Stephanie Pearl-McPhee I ain't, but that's okay because I love her and wouldn't want another one like her. I just don't always know what to blog about, plus I have the added challenge of not giving away too much so I'll still have stuff to actually teach. In addition, I really don't want my designs to be influenced too much by existing knitwear patterns, so I've kind of put myself in design quarantine-thus I don't read too many other knitting blogs. I look at other things for inspiration, but I don't want to just be recycling things. Obviously, there are other designers that I like, and sometimes I just want to knit without having to work it all out first. On the other hand, I do, however, want to balance those considerations against the principles of good karma and my belief in idea of Creative Commons where information can and should be shared as freely as possible, but then what is left for folks to make a living off of, eh? So, sometimes I hesitate too much to write about this passion of mine, which is too bad, because I have a lot to say. In the interest of making yet another go, which is such a boring thing to read (yet again) here are some photographs and words about a couple of projects.
The first photos are Sam in his vest, the process of which was chronicled
here. I am really happy with how it turned out, and he wears it often. I think it will get too hot for him pretty soon, so I'm already considering a version in a lighter gauge and maybe in cotton.
These two are of my wonderful collaboration with one of my students-The Patch Jacket concept. She has some hand mobility and usage issues, and one solution she has found to continue knitting is to make many small pieces, then build them into a sweater. She likes to make them one by one then sew them together creatively using blanket stitch or something else textural. On this one, she added just a hint of pink in the buttons and running stitch trim to really make it perfect. I have loved this process of working with her to make a completely unique, personal piece of art that so exactly expresses who she is and what she is about. This is why I teach. There is nothing better than helping someone create what is already inside them.
