Colour Lovers

Do you love colour? Then you just might like this blog post!

I promised a while ago (back in May!) that I would blog about the rest of my visit to the floral heaven that is Keukenhof, because I just couldn't quite cram all that gorgeous colour into one post... well here you go - enjoy!

Possibly the cutest dog ever - it was almost as if it was posing for the picture!

We saw a stunning variety of different types of tulip (as well as other flowers) and a staggering spectrum of colours. It truly was a feast for the eyes!

Of course, you can't expect to visit Holland without seeing a few clogs...

...and we also saw the beautiful flower fields too!

I was really blown away by the sheer intensity 

of the red tulips as they were incredibly striking.

From the edges of the Keukenhof boundary you could even see groups of tourists on little boat trips along the canals running around the borders of the flower fields.

Tulip Time!

I recently returned from a trip to Keukenhof in Lisse, a town which lies southwest of the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. It's a place I have wanted to visit ever since hearing about it - in case you haven't, it's a world-reknowned spring garden featuring a staggering variety of flowers.

It features over 7 million flowers but is best known for its beautiful displays of tulips, Holland's national flower. The gardens showcase a whopping 800 varieties of tulip!

If I actually had a "bucket list" this would most definitely have been on it! As someone who adores tulips and loves colour, it was just such a marvellous feast for the eyes - not to mention the beautiful perfume of delicately scented hyacinth and narcissi flowers.

I really loved this vibrant stripe effect that was created with rows of different colours of tulips and hyacinths.

There were so many lovely things to see around every corner and I must have taken over a hundred pictures...

This year Keukenhof had special displays in tribute to Vincent van Gogh, one of the most famous Dutch painters.

The artist inspired some interesting displays in one of the Keukenhof flower shows.

If you ever get the chance to visit, I cannot recommend it enough, especially if you are a flower fan. Find out more on the website: www.keukenhof.nl.

Stay tuned for more floral loveliness, including pictures of the stunning commercial flower fields!

All the Pretty Things

Image via Flickr

Life has been somewhat of a whirlwind lately, so I'm taking a much-needed moment to slow down and contemplate the things that inspire me. Pretty patterned tiles and ceramics have been a feature in recent weeks so here are some of my favourites.

Image found on Pinterest

Image via Flickr

Image via Decor8

Pretty cups via Tumblr

I do hope you liked these pretties and wish you a happy Friday - enjoy your weekend!

Awash with Colour - 4KCBWDAY4

Day 4 - Colour Review

"What are your favourite colours for knitted projects. Have a think about what colours you seem to favour when yarn shopping and crafting.
 
"Only after writing this part of your post should you then actually look to see what colours you have used in your projects. Make a quick tally of what colours you have used in your projects over the past year and compare it to the colours you have written about. Compare this, in turn, to the colours that are most dominant in your yarn stash – do they correlate?

Now think back to your house animal - do the colours you have chosen relate to your animal in anyway - if you are in the house of peacock, for example, are your projects often multicoloured and bright?"



I feel that my favourite colours for knitted projects (and crafting generally) are more or less the same as my favourite colours overall: beautiful deep, rich jewel tones, as well as a sprinkling of neutrals and pastels to offset them.

Now to see if I'm right! (I imagine I'm not far off really, as I have a pretty good awareness of colour and frankly am quite obsessed with it.)

On reviewing the projects I recorded over the last year on Ravelry, I do think my initial assessment is about right. I'm not including in this review items I was commissioned to make as I do usually get requests for specific colourways when people order something!



I do know for a fact that my stash is dominated by reds, purples, violets, greens, teals, blues and greeny-blues - a veritable rainbow of saturated colour if you will.

This is tempered by my love of natural tones - many hues of soft greys, a hint of cream and a handful of inky blue and deep black. I also have a small collection of pastel yarns because I have a love for shades with a slightly retro feel - 1950s ice cream colours anyone?

[EDIT]

Just realised I neglected to cover the final part of the task! Ooops. In any case, thinking about the colours that appeal to me and that I tend to craft with, I supppose they do correlate in a way (other than perhaps the neutrals) to the sorts of colours a *real* bee might be attracted to in the world of flora. How fitting!