Slofjes by Cupcakes
I absolutely love knitting. I started knitting when I was eight, and still have my knitting box tugged under the bed where I keep all leftover yarn and many unfinished projects that proved too ambitious (but I am sure I will finish them some day…). Never mind colors and designs. In my early knitting days I was more concerned with volume than fashionable knits. Going through my old knits I can hardly believe some of my initial patterns, it is funny how your own taste changes over time.
During my pregnancy I developed an unstoppable urge to knit all sorts of baby stuff, but mostly ‘slofjes’ which is Dutch for half sock and half shoe, for my baby’s first steps. It is now a complete collection that I call ‘Cupcakes’.
Cupcakes are great presents for my pregnant friends. If you like them you can order a pair for your baby, just send me an email. The yellow ones remind me of Dutch wooden shoes. For me knitting is like yoga, the ideal day dreaming exercise. Basic knitting techniques are really easy to master, it is completely intuitive, and great fun too, so pick up those needles (if you haven’t already) and start knitting! Please keep me posted on your knitting projects, I would love to see your work (both finished and unfinished of course…)
To 'dye' for colors
In Toronto I met Andrea Tung. She is a lovely person and a very creative knitter. Andrea not only makes her own patterns, she also develops her own alpaca yarn. Andrea's label is Fable. The yarns are beautifully soft and great to knit with. The colors are specially dyed for Fable. My favorite colors are natural white, lakeview and peach blue. Coral and sea foam are especially nice for scarves and baby knits. For the scoop on what's hot in contemporary knitting visit Andrea's blog.
Knits for the home
My absolute favorite. Caroline’s Bickett’s 'hand knits for the home' has great and easy to do patterns to make your home look even more fabulous. I like all of her designs and she combines everything I love about knitting. Her designs give a warm and finishing touch to your furniture. Start with a pillow, it is basically two big knitted squares sewn together, you can’t go wrong! If you feel more daring, put some beads on the yarn and create your own special design, fumbling with the beads can drive you mad but it looks really nice when it is done.
{beautiful images by Damian Russell are scanned from my own copy of the book, unfortunately no website}
Home-made patterns
I am sure you remember Marieke’s beautiful work from Treats and Treasures. She is also a passionate knitter. Marieke makes her own patterns and some of them are posted on her blog. I especially like the hat that can hold of your hair but still lets you flash those curly locks. It is great to see that knitting is spreading in the Netherlands. For long the Dutch associated knitting with their grandma’s grandma, but no longer, contemporary knitting is catching on fast!
Eggmercantile
In Amsterdam you can buy really nice wool at eggmercantile. Joshua and Steven get their wool from women that live in the rural areas of Uruguay. Their beautiful store is located on the 'Lelie gracht' in the heart of the Amsterdam canal area. Wool is not all they sell. Eggmercantile is all about getting the right idea for a special gift for your friends and family, or just to spoil yourself once in a while. I hope to show you more of the lovely products they carry very soon. And before I forget, they also sell some of Lotta Jansdotter’s stationery!
In the Loop
If only there were more stores like Loop in London. I have not been there yet, but just looking at the store pictures brings you in the mood for knitting. Fortunately, they let us shop on-line but nothing beats going through piles of yarn and enjoying a knitting lesson with your friends.
Another nice thing about Loop is that they allow designers to show their work on-line.
{blankets by Samantha Holmes, teapot by Ruth Cross, toys by Monty}
Alpaca
Have you ever seen an alpaca? It is not a sheep, looks more like a lama to me, but they don’t spit, so they tell me. Alpacas give up their hair only once a year. The great thing about alpaca yarn is that it is so incredibly soft, does not itch or smell as strong as wool. The biggest alpaca farms are in South America in countries like Peru. I really like the yarns by Blue Sky Alpaca. They have an idea kit with samples of every yarn they offer. So many beautiful yarns and so little time to try them all.
And here are my baby's little feet......
I hope you enjoyed Bloesem's first weekend read. The next weekend read will be about one of my favorite cities in the world....Amsterdam!
{ps. a special thanks to my wonderful husband who did quite a bit of editing}
