Texture || Oak-Hickory Forest

One of the new features (or categories, anyway) that I have decided to introduce on my blog will cover textures or patterns from every day settings and objects. I am inspired by texture on a daily basis whether it's involving an art installation that I came across on the web, a tree that I am working around during the day, or the combination of urban textures that complement each other in a unique way.
I believe it would be over ambitious to say that this will be a weekly feature. At least for now, let's say it will show up when the mood strikes... Hopefully more often than not.
I decided to include Texture on my blog on my trip to the Ozark National Forest this past weekend. The other new features will include Hues and Light. While I may post on Light less often, I felt that it deserved its own category.
From here, I will leave you with the textures that stood out to me in the oak and hickory forest of northwestern Arkansas. Please let me know what you think about the new content, I'm always looking for ways to improve the blog.

On My Needles: Baudelaire Sock

J and I spent the weekend camping in Arkansas, which was a much needed excursion.  Aside from enjoying some peace and quiet and geeking out over minute details of the natural world as I often do (hikes sometimes take twice as long as they should because I constantly stop and look at things.... I'm married to a very patient man)..... I also picked up a project that I have not worked on in quite some time, the Baudelaire sock from Knitty's Summer 2006 issue.  I have a couple of things about this project: First, SHAME ON ME for taking so long to complete this.  I started this thing in the winter of 2010.  Of course, it was my very first sock and I probably could have chosen something a little less intricate for that milestone.  Honestly though, it's been sitting there all by its lonesome on my knitting shelf like so many other projects that I start.  I'm so bad about this!  (There is a beautiful Berrocco tunic in Lustra all knitted up and just waiting to be seamed together, abandoned for almost a year.  ugh)  However, I finished the first sock on our camping trip and am about to start the heel of the second so it should be done in the next day or two!

Secondly, WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH ME for not trying to knit socks sooner?  They are fast, fun, the yarn is always gorgeous and they feel amazing!  I had an aversion to wearing shoes in my college days, so this may be part of the reason but now that I work outside a lot and need close toed shoes, I see the value in a nice sock.  As soon as that first finished sock went on my foot I had an instantaneous vision of myself lazing about watching Harry Potter or what-have-you on my couch wearing these ridiculously comfortable and beautiful socks!  Of course, some slippers might need to be thrown into the mix there because (at least for now) I don't want to walk around in them on my wood floor that hardly ever stays clean for more than a day after I mop it.  Needless to say, I am now addicted to socks!  It's a good thing too, because I have a few skeins of sock yarn in my stash that I bought simply because the colors were too tempting to pass up (and probably spent a little more than I would have otherwise).  Plus, most of my socks have holes in them now, so there you go!  Win-win, right?

Here are a couple of insta-photos of sock number one and sock number two in progress.  I'll get some more after I finish the second one.... and don't be surprised if you see a new sock project go up soon after this one is completed.

I have a couple of feature ideas for the blog that I may be trying out soon, just to get things a little more structured.  For now, I will leave you with these:

Tree Prints

I've been a bit derailed lately with some kind of flu bug.  It's been 4 days and counting of feeling utterly miserable, so I'm hoping there will be a light at the end of the tunnel soon so I can start feeling like myself again.  Unfortunately, I haven't felt like doing much other than sleeping or plastering myself to the couch so alas, not much knit work has been done this past week. I just saw these wood block prints, however, which made me happy so I thought I would share.  This gentleman prints using cut pieces of trees found in his home state.  Since anything wood grain beckons to me (yes, even the cheesy wood paneling you used to see on station wagons in the 80's) of course I would think that these are great.

Via Fossil, Prints by Bryan Nash Gill

Check out Mr Gill's web site if you have a moment.  He has a new book out with these prints called Woodcut, but his sculpture and installation art is really outstanding as well.

Unravel Exhibition

I realize that I just made a blog post moments ago, but as I was browsing on Yulie Urano's blog afterward I came across this and had to share!  It's pretty interesting, check it out:

The piece in this video was part of a larger exhibition at the MOMU in Antwerp last year.  Here is a description of the exhibition:

"With UNRAVEL. Knitwear in Fashion, MoMu presents an exhibition about a material that is very familiar to all of us: knitwear. The exhibition, whichruns from 16/03 until 14/08, will challenge certain established ideas and show that far from being old-fashioned and dowdy knitting is highly versatile, luxurious and a continuing source of inspiration for high end fashion.
The exhibition will address the important decades of knitwear in fashion, demonstrating knitwear’s popularity both on and off the catwalk and unravelling the changing status of the relationship between knitwear and fashion. UNRAVEL. Knitwear in Fashion will introduce the visitor to a wide variety of exquisite knitted garments and accessories from across the last centuries, with a focus on high fashion pieces and their vernacular interpretations."

Yulie Urano

I was browsing through art magazines in Barnes and Noble the other week when I came upon an article on this fiber artist in American Craft.  Yulie Urano machine knits yarn into much thicker yarn and then uses her arms to create the large pieces seen below.  Her artist statement says, "As a first generation Japanese-American, I am attempting to realize and balance these two different cultures and their effects on my art. My lineage is the base of my identity, just as interlacing structures are the base of my work. Although not all of my pieces are specifically about my roots, they never cease to be apparent in my work."I like to see designers who jump the gap between kitschy craft and fiber art.  Knitwear is a thing in and of itself, but it's nice to see work that is not automatically lumped in with granny square afghans and cliche "tree sweaters"/yarn bombs.  It's inspiring to see something original that pushes the boundaries of the perception of how knit craft may be used.

Man Vs. Nature

I love these beautiful images by Matt Wisniewski (via Miss Moss)

Okapiknits

Wow, wow, WOW.  My jaw might have dropped a little bit when I came across this shop via Pinterest.  Absolutely beautiful, unique, inspired designs.  I love it how such a traditional craft can be manipulated in a way that is completely new and revolutionary.  Check out the Okapiknits shop.

Sensory Cues

It's been dry here for so long, I had almost forgotten what humidity felt like.  Last week, the heavy blanket of muggy atmosphere not only wreaked havoc on my frizz sensitive curls, it also threw me into sensory overload.  You know how sometimes a vague tip off a sensory cue will throw you back into the feeling associated with a distant memory?  Since these bouts of nostalgia tend to be associated with pleasant memories for me, I typically welcome them with open arms.  This last week of humid spring weather has placed me inside a bubble of reminiscence over our trip to Costa Rica this past December.  I finally uploaded the photos from my point and shoot digital camera yesterday and thought I would share some photos from the trip again while I wait on some stormy weather to roll in this afternoon.

Fungi Textiles

I recently came across this lovely lady's blog and am in love with the current project she is working on. Christina Obuch is a textile designer in Ontario, and from what I can tell from her blog and Instagram page, I believe she assists with print making at the Bookhou shop, which I am also a fan of. Beautiful, simple and often nature inspired prints. I have a tea towel with conifer fruits on it that I keep meaning to frame.

Back to Ms. Obuch- her newest collection was inspired by the unusual textures of fungi and bacteria, and includes some ceramics and possibly some pouches.

Fungi is one of my favorite themes - there are so many different kinds that are very unique. When Jason and I were in the rain forest in Costa Rica, we fell way behind our tour group because we couldn't stop taking photos of and examining the wood decay fungi that was all over the place.

Looking at the photos of her design inspires me to pull some ideas of my own out of the queue. Check out Christina Obuch's collection sneak peek.

Whirlwind

I've seen formations like this over the years, using antique keys or type press letters. Now that i think about it, Lindsay Zodrow has a wall of empty wooden thread spools on one wall of her store, Collected Thread. I love it! Wall installations like this one always remind me of those surreal times when you are outside and there are THOUSANDS of birds flying around. Their movements undulate in the sky, like a giant blanket suspended in mid air, composed of tiny, flitting, winged creatures. (If you saw the recent flick, Tree of Life, Mr. Malick portrayed this concept beautifully). Since the first time I saw a similar installation to this one years ago, I've wanted a wall in my house decorated in a like fashion. It's in my thought bank for when we buy a house.. We have too little wall space and control over the appearance of our interior to do anything like it now. I like the keys or type press idea, but now that Lynsie has me thinking about air plants... How cool would it be to have a wall full of those? Hmmmmm... This installation is nothing short of lovely.

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Greyhound Cowl Knitting Pattern

If you know anything about greyhounds, you know that they have very little body fat. They are also a sweet, quiet, calm, affectionate breed that will make your jaw drop with their warp speed sprints, but will also warm your heart as a loyal companion. I would recommend a greyhound to anyone as a pet/furry (but shedless) family member, but I digress. Back to the body fat issue.

In climates that actually experience winter, some additional layering is necessary for the hounds so they don't freeze their butts off. I believe that the general rule is: if you need your coat, your hound does too. And there are specialized services/shops that sell custom coats just for greyhounds! It's glorious! My Emma has a nice little red fleece number that keeps her body warm, but the past couple of weeks dipped in the temperature range, so I decided to make her a nice little neck warmer to give her a little more comfort when we go out. Leg warmers may be next, but I haven't decided how to go about that while still giving her the mobility she needs when running around. It's probably not even necessary. Anyhow, the cowl is working out great for the days when the wind chill is just too low. I thought I would share the pattern in case any other knitting greyhound lovers are out there that would like to try it.

For Emma, I made it a little big so it would scrunch up or cover more of her head and neck. I also did not want for it to be too tight. Lastly, the pattern features an opening so that the collar can stay underneath the cowl, but the leash can be hooked to it from the outside. Here is the pattern!:

Greyhound Cowl

Needles: US 11 double pointed needles Yarn: heavy worsted, approx. 200 yards max

Starting rib: CO 45 st K2, p2 to end of round. Repeat until piece measures 2". (it's ok to end with 1 k st so that there are 3 k st together. The rib does not have to be even)

Start increases: Row 1: kfb, k to end of round Row 2: k to end of round Row 3: k to end of round Row 4: k to end of round Repeat these 4 rows 2 more times

Make leash hole: Row 1: kfb, k halfway through round, yo 4 times, k to end of round Row 2: k to yarn overs, drop all yarn overs except for 1, k into remaining yo, k to end of round. Row 3: k to end of round Row 4: k to end of round

Continue increases: Follow pattern for increases 6 times.

Finishing Rib: K2, p2 to end of row Repeat until rib section measures 2" Bo all st

That's it! Good luck!

Conceptual Knitting

photo source

Knitting, conceptual?  This craft can mean so much more than just a garment or accessory.  I love the term "conceptual knitting", because it lends weight to the fact that knitting is so much more than just a craft... it is an art form.  Rather than just superficial value, pieces can have underlying significance, meaning and beauty.

My mom sent me a link to the Leafcutter Designs web site the other day, and I love this idea: a "conceptual knitting" project which materializes the shade of the sky, every day for a full year.  In the end you have a scarf that represents the full year in weather (which in my mind personally, has affected your well being day by day by day).

It reminds me of the Asian Philosophy course I took in college.  As a science major, humanities courses were far and few between for me and the ones that I did take ended up being some of my favorite courses from my entire college career.  Granted, with the Asian Philosophy class I was pretty smitten with my instructor (mostlyr because the material was so profound and moving to me...) but I was very inspired when it came time for our final projects.  We were to creatively interpret one of the concepts from the duration of the course.  I knitted a scarf representing the concept of "OM"... several different balls of yarn in different shades of blue, all tied together, all knitted in to one garment.  different, yet the same.  I also knitted the "OM" symbol into the garment, using various stitches.  Again, all connected, all part of the same piece, all one.  Maybe I should revive this concept.  The final product up with my instructor as a gift of gratitude for my enjoyment of the class.

In any case, here is a pdf pattern of the "Sky Scarf".  I hope it keeps you present and connected.

This installation blows my mind..

Incredible.  Love it.  http://www.gabrieldawe.com/

I've been absent lately, still.  I know I've got some serious posting to do, especially after our Marfa/Big Bend vacation from last weekend.  It is such a unique, beautiful place; I left there completely inspired.  Aside from all the photos I took there, I also have multiple knitting projects going that I need to get some documentation of. There are so many ideas for fiber art projects in my head right now.  I need to write them down before they get away from me, but hopefully I can find some time soon (once these other projects are out of the way) to start working on some of them.  One of my goals from last year was to produce something for Momentum... but seeing as how this year's show is next weekend and I submitted nothing, that's not going to happen.  Next year...

3 Photos Per Hour Project

that's it!  this is the complete documentation (every 20 min) of last saturday, february 13th, 2010.  i will say that this project resulted in a most productive and fulfilling day.  i am disappointed that many of my shots did not turn out how i envisioned them, but this is due mostly to my lack of skill with the equipment that i have (with photography in general, really).  it definitely awakened some creativity though, and that is something that i have needed for a long time.  thanks, sharalee, for deciding to do this!