Fashion and yarn

I usually do not buy local newspapers, but today was different for between the biggest Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera was published fashionextra - Mode& Modi. It's not like I'm really interested in fashion, not at all, but I got hooked, for the front page had a huge picture like this:
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and first 6 pages are full of yarn articles, or rather "knits in fashion" and how they are making a "comeback". The first page is not worth reading, it's just the editor's 'sad' story how machine knits remind her of crocheted bedcover at her parent's home and dad's sweater her mother knit. (I do not consider most local articles real news articles, the journalistic culture in Italy is literally non-existent, but this is not a place to analyse it). Enough of bad things, so what did I find out?
What is IN?:

1. All knitted items are IN, but should have some embroidered colorful flowers on them (advisable also on other clothes).
2. The pullovers-cardigans-sweaters should be more or less sexy-slick, with a necessary accessory - huge collar or extralarge baret/hat. Or, since no fashion designer ever agrees on what is IN, some designers prefer to dress their models in at least 2-3 sizes bigger sweaters and tie abelt around the waist.
3. Colors in knitty world - pink, but also white, pastels, gray and lilac. D&G has a very nice winter collection.
4. The beginning of the fashion empire of Benetton. Giuliana Benetton is the lady behind the empire, who at the age of 8 found her life's passion in knitting. First she knitted socks for her younger brother, from old sweaters she ripped, followed by sweaters for the family. She and her brother Luciano were forced to quit school and start working when she was only 10 years old, for the father had died and the mother was sickly. She managed to get a job at a local knitworkshop and made a deal with the owner, whose name was also Benetton, but wasn't their relative, to use the knitting machine from 6-8 pm everyday for her own use. She used that time to try new techniques and work out her own designs. Few years later her mom made her work at the tailor's but she hated it and after the mother realized she was unhappy Giuliana was allowed to go back to knit"factory". At the age of 14 she was the headknitter and had 12 girls working under her. One evening when Luciano had come to pick her up and had seen what his sister was upto, he said: "What if you make the sweaters and I sell them?" It was a golden idea, Luciano sold his harmonica and bought one knitting machine. The empire's seed was planted, in 1966 they inaugurated the company.
5. Fourth page tells us the story of local knitting workshop which cooperates with high-fashion designers. On the same page we can read about the handknitting mania in US. Including a list of stars who knit (from young Ingrid Bergman to Sarah Jessica Parker), Stitch'n'Bitch club and www.menwhoknit.com and about Russel Crowe as the most famous male knitter.
6. Last article talks about warm headcovers, and how once upon a time big baret or fancy pompom could send you to the teasing list or make you the hottest girl of school. This year you'd better go out wearing this style:
   

Quite enough I think for now. :)

Mood ja lõng

Tavaliselt ma lehte ei osta, aga täna on erandlik päev, sest kohaliku suurlehe Corriere della Sera vahel ilmus Mode&Modi moelisa, milles lausa kuue lehekülje jagu lõngajutte. Täpsemalt siis kudumitest ja selle suurest comebackist. Esiküljel on see pilt,
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ja kõrval toimetaja "hala" (siinsest ajakirjanduskultuuritusest peaksin oma tavaelu bloogis kord romaani kirjutama), sellest kuidas talle need masinkootud esemed toovad meelde heegeldatud päevateki vanematekodus ja isa beezi kampsiku, mille ema kudus. Nii palju siis kriitikat.
Mis moes sel sügistalvel: kudumid, aga mitte lihstalt - neile ja teistelegi riietele võiks peale tikkida lilli - suuri ja kirjusid. Mis veel moes: muidu peaks kudum olema seksikas-liibuv-kehasse, aga kindlaks lisandiks enamike moeloojate pilgu läbi peaks olema kas a) lopsakas krae/sall või b) hüpersuur barett-müts c) ning ekstraks veel näiteks säärikud. Aga kuna moes ei astu kunagi kõik moeloojad ühte jalga, siis teine äärmus ütleb, et selga tuleb panna vähemalt kaks-kolm numbrit suurem kamps ja see siis vööga keseklt parajaks tõmmata.
Rääkides toonidest ja värvidest - roosa rokib täiega, aga sobivaks on kuulutatud ka valge, pastellid, hall ja lilla. Ilus on D&G talvine kollektsioon.
Kolmas lehekülg räägib kudumivõtmes ka Benettoni impeeriumist. Täpsemalt räägitakse Giuliana (loe: dzjuliaana) Benettonist, kes 8-aastaselt leidis oma elukire kudumise näol, impeeriumile aga pandi alus sellega, kui tüdrukuke kudus väikevennale ülesharutatud kampsidest sokid, sokidele järgnesid kampsid, siis aga pidid kaks vanemat last tööle hakkama, sest isa oli surnud ning ema haiglane. Giuliana ja Luciano, tollal 10 ja 12, jätsid kooli pooleli. Veidi aega töötas Giuliana kudumismasinaga ühes töökojas, sealselt perenaiselt kauples loa kella 6st 8ni töötada masinaga oma tarbeks, ning kasutas aega uute töövõtete ja disainide leiutamiseks. 12aastaselt pidi ta aga minema pereema soovil tööle rätsepa juurde, see töö ei istunud Giulianale ja kui ema nägi tüdrukut päevast-päeva õnnetuna, lubas ta tütre tagasi kudumitöökotta. Kui tütarlapsel täitus aastaid 14, töötas tema alluvuses juba tosina jagu kuduõpilasi, ühel õhtul tuli vennale Lucianole idee: "Mis oleks, kui sina teed kampsuneid ja mina müün need maha?" Mõeldud-tehtud, oma kudumismasina ostmiseks müüdi maha pere akordion. Ja impeeriumile saigi algus pandud, kompanii sissepühitsemiseni jõuti mõned aastad hiljem: 1966.
Neljas lehekülg räägib ühest kohalikust kudumistöökojast, mis teeb koostööd kõrgmoeloojatega.
Ja samal leheküljel veel pisike artikkel käsikudumise populaarsustest, artiklis kirjutatakse nii kuulsustest, kes on pildile püütud vardad käes (alates noorest Ingrid Bergmanist, lõpetades Sarah Jessica Parkeriga) aga ka Stitch'nBitch klubist ning www.menwhoknit.com (kuulsaim meeskuduja: Russel Crowe).
Viies lugu pajatab soojadest peakatetest ja sellest, kuidas need suured kohevad tutid-baretid võisid viia su kas põlualuseks või popimaks plikaks koolis. Hästi IN on sel talvel liikuda nii:

Aitab kah.

Creative crisis

Crisis:
1. My Vogue Knitting and Interweave Knits have still not arrived!
2. The felted bag... well let's put it nicely... got thrown away. Lesson learnt: diagonal-horisontal-vertical knitting doesn't felt well, means: knit in one direction! Then: cables and your nice ribbing won't show, so why bother. And last but not least: no more machine felting - it just doesn't work. Or maybe it does, but not with me.
3. Mistery knit - advancing, though I went through with some crisis with it.
4. The whole family is ill - not much time to sit down and relax with needles while everyone needs attention.

But, due to pretty bad cold my daughter has, I had to crochet something where she can keep her hankies. According to her wish: "like sun"
Yarn: leftovers from various projects before: Cotone Cablè 5, crochet hook 2,5 mm, pattern: my own. And a cute yellow button.


On my small break last week I got to but a new magazine Maglia, which has some sweet designes. And I brought some supersoft Ornaghi wool for future sock - if that Vogue Knititng ever arrives!!!!!

News

Okay, I've been very busy this week.
The biggest news is that my daughter went to school without prior planning. According to Italian law she should start school at the age of 6 - that is in a year. But during the summer she found a good friend and her parents put an idea to our heads - to apply her to international school of Milan. Of course it was too late already in August, but when I finally called them last Friday morning they asked me to pass by the school on Monday morning to have a chat with the principal so that we could decide for the following year. So Monday morning early we went to school and brought our daughter along, after a long chat with the principal, who wanted to know her background and our preferences, we met teachers, looked the school and finally the principal said: "Okay, that should be covered now, all you have to do now is to go downstairs to the office and speak to Mrs. A about buses and then settle the bill with Mrs. G." We really must have had very confused and stupid faces, for she realized that there was a gap in our information and asked: "So you weren't notified on Friday afternoon that one place in first grade freed up and that this was a admission interview?"
Our little princess has done first 3 days at school and she was very disappointed that she cannt go during the weekend. :D
That was so unknitty again.

Knitty news:
1. Me and three other activists started a project in Estonia of changing self-made gifts for Christmas - it is more or less like Secret Pal, just very local (I can participate for I will be going home for Christmas and therefore can receive and send my package from there).
2. I am currently working on three things one of them my first felting project and I hope to show the results in a few days.
3. I am pissed of with Italian Post, it seems they have been able to loose my 2 subscription magazines: Vogue Knitting and Interweave Knits. I am going to go and bark at them on Monday. Cross your fingers!
4. I will have to withdraw myself from Secret Pal nr 9 - for the school fee is pretty overwhelming and I cannot take myself any financial obligations at this moment. I do hope to join the 10th one, for we will be better of next year.

Ving ja viu

Noh, ma ütlen küll seda Itaalia p*saposti. Jälle ei ole kaks ajakirja tellimust kohale jõudnud! (Sünnipäeva pakk vähemalt jõudis) tellisin juulis endale Vogue Knitting ja Interweave Knits aastaks koju ja mida pole, seda pole, ometi olid need mujal maailmas (ei siin neid ei müüda, muidu ei telliks) juba augustis saadaval. Ja Vogue Knitting on kuulduste kohaselt ammu juba Eestisse jõudnud. Peaks pröökama postkontorisse minema! )

Soe Kingitus Salasõbrale

Mul on siin vahepeal palju palju tegemist olnud, nii et kudunud päris valmis ma midagi pole. Esiteks sai lõpuks ometi käima lükatud kingivahetusprojekt kõigile käsitööhuvilistele. Sellega oli päris palju sebimist ja arutamist, aga teisipäeval sai ta siis valmis: Soe Kingitus Salasõbrale

Aga kuna maailm on väike, siis tulevad vahel inimstele samad ideed. IT rahvas vahetab ka kingitusi... omavahel - et osaleda peab end registreeruma foorumisse.
Jõuluüllatusi saabub see aasta Eestimaa kodudesse küllaga :D

Ja teiseks saatsime täiesti etteplaneerimatult kooli ka lapse - st, siis et kohaliku seaduse järgi peaks ta minema kooli alles järgmisel aastal, ehk siis 6-aastaaseks saamisel, meie aga valisime viimasel minutil rahvusvahelise kooli (õigemini, jäi üks koht just sel päeval vabaks, kui mina kooli helistasin), kus õppetöö käib Inglise süsteemi kohaselt. Esimesed kaks päeva on selja taga ja tundub, et laps ise on väga rahul! Hoolimata, et ta inglise keelt veel ei räägi - küll varsti hakkab - kool on ses suhtes väga toetav.

Teaser!

What will it be? ;)

My not so knitty-vacation

Remember that in my last post I promised to do a lot of knitting on my vacation.... well... I didn't... even though I brought yarn for 3 major projects I only finished 2 hats!!! For my daughter and her new found friend.
But the break was well needed, for I am full of new ideas and started a new knitting project already day before yesterday. The vacation was full of swimming and snorkeling in the Adriatic sea, I overcame my fright of medusas and diving after taking an apnea diving course (it's amazing, if you ever get a chance to do it - DO IT!). It basically means diving until the depth of 30 meters without breathing or using any oxygen and staying down fine 4-5 minutes! And it is possible, of course first you start with 1-2 minutes and 5-10 meters, but it is very doable after 2 day course even for non-divers like me. It gave me such a high that I kept doing it every day after the course - that's where all my free time went :P. This is completely off-topic of course.
But the hats are like this, cute aren't they?
Info:
Yarn: Ornaghi Alicante, 100% cotton, self-striping, used app 30 gr. Cotone Cablé nr. 5 (double strand), 100% cotton, white, apple green, pink, used app. 40 gr.
Needles: 3,25 mm circular, 2,75 mm dpn
Pattern: Ulla, summer 2006


I also joined up secret pal nr 9 today. I have been looking at it with envious eyes for the last two times already, but never had the chance to join up - for we moved around a lot, but now I think it will work, for I have no plan of major vacations for the year end.