local food, were introduced to the Andy Griffith show and everything (everything!) that comes with it, did some shopping and slept in every morning.

Of course I visited the bead shop Beads on Cannon as suggested (thank you!!) and was deeply impressed by the very friendly and knowledgeable ladies who work there and their huge selection of beads.

Just one small downer: we did not manage to find the yarn store What’s Needlin‘ Ewe in Mount Airy, supposedly „America’s friendliest yarn store.“ (That’s what it says on their homepage). So, when back in Berlin, I sent them an email and (much later) a reminder – both are unanswered to this day. That is to say: no souvenir yarn …

However: I knitted (and almost finished) Heaven & Space within that week – thanks to lots of time and long plane rides … Upon landing in Berlin it was a shawlette with 16 pattern repeats (as suggested by designer) but I wanted it to be an actual shawl. Now it has 25 pattern repeats – enough width to wrap it twice around me. So lovely.

I love the pattern – knitting was fun. Still, I might choose a different yarn when knitting it again. Semisolid and sparkle and the geometric pattern are a bit too much (at least for my taste).

A quick question: I am not quite sure whether I prefer it blocked or unblocked. Do I bathe it again? There is still some time left before giving it to my wonderful travel companion for her birthday. Ideally, she will remember the week we had full of women, warmth and wedding preparations every time she wears it.

 

kurze Auszeit

Veröffentlicht am von Carina11 Kommentare

Beim Decken des Daches sind den Dachdeckern Ziegel und Zementbrocken ins Blumenbeet gefallen.

Über jeden Teil dieses Satzes könnte ich jetzt einen Blogpost schreiben. Über den Dreck und den Krach und das komische Gefühl unter einem Dach zu schlafen, das (für den Moment) keins ist. Über Handwerker, deren Sprache ich nicht spreche, über kontinuierliches Hämmern seit Tagen und abgebröckelten Putz im Schlafzimmer. Darüber, dass die Veranda gefährlich ist zur Zeit und trotzdem fast die Treppe mein Verhängnis geworden wäre – weil draußen einer auf dem Gerüst turnte mit dem ich nicht gerechnet habe. Und dass sie heute morgen die Lampe – das Ei aus Glas – im Treppenhaus abgenommen haben, weil das dann vielleicht doch besser wäre …

IMG_1587Ich könnte darüber schreiben, dass Dachdecker (zumindest die, die auf unserem Dach stehen) keine Gärtner sind und deshalb wenig Sinn für Pflanzen im Vorgarten haben. Dass sie Rosen unter Latten begraben und den schönsten Lavendel mit einem Ziegel erschlagen haben.

Zur Schadensminimierung räume ich jeden Abend auf. Sammel die Brocken aus dem Beet und tröste die Pflanzen. Dabei bin ich mit der Hand in einem Rosenbusch hängen geblieben …. Wie immer ich das gemacht habe. Wohl im Zorn. „Erwischt“ hat es den linken Zeigefinger. Genau! Nicht einen der neun anderen. Nur den, um den ich den Faden wickel.

Murphy’s Law.

Auszeit. Kein Stricken, weil das mit Pflaster nicht geht. Aber ich sehe das Gute: seit heute morgen ist der Finger nicht mehr dick, das Pflaster ist ab. Rosen und Lavendel wachsen nach. Und wenn das neue Dach drauf ist, ist es isoliert. Keine heißen Sommer mehr und keine kalten Winter.

Alles wird gut. Und im nächsten Blogpost stricke oder häkel ich wieder.

The Big Knit – knitting hats with Innocent Smoothies

Veröffentlicht am von Carina4 Kommentare

I first saw innocent’s little brochures at Frankfurt YarnCamp, asking for woolly hats… and I was hooked immediately. (Before that, I didn’t even know innocent existed – turns out they’re not just about smoothies, they actually care about people. Love at first sight! )

Here’s the amazing part: every little hat sold with innocent smoothies comes with a donation to help keep older folks warm, cozy, and connected through the winter. How cool is that?

This year alone, almost 12,000 hats have been knitted in Germany – some of them are actually tiny works of art!

So last weekend, my mother and I jumped in too. She knitted the basic hats from leftover yarn, and I handled the finishing touches – pom-poms, flowers, all the fun stuff (you know I can’t resist flowers 😉). By the end of the day, we had 31 hats ready to go!

If you love crafting and want to help, you have to join in! The deadline is December 1, 2013. Check the German innocent site for patterns, ideas, and all the details—or watch the English video. Trust me, it’s worth it!

Off to the post office to send our little hats on their way – who’s next?!

Knit the Bridge: yarnbombed

Veröffentlicht am von Carina2 Kommentare

No time to actually sit down and write a proper blog post, but while I was looking for something completely different (the web really is weird like that), I stumbled across these photos—and had to share them with you.

The Andy Warhol Bridge in Pittsburgh was completely yarnbombed—yes, yarnbombed—into what is supposedly the largest piece of knitted graffiti in the US. We’re talking 1,847 artists, more than 600 blankets, all coming together in one massive, colorful, yarnbombed installation.

A true “jaw-dropping endeavor,” as the Huffington Post put it—and honestly, I couldn’t agree more. I mean, just imagine the planning, the stitching, the coordination behind something that big… and that beautifully yarnbombed.

Knit the Bridge: yarnbombed

Knit the Bridge even has its own blog and a Facebook page both filled with tons of photos, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and all kinds of information about the project and the people involved. Definitely worth a look—enjoy!

cristina saucedo: Knit the Bridge: yarnbombed

There’s even going to be a party on the bridge this Sunday. If only Berlin were a little closer to Pittsburgh… 🙂