Weaving

This holiday weekend I decided to try my hand at making a small wall hanging on my very makeshift picture frame "loom." I'm actually quite pleased with the way it turned out and have just finished hanging it on a narrow wall next to the big window in our living room.

I mostly used a variety of cotton and wool yarns in neutral tones, although there is a small portion on the right side that is made of very fine silver thread.

I found the process generally enjoyable- especially working without a pattern and it gave me the opportunity to pay special attention to the feel and texture of different yarns. Here are a few textile artists whose work I really admire: Metrode, Nightwood, Justine Ashbee.

I had all sorts of problems with this thin metal poster frame-- definitely not the most effective or time efficient method out there but it worked for my purposes and didn't cost a cent. Maybe one day I'll actually purchase or build the real thing?

Not My Dissertation

Many anonymous people out there keep a blog as a kind of creative outlet or alternative life-world. Mine is no different. Slowly but surely I've been investing in a variety of print publications that delight and inform the part of my mind that tends to shut down during the daily 9-5. 

Kinfolk Magazine sure has been getting a lot of press. On the one hand, I like what this work stands for- local, sustainable communities; good friends and food; and a recognizably urban rustic aesthetic. On the other hand, I feel a little suspicious about how it idealizes a lifestyle that is both commercial and artificial but not apparently so. I bought my copy at Anthropologie (case in point) but still am really looking forward to the read.

This new book features a number of Brooklyn based artists that I really admire, includes DIY projects for weaving, dyeing, sewing, knitting, etc., and teaches the reader how to set up a home studio space. I'm light years away from anything like that but love the idea anyway. Fully intend to visit the Textile Arts Center while visiting Brooklyn in the fall!