FRAGIL

Disco, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

This is a painting I made a few years ago (two, I guess) for my favourite club's birthday party. It is part of a set of three paintings, measuring about 3 m long. I think it was my first plastering experience on paintings (I used to plaster on walls and paint them afterwards or mixing the pigment into the plaster, as stucco, more or less). I kept on plastering, I like rough textures and I get the sensation that I am painting on a wall and not trying to make some "serious art". And sometimes I like to paint the world as my dog Dodo would see it. The view he gets from his 30 cm height... My first picture in this blog was one of these views. Anyway, I had lots of fun painting the one I am posting today. I used plaster, gold leaf, wax, water paint, acrylic paint, calligraphic ink, vintage wallpaper and matt varnish, so it could stand the highlights of the party. Now it's afterparty time and the painting lives happily in a beautiful white house in Alentejo. And, by the way, the club is FRÁGIL.

MEDITATION GIRL

MEDITATION'S GIRL, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

This is a huge tote (50 x 50 cm). You can carry yarns and needles, dance shoes, vegetables and grocery shopping and even your yoga mat... I think I could even carry Dodo though I have not tried yet. I am sure he fits but will be too heavy anyway. And one must not walk in the streets feeling like one is carrying all the weight in the world. Try to keep your luggage light. You will fly higher.

THIS IS MEDITATION BAG

MEDITATION BAG, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

UN BIJOU EN TRICOT

UN BIJOU EN TRICOT, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

And my hand felt like a sweet anarchist fairy!

FRINGEDBIRD HAND

FRINGEDBIRD HAND, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

That was my second mitten bandwrist. I made the fringing and stitching using colinnette point 5 wonderful yarn. My favourite yarn these days.

LOVELY BANDWRIST

LOVELY BANDWRIST, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

This is kind of a gown for your hands. And keeps them warm too. I knitted it with a cotton/wool mix yarn, a few rows in stockinette for the rolling effect, 10 cms in ribs 3/3 and a few rows in stockinette.
Sew the side ends together and you will get a ribbed tube. That would be my bandwrist. Then crocheted a flower and stitched it to the tube. It took then an unexpected effect that I loved so much! I will be selling some. Just ask.

FLAREDFLOWERED HAND

FLAREDFLOWERED HAND, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

PAINTING MY LIFE

a pintar 1, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

I am trying to paint pictures of my life on brighter and stronger colours. I wish I suceed...

OLHA! O DODO!

Dodo e Dee Dee, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

Com a sua amiga Dee Dee.

LIKE A PRAYER

LIKE A PRAYER, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

Today I feel like deeply wishing the best to people who dare to change.

FRAME WITH LEGS

FRAME WITH LEGS, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

FRAMES IN PROGRESS

FRAMES IN PROGRESS, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

BLUE CAT ON PINK BABY HAT WITH PINS

BLUE CAT ON PINK BABY HAT WITH PINS, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

And what about a moustache made of pins?

SUNDAY'S CAT

BLUE CAT ON PINK BABY HAT, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

Sunday's cat is a nice, lazy and kind of silly cat, made in breaks beetween week end activities. I knitted it yesterday afternoon in a good friend's birthday tea party and made the felt cat and the stitching today before taking Dodo for his walk. Dodo is dating Dee Dee, so we had an appoinment set in the park. I took the hat for the photo session while the dogs were playing around. After the playing/working was done, dogs took a nap, owners had tea and scones and that was all for this Sunday.

FOR A GIRL WHO LOVES FLOWERS

ATMOSPHÉRE 3, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

I know you love flowers, so I send you those for your weekend's breakfast table.
Flowers from ATMOSPHÉRE, in Lisbon, at Rua da Trindade, 28.

SATURDAY'S CAT

SATURDAY'S CAT, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

WHAT'S IN MY BAG?

What's in mybag?, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

I was carrying a mobile, a book, ipod earphones, pink plastic earrings, yarn, knitting baby hat project on progress and a pen. No ipod, no sunglasses, no money. I needed a rest and I spent my day talking, drinking coffee and tea, using my mobile, knitting and enjoying friends' and family's company. I was lucky, going back home taking a wonderful bouquet from Atmosphére, at Rua da Trindade, 28. Ground floor from one of the most beautiful buildings in Lisbon, Atmosphére is the most beautiful flowershop in Portugal, Europe and certainly in the whole world.And What's in your bag?

MY TREE

MY TREE, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

I love so much this tree in our living room. It is one of my daughter's homeart amazing creations.

NEWBORN HAT

OOPS 2, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

This is "number one/baby baby" from my newborn hat collection. I will be knitting some small hats for newborn babys, each one of a kind. Dodo is trying to steal it.

MY DAUGHTER IS A KNITTER

Knitting chick, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

I am so proud. My daughter is now a knitter and started this scarf using mohair with silk ribbons yarn. This will be lovely on her. She is beautiful and talented and I can't wait to see her new creation. I like the look on her face when she is kniting. I love her drawings too.

FRIDAY'S CAT

i love cats 2, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

Have a nice weekend!

THURSDAY'S CAT

FLOWER POWER'S CAT, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

And that is Flower Power Cat bag. 30 x 30 cms, what a great tote to carry yarns and needles for knitting my baby hats projects.

LIGHT OF MY LIFE

LIGHT, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

Do you remember those happy days?

LITTLE BABY FISH

baby fish, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

Little baby fish baby's hat was sold today. I am sure it will be very happy in a new ocean with its new baby owner. Bought as a present for an expected baby, I wonder, will it be a boy or a girl?
November's Lisboa Knitting Meet Up Group was really great. I really enjoy those knitting girls' company, really nice, crafty, talented and wonderful ladies. Rosa and sweet baby E., Bárbara, Sofia and Marisa are cool and sweet and subversive enough to dare knitting in public. I really had a lovely time. And I feel like knitting lots of baby's stuff for this Fall/Winter season. Babies are most welcome in planeta hilda.

WEDNESDAY'S CAT

HUNGRY CAT, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

Hungry cat's is a small painting with secret powers. Painted on a plastered wood box, it measures 20 x 20 x 8 cms and has smiling-making properties. Hanged on the right wall, it has the power to make you smile even if you are in a very bad mood and even if you are sad. Like real cats, he will absorb all kind of bad radiations and will transform them in good vibrations.

TUESDAY'S CAT

CAT'S HOT LAMP, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

MISSING. One day, my most beloved kitten decided that London cats were better lovers. She left with a black cat, wearing nothing but lipgloss. Her bed still smells like vanilla, her furs coats are hanging in the closet, her diamonds leashes are waiting for her, her bowl is full of candies. It is so sad when you loose a cat, such a painful emptyness, feeling guilty and deceived, leaving the backdoor opened all night in case she comes back, showing photos and asking questions to neighbours, eyes burning, wearing dark sunglasses for hiding so much crying and sleepess nights... It hurts so much I could not stand reality so choosed to make up the story that she left in a golden bus, heading London because shopping is really great there and the perfect place for romance and even for success. A choice taken by free will, something I would respect. But, to be honest I tell you that the only thing that keeps me alive is the belief that one day she will know that the black cat is nothing but trash, London is cold without her old favourite fur coat, her mummy's is the only true love and she will take a golden speedy plane and come back to me. By free will. Home is the right place to heal, and a special kitten's life can be colourful, warm and full of love and of light. Like the effects on this lamp. Wire structure, covered with a collage of several layers of coloured and painted rice paper, can stand on the floor or on a shelf, or be hanged on a wall. Glowing orange, blue and red light and featuring a painted silly happy clumsy cat reminding me that my missing kitten is the light of my life. (This lamp can only be purchased by cats' unconditionnal lovers , if you to buy it, mail me or post a comment with proofs of your unconditionnal love for cats).

MONDAY'S CAT

I LOVE CATS BAG, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

Talking about celebration, it sure is time for all cat lovers to have a drink and this is the perfect party bag. Fancy and medium sized, this purse is painted on canvas and is available right now. I have two siamese female cats, Tita and Pantufa. I love them, cats are so cool. A CAT'S EYE is full of such fascinating caleidoscopic effects of colours, shades and feelings. It is also the name of a cocktail. Here goes the recipe for CAT'S EYE COCKTAIL: Ingredients are 1 1/2 oz. Bombay Sapphire Gin, 3/4 oz. Green Chartreuse, 1/2 oz. Dry Vermouth and 1 Orange peel. Shake gin, chartreuse and vermouth in cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Twist orange peel and drop into cocktail.

CARNIVAL OF THE CATS

doll and cat hat pet, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

Wow! My former post "This cat was born near the ocean", about this crazy knitted baby hat is listed on CARNIVAL OF THE CATS, hosted this week by Watermark. To celebrate, I will be posting a work featuring a cat everyday for the whole week. This week, a cat per day in planeta hilda!

THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKING

PIEL MORENA, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

These boots are made for walking and that's just what they do but one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you. Sing along with me and with Nancy Sinatra. I love singing that song and the site is great fun! Don't skip the intro, click the sound and vision link on the menu bar, put song 19 on and sing sing sing. Sing very loud, specially if you have ever been walked on. The weather here in Lisbon is getting cooler so I guess I will not be wearing my bikini this weekend but it is time now to make exciting knitwork projects for the winter. I have just ordered the most wonderful knitting needles from jklneedles. The choice is amazing and I can't wait to feel the smell of my hand made wood needles and the touch of the rosewood. Clicketic Clack... I will be using super bulky alpaca yarns from Blue Sky Alpacas. And in spite of all the threatening news about bad weather I will be in a very good mood. As (almost) allways...

B FOR BLAH BLAH BLAH

b for bird, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

L IS FOR LIFE

fishes, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

DE SEVILLA AL CIELO

baby orange, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

I lived in Seville in the mid eighties and it remains one of my favourite cities. One of my inspirations too. I will allways like and use in my clothing or in my creations, flares, dots, lace, shawls and lots of other images and colours that I brought in my memories straight away from Andaluzia. I love wearing flamenco shoes, try some, they are wisely high healed but enough to make your legs feel taller, they are comfortable to walk and really neat. My cooking is mostly inspired by these southern flavours too, blended with others since I am northern Spain born, grew up at Lisbon, raised in a french school and lover of most exotic flavours. Seville streets are full of orange trees which flowers smell wonderfully when blossom. You cannot eat this kind of oranges though they are quite bitter but their juice can be used as a lettuce salad seasoning. I knitted this orange baby hat using some cotton yarn leftover and green felt for the leaves, the large leaf beeing stuffed and quilted. I was having a glass of Tinto de Verano, a spanish summer drink: just take a tall glass, pour half red wine, half sparkling lemonade, a slice of lemon and ice cubes.

LISBOA KNITTING MEET UP GROUP

Homework, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

Viva! Ainda nem tive tempo de arrumar as barbatanas e faltam só três dias para nos encontrarmos para knit knit knit e talk e talk talk talk (e este deve ser mais ou menos o som que produzimos clicando agulhas e falando). Vai acontecer na próxima segunda feira ás 19 horas na Outra Face da Lua o nosso encontro para tricotar.

THIS CAT WAS BORN NEAR THE OCEAN

cat, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

Knit, knit, knit. It is sooooooo easy and it looks great on a baby's head. I took some lovely orange cotton yarn leftover (about 50 grs) and knitted a very simple shape in stockinette, alternating knit and purl rows. Then, and it was so great doing this, I sewed the felt shapes just as I was drawing and painting but stitching it with thick cotton thread, large irregular stitches. Eyes are glass beads. Really pleasant work to do. Ears and cheeks are stuffed. It stretches and fits babies' heads from 4 to 12 months. One of a kind, still available, a wonderful gift made of love and pleasure, costs only 25 Euros plus shipping, delivered in the most lovely gift wrap ever, from planet hilda. Cat head hat was lucky enough to be knitted in a mediterranean beach where the sea is so blue. The finishing was made in a terrace facing south Atlantic Ocean. The orange yarn versus blue sky and blue sea was good to experience too.

KNITTING EVERYWHERE

knitting in the beach, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

Seawater was really warm in sweet Almeria, so most of the time we were swimming and diving but I still could manage to do some knitting. Wise enough, I promess myself I would only make small projects I would be able to start and finish the very same day or I would quit and go swimming all the time. It had to be be quick and fun and easy. And I think I did some nice knitwork. I was feeling in a kind of a natural high so I was quite inspired. (I love this expression Natural High. It is the name of a song from a girl named Paradise- Vanessa Paradis- great name for a girl, isn't it?). Actually the point is not knitting everywhere, the point is knitting in special places. Now I am back, my eyes are full of swirling beautiful images, my hands craving for some creative action and I am glad I am here.

NO PROBLEM

DOLL, originally uploaded by planeta hilda.

I AM BACK! .... Actually I am back for quite a while but I must admit I had problems with the webserver (oh, god, I hate such word as problems but now I said it, and believe me, it is painful to me to admit that sometimes -very few times, though- there are problems in planet hilda).