Feb 18, 2015
The stars have entire armies of people dedicated to telling them how fabulous they are every day of their lives. You have a mirror. Get in front of it and be your own publicist, darling.
This fabulous quote from Tom Fitzgerald and Lorenzo Marquez’s giggle read, “Everyone wants to be me or do me” could be a motto for many.
As I sit on sides of the Lincoln Center Plaza, watching young stylists, models, photographers grasp a bit of that Fashion Week feeling, considering their quest for fame and fortune, it seems a bit preposterous. On the other hand, how many other people are their own worst enemy?
You are fabulous dahling. Go out and share that brilliance with the world!
Nov 30, 2014
Once upon a time, there was a mother who would knit anything for her daughter. The toddler loved hats and all kinds of animals. When the mother discovered The Knitted Farmyard by Hannelore Wernhard, she resolutely created its landscape rug and a variety of tiny animals that required hardly any knitting but plenty of fiddly finishing. The toddler loved playing with each of the knitted animals. She and her friends would take the animals all over the house, in the stroller and around town. Before the mother knew it, hours of laboriously fashioned little animals had completely disappeared, thereby extinguishing all desire to ever create anything three dimensional again.
Giraffe from Sarah Keen’s Knitted Wild Animals
With very little exception, 3D knitted toys did not pop into this mother’s knitting radar (or onto her needles) for a very long time. Last summer, as I watched a knitter create an ornament in the form of a box of Hobb’s popcorn, the kernel of knitting curiosity cracked that moldy resolution to avoid knitted toys. The flame sparked brightly when my sister requested not one but THREE knitted wild animals from Sarah Keen’s Knitted Wild Animals. Another toddler who may just love animals in my future? Can I refuse? No way! I don’t want to miss this chance.
So soon I shall knit another giraffe, an elephant and a panda. I’m warming up with other 3D knit projects this winter.
Parlour Cat a free Rav pattern by Sarah Kellener
I finished one of two Parlour cat by Sarah Elizabeth Kellner, in memory of our dear gatto di lusso. No face yet, but it looks quite convincing when placed on the chair. Can’t wait to make the next one.
Celestine is a 12 pointed star designed by Norah Gaughan. Easy to knit in sport weight yarn, this pattern could be a traveling project… except for the double pointed needles. However, TV knitting is completely appropriate.
If If keep this up, a knit cornucopia with accompanying knit vegetables may be in my future. But will the 3D knit mojo last that long?
Jan 22, 2014
Drip, drip, drip…
A lifelong avid reader, a doodler and occasional journal writer, my book attraction has broadened over the past few years.
Drip… While working at the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum, I loved the insights and discoveries of Anne Marie Eze, who at the time was a curatorial fellow (she’s become part of the curatorial staff since then). Mrs. Gardner was a dedicated book connoisseur before she launched into other art forms. Anne Marie brings the cultural background of many books to life as she explores the collection.
Drip… Pam Parmel mentioned the embroidered caskets collection at the Museum of Fine Arts during her talk at the Common Cod Fiber Guild in 2012. As a member of the Textile and Costume Society, I had the chance to observe more of these incredible works, learning that many book binding techniques were used to assemble the pieces.
Drip… Stacie Dolan published Book Art Studio Handbook and I started thinking about all of the opportunities to mix my love of textiles with book binding.
Drip… An email from the Folk Art Museum leads me to a very cool way kit, which I just have to share on Twitter.
Tactile_Travel
: V Cool gift idea: Book binding kit (I know you need a new craft idea) http://t.co/GjhMsJKnEd from @FolkArtMuseum 1:15pm, Dec 13 from HootSuite
Long pause. I don’t know. I just want to try the putting together. No idea about the content.
Peg and Awl lead you through the book binding process with their Anselm kit.
My darling hub gave me the kit for Christmas. As I attempt to stay focused on completing the master knitter portfolio, I can’t dip in just yet (however, I keep a stack of books on the topic near my bedside table!).
Today’s Writer’s Almanac (January 22, 2014) gave me direction on the book inspiration. It is enough by Anne Alexander Bingham. Add this to my collection of cherished poems.
Time to develop my book. I wonder how that paper will handle being stitched….
Jun 11, 2013
More than four months into Level 3 of The Knitting Guild of America’s Master Hand Knitting Program, I’ve completed reviews, reports and absorbed the contents of a lot of knitting references (thank goodness for interlibrary loans). To date, 12 of the 19 swatches are blocked, labeled and complete with swatch pages. Generally, the swatches were knit twice before they were worthy of blocking. I’ve answered the associated questions for these swatches. Onward and upward, I tell myself.
Soon, I’ll resolve my yarn choice for the doily. Isager’s Plant Fiber sounds and feels luscious, but I’ve never knit with it. Should I spend so much on a doily which could just as easily use Brown Sheep’s Cotton Fine for 40% less expense? Design notes, swatches, measurements and yarn options ferment for my hat and sweater designs. Combination ugh and delight, my attitude about the final level of the program ranges from joyful, determined, focused to dejected and incredulous (now why am I doing this when there are so many things I’d love to knit or crochet?).
Slowing the process slightly is my learning curve on making charts using Illustrator. The program doesn’t require anything nice computerized patterns, but it’s been a longtime goal of mine to develop a pattern template and graphic style for the patterns I write. Makes sense that I personally consider this to be part of a Master Knitter skill set.
My nagging fear: Not following the directions completely, which results in rework for sheer carelessness. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned about the Master Knitter Program, following directions, checking your work, letting others review your work and then checking it again perhaps has been the most valuable lesson (remember, I’ve been knitting for decades!).
This post is more brain unload than informative, inspirational or entertaining. There are online forums and I enjoy support from 2 other local knitters who are tackling the program, but Master Knitter journey is quite solitary.
Thanks for listening.
May 13, 2013
Ever since I found out that June Hiatt’s The Principles of Knitting
was reprinted and available digitally, I began to actually want a a digital book reader. Wouldn’t it be fabulous to tote that tome of knitting knowledge spritely in my knitting bag? What a tantalizing idea!
A bit of shopping around and I realized that my love of textile books meant a simple black and white reader wouldn’t support the color photography, so a fancier tablet was in my future. And recently, my hub surprised me with a Kindle Fire
. What a darling!
My dearly beloved and I are best friends, parents and share much together. Makes sense, as it’s been nearly a quarter century of matrimony. He sweetly let me know that with his Amazon Prime membership, we could stream movies and I could read books for free. All I had to do is register the Kindle to his Amazon Prime address.
OK.
But of course, this means that any time I download a book, he’d get the notification. His preferences and Amazon profile would be littered with my wish list and purchases. And more importantly, my Amazon profile would essentially wither into the ether. My Kindle library would become forever associated to his linked address unless otherwise gifted to me.
Pause.
To have and to hold, in sickness and in health does not mean that we lose our identity. Am I ready to let any sort of assumptions that Amazon could make based on more than 15 years of patronage disappear? Worse yet, do I care? Apparently, I do.
Asking friends, I found that some couples share not only a profile, but even a tablet… it was no big deal. Others, who choose the presentation and display of their books carefully, as if decorating and making a personal statement, could understand my dilemma.
In the end, I decided my Kindle’s purpose was for my literary pursuits and not watching video, and that I wanted my profile to remain linked to my interest areas.
But I haven’t de registered the account…yet!
Any requests for which books to download first?
