Pow!

Almost completed, I need to hurry, tomorrow being the dead line date!



Birthday gift!
What to buy/make a man who you'll know will have everything!.
(But not your knitting)
I know for a fact that he is a comic collector, that would cost way to much.

But if you like Marvel, I can imagine that you can never get enough POW!,Wam!, Bam ,Biff!............

So armed with a crochet hook and quick knit acrylic I was off. Super hero colour combination of Red, Yellow, blue and here is the gift/card even.

Lets hope he likes it! if not what does it matter, I'm sure it will put smiles on faces at the birthday dinner.
And as the saying goes its the thought that counts!;-)

Crochet in the media

Elizabeth Banks & Seth Rogen

Daily mail Film reviews section "Zack & Mari make a porno"(funny title)
But the thing that I'm blogging about is the picture
and I repeat not the funny title;-)
It's what close up, could only be described as free-form crochet.

I have just noticed So much more in the movies and on the funky TV series.
Knitting really is still making a come back. We have alot to do, seeing we lost a generation of knitters.

And I don't mean the regular unnoticeable grey machine knit cardigans, I mean the outrageous stand out one of pieces.

Graffiti lettering

I think that my letters are definitely improving and they look a little like teenage bubble writing.
But in a the form of knitted Graffiti (Well Crocheted);-)

Sandra Backlund

Poster speaks for it self, I saw this whist I was out walking and think that it will be so good to see some of her outrageous outfits worn in everyday life. I will be looking out for this movie, I wont need to understand the words just the outfits will be enough.;-)

Karin's Fantasic Blankie Mania

At the knit cafe Knit Lab Sunday- Karin's Blankie mania stole the show. It's huge and still growing, a fantasic rainbow of random colour.

A Kntting article I found on the internet

Article I found when surfing web
http://www.bbcgreen.com/Lifestyle-Family/Fashion/knitting?CMP=KAC-STK Stitch up

Marissa-Catherine Carrarini Wool: Knitting and the environment When it comes to being a trendy green, making your own knits is just as cool as owning a pair of Stella McCartney pumps Once the preserve of grannies in rocking chairs, the humble art of knitting is experiencing something of a renaissance in the UK.

From celebrities to city workers, balls of wool are back in fashion and making an appearance everywhere from the pub to the cinema. The ethical bit According to Rachael Matthews, founder of London knitting circle, Cast Off, and co-owner of eco wool shop Prick Your Finger, our return to knitting is as much to do with ethics as thrift. “Knitting used to be a financial necessity but it is important for different reasons now. It is much more to do with social and environmental awareness.

” For many consumers, the make-up of a typical high street jumper – its CO2 emissions, conditions for factory workers and cotton farmers – is cause enough to seek alternatives. Knitting is an immediate DIY route to a fairer, more sustainable wardrobe. And you can enhance your ethical credentials even further by opting for organic, local, fair trade or even recycled yarn.

Healthy balance But it’s not all about principles. “Knitting is very therapeutic,” says Matthews. “It is a repetitive hobby and that can be really calming.” Knitting advocates have claimed it can help with stress and anxiety by slowing down your pulse rate. No wonder it has been touted as the new yoga. Then there’s the financial benefit – knitting can be very healthy for your wallet, with a new jumper costing as little as £12 to make.

There’s also the thrill of creating something unique, says Amanda Firestone from the Brighton Stitch n’ Bitch group. “I'm nearly finished with my very first cardigan –it's taken me a long time but it has just been an amazing experience." Beyond fashion Too scared, or impatient, to knit a whole jumper? Quirky hot water bottle covers, cushion covers, mobile phone wallets, bags, bookmarks, curtains, cakes and children’s toys are just a few of the non-fashion items you can create from a ball of wool. “I even knitted a window with a landscape once,” says Matthews. “I chose yarn the same way you choose paint – I used linen to knit a rock so it looked cold and wet.” Knitting isn’t just about new clothes, it is also good way to fix up old favourites.

Why not reduce the charity shop (or rubbish) bag by adding accessories to your clothes? Give your clothes a makeover with old buttons, laces, patterns, or whatever you find lying around. Alternatively, you could unthread a jumper and use the wool for something else. As a broader eco statement, knitting is also a good way to stick to the mantra of reduce, reuse and recycle. Charity shops are great for finding unused wool at bargain prices, while specialist wool shops, such as Eco Annie (Annie Sherburne), sell cast-offs, organic, local and eco dyed yarns.

Social circles Thanks to its rising popularity, knitting doesn’t have to be a solitary pleasure. These days, you’re likely to find grannies happily chatting to students and city workers learning new tricks from housewives. Most knitting groups sit in pubs or cafes, but at Knit-Chicks in London’s Ritzy cinema you can knit while watching the latest romance or thriller.

Amanda Firestone from the Brighton Stitch n’ Bitch knitting group is 25 and loves the social side of knitting, as well as the environmental benefit. “Our group is really lively – we're all very friendly and happy to offer advice or aid where we can. And because we're all different ages and skill levels there's a lot to talk about and plenty to learn”.

ME

ME in bold;-)
My progress of attachment.

Knit Lab

Vintage cotton, below Vegas

knit lab
Rosenlundsgatan Stockholm

A whole new chapter No official exhibition! Not as such, I just blend in at Knit lab....... well almost
(Blend in and me?, not really compatible!)

On show is a lot of my Stuff I think that it is always good to see how other people deal with your art, curation.
(How it's displayed, what go best)

Lenah is a natural at this and the vintage cotton piece, I had never thought about a black back ground. Its gives a whole new feel to the piece.

Pop along and take a look;-)

London influence!

For the background I have used a acrylic as a marbled effect almost teamed Black and lite orange and pink in with white
(Paint not stirred)
This is just the beginning, funds are tight at the moment. But I'm inspired, so this is just your cheap shop flat canvas.(The type with visible staples in the side!;-()
I just felt the need to experiment.
The black I have added a brick effect using a house hold new sponge.

Lettering

This was a knitted art project that I did a while ago and the lettering I never finished. I tried but at the time I could knit/crochet as well as my imagination.

Two years on and things are very different.(my knit skills) So I'm re visiting one of my largest knits to date.

Art letter I need to make and the title to the piece
"This is me, this is not me"(isn't)

Finlay

Fin
Lay
Finally finished fabulous Finlay.

Tiny Travel crochet project

Teeny tiny travel

The cotton cost 20kr around £2, so a completely budget and tiny Uk travel project;-)
For a change I can board a plane without carrying a huge bag of yarn.

Update-Baby Blankie Finlay

Bobble yarn for edging. And I have lime green yarn for the F & A holes.

The free form letters I think have worked so well. I really have enjoyed crocheting in all different directions.
I'm edging the baby cot blanket with a bobble type of yarn that is made from nylon (Just like tights).
It reminds me of a clown out fit.

This weeks I googled Pasta & knitting

I didn't get any hits for knitting but when I Googled crochet & pasta there are lots.
Now this is something I have definitely thought about whilst sat in restaurants.
If I'm bored,my mind has been known to wonder. Spinning pasta around my fork.

Slightly mad I know...... But I have added it to my list of to-Do's, this could be big and at least theirs no waste as made fresh it could always be eaten.

Kid's
"what's for tea tonight!?"
Mum
"Why knitted pasta of course."
Kid's
"She has definitely gone completely mad."
A little bit fiddly but worth ago;-)

Sandra Buckland

Stockholm's very own Sandra Buckland, these are from the latest collection that I could find on her web site.
They are for the cat walk only and I would agree a bit drastic for every day wear.

(Mind you, nor any thing I make!, we have something in common)

If my legs looked that good as these ladies, I just might I guess.
Now that would turn heads in Drottningatan.
She creates such structures, using only knitting!.
This I have always been very impressed with. She is pretty unique, they really are pieces of Art that could hang in museum/gallery just so sculptural .

She is top on my list of people to meet before I have to leave Sweden;-)
The one above reminds me of a whole lot of those oven bake bread rolls hand stitched together. Now I bet she didnt pop along to Stockholms Sy-festival!
A good suggestion for a guest speaker for next years knitting festival.

Knitting fair

Sy-Festival, New style venue, New place, Mastra, Keista Massen (I think)

New venue, same show..... nothing new unfortunately. Opal yarns, that style of wool had over taken the festival a few offered the new Harry Potter display stand.
That and then the regular cheapo acrylic (my thing)
But really you can buy it as cheap at Vincent's (Oden Plan)

Sticka
I really liked their tea party stall idea. The large Cakes and cup cakes, but I have seen this done before.

The stall lacked the young. In fact the whole place lacked the youth/young energy.

No fashion show unlike the 1st year I went.
No knitted graffiti unlike the 2nd year.
To be honest it was nice to have all the craft under one roof, but it really lacked that special something.

Nothing new!(knit wise, I can't speak for the other crafts)

The hall and set up nice, one restaurant one bar! Now come on........ we are a lot of knitters and crafter in Stockholm. Even the street meat out side the venue had a huge que;-)

And next year I think I would skip, unless I heard something new was happening just to traditional (nothing wrong with traditional)

But for me I'm a new wave/modern day knitter and I need lots of fun and colour.

Banded gets a Bandaid (Plaster Uk)

On display at knit lab the sun obviously shone too much. As the elastics (gummy) bands that the Banded dress where made from, dried out. To the extreme that they started to fray.

That teamed with the fact that people could just not walk past it on display,without touching. And just as I would have (touchy feely) Who could blame them it's just so tactile.

I really liked that about this dress, its art in itself.
(now I just have to repair the straps)

Clubbing city!

I think that this project has turned into club central. I guess it's the colour scheme and the fact that I used plastic. It's a perfect club where out fit, very Ibiza.

This could be my friend Paul F D's(The metal one) fault. We went window shopping in Stockholm and ended up seeing Bond
(But no influence coming form their)

Then to a clubbing wear shop in Drottningatan;-)

Sunday Night Knit/crochet

Basket of goodies!
Sunday night knitting

I started and then couldn't stop 6 yarns one plastic a variety of stitches and this is the textile effect for my new dress.

I'm thinking Basque/burlesque style

Eye cord swirls as boobs

Across between John Paul G and Madonna madness

Not sure exactly what yet, but this was defiantly a good nights work.

Knitting from a pattern

Necklace, fishing wire and vintage buttons. The base for an experimental textile.

I think that the photo speaks a 1000 words in why I shouldn't attempt to work from a pattern.
Especially one title the "Easy jumper"

This is the front and back, completed almost to the pattern.
WELL
In my eyes! (which is where it all goes wrong)
My two neck partson the front of the "Easy Jumper" ended up with different amounts of stitches on each side!

I evened it out and went with the average. As with everything I make, "crochet always bails me out of tight spots"

I used a crochet hook and chain/basic to attached the front and back.

I decided that I wont frog it, as when I eventually get around to having a go at making the sleeves
(Ill knit the two together I think) it will make a warm layer for my dog walking.

I'm laughing as I type this post as it looks terrible but we all learn by our mistakes;-)