Crochet in the Horror Movie "It Follows"

When I was younger, I used to be afraid all of the time. Of EvErYtHiNg. I mean, I once stayed up all night because I heard a noise in the wall while reading Stephen King's The Langoliers. I would also sleep with all of the lights on after watching any movie with aliens in it, even if they were friendly. While I still have a few lingering fears, like large spiders and needles, I am so much more able to handle the freaky and the frightening than I used to be. It's glorious!

I was recently watching an off-beat horror movie on Netflix called "It Follows." Surprisingly, the movie had a bunch of crochet in it. Here's a sampling:

Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrors (with Bonus Crochet and Knitting!)

I recently attended the Infinity Mirrors exhibit by Yayoi Kusama, showing at the Seattle Art Museum. I love living in a city that is filled with such interesting and exciting things to do. This exhibit included many fabric-based pieces, so I thought it would be appropriate to share it with you. I tend to stick to fiber arts on this blog; if you'd like to see other interesting things I do and encounter, consider following me on Instagram. I waited in line for two hours to get a ticket to the exhibit. It is only traveling to a few cities in the United States, so I feel lucky to have seen it.

Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese artist who works with repeating patterns and colors. Her personal inspirations, philosophies, and experiences are quite interesting if you're inclined to do some internet research about her. She had a difficult upbringing and was a part of the counterculture. Today, she chooses to live in a psychiatric facility. Her exhibit is a wonderful example of the enrichment that those who struggle with psychological disorders can bring to the world, and specifically to art. Here are some highlights from my visit to her exhibit, along with a few extras from the rest of the museum. I even found some crochet and knitting!

On display were many interesting painted pieces. All of the chunky-looking work was done with stuffed fabric, with painted designs added. They felt like they were alive. One can only imagine how labor-intensive they would be to put together.

Here is one of the infinity mirror rooms, again populated by friendly, squishy, fabric lumps. The experience of being in this field of polka dots was very interesting. This particular room was quite cheerful. Since I went to the museum sans my boyfriend or friends this time, I got to skip many lines and enter with other groups. Thus, I got to experience the rooms over and over. Delightful!

Both times I caught this room on camera, it was green. However, the lights flashed and changed in rainbows of colors. It was spectacular! Each mirror cube limited you to a short period of time, usually 20 to 30 seconds. I think the artist wanted this for several reasons. First, there were many people who wanted to enjoy the exhibit, so times had to be short. Second, if you looked too long in the rooms your eyes and brain might habituate. This means you would start to notice reference points, like the seams in the mirrors, and a bit of the magic would be lost. Finally, infinity is made more special when we only get glimpses of it. I left the exhibit with a craving for more, which would likely please Kusama.

This whole section was love-themed and very sweet. I found this to be the most whimsical part of the exhibit. Also, I love the way that the horizon dips inside the mirror-sphere in the leftmost picture. It really gave me the sense that there was something beyond.

This is the Obliteration Room. It started out completely white. All of the dots that you see were added by museum patrons. I got to add my own dots, too!

This mirror room was my absolute favorite. It was so magical that my eyes misted over the first time I walked in. By now, you all know how space-obsessed I am. I think that this experience was the closest I have ever felt to being surrounded by stars. Since it was dark, you couldn't see the lines in the mirrors very much. It felt real, like I was really standing in a different realm for a few brief moments. I couldn't stop myself from using my singles-line privileges to view this room about five times in total. The whole exhibit was really wonderful.

Even though I had been on my feet for hours by this point, I made sure to stroll through the rest of the museum. Above is a small collection of art that made a particular impression on me, including a wood-paneled room from the late 1500s. I suppose I really do love immersive experiences! SAM is very nicely curated.

I promised you crochet, and here it is! There was a super interesting piece on display that was an amalgamation of fabric swatches sewn together by Nick Cave. It included many knit swatches and also crochet rounds.

My day at the museum was delightful indeed. I encourage anyone who gets the chance to go see Kusama's art.

Sweet As Honey Commission

I have a dirty secret to share... I don't really enjoy doing commissions. Part of the reason that I love being a designer is that I never have to make the same thing twice. Instead, I get to come up with brand new ideas, occasionally working up other people's patterns as well. Commissions almost always end up being something I made in the past, someone saw, and then wanted me to make again for them. I value and thank all of my previous commission customers, but it is highly unlikely that I will accept another commission unless it is extremely unique.

I love my Sweet As Honey pattern. It has brought so many people to Illuminate Crochet, and I am very thankful for that as well. It is fitting that my last official commission be based on that pattern. Alex, one of my best friends, wanted a miniature version of it to hang on his wall. I worked it up in Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light, a fingering weight yarn. Here is the finished product, along with a  few process photos. The work will eventually be framed. I am happy that it is finally complete.

Knit Yarn Bomb Spotted in Seattle

A while back I was walking from Capitol Hill to downtown Seattle, when I happened to spy this lovely knit yarn bomb on a sculpture outside Cornish College of the Arts. Such a stylish wrap the figure has!

Crochet Shrimp Amigurumi

Alexis, my former co-worker turned friend, has the most adorable child. (She's also an excellent hat model.) He is currently three years old and melt-your-heart cute. I always enjoy the stories Alexis shares about him, especially the funny things that he says.

One day, Alexis was working one-on-one with an elementary student who attends the school that I manage. She planned a mosaic art project for the day, a snowman made of ripped pieces of construction paper. Upon returning home, she shared her example project with her son. The following is my best second-hand account of their conversation:

Alexis: "Look what I made at work today. What is it?"

Adorable child: "It IS... a shrimp!"

Alexis: "... a what?"

Adorable child: "It IS a shrimp!" *points to nose of snowman*

Alexis: "No... see? It's a snowman."

But alas, the little one was insistent that the snowman's nose was a shrimp. He didn't stop there, either. Over the next several weeks, he declared several other things to be shrimp, including a slice of lemon in a glass of water. I decided that I needed to make the little dude a crochet shrimp, so that when he emphatically declared "it IS a shrimp" he would be right. When Alexis mentioned that I was making a shrimp for him, he commented "Oh! It will be tasty."

I'm not sure how tasty it is, but here is the shrimp. I made it with leftover yarn from my Sushi Baby Set, which worked out quite well. I recorded pattern notes for the shrimp, but don't have an official pattern for it yet. I may develop one later if there is interest.

Alexis has mentioned that her son is quite pleased with his acquisition.