my life in stitches

i can't wear prada everyday

this season's kicks.

from left: Puma Lo Tartan, Camilla Engman for Converse 1HUND(RED)

my latest acquisition

Yellow Canary #1 by Luke Stephenson

i'd love to frame it and hang it over my bed, but i have a pretty severe phobia of things falling on my head.

i'll find some lovely spot...

inspiration

when i'm looking for knitting inspiration, i check out sources that have little to nothing to do with knitting. it's hard for me to explain why this works for me, but i'll try. the thing that inspires me most is a person / artist / designer who exhibits a unique, personal aesthetic. what i mean by that is that he or she is completely doing their own thing, making (and breaking) their own rules without any obvious influence from other artists / designers or from current trends. stumbling across the endeavors of such a person inspires me to work hard to further develop my own voice, my own perspective. it's not such an easy thing to do when you allow yourself to get caught up in what everyone else is doing. that's the main reason why i've cut back on my knitblog consumption. i want to focus on developing my own vision rather than being turned around by what everyone else has on their needles.

here are a few of the people / sites that inspire me. some of these i've shared before. others are recent discoveries. i just want to say thanks to these very talented people who provide me with the inspiration to do my own thing!

• 1911 / the good machinery - this woman's paintings and photography totally blow me away. she has such a keen eye and the images that she posts gives one a good idea of the mundane things that catch her attention on a daily basis. she makes the ordinary extraordinary.

• amanda blake - i discovered her paintings at a recent art fair here in austin. i love, love, love her paintings and i hope to own one someday. (amanda, if you're reading this let me know if you're interested in trading  painting for a knitted something).

• camilla engman - if you don't know who camilla engman is then you must be living under a rock. she is a super talented artist who never fails to inspire with her work. on the surface it appears quite whimsical, but i think it goes a lot deeper. she's definitely speaking her own language and it's always interesting to witness her finding new ways to express it. i bought one of her prints a couple of years ago and it's one of my favorite things. i was lucky enough to be the recipient of a pair of the sneakers she designed for Converse.

• design sponge - because i'm obsessed with shelter mags and websites... this is one of the best.

• elsa mora - elsa is the most authentically cheerful and good-spirited personality that i have ever come across in my life. a visit to her blog will definitely make you smile. did i mention that she's an incredibly talented artist?

• the fashion informer - a glimpse into some of fashion's most creative minds.

• reference library - andy's curated blog features a lot of cool, old stuff. i like cool, old stuff.

• the sartorialist - because i need the daily reminder that there are still people in the world who understand the importance of a good look.

• smosch - sandra juto seems to be having a lot of fun. she's someone i'd like to hang out with. she's very talented, too. her crocheted softies are on my list.

i forgot one...

• this space available for filming - photography by my very talented friend, patrick romero.

 

 

slow knitting

i haven't much to say regarding my prolonged absence. i will, however, note that quite a lot of long time knitbloggers have gone missing. there must be something going around... and while my passion for blogging about knitting hasn't exactly returned, my passion for knitting has. stepping away from the needles gave me an opportunity to discern between knitting just for the sake of knitting and knitting really interesting pieces that i love. i first began knitting in 1998. at that time, yarn selection was pretty slim (compared to today) and Rowan was the only company offering (slightly) fashionable designs. i mostly knit patterns from vintage Vogue Knitting magazines from the 60's because they were the only designs that i found interesting. with few designs to choose from and mostly pretty basic yarns (with the exception of Noro), i was pretty selective about what i knit. the projects that i knit back then are still some of my favorites. it goes without saying that the knitting industry has exploded since then. there is every kind of yarn imaginable and designs to fit every body, style, and budget. it's great to have so much at your disposal. however, for me, the downside is that i get seduced into buying a lot of yarn that i don't really need, won't ever knit with, and ends up in my ridiculous stash or i start projects that i was never really all that interested in to begin with and never finish them. and as far as patterns go, i think the signal-to-noise ratio is pretty low. having written 2 books, i know what i'm talking about. i blame the publisher, not the designer. it's hard to be creative and thorough when you have a relatively short amount of time in which to meet your publisher's deadlines. if i could do it all over again i would take twice as much time as before. i think it's all a bit too much, too fast, too soon. the fact there's so much of it out there - yarn, books, blogs, magazines, shops, merchandise, fiber festivals, social networking - makes me less interested, not more interested. it's time to tone it down. my plan is is to knit like it's 1998, when i took my time with a project because i wasn't in a hurry to start something new because the something new didn't even exist yet. in other words, from now on i will be knitting slowly, consciously, and choosing my projects with care.

speaking of projects, i decided to reknit the waistband on Justina. it's such a lovely skirt. it was a shame that i couldn't wear it without danger of it falling off my ass. i reduced the number of stitches and i'm reknitting it in a 1x1 rib. i hope this works. and, i've cast on for a new project! the yarn is Noro Matsuri and i absolutely love it! it's super light weight and has a really nice feel. i have a vague idea of the design, making it up as i go along. if it's a success, i'll post the pattern for sale. trying to get back into the mindset of knitting for myself as opposed to knitting for public consumption. my own personal taste is so much more out there and i'm trying to get back to that...