Monday, December 7, 2009

#14 - HOLIDAY INSPIRATION

From Blogger Pictures
Talila Abraham's Dantela, 2004

The holiday season gets me thinking about ritual and how we move further and further away from it as a society by being so wrapped up in consumerism.  On this train of thought and in search of good reading material, I stumbled upon the exhibit Reinventing Ritual at The Jewish Museum in New York, running through February 7, 2010.  Ritual allows us to transcend our everyday activities and to provide them with meaning.  Some artists are seeking to revive our connection to ritual, and pieces like Talila Abraham's Dantela are of great inspiration to me.  Merging art, technology, and craft, Abraham has created a metalwork object that is reminiscent of traditional lace textiles.  An item to be used at the Passover seder, it connotes tradition, family, faith, and history.  I hope that my holiday activities can similarly reflect upon these ideas, and the process of hand-making gifts helps me to do just that.
With all of that in mind, I finally have some finished objects to share!  First off, the Building Blocks scarf from Interweave that I shared in the veeery early stages last time.  I knitted it in an admittedly small gauge, thinking I could figure things out as I went.  I made no alterations to the long scarf pattern, and after blocking, it was still much too short to actually be a scarf.  Not wanting to frog it, I decided to stitch it up into a loop, making a lovely double-wrapped cowl.  It's so soft and the colors look great, so I hope my friend doesn't notice my measuring error and thinks I intended to make it as such.  Also, please excuse these sort-of awful photos that illustrate how irritated I became with my camera's self-timer.

From Knitting, etc.
(yeah, PhotoBooth is the worst.)

From Knitting, etc.

I also knitted up the Cable and Bobble Headband, also from the Interweave Holiday Knits issue for another friend of mine.  She requested a headband-type item with big pom poms, so I'm pretty sure this delivers.  It was quick and really simple - made from Manos del Uruguay Wool Clasica in an afternoon's time - and I think the pom poms are a nice touch.  Here's hoping she agrees!

Now, I'm working on some fingerless gloves - the Spirogyra wristwarmers from Knitty, yet another gift.  I'm altering the pattern a bit so I can use up more of that giant pile of Turkish yarn in my stash.  Depending upon how these turn out, I may make another pair for my sister-in-law.  If not, Fetching is a reliable standby.  

I'm so very glad that the semester is wrapping up this week... because I have so much more knitting on my plate to complete by December 25.  5 hats, 2 pairs of socks, and a shawlette - if all goes according to plan.  Undoubtedly that will change, but I like to aim high - so we'll see what happens!

10 comments:

CraftyCarole said...

love the cowl... they're my to go gift this Christmas.

The M-D book is great! I made the absorba the great bathmat from it as well and we use it constantly and it really does absorb

Happy knitting from another PEAR

Maiden Jane said...

You are adventurous in how much knitting you have to accomplish! And school on top of it all. Good luck! I think the cowl looks really nice and love the headband! You have lucky friends! I look forward to seeing your fo's - and good luck with school.

Thanks for stopping by. I love it that you get dressed up once in a while...a good ritual!

Unknown said...

I feel like you, too many projects and never enough time to get them done. My gift list always gets shorter as I get closer to the 25th. :) I agree about rituals they are so important!

M.E. Greene said...

Brilliant idea to turn the scarf into a cowl! I love your ingenuity. :)

M.E. Greene said...

Wishing you a PEAR-fect day! :) (From French Picnic)

Unknown said...

I love the cowl too! There aren't many days in the winter in Houston that are cold enough for those, but I would wear one if I had one. I think I may have to take up knitting! Stopping in to give you PEAR love! ~Lanie

Marie said...

I really like your post and your blog. visiting from pear. I hope that you have a great day.

Erin said...

These look great! I'd never have guessed the cowl was an "oops."

Joanne said...

Stopping by from PEAR... looking forward to checking out all of your knit projects!

angelina la dawn said...

i love love love that cowl! so cool