African Flowers

Hellooooo!!!

Welcome to my bright and lovely corner of the internet… today it is a direct contrast to real life!  We are having a grey and rainy week, so it’s blissful for me to escape into my colourful happy place for a wee bit!  And of course, after this, escape into YOUR colourful and happy places too!  Oh how I love to visit my blog friends and see all the amazing talent we all have… I’ve seen some fantastic things lately, including the best ever needle felting tutorial by Jenni (make sure you pop in and see the COOL things she is creating!), I’m also enjoying seeing how many different ways Sue can use up her quinces … she’s shown us four so far!  And I luuuuuuuurve Penelope’s tea cozy, I mean, I love it, and she shared where she got the pattern too…. so I hunted it down and am wondering if it may be too advanced for my knitting ”skills” at this point, but WOW I want to make one!  And that’s just a few of the things that have excited me this week… I enjoy so much the diversity of our blogging community and the inspiration I am given daily.

I’ve been wanting to have a play with the african flower pattern I have loved so much, for AGES!  And I had a hook break between the knitting of the Harvey Kimono (which is still in progress!) and had a play with some of these beauties.

I have made quite a few, but have been struggling with the colour combinations…. struggling with infusing these flowers with my personality.  Maybe some of you know that I practice energy healing and crystal healing.  My beliefs involve the idea that everything in and out of this world is made up of one energy (call it what you will) and that everything is vibrating at a different frequency.  This is what makes a rock a rock and a tree a tree.  (and wool, wool of course!!!)  So this energy flows through us always, and as it flows through our hands, our own energetic vibrations influence everything that we create.  This is why two people, using the same pattern can make two completely different looking objects!  So, when I have a look at the flickr pool of african flowers, they are all as different as the hookers who hooked them! 

So I have been experimenting with colour, with blending, with contrast…. looking at how others have used colour in theirs, seeing what I think works, and applying these ideas to my own… dipping into this beautiful pool of inspiration I am a part of!

I’ve learned so far, that my usual love of blending shades of the same colour only works in the centre, but that it needs a contrasting colour around the edge to really get that beautiful effect the petals create…..

But it’s a work in progress!  And fun no matter what the outcome!

Written pattern is here and there are links to other useful info to do with creating amazing things from this lovely motif!!! 

So no FO today…. more like an insight into my crafty journey!  I hope you enjoyed your visit today and have fun checking out the links of my favourite things for the week! 

I’m off to finish my last essay… yes, you heard me… the last one due until January.  *phew!*

Have a beautiful day, lovely people and thank you so much for stopping by and leaving such kind words of encouragement and praise, you make my day!

Lots and lots of love from Alice and Raymond XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

P.S.  I just remembered… something exciting is happening this week so stay tuned! XXX