Monday

That's a good title for the first post of the week, ne? =^v^=

Thank you for the compliments on my two cardigans, they will definitely be the essential parts of my Spring/Summer wardrobe. And I already decided what to knit with the blue Ultra Kasmir yarn, but more about it later this week. *^v"*

Krissie asked me about the sources of inspiration for my artwork - it's similar with the journal pages (these are mostly done on prompts) as well as with my paintings on canvases - sometimes I just catch some idea in my head and I just know what I want to put on the page before it's done, sometimes I just know a colour of two, or some element, and then when I work other bits and pieces come together. I always wondered how it happens that an artist paints such and such a picture - now I know, it just comes to you, whether before you started or in the course of working on it. I let my mind wander and catch the thoughts and images that want to stay for longer. And of course I look at the works of others, analyze them sometimes, learn the techniques, get to know the tools, experiment. *^v^*

This was a very fruitful weekend, how was yours? *^v^*
We mostly stayed at home, made things and watched movies (let me mention Thai "Last Life in the Universe" or "The Godfather" among others). Robert sewn by hand two pairs of medieval linen underwear for himself and I dug out three fabrics for the medieval dresses I'm going to make plus I finished the body of the Lords & Ladies cardigan. Yes, I know, it's knitting incredibly quickly! ^^ But with the sewing thread-like yarn held double and 4 mm needles it's not surprising. I am amazed how light it is - it weights only 82 g up till now! ^^

Today I'm starting the sleeves and I will have to buy one more skein of Luna to finish the lace parts. Good news is - the yarn doesn't pool! It gives a very nice effect of the sun spots on the darker green surface, yummy! *^v^*

***

Today I went totally bananas when I was coming home from grocery shopping - I was humming and singing all the way home and then even when unpacking the bags in the kitchen! *^v^* But the day is so beautiful and warm, and I was wearing my Capri cardi, so I couldn't resist. Plus, I've heard a good eco news in the L.Eclerc supermarket - as of tomorrow they've decided to stop supplying buyers with free thin plastic bags and they will be offering cheap multi use bags made of recycled sturdy plastic which can be replaced in the supermarket when they get tattered! How about that?! *^v^*

Now I'm going to put a moisturizing face mask on, relax a bit ad then start cooking a chicken soup for lunch. And cast on for the L&L sleeves, and cut out the pieces of the dresses from the fabrics I found on Sunday, and make laundry, and vacuum the carpets (the cat is loosing her Winter coat everywhere, ugh...), and do millions of other things. Go, me! =^v^=

My Craftivity

Let me proudly present my two recently finished cardigans:

Azalea from Rowan 41.
- started on 4th March, finished on 1st April
- 3 mm needles
- "Gloria" cotton by Anilux, some mohair from the stash


I love the colour (it dyed very evenly, not like Capri, I must say...) and although it's not exactly how I wanted it to be (as if too big, flowing around me, like on the model in the magazine) it's very comfortable and I'll be wearing it a lot. In fact, I already had it on for Wednesday's Women Circle and Thursday's meeting with friends at a restaurant! ^^.



Capri from Rowan 43
- started 22 March, finished 29 March
- 3 mm needles
- "Gloria" cotton by Anilux,

My camera did something crazy with the colour of this cardigan - it's not totally solid violet, but it's not THAT MUCH variegated! *^v^* It was a quick and nice almost mindless knitting project. Dyed twice to achieve an even colour but it wasn't meant to be with this violet. Anyway, I like it a lot!

All my orange "Gloria" is gone now. I made a Tomato top, Azalea cardi and Capri cardi out of 1 kg of yarn, how about that?! *^v^* Now I must find a good yarn for Lydia (I almost had it, but there was only one skein in the shop, yikes!...). For now I'm knitting Lords & Ladies with the "Luna" yarn I bought, but held DOUBLE and I'm a happy camper. ^^

***

Do you know the new craft community called My Craftivity? It's a great resource for artists and crafters of many kinds, there are groups with interesting discussions, free projects and patterns to download, prompts and contests, just see for yourself!
I joined the group called Mixed Media & Collage, took part in their March Challenge with my journal entry and... I won the book "The Art of Personal Imagery" by Coorey Moortgat! *^v^*
So, my dear Readers, follow my example and take part in different challenges, giveaways and contests, and win prizes! This book was on my Amazon wish list and now it's mine. ^^

I'm off to the kitchen to check upon the cheesecake I'm baking, have a great weekend! *^v^*

Baraka

Yesterday I didn't feel very well, so I spent the day on the sofa, knitting and drinking numerous mugs of Dilmah Ginger Tea (mixed with a juice from half a lemon and orange plus 1 tsp of honey). While playing with the TV remote I stumbled upon the amazing movie called "Baraka" (1992). It's a collection of shots taken all over the world, illustrated with a calming instrumental music. Some of the scenes are beautiful, some are interesting, some shocking. Overall this 1,5 hr of watching the changing pictures without a single word spoken left me incredibly silenced, grounded and balanced.
What came to my mind while watching this movie is the following: the more so-called "primitive" cultures are, the more colourful, patterned and embellished their jewelry and clothes are. Look at the Western cultures - the more civilized we regard ourselves, the more plain, simple, black and grey clothes we choose, and think about those as sophisticated and elegant (office suits, little black dress, minimalistic jewelery). Maybe it comes from the fact that we are surrounded by so many colours and patterns on every step in our cities, that we tend to withdraw from them on a more close-to-our-bodies level.
People living closer to Nature are usually surrounded by green grass, blue sky and water, brown trees and animal furs, so they long for colours and are not afraid to mix and match different shades and patterns to enliven their colour palette.
Just a thought. *^v^*

***

BTW, did I mention that I'm modifying the Lydia pattern? Not much, I just want it to be a bit unusual so I'm starting the sleeves with exactly the number of stitches that are supposed to be at the top part in the armpit after many increases. Is this understandable the way I put it? ^^ In this way I will not be bothered by the increases and I will end up with very wide at the cuffs, bell sleeves which I'm going to gather with a thread to get the right effect. The only problem is, I won't be knitting Lydia out of the blue Ultra Kasmir...

I started the sleeves and it doesn't look good, this yarn is just too thick... It looks okay-ish in stockinette but not in the lacy part, phew...
So, I'm ordering another thinner yarn (in different colour, because there is no nice blue shade available, yikes...) and the blue Himalaya must wait for some nice design (I already have some ideas, we will see).

On the other hand my ordered Luna yarn for Lords & Ladies arrived and it's too thin... It's a curse or something!.. I don't have access to KSH so I thought I would use the yarn with the same weight (metres per grams). It seems that it's not that simple.
Oh, boy!...

One more BTW, here is the weird knitting fact about myself - I like sewing up the pieces of the knitted garments! *^v^* I was scared to death by it before I made my first sweater and HAD TO sew it together. From that time mattress stitch is my best friend! =^v^=

You know that your husbands loves you when...

... he comes home and gives you a bag containing this:

saying "I thought you might like those, I didn't know what to choose so I chose your favourite flowers napkin for collage and a crackle paste and some roller for your art. And a chocolate." *^v^*


Some FOs for you, first of all, a pair of naalbinded socks I made for a friend:

***

Then, finally my three finished paintings! *^v^*
This is the new style, new me, as I said to Robert, the world of Nature crawled upon my canvases and wants to stay for a while, I'm calling them The Mysterious Garden series.



These are all 10x13 in mixed media paintings, using collage papers and napkins, everyday use objects and papers (like newspaper, ect), acrylic paints, ink, varnish.
There is one more painting almost finished and I'm out of canvases... I'm ordering new batch today and I'm going to experiment a bit - I'm enlarging the size of my paintings to see how I feel with bigger surfaces to cover! *^v^*

***

I also started next knitting project - because I bought the yarn for this one at the wholesaler before the green yarn for Lords&Ladies cardigan arrived, it's Lydia from Rowan 41 first. I decided to be brave and try out the blue colour. *^v^* (well, it was helpful that there were only red, maroon and ecru/pastels apart from that blue to choose from! ^^)

I bought Himalaya Ultra Kasmir yarn (340 m/100g) and I can see already that it's going to be a challenge because it has some long hair along the main thread. But it gave me a nice gauge so I will try it out.
I wanted to buy Polish Sasanka by Anilux (500 m/100g, very soft), but they had only 1kg packages and no blue shades. My second choice was Kartopu Tiftik (500 m/100g), but I touched my face and neck with it and it is scratchy, with 30% of mohair...

As for my UFO's, Azalea is almost finished (but it takes some time to knit the front band... You start with 400 stitches and increase the number to over 1000 stitches in the last row!...) and Capri (which needed a second dyeing session, the first one brought an awful spotted effect, I don't know why because Azalea dyed very evenly at the first attempt) needs the buttons.

PS.: I noticed some new readers leaving me nice comments recently - keep coming, I love visiting new blogs and finding new blogging friends! *^v^*

Colours

Because I'll be buying new yarn nowadays (and Myriam asked me about my favourite colours), I've been thinking recently about the colours I tend to choose.

It's definitely easy for me to say which colours I don't like: greyish dark blue, dull greys light and dark, anything ecru/light brown/undecided brown, pastels.

There are colours I like but don't wear very often, like yellow - it's a great colour but I cannot have it close to my face because my skin turns pale and yellowy shade...

There are obvious colours like black or white, although I don't have a single white blouse or t-shirt. I have one off-white cardigan.

My favourites are: all shades of red (but rather darker than light), all shades of pink/fuchsia/violet, light green, brick orange, warm chocolate browns. Blue is a strange colour - I like it and I like it on me, but I don't have it in my wardrobe.

Now when it's the time to choose the yarns for the next projects I still cannot break loose from that red addiction - I'm considering buying brick orange mohair for Lords&Ladies cardigan from Rowan 41 (above), but there is also a beautiful blue available and I'm scared to try it out... The "what-if" disease is bothering me, "what if it's not the good shade? what if I look poorly in it?" and "maybe I should buy the red/orange yarn to be on the safe side?".

I might buy blue for the Lydia sweater (also Rowan 41), which is blue in original and will be my next in line project.

I tend to stick to the good old tried out choices (like going out with my friend Anna to the cafe and ordering apple pie every time... she said last time laughing at me "Be brave, take a risk and eat something else!" but at the last moment I changed my order to an apple pie...). But to find my insecurities go out in the yarn shopping?... It's silly!

I already bought this shaded green and I'm not sure I've done the right thing - what if it's going to pool?... I'm waiting for my order to arrive so I'll know as soon as I make a swatch.

Do you have such problems with choosing the yarn? Do you make easy choices or think about what colours to choose endlessly, like me?

Land musings (and knitting)

Report from the knitting front: Azalea has been dyed and dried, and has one of the most exquisite colours I've ever seen!


I know this is not the most flattering shot of the cardigan but I just wanted to show you the colour, which is a dark juicy redbrick. Now I have to buy the longest circular 3mm needle available to finish the hems with mohair. (I only have 60 cm needle and it's not long enough to accommodate all the stitches).
The stitches loosened up in the dye bath so it will eventually remind the original version of this cardigan! *^v^*

Capri has now two sleeves, back and left front, right front still to knit (it will be tricky because I want to make buttonholes along the hem, not in the original design, so I have to distribute them myself).

Any minute now (probably next week ^^) I will be sooooo ready for Spring, with my two new cotton cardigans, but where is it?
This is the view from my balcony this morning - some Spring, ha!...

***

I've been thinking about my land (MY land, ha! *^v^*) constantly recently. We talked about it with our families over the Easter meetings and they were all excited. I know things hasn't moved on much since our visit there last weekend, but I can feel the Wheels of the Universe turn and this dream coming closer to realization.

I've been imagining not only the house there, but also the rose bush in front of the dining room window, the birdbath in the garden (but who needs a birdbath when there is a lake nearby?...), the magnolia tree next to the path leading from the gate to the main door, sunny deck with a blanket to rest on and read a book (and knit! and paint! ^^), listening to the sounds of the countryside - cows mooing, birds singing. I started to make a list of trees and plants I would like to grow there, both ornamental and for fruits.

I can see us living there and living a better, fuller life, along the different schedule and time scale. Funny thing - whenever we are at the Grandfather's cottage, we always wake up very early - 7 o'clock, and it is early, especially for me! ^^. As if we don't want to loose the day, irrespective of the weather or the activities we have planned.

And even if we don't buy this land, we will start to look for another one somewhere else, because we are tired of living in the city.

I cannot wait till 11th April, when we are going there for a weekend! *^v^*

Theatre

I won something incredible in the recent giveaway by Lindsay - her beautiful paper theatre (you can see it here)!
For some time I wanted to construct the type of a one-performer-theater with a small wooden frame, backpack type, and puppets, to show plays to children during the medieval events I'm attending. Unfortunately then I found out that puppet theaters are much, much younger than Xth or even XIIIth century, in fact they first appeared around XVIIth c, so I dropped this idea. Now, as I have lots of brads and will have this gem in my possession, it may boost my paper doll production and maybe I will create my own paper/wooden theatre for my own entertainment, who knows? *^v^*



On Saturday I started Capri's sleeves and I finished them last night, after three visits to our families (and lots of eating, lucky me Easter feasting is over and we can now go back to normal portions and three moderate meals a day, phew....^^).
Today I'm casting on for the Capri's back, dyeing Azalea and meeting my friend Anna for tea and cake at our place.
As for the Spring, when we drawn away the curtains this morning, we saw the world covered (and is still being covered) with snow!...

Ostara presents

Yes, it may not have been a tradition up till now, but I can easily adopt it from now on - I received some goodies this morning, so I will call them my Ostara/Easter presents! *^v^*


First, some mod podge from Carol (thank you very much! ^^):


Then, some more mod podge, and amazing selection of golden gel mediums, and beautiful brads, and a bunny postcard, and some collage papers, and a batch of zip lock bags from Myriam! Thank you so much! =^v^=

I will share the first experiments with all these soon, when I'm finished with Spring cleaning and finally have some time to play with my neglected paints and canvases (but there has been something going on with them, believe me, as well as in my journal, I just started a few things at the same time and haven't finished them yet, but I'll have a big batch of works to show you soon ^^).


I finished Azalea last night and I have some thoughts on that design:
- first of all, when I started to knit it I didn't think about the fact, that the model in the picture was wearing a cardigan two sizes too big for her, hence the beautiful effect of a romantic loose jacket, mine is rather tight, not too small, perfect for my size, but close to my body
- then, I made 30 cm of the cardi before I started to shape the sleeve decreases and it gave me a short version, barely reaching my hips - which again is okay but that's not what I saw in the picture
- on the other hand, I knit size 14 (which is my bust size) but it's too wide in the waist


So, as long as I like the result, at this stage it's not what I wanted to get. And I'm thinking about modifying the design and creating a short cardigan without the mohair edges (maybe?) but with some crocheting (maybe?), buttoned up or tied at the side (maybe?). *^v^*

I will decide after dyeing, because the yarn may loosen up in a hot bath and I may get quite a different cardigan after all. ^^ (remember, this is the last time you see Azalea in this crazy orange!)

And since I still have about 400 g of this orange cotton, I HAVE TO used it up on something, I cast on for the Capri cardigan from Rowan 43. I feel the need for a small sweaterlette (can it be such a word? ^^) in my wardrobe. =^v^=

Baking

Today new recipes for you: two cakes. *^v^*

First, Lemon Baba

Baba (woman) is a typical polish Easter cake. Baba can be made on yeast or with baking powder.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
  
• 1,5 cup flour
  
• 1,5 tsp baking powder
  
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
  
• 3,5 Tsp fresh lemon juice
  
• zest from 3 lemons
  
• 100 g melted cooled butter

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup icing sugar
  
• juice from 1/2 lemon
  

Preheat the oven to 175°C/360 F, prepare the baking form (any shape you prefer but the traditional baba form is seen above).

Mix flour, sugar and baking powder. Add slightly beaten eggs and mix into a smooth dough. In a separate bowl mix butter, cream, juice and lemon zest. Combine both mixtures together, pour it into the baking form and bake for about 1 hour (check with a toothpick after 40 minutes whether the cake is dry).

When the baba is ready, mix icing sugar and lemon juice and glaze it.

Orange cheesecake
Very easy to make and very yummy! *^v^*

Ingredients:

• 1 kg cream cheese
• 6 eggs
• 150 g butter, melted and cooled
  
• 2 Tsp potato flour
  
• 2 tsp baking powder
  
• 16g vanilla sugar
  
• 1,5 cup sugar
• juice and zest from 1 big orange
  
• raisins, nuts, if you want (I don't like them in a cheesecake)
  

In a big bowl mix cheese, melted butter, flour, both sugars, baking powder, orange zest and juice and egg yokes. Beat the egg whites into a stiff foam and carefully mix it with the rest of the mixture. Grease the baking form with butter and pour in the dough. Bake in 170 C/360 F for about 1 hour.

You may decorate it later with glazing or icing sugar.

I used one medium (24 cm) form plus some small rectangular forms, because I had to prepare one cheesecake for my parents and one for us. There was enough mixture for a lot of forms! *^v^*

Smacznego! *^v^*

BTW, the doily used in a photo session was made by my mother. ^^

Jare

According to the pagan calendar, today is the Spring Festival of Ostara or, as Slavic people called it - Jare (you pronounce it 'yare'), the First Day of Spring.

In the past, the rituals consisted of getting rid of Winter (often with loud shouting, using the whips and rattles, singing and playing loud instruments, and drowning the hay doll symbolizing Winter in the river), and then greeting Spring - people thoroughly cleaned their houses and gardens, washed their best clothing and baked festival cakes. Young boys gathered willow twigs to decorate houses.


One of the most important tradition was painting the eggs (called "pisanki") and then giving them as a gift to bring luck, fertility and abundance into the household. The egg was also used to "charm" the illnesses and cure the sick. The oldest known Polish pisanki come from Xth century!


People created colourful processions to the sacred hills where they feasted and celebrated beginning of Spring.
On the next day they washed themselves in sacred water and visited the tombs of their deceased relatives, bringing them food.

Spring is the time to do some cleaning after Winter, to clean up our houses from dust and clutter, and our minds "weeding out worn ideas and out-of-date beliefs so I can move forward in my quest to follow my bliss, live my passions, and manifest my dreams", as beautifully says Carla from Wings For You blog, which I highly recommend.
That's what I've been doing for the past few weeks - I cleaned and dusted some places in my small shaggy unloved apartment that were not touched for a long time (really long time, believe me!) I even removed the dried up mistletoe I had under my lamp since Christmas... (yes, I know!...) Up till now I wasn't inspired, I didn't like the place so I thought and cared about it as little as I had to. But then I started to think that maybe if I change/clean/refresh/redecorate some small things here and there - my poor existence in this flat may seem a bit nicer.
And it suddenly stopped being such a poor existence after all! *^v^*
Okay, it still isn't my favourite place to be, but living here started to be better and nicer surroundings definitely bring nicer attitude towards, well... everything. *^v^*

As for the "mind sweeping", I love the suggestion made by Violette : "You might even want to buy a brand new eraser to symbolize erasing the past or negative thoughts which tell you you're NOT an Artist." Or thoughts which tell you ANYTHING that keeps you from living your dream life. I bought one. ^^


I've been fighting my depressive negative thoughts and I think nowadays I'm winning more and more. Especially when I see things happening, realizing, fulfilling. There isn't a better dope than the fact that something is working right in front of our eyes! *^v^*

Happy Jare/Ostara/Easter to you! =^v^=