That brilliant Dottie Angel and her beautiful Happy Hangers. I saw these the other day at Jane's blog (and also, because of Jane, spent the morning watching YouTube clips of The Delicious Miss Dahl, which, sadly, we cannot watch entire episodes of here in the U.S. — though I did of course run right out and get her cookbook after my friend Sarah told me about it and said she had been looking at it just this weekend). I had not much worsted-weight wool, but now (after a Happy-Hanger yarn run) I do. Andy, our friend Aimee, and I have spent the past few days emptying every Goodwill in the area of their skinny old wooden hanger collections. I used to have a ton of these, but then a couple of years ago I re-did my closet and got all new matching wooden hangers, with the big curvy-shaped tops, so had none. Knowing me, I'm probably buying the same hangers I brought to Goodwill.
Spring light is sooooo moody. The palette of spring is so beautiful to me. The grays, the greens, the blues, the pinks. The color is so saturated, the pigments so intense. Andy said there was an incredible rainbow when they got out of work last night. Everyone stood on the hill taking pictures. Outside our living room windows this week, we have a different picture: Our neighbors recently removed the ten-foot (totally claustrophobic) laurel hedge that bordered our property and effectively blocked our view of absolutely everything to the west of our house. The hedge had been there for about ninety years, we think. Now that the enormous wall of deep, dark, so-dark-green-it-was-almost-black is gone, our whole house feels different. All of us are overjoyed. From the sofa I can, for the fist time, see the intersection, my other neighbors' rock wall, the huge dogwood trees in the parkway, a flock of neon azaleas on the next block, the kids playing basketball down the street, the sky, the sun as it is setting. Even the light in the house is different. A fence will go up, at some point, I know, and block the view again, but the fence won't be ten feet tall or ten feet wide or dark as ink, the way the laurel was.
Yesterday afternoon, it poured rain. Thunder — which we only hear rarely here — rolled above the house from one end across to the other. The poor sweet dog trembled with anxiety. I put down the yarn and went into the studio and opened the sliding door, and looked out at the cloister-dark back yard. A froth of pink from various neighborly trees (and our little dogwood) glowed bright against the pewter sky. It was strikingly obvious that my favorite colors had come straight from the stormy scene.
I knew that was usually how it worked, but it seemed ridiculously obvious yesterday. I actually took the yarn photos before I took the yard photos.
i love your backyard!
Love the hangers and the color choices you made. Awesome! I also love all the gorgeous colors that pop out when a storm comes. They seem more intense to me.
Gorgeous richly saturated colors! That view of your backyard is soo pretty!
Ahhh, I am loving your yard! Great job with it! And the light with the balls of yearn {especially in the second picture} make me want to curl up on the couch and have a sleepy day. For some reason April has been such a beautiful month this year. It really feels like Spring... both rainy and sunny {at least here in California}. Just right. I want to go to Dottie's retreat -- it looks like it would be so much fun!
So THAT'S why I can't find any of those hangers - they're all at your house! LOL
I love your spring-storm colors, those are all my favorites too. Flowering trees and new green leaves against a periwinkle sky = magic.
You really should print them all out and group them together somewhere in the house! Lovely. As always.
I read Jane's blog too and now after seeing two sets of crocheted hangers I am really gonna have to make some! :D so so lovely!
I know about that thunder. I was on the phone in a building near LLoyd Center and the person on the other line asked me what that noise was. Everyone in the office rushed to the windows to see if they could see lightning. We only heard it twice. It would have been so cool to see a lightning show from our 6th floor windows. Maybe next time. Love your colors.
I love the hangers and the colors of the yarn. Another pattern for the hangers is done by Lucy @ Attic24, whom I found because of you. It's got me looking for old wood hangers as well. While you were scowering the Good Wills for hangers..you might also look for yarn. I have a dear English friend, that keeps her little hands very busy crocheting or knitting scarves and hats for the homeless and Convalescent Homes..and most of the yarn comes as donations to her...from her friends who get out and go to Good Wills. So, perhaps, you could find all that you need at your local thrift store. Do enjoy your new light and garden...I would if I came to visit...but I would hope that you would also serve a cup of hot Earl Gray and one of your Muffins. smile
Pretty, pretty hangers! My grandma used to have a few of those in her closet. =)
Erin
hose hangers bring back memories of my Grandma, I cant believe I forgot how much I loved the ones she made me when I was little! and I agree about Spring being lovely in a mystic, melancholy sort of way... here is a pic I took of a gorgeous scene I happened by but when I edited it I found I was putting a wistful, aching longing into it.. beautiful but somehow out of reach
http://lovelybud.typepad.com/lovely-bud/2010/04/wordless-wednesday-garden-landscape-with-belle.html
I have been changing out all our hangers lately because I want them to match- Mine are all store bought wood or plastic.
Love the photos of your yard, the earth is so dark.
I feel like I can smell the soil post rain. Lovely.
Love the photo of the backyard space. What a great place to have tea!
I love, love, love spring storms! We have has two recently, and sadly, I think we are done for the season. Those hangers are so neat! So old-fashioned and so lovely!
I love the sweet crochet hangers - I remember crocheting hanger covers when I was younger :-) We can't get The Delicious Miss Dahl here either but I am hoping for her cookbook for Mothers Day :-) Lovely post & pics Alicia ♥
oooh, it WAS moody yesterday! Tamtrum-esque with all that energetic weather! LOVE the colors that brings. Your yarns are perfect and these spring colors are so very you.
I think the weather and the outdoor colors influence us even when we don't know it. I play different music on the harp when it's cloudy than I do if it's sunny out. We're all individual little barometers!
I was looking for something nice to do to wooden hangers to display some baby sweaters in my creative space- these are perfect! Thank you so much for sharing!
I have seen those hangers everywhere. Every time I see one I think that I need to make some. Those are gorgeous!
those colors are so beautiful together. i love the spring greens, pinks and grays too. really magical.
I love the same colors you do, and I was just thinking how much I like the colors in your photos as I started to read your blog post! Perhaps the colors all around you have woven themselves into your heart and soul.
Your yard is so pretty and restful looking. My husband and I are in Dallas OR watching over our grandchildren for a week while their parents are on a cruise! I am so glad it has been (in Portland)-- when I get home everything won't be dead due to lack of water! My late mother in law had a lot of those crocheted hangers in that same pattern - but hers were in orange, yellow, army green and the rest of the colors of that day. I like yours much better and may crochet some myself!
Oops!! I forgot a word in my previous post -- raining!!!! (but I'm sure it was figured out!)
Love those hangers.
i love those hangers! my aunt would crochet around a wire hanger and they are the best. so pretty and strong. i don't think joan crawford would like them though, but she might not realize they're wire ;).