Saturday, September 21, 2013

...the troubadour collection



Reposting from my older blog


The Troubadour collection is inspired by Medieval Times but with a modern feel to it.
Knitted in six shades of an organic 4-ply Dorset Poll and plant dyed by
Renaissance Dyeing in the French Pyrenees.

These shades are dyed with the plants woad and madder
that would have grown wild and used for dyeing in the Middle ages.
The pattern descriptions are available in two colour combinations

now available as downloadable ebook,





The Troubadour Collection,
an eBook
three knitting patterns
a beret – a cowl/hood – a pair of gauntlets
two different colour-compositions

Three patterns for the price of two

:-)


The patterns are also available in separate kits containing both pattern and wool.
For more information see: Renaissance Dyeing

...

Sunday, September 08, 2013

...swedish inspiration





I'm going to delete my older blog soon, (Mary Lena's Blog) which I don't use anymore.

That's why I'm going to re-post a few of the most viewed posts !
This blog post is about two knit patterns inspired by a visit to Sweden


houses in Ronneby






Not only is Sweden a very attractive society to live in, 
there is also something everybody loves about the Swedish style.


A certain “je ne sais quoi”
the architecture, the traditional patterns, the colours...


300 years of Swedish textile design




Some 40 years ago my mom bought me this Dala horse when she visited Sweden 




a very old fashioned Dala



In the older days the Dala horse was mostly a toy,
but nowadays it is a symbol for the kingdom of Sweden.
The earliest reference of wooden horses for sale is from 1624 !
The pattern reflects a style of painting known as 'Kurbits". In the 19th century, Sticka-Eric Hansson from Mora introduced the technique of painting with two colors in the same brush. Today it is still a handicraft article, made of pine.






So I designed this beanie with these colours in mind 
Blue, white, red, green, yellow and brown 
and of course the Dala horse, the snowflakes...









I used the fantastic Organic Poll Dorset yarn
"Troubadour" from Renaissance Dyeing 
located in the French Pyrenees
Fingering / 4 ply (14 wpi) 
Ecru, Puivert, Troubadour , Miraval , Narbonne , Os.

I really love this yarn !








Ingrid's Beanie is available as a knitting pattern and as a kit, 
more info here

A big thank you to the model, Ingrid Anna
photos taken at the winter beach
De Haan - Belgium

but one could easily imagine oneself
on the famous Island of Sandhamn
in the Stockholm Archipelago 


Strindbergs house on Sandhamn


To go with the matching beanie:

Ingrid's Mitts
I designed these mitts with the same colours:
Blue, white, red, green, yellow and brown
Organic Poll Dorset yarn "Troubadour" from Renaissance Dyeing
Fingering / 4 ply (14 wpi)
Ecru, Puivert, Troubadour , Miraval , Narbonne , Os.














these mitts are available as a pattern and as a kit -
more info here

...




Sweden is a wonderful country with lots of nature,
beautiful houses and very friendly people.


I hope I will visit it again soon !




:)




Friday, September 06, 2013

... summer fruits



some fruit from the garden



I didn't do any fermentation dyes this summer due to circumstances, but now with all the wild fruits growing in abundance, Elderberries and Brambles for instance but also with the Pokeweed I planted last year which is giving some fruit now, I decided to give it another go, with promises of some pink or red or maybe even purple... who knows!


Pokeweed  -  Phytolacca esculenta
(here with the leafs of some Buckwheat - Fagopyrum esculentum)



Here's a blog post about dyeing with Pokeweed by Grackle and Sun

Pokeweed edible or not?
Here you will find information about it:    Can Be Deadly But Oh So Delicious: Pokeweed



Pokeweed - Brambles - Onion skins
It's such a fascinating subject, fermentation...


...



The labyrinth we painted along the riverside...

I'm really grateful that I live in such a beautiful place
Nature offers so much inspiration
each and every day

...



and... I'm definitely working on something new here
:)