For the Love of Textiles

Yes, I am the proud owner of a "Handmade by Me Silver Ring" . It was all pretty exiting this morning and my andrenaline went sky high. My ring had become in the stage of finishing. I needed to stamp a text in it..and the sentence was: LOVE IS ALL AROUND . A sentence with a few meanings for me such as: In my -and our- private life there is at the moment a lot of Love around us . This ring is Round  and I Love it. To have a Love Around in life is very important, and I have this for almost 30 years. So after figuering out where to stamp... It was time to get into Action... Not easy to stamp this on this kind of roling pin which holds the ring. And ofcourse I made a mistake.. which Jeanette fixed for me.. And the text came..with some help and some extra bashing on the outside of the ring.. Next step....The PolishMachine... And.. Action.. (Watch those Fabulous Glasses... A shiney ring appeared.. And at the en...

No Tijm ..you don't need to be afraid that I will stop knitting.. Last week I bought this practical basket made out of felt to keep everything togehter. Usually my knitting is all around the house, but this basket is doing the trick for me. It now contains all yarn needed for my "on the needles sweater". I think knitting might be with me for the rest of my life... Perhaps..at some times I won't knit that much, but I am almost sure that something will be on the needles.. Knitting helps me in a way to keep everything in balance at this stage in my life. Last year I was bitten by "The LaceBug", but all of  a sudden that Bug is gone.. No lace for the moment. No complicated patterns please... Simple...Knit and purl stiches.. Sometimes boring, but that is all I can do at the moment.. So, I am knitting this Bleu Sweater based on a Fisherman smock. Something like my jeans shirt from Cos. Pattern as mentioned before...Warriston by Kate Davies....

This morning I had my 2nd lesson from the Goldsmith-course..  And again.. An Awsome Experience ... Under the wachfull eyes from Jeanette, my  ring have gone a few steps further. Not ready yet, but maybe next week I will the proud owner of a "Handmade by Me" Ring. It all started this morning by getting the ring in a perfect round shape, so it would fit around my finger. All what is needed is a Hammer..and a metal stick to put the ring around.. Than the Banging and Bashing could start... Usually that always goes much better if you take someone in your mind whom you don't like...(No, that is not you Dear reader) Measuring was the next step...by placing it on a kind of ring measure stick...(must ask the name next week) Both sides should be equal ofcourse... So..More Bashing ...and More BASHING ... Till it did Fit...and till it was perfectly round.. Question: The sides of the ring have raw edges.. Answer: File...and file more.. A...

This afternoon was the opening of the Exhibition "Rituelen" at the Stedelijk Museum in Zwolle. My neighbour Ellen Korth was one of the participants of the exhibition.  She has made that beautiful book with the title: Utilité.  I have written a blogpost about that book which can be read HERE . I am in that book featured with a photo while I am knitting in our livingroom.  It is a very good photo.. Just before we went on holiday Ellen told me that that photo was chosen to be on the invitation and the poster of the exhibition.  I was very pleased for her ofcourse, because I think that photo is very good and I shows me the way I am. Knitting in front of a painting. But...there was more to come.... At the entrance of the exhibition... Have a look at this.... That is BIG...Really BIG... I had taken yarn and needles with me.. Forgot to change into that striped shirt..or...the stripes just went the other way... But...here am I knitting in front of.....

Holiday is almost over.. 7 weeks of wearing sandals and shorts... Tomorrow my working-life starts again... Waking up at 5.45 and getting back in that routine.. I am a bit nervous how things will go.. Work combined with the situation at home... Over the last weeks Bram's condition is going down very fast.. Walking is getting very difficult, which is not very practical in a house with 2 staircases.. So therefor we get a stairlift which will be placed this coming thursday His energy is very low...and I am afraid that he might fall and break something.. He is very fragile... So we get more care from the nurses from Buurtzorg. Twice a day and maybe more the coming weeks.. We'll see how it will go... So it feels rather difficult, and different to go back to work this time... The coming week will be filled with meetings, writing on a project and tasks..and inbetween that: visits to the hospital on Wednesday and Thursday...and on Friday an excursion to Amsterdam.....