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Awesome Things
Two Years of Tiny Knitting
Jul 5th
That’s right—last Friday’s Tiny Firecracker marks two years of knitting tiny animals, foods, people, and other various things. It started with a Tiny Brain on July 1st, 2009, then continued every weekday that month. After that, I was having so much fun that I’ve kept up the Tiny Challenge on a weekly basis ever since.
Some of the Tinys have been more successful than others, but it’s been a rewarding challenge. Coming up with a new Tiny to knit every week has forced me to take a regular break from current projects to brainstorm and problem solve. I’m made Tinys while I was on vacation, while I was under the weather, and while I thought I was way too busy to make time for it. And I’m glad I did! Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi is a direct result from this project, but even if it hadn’t turned into a book, I would still see it as a fulfilling way to spend a few hours each week.
Click around on the image above to be taken to the original blog posts.
Now for the question: will I keep it up? I don’t see why I should stop now—my love for Tiny knitting is as strong as ever—so I think I’ll keep making Tinys as long as I can. Maybe the project will change a bit over the next year, though. I would rather be flexible about the challenge and keep it meaningful rather than continue it just to try to break my own record.
If you’ve ever thought about doing a creative challenge, whether to be documented on a blog or just something to do in private, I encourage you to start today! Make an illustration each week, write a poem every month, or take an improv class. I’ll continue to knit and see what happens next.
Pearl and the Beard Giveaway Winner
Jul 1st
It was great to get so many entries in the Pearl and the Beard giveaway! To win a copy of their new album Killing the Darlings, I asked you to tell us who you would put in your three-person sweater. 48 of you revealed who you’d like to get cozy with! And our randomly-selected winner is…
Comment #40 by knitcrazy!
Me, my Mom, and my Mom’s friend Vera. We all love knitting (well, maybe my Mom less), so we would be wearing and knitting the sweater at the same time!
Congrats, knitcrazy! Now you will be able to listen to some lovely Pearl and the Beard music while you attempt to knit a three-person sweater of your own.
This was a really fun giveaway to do, and many thanks go to Pearl and the Beard for sharing their music. If you haven’t yet, go check out their website!
Jell-o Imitates Life
Jun 28th
On Saturday I attended Jell-o Takes New York, a jell-o mold competition at the Gowanus Studio Space in Brooklyn. Who is interested in Jell-o molds these days, you ask? All of these people, that’s who.
The strange new forms that gelatin and agar were taking in this room boggled the mind. They included Jell-o “shots”…
And a Jell-o piano that could actually be played because of electric fields or something crazy like that.
Jell-o was being projected on a wall…
And there were TWO entries of Jell-o breakfast, one of which I photographed.
Many of the Jell-o artists, it turns out, used 3D printing technology to make their molds, which added an intriguing layer of technology to the competition. And did I mention you could sample all of the Jell-o? It was an interesting mixture of extremely beautiful and stomach-turning presentation, and I only ended up trying three, two of which were delicious (coffee/caramel/cinnamon and lemon meringue pie).
As it was a competition, there were winners, which are listed on the Gowanus Studio Space website.
The event did not disappoint as far as wacky “new Brooklyn” events go—I can’t say I feel any more or less inclined to eat jell-o than usual, but the whole thing was fun and inspiring!
No Dolls Allowed
Jun 21st
Yesterday I went to the Museum of the City of New York with my mom, who was visiting for a few days. Unfortunately much of the museum’s permanent collection was not on view because of renovations, but we got to see the Stettheimer dollhouse, which was pretty fascinating.
Here’s an image of some of the dollhouse rooms from the museum’s website:
I didn’t have my camera with me and there aren’t many good photos of it online. Made by the New Yorker Carrie Stettheimer in the early 20th century, it’s charming as a dollhouse, but the most fascinating thing about it is the miniature artwork that decorates many of its walls. These tiny pieces were created by some well-known artists, including Marcel Duchamp and Gaston Lachaise, friends of the Stettheimer family.
I’ve never been a dollhouse hobbyist, but like train sets, there’s something irresistibly charming about the miniature possibilities they offer. After leaving the museum, I recalled seeing a very unusual dollhouse at the Museum of Arts and Design last fall made by Jennifer Angus. Her highly decorative piece, which was part of the “Dead or Alive” exhibit, was an enclosed dollhouse (viewable only through peep holes) inhabited by hundreds of posed insects.
It was my favorite piece in a very fun and unusual exhibition.
So now I’m thinking I need to make a dollhouse! Knitted of course. Knitted color work walls, knitted grizzly bear rugs, knitted gnomes in the garden, and gargoyles on the roof. This would be a big project, but so much fun, right? Surely I’ll find the time to get started on it one of these days…
Sozi’s Cake
May 24th
My souvenir from Berlin just arrived! It came beautifully wrapped…
…and inside was a framed illustration by Rilla Alexander!
It came from her exhibition that was happening in Berlin at the same time as mine, as part of the Pictoplasma Festival. (Rilla is an Australian artist who lives in Berlin.) The adorable character is Sozi, Rilla’s alter-ego who also stars in a new picture book called Her Idea. Highly recommended for those who love beautiful illustrations and stories about creativity!
John is a big fan of cake, so that’s why the illustration is perfect for us. Can’t wait to hang it near my desk!
