Vouge Knitting Live Seattle 2017: Megapost!

Fall has shaped up to be quite a busy season for me! I've been to at least one event each weekend, I'm working on several projects at once, and my day job is as busy as ever. I was lucky enough to go to Vogue Knitting Live last weekend... and I'm only just getting around to posting about it today!

This was such a cool event. I had heard about it when it came by a few years ago, but I didn't end up going. I made sure to snag my ticket early this year!

The event was filled with art, presentation, classes, booths, and fiber lovers of all ages and crafts. I saw lots of great crochet. I think the fine yarn world is doing a much better job of being inclusive of crochet these days.

There was soooooo much delightful yarn! I really had to contain myself. Look at the lovelies above from Mary Gavan Yarns, Knit Picks, and Third Piece.

I absolutely fell in love with the gradient yarns of The Blue Brick, and the dyer herself kindly posed for a picture. Unfortunately, I snoozed on the hank that I wanted. When I went back, it was gone! How exciting are the sparkles?

Nicky Epstein had a booth showcasing her large "Teatime Bears," as well as toy animals made by knitters who had followed her patterns.

Laurinda Reddig, a super friendly crochet designer who I previously met at Urban Craft Uprising, had a lovely selection of crochet pieces out to show.

Gina Rose Gallina, whose pineapple I blogged about previously, was there showing off some amazing and whimsical art. She took the time to chat with me and share tidbits about her process. She is so friendly!

Mandy Greer's art was a mix of many mediums, crochet included. The blue artwork was made by many hands and brought together by Mandy. Such a neat aesthetic!

More amazing art was showcased by Suzanne Tidwell, Carol Milne, Claire Taylor, and Gabriele Meyer.

At the end of the event there was a yarn drop, hosted by Rowan. I got to catch yarn as it fell from the ceiling! It was really fun to line up with all of the other yarn lovers. I managed to snag two skeins from the same dye lot!

After the event, my friends Claire, Suzanne, and Caroline all joined me at a coffee shop. We worked, chatted, and reviewed our loot.

I came away from the market with some lovely stitch markers and a case from Miss Purl. They can be used as either crochet or knitting markers. Isn't that cool!? I also splurged on a gorgeous skein of sparkle yarn from Fidalgo. It was such a great time! I'll definitely attend when it comes to Seattle again.

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.

Giant Crochet Pineapple

A few weeks ago my dear friend Nicki was visiting someone in Chicago. The hotel she was staying in held a giant crochet pineapple! Being the wonderful friend that she is, she dutifully photographed said pineapple so that I could share it with all of you. It was created by crochet artist Gina Rose Gallina, whose work has also been featured such places as Vogue Knitting Live. Cool!

Friday Focus: Gabriele Meyer

Hello, friends! Friday has arrived once again and Friday Focus is back in full swing. Today's feature shines a light on a very special crocheter. Gabriele Meyer is a senior lecturer of Mathematics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison...and she's also a crochet artist! Remember when I briefly mentioned hyperbolic crochet? Gabriele uses the hyperbolic qualities of crochet to create stunning works of fine art. Let's learn more about her!

Who taught you to crochet? How long have you been doing it?
I learned it at age 7 in elementary school. First project: a potholder.

What inspired you to create crochet art?
My Ph.D. advisor's (David Henderson) wife Daina Taimina crochets hyperbolic surfaces, which I saw on a visit to Ithaca, NY. My contribution to the area was to discover that by crocheting around shaped line, you can make the surface curve in three dimensional space.

Crochet Favorites
Red Heart, it's cheap and there are many colors. I like heavy silver metal crochet hooks. They don't break with heavy use. I crochet quite firmly. 

What are you working on right now? 
I crochet around a spiraling wire, which I took out of a children's crawl tube. It's an experiment. Other than that, I work on lino prints of shells. Things rotate with me. I also paint gouaches. 

A few finished objects...
The large white lamp shade started out as a flat disk, then I started the hyperbolic crochet around the perimeter. Attaching it to the ceiling at about 10-15 cm below low energy bulbs has worked well for me. The lamp doesn't get hot. I have had it like that now since January. 

The wavy red algae is new. I made it over the summer. I just like it to be big, wavy and red! Ideally it should float horizontally in the air.

The blue triangle algae, really is a triangle, one side in a darker shade of blue, the other one lighter.

Truly incredible. My favorite is the blue piece, as it reminds me of swirling ocean waves. How delightful that we can capture the beauty of math and nature in crochet! You can see more of Gabriele Meyer's work here. Very inspiring! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful crochet with us today, Gabriele!