Viewing Weaving

I came up with this simple weaving loom ... Takes about two minutes max to prepare. All you need is an insulation board (tougher than styrofoam), long pins (i used T-pins) and a graph paper. Just follow the pictures. Great fun. Hope you enjoy :)

Et voila!

Jean Paul Gaultier ~ Model Erin O'Connor 

Überlieferte Strickmuster

Überlieferte Strickmuster aus dem Steirischen Ennstal (originally a series of three booklets) translates as Traditional Patterns and Garments from the Styrian Enns Valley (in Austria) and is amalgamated into one volume printed in English : Twisted-Stitch Knitting.

In November 2010, I had started THIS project and knitted all the way to THIS, until it was completely deserted for three years :(

It was not a difficult decision to unravel the whole thing into various pink balls and make a new start.

Twisted-stitch knit is more comfortable in the round but can also be knitted flat (was too tiring and complicated for me as a beginner). 

There are 174 patterns in the book(s) ... I improvised mine and am using DPNs, knitting my sweater in the round.

The Heel Flap

The Heel

Now I need a break before I proceed with the other pair. Knitting with small size needles is tiring ... I plan to knit the body for the Mexican edging :)

Seems I'm in my sock knitting gear until it is too warm to want to touch or even want to see anything wool ... Improvised this pattern and had to unravel the first trial that was already five inches; the needles were too big ( 3 mm ) for what I planned for and dropped the size to 2 mm ... This reminds the importance of  sparing time for the gauge ... The yarn is hand-dyed from Lorna's Laces ( Shepherd Sock Yarn ~ Color 901 Baltic Sea ) and a pleasure to knit with.

Following my post of January 27, here are more photos of the new pair I started knitting after a long break. Already happily worn and keeps very warm :)

This beautiful pattern is called Mexican edging. I always wanted to give it a try but never had the courage. It is indeed complicated; however with a bit of concentration, fun to knit. Plus the outcome makes me happily dizzy :) I used the wild silk yarn from Madagascar. Three of them measures to 28 cm (11') which is a good width for a scarf. 

Back into knitting socks ... Three years now and I'm afraid I do not remember everything, though I remember the starting stitches. The pattern is a free one from Ravelry, Lace Socks by Gerdine Crawford-Strong. Actually I only used the lace pattern, not the socks design itself. I am knitting exactly a copy of what I had with my first socks project. Enjoyed using it and the pair is still in great shape. 

An Iraqi girl stands on former marshland, drained in the 1990s because of poltically motivated water policies ~ Φοτο Essam Al-Sudani

Marsh Arabs and the very interesting stories behind ... How a heaven is turned into hell. Read the story in three sections here and learn about Mustarjil; gender in the Marshes. Interesting!

Su Bedevileri ve Mustarjil ... Şattülarap’ın Basra’ya döküldüğü sulak bölge; binlerce yıllık bir yaşam, gelenek ve Saddam'ın laneti olarak özetlenebilir ... Mustarjil, bedevilerin tanımı ile, dünyaya kadın olarak gelen, lakin bir erkeğin yüreğini taşıyan ve bir erkek gibi saygı gören, onun gibi yaşayanlara verilen ad. Bir çok ileri topluma göre, bu farklılık ile uyum içinde yaşayan Su Bedevileri ve yaşam alanları, sazlardan yaptıkları inanılmaz evler.

This shoe is designed by Joseph Gerger but is closely related to Frida Kahlo. Frida continues to inspire artists; this time a fashion designer Susanne Bisovsky. Check her webpage to see ( I and II ) some wonderful creations with a chic folkloric touch.

I must confess, my eyes were totally attracted to the background decor more than anything else. Dizzy with the richness and colors of my favorite pastime; antique needlepoint!

Metallic Embroidery

This is brilliant ... Severija Inčirauskaitė-Kriaunevičienė, a Luthuanian artists, stitches on metallic objects, that are mostly out of use. She drills holes and then as we all do, stitches on them. Click on her name to see more and HERE to watch the video.

Ekşi Toz ~ Sour Flavouring

Koruk suyu paylaşımımı takiben, çıkan posayı birkaç gün gölgede kuruttum ve bugün çekirdeklerinden ayırdım ~ Following my post on unripe grape verjuice, the leftover pulp is finally dry and today, I removed the seeds.

Bir dakika bile sürmedi, blenderdan geçirdim ve aşağıda ikinci çanakta gördüğünüz toz haline geldi. Tadına baktım, koruk kadar olmasa da, nispeten hafif bir ekşilik var. Bu arada, koruk suyunun birinci kavanozu bitmek üzere. Salatalara kullanıyorum ve lezzetini anca tadan bilir. Kesinlikle tavsiye ediyorum, deneyin, pişman olmayacaksınız ~ In blender, less than a minute, my sour flavouring is ready. The taste is indeed sour but milder and surely dryer than the verjuice. By the way, have been using the verjuice in salads ever since and it is delicious. I highly recommend that you try making some for yourself. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Farkındalık ~ Awareness

Cogito Ergo Sum
Düşünüyorum, o halde varım ~ I think, therefore I am

Evet, düşündükçe varsın ... Düşünme yetini de, sadece kendi varlığın için kullanırsın ... Lakin, seni insan yapacak olan haslet, FARKINDALIK'dır ... Farkındalık, evrimin düşünen hayvana son hediyesidir!

Yes, you think, therefore you are ... Your ability to think is your sole tool for existence, limited to your own survival ... However, AWARENESS is a step forward to make you a better human ... Awareness is the last gift of evolution, granted to the thinking animal!

Knitting Samplers ~ Strickmuster ~ Breirol

Bunların Türkçe'de bir karşılığı olduğunu sanmıyorum, zira bildiğim kadarı ile Anadolu kültüründe böyle bir uygulama yok. Çeşitli örgü örneklerinin ince ve uzun şeritler halinde muhafazası için Avrupa'da, özellikle Almanya, Hollanda ve Avusturya'da kullanılmış bir yöntem. 1900'lu yıllar ve öncesinde bugünkü dergiler olmadığı için, genç kızların, hanımların örnek saklama yöntemi. Hepsi pamuk ile ve 1 mm ya da 2 mm şişler ile örülmüş. Daha yün olanına rastlamadım. Büyük bir olasılıkla zamana ve güveye en dayanıklı doğal malzeme pamuk olduğu için. Genelde beyaz, bej renkler kullanılmış (ya da beyazlar zamanla sararmış). Elimdeki elli küsur parçanın (birkaç tane tığ ile işlenmiş örnek de dahil) en uzunu 3.5 küsur metre. Bir-iki istisna hariç, enleri ise 6 ila 10 cm arasında değişiyor ~ This is what I was able to collect over the years Now, the question is, as these samplers are very specific to Europe and people here in Turkey think they are edgings of some sort :) I am wondering what to do with them in near future, before I eventually and inevitably dissappear. I need to find a good home for these babies. The longest in my collection is a little over 3.5 meters. Their width vary between 6 to 10 cm except for a few wider versions. Majority are knitting samplers but do have crochet samplers too. Ages vary between 19th and early 20th.