anything and everything can inspire creativity. i happened to visit linköping the other day and took some time to visit hemslöjden i östergötland and garnverket (they have a shop in stockholm, too). a new aquaintance from ravelry, ulrika, who lives in linköping was kind enough to giude me to these lovely nests of inspiration. i bought six hanks of yarn at hemslöjden. the yarn is visjö from östergötlands ullspinneri. it’s 100% wool, 2-ply (and i really mean that it’s plied with two strands of yarn!) and it is soft beyond belief.
visjö yarn from östergötlands ullspinneri
if i didn’t know better, i would say it feels as a mix of angora and the softest lambs wool. östergötlands ullspinneri only uses wool from swedish sheep and i would love to visit their mill sometime.
i didn’t just buy this yarn at random, i have a plan. one of my favoutite tv programmes is the british channel 4 production time team (if you don’t know it, follow the link to their official website). i studied archaeology in the middle of the 90’s and i have worked as an antiquarian at the national museum of antiquities in stockholm as well as at the national heritage board, also in stockholm. but i never got the opportunity to work as a field archaeologist. i regret this very much. i suppose that one of the reasons for my undying love for time team is that i, in a very unrealistic way, get to experience field archaeology. unrealistic because a normal excavation isn’t executed over a three day period and the resources they have for the program isn’t always available on a normal excavation. the other reason i love the show is the people that are in it. mick aston, who in general is in charge of the excavations on time team, almost always sports very colourfully striped handknitted jumpers. so, inspired by mick’s jumpers and as a hommage to time team, i will knit a striped jumper using my newly purchased yarn.
mick aston in stripey jumper no 1
mick aston in stripey jumper no 2
music has always been important to me, and i like going to concerts and gigs. a few weeks back i saw alison krauss and robert plant at hovet in stockholm. they were touring with the music from their album raising sand.
alison krauss and robert plant in stockholm
yesterday i experienced some zydeco madness with evil emil & the king kongo cobras on a joint gig with the old timey band rockridge brothers at stampen in stockholm.
evil emil & the king kongo cobras
rockridge brothers
i cannot say that either experience will result in a hand knitted garment, but i find it very inspirational to listen to people who love what they’re doing and doing what they love. it means that we can all do it if we put our minds to it and that we can find inspiration in anything and everything.
June 1, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Jag är bara lite avis att du fick se Alisson och Robert live. Hade gärna gjort det också.
Visjö rules, för övrigt!
June 2, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Ja, hans randiga tröjor, hihihi… De är rätt – småtokiga ibland
Men, där stod han upprätt i allfall, inte med gipsat ben i rullstol… Ja, det är i något/några program han gör det nämligen. Har sett dem på brittisk tv, men nu går de även på svensk som sagt var…
Må så grankott… ngn som är lite avis på garnet där
June 7, 2008 at 10:24 am
Åh.. Visjögarnet är underbart. Du kommer helt säkert att gilla att sticka i det!! Jag har gjort en tröja till min son i precis de färgerna du har köpt.
June 16, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Wow @ huvtröjan.
July 27, 2008 at 8:35 am
Åh, jeg prøver og prøver at komme til at bestille det flotte garn men kan ikke komme ind på deres hjemmeside. Mon du ved, hvordan jeg ellers kan få fat på det. Dine farver er fantastiske.
Har du set modellen FLS hos slagt en hellig ko (blog), jeg er igang med nr. 2 men garnet kradser,øv. Håber du kan hjælpe mig.
Sommerhilsen fra Danmark
November 15, 2008 at 7:54 pm
[...] i call the jumper “aston” as a tribute to time team’s mick aston who often wears colourful striped jumpers in the [...]