Hari-Kuyo Needlebook

If you remember my picture full of needles, or if you have noticed the badge on the right, you know what is coming...

   

I haven't posted much about it, by fear of spoiling the surprise in case you decide to follow Susan's next online course.

Just be assured that Susan is a good teacher, very patient, and generous at sharing her knwoledge.

If you can, do not hesitate to register in the next one!

And by all mean, visit her blog (click on the badge).

PS: fur has been gracefully added by the resident cats...

Patchwork in Sitges

In addition to meeting my daughter and Neki, the last weekend was the opportunity to go to the International Patchwork Festival in Sitges.
I'll post pictures of the exhibitions in this post and some more.
None of those pieces has been made by me, I was just a visitor... Let's start with
AEP - asociacion española de patchwork

 

Click below for detailswww.flickr.com More of Vero de la Fare's stuff tagged with aepasociacionespañoladepatchwork

A tiger in my plate

This is an unscheduled post, but I can't resist showing you what I found when I went for lunch today.
The coffee machines were watched over by this fierce tiger.

A panda was standing guard too.

And a Buddha

This was the Japanese day!

Everybody made it very special, and the food tasted good.
I won't question the accuracy of the decoration :-), their smiles is enough for me.

Thank you for your comments on my last post.
I appreciate the book, and of course the friendship attached to it, even more in those sad times.

Nettles in my book

A couple of days ago, I saw this post on Neki's blog, and well, I did hope I was the visitor she was expecting.
Because she does beautiful art, and this would mean she considers me her friend...

You guess it, I was indeed this visitor :-)
Look at the cover texture, and its little window, a gate to whatever I fancy (future, creativity, friendship...).

 The pages are weaven, nettles weaven. The touch is very soft. The embroideries are beautiful, and still another gate for dreams, inspirations, etc...

 We spent a whole day talking textiles, cooking, meaning of life, men, while enjoying the good weather and the sea, and the company of my daughter and her friend. You get the picture. Life is good!
Thank you so much Neki for this gift, and for those hours we shared. They mean a lot to me.

This is a little teaser for my next posts...

Speaking of life being good, the return to reality was bitter on Monday, when I heard that the same man who has killed three unarmed soldiers, and hurt one badly last week, has killed again yesterday morning at a school. A teacher, and his two young kids, then the headmaster's daughter who was running away. A teenager has been shot too. Cold-heartedly, without any hesitation, Chances are great he'll kill again. The victims of last week were either black or muslims, his victims of yesterday were jewish. Apparently a pure hate crime. I'm so sad for the families of his victims. Their sorrow must be unbearable. Because they lost loved ones, and because France did not protect them from hate and racism.
Please, take care, and don't hesitate to spread love around you...

Let's broom

Some of you have been curious about my broom crochet.
You'll understand better with a few pictures:

I did my first gauge with the size 10 needle, but it did not match the instructions. Before re-computing them, I tried with the big pencil, and it was much better.

You wrap loops on your broom this way (in truth, to the end of the row, but I was a bit lazy ...)
 Note that you work from left to right on the first row, and from right to left on the following. No turn!

On the following row, you take 6 loops on your crochet
Throw the yarn over the crochet, then pull through the loops


do 6 single stitches on the loops

and repeat on the 6 next loops

Repeat those two rows as wanted.

Regarding the Internation Women's Day, Lisa mentions she never heard of such a day. And I'm not surprised.
Frankly I did not pay attention until now. And it is often presented as another commercial day. This is especially true in France where it is shortened to Woman's day, like in Mother's day, but with less impact. It is often seen as a commercial day, with special offers in shop, enticing women to buy more on that day, and men to offer flowers. The exact wording in France is International day for the rights of women, that makes a big difference.
Due to the crisis? due to DSK? due to both? French feminist blogs have noticed that there are fewer commercial ads, and more feminist events this year. Anyway, apart from one or two TV channels (Arte had two very good films, one about the male domination in everyday life, one about suffragettes) I did not hear much about the rights of women...

Enjoy your weekend!

International Women's Day

Yesterday was the Internation Women's Day, dedicated to women's rights.

To be honest, it is the first time I pay attention, and participate.  Until I heard the comments in France following May14th, I thought French women were "almost" equal. At this occasion, I realized that this is not the case, in many domains, and this brought me to Marseille at the end of the afternoon yesterday for a walk to defend our rights. It was the occasion to meet women and men from different backgrounds, with a strong belief that things have to change, and willing to help.

The walk started from the Vieux Port (the harbour in the center of town) and ended at the Prefecture.

 

(I'm not sure this is eco-friendly, but the sight is beautiful. It was still early, with a lot of activities going on. I don't know if they switch the lights off for the night. I do hope they do.)

misc

Hello everybody!

Thank you all for your comments on Marseille. Did I tell you that Marseille is going to be the Culture Capital in 2013? I wonder if we will be ready in time...

I'm not pleased with blogger. It is not only impossible to post from the Ipad, or at least in an easy way, but I can't even moderate the comments from the Ipad. Sigh. This is a partial explanation to my lack of blogging recently...
There are more reasons however.

Phildar had sales on silk yarn, months ago. I purchased some to make a sweater. Well, I was not pleased with the result, and did not even wear it once. During the last knitting tea party, ladies reminded me that undoing is better than hidding. Besides, I had purchased or was given some Interweave Knit or Crochet magazines, and I saw this Green Chai Cardi. As a result of both, I spent part of my weekend looking for the failed sweater, and undoing it. Then reading the explanations. They are a bit intimidating, because of all the abbreviations, and a complete different way to explain the stiches. But they are very clear (up to now, at least). And I learnt a new crochet foundation "Foundation Single Crochet", that I love. I learnt to crochet with a broom too. Below is the top of my gauge in broom lace pattern. 

The yoke is crocheted with a broom. I woul like to finish the yoke very quickly, so that I can take it with me to crochet in the bus, without traveling with a broom (you know, nowadays witches try to be more discrete). The yoke is made from bottom to top. Then crochet resumes from top to bottom, with another pattern. Hence the need of the foundation single crochet.

So, back to the crochet and the broom!

Take care all!