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!

Summer Knitting

Picture taking is the very hardest part of working on-line!  I took some pictures of a couple of new items that I have made for summer Funky Babies, but I don't feel they are good enough to post on my Etsy Shop.  I have included them here, just to prove that they actually exist! 

I do enjoy working with the bright colour combinations.  The blue, green and yellow is a halter dress in a 12-18 month only size.    I remember finding a couple of halter dresses for my youngest daughter when she was about this age and adored the look.  I was disappointed when she grew out of them.  That was my inspiration for changing the pattern that I used for the coral, blue and yellow top with the ties at the shoulders into a halter design.   It also has some lacing at the back to adjust the snugness.   Both of them come with matching brimmed hats to help keep the sun off those precious funky baby faces. 

After a few days of beautiful weather, the mugginess has returned.  Probably time to close the windows and get the AC going.  Such is life in Niagara in the summer!

Well, I need to try to decide what to make next.....

Have a great weekend everyone!

Spring Flowers

I decided to write this blog to help to promote my kntting, but after some grey, rainy days it was so nice to see the sun that I just couldn't resist going outside to soak up some of the warmth.   I decided to take some pictures of my garden before the clouds roll in again - at least according to the weatherman.

As I was looking at the day lilies and hollyhocks and delphinium buds and how they are all leaning to the left, searching for that same sun that we have all been craving, a garden toad leaped up into the crevice of the figurine below my gazing ball.  I am not sure who startled who more, but I managed to snap a picture of his backside still "hiding" from me!

I should be taking pictures of the new summer baby tops that I have recently knitted , but the gardens just seemed to be calling to me!  All of the rain has not been very inspirational for moods, but it has definitely created a lushness to the garden that can't help but inspire a smile. 

In my front garden, my clematis has gone mad!  I guess it enjoys the rain as well and there are hundreds of blooms on both sides of the plant this year with many more buds just waiting to burst open at a moment's notice.

Anyone who knows me, knows that New Orleans is my favorite city.  As I write this, my heart goes out to the people of the entire Gulf Coast dealing with that horrific oil spill.  I just don't understand why with all of today's technology, and all of the billions earned by the oil companies and spent to learn more drilling technology, that they can't fix this. 

Recently, the New Orleans Saints Superbowl Champions football team visited the Gulf Coast to see the effects of the oil spill on the plant and animal life of the coast.  They announced a raffle to raise money to help those affected by the oil spill.  They are raffling off one Superbowl Ring for $2.00 per ticket.  Tickets can be bought on line for $2.00 each with a minimum purchase of 5 tickets.  If anyone is interested in helping out in this small way, please visit the website at http://www.saintsgulfcoastrenewal.com/  I'm in!  I want that ring!

More later - maybe even about knitting next time!