Thursday 21 February 2013

Big news

Apart from a couple of posts about the Joies d’artista expo, I have been quite silent. Truth is... something was going on!


We bought a house! as in, really a house (I have always lived in apartments), with garden and everything! It hasn't really sunk in yet. We still don't have the keys, that will still take at the latest two months, and then hopefully we will do some renovations before we move in, several months later. It needs central heating and roof isolation at the very least.



The house was built in 1932 to 35 (no clear records) and preserves most of the original features. These beautiful terrazzo* tiles are on the ground floor.

Apart from the roof, the central heating boiler and gas installation, we want to do everything ourselves. My partner has some experience, he helped his father rebuild their entire house.
Ambitious perhaps, we will see. There is a lot to do... and I expect I will be blogging about it :) I do love to restore furniture and there is plenty of wood:

Pretty hardware. Part of the handle is wood.

Staircase!

But so much more than wood. There will be tiles, and some plaster, and of course paint and... plumbing and electricity which are scarier! It will take a long time for sure :)

As could be expected my other projects are taking a back seat. And now back to the drawing board!

* It is obviously terrazzo with the little bits of marble inlaid in the colored cement. However the patterns seem to be made in the same way than hydraulic tiles, with a separation between different colours of cement. Some sort of hybrid? I guess the 30's were a transitional time between hydraulic and terrazzo. In any case I expect these can be polished!

Monday 18 February 2013

Joies d’artista. Del modernisme a l’avantguarda (Part VI - Teixé)

See Parts IIIIIIIV and V.

I am dedicating this entry to the exposed pieces of Ramón Teixé (Barcelona, 1873-1926) in particular, which I think are extraordinary. 

Enamel over chased iron, string. c. 1920. Jaume Monés Collection.
















Friday 15 February 2013

Joies d’artista. Del modernisme a l’avantguarda (Part V)

I just realized I never finished this series! Last post was in Fabruary 2011. shame on me ;P Well, better late than never. Here goes.

See Parts I, II, III and IV.




Boucheron, 1925


Josep Llimona, 1913

Auguste Rodin

Auguste Rodin, Felix Bracquemond, 1900

Rodin, 1910
Alexander Fisher, 1899


Lalique, c. 1900-1902


Henry Wilson, 1908

Charles Robert Ashbee, 1901




Alfred Gilbert, 1890-1910

Hector Guimard 1909

Gustave Serrurier-Bovy, c. 1905-1908



Henry van de Velde, 1896-1898

Henry van de Velde, 1896-1898

Josef Hoffmann 1909

Josef Hoffmann 1909

Francisco Durrio, c.1895-1896

Francisco Durrio, c.1895-1896

Francisco Durrio, c.1895-1896
Francisco Durrio, c.1895-1896

Victor Prouvé, 1899


Wednesday 6 February 2013

Weimar

My new pattern is published!


Weimar are beaded cuffs in two versions, with picot hem and overlapping, short-row shaped cuff worked back and forth, which is then joined and worked in the round. Very little sewing, just the overlap at the cuff.

The beads are applied as you go (with crochet hook or wire), except for the beads in the picot hem for version B (black) which are threaded.

Intermediate to advanced knitters.
Skills: k, p, provisional CO + closing hem, beading, m1r and l, short rows (only a few wraps to lift, good for short-row beginners).

Picture tutorial for the beading in the picot hem for version B (black).

Cuffs Version A (red), colourway: 3609.
Cuffs Version B (black), colourway: 8903.


Gauge 27 sts and 34 rows x 10 cm (4”) in St st in the rnd, with
main needle (2.75 mm - US 2).

Notions:
A crochet hook small enough to fit through the beads or a bit of folded wire, stitch markers, tapestry needle.
Miyuki 8/0 seed beads:
Cuffs version A (red): 144 beads galvanized silver.
Cuffs version B (black): 226 beads galvanized gold.

Finished Measurements:
Wrist circumference 14.5 cm (6”)
Hand circumference 21 cm (8”)
To be worn with slight negative ease.

More photos in Ravelry!

Cuffs and a shawl

So my second set of cuffs is finished and blocked, ready to photograph. The pattern is written and laid out, only missing the pictures for the second version.

I will probably have to model these myself, and probably also take the photographs, since it is too dark when my man is at home. I will try to do it today, so publishing soon!

Meanwhile work continues on my other set of orange gloves.


I've also finally decided which yarns I’m gonna use for the Ledrada KAL:

ColourMart Silk 8/60NM 4ply Weight  (silk)
Isager Strik Spinni Tweed (Wool 1) (sheep's wool)


These are very thin. I’ve been meaning to make a very lightweight kerchief for my MIL, since she will wear nothing heavier than a smallish silk scarf.

So I’ll be using smaller needles, the grey yarn (I hope I have enough) single for a very light edging (and probably a bigger needle) and the orange yarn doubled (it is very very thin but I think it will bloom a little after washing since it is ColourMart silk).

So I want a smallish shawlette but still will be adding some extra repeats due to smaller needles.