oof! It's 7:00am here. If youre reading this in the next hour will you please let me know who you are?
Don't keep me wondering...
Also,
I havn't blogged in a long time and I'd like to thank the many readers and googlers who still visited the site. Cheers.
More later.
cap ou pas cap?
*2pm edit, thanks for the comments guys-I was after one mysterious early morning reader and of course this was the first morning they didn't check.
Cap.*

See you at the 24h Knitalong?
BYOPJs.

It's Sunday morning, and Blogger is letting me post again. Mid-corrie and all. Blogger hasn't let me log in since V-day, which is a shame as I had some thankyous to post! I also had the workshop blogs to update. A note to my students and muffins, class notes shall be up later today. Remember to comment and let me know how you're getting on.


Watching Coronation Street just now, I'm realizing that I may have found my next series of crocheted dollies: I shall do Vera and Fred first. Dev and Fizz soon after. Of course it would be fun to have Baldwin vs. Barlow action figures. Then I shall turn my hand to my American Stories. What the world clearly needs is a crocheted Erica Kane and assorted husbands. (hee hee with two adams, travis, and dimitris for double marriages).

Every Sunday morning I like to pretend I live on the street. If I did I'd spend everyday in Roy's Rolls or the Rovers, work at Underworld, (I feel like I do already, but it would be nice to have Danny to make the occasional knicker snicker) and Rita would be my best mate.

I've already crocheted my Saturday Morning. Here's Yam Roll!

ooops almost forgot:
Soundtrack: My kick@ss Lindsey Buckingham station on Pandora.

The yarn to continue my Bavarian Cardi won't arrive for a while so I've cast on for Kaffe Fassett's Brocade from Rowan Magazine 38 (which I got for christmas!). I am such a big fan of Rowan Magazines and this is my first copy. Like many many people I think the magazines are over styled and I often have trouble figuring out *what* exactly I'm looking at ie which part of the outfit is the knitted article. I also think they are ridiculously priced.
Oh, but gosh, they're pretty!
I drop a lot of money on magazines each month and think that if Rowan Magazines were priced as, say, architecture or some fine arts magazines are, I would pick them up even if I didn't knit. hint hint
.
I also received Rowan's "Vintage Style". Both came from Gwin Gryffon, one of my favourite places in Downtown Kingston. Soooo beautiful. It's impeccably styled by Kim Hargreaves herself, which I thought was v.impressive. Also v.impressive is the delightful 'Charlie'. Charlie is a man who knows how to wear a sweater. I think it's something you're born with. Charlie is also a hat person. Two for Two. I shall need to find a Charlie2 before I move to the country, knit everything in this book (from my own sheep that Charlie2 tends to), and live in what the locals refer to as 'the manor' where I make assorted spiked jams and jellies in pumps and heavy circle skirts. That's me smouldering behind Charlie2. He forgot to feed Peregrine Took the Alpaca again, and he hasn't even noticed the Tyrollean details or embroidery on my Sweater. Even in my fantasies Men are useless about some things.


Sans Charlie 1 or 2, I will be spending Valentine's Day trudging up to Le Marchant St Thomas where I'm teaching a lunchtime knitting course. We began last week and are going to have lots of fun! Everyone has knit before, so we will be tackling some things I didn't think we'd get to; cables, intarsia, circular knitting...yeehaw!
I think it will be a perfectly acceptable way to spend Valentine's...although if I were to fall in love again on the way there...well that would be nice too. He just better notice my sweater.

Soundtrack: "Deep Henderson", King Oliver And His Dixie Syncopators

The other night I busily grabed a little notebook and a pen and tried to bang out as many missed Illustration Friday topics as possible. Here we go. Last week's 'sprout', along with 'buzz', 'smitten', 'smoke', 'peace', and 'might'. Now I'm up to date and can do this week's topic 'crash' with a little more time and thought.






"(Honey, Baby, Hurry!) Bring Your Sweet Self Back To Me", Lefty Frizzell

I would Love to knit this. However, working all that plain creamy oatmeal stockinette at such a tiny gauge would probably send me into instantgratification overdrive and my entire apartment would be cozied. (actually, that sounds attractive-like l'Homme de Verre in Amelie but with multicoloured phentex.) At any rate I think I'll buy a long sweater, felt it down a bit and then embroider/kitchener stitch on top of it. It reminds me of Karin and Carl Larsson's work.

Carl Larsson, Suzanne and Another, 1901

I'd like to think it's something Karin would have knit. Did she knit? I don't know. She did a lot of needlework and designed her own dresses. Lately I've been musing about what various artists would knit were they so inclined. For instance, Zinaida Serebryakova. Would she have knit? What would she have made?
Zinaida Serebryakova, At the Dressing-Table, 1909

It's near fact that she would have been trained in some needlework and I would think that making her own textiles would have appealed to her sensibilities.

Just think of all the women (and men in many cultures) who, before they became famous for whatever fabulous thing they ended up doing, practised needle arts either out of necessity, nicety or simply because it was the thing to do.
I'm sure that in countless attics, hope chests and other secret places, there lurk works from the mundane to the inspired created by great artists of other genres, and spheres quite removed from those of textiles or homemaking. It's quite a practical assumption when you think about it. Interestingly, the first examples that spring to mind share a second link: social commentary and political rebellion through fine textile work. Gandhi's campaign of spinning and weaving, and Mary Queen of Scots' courtly embroidery skills which she put to good use in the tower.

Edit: This is not from the Marian Hanging, but yes, the Ginger Cat is Ginger for a reason. ooooo, catty! Non Inferiora Secutus!

Soundtrack: "The Tower", Stevie Nicks

Bunnies mean Spring, and Spring means Renewal, and so I have a new layout for Bunny. Blogger has booted me into postbeta. We will have to see if I can keep this look up-it looks like the blog of my spartan alter ego-the one who mops and doesn't use the staircase as shelves.
oooo he's a bit distorted in this photo. oops
If this bunny is springtime than this bunny is my current wintery state:
Mid hibernation, bloated and a little crabby. (but sans german gent to cuddle)

I'm blogging the afternoon before kol again-not b/c of guilt but because I'm very distressed over my soaps at the mo and can't watch. All My Children's Dixie is dead?!?!? Nuts! What are they thinking? I even wept at Opal's good-bye though I am not a Dixie fan. I am strictly an Erica Kane man. I wish I had someone here to discuss these things with. Sometimes I think I should have a soap blog. Just in case anyone watches I will pose the following questions: Who killed Spencer? Do you think Palmer could be "Raymond"? Do you think Janet fromanotherplanet could be the Satin Slayer?? These are the important issues of my day.

Soundtrack: La Kane & David discuss why I love Erica So:LINK (loud): http://www.seahaas.com/allmychildren/ericaswld.wav

ps to read about giant german bunnies (bound for north korea) click here.

in response to a reader who was shocked to run into me downtown today...i'm home! I got in last nite. I look forward to reunions of many kinds! Off to kol!

In need of a treat, plans being fubared and trip home much delayed (though by the looks of things on the kol blogs I'm missing yet another hellish halifax storm) I picked up Knitting In The Old Way, by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts and Deborah Robson (Gibson-Robert's "High Whorling: A Spinners Guide to an Old World Skill" is also an amazing work).
I had never picked this up because in my head I understood it to be a book of aran sweaters, folk socks, and sentimental fisherman things that I don't have the patience to work myself-or rugged fisherman type to delight with. Um, why did I think this? Knitting in the Old Way is very close to the imaginary work I was wishing for earlier- basic construction principles, math galore and the cultural history content that helps someone like me (logical but emotional and neurotic) to understand intellectual concepts. I already feel like I have a good handle on divine proportion (*ahem* not what I mean, Steph et al.) and now I feel quite empowered being able to use the percentage system in a more -humanistic? way.
Image is from Worth1000.com's "work safe art" gallery/contest. Brilliant. Click to visit.
That said, I am embarking on a Tyrolean, Bavarian Monstrosity in Cascade 220 and I am so turned on by it I fear I may turn into Vincent Libretti.
I'm working the 220 with 3mm needles-another wip is being worked on 8mm though the yarn is double stranded. still, you get the idea. The tight gauge is not only showing off the myriad cables and bobbles, knots and moss grounds, but it's lending a crisp, neat quality to a fabric that is inherently nutso. Furthering the nutso theme and taking us into the realm of absolute bananaland will be the upper bodice-worked in a self-striping one ply and couched with the 220. Things will have to be quite precise and my calculations just so for this to work out. I think I'm knitting my personality.


Still it's been a good way to spend more than a few days in bed and will serve me well on the 24h train ride. I can't wait to get home to my stash and a reliable network connection. I have so much to catch up on and start anew. In other news, Lord Sebastian Flyte is now my friend on myspace. I am v.proud. ps I have a love/HATE realtaionship with myspace (and this facebooky thing *someone* urged me to join) but you can be my friend there it you like. I would like that.


Oh yes, and pppps, The Loop wasnt on the first episode of Living East but will be on soon. (oops, sorry Moe) You can watch every episode online here at the cbc.. My favorite Handy Girl has a regular spot. Bravo Anne! You are very Ja-la-peno. I am working on cleaning up my mum's 'constipated' basement now, and I owe you $10 which I will drop off when I get back...my dolls want to meet your dolls. hehehehe
Soundtrack: Ginny the Cat is snoring...

About.com's Crochet section has a small collection of vintage Venetian Crochet patterns. They are all updated versions of patterns found in the 1915 "Handbook of Needlecraft". I enlarged this square motif using Pattons "Grace" and a 3.25mm hook and am v.pleased with result.
The problem is that About.com fails to explain what Venetian Crochet is. I'm not sure that I understand where it differs from Irish Crochet (bering in mind that much of Irish Crochet technique came about from a need to recreate costly Venetian -not crocheted- Lace.) Are they basically the same thing? Is the Venetian flatter-none of the few patterns I've found include the trademark irish starting loop/cord padding or multilayered quality.
Can anyone point me in the direction of some current examples?
If you're interested in Irish Crochet here are some good resources: Victorian Crochet.com
White Works.com
But the Antique Irish Lace Museum is a must: Sheelin Museum


Lord Sebastian is quite puzzled by the whole thing, squinting as he is in the Venice sun.

Soundtrack:"Bron-yr-Aur Stomp", Led Zeppelin

ps This just in-Sebastian Flyte has a myspace account. Who knew?