Architecture is always interesting to me and this example really caught my eye on a recent visit to Paris. It's the Institut du Monde Arabe near the boulevard St-Germain (close to the Metro Jussieu) which houses a library and museum dedicated to Middle-Eastern culture and history. The glass windows which you can see above have beautifully carved shutters behind them which respond to daylight and open and close to maintain a constant level of light inside the building.
The museum inside is worth a visit and displays some well-preserved artefacts from all across the Middle-East. I was struck by a copy of the Koran written on a scroll no more than a couple of inches wide. The delicate Arabic text was as closely written as if it had been embroidered.
Yosemite is ready to go! I'm very pleased with the way this has turned out. It was a quick and straightforward knit and I learnt a couple of new techniques along the way. One was the backstitch bind-off which I used for the sleeves and the other was the tubular bind-off I used on the collar. A bit fiddly, but the edge is prettier and more elastic than my usual single rib bind-off.
I confess to being a cinema fan and now in the age of the DVD and Youtube, I'm in even more danger than ever of spending too much time in front of the screen. I try to justify my indulgence by cutting down on the amount of TV I watch and promising that I will do more exercise; a promise which is only intermittently kept.
A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that BBC Four (an admirable channel which shows a lot of good documentaries) was screening an Italian film that I had wanted to see when it came to the cinemas a few years ago, but had never managed to get round to seeing. Marco Tullio Giordana's The Best of Youth was originally made as a four-part mini-series for Italian television, but was later put together as a six-hour film for cinematic release. It tells the story of two brothers from their graduation in 1966 until the present day. Along the way, their story is interwoven with themes and events from recent Italian history including the flooding of Florence, strikes at the Fiat factory, the Red Brigades, corruption and the Mafia. BBC Four showed it in four episodes and I started watching from the third part onwards. I was totally captivated by the storytelling and the acting. The plot itself is a little contrived with coincidences galore as in a novel by Hardy or Dickens, but I think this is secondary to the themes of the film, the main one being the optimism and hope of youth. Thanks to Youtube, I caught up with bits of the story that I missed, but I think the second half of the film has more depth as youth gives way to wiser maturity and a new generation takes up the baton of life. What also made the film so enjoyable was its celebration of family ties, the joys of friendship and the beauty of the Italian landscape. I'm a sucker for happy endings and this film has one which brings the whole story full circle to a poetic and moving close.
Here's a clip from early on in the film. It's his last day of college and Nicola Carati (Luigi Lo Cascio) is graduating from medical school with distinction. The professor (Mario Schiano) tells him that if he has any ambition, he should leave Italy and go to London, Paris or America. Italy is full of old dinosaurs. 'Why do you stay?' asks Nicola. 'I'm one of the dinosaurs', replies the professor as Nicola's friends, Berto and Carlo look on.
The sunny weather we enjoyed for over a week has now well and truly gone. It's back to the wet and miserable grey skies. This lovely peony made its appearance while it was still warm.
I'm still here although the blog has been quiet for a while. Yosemite is complete and just needs buttons. I was please with how this turned out. It's an attractive design, easy to knit and the resulting garment is as good it looks in the pictures. The mock-cable ribbing is nice and stretchy which makes up for the cotton's lack of elasticity. I'm not usually a fan of this particular fibre as knitting yarn, but Rowan's Organic Purelife Cotton has been very rewarding to use. It doesn't split too much and gives a soft, drapey fabric. I would certainly use it again, perhaps in one of Kim Hargreaves' patterns from her new book, Nectar, which is her best collection so far. I'm already coveting half a dozen garments from it including the cardigan in Rowan Denim.
Dutch quilt
I am making a foray into quilting. This is a new skill for me although I did do a little at school many years ago. I bought a kit in a shop in Amsterdam which had a wonderful selection of traditional Dutch chintz fabrics aimed at quilters. They are expensive, but the colours are rich and varied. My little quilt is a good project for beginners. I'm completely new to machine piecing, but a book from the local library has proved useful.
I spent a few days in Amsterdam recently where the tulips and other flowers are in full bloom in the Keukenhof gardens. The gardens contain stunning displays of (mainly) tulips, daffodils and hyacinths all planted in ornamental beds that showcase their colour and variety. It's extremely well-organised: there is always at least part of a bed in bloom. The tulip heads are eventually chopped off to encourage more bulbs to be produced by the plant.
I've just begun Yosemite from the latest edition of Knitty. It's a cotton top knitted in the round with short sleeves and a neck placket. I'm enjoying the mock cables, a technique I haven't used for a long while.
The yarn is Rowan's new organic cotton called Purelife. I'm not thrilled with the colour I chose (Quebracho Bark). It looks a bit too pale. I should have gone with my first instinct and chosen the pink Brazilwood shade, but on the other hand, a neutral colour is always a useful addition to the wardrobe.
In spite of the wintry weather, I completed this summer top in Rowan Damask over the weekend. It was a quick and easy knit although the stocking stitch became pretty tedious after a while. The boredom was alleviated by listening to the podcasts of David Reidy of Sticks and String who makes enjoyable listening. He broadcasts from Sydney, Australia where knitting and spinning are clearly alive and well.
The yarn is slightly shiny, produces a soft drapey fabric and the resulting mix of colours is very attractive. Simple as it is, I'm pleased with this top and will be wearing it a lot this summer, weather permitting.
