Kimono – ‘A Thing to Put On’, a Tumblr Collection, and Rosebud, All the Fun of the Snow
I’ve been rather frustrated by the craft/knit/crochet revival mostly because I simply don’t have the energy, but also partly because even if I could get it together to make something there is the issue of skills… Reader! I do not crochet! And quilting is a mystery. And I only hand sew, my sewing machine remains box fresh despite my intentions.
Then this picture came along in my fb and I thought – HANG ON! I could certainly make that!
Irina Anufrieva in knitted KI-mono by Ki-mono Reconstruction (Joanna Bo) , photo by Eva K, feb*2012
It’s not even stocking stitch, just plain knit – hence the texture, and it’s made on big needles so would be the work of MOMENTS, and I have two ‘normal’ kimonos, and they are really just made of rectangles, so no fancy stuff whatsoever!
What I am thinking is that if anyone has any spare wool or knows of ends of line sales involving any yarn that is any kind of blue and any kind of white/cream/beige then i could make a boro inspired one. A ‘boro’, for those of you not obsessed with kimonos and with blue, is a peasant’s kimono, dyed with indigo and mended with patchwork. Naturally, they are now considered antiques and are very valuable.
can i borrow your boro?
Last time I did ‘big knit’ I was at art school and I made my needles out of doweling. I was inspired by a friend who knitted a lot with drum sticks. I’d need to acquire or borrow some big needles, and I might even vary the size of stitching. I’d certainly want to double up the wool at the top and make it lighter as it went down, and then maybe do some tighter or heavier rows at the bottom of the sleeves and body to weight it.
Yesterday I made this inspired tumblr collection a propos my obsession with blue…
elaine4queen.tumblr.com/day/2013/1/19
for your perusal.
***
Ten found this in his house
the sled, not all the other gumph
It was left there by his dad who is a serious scavenger. So he swiped it for our little chum here depicted with his friend Poppet.
besties
As we speak, there is a whole lot of sledging going on at Springfield Park. Since I managed to fall on my arse and head this morning out with Poppet I wasn’t tempted to go along, despite the potential for photo ops. Ten is at a CRUCIAL stage with my laptop, so he didn’t want to go either. As it stands, my Sony Vaio’s main brain died (just out of guarantee). My previous laptop, generously patronessed by Terri had had a premature retirement because of something going wrong with it’s energetic metabolism, but the brain was ALIVE so ten put the Dell brain in the Sony. Acourse, then there is the problem of getting Windows onto the damn thing…
There are a lot of things to love here. Your Tumblrs always make me so happy. You are very, very good at Tumblr. I think Tumblr should hire you to teach people how to do it correctly.
Also, I can crochet. Why do we live so far away from each other, I would teach you how. I even know the tricky stitches. I’m very good at it. I’ve even made CLOTHING. And BLANKETS.
And Poppet’s friend is the cutest little happy blondie ever. Hi, kiddo!
Happy Sunday, Elaine! Are you ok, with your fall? Sending you happy non-ouchy thoughts.
Thank YOOOOOOOU!
I need you to come here and inculcate me into the way of the crochet. If i get to PhD then I will come to you!
He is lovely. He went through a phase of kicking Poppet but he doesn’t do that any more.
I did a body scan and it was hideous. I think today will be a two bath day.
I wish I could recommend a book for you to teach yourself crochet. It’s so much easier to have someone teach you, though. Once you know the basic stitches you can teach yourself the more difficult ones from diagrams.
Do you think we can start a kickstarter to me to come to England to teach you crochet? I would happily do so.
KICKING Poppet? Oh, I don’t like that. I’m glad that’s over.
What’s a body scan? I don’t like that it’s hideous, whatever it is. *glares at body scan*
Best use of Kickstarter EVER!
I know. He’s much more grown up now. Poppet put up with it, she knew he was only a puppy.
Body scans are good, but because they get you in touch with your body it’s not always ‘nice’. Usually they are so relaxing people can easily fall asleep. The one I listen to I often fall asleep to, but not right now with all the new, different, and INTERESTING pains. (for interesting read vile) here’s one I made earlier https://soundcloud.com/elaine4queen/elaine-guidedmeditation-01