No Happy New Year !

Not a happy New Year for me right now, more like nightmare time. My house and place here in Brittany, which I love so much, has changed in a few hours from paradise to hell.

Due to a storm, on 23 December, the level of the adjacent river rose two meters within a few hours. The dike that was supposed to protect us did not held, the house was completely flooded ! The damage on the ground floor is huge!

Words fail to describe what we went through this past thirteen days. The shock and distress are not easy to cope with. And it is not over yet because it continues to rain.

I don’t know what I will do in the future, I love this place but the fear I feel right now for another flood is very strong!

Maybe, later, when everything has calmed down, I will be able to put this event into perspective, but for now I'm speechless. It will therefore be very quiet on this blog for a while...

Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990)

artwork by Rima Staines
have a look at her wonderful website

:)

le châle Camille - version Française

Désormais disponible en Français, le kit fiche-tricot/laine du châle Camille :
(here in English)

Un châle symétrique de forme triangulaire, Deux textures différentes, alternant côtes, rayures et point dentelle,

quatre couleurs différentes, obtenues avec des teintures naturelles : vert, violet, bleu clair et gris

Tricoté en Blue-faced Leicester, une 100% pure laine, douce et drapante,


vous aurez besoin de:

aiguillesà tricoter circulaires de 80 cm 2,5 mm ou 2,75 mm selon votre échantillon

crochet (optionnel) de 2,5mm pour la bordure au crochet.

Dimensions: Taille unique.

Longueur totale (au centre) après blocage et séchage à plat: env. 62 cm Largeur totale: env. 156 cm.

Le kit contient:
Une fiche tricot de 7 pages en FRANÇAIS avec les explications écrites et des grilles. Envoyé sous forme pdf dès confirmation d’achat.


Suffisamment de laine pour tricoter ce châle dans les coloris : Ciel(bleu pâle), Pewter(gris), Purple Passion(violet) et Dill(vert)

info: Renaissance Dyeing

...

Carmen

Here's my new crochet design

This scarf is inspired by the Bohemian Rhapsody wrap, one of my own designs. For this simplified version I used bulkier yarn and less color variations.

This colorful scarf is made in a infinity style but it can also be made as a classic wrap to be draped around the shoulders.

The squares are crocheted and immediately joined, thus creating the scarf without seaming.

It consists of 44 squares using two different crochet motives

7 different colors - one unit per color
This pattern suggests two color combinations

Crochet hook: 4,5 mm (US=G or H depending on gauge)

A lot of attention has been paid to the different color combinations and the amounts of yarn used. If the color sequences are followed as described in this pattern you will use the same amount of yarn for each color.

 more info here

...

shades of late-summer berries... testing...

Dye News update

I did some test dyeing with late summer berries

pokeweed berries - brambles and elderberries

after fermentation of the berries I've put some lace merino for one day in the glass jars

I only used an acid dye-vat (with vinegar)

here's the final result:

dyed with elderberries (dark old rose)- onion skin (fantastic orange)- poke weed (purple)- brambles (pink)

I love these colours, they look great together !

what do you think? 

lace merino dyed with poke weed

not washed yet

the same yarn - after it was washed and placed in full daylight for one week, but no sunlight

I'm quite happy with the results !

...

We went on a autumn walk and we saw this cute little goat 

:)

Here she is: Camille, my new knitting pattern...

While I was writing the pattern for my new shawl design for a kit from Renaissance Dyeing, (see post here)
I decided it was a good idea to knit the same shawl but in a thicker yarn and with different colours

Here is the result:

A symmetrical triangle shawl 

alternating ribbing, stripes and lace,

two versions: 

Fingering-Weight Medium                 and                Worsted-Weight Large

The fingering-weight - size medium:

the colours are: Purple Passion (dark-purple)- Pewter (grey) - Dill (green) - Ciel (light blue)

knitting needles: 2,5mm or 2,75mm (US 1½ or 2)

The yarn/pattern kit - size medium - is also available at Renaissance Dyeing 
(with the colours: dark purple/green/light blue/grey)
more info here

...

The worsted-weight - size large:

the colours are; grey, orange, purple and burgundy
knitting needles : 4 mm (US 6)

The pattern includes both fingering-weight and worsted-weight descriptions - more info here

I must say I'm quite proud of this new design

I'm very pleased with both my shawls

I've named the shawl Camille

after the french artist, Camille Claudel

(8 December 1864 – 19 October 1943)

She died 70 years ago this month

...

me with Camille at the Menhir du Cloître

Huelgoat - Brittany - France

how does one capture the colour changes ?

with a little help from the wind !

...

 I'm working on another new design,

a crochet scarf/cowl this time

very soon on this blog !

:)

...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,

more info here

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

...