Cornflower

Art meets literature

    "In the lovely Estonian town of Viljandi there lives a young artist by the name of Kristi Jōeste who has knitted hundreds of pairs of exquisite gloves. [...]

    Every knitter and every glove has a story to tell.

    Museums have preserved many wondrous old gloves but very few stories. [...]

    Kristi Jōeste invited her childhood friend, the well-known Estonian writer Kristiina Ehin, to write the stories.

    And so this isn't by any means a typical handicraft book.

    In this book art meets literature in two creative women, one who expresses herself by means of knitting and the other by means of words.

    Kristi Jōeste's lively use of patterns from Estonian folk art, her carefully chosen colours and tight weave as it was done centuries ago are compelling in their perfection.

    Kristiina Ehin's sensitive and imaginative stories about Estonian women who knitted invite us to travel with her in our thoughts to the times when a magical world of glove patterns was created in the grey day-to-day of nearly every farmhouse."

    I'm reading Ornamented Journey by Kristi Jōeste and Kristiina Ehin, from which the above is the introduction. It's not a book of patterns, although there are instructions for some of the techniques involved in the designs, but you could adapt the designs to patterns you already have - should you not wish to knit at the gauge of some of the work shown: e.g. one-ply yarn on 0.7mm (US 000000) needles, 172 stitches around the hand!

    The book tells us that gloves accompanied Estonian people throughout their lives, and patterned gloves were believed to increase good fortune and keep evil at bay, which is no doubt why such skill and artistry went into their making. The gloves, mittens and wrist warmers shown involve various techniques such as embroidery, appliqué, entrelac, Roositud inlay, beading, and colourwork, and all are beautiful. The stories - I'm in the midst of them now - complement them perfectly.

    Lastly, a word on where to find the book. I put it in my basket at Loop's online shop and took it out again when I discovered how much the postage would be. You can get it from the publisher, Saara, via Amazon which is what I did; the postage was very reasonable and it took a week to get here. I've since discovered that you can order directly from Saara where the book is cheaper, but I can't speak to the cost of delivery. They also sell yarn, needles, kits, and other bits and pieces.

Sturdy socks

    When Blacker Yarns released their limited edition Cornish Tin to mark their 10th. birthday, I managed to get some of the 4 ply in Botallack Blue. It's a blend of ten fibres: alpaca, mohair, Gotland, Jacob, Shetland, Black Welsh Mountain, Texel, English Merino, Falklands Merino, and Gotland/Romney Cross, and teamed with some Blacker Classic for contrast heels and toes, it has made a sturdy, warm pair of socks. I like the woolliness of these socks, their dense fabric (56 stitches on a 2.25mm needle), and the way the mix of fibres takes the dye and adds depth to the colour.

Wonderland

    I've mentioned Kirsty Mitchell and her book Wonderland over on Cornflower Books today. Take a look at the video to see more of her amazing, painstaking work.

Set wide the window

    I follow the Instagram account England's Dreaming and greatly enjoy their themed postings of (mostly) English art. One of their recent pictures was Winifred Nicholson's The Hunter's Moon (top) which I've put with her Recollect as they evoke Autumn and Spring respectively.

    Both are in the Tate Gallery's collection, and their catalogue tells us that the artist said of The Hunter's Moon, "The turn of the season from Autumn to Winter is always a time of adventure to me - a call out into the mountains and forests of unknown things: contrasted with the secure shelter of lamplight, home and one's books", while the paintings' previous owner remarked, "The pictures of Winifred Nicholson represent for me the world of childhood and early adolescence. It is a world of order, security and cultivated civilisation".

Marmalade update

    The marmalade is going down a treat, and not just in the conventional manner on toast. Sarah Randell's book gives suggestions for savoury uses, as I mentioned, and so far I can recommend the marmalade-glazed chipolatas. This evening we tried Lindsey Bareham's sausage pasta with marmalade tomato sauce (click here for the recipe if you're a Times subscriber), and it was superb: so rich and flavourful and perfect for a wintery evening. Improvise by browning the sausages, adding onion, red wine, stock, and a tin of tomatoes, and let it all reduce in a shallow pan before putting in a couple of dessertspoonfuls of good marmalade (that's for 2 people). It would be even better with mashed potato, but the pasta version makes it a quick and easy dish to which the marmalade adds a slight sweetness and tang rather than an overpowering note of the breakfast table. Even Paddington would approve, I feel.

Friday flowers - hellebores

Well-heeled

    Skedaddle socks (pair the third); pattern by Lena of A Wee Bit Knitty, made in Smooth Sock 'Blue Sky Vista' from The Wool Barn.

    These took only 45g of yarn (that's for a UK size 4) plus a tiny bit of the contrast colour.

Wool-gathering, again

    The world's largest collection of blue wool* grows a little bigger.

    Above is newly arrived Anzula Squishy from Meadow Yarn, while on its way to me is a little something from Miss Clack Clack whose wares I discovered just the other day; her inky, purpley blues especially are hard to resist.

 

    *See this post.