Nature-Based Textiles

 Vanessa Barragão's works highlight ecosystems above and below the sea.

Portuguese textile artist Vanessa Barragão produces carpets and tapestries from a variety of different techniques, creating multi-faceted landscapes with the use of latch hooking, crochet, weaving, basketry, and felt. Her environmental works present imitation coral, fungi, and algae as three-dimensional elements in plush contexts such as the circular work viewed above which she calls Earth Rug. The piece was developed for this year’s Milan Design Week and spans nearly 15 feet in diameter.

More here.

Purple and Blue Lamp Post. Extra granny squares from Cousin Afghan.

Bat Mitzvah present for Cousin Ellen Kaplan

Blue Bluesy Blueish Blue!

My hats inspire

Nancy Ricci of Knitty City was so inspired by my summer cotton hats, that she made a bunch, wore them around her yarn store and created a demand for classes.

June hats

Purple & Blue - Work in Progress

For this gift to cousin Ellen on her Bat Mitzvah in September, I received only one instruction:
PURPLE AND BLUE.
Chose a Granny Square Afghan because I LOVE this style.
Here is a "crazy" granny I found on-line that I might emulate:

Or I might just go with the standard, same size squares

The work-in-progress (W.I.P.) that I have started:

The Mola of Panama and Colombia

Watch this Textile Artist as she creates a mola.
Click here for the video. 

Harlem Needle Arts

Went to a presentation at Knitty City last night.  Harlem Needle Arts founder Michelle Bishop has a natural authority without being a show-off.  This woman can get things done! And what important and beautiful contributions.

I love this blue fabric. Its called Adire from the Yoruba in Nigeria.

This is one of the slides shown at the presentation.

This artist is now featured in an exhibit in Harlem that I plan to attend.

chief nike okundaye:

an odyssey through the years

More images of Adire textiles:

More info about Adire in this article.

I think of the Japanese Blue that I have always loved called Yukata.

Yours truly in the Japanese vest that I inherited from my mother.

Big Apple Knits

My charity knitting group, meets every month at Knitty City.  I created these photographs for the new facebook group page.

March for Science with Cousin Sarah Kaplan

PussyHat Purim

NY Times Magazine Cover for Feb 12, 2017.

KNITTING picture book wins Caldecott Honor Book award!

“Leave Me Alone!” illustrated and written by Vera Brosgol

One day, a grandmother shouts, "LEAVE ME ALONE!" and leaves her tiny home and her very big family to journey to the moon and beyond to find peace and quiet to finish her knitting. Along the way, she encounters ravenous bears, obnoxious goats, and even hordes of aliens! But nothing stops grandma from accomplishing her goal―knitting sweaters for her many grandchildren to keep them warm and toasty for the coming winter.

Women's March in NYC!  

PussyHat Power.

Candid shot of
Claudia, Shellie and other friends

Lots of PussyHats on East 48th Street

Wearing the

PussyHats I made for them:

Colette!

Cousin Sarah Kaplan 

Cousin Sarah Stern

Barbara

More intriguing PussyHat Photos:

Eleanor Roosevelt 

PussyHats go global!

More PussyHats in Washington

"...the pussyhats are unabashedly feminine, in that they are pink and homemade (not to mention that they reference a derogatory term for the female anatomy). That's by design: the "Pussyhat Project" website explains that "knitting and crochet are traditionally women's crafts," adding, "[knitting] circles are powerful gatherings of women."  From this NPR article.

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Made a couple of PussyHat pins for Sarah Rose and her friend Andy. They wanted to make a statement but not with a big hat. 

Latest issue of TIME magazine.
Excellent design.

Latest issue of The New Yorker Magazine.
I like the PussyHat, and the Rosie the Riveter reference, the person of color and (except for the fingernail) the ambiguous gender, but it lacks beauty.  This is not a beautiful painting or design.