knitty.com

For the last two issues, ouou knit themed cards have appeared in knitty.com's "cool stuff" feature. Let me share my thanks with a little story of where my knit-love comes from.

I took up knitting breifly, after leaving the city that was home to me for almost 10 years. Knitting to me lives in the world of my older sister's aesthetic. Fabric, pattern, textile, and the differing properties of fibers, wool, cotton, clothing... this is just next door to the art I know. My world is paper, that's pretty clear to me. I love the world of cloth, fabric, fiber, embroidery, but there is so much to learn! Celeste has an instinct for it, and I stand happily by as the awe-inspired little sister, peeking into the knitted world.

Knitting hasn't lasted as a hobby or skill of mine, but I remember my breif sojurn there with heartfelt sentimentality. The comforts of making something wearable with my own hands, the tick-tick of counting rows, the exciting anticipation of selecting yarn, trying something new at such a turning point in my life. Maybe someday soon I'll try again, I could use that comfort in the wet Oregonian winter we're facing. For right now I'm fine with showing my adoration on paper, and that my little drawings have made other knitters out there smile their knowing smiles.

knitting notes in hand-mixed Gocco ink

all bundled up watercolor kitty

knit journal - otter -

Ah, Samvega

Yesterday there was a strange luminosity in the apartment, one of those days when the weather kept doing unpredictable things. It feels as though it has been raining for a week, but I was lucky enough to get some quick photos.

Because I'm totally ahead of the curve (Massachusetts obligatory eye roll here) I decided to learn how to knit this year. The theme? Mindfulness. Drawing at the end of the night has always been a struggle for me... if I hit upon something I like my night-owl senses kick in, and staying up until 3 or 4 a.m. is not always (ever) practical. Knitting, for me, is much more relaxing. It has been a long time since I learned something new (printmaking excluded: a linear art) and I'm delighting in it.

I am sorry to say I'm a hardcore picky eater. So much so that a couple years ago my exclusions were getting so out of hand I was pretty worried. But recently there has been a lot of new (probably common to most) yummy foods I've been able to try, and work into meals with vigor! Any kind of real travel or international flexibility just seemed impossible before. What a relief! Having a goal really does change your perspective! This was added to some other fresh veggies for a delicious stir-fry lunch... just looking at those bean sprouts again makes my mouth water...

Even the fine detail with the Gocco finally showed up in photos. Sheesh. Then the clouds rolled in again.
Oh well.
At least lunch was good. :)