How do you yarnbomb a gorgeous event without detracting from either the existing interior design or exhibited art… in one week? When Gensler Architecture and Design asked us to yarnbomb their San Francisco headquarters to accentuate a quarterly workplace art show, in this case a fiber art exhibition, this was our dilemma.
We love yarnbombing street art that transforms everyday objects into surprising characters. While we expected kids to love these crochet yarnbombs, we were surprised how much these characters took adults out of their daily doldrums by adding a little fun to their lives too. Now with this yarnbomb crochet pattern, you can help fill the world with whimsy and bring a smile to the faces in your neighborhood. Purchase this Snake Yarnbomb Crochet Pattern on Ravelry, Etsy, or Craftsy. (more…)
A few months ago I tried out my new Addi Express knitting machine on a few bike rack worm yarnbombs. The Very Hungry Caterpillar yarnbomb from the popular children’s book was so loved by patrons at the San Mateo Public Library, that when it recently got shaggy I knew I had to replace it. My sister Jill and our new intern, Magine, dreamed up a new installation to span all 6 bike racks with characters from kids books. That required we expand our search to include any tube-shaped character, and we found 5 more! So, pop quiz: how well do you know your kids lit? The answers are in the photo titles of this Flickr album. (more…)
You have that place in the world you secretly think you’re from–in another life or the one you very much wish you lived in. You adamantly collect from your imagination every pebble of truth–a special bloodline, that habit that so perfectly matches the natives. My mom swears she’s a coastal Italian, my sister just might be French, and I’m a pure-blooded country Englishwoman. OK, in reality it’s three-quarters “Great British”, and I don’t know a single relative on the island. But I can taste the briny laverbread in my mouth and feel the fog in my bones!
I invite you to listen to my favorite escape short of visiting the British Isles, BBC Radio 4’s Coast and Country radio program, available as a podcast. But, you ask, isn’t radio about the outdoors a bit like dancing about painting? Not so with these masters of radio. Every week on coast and country the hosts skillfully depict a hill by drawing your attention to their quickening breath, or portray a sunny break in a forest by hushing up to let you hear the change of mood in the group.
The Brits have a rich heritage of protecting and discussing the importance and meaning of their landscape, which comes across well in the show, perhaps most of all in its sheer existence. The juggle between conservation and preservation, between natural and cultural heritage is also clear in the subject choice and journalistic questions they ask of the people living in the week’s countryside.
Resistance (Nov 6, 2010). Hike the forests of Wales looking for underground bunkers to climb into with the then-young secret resistance forces that were prepared for Nazi invasions. (Download episode from the BBC or view here)
Country Ramblings (Oct 2, 2010). Join the Cultural Olympiad through the Forest of Dean with their donkey cart and a young ruffian who loves it. (Download episode from the BBC or view here)
New Forest Mushrooms (Nov 20, 2010). Sniff out pounds of delicacies with the expert who supplies local chefs, learn about mushroom poachers, and finish with sizzling butter in a pan. (Download episode from the BBC or view here)
Sherwood (Apr 9, 2011). Dig up artifacts like a Viking amphitheater under the ancient trees in Sherwood forest and hear how far away you could stand in the mangy crowd and still hear the pronouncement. (Download episode from the BBC or view here)
Check out the website for more, including Roald Dahl & Fantastic Mr. Fox’s countryside, how the river Thames came back to life, making room for seahorses, the world’s most haunted town, and the mistletoe festival!
If you know of any shows as rich as this about the US’s heritage, please share them in the comments. Thanks!
I finished my original hat and scarf combo design inspired by everyone’s favorite time traveling doctor. It’s in my Etsy shop and I’m also donating one to Penguicon. Next, I’ll draw up the pattern and sell it, too, in my shop for space man fans.
It works!
Illusion knitting is a knitting technique comprising stripes of color composed of slightly ridged (purl) and flat (knit) stitches which obscure each other when viewed from an oblique angle. The visible ridges are arranged in a pattern, producing the effect of a disappearing image.
It was a perfect opportunity to try this technique when I was asked to donate something for a charity auction at a convention for open source code and sci-fi/fantasy. The battle between copyright and copyleft seemed a perfect subject for an illusion scarf. After this successful test, I’m making the scarf in charcoal grey and mustard gold (after the Linux penguin). I decided to leave out the copyleft symbol and only include a copyright illusion, hoping the implication is not lost on the open source crowd.
KNITS FOR LIFE 
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