brainy-yarns

[brainy-yarns]

Melody Scarf

This scarf was created as a mother’s day gift to my mom, it is a soft and airy design and therefore suitable for mild tropical winters. Considering she lives in Brazil, and enjoys tints of pastels with sophisticated patterns, I have chosen lace crochet as technique and a very thin mohair-silk blend yarn to reach a delicate look and a soft touch.

The scarf was meant to feel as a feathery hug, brought by a distant breeze and was fully elaborated with that in mind. For the design I have chosen to use only three stitches to keep a sense of refined simplicity. Crocheting it, however, was anything but simple. The thin brushed yarn must be carefully worked, its vulnerability makes any entanglement and mistakes very challenging to be fixed. The result, though, is a very comfy piece, which resembles the lovely essence of a mother’s day.

The Yarn Star:

Drops Kid-Silk (75% mohair, 25% silk) uni colour 12 - 2 balls.

The Design:

Row 1:  chain 63 (or any multiple of  3)

Row 2:  bromstitch set of  3 -  until end of the row

Row 3:  single crochet in each stitch

Row 4: treble crochet in each stitch

Row 5 to the end: repeat from row 2 to row 4 until desired length

Finishing: The edges were finished with picot stitch.

[brainy-yarns]

Tuscany

The Tuscany mandala was made and elaborated as a gift, and handmade gifts often bring the intention to aggregate nuances of the receiver's personality on it. Personally I find this one of the most pleasant steps into the gift creation process.

This 12 side mandala  with 80 cm diameter was totally inspired by the Italian landscape. The Italian ancestry of the receiver was the starting point for the choice of the colours palette.  Looking to express the vibrance so characteristic of this country with its sunsets in blush tones;  light pink and peach were chosen as the highlighting colours while a dark olive green and a mint pastel, representing the vast olive trees fields, set the basis colours for the mandala .

The receiver self helped to choose  the yarns and to determine the vibrance of the tones. A collaborative process that enriched the project’s execution. For larger mandalas many times a robust center is required in order to provide a strong foundation. Therefore I mostly use a round wooden block for mandalas larger than 70 cm. The experimentation with the decoration of this center is usually very fun. For this piece, I extended the original inspiration from the olive tree fields to produce a small leaves bush made in clay, at the end I was very satisfied with the result, and working with the chosen palette was paradoxically very calming and energising at the same time.

Inspiration:

“If the Olive Trees knew the hands that planted them, Their Oil would become Tears.”

Mahmoud Darwish

[brainy-yarns]

Priscilla’s Beanie

It was another lovely Christmas eve evening, when I got from my husband three gorgeous  Lang Yarns 100% cashmere skeins in a light salmon/sand color. So warm, so soft…I couldn’t wait to start a project. But here comes the dilemma I often face with new yarns: I get emotionally attached to them, specially if they are a gift from my beloved one. Then I start thinking how to transform this precious raw material in a project that truly deserves this yarn. Obviously, my initial thrill for starting, becomes a long research process, that can take months until I finally gather my needles and make the first stitches.

That was definitely the case, I researched and researched and finally I got the clarity I was looking for within my own self. To give you some context: in a quick internet search one can find that the meaning of the name Priscilla is associated with words as venerable, ancient, classical, primordial and past, and usually, for merely fun purposes, I associate this fact to my genuine interest in all subjects related with history and heritage. In this way, I got the insight  I needed, the project’s design would be inspired by the primordial origins of the craft making a tribute to its milenar heritage, and then the decision was easily made - the project should contain parts made in Bosnian Crochet - well known for being probably the oldest form of crochet.

At last the constructions of the beanie begun. I crocheted the most part of the piece in single crochet to fit my head where the last single crochet rows were a bit wider, and then I finished the piece in Bosnian Crochet. The sequence of slip stitches resulted in a tighter and textural fabric, this added a subtile and elegant detail while keeping the minimalist structure.

The Yarn Star:

Lang Yarns Cashmere Classic - 3 skeins in color 722.0096

The Design:

I shall apologise for the lack of a complete pattern for a range of sizes. It was an experimenting process and I didn’t focus on laying down all necessary pattern parameters, however I share some steps that can help you to achieve a similar design:

Step 1: Make a beanie in single crochet customised to your head circumference by following Ashley great set of instructions.

Step 2: Stop crocheting in single crochet around 5cm from the desired length.

Step 3: Make more two single crochet rows with increases.

Step 4: Make rows  in Bosnian Crochet until the desired length. Here you can find a great video tutorial on this technique

[brainy-yarns]

Sapphires Gardens

This mandala was created as another handmade gift. In this case, the goal was to reach a classical and refined decoration piece that would provide balance and calmness to the space.

The receiver’s birthday opens the month of September and this gave me the necessary hint to chose the colours palette. Traditionally, since ancient times, months are associated with gemstones, sapphires are up until now considered September’s birthstones, its strong blue became then the inspiration to set the basis for this piece.

The rest of the palette and the creation process itself was inspired by an eastern old legend on sapphires beautifully described  by Jo Bergstrom.

“More than two millennia ago, a people called Khmer lived in Burma, now Myanmar. Their biggest temple was dedicated to the Golden Goddess, Tsun-Kyan-Kse, who had blue sapphire eyes.

The story goes that inside the temple, under the Golden Goddesses’ protection, lived hundreds of brown and black temple cats. One of them, a dark brown cat, was called Sinh. He was the devoted pet of the temple’s wisest monk, the Grand Lama.

One fateful night, while the Grand Lama prayed alone, the temple was attacked by Thai invaders. In cold blood, they murdered the Grand Lama. That’s when Sinh, the Lama’s faithful cat, put his paws on his dear master’s body and lifted his gaze to the statue of the Golden Goddess which stood in the middle of the temple.

Instantly, an incredible transformation took place. Sihn’s dark fur turned golden, and his eyes became two blazing blue sapphires. Instantly, the powerful magic drove away the enemies, never to return again.”

The earthy browns and beiges symbolise the protective brown cat, while the center decoration ornament was chosen to represent a golden flower which irradiates the magic coming from the golden goddess to the loyal pet.

The refined but consciously modest look of this mandala, reflects the most beautiful characteristics of the receiver’s personality in my view, at the same time,  the loyalty and caring concepts as presented by the Khmer’s legend, mirrors the qualities that the receiver continuously exercises.

Looking at people as the inspiration source to my weaving work is mostly liberating, to dig into one’s inner qualities and characteristics make me feel closer to the shared human essence, and I feel grateful for the feelings coming from this experience.

[brainy-yarns]

We are Knitters - Doughnut beanie and snood - knit kit

In my search for great yarns, designs and techniques, I usually find the idea of kits extremely helpful. Kits are a great way to learn about the characteristics of  new materials and designs, at the same time that they give you the tranquility to execute a project without needing to research for patterns or to engage in new creations.

During busy times they are also a great way to keep your hands working, considering you can immerse yourself immediately into the flow without practically any planning. I love kits, and I confess they are ranked  really high on my list of favorite gifts to receive, only losing for high quality, luxury, and special yarns skeins  (*・‿・)ノ⌒*:･ﾟ✧.

When we talk about kits, there are some pretty cool brands excelling in great modern ones, with high quality yarns and exquisite colours. We are knitters. It is definitely one of these brands. They have very young, fun and cool designs and their yarns have a very good quality. I got to know their materials through the Doughnut beanie and snood - Knitting kit, a joyful and vibrant project.

This kit is sent with 2 skeins of their petite wool yarn composed of 100% Peruvian sheep wool, each one in a different colour. You can choose a variety of color combinations what makes each project considerably unique. I have chosen the aquamarine and maple colours, very similar to those shown in their display photo’s, I really loved the vibrance and I went for it.

The pattern booklet comes in 5 different languages, the explanations are very clear and point to link addresses for extended video tutorials. Besides, they also send wooden knitting needles, a set of tapestry needles for seaming purposes and textile labels. Last but not least the knitting stickers sheet that comes with the kit puts a smile on the face of those opening their first pack. I have made a short unboxing video (see below ) in order you can have a taste of joy you can get. Happy knitting!!!

[brainy-yarns]

Scarf Himalaya

The feelings of a white cold weather have continuously populated my imaginary through the time, perhaps because I am originally from a country where the winter is almost unreachable. However the presence of  imposing mountains with chilling breezes and breathtaking views were a constant in my life even back in those days.  This scenery has completely changed during my adult life when I migrated to my beloved current home: The Netherlands. Now, I enjoy the delightful sensation of a cold and often white winter, but the views from top became a memory. 

As an attempt to bring the two landscapes together I knitted the Himalaya scarf, a classic, extremely soft and warm piece entirely done in herringbone stitch. The scarf represents my own emotions when high mountain tops become colder and colder and end up in white peaks. To represent  these emotions a nude colour palette would be nothing but appropriate. The yarn chosen was the Drops Cloud Mix, a blend of alpaca, polyamide and wool in two base colours -  wheat and white cream. Two thirds of the scarf where knitted in the darker color representing the climbing path to the peak, while the third part was finished with the light color, when we finally reach the whitened top.

The Yarn Star:

Drops Could Mix - 72% alpaca, 21 % polyamide, 7% wool

I used 2 skeins of color 2 - wheat (beige) and

1 skein of color 1 - white cream

The Design:

The scarf was entirely done in herringbone stitch consisting in 180 rows.

Row 1-120: knitted in colour 2(wheat)

Row 120-180: knitted in colour 1(white cream)

Inspiration:

“And if these mountains had eyes, they would wake to find two strangers in their fences, standing in admiration as a breathing red pours its tinge upon earth’s shore. These mountains, which have seen untold sunrises, long to thunder praise but stand reverent, silent so that man’s weak praise should be given God’s attention.” (Donald Miller)

[brainy-yarns]

Serene Mandala

The ancient, almost universal and cross cultural symbolism of mandala’s has always fascinated me. The intricate repetitive patterns, shapes and vibrant colours captivate one’s attention effortless. The deep psychological symbolism as investigated by the Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung shows the powerful effects of these figures as a mean of expressing the Self even in terms of therapeutic purposes.

When I first got a glance at an Ojos de Dios (in English - God’s Eyes - a woven kind of Mandala) I was immediately captivated. I felt a need to learn more about this technique, and I wanted to make it a part of my meditative practices. Almost simultaneously, I got in contact with the works of Jay Mohler and  Bel Mattos  the one who became my mentor.

Bel is a dear friend,  and it was through her textile, feminist and therapeutic art that I could immerse in this incredible universe of woven mandala’s. When the knowledge is passed from such a dear one it tastes nothing less than the heaven. ❤

According to Jung mandala’s are the graphic representation of the Self and in his own words:

“In the products of the unconscious we discover mandala symbols, that is, circular and quaternity figures which express wholeness, and whenever we wish to express wholeness, we employ just such figures. ” Carl  Jung

The Serene mandala was without a doubt the piece where I could find my wholeness. It was not my first Ojo de Dios, but I dare to say it was the evolution of my Self expression. Many of my mandalas have very light coloured centers and they find vibrance when moving towards the edge. In this piece however, the light colours were harmonically spread, the pastels kept the tone, and it felt as the energy was finally in balance. 

I adore this work, it reminds me that a balanced Self  always can bring us peace.