Hundertwassers

After looking at my new sock yarn, John asked me where the name “Hundertwassers” came from. I didn’t really know, and did a bit of research. Here’s what I found.

Opal designed this line based on some of the artwork of Friedensreich Regentag Dunkebunt Hundertwasser (not his real name, check out this article for the derivation of his name). He was an architect, painter, philosopher, and a free spirit. Several of his paintings, with bright, abstract colors, were used as the inspiration of the Opal Hundertwassers Werk line of sock yarn. Read the Wikipedia article for more info on the man and his work. Here are a couple of examples of his architecture:

That one is the interior of a women’s toilet in a public restroom.

I was wrong, my Opal sock yarn does have a name, not just a number. It’s “Wartende Häuser” which translates as “waiting house”.

Here’s a photo of the painting that inspired this particular colorway.

And my sock:

In case you need some of this, Webs has several of these colorways left in stock. Little Knits has some that are deeply discounted, but only a very few.

And don’t forget Claudia’s MS ride tomorrow. There’s still time to donate, but NOT MUCH! Get over there now! There are great prizes, but more importantly, lots of money to raise for a good cause.

Author: Lorette

My name is Lorette. I learned to knit in 1999, and took up spinning in 2009. I'm a physician specializing in internal medicine, and live in the Pacific Northwest. Enjoy my blog!

24 thoughts on “Hundertwassers”

  3. Thanks for filling in the background – all I knew was the colors were based on “some paintings by some guy.”

  5. Those are just some happy, summer colors! I really like them.
    I have to bow down to you though. I think my yarn stash has enough yarn to make 14 pairs of socks. Of course, I am trying to become stashless…

  6. I made socks out of the same colorway, and love them. But there’s one thing I wish I had realized before starting the second sock.
    Usually I don’t care if the color repeats are the same on both socks, But in the Hundertwasser, the repeats are so long that the 2 socks can look very different. If you’re on Ravelry, you can see mine on my projects page, username jahk.

  7. What a cool post, thank John for inspiring inquisitive minds 🙂
    I’m not a big fan of many of the Opal printed colorways but your sock is a beauty!

  11. The colors are fabulous, but the photos of the architecture make me think I picked up my husbands glasses instead of mine. They are mind twisting.

  14. Those apartment buildings are scary. I hope they’re easier to look at on the inside. I think living in a place that had been painted to look like it was falling down would warp me as time went on. As for the restroom, where is that exactly? I’d be fine with it as long as I was cold sober.
    Anyway. Love the socks! Now I’m thinking about making an onion-domed hat…

  15. Wow! I never would have thought to go research a yarn’s name before – but I’m so thrilled to pieces that you did. What an education we’ve all had. Those socks seem so much more alive now because of the background.

  20. What FUN colors! Thanks for all the information about Hundertwassers, too. The colors are identical! Nice blog facelift. You are making me want to switch to Typepad!

  21. That yarn is far too regular in that pattern; it just begs to be knitted into a pattern with asymmetrical bands.

  24. Thanks, thanks a lot. Had to go and order that Opal. Same colorway (ok, I am a copy cat but I love how your colors are). Like I need more yarn…especially sock yarn. Only 3 – 4 unfinished pairs on needles as we speak, and probably enough to open a store…and then I went and bought 2 dyed blanks also.
    We are all such enablers, arent we?

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