Tag Archives: embroidery

Elsewhere

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knit kid pigeon sweaters kate moss embroidery

So much good stuff lately — a veritable pile of links to wander around in:

– Interview with Knit Kid designer Sabrina Weigt on the Etsy blog

– Update on Quince and Company’s dye house situation — very cool

– New Japanese-English knitting “magazine” Amirisu

– Anais Nin on the joy of handcraft

– Hand-knit pigeon sweaters

– Fall pattern collection from Brooklyn Tweed

– Rebecca Ringquist’s Embroidery 101

– The Kaffe Fassett book (“Dreaming in Color”) has everyone abuzz about how a young Kate Moss wore one of his sweaters in the 10th issue of Rowan; Wool and the Gang posted all the Kate Moss shots

– What might have been: Nintendo knitting machine

– Gorgeous quilts

– A leather fringe tassel DIY

– And unrelated but omigod, a single-serving recipe for peanut butter balls

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Homages to the homage to the square

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josef albers homage to the square

I’ve been a little more color-happy this summer than … possibly ever. So before I inevitably begin to slide back into my neutral comfort zone, as fall squeezes out summer, I wanted to call your attention to these two projects. Both are inspired by the late, great Josef Albers and his Homage to the Square series of color-study paintings.

albers cowl and color theory coasters

LEFT: The Albers Cowl, designed by Ann Weaver, is a variation on the traditional log cabin square. (The version pictured was knitted by Craftivore.) Pattern at Ravelry.

RIGHT: The Color Theory Coasters are by Diana Rupp and are included in her book “Embroider Everything Workshop.” It’s just plastic canvas, tapestry wool, and a felt backing. And there’s a full-on video tutorial at Design*Sponge.

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Blog Crush: Karen Barbé

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karen barbe woven patches

I can tell you it’s been eight weeks since I first saw this image, these little woven patches. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked at it since then. It’s the work of Chilean textile artist Karen Barbé, and it makes my heart go pitty-pat, as does her whole blog. Barbé weaves, embroiders, teaches, and takes beautiful and amusing photos. Go forth and browse.

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Mesmerized by Erica Wilson

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erica wilson pbs show thinking bigger

Like most things domestic, my mother taught me the basics of embroidery when I was a kid, but it was all done in an applied way: She’d have me do some French knots on a set of napkins, or whipstitch the edge of a blanket. Some of my friends were into counted cross-stitch but I never took to it. And there’s really no chance you’ll find me sitting on my couch with a hoop and floss – I’ve got too much knitting to do. BUT, I’ve been collecting inspiring stitchery lately (which I’ll round up here at some point).

Anyway, blah blah blah. Embroidery. I’d never heard of Erica Wilson before I saw the New York Times obit flit by in my Twitter stream and feed reader back in mid-December. “The Julia Child of needlework.” Weeks later, the always charming Cathy of California posted a little tribute, noting that someone had posted a few episodes of “Erica” — Wilson’s 1970s PBS show — on YouTube. I starred the post and didn’t get back to it until now. And it happens that the one of three videos I clicked on has her doing oversized stitching, showing off a wall-hanging and a chair seat before demonstrating how to stitch a big ol’ owl out of heavy rug yarn. It’s ’70s week on Yarnover! Or maybe it’s always ’70s week. But seriously, watch her do this:

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