Yarnplay Blog Tour :: What's Up, Doc?

for today's tour date i had planned to have a dialogue with a fellow blogger about craft and the african american community. unfortunately, life got in the way and that dialogue never happened. so, instead i'm going to talk a little bit about where i come from and where i'm going.

Lolly asked, "I would love to hear more about the connection with quilting, a la Gee's Bend, etc. Have you ever quilted?"

i have yet to quilt. i want to really, really badly. in fact, i almost started several months ago. but, you know how it is, so many crafts, so little time!

when i discovered the work of the Gee's Bend quilters several years ago i was completely blown away. i had never seen any body of work that was so completely beautiful and compelling. to me, they were, without a doubt, fine art. i was inspired by their history and personal stories. they definitely affected me in a very profound way and they still do. so how did i get from there to here? what most impresses me about their amazing work is that they were limited to using whatever leftover scraps of fabric that happened to be at hand. i thought a lot about how this could be applied to knitting. what if i knit a sweater just using leftover bits of yarn from my stash? what if i didn't have money to go out any buy more yarn? could i really create something beautiful using only the yarn in my stash? if you've been knitting more than a couple of years, chances are that you, too, have amassed quite a bit of odds and ends and leftover skeins. why not challenge yourself to create something from only yarns at hand?

"Also, did any of your matriarchs craft? Did they pass this craft to you?"

my great great aunt mary taught me how to crochet and my other great great aunt mary taught me how to sew. i remember, when i was around 7 or so, teaching myself how to embroider intitals on a handkerchief. none of those things stayed with me. i never went beyond crocheting scarves and the last time i used a sewing machine i was 9 or 10. craft just wasn't cool when i was growing up.

i attended a predominantly irish american, all girls, catholic high school. i suspect that there must have been a few knitters in that crowd, but like a speed freak or an unwed teenaged mother, you would have kept it on the down low. the weekend attire (we wore uniforms to school) consisted primarily L.L. Bean, Lacoste, J. Crew (the old preppy J. Crew) and Ralph Lauren. there were plenty of fair isle sweaters, but i can't recall anyone sporting anything that you couldn't order out of a catalog.

i didn't come back to craft until my early 30's. for many years, i had been collecting vintage designer wear and a little haute couture (mostly Pauline Trigere, Courreges, and Pucci) and in my quest to possess some fabulous piece of clothing that no one else owned i purchased every label to known to man. suddenly, everyone was hunting for high end vintage and it was becoming more and more expensive and more and more difficult to maintain my habit. one day i decided that i needed to learn how to knit so that i could create my own unique, clothing. oddly, sewing never crossed my mind and i went straight for the needles.

knitting was the hardest thing i ever learned how to do. believe me when i tell you, it did not come easily to me. i was always the slowest person in class. i could never keep up. i had no frame of reference. what i did have, however, was a determination to keep trying until i got it and an amazing teacher who never told me that a project was too difficult to master.

it seems that there hasn't been a whole lot of knitting going on around here lately. that's because i've been busy working on the Yarnplay sequel, Yarnplay At Home: Handknits For Colorful Living . when i was working on Yarnplay i found myself constantly dreaming about doing a home decor book. so, i was thrlled when my editor proposed the idea this past summer.

by now i'm sure you've seen all the sweaters, so i thought i'd share a couple of my favorite home decor projects from Yarnplay. meet Mod on Mod. for this afghan i used Araucania and Patagonia Nature Cotton. it's a relatively painless introduction to intarsia. this is the blanket that Ashby and i cuddle under at night while we're watching Grey's or Studio 60 or Letterman.

the only knitted gifts i like to give are really tiny ones. the Scrubs washcloths, paired with gourmet soaps, make a really great present. and it's one that even non-knitters seem to appreciate. now if i could only get someone to make some for me...

these are projects are a small taste of what you can expect to see in Yarnplay At Home. i am really excited about this book!

i had been compiling links for the post that this was supposed to be before the tour agenda changed. i'd like to share them with you anyway.

charkhas for africa - help african women to be self-sufficient.

more on Gee's Bend.

get to know the amazingly talented Xenobia Bailey. there's more here.

meet the wondrous Faith Ringgold.

Jimmy Lee Sudduth is on of my favorite painters.

do you know about the art and music of Sister Gertrude Morgan? more here.

next stop on the tour - Yarnplay goes down under for a little Q & A at serendipity.

Comments

[jessica~]

LOVE the blanket! LOVE the book!

[Leah]

Oh, that blanket is fab! Thanks for the sneak peek! :)

[Lolly]

Thank you so much, S, for answering MORE of my questions ;) I really enjoyed reading your answers. This is such a fascinating topic. I am hoping to see some of the Gee's Bend quilts next month in SF! I can't wait.

Yarnplay II? I can hardly wait!

[Karma]

Just had to tell you that I loved your interview with Jac today. The part about designs not having "to fit" info really struck a chord with me... that's my greatest challenge with knitting.

Congratulations on a fabulous book and on the well deserved attention it's getting in blogland!

[shobhana]

thanks!!