Fashionknitsta Thursday: 12/17/09

Welcome to another edition of Fashionknitsta! On this rainy Thursday, I hope everyone is staying warm and dry. I have a lovely selection of things (mostly thanks to my wonderful friend Amanda for showing them to me first) that I'm very excited to share with you today. Beginning with a piece called Auntie Peggy Has Departed, by London-based artist Shane Waltener.


This piece was installed in Aldwych Tube Station, the Strand, London in 2003. In the statement about this piece Waltener writes:

Doilies are like dreamcatchers, each knot holding a thought, a memory. The sum of these make up the history of a place.

This is such a beautiful thought, and so true about knitting as a craft. Every stitch is a symbol of a moment and so much thought and care and reflection is put in, whether your project be for yourself or someone else; which I think is a feeling that comes to many knitters as they get more involved in their craft.

Much of Waltener's work revolves around this idea, in his bio for the UK Hand Knitters Association he says, "beyond the aesthetics of knitting, I am interested in the social dimension of the craft, people exchanging stories, recollections and memories when knitting together". His work also deals with the balance of knitting in the larger discussion of art vs. craft and the idea of high art vs. low art. More of Waltener's fiber and mixed media installations can be found here, and I really recommend checking them out.

The next thing I have to share is also lace-centric and really interesting. Lace in Translation is a project between 3 art and design studios working to share their own interpretation of The Design Center at Philadelphia's collection of traditional lace designs by the Quaker Lace Company. The three European and Canadian teams, Demakersvan a studio based out of Rotterdam, Cal Lane a Canadian sculptor, and Tord Bootnje a Dutch industrial designer, are showing their takes on this historic art at The Design Center until April 3, 2010.


This is Demakersvan's interpretation, a 16 panel, 152 foot lace fence made of galvanized PVC coated wire.


Sculptor Cal Lane cut, welded, and painted her inspiration into a 1000 gallon oil tank and burnt a traditional lace design into the lawn at the Center.



This is Tord Boontje's contribution to the project, the first is an installation of Sofa Aramide and Dynema Fibers with powder coated steel, the second is a Raffia lace curtain.

More information on this project is available on all of the designers and teams websites as well as at the Lace in Translation home page.

A strange coincidence that all of these lace based projects would find me this week, if you receive our emails you may know that we are on a bit of a lace frenzy as of late. We recently received word that the famous Estonian lace book Haapsalu Sall (Haapsalu Shawl) by Siiri Reimann & Aime Edasi would be translated and printed in English available early next year. We are taking pre-orders for the second shipment of this beautiful book right now, the first were reserved almost immediately.

The next thing I have to share with all of you today is courtesy of Jenny, our graphic design wonder, De*Nada is a line of chic knit accessories founded by Virginia Blanca Arrisueño, who cites the culture and traditions of her Peruvian heritage as her inspiration.

The Challah Braids

The Eternal Roped and Skinny Fringe

The Eternal Web and Ladies Gloves

I really like this line, none of the patterns look as though they would be too difficult to figure out and make your own, and it's a really good example of well photographed knitwear.

The final thing I have today is this really interesting headband, also found by my friend Amanda, by the French accessories designer benoit missolin :

Pom-poms! I really love how fun this is, and how easy it would be to make! Can you believe they charge $194?! A pom-pom maker costs about $8. Outrageous! I'm really glad she showed me, I have a few girlfriends who should be expecting pom-pom headbands for Christmas (only maybe I'll make mine a little smaller).

With that, I leave you all until next time. In light of the holidays, there will be no Fashionknista next week, but check back the week after for a new post. Until then, stay chic, blogfans!

-Lindsay

We love colors.

All of them. A lot. Which is why we've set up our newest display:

And just might be planning some wicked Fair Isle treats over the next few weeks. Oh, yes, indeedy. Along those lines, Alice Starmore's Book of Fair Isle Knitting is BACK IN STOCK!


Get your copy while we still have them. I know I (and several other staff members) have. This is THE reference to have on the art of Fair Isle. Really, honestly, and truly. It has pages and pages of detailed diagrams, pictures and instructions on everything from technique to designing your own sweater. If you're a knitting tech-phile, this is the book for you.

Anyway, that's what I think.

Moving on... Frances kindly brought in her newly finished Girasole:

No, it hasn't been blocked. But it's still gorgeous! In fact, I had a hard time taking a photo that didn't have someone or another's hand on it, petting. The finished "cloth" is just sublime - due entirely to the high quality of Catherine Lowe's Silk Mohair 1. And Frances has promised to bring it in after she blocked it, so keep an eye out for that!

Lastly, we sent out the very first Sock Club 2010 packages this afternoon! Excitement abounds. We can't wait to see (and hear) your reactions, o loyal Sock Club members, so please let us know what you think. Until next time, blogfans, start planning those Fair Isle projects...

In which a request was granted.

You know, it's so nice to know that (out there, somewhere) people/ the Knitting Fates have been paying attention. Remember the last post, in which there was much lamentation over the lack of customer and staff projects?

Well, not today! Clearly, some of you lovely blog readers decided to take it upon yourselves and bring your beautiful handknits in. And, wow, beautiful is definitely the word today!

First, Gillian came in modeling her recently finished Silk French Vest (Habu Textiles Kit #68):

(and back)

Lovely. Can't find it on ravelry to fav it, though. We'll just have to admire from afar.

Then, Virginia came in to show off her Flutter Scarf:

Made with Isager's Alpaca 2 in color 100. Yumyumyum. I think Sandy Kay wanted to run off with this one, actually.

She also brought her French mystery shawl/ wrap/ thing:

and a close-up...

A mystery because Virginia bought the pattern in France but her husband was in such a hurry she didn't have time to get yarn or more information. Sooo... all we know is that it was made with Alpaca 2 (and only because she bought it from us)(colors: 16, 22, 19 & 2105). It's gorgeous, though, right? Personally, I would have run off with it, given the chance. I wish we knew what the pattern was.

Oh, well.

This morning Lindsay, Marjorie and I went 'round the corner to take some quick photos of a new store sample and two staff FO's. First, we have our sample Summer Shawl by Ruth Sorensen:

and back

and side

and a close-up

Sorry for the blurriness of the photos. I took the point-and-shoot and really regret it. Anyway. However blurry the photo, the shawl is still gorgeous. Knit by nonsie, this particular shop sample took almost four months to make. Talk about perseverance!

Made with Kauni Effektgarn in W-EG (the pinks and violets) and Kauni Solid in W-RR7.

Second was my own recently finished Girasole shawl, modeled by Lindsay:

...and folded in half (the way it probably will be worn!):

Quick specs... Yarn: Isager Hojlandsgarn. Pattern: brooklyntweed's Girasole shawl.

And, finally, we have Darcy's most adorable and funky Yves:

Playing the piano. Clearly. (big 'Thank You!' you Michelle's for lending us the baby grand)

Project specs? Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino (3 colors). The pattern is from The Knitted Odd-bod Bunch, a book that will very soon be up on the web. Honest.

And that might just be everything. Whew! Keep it up, guys! We love seeing your finished projects. Keep your fingers crossed that the flood will continue into Thursday's post...

Did that just happen?

The last week has been more than a little crazy. If you follow us on twitter, you'll know that we were bombarded at both our booth and in the store during the Sock Summit. Moreover, the website transition could have gone a lot smoother (a fact that we lament this ourselves, quite a bit). But it's done and mostly working, so we're grateful for our small victories.

If you were left wondering where the heck the promised Newsletter was, over the past weekend, well that's a good question. In fact, due to some of the wrinkles in the transition, we couldn't get it out until Wednesday. In the future, however, it looks like sending our Newsletters will be easier than ever (I may have just cursed us, oh... dear). Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Also, while on the topic of Newsletters (and eCards), it seems that the color PDX (in happiest girl! Sock) sold out within a half hour of the latest mailing (check your inbox). But we do have the KnitPods (some) and a few other treats.

Now, moving on to blog-worthiness, we have some really sweet goodies this time. First, Farrah brought in her finished Hidcote Shawl last night and I even managed to corner her into modeling it:

The pattern? Miriam Felton's Hidcote Garden Shawl. Knit with Suri Blue in "Smoke", by FarrahW (on ravelry). Isn't it just gorgeous? And the yarn is magnificent (we have it on order!). Yum, yum. Go on, go to ravelry and fav it. (You know you want to!)

And while I had Farrah cornered, I made her model the Cherry Blossom Shawl she knit for us as a store sample:

The one you can see on Anne Hanson's blog (knitspot). Made with 3 skeins of ShibuiKnits Silk Cloud, this thing is just plain dangerous. The sheer number of people I've seen petting it does not bode well for it's safety! Of course, if you want to participate in the Cherry Blossom KAL, we've been helping people out with their questions and getting started.

While Farrah was been subjected to the Nikon, everyone at JoAnn's birthday party last night was shouting advice to her (how to stand, how to hold her arms, etc); so I returned the favor and took a couple of shots of the group:

Which they didn't much like, but fair's fair. Some of the quicker knitters managed to dash out of the frame before the shutter clicked (which is why you can see abandoned projects in chairs). I'll get them next time, mwahaha.

And, finally, just because, I managed to get a shot of the Birthday Girl:

Who tried (and almost succeeded) to hide behind her sock in progress. The sock, it should be mentioned, is being knit with our fantastically popular limited edition colorway "City of Roses" (which has sold out, sorry!). So pretty.

Let's see... Other news? We-ell, Franklin Habit of the Panopticon has agreed to visit the store and teach/ lecture in late September. Mark it in your calendars! We'll post registration information on the website/ blog/ calendar sometime in the next fortnight or so.

Also, the Fall 2008 issues of Marianne Isager and Amimono are back in stock. Grab 'em while you can!

And, last but not least, the Habu Trunkshow is up and will continue to be on display through the end of August. Drop by (or give us a call) to find out what unusual yarns and fibers we have in stock!

A regal shawl, a wacky hat, and some colorful felting

I swear I was going to post this yesterday until I realised that we had a staff workshop in 10 minutes... so it got delayed. But we do have more photos for it!

First and foremost, prepare yourself to be amazed, with Duffy's (a.k.a. fiberqat) Queen Anne's Lace shawl:

Over 6 feet across and simply gorgeous. She was so (rightfully) proud of herself she brought it in to show off. A big 'thank you' to Tsipa (right) for helping Duffy hold it up during our impromptu photoshoot. And here's a center detail:

And the lovely edging that makes me think of peacock feathers:

Duffy said that it was an easy and very enjoyable knit. In fact, her ravelry notes compare it to "crack" (see link above). Hmm, sounds dangerous. Here's the pattern info on ravelry.

All in all, I think the best description is "wow".

Next, something completely different, is another amazing project that you have to see to believe... Wendy's most awesome self-designed EAT hat (okay, that's not what she's calling it):

Made with Kauni W-EM & W-EN for a friend who's a chef. Note the fork & knife motif as well as the inverted wine glass detail. Wendy is clearly crazy. In a good way, of course, but it must be said.

With those two projects, I bet I'm not the only one feeling like an underachiever right now. Oy.

In other, slightly smaller, FO news... we have NINE more cranes! Giving us 138. Almost half-way there. Keep 'em coming, guys!

And, finally, the reason this post was postponed last night... our staff Artfelt workshop. Here's us getting started with our base layers of wool laid down:

And here's the felting demonstration as best could be approximated (without a dryer on premises):

(with a peek at Lindsay's & Marjorie's unfelted pieces)

If you want to see more of the process, or pictures from our workshop, see our flickr page. I'll try and nag everyone to finished their projects over the weekend and bring them in next week for photos. Look for them in a week or two.

And that's everything, for yesterday today. Check back tomorrow for a sneak peek at our upcoming Mother's Day Special!

no longer down, and definitely not out

You may have noticed some interesting glitches in the website over the past week, but hopefully they have been rectified permanently. The site has been moved over to a new, more reliable, server that promises to be less flaky. So, if you sent us an email over the weekend (that bounced back) or tried to check the site for info on an upcoming class and saw this:

From the knitting community at knit purl

We very sorry if it caused you any inconvenience. But, the good news is that the site should be faster and more accessible than ever.

In other (more knitterly) news, we have just been positively overwhelmed (in a good way) by knitters at recent Sip'n'Stitch and "No Mean Feet!" nights. Last Thursday I took an extremely blurry shot of the group:

I think we ran out chairs, actually (which is always a wonderful phenomenon).

This is a very positive (and encouraging) trend all around, considering the state of the world/ economy.

But, moving on to everyone's favorite part of each post* - our customers' projects. First, we have Evon, who came in on Saturday with her first finished knitting project:

The Rasperry Liqour bag (#125) by Noni, knit with Cascade 220 in "Lavender". Did I mention that Evon is 8? She's also in the Beginning Knitting Class! The bag just looks perfect, she did an amazing job on it. It's awe-inspiring how many young knitters visit us with their FOs these days. Just fabulous.

Then, this afternoon, Haven dropped by to show up her in-progress Swallowtail Shawl:

Being knit with Catherine Lowe Merino 1 in "Smoke". I am told (since I didn't get to see it in person) that the shawl was bloody amazing in the Merino 1. And, ha!, I managed to find Haven's ravelry notebook and the shawl information. Just in case you're interested...

And that is everything pertinent at the moment. We have a super-gianormous Newsletter going out on Friday (look for it, there're going to be some interesting articles!), so that project is looming large in everyone's minds. Until next time, in which we will discuss Cool Socks, enjoy the sun while it's out!

*I think it is, anyway. It's the section we get the most feedback on...

The Post That Never Ends

Not exactly. But since the blog hasn't been updated in almost two weeks, this is going to be one of those super-mondo-huje posts to catch everyone up to date. A slightly crazy idea, yes, but it should work. Now, since there is so much to cover, we're going to do blurbs instead of biographies. But, if you want to see more pix from this post, see our flickr account.

First, we have Farrah's magnificent Seraphim Shawl:

Which she brought to the Sip'n'Stitch on the 15th. I'm afraid that the camera involved does not enjoy after-dark photography, so the image is rather blurry. Sorry, Farrah! But, for readers interested in her shawl, here it is in her ravelry notebook.

The very next day, Ellen of Seattle stopped by to show us two of her favorite FO's:

Her Litla Dimun lace shawl, and the back:

She decided to add a purple border to her project (love it!) in order to give the finished shawl a little more pop. The entire effect was quite stunning. Then, of course, she had to make us feel inadequate when she pulled out her Pheonix Mitts, based off of a pattern in Selbuvotter:

Made with Jamieson's of Shetland Spindrift.

At some point last week (I don't have a info sheet, sorry!), Bobbie dropped by to show off her adorable collection of baby hats:

All made for newborns at the maternity ward of her local hospital (no, we didn't get the name).

Rachel came in last Thursday with her finished 'Rob's Socks':

Made with happiest girl! sock yarn in 1970's Rec Room. Personally, I love the pooling and flashing. I couldn't find her info on ravelry, but maybe they will show up soon? She made up the pattern, and it looks like it would be fun to try...

On Friday, Liz forced poor Jessica to show off her Gretel hat:

About which I can find no information. It's red. That's about all I know.

Moving on to a project I do have information about... Joan's New Kauni Cardigan:

Yes, that is the Joan Schrouder. After we admired her cardigan for awhile, Lindsay finally inquired about the pattern. It turns out that Joan did design the pattern herself, but told us that she wouldn't be writing it up as it was too difficult to convert into multiple sizes. Sad. It looked fantastic and also resulted in a stampede to the Kauni wall by all who were present.

Right after Joan left with her cadre of Seattle-Portland Yarn Crawlers, Tami came by with the cutest little FO's ever. She used the yarn we provided at a "Sample It" to make a collection of teeny tiny mittens, sweaters, hats and socks/ stockings:

I hope she'll forgive me for cropping the picture. The camera was misbehaving again. There's also the Worsted Bambino Hat in the group, but methinks the teeny tiny mittens will the 'awww' contest. If you want specs on each of the individual projects, see Tami's ravelry notebook.

Then, finally, the last of the FO's - two hats. Which Liz and Lindsay modeled, albeit grudgingly. Here we have some silly hat-ness:

Liz has an Ana Bandana made with Silk Maiden in "Peridot" and Lindsay chose the Road To China/ Flurries hat, which is a sneak-peak of an upcoming pattern. But, before the camera was put away, we made a pile of staff WIPs:

One cashmere/silk Qiviut Smoke Ring, an Esperanza scarf and Linday's earwarmer that is currently just an i-cord (that statement should make sense in a week or two). There are several other WIPs around, but many are Top Secret at the moment. So, to distract you from considering the implications of all that, here's the latest issue of Vogue Knitting:

Now available in the store, and featuring a pattern and profile of our favoritest photographer/ blogger Jared. Grab one while you can.

And, whoosh, I think that's everything. Until, well, tomorrow (in which we shall attempt to resume our regular blogging schedule) stay warm!