Who Needs Jewelry

This week while working (if you call surrounded by gorgeous yarn, patterns and buttons work), one of my students stopped by Very Knit Shop in Los Gatos, CA to model her completed scarf from class.  The focus of the class is to combine 20-30 different yarns, gauges and textures in order to create random blocks of pattern and color.

The gallery downstairs was having an artist’s reception and my student was attending, proudly wearing her scarf.

I’m always surprised when combining different yarns and ribbons with Loopy and Luscious by Natalie Wilson, another option for embellishment adding just the right amount of style and design.  For the pattern, checkout http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter02/PATTloopy.html

Luscious and Loopy with oil painting

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Looking For Yarn In All The Right Places

Recently, I had an amazing travel experience cruising up the Danube River.  My trip began in  Sofia, Bulgaria and ended in Prague.  The last three days of the trip were spent in Prague and I stayed at the Art Deco Imperial Hotel.  Upon entering the hotel lobby, the architecture in combination with the wall decoration and tile work transported me back in time.  I was awestruck by the beauty and the history of the hotel.  Walking the cobblestone sidewalks of Prague was a surreal experience, one I will never forget.

With all the amazing sights and sounds of Prague, I was on a quest for yarn.  I located the Kotva Department Store, and found amazing buttons and the largest ball of mohair yarn I’ve ever seen.  The Big Ball from Schoeller and Stahl consists of 600 meters of 67% acrylic, 14% wool an 10% polyester.  It was a trick packing, but I managed to get it home.  When I returned home from my trip, I started to knit a gauge swatch and decided to keep the ball of yarn intact.

Across the street from Kotva Department Store is the Palladium.  The Palladium is an indoor mall with multiple levels.  I discovered a fascinating window display of stitches.  (I think it was an H & M window display)

Art Deco Imperial Hotel #2Art Deco Imperial HotelIMG_3854IMG_3619Art Deco Imperial Hotel #3

No Preconceived Notions

As I munched on my traditional “toasted bagel on Sunday,” my husband passed the Sunday New York Times Style Magazine.” (A tradition we started together three and a half years ago.)  I guess it can be considered a tradition…Right?

Anyway, I came across an article, “Sign of the Times,” by Andrew O’Hagan discussing a writers need for solitude.  Many writers seek the solitude by hiding away in a luxurious hotel room.  Hagan shares a female friend’s ability for “negative capability.”  “Her innate talent for devoting herself, at times, to being something other than she is.”  I vaguely recall this philosophy associated with Keats and also while studying the aesthetics of modernism.

I find it interesting to consider this philosophy in relation to the “straight jacket of the color wheel.”  As a fiber artist, I’ve always found the rules of color theory  a bit chaotic to wrap my mind around…primary, secondary, tertiary, complementary and so on.  This brings to mind a class I recently attended  on color with Brandon Mably, from the Kaffe Fassett studio.  Yarn separated into lights and darks created a paintbox of fiber.  A palette of lights and darks, from which an arms length of five different colors were combined creating visual harmony.  One ball of light and another of dark were used to knit a chart of a poppy design.  When someone brought up the color wheel, Brandon replied, “throw the color wheel out the window.”  As evidenced by all our knitting, perhaps “negative capability” transcends the rules of color.

Color Workshop with Brandon MablyColor Workshop with Brandon Mably #3Color Workshop with Brandon Mably #2Color Workshop with Brandon Mably #5Color Workshop with Brandon Mably #6Color Workshop wit Brandon Mably #4I

There are many things in life I want to experience, and a color workshop with Brandon Mably is one of them.  I must admit, in all honesty, my love and admiration for Kaffe Fassett’s contribution to our world of color, knitting, quilting and decorating.  To my surprise, what a treat it was to be in the company of the color guys…Brandon and Kaffe.

Color Workshop with Brandon Mably #7

Body Double

After working at Very Knit Shop today, I envisioned myself comfortably knitting while watching mindless programming.  Instead, I decided to watch the 1984 American thriller, Body Double directed by Brian DePalma.  The carefully executed use of recognizable Los Angeles landmarks added to the “layer upon layer” narrative.  A “movie within a movie” reality captured through the lens of a camera.  As I watched, I got the feeling there was another dimension to the story.

I was fascinated with the ultramodern house in the movie.  Much to my surprise, the house actually exists, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemosphere.  The Chemosphere  (1960) designed by John Lautner, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lautner   brought back memories of watching the animated sitcom, Jetsons.

 Perhaps this is old news to many, but I enjoyed discovering something new this evening.  The next time I visit LA, dinner at Spago’s, a visit to the Getty and I’ll try to catch a glimpse of the past.

Chemosphere #3

 

 

 

Sunflowers and Sun Damage

I’ve been spending more time in doors this summer due to the water shortage in California. I was not able to plant my garden of sunflowers, zinnias and marigolds this year.  Though I did manage to plant about a dozen sunflowers for the birds and bees. The sunflowers are contained within a planter in my backyard, so I can look out and enjoy the activity of the bees and the beauty of the sunflowers while I knit.

Sunflower Hedge #3

Actually, the water shortage has forced me to limit my exposure to the sun which has been a good thing.  Recently, I’ve been diagnosed with Basal Cell Carcinoma.   A non-life threatening condition that has been treated with topical chemotherapy. I’ve become hyper-diligent about wearing sunscreen and a hat outside and especially during my daily exercise routine. Of course, the sun damage did not just happen…over time, worshiping the sun slathered in baby oil and scuba diving in Monterey Bay did not help.

Mary Lou #1 001

Yes, I’ve taken all of this in stride, excited about my upcoming trip to Central Europe. I’m looking forward to the architectural history of the region along with local cultural fare.  I hope to discover Czech glass and wonder if I’ll see any yarn. I have a map of Prague from (The New York Times Europe Issue, Sunday, April 20, 2014) and want to shop at Prague Thrift Store, Bohemian Retro and Pour Pour.

Mary Lou #4 001

Recently, while visiting the Very Knit Shop, I captured an image of my latest  two projects on display.

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Good Intentions

Staying in my pajamas knitting and browsing through my library of knitting books and patterns gives me an opportunity to remove myself from the chaos of everyday.  A visual world of stitches, creating dimension, exercising two of my senses.  The tactile experience and the act of seeing something pleasing to my personality of design, elevates my serotonin level like savoring a piece of Sees Candy.

I dusted off the cover of my copy of Rowan Pattern Book, Rowan Denim People, by Rowan and discovered a technique I forgot about.

I trekked to my local fabric/craft store (yes, I changed into street clothes) and purchased a ball of Lily Sugar ‘n Cream color 18114 Indigo.  Using bleach as a medium made me a little cautious, but I “threw caution to the wind” and began to think about Jackson Pollock and his drip paintings.   Intentionally splattering bleach all over a knitted piece was so liberating!   Thank you Jackson Pollock   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Pollock.

Indigo Bleach

Revisiting History

Instead of #TBT, I experienced #FWF (Frolic With Friends) on Friday.   Yes, I frolicked with Kate Ferrant-Richbourg and Ava Motherwell.   Renaissance Women, both entrepreneurs, I’ve been acquainted with since the early 1990s. Kate, http://katerichbourg.blogspot.com/   a jewelry educator and author, and Ava, http://wholebeadshop.com/   an avid collector of German vintage glass beads and buttons, partnered at Kate’s studio in South SF.  It was a relief to greet the fog in San Bruno, while escaping the heat in Los Gatos.

Ava has cultivated a relationship with bead warehouses in Europe through the years.  Her expertise and and love of glass shares with collectors an array of beautiful pieces of history. The diminishing supply of vintage glass beads found in the last German warehouse captures and records the skill and history of a dying craft.

Consistently published in jewelry magazines, Kate appears on DIY television, and attends many conferences.

In the near future, expect another fun collaboration between these two Women.  Stay tuned! Vintage Glass Beads (2) Vintage Glass Beads #2

Mannequin

Mannequin #1140605_0002 (1)Mannequin #2I collect images of mannequins.

I captured an image with my cell phone the other day of a truck stowing naked, headless mannequins around town. Absence of arms, all but one, transparent bodies revealing breasts of both genders.  Publicly displayed without faces and an inability to gaze back at the viewer, presents an atmosphere of vulnerability.  The male mannequin on view from the waist up, while the omnipresent female mannequins stand surrounded by male mannequins.  The transparency of the material allows the sun to shine through the body illuminating the female mannequin.

Wouldn’t this make a great art history paper?

 

(The image Mannequins belongs to Mary Lou Fall 2014.  Please do not use the image without the permission of the photographer.  I know I could display my name across the image, but wouldn’t that ruin the meaning of the image?)

Cricket

I’m still limping along with my old computer trying to figure out why I can no longer transfer photos from my digital camera.  The computer does not recognize my camera. Soon, real soon, I will venture into my local Apple store to free myself from the drudgery of using an old computer.

In the meantime, I’ve been weaving using a Cricket http://www.schachtspindle.com/our_products/cricket.php

THE CRICKET LOOM

 

10 inch cricket loom 15 inch cricket loom
10″ weaving width 15″ weaving width

I plan on experimenting with different types of yarns in the warp and pushing plain weave past its boundaries.  I’ve had my first weaving class on Cricket and I’m amazed how easy it is to warp the loom.  My instructor, Sandy, owner of Purlescence Yarns in Sunnyvale, CA https://twitter.com/purlescence suggested I try spinning too.  My first spinning experience was not a very positive one, so I’m a little reluctant to “go down that road again.”

Speaking of “road”, I finally wore out my hiking boots.  Today, I purchased a pair of jogging/hiking shoes.  While trying on the shoes, I mentioned to the salesperson that I’ve been jogging in my hiking books.  He looked a little confused…”Did you say you jog in hiking boots?”  “Yes, I’m motivated, I’ve lost 65 pounds.”

So, if I’m not weaving on Cricket or knitting, I’m out pounding the pavement.