"We are all wanderers on this earth...our hearts are full of wonder, and our souls are deep with dreams." ~ Gypsy proverb

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Yarn Along ~ Obsessions

Joining Ginny in another Yarn Along...

Blogger issues, aaaggh! Ahem... My pointy gnome hat is coming along nicely. I think next time I will pick a chunkier yarn for more texture, but I can't wait to see it on my girl!!

Last week, I shared with you a pop-up illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen and was fascinated with the familiarity of their artwork. Well, I've gone head over heels with Alice and Martin. I have started digging and searching and found a trail of all sorts of wonderful visual and literary treasures they've created!

Take Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses, for example. Grant it, this book has been republished, oh I don't know, 100 times. Okay maybe not 100, but it was first published in 1885. Since then, most re-publications have had different illustrators each time. It seems that 1951 was the printing in which Alice and Martin did the illustrations. I'm in love.  Fair warning, this won't be the last time you will hear of the Provensens :).



I'm still reading the same books from last week, and now have added A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (audio). I think I am enjoying it so far, but it's still too early to tell for sure. But along with my latest obsessions with Provensen's illustrations, my thoughts keep turning to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Have you ever had the strong urge to re-read something, like right this very minute?!! Oh what to do, as if three books weren't enough already. But isn't that what summer is for? Fickleness and flightiness? Distractions and obsessions?  Stories and dreaming?? Uhhh, okay, maybe it's just me :)...

Cheers to summer!!

xx oo


20 comments:

  1. oh boo, doesn't seem available on amazon (Provensen illustrators)
    P&P is one of the rare books i re-read. it's like going to a trusted friend who provides tea on a blanket under a parasol and a listening ear....

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  2. I like the color of the yarn you're using :) I'm sure the hat will be lovely :)
    and what a cute verse! I'm a tree climber :D (well, when I have the opportunity...) :)

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  3. Hey, if you are going to be obsessed, this is a good one! Alice and Martin Provensen are real artists who bring life with their illustrations to the words on the page. There's a theme here ... pointy gnome hat and children's books! :D :D :D

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  4. I love those illustrations. Pure nostalgia! Also, I meant to tell you yesterday, your new banner is beautiful! What an awesome pic. And those two sea monsters you spotted are quite adorable with their googly eyes.

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  5. I love those illustrations. They just are so light and beautiful.

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  6. The hat is just too cute MJ! I haven't listened to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but I did read the book and loved it; the original movie isn't too bad either.

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  7. Amen to fickleness and flightiness, distractions and obsessions, stories and dreaming! I am so loving your Provensen obsession...I must look for these! Can't wait to see that finished hat! Oh, and salmonberries are the same texture as raspberries, but way more tart. We'll have thimbleberries next and they are much sweeter!! :-)

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  8. Love the color of your hat and *love love love* those illustrations! Thank you so much for sharing! Now I have to find my own Provensen copies...

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  9. Those illustrations are quite charming! I love the new photo you chose for your header, too.

    Annnd - summer is for anything you want it to be for :)

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  10. Oh, MJ, I can't get enough of those illustrations! They are so charming! Your gnome hat looks great.
    I love your new header/page design as well!

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  11. I could read P & P over and over and over again.

    And MJ, keep sharing those the works of Alice and Martin Provensen. I promise not to get bored of them.

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  12. Great books!!! And your knitting is coming along nicely!

    Here's mine
    http://lifesbestdays.blogspot.com/2011/06/yarn-along-more-reading-than-knitting.html

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  13. Oh...and the Black Swan was great...but it is a bit dark. Kind of disturbing but so beautiful you can't look away. Great performance by Portman, though. It's worth the watch just for that.

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  14. Love that yarn - looks like Quince & CO. in honey? I made a little Wee Wonderfuls doll that was said to be inspired by the illustrations of the Provensens but I had never (knowingly) seen their work until now - it is darling!

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  15. Those illustrations are amazing! They remind me a wee bit of Gyo Fujikawa -- who has such charming illustrations too!

    I'm reading a biography on Robert Redford...he's my favorite!

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  16. Oh, I can totally see why you love those illustrations! Me too. I get all my inspiration from children's books these days :-)

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  17. Love the yarn colour. The illustrations in the book are gorgeous. I love the verses that you have shared. Jacinta

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  18. I love the yarn color :) I think the more books started the better. As long as you do not mix them up in your head.

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  19. I love the color. I made one for Elijah in that same color I think. That hat is addictive and I am sure your sweets will look cute! That book is awesome!

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  20. MJ, I love those illustrations! I must have had a few books with them; seeing them in your post took me straight back to my childhood.

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“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
~ George Bernard Shaw