Sunday, September 24, 2006

Towards the blue

I got up very very early today. It is Sunday morning. Late September. The nights are getting longer and days shorter. While waiting for the day light I suddenly realized that the color blue is growing stronger again. From now on there is more and more blue until by December the color of my days is just different shades of blue. I have become a ground watcher instead of a sky watcher. At the moment I admire all the beautiful colors on the ground but later on I'll be impatiently waiting for some snow to turn the landscape into beautiful lacy patterns. The haste of summer is gone, let the long cold nights and ever shorter days make us come closer together around the fire...

You could think that a slow project like my current sweater would kill my creativity, but somehow it has done the opposite. This feels like a vacation. I'm free from my constant search for new patterns and new yarns. I don't have any need to come up with anything new for weeks. My hands are busy but my mind is free to roam its own paths without any pressures. I have time to think through all kinds of different ideas without having to find the yarn and cast on. I take notes and draw sketches. I'm not in a hurry to get this done. This sweater is as good as any new shawl or a mitten or a sock. As if the haste of knitting is gone...

And why did I get up so early on a Sunday morning? She, Tina, is the reason. Because this is her time of the year. These short weeks she has been impatiently waiting for the whole year.The bird hunting season. She left already before the dawn. I watched her disappear into the dark blue. She never stops when she gets deep into the forest. It is more like she is flying through the woods with her feet never touching the ground.

The sun is up now, all the blue is gone. When I sip my coffee and look out of the window, I see this beautiful landscape glowing in golden yellow and I know that somewhere out there is one very happy dog. The thought of her makes me happy too.

Hope you have a good day and wool be with you this coming week.

28 comments:

  1. I really enjoy reading your posts - thanks for letting us all see into your world! I understand how you feel about your dog - I feel the same way when my dog gets to really stretch out and run at full speed. It is what he was born to do and it's wonderful to see nature at work in such a simple way.

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  2. Anonymous09:30

    What a wonderful post! Have a wonderful Sunday.

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  3. Anonymous09:56

    What a lovely post! Thank you for a glimpse!

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  4. Anonymous11:30

    Thank you for sharing that enchanting moment. Have a nice day!

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  5. I love your closing - "wool be with you" - may wool be with you as well!

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  6. Anonymous12:33

    I so enjoy reading your descriptions of your surroundings. You make things come alive and make me feel I am almost there. Such a different place from where I live. I hope to see Finland one day.

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  7. Wauw, I wish I lived out there with you for so many reasons, but right now it would be to let my dog out and let her do her thing : hunting. Does she stay away on her own all day? After our resent scare it's hard, but I miss leaving my dog the freedom to go out and have fun in the meadows.

    Love!

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  8. Anonymous13:53

    You describe your environment so lovingly and beautiful that I long to travel to Finland. Have a great day, and thank you for starting my week out so joyous.

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  9. Anonymous14:17

    Love the pictures!
    I am just fascinated with the twined sweater. I have Anne-Maj Ling's book. In an update, could you please mention if you are using the wool and 3mm needle size she uses? I am still thinking of how wonderful a cardigan in that technique would be. Thank you.

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  10. Beautiful pictures Lene!
    Tina looks so happy!
    I relish the early hours of the morning before the world wakes up. It is just so peaceful.

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  11. Beautiful entry... a pleasure for me to read first thing this morning. Thanks for that. :)

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  12. Anonymous17:52

    I love the way that you embrace the passing seasons. Yes, I too look forward to long winter evenings, snug inside knitting. Have a good week Lene.

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  13. Anonymous19:17

    i wish i was there knitting with you! it sounds so cozy and quiet—and nice. thank you for a wonderful post.

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  14. Anonymous19:23

    Lene, thank you so much for letting me come 'visit' and 'experience' your early morning, I love watching dogs stretch out and run full speed, indeed it is like they're flying and it's so incredibly graceful.
    May wool be with you always!

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  15. Anonymous19:47

    Oh yes, the blues of winter. It's something that folks who don't live at high latitudes don't always get, how colorful the light of winter is. All the gaudy flowers of summer are nothing beside the wild peaches and lavendars and mauves of a midwinter sunrise, low and slinking along the south horizon and casting steely blue shadows.

    Fall is, yes, golden-lit, but I think that for me, fall is more a season that speaks to the sense of smell: the wonderful damp rank mushroomy berry-fermenting smells of fall fill the nose before the chill of winter plates our nosehairs with frost steamed up out of damp woolens.

    I'm not sure whether it's the simplifying austerity of the land up here or simply its slower-paced rural character that lets the seasons so engage our senses at high latitude, but that is, isn't it, one of the amazing pleasures of living in the places we do.

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  16. Anonymous20:23

    I like your posts as I am not at all in a natural place... How lucky you are!

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  17. Beautiful - I love the intimate connection you have with the rhythms of the seasons.

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  18. I read your posts in awe. Thanks for sharing your days.

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  19. I just love the way you embrace life. Your posts are like sunshine (even though the sun is showing itself less and less in your part of the world!)

    I wonder if you're going to start knitting and spinning with blue again.

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  20. Anonymous23:15

    My dog was running magnificently yesterday too, except he was running away from me down the street. And not listening as I called him. The squirrels are fascinating to him right now, as they're busy collecting nuts and getting ready for winter. Your dog is fortunate that he can freely roam, and swim too.

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  21. I did not realize you are near a river as well as the lake. The river water already looks cold.

    Your twined sweater seems like a blessing. We all would benefit from a project that quietly holds our attention in a peaceful manner. Why is it hard to simply enjoy the process at hand rather than mentally scampering ahead all the time? I believe that most modern people have lost the art of rest.

    You are able to capture it. And we are blessed that you are able, and willing, to share it so beautifully.

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  22. I agree, I wish I was there knitting with you. It sounds so peaceful and wonderful. Thank you for the wonderful pictures.

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  23. Anonymous16:10

    Loved the post. I am sure long-time readers already know, but what breed is your dog? He looks (what I can see in the water) like our Icelandic Shepherds.
    Barb in Alberta Canada

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  24. I always like your posts! It is great to check in with you :-)

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  25. Anonymous17:09

    Ah, Tina has a lovely life. She looks very happy in that swimming photo. I hope that someday I can find the peace that you get from immersing myself in a single project.

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  26. I love the way you use words to paint images. Thanks for the post. Such a lovely way to start my day.

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  27. Colors and seasons seem to go hand and hand. As autumn approaches, orange, the color of pumpkins appeals to me. On the spinning wheel right now is that fall burnt orange color, and around the house, touches of orange accents the place. Soon, winter will arrive and it will all change.
    Your photos are beautiful and your writing a delight to read

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  28. thanks for the lovely post. i can almost hear the water flowing by.

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