Sketch Journal Project: More Sketches and a Knitting Retreat!!

 

I have only a few sketches to show for. Fall is definitely a theme here. In my sketchbook and for a personal project.

These little pigs are for a commission. This first sketch is approved and now I have to think about filling in the background.

However..I had no time to work on it, since a few fabulous friends and I traveled to Virginia for a knitting retreat!! We were taught in the fine art of Norwegian knitting at Knitxperience by Beth Brown-Reinsel. What a fantastic teacher she was!!! I learned so much, met wonderful people and walked in beautiful scenery. Sigh…my head is still in Virginia with those lovely knitting friends.

Ik heb allen maar een paar “start” schetsjes. Wat lekker herfst gekrabbel en een eerste schets voor opdracht met t thema varkentjes! Deze schets is goed gekeurd en nu de achtergrond verzinnen.  
Maar ik had t even te druk met een gezellige brei vakantie in Virginia. Zo veel geleerd en zulke leuke mensen ontmoet…zucht, ik geloof dat mijn hoofd nog steeds in Virginia is!

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Sketch Journal Project: Home and When Traveling and a Sweet Story!

Ha, despite all my traveling, I did not forget my personal challenge to use my sketchbook on a weekly bases. I packed my crayons and a travel sketchbook and let myself be inspired by the Rocky Mountains.
On coming home I decided to redo the bear…the first one was too fuzzy!

The sketch of the little girl has a sweet story. Whilst having our picnic lunch, Mr. Walker and I were happily observing a school class on a day trip at the lake at the foot of St. Mary’s Glacier. Myohmy, their teacher was telling such interesting stories and those kids were so attentive and interested. After that, they had some explore time before they were heading home. This one girl caught our attention when she said to her friend: ” I need to find a good spot for day dreaming, this is an excellent place for it!” Her friend looked confused and asked what she meant. In a matter-of-fact kind of way she patiently explained: ” Daydreaming is thinking about the things you love!” . She climbed on a rock and sat still…her friend looked in awe, she climbed on a rock too and started eating her lunch, in total silence.
Mr. Walker and I smiled, and concluded that this confident daydreaming girl is a promise for the future!!!

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Rocky Mountains…One More Time

Well I could have made dozens of posts with snapshots from the family album…but all good things come to an end as they say. Just a few more ‘vista’s’ and than back to the order of the day, I’d say. The Rocky Mountains will become a subject for daydreaming until our next visit there.

The hikes were so superb with so many different landscapes. Lovely luscious greens to almost moonlike surfaces.

Talking about the moon: this was the Harvest Moon 2016…magnificent!

Literally walking with our heads in the clouds.

After the long hot summer, how refreshing to see snow and feel invigorated!

This is the view from underneath St. Mary’s Glacier.

You never know what awaits you around the next corner…

And btw, this calm little stream is the Colorado River..it starts here like this. Yes, the same Colorado River that dug out the Grand Canyon!

Ach nog even genieten van wat laatste kiekjes van de Rocky Mountains. Een paar fraaie uitzichten, de Oogstmaan van september, en t begin van de Colorado rivier die mijlen verderop de Grand Canyon heeft uitgegraven. Hoe heerlijk t was om letterlijk met ons hoofd in de wolken te lopen en na al die hitte bibberend op een gletsjer te staan…de foto’s spreken voor zichzelf toch?

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Yellow-bellied Marmots in the Rocky Mountains

When we visited the Rocky Mountains last year ,we did not see any marmots...now they seemed to be everywhere. How I love them. At this time a year, they so fat and their coat is beautiful: ready for hibernation!

They have a strong social life and look out for each other. I love their sassy stern looks.
They were hardly afraid of us. In fact, research shows they rather seek the company of humans knowing that their arch enemies, birds of prey and foxes will stay away. Smart cookies!!

I also love they idea of them snuggled up in their cozy burrows, sleeping the cold month away.

In tegenstelling tot onze vorige reis naar de Rocky Mountains, zagen we nu overal wilde marmotten! Zulke mooie, stoere dieren. Ze zijn onderling bijzonder sociaal en nu op zijn mooist : moddervet met een dikke vacht, klaar voor de winter slaap. Deze slimme dieren zoeken juist gezelschap van mensen, omdat ze weten dat hun aartsvijanden , de roofvogels en vossen dat juist niet doen! Slimme rakkers!

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Lately: Sketch Journal Project and Knitting and More…

So my plan was to do Fall garden work…but the heat came back and I decided to focus on my other projects after a few very sweaty days.
And many of you commented on my last drawing that they missed the fairies…”its hard to see them and they never stand still” I replied ;o) So I had to give it another try!

So quite a few my other projects which involved lots of knitting! This is my first sweater knitted from the top down with wonderful Jamieson Shetland yarn I managed to purchase at a wool gathering last year. Finally decided on what to knit with it. Knitting from the top down is actually brilliant: since I am so tall (6ft+) I have to adapt all patterns and now I could put this all on life lines and have a fit to check if it works so far!! I am a very happy girl.

How glorious: blocking a lovely merino and yak yarn shawl on a cool day with the autumnal sun pouring through the lace curtains. I love the smell of of wet wool. I had so many leftovers from this year that I knitted the pattern to match it. Its going to be donated to one of my friends’ Church group, so it will bring comfort to somebody that really needs it.

More comfort knitting for a good cause are these lovely preemie hats for our Sick Kids Hospital. These are mostly knitted from my leftover silk yarns, so soft. I try to make something special of each little hat.

My poetry mittens are almost done!!! And I started with some Christmas stockings, another ‘how-to-use-up-leftovers’ project. I will knit a few more and I think they might make nice Christmas presents.

And this bear is my faithful friend for as long as I can remember. She was a hand me down from my much older brother and we have been inseparable ever since. Her name is Anne Marie and indeed she has a keen sense of fashion and several outfits to match the seasons. This pretty Fair Isle number is the latest addition. I was going to steek it but with so many WIP’s I just opted for pretty buttons and my dear friend was happy, as always.

A lot of this knitting, I did whilst I was traveling. I was in Toronto with the Walker Boys!!! We had a few lovely walks and a Thanksgiving Picnic in High Park.

And had to knit this hat in a hurry…because Mr. Walker took me for a wonderful trip to…can you guess where I was?

More about that tomorrow!

Och hemel, van die tuinplannen kwam niet zo heel veel terecht! De hitte kwam met volle vaart weer terug en na een paar wel erg zweterige dagen besloot ik me te focussen op andere projecten. Toevallig nogal wat breiwerkjes. Shawls en mutsjes voor t goede doel, kerstsokken en zgn poëzie wanten, een vest in wording en dat rode mutsje. Ik heb veel gebreid toen ik bij de Walker Boys was afgelopen week maar dat rode mutsje was voor een leuk onverwacht reisje. Ik vertel morgen meer!

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Toronto & Art

 

You are probably familiar with the fact that both of my sons, The Young Misters Walker, study, work and live in Toronto. They are very close and share an apartment. We are close as a family and modern communication provides us with ample opportunities to be a close long distance family.

But nothing beats seeing my boys for real and since their schedule is pretty crazy, I travel to them more often. And often Mr. Walker, their devoted father, travels with me.This summer we went there a couple of times and here some snapshots from the family album.

Toronto is a great city (apart from its crazy traffic!!!) We love going there and visit its many beautiful museums and pretty neighborhoods. There is always something beautiful to admire.

The AGO is our favorite museum. The building itself is already gorgeous, Mr. Walker took a long time taking some good shots….

…Youngest Mr. Walker and I got impatient and studied some dance moves. The Oldest Young Mr. Walker considered giving himself up for adoption.

Best cup of tea ever there…that to me is art every day!

Oh, and the Bata Shoe Museum!! A must see for every fashionista! The best of both worlds, art and fashion!!!

 

Finally saw Casa Loma…as a little girl I dreamt of having a bedroom like this! Maybe more towards the Kitsch here?

Fantastic food is every where in Toronto but I highly recommend Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu Korean restaurant on Bloor street..this is the BEST food in the whole world and that is an art in itself! (they do not have a website)

Have a great weekend!

Love and Liefs, Johanna

New York, New York! One More Time

Not fed up yet with New York?

These are the last pictures I would like share (promise;o))

Love and Liefs, Johanna

New York, New York Part 5

And of course, the joy of city walking is seeing all those incredible beautiful buildings.

Man, I had a sore neck from looking up all the time ;0)

Love and Liefs, Johanna

New York Part 4

And of course there were the museums! We made a list of museums we wanted to visit and tried to prioritize…have to go back to New York!

Guggenheim is a beautiful building. To my disappointment the Kandinsky floor was closed to the public. The rest of the museum was dedicated to an exhibition by two very silly Switzers ..we will say no more about it.

But yes the Metropolitan is the BEST museum in the world!!! I could go there every week! The building is beautiful, the collection breath taking. We planned our must see floors ahead and enjoyed Chagall, Kandinsky, Calder, Miro and many more!! And very clever , the museum has set out a walk for one-day-visitors so you can have an impression of the collection without going crazy.

And at the American Museum of Natural History, a lifelong wish of mine came to happen in seeing the MOST beautiful dioramas in the world. Those of you who follow my blog a little longer know of my passion for dioramas.

These can be over a 100 year old and come from an era without TV, Film, color photos and traveling was a thing for the happy few. The marvel and wonders they must have caused. Mr. Walker does not share my passion but he admitted that it was pretty amazing.

I was so happy.

Love and Liefs, Johanna

 

New York, New York! Part One

Mr. Walker and I went for six blissful days to the Big Apple.
First time for the both of us. And of course, I want to share snapshots from the family album.

Man, what a fun city that is and so much cleaner as I expected ( spoken as a true cleanliness obsessed Dutch girl)

It was the biggest city I ever visited and I think I can easily spent a whole month there and still find things to see and do.

We walked over 70 mile, because to our opinion cities are best experienced when walking and New York is wonderful to walk, to stroll or as my friend Jane Austen would say, “promenade”.

Wonderful museums, delicious foods everywhere , weird streets where the sun never touches the pavement and of course we had the loveliest of spring weather.

It is impossible the show and tell all but for a few days I will post about our trip and I hope you will enjoy it!

Meneer Walker en ik zijn 6 dagen in New York City geweest en man wat hadden we t daar gezellig!! Zoveel te doen en te zien, echt genieten. t weer was prachtig en we hebben in 6 dagen een slordige 120km gelopen…steden zijn t best te voet te bewonderen!
De komende paar dagen meer kiekjes uit t familie album en ik hoop dat jullie t leuk vinden.

Love en Liefs, Johanna