Saturday 19 July 2014

Three Degrees

This is a story about three degrees in temperature and three degrees of separation.


'tis Winter.

My city woke to a frosty 3 degrees Celsius this morning.

I kept warm in the usual ways:

  • air conditioner programmed to take away the chill before I get up
  • sleep-in until 7:30 a.m. with layers of woollen blankets on the bed
  • hot breakfast in bed 
  • hot cups of tea
  • hot shower
  • hair dryer
  • lots of layers
  • hand-made woollens—cardi, scarf & gloves
  • home-made soup; and
  • staying active—housework today;

… but my heart was warmed the most by the visit of dear friends whom I hadn't seen in a long time.

The conversation turned to crochet and craft activities (as is so oft with me).

I was introducing my friends to the wonders of Ravelry, when they revealed that they have a cousin who is a prize-winning European knitwear designer—a delightful coincidence!

Her name is Martina Manfreda and her web site displays her range of knitted textile and garment designs: simple, classic lines, but with modern patterns.  

I love her amazing blends of colour and texture (and I am not just saying that because she is my friends' cousin).  Currently based in Berlin, she has a shop/gallery in Wilmersdorf and so it should be called a 'gallery' as Martina's  collection of dresses and skirts are original and imaginative works of textile art.

Martina's designs range from undulating asymmetrical stripes and textures to regular geometric shapes. Her online gallery of skirts demonstrates an an assortment of creative ideas.

Although these garments are not crocheted, but knitted, one can still appreciate the aesthetics and ideas presented by Martina. The seemingly random and 'free-form' style excites me! 

Knitters will enjoy the close-up photographs of Martina's knitted textures.

If you are looking for inspiration and dynamic ideas, you could do worse than visit her web site "Manfreda Knitwear".


It is amazing what you can discover within only 
three degrees of separation.




Links


Manfreda Knitwear: 

Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/

10 comments:

  1. OMG. I LOVE these designs. Thanks for sharing

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    1. Me too! For so many reasons. So glad I shared these and thank you to my friends R & N.

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  2. Awesome, I'm looking forward to seeing the designs :)

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    1. Thanks for taking the time, I am keen to know what you think. I have seen similar textural works and similar dress shapes and construction but not combined in this way... the asymmetry and colour blending does it for me, dare I say a more earthy, organic style yet with sleek sophistication in the latest colletion.

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  3. So glad you are keeping warm :-) Just been over to Martina's website...stunning! I particularly covet the skirts.
    Tracey xxx

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    1. Do you wear a lot of skirts? I prefer dresses but Martina's skirts are modern and interesting - love the variety of designs - I especially like the design that looks like flowers on stems (that's what they look like to me!)

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  4. Thanks for sharing, I'm loving the dresses she made!

    Good luck keeping warm. We're having a bit of a heat wave right now in the Netherlands, and I'm actually somewhat yearning your 3 degrees..

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    1. The pictures I have seen from Nederland this past week have all been clear blue sunny skies. What sorts of temperatures have you had?

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  5. What beautiul dresses! I may need to make my knitting lessons with my mother in law more of a priority... but that means I have to stop crocheting for a bit, which would be tragic!

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    1. Yes, Darrah, it would be tragic to not crochet - why not do both knitting and crochet? There is a term that I have heard around the crafting community that I love: you have heard of 'multi-cultural', well, you can also be 'multi-craftual'! :-) When you need a break from the knitting, pick up your hook and do some smaller projects like the bower birds that you recently made and shared on your blog (or are you a one-project-at-a-time crafter?)

      Knitting is a lovely activity to do with your mother-in-law. I love the way craft provides a connection between the generations. Does she live nearby or does it take a special effort to visit each other?

      Thank you for your comments. It is nice to have Canadian visitors - Canada is another country that I want to visit one day for its nice people and its spectacular wilderness and wildlife.

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