Wednesday, July 30, 2008

incredible...


While searching for information on how to make yarn from non-traditional fibers, I found this. A project by a Dutch design student. That's yarn from old newspapers. Talk about recycling. I found this absolutely stunning.


I was looking for instructions on how to spin yarn from cat hair, which i found here. I haven't gone so far as to start making it yet. But soon enough. This is crazy cat lady to the second power!

The more I involve myself in fibers and fabrics, the more I feel a responsibility to reuse materials- and purchase unbleached muslins. Locally, the best resource is still the dreaded JoAnns. But I do try to reuse my old clothing and purchase things from thrift stores. Though I'd be lying if I didn't admit the allure of those cute little fat quarters were overwhelming at times. We all do what we can. And like my friends and I used to say it's a "roadside revolution." We're all on the path, just a different places. The point is not to be perfect, the point is to try.

Perhaps we should all take a cue from Greetje van Tiem!



Monday, July 14, 2008

inspiration from louise

Louise Bourgeois is one of my absolute favorite artists. She is one of the places I turn when I feel creatively empty...


"Every day you have to abandon your past or accept it and then, if you cannot accept it, you become a sculptor."

“Ms. Bourgeois, 96, has been prolific. For her art is not a job; it is a life. It is what you do when you get up in the morning, and what you continue to do all day, through headaches and phone calls, breakups and breakdowns, silences and celebrations. It is what you keep doing after dark, and when you can’t sleep at night.”

Saturday, July 12, 2008

when love becomes obsession

My dear friend Colleen shared this with me some time ago and its come to mind lately- as I find myself obsessively working on a thousand things at once and at the same time making nothing at all...



I'm also saving my hair for a future project.. if anyone has experience with spinning please let me know. That's all the details you get for now...

Sunday, July 6, 2008

at last

Last weekend was the wedding of my beloved friends Luke and Meghan. Also known as Mook and Leg. The ceremony was beautiful. They whispered their vows- if you weren't already crying that put you over the edge! The ceremony was so perfectly earnest and authentic. And I couldn't be happier for the two of them. Everything about that day felt so honest- love the way we all dream of.

It took me seemingly forever but I finally finished the blanket I knitted for them. It's incredibly hard to decide what to give a couple moving overseas. I wanted to give them something personal, something I made for them, that would hopefully become something sentimental. Something that in later years they could look and remember as a gift they received for a special day. And I knew that if I asked about a gift registry I'd be met with dismissive laughs.

However, there was no way I was not giving them a gift, so eventually I decided to undertake my first blanket.


It measures approx. 4' x 6'. I used Caron Natural Spa Yarn, a bamboo blend which felt as soft as silk. The color was called Misty Taupe though to my eyes, and certainly in this picture it appeared very silver. I used a 10.5 needle- in a 45" length- I had to double the yarn up to be thick enough. The pattern is also called bamboo and came from my Stitchionary.

I had to leave the celebrations earlier than anticipated, so I presented the gift to them the night before their wedding. It produced tears from Meghan which nearly brought them out in me! It meant a lot to me that they were so touched by my gift.

I'm now onto a sweater I'm making from Suss Love in chocolate. The tactel nylon feels amazing and I almost look forward to fall so I can wear it.. pictures to follow.