Needles, please knit me some Autumn

Fall for me has always conjured images of wearing fabulous hand-knit skirts with layered tops and calf-high shoes. This year, I intend to satisfy this itch of mine. I've been looking for nice skirt patterns. Knitty.com has the feminine 'bell curve' and the elegant 'sidewinder'. If you find other pretty ones, please do drop me a comment with the link.

Can you believe - Fall IK '09 has no skirt! Neither has the Fall issue of VK. The fashion houses don't want us wearing skirts this season? Now I want more than ever to knit myself some. :)

Topaz? No. Coral.

I took Knitty's 'Topaz' and turned it into 'Coral'. All that's reminiscent of the original Topaz is the dimension of the dress. I incorporated seed stitch at the shoulders, a different palette and a mosaic band.

About art

When art turns utilitarian, does that turn into a 'craft', endowed with a halo albeit significantly diminished of its glow? Broadly speaking, yes. For example, an art-quilt implies one that is utterly useless in wrapping around to warm you in winters, but somehow elevated in its importance, owing to this aspect.

Here's where it gets blurry: if you've watched staging shows on HGTV, you'll see paintings and sculptures serve a utilitarian role - fill a space, make it look larger/smaller, create a mood, create cohesion and so on. Regardless, those are called 'art' pieces, rather than something that' d suggest craft: 'paint-feature/dimensional-feature'.

So then a piece of what's traditionally identified as art could be reduced to 'pragmatic art' depending on application, but never a piece of what's traditionally identified as craft be elevated to.

What purpose does art (as it is defined) serve? The word 'sensory' comes to my mind. It makes a statement: the owner of the piece is affluent enough to not have the piece do any work. Looking pretty is all that is expected of it.

With this high-brow art-ism plaguing populations, it makes me wonder, should the 'crafts' demand equal rights?

When I knit, I sculpt and color and texture the product all at once, one stitch at a time. Rather than dress a wall or side-table when finished, it dresses me. That makes it art, doesn't it? What am I missing?

death of innocence

I found this quote recently:

"this is for the death of innocence.. it died somewhere between the head and the heart."

Who said this? What was it in the context of? I sense much disillusion and bitterness in the words. If such a death of innocence leads only to an intellectual awakening, why mourn? If this isn't true, I would want to know what else can be born of it, for death doesn't exist in isolation.

Spring Flair in Winter

I've practically lived in this cozy feminine sweater all of '08 Fall and Winter. The pattern is 'Pullover Flair' by Ann Budd from IK Spring 2006.

You must've noticed how I pick patterns from a different season, and often a different year of publishing. So far, this idiosyncrasy has worked in my favor.

Project: one seagull a day (mine this perch)

'Mine This Perch'

Some theory at work here in varying degree:
1. controlling eye movement by manipulating highlight and shadow.
(The eye focusses on the area where the lightest light meets the darkest dark. )

2. shadow drama. (To create dark shadows, deepen them with complimentary hues.)

3. reflected light

4. reflected colour

Seagull

The seagull is my latest 'study'. Here's what led to my dusting off my sketch book and my precious set of prisma color pencils, only to obsess over seagulls:
A fabulous muscle spasm rendered my back quite quite useless in the last couple of days for my favorite activity (no prizes for guessing what). So the 'Topaz' I'm making as a gift (Knitty Spring 2009) had to be temporarily abandoned.

In the meanwhile, I DVR'd a gazillion art shows on PBS. With all that inspiration and no knitting in hand, I had to do something. So, the seagulls.






By the way, some tidbits of my Topaz. I've substituted the fair isle with a mosaic pattern (Barbara Walker). IMHO, mosaic is well suited for kid clothes as it lends an informal touch as opposed to the traditional look of fair isle. The other bit I'm excited about is the really unusual color-combination I've picked - a matte coral contrasted with an 'almond' shade. The hope ofcourse is that this one year old will make a fashion statement with this dress. Will post pics when ready.

Back to Prisma - have I told you how much I love them? I call this sketch 'pear hug'. This is an early creation.















That's my sewing machine resting under my quilt. And ofcourse I call this 'so cozy'. :)

Practical lace

My Glasgow Lace creation (IK Fall 2006) makes for a dramatic addition to my spring wardrobe. I happened to have a green in my stash that matched that in the pattern, and the weight of the yarn worked perfectly for the project too. I rarely knit anything in the suggested color of the pattern but with this, I'm glad I used green.

Mods: I made it more snug than recommended. The sleeves are a complete re-do: larger armholes and slower (and more number of ) decreases to create sleeve cap.

I call it my practical lace project as I'm not one to wear shawls, scarves, capelets or even hand-knit socks, however much I adore the look. A top such as this is the most practical application of lace for my use.

Yosemite

There I am at Yosemite National Park, wearing my Estes Vest (IK Fall 2008 issue).

Gallery of Finished Objects

A hanging lantern I made from some craft supplies, scrap yarn, and a light kit from home depot. Oh, I've got to mention - the construction would've been impossible without the glue gun!!
The lantern - which is a symbol of Diwali - was a gift for my nieces on the occassion.

















A small collage I made with glossy magazine print and some rubber stamping. This one was a gift for my Mum.















A cardi with basic pattern picked up from 'Knit 2 Together'. I used cotton fabric to create panels down the front and a yoke. This one's a favorite in my wardrobe as it snuggly, and easy to care for. The woven-knit fabric combination stands it apart.













I have found I gravitate naturally to Norah Gaughan's creations. This was a summer pattern, intended for cotton yarn and was published in a summer issue of IK. I used the brightest, warmest peruvian wool to knit it up. Never fails to get me compliments from folks around me when I layer it over a long-sleeved tee.












A crib-sized quilt - my first one ever and therefore, a very special product.

A hoodie for Srijan (Vestee)

Knitty's Vestee for Srijan's first birthday. Psst: I made the tag as well. Here's the other side of the tag:

Yup, acrylic. I've developed respect for it after a few years of yarn snobbery. Price is one thing but that's not what did it for me. Really, show me one other type of yarn that's as easy to wash. If it's for babies or young kids that I'm knitting for, acrylic is my yarn of choice. I use larger needles than recommended to knit loosely coz I've seen this to lend greater stretch and softness to the fabric.

Happy Birthday Annika!

This one's inspired by the hues of sky and snow from my recent Trahoe trip. A snow globe I picked up at South Lake Tahoe shows you what I mean.

It's for my niece Annika, for her 4th birthday. Happy Birthday darling!