Beads!

I was sitting in my knitting room a few weeks back, looking around and thinking about what to make next.  I have so many ideas for projects I would like to make and I have to admit, way too large a stash of yarn to choose from - I have a hard time deciding what pattern to use, what colours to make it with, what size .....  I want to make everything and I want to make it all NOW!  

And my eyes landed on a little pot of beads I have and the idea hit me - knit with some beads! 

And now honestly, who doesn't think of Beads when one thinks of New Orleans? Beads are just one of those iconic things that automatically come to mind when you think N'awlins - Mardi Gras, Bourbon Street, Jazz....... Beads!

I have never been to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, but I do have quite a collection of beads.  AND, for those of you with "Enquiring Minds" - NO - I have never bared any body parts to get any beads!  I have my Saints Beads and my Margaritaville beads, plain old beads from the French Market, and believe it or not - Oktoberfest beads from the (what else?) Oktoberfest parade we saw on Bourbon street -- it was so much fun to watch!   

Don't you just love seeing the tractors on Bourbon Street? 

And of course, every souvenier shop has thousands of beads to choose from.....all colours - all sizes - some naughty and many nice...

And no matter what time of year it is, you will find the trees on St. Charles Avenue festively adorned with beads tossed from Mardi Gras floats in February.

You can see trees like this all down St. Charles Avenue while riding on the Streetcar.  In summer, they are more hidden by the foliage, but the glimpses of bright shiny colours through the leaves bring a smile to my face!

Now, back to knitting....

I made a summer dress/jumper in a black acrylic yarn with a raised stripe in muted green, blue and lavender.  There is a small triangle of multicoloured glass  beads that echo the colours of the stripes on the bodice of the dress.  There is a matching headband with three beads.

And, I have made two pairs of infant socks.  The first pair is almost like a little ankle bootie with a scalloped edging with opalescent beads incorporated into the edging.

This second pair has a folded over ribbed top with various colours of glass beads worked into the ribbing.

These and other new items will be listed in my Etsy Shop (find the link on this page) before the end of this week! 

And now that I have put that in writing, I cannot procrastinate any more!  Gotta go!

A Streetcar Named Desire

I actually watched A Streetcar Named Desire from start to finish for the first time last night.  For those who know of my near obsession with all things New Orleans, you probably find that hard to believe.  But, it's true.  I did thoroughly enjoy it, but of course it really had little to do with the City itself.  The character study and the double entendre of riding on the streetcar of that name.... well it just goes to show the brilliance of Tennessee Williams and how much it deserved the Pulitzer Prize.

But, back to the City itself.  I of course was aware of the very famous scene with Stanley yelling "Stella!, so it was no surprise that there is a very beautiful fine dining restaurant by that name (exclamation mark included)  in the French Quarter.  I noticed it during my first visit which was in 2004, pre-Katrina. I haven't dined there yet, but it is on my list for my next visit to Nawlins.   It gets wonderful reviews and I am really looking forward to dining there.

When I was next there, post Katrina, a lot of the familiar restaurants in the French Quarter were still there.  And, I noticed a new one right at Jackson Square.   The name? .....

Of course!

And don't you just love the wrought iron railing and plants on the gallery in the background?  So New Orleans!

Stanley is owned by the same chef as Stella!, and was opened Post Katrina.  It is a more casual dining atmosphere, and again one that I haven't yet tried, but without any doubt, will!

And for anyone wondering, there really is a Desire Street in New Orleans, but there is no longer a Streetcar on it.  The old green streetcars are one of my favorite things in New Orleans.  The one pictured below is on St. Charles.  The interior picture shows the old wooden seats.  There is a driver's station at both ends of the trolley car.  When the car gets to the end of the route, the driver walks down the car, pulling the back of the seats towards him so that the back of the seat is now on the opposite side of the bench.  He (or she) then goes down to the driver's station at the other end of the car and makes the return trip down the track. 

And in 2008, we found many of versions of this Trolley Car artwork throughout the city.  Some of the more recognizable versions are Tabasco, The New Orleans Saints including a model of the Superdome, and a Streetcar filled with some of New Orleans most famous chefs including Paul Prudhomme and Emeril.  So creative!

And in keeping with the New Orleans theme, and the original reason for my Blog - knitting - here is a picture of a baby outfit I made that I call "Mardi Gras Lite".  I added "Lite" because the colours I used are paler versions of the purple gold and green and are the traditional Mardi Gras colours.  The hat, although difficult to tell is a knitted version of a Jester's hat with three points at the top.  This set is 100% cotton and can be found in my Etsy Shop.

Happy First Day of Summer everyone and thanks for stopping by!