52 Forms of Fungi || #49

Now that my web site is live, I'm back on course to finish up this project once and for all.  Another minor holdup this summer involved finding the right yarn for this species - black jelly oyster.  After going through my immense stash of every color you can think of (seriously, I think I own over half of the available shades of Knit Picks Palette), I finally found a hue that was satisfactory.  The most interesting part about black jelly fungus is the underside, so just imagine that the branch these little guys are growing on has just been overturned to expose the surface that has been buried in the duff.... very CLEAN duff, obviously.  The bottom of these forms show some intricate detailing for the gills that is unfortunately not too visible in my photos due to the darkness of the color (there had to be a drawback), but trust me, it's there!  I used the same stitch technique as I did with the gills of Lactarius indigo, if that helps.  

52 Forms of Fungi || #48

Found in burned areas where morels are abundant, pink burn cup  (Tarzetta rosea) may cover the ground. While I'm sure I would be pretty jazzed about finding a ton of morels, these would probably grab my attention even more!  I would love to do a large installation with these - the color is so vibrant and they are very simple to make.

This species was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project.  See more forms for the project here.

52 Forms of Fungi || #47

A couple of years ago, I was minding my own business in my office when a coworker walked in and tossed a baggie across my desk.  A little startled, I remember looking at it and thinking, "What on Earth?!" as I examined the strange crab claw-like structure before me.  For the most part, I'm the go-to "what-the-heck-is-going-on-with-my-tree?" lady, though I rarely get many questions about fungi, despite my obvious interest.  After a little digging, I discovered that the strange fungus that had sprouted up in my coworker's yard is yet another fascinating species of stinkhorn.  In looking into this unusual specimen I was inspired by stinky squid, which you see here, though I'm not sure exactly which stinkhorn my coworker had found, specifically.  The world of fungi never ceases to fascinate...

This species was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project.  See more forms for the project here.

52 Forms of Fungi || #46

Apricot jelly fungus has been on the list for quite a while and has finally made its debut!  It's really starting to hit home that this project is coming to a close - Of the several phases that Berroco provided yarn for, this was the last to create.  Imagining the curled, gelatinous structures of this fungus with each increase row, I continued to savor the softness of Ultra Alpaca Fine.  It's unlikely that this fiber will ever leave my list of favorite yarns.  I like how the natural curl of the yarn in a way mimics the shape of this species.  The Grove Mix colorway seemed to match up nicely as well.

This species was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project.  See more forms for the project here.

52 Forms of Fungi || #45

Craterellus fallax, black trumpet.  I find the dark color of these to be striking!  They are widely distributed, but apparently difficult to spot and like to grow beneath oaks through mycorrhizal relationships.  It seems that black trumpet is also very fragrant!  I'm not sure what they smell like, but how strange to spot a mushroom on a walk because of its olfactory properties!

This species was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project.  See more forms for the project here.

52 Forms of Fungi || #44

Little nest polypore.  I remember observing some of these on a fallen branch in a natural area a year or so ago, alongside some bitchin' lichen.  They were much smaller than these polypores that I knitted, but the rings of color were pretty distinct.

These polypores were knitted for my project, 52 Forms of Fungi.  You can see more phases from this project here.

52 Forms of Fungi || #43

As I'm beginning to write this, it's occurring to me that I have not knitted very many conks for this project.  I made ganoderma in the beginning, but that was quite a while ago.  I suppose it's only fitting that I squeeze one into the final 10!

This is red belted conk.  I had hoped to post this a week ago, but we've had crap weather as of late (as you can tell from the white remnants of roadway torture substan--- I mean, snow, that's in the background there.  I have attached the little guy to a sad little apple tree in my back yard that had a heck of a fight with fireblight last year, has a pretty gnarly cavity at the base, and served as a nice host for some split gill fungi that I observed all last summer.  We will probably have to remove the tree in the near future, so I wanted to make sure her legacy carried on.... in the form as a host for knitted fungi in a photograph.  With that being said, I don't think this conk actually grows on apple wood, though if I'm wrong about that please correct me.  I have seen it on Juniperus in the past, or at least what I believe to be this species.  Very beautiful.

These mushrooms were knitted for my project, 52 Forms of Fungi.  You can see more phases from this project here.

52 Forms of Fungi || #42

Flat-topped club coral.  I love the shapes of these little guys.  Apparently they are edible, and actually have a somewhat sweet flavor.  Dessert mushrooms?  That's a new one to me.  Have any of you tried these before?

These mushrooms were knitted for my project, 52 Forms of Fungi.  You can see more phases from this project here.

52 Forms of Fungi || #41

We're at the countdown, folks.  I'm now twelve phases from finishing the 52 Forms of Fungi project.  Last week, I sat down and planned out exactly which species to include and am really excited to share them with you, starting with bleeding hydnellum!  When young, this fungus appears to be "beaded" with red droplets, almost blood-like.  As it grows, the flesh will envelope surrounding objects - twigs, leaves, cones, PLANTS (whoa!), etc.  According to my trusty field guide that I bought in Oregon a few months back, this is also a great dye mushroom and (surprisingly) produces hues of blue and green.  Another common name for this species is "Strawberries and Cream".  Yum, right?  I'm glad to finally add this little guy to my fungi index, and now I'm off to keep working on future phases for the countdown.  For those of you with the day off today, I hope you enjoy your holiday!

52 Forms of Fungi || #40

Last fall, Berroco so kindly provided some yarn for me to use on this project.  The majority of it was varying gauges of Ultra Alpaca (a personal favorite), but also in that box was a new yarn that was about to be released.  A super soft, shiny, beautifully draping yarn.  Now that I'm nearing the end of my project, I'm finishing up my Berroco yarn stash as well.  The two shades of this lovely mystery yarn triggered an epiphany in my brain the other day as I realized the perfect species to use them for: oyster mushrooms.

This is a timely post, as I've been seeing oysters all over my feed lately from local wild crafters.  Apparently, this is a really great year for them in Oklahoma.  I'll bet more will be popping up over the weekend, with all the slow, drizzly rain we've been getting this week.  You may be noticing this from the photos, but no, I did not detail the gills this time, mostly due to time constraints.  Please don't hate me.  If you like to see stitching for gills though, check out Lactarius indigo, another species that I knitted with Berroco yarn.

And now that you're fully wondering what that mystery yarn is (I know you are), I suppose I'll tell you... it's Folio!  The caps were knitted with the Peaks colorway, and the cream shade is called Orr.  These are by far the smooshiest (not a word, but go with it) mushrooms I've made to date.  This yarn has some serious drape.  I'm really considering ordering more to make a sweater or a wrap with; so lovely.

Well, it's been a busy week of knitting/posting about fungi!  I will be working on more over the weekend, and now we're at a countdown!  12 phases left! Hard to believe.  I wish you a very happy Friday!

These mushrooms were knitted for my project, 52 Forms of Fungi.  You can see more phases from this project here.

52 Forms of Fungi || #39

Orange peel fungus!  Named because... well, orange peels... As I mentioned yesterday, I had some issues this week with getting photos for the project due to weather and being so close to the solstice.  It was getting a little dark out by the time I got to shoot this phase, and the clearest photos were a little darker than I usually go for.  The resulting mood was true to the nature of the day, however, and I like how much the pieces stand out in the gloomy setting.  So, rather than correct the brightness I decided to leave the photos as they were.

This was knitted for my 52 Forms of Fungi project.  See more phases from this project here.

52 Forms of Fungi || #38

The odds seem to be against me this week in getting photos of the phases I've been working on.  I made it to a favorite photo spot just as the sun was going down yesterday to capture this species and another that will be posted tomorrow, only to realize that I left my SD card at home (At least I had tacos to look forward to afterward).  This morning before work, it was still too dark by the time I had to leave.  This afternoon--- steady rain and dim outside.  This leads me to realize that every phase to date has been shot in clear weather, so why not get a couple when it's damp?  It's a nice contrast.  In any case after a little while of crawling around in the back yard in my raincoat...

Western amethyst laccaria.  Not found in my area, but I would love to run across it one day.  I don't know what it is, but the purple fungi grab my attention the most.  My favorite about this species was the variegation in color of the stalk.  I knitted with two strands of different shades to achieve that effect.

This installation was created for my 52 Forms of Fungi project.  Check out more phases from this project, here.

52 Forms of Fungi || #37

I've knitted a lot of mushrooms (including boletes) over the past couple of years, and this is by far the largest one.  King bolete is an impressive specimen, and I would love to make another that's even closer to the large end of the scale.  How exciting it must be for the mushroom forager to come across one of these out in nature!

This species was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project.  See more forms for the project here.

For the holiday shoppers - I have prints and knitted fungi available in my shop!

52 Forms of Fungi || #36

I made a bunch of these for an art event at a local park that I was going to be a part of last month, but I ended up unable to participate at the last minute due to some things happening in my family.  This is the first chanterelle I've done -- cinnabar-red chanterelle, to be exact.  I enjoy doing the stitch detailing for the gills such as with Lactarius indigo.  It wasn't quite as pronounced on these since they are so much smaller, but I like how they turned out.

It's been a productive weekend on the knitted fungi front - as I'm trying to wrap up this series, I have about 3 others ready to post and one that will be ready in the next couple of days.  The shorter days reduce the amount of time I have to get out and shoot photos of these after I get home from work (or before work, for that matter), but I will do my best!  I would like to complete the series shortly after the New Year, if not before, so efforts will be amped up a little... which means more to see here on the blog until then!  A holiday surprise...

Thanks to everyone for following along!  Check out more posts from this series here.

52 Forms of Fungi || #35

Dung bell, a charming name, isn't it?  These cute little guys are often associated with cow manure and grow in masses.  I thought about throwing some dog poo in the photos for effect, but when I realized that meant I would be crawling around in the grass with my camera next to dog poo, I decided against it.  These were fun and simple to make.  I might churn out some more for a small piece, which I've been working on a collection of.  Just in time for the holidays!

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project. Check out more of the forms from this project.

52 Forms of Fungi || #34

In Washington, we hiked in the Snoqualmie-Mt. Baker National Forest in the North Cascades, which was pretty much heaven for me in terms of the ecosystem and diversity of fungi.  One of the most striking species we came across had a cap of deep purple that had somewhat of a shimmer to it (perhaps from moisture on the tiny hairs?).  The rich, dark color was easy to overlook in the shadows of the trees, but was truly beautiful to behold.  As I was going through my new guidebook that I mentioned in the last post, I knew as soon as I flipped to the page that this is what I had seen.  Violet cort.  I also thought it funny that this species has been on my list for a while, as I was drawn to it in earlier research.  I really had no idea how much it would impact me to see it in person, but feel fortunate to have had the opportunity.  The bottom photo shows one of the mushrooms that I observed.  The setting is vastly different, but in November in Oklahoma, you work with what you can!

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project. Check out more of the forms from this project.

52 Forms of Fungi || #33

While in the Paxton Gate store in Portland, OR last month, I picked up a field guide to western mushrooms entitled All That the Rain Promises, and More, by David Arora. If you take a look at the cover, you'll see why it caught my eye - it depicts a trombone player in concert attire, sneaking around harvesting mushrooms before a gig.  I laughed, and then opened it up to discover that it's actually a pretty informative and user friendly guide and then decided to buy it as a souvenir.

While looking through and spotting many of what I believe to be the species I saw in the North Cascades during the same trip, I was also inspired by some of them for this series and added to my list of fungi to knit.  The first is velvety black earth tongue.  The dark color and dainty form stood out to me, since it's pretty different from most of the species I've incorporated into this project.

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project. Check out more of the forms from this project.

52 Forms of Fungi || #32

Sarcosphaera coronaria.  A grayish rubbery (in appearance) egg shape forms only to break open and reveal a beautiful purple interior.  It's like the geode of fungi!  So beautiful.  This is another great example of a species that just stunned me with its unique features when I was researching new forms to create.  As if there's a species of fungi that doesn't have that result.

According to Wikipedia, it grows in the mountains within coniferous forests, forming underneath humus on the forest floor and often appearing after the snow begins to melt away.  It can also apparently bioaccumulate toxic chemicals such as arsenic.  I wonder if it may be cultivated for bioremediation?  It's amazing what nature can do.

I used Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine yarn for this phase, which was so graciously provided to me by Berroco.  Just a couple of phases are left to create from the stash they sent me, on top of the 20 forms left to complete the series.  Violet crown cup utilized the Steel Cut Oats and Lavender Mix color ways. No matter the gauge of Ultra Alpaca used, one of my favorite parts of this yarn (besides the softness) is the stitch definition.  I use it for so many projects!

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project. Check out more of the forms from this project.

52 Forms of Fungi || #31

I've always loved looking at photos of this type of fungi - the brightness of the colors and stacked/fanned out growth habit are very beautiful.  Sulfur shelf, or chicken of the woods mushroom, grows on living or dead trees, often on the main trunk.  Its presence on a living tree indicates extensive decay and increased potential for tree failure.

This is another piece which Berroco so kindly provided yarn for me to create.  Made with Ultra Alpaca, the color ways shown are Masa and Grove Mix.  I still have a few more phases left involving the lovely Berroco yarns!

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project. Check out more of the forms from this project.

52 Forms of Fungi || #30

Cedar-apple rust (or hawthorne, or quince, etc) is one of the most alien looking natural wonders that I have witnessed in my area.  A multiple host disease, it passes back and forth between eastern red cedar and apple.  It affects other trees in that family here as well.  The cedar stage involves the formation of these bright orange, gelatinous tendrils coming forth from a dark brown gall-like sphere in the spring months. Red cedar doesn't seem to come to harm from it, though the other host will develop protrusions of its own on its leaves and continually defoliate.  We've had problems with hawthorne trees in the landscape due to this… they just don't do well.

The fruiting structures are fascinating, though!  I love observing them.  The first year I noticed this disease was a very prolific year for the structures, and I remember just being awestruck!

Rusts don't fall into the same group as the other things knitted for this project, but they're still in Kingdom Fungi so I think that's close enough--don't you?  If anyone has photos they have taken of cedar apple rust in its fullness, please post one on my Facebook wall and I will share it with the page!  We didn't get much rain this spring, so the ones I saw (below, at the bottom of the post) had already dried up by the next time I went out.

An added bonus: Here is what the eastern red cedar stage looks like when the fruiting structure is just starting to form!