earth day

scottish island beauty.

something to realise ourselves

This information graphic appeared in my beloved newspaper Trouw last Tuesday. Their graphic designer Michel van Elk is really good. It's a stunning image about our water footprint. A simple way of showing the impact of our current lifestyle. To make us conscious about our choices and think before we decide. Knowing all this doesn't make life easier, and it could make us feel guilty about everything we do, buy, eat etcetera. Don't feel guilty, just realise that your choice CAN make a difference and act like that!

beautiful natural fibres

Knitting with different types of fibre is a real challenge. I've experienced linen, rope, grass, seaweed and different types of wool; hand-spun, thick, thin, smooth and sticky. One of the most challenging is the original Harris Tweed yarn. Made for weaving rather than knitting, and very sticky. It comes on big cones in melanges of blues and browns. I sometimes also use it on the machine, and that's even harder. It breaks easily. But the result is always beautiful. The rich natural colours and the structure of the yarn make an interesting fabric. In the latest issue of Bloom is this article about natural and special fibres used by Nanna van Blaaderen. She's also inspired by naturals, just as I am. She works with hand-knits for clothing and protecting, I use the techniques and yarns for objects we collect around us. It's great to experiment with sizes and surfaces, and to make objects that matter and are wished for.