sknitter

I hate to look a gift horse in the mouth, but wow, this thing is strange. I figure, if the yarn companies are nice enough to give us inventive interesting patterns, and I don’t like them, I should just move along, and find a freebie I do like. However, this one called Superior & Zara Sheer Sophistication One-Piece Ensemble (left) is just so odd— from the sheer bat-winged top portion to the inevitably baggie ribbed sweater bottom, accented by the wide gold leather belt accessory— that I’ve got to mention it. Different strokes for different folks, I guess? This pattern was designed by Margery Winter, the creative director of Filatura Di Crosa, who is a former creative director at Berroco, as well as a former editor of VogueKnitting. She is a top knitting talent. Oh well. I must say I do love the light and colorful Drawstring Raglan she designed for Interweave Knits last year. Check out Midori5’s blue version here. Looks really nice.

The Sundance Film Festival always brings out the celebrities. It is so dang cold in Park City, Utah, where the event is held, that everyone has to bundle up in warm things. That, of course, means knits. A few fashion blogs have photos, like FashionRules and MarieClaire, mostly talking about how grungy Twilight’s Kristen Stewart, or how good Katie Holmes, looked. I’m partial to this shot of HBO series, Entourage, star Adrien Grenier, found in the Chicago Sun-Times, because he’s sporting a scarf his grandma made him (left). So cute. By the way, I worked on the graphics for the Sundance Film Festival for several years with the design firm, AdamsMorioka. It was a fun and challenging project. See a poster from 2006 festival here and more in the online archives at AdamsMorioka’s own website.

The Knit 1 Chicago closing giveaway has been suspended. Late last night someone anonymously sent designer Karen Clements Schmidt a very threatening note telling her that she was in violation of internet contest regulations. She’s looking into it, and will be in touch with everyone who has participated. This is a clear case of just not understanding the complexities of contest laws, and perhaps inadvertently engineered the wrong rules. I hope everyone understands that it was a  misunderstanding, and that Clements Schmidt will work to make it right. Look for her post online at Knit 1. Above, see photos of the LYS from Julie Crawford’s great blog  Knitted Bliss.

A couple of weeks ago I posted about Karen Clements Schmidt’s amazing giveaway that marks the closing of her much loved LYS, Knit 1 Chicago. She’ll be relocating to Los Angeles, and devoting more time to her knit and crochet designs (yeah!). To go out with a bang, she is liquidating her store’s stock in a very cool way. Buy one of her patterns, and you’ll be entered to win one of 60 goodie bags filled with over $550 worth of premium products. (Read more here.) The news this week is that she’s added crochet, like the Magnum Capelet #4 (above), and a few more knit patterns, even some for baby. Buys patterns  on Ravelry (Kclem) or via her website.

The rules of this giveaway may be changing based on some new information. Please stay tuned for more details from Karen and check the Knit 1 website for updates.

OK, I know this is not a new news story, but it does crack me up: knitting with your dog’s fur. A while back, Kendall Crolius  and Anne Montgomery wrote a book called Knitting With Dog Hair. It’s probably not on every knitters shelf, but it does tell you how to collect, card, and spin your pooch’s hairballs.The very amusing blog, If It’s Hip, It’s Here, ran a gallery of owners  wearing garments made with their pet’s wool, like this lady (above). The photos are by Erwan Fichou. Want more oddball books (not necessarily knitting)? Check this article out.

Now that’s no ordinary teddy bear in a sweater. This is the artwork of Chicago-based Cranbrook-trained Nick Cave (no, not that singer from the 1980s) from a show called, “Meet Me at the Center of the Earth,” currently on exhibit at UCLA’s Fowler Museum. Cave’s mixed media sculptures are a mad  and visionary mash up of African ceremonial ensembles and haute couture incorporating beads, bottle caps, sticks, sequins, yarn and more. Cave, a former Alvin Ailey dancer, creates wearable human-based and animal forms, like this bear (above). LA Times art critic Christopher Knight says, “Who knew recycled pot holders could be so glamorous?”

Thanks to Gail for sending me the link to this artist’s exciting thought-provoking work.

Is it me, or are yarn stores kinda weird places to be? Maybe I’m too aware of the fact that they are small retail businesses, and not really little retreats for knitters. I know that there are people who have created genuinely warm friendships with certain LYS owners after being good frequent customers. I just get the feeling of fake cheeriness so often from many LYS owners. They’ll engage for a sentence or two with me, see I’m on the sale rack or only have one thing in my hand, and stop the patter (and usually the smile). This happens not just because they get busy with another customer. I go into this one store that greets me like a friend one time, then they stare blankly at me like I’m from another planet the next. Maybe I’m expecting too much from them? Maybe I really just need to drop $200 before I’m actually welcome? The photo (above) is of the beautiful, but sadly, discontinued soft Angora blend called Roma by Jaeger. Pretty palette, no?

I haven’t knit any Rowan patterns. I’ve certainly drooled over their books, but they are expensive. Plus the designs many times look too complicated for my knitting skills. I may be obsessed with knitting, but I’m still pretty much an intermediate knitter. Anyways, I love the styling in the Rowan photography. A lot of over-the-top art direction that evokes whole exotic worlds populated by sylphs in pretty sweaters. Here’s today’s good news: you can get a whole bunch of Rowan patterns FREE, and unlike in the past on the Rowan site, they download easily! For example, Hush, a simple pullover with eyelet lace (above) designed by Sarah Hatton. By the way, MoonCalf blogs about Hatton leaving Rowan, and muses about what’s next for this talented designer.

Have you seen the work of South African textile artist Ronel Jordaan? She creates an amazing range of indoor and outdoor home accessories in handy dyed felted wool. Her clustered pebble bath mat and rock cushion ottomans are really fun. The pierced leaf throw and the delicate ivy curtain are so pretty. I’m really drawn to the succulent cushion (above). All of her products are made by hand in small quantities by South African women artisans and are all eco-friendly. I first noticed her work via the yarn company, Be Sweet. Her website indicates that she plans on expanding her range to include apparel. That should be interesting, and no doubt, gorgeous.

Who are these people? It’s Michaela Drapes and Shannon Robertson (above), the talented designers behind the men’s knitwear collection, Kindling & Tinder. Their very fashion forward line of luxe knits is really amazing. You can see more here. Buy their patterns on Ravelry (their name on Rav: kindlingandtinder). Drapes and Robertson are also the duo behind the hysterical, yet completely informative, high fashion and hand knitting blog called Yarneteria. You may recall me talking about some of their Fauxdarte experiments. They blog things like this and this and this on a regular basis, much to my edification and complete amusement. Love these designers!