Gifts for the Holiday..Kaffe is Back..

When we were in Utrecht with my class, we also went to a pop-up shop named: DepArtmentStore..just opposite the museum.
Packed with all kind of beautiful Handmade design..

And there he was...
Waiting for me to be taken home..
I couldn't resist..

His name is: Karel-Jan.
He is made by Lammers en Lammers..
And he now lives happily in our house.

Don't know exactly why I fell for him?
Perhaps the Sweetness of it..the little cut out heart..
The Nostalgic feeling he gave me...
The little golden boat on his head, which looks like a crown.. (In my youth I have made loads of those paper boats)..

Anyway..he is now standing in the window, but I hope to have a better place for him.
Inbetween 2 windows, so he can look down on the crowd..

Perhaps his little sister with her red shoes will accompany him one day..

Ofcourse I will knit the coming weeks..
I have finished the Stripe and Dotts scarf..
My Odinn needs more knitting..
There is a FairIsle vest...

And I want to read..

Reading...
In the last year knitting has taken it over..
I find it hard to concentrate.
Ofcourse I did read over the last years, but not that many books I used to read.

When I discovered reading as a small boy, you could find me always next to a pile of books from the library..
I just loved reading..Addicted you can say..
From typical Dutch Children books as: De Kameleon till The Little House on the Prairie..
De Scheepsjongens van Bontekoe till Niels Holgersson..

But now I have found the Perfect Book that combines it all..

"Dreaming in Colour" the autobiography by Knittinghero Kaffe Fassett.

Packed with colour you can say..inside and outside..
This man has such a great feeling for colour.
He is next to all his designs a very colourfull man himself.

Featured are also interesting life-adventures from this very special man..

( I am sure what would have happened when I would have ran into him..what a beautiful eyes this man has!)
I have read some parts already..
It is Very VERY GOOD and honest.
And it is lavsishly illustrated..

I have some more books by him..

Glorious Knitting I bought 2nd hand in Dublin..and it is those pages I really like..

Where you can see how he gets his inspiration..it is all comes from good and sharp looking around..

Glorious Needlepoint I bought 2nd hand in Glasgow..and it also brings beautiful items as this cushion-cover..

Some years ago we went to see his exhibition in the ModeMuseum in Hasselt.
Everything was there..knitting..embroidery..quilts...and..
He himself..

While watching a beautiful documentary about a trip he made to India and Vietnam he was sitting in front of us..drawing and writing in a notebook..
(I have lost the DVD The Colour Quest...Silly me, but I vividly see the scene where he changes plastic buckets on a market..and yes it looked better..very inspirational that DVD..)

Normally I would have said something, but strangely for me I didn't dare to do that at that moment..
I still regret that..
Here I some snaps I took from that exhibition..Knitting, Embroidery and Quilts..
Beautiful!!

 

Not sure if I ever will knit or quilt a colourfull piece after a pattern from Kaffe..but he is inspirational I think for knitters all around the Globe..
It is tempting..really tempting..
Who knows what 2013...or 2014..2015..will do with that idea..