You guys are the greatest! Thank you all so much for the cheering words. It was reassuring to know that I’m not alone in the seasonal doldrums. Yesterday was mostly sunny, and after work I took my friends’ baby for a walk. She’s a happy girl, so I sang silly songs and made faces at her and enjoyed the sunlight and exercise. By the time we were done, I felt “right as rain.” 🙂
Oh, and this song just came on my ipod: “The sun is coming to the cold places – now I can feel. The sun is coming.” (Matt Wilson, “Sun Is Coming” from Burnt, White and Blue.)
In the interest of finding some greenery during this decidedly non-green time of year in Minnesota, I turned to Jan Messent’s book Knitted Gardens. You do all realize that I have no intention of ever knitting anything from one of Messent’s books, right?! I just love to look at them and marvel at the intricacy. I mean, can you imagine having a knitted garden bedspread? (All of these pictures are clickable and totally worth it.)
Or knitting wee cabbages, sunflowers, and a tiny little fountain?
How about a crowd of gardeners?
Or a little basket of vegetables?
Gardening friars, anyone?
Complete with tiny beehives and miniscule bees, of course…
*burp* “That was tasty! What kitten?!” -C
I just love Messent’s ideas and books. I have her books on embroidery but this one looks like good eye candy if nothing else!
What Messent can do with knitting is really quite amazing!
Me too on the doldrums, tho we’re getting more sun the last couple of days and wow, does that make a difference.
I have several knitting and craft books from which I have absolutely no intention of ever making anything, but I love looking at them.
Oh, that’s amazing! I love it! I have to get my hands on a copy of that.
{{Hugs}} Glad you’re feeling better!
(Chaos! Stop that! Spit her out! Spit! Her! Out!!)
Good thing everybody could cheer you up yesterday, because I was in the same doldrums and had nothin’ to share (I’m better now, too).
Who wouldn’t want to knit some teeny veggies? Every time you mention those books I’m tempted. Stop it.
I’ve got those kinds of books on the shelf, too. Love to look at them, but no intention of ever making anything from them.
Glad that you’re feeling better today. It’s amazing how much cheerier you can feel after singing goofy songs and sticking out your tongue a few times.
I swear I could smell spring when I walked out of work yesterday afternoon…
This books looks awesome! I’d never heard of it before, I definitely would love to get my hands on one.
Somehow I’m thinking that my husband would lock me up in the looney bin for knitting tiny gardening friars…
Oh no Chaos.. Spit her out! hee hee.
It’s amazing how smiling babies, sunshine and exercise make you feel, eh?
Glad you perked up a bit. 🙂
Hehe, knit the bee hives and then knit a little Sherlock. You’re own little peice of Sussex!
Chris- Glad you’re on the up- that book is probably good for a few laughs.
Chaos- young kittens can be very tender and juicy!
OMG. I have a vegetable theme in my kitchen and you show me THIS???? Ok. Not necessarily the whole bedspread, but I can see a knitted vegie basket somewhere in my kitchen…gotta get the book!
(thank you, you kind enabler, you!)
CHAOS! You’d best be joking…May? May? Speak to us, May?????
😉
(((hugs)))
Wow! I get an F in grammar today. How about “your own little peice of Sussex” instead? 🙂
I did not know that kittens cause gas!
Those pictures are great, but what do you do with a miniature apiary after you’ve knit it?
Love the bedspread! But I guess it wouldn’t be practical with four legged children who love to chew 😉
Glad you feeling somewhat better! I think you need to get rid of all the purple and black yarns and knit cheerful colours 😉
Can you knit a scene out of Slap Shot for me? The bench clearer where the Hanson brothers are wreaking havoc would be great, they probably have a book for that right?
What an amazing book! I too would love to just look at it and marvel…and if I even thought of knitting anything out of it, my friends would probably lock me up and have me committed!
Oh! and I would just love to see the knitted scene that would come out of comment #17 – lol
That is one impressive bedspread. The friars are like a knitted homage to Cadfael.
Wow! Indeed I wouldn’t knit any of that stuff, but it is very impressive and motivational in its own way. Thanks for sharing it 🙂
Those gardens are spectacular! Of course I prefer the one in my back yard that will soon enough be home to more tomatoes than any one family can eat…
Hooray! Glad you are sounding chipper today!
glad you are feeling better!
wow, those are some amazing pieces. thanks for putting those out there today. such fun.
Glad you are feeling better, I know what you mean, it’s raining here too and it really affects how you feel. I love those books.
OMG, I love the little cabbages!!! Little things make me squee!
This is definitely not the prettiest time of year in the Midwest. But that book of knitted gardens looks like big fun.
OMG those beehives just kill me. LOL
My best friend is a bee keeper so the bee skep and the tiny bees are almost tempting. Glad you are feeling better!!
is there something wrong with me that those tiny knitted vegetables are appealing to me? I kinda want to knit them… 🙂
Glad you are feeling better! I was pretty blue myself yesterday (hormones get worse as I get older and allergy meds aren’t working–we live 50 feet from a hay field in bloom!!), and I just wasn’t up to sending a cheering message. But I’m glad you received so many. The blogging community is wonderful that way. I did start a new sock that is working, so that helped me.
Chaos, I know you are kidding!
I can’t believe I have never heard of this book!! Amazing! Thanks for sharing.
Those books are unbelievable. And here I’d thought knitting Barbie clothes was kind of “out there”! Aren’t you ever tempted to just knit one head of lettuce? One little beehive? 🙂
I love these books, by the time I started it and completed one, the Monkey would be in college!
Chaos, for shame. May wasn’t that bad.
I think I like the beehives the best! Do you know Rosalie Sorrels’ “hostile baby rocking” song? It is the somewhat twisted song I used to sing to the kiddo when he was a fussy babe.
the green-vested dude looks like he’d fit in well in a Wallace & Grommit film, for some reason.
I wonder which is worse, being a kitty trapped in Chaos, or being a kitty trapped in the ‘mystery wall’? (yes, my cat got trapped in the walls. I’ll be posting about that later…)
Some books are art, some are for patterns. Just like some photos are art — and some tell a story. Your latest tells a very unsavory story about Chaos. Ha!
I love the bee keeper! I wish I could be a bee keeper.
Wow, that’s pretty amazing! It must have taken like 5 years to knit that bedspread, it’s so intricate!
I’m glad you’re feeling better today. The knitted garden is so amazing. I love looking at this stuff.
Alright Chaos, that better not be kitten gas you’re burping. 😉
those books are awesome! I need one!
Crowd of gardeners, or are they zombies?
I can’t decide if this is really cool or if someone has WAY too much time on their hands. 😉
I’m glad you’re feeling less blue. I think everyone has a tinge of “March Madness.” Hang in there. Spring will be along soon, dragging the sun behind it.
Holy cow! That’s some kind of obsession!
I’m so glad to hear that you are feeling better.
Too cool! But my mind boggles at how long it would take to knit that bedspread…
You should knit a couple of those little people and stuff ’em full of catnip. Let the good times roll!
Who knew that there was such a market for this stuff?
Wow! Those are some amazing pieces of knitting! I’ve never seen those books before & well, wow!
Wow – those Messent books are so detailed and the little dolls and vegetables look like fun :o) So glad to hear you are feeling better, especially after a walk with a special little girl :o)
those pictures are freakin amazing… i think i gotta get me that book…
at lettuce knits, there’s an amazing scarf and blanket that looks like a garden, with carrots and roots coming out on one side and cauliflower and veggie tops on the other… it’s absolutely amazing (and incredibly expensive i might add…) but well worth it
Spring is coming! Brown and grey means green is not far away!
It is wet here today. Hooray! And cooler than it has been by a LOT. We have shortening days – my least fave time of year…