Craft Rock Friday with U900 Japanese Ukulele Duo

It's no secret that I have a soft spot for the ukulele. It's small, it's cute, it's Hawaiian. What's not to love?

It'd be harder to make the uke any cuter. OK, maybe if the ukuleles were miniature and being played by tiny amigurumi animals... THEN the humble uke could be unequivocally declared to be the Cute Overload of musical instruments.

Oh. Wait.

YES.

I present to you, on this fine Craft Rock Friday, the wonder that is U900 Japanese Ukulele Duo.



Here's their video for "Walk Don't Run". The bear's expression is priceless.


Their video for "Diamond Head" was awarded an honorable prize "Ukulele Video of the Year 2010" hosted by UkeHunt.


You can read an interview with U900's human representative on UkeHunt.

U900's new record, Ukulele Beatles, is available for pre-order on Amazon Japan.

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Yarn Bomb the Textile Museum of Canada

The Textile Museum of Canada is a little tucked away on a side street in downtown Toronto. What better way to make them more visible than yarn bombing?

Fibre Person has put out a call to help the Textile Museum of Canada with a project to gather knitted or crocheted works from crafty people like you and me. The yarn work will end up on a concrete planter and on bike racks outside the museum.

Get all the details on how to submit on the Fibre Person blog. The deadline to get your knitted or crocheted works in is May 15, 2010.

Here's the piece that I'm mailing in today...



(PS. If you need some inspiration, check out the rad Yarn Bombing book by lovely Vancouverites, Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain.)

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ice lace

Ice lace is a simple and lovely idea from Resurrection Fern. She froze doilies to create some delicate outdoor decorations for her porch.





The more I think about it, the more I like this idea. Ice and lace make a complementary pair - both materials have elegant yet complex structures, both are delicate and strong at the same time...

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cooking with craft

Don't feel like cooking? (But still want a lil' something delish?)

Head on over to the Play Food! flickr group to satisfy all your crafty cravings.

They've got everything from a three-layered wedding cake by theloneknitta, to a needle-felted TV dinner by made by moxie, to a cake hand-puppet by Dyna Moe.

Two of my faves are the hotdog by Bnice2mice (those EYES!!!) and the peas in a pod by anapaulaoli, which is currently the primary reason why I want to learn to crochet. You can buy the crochet pattern for peas in a pod (and other amigurumi cuties) from Anapaulaoli's Etsy store.

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fishy finds

I was catching up a some blogs, and came across quite a few fishy finds...

Love Forever is working on a plush red snapper. He's not red, but he's awful cute.

Dermond Peterson has a whole collection of sea-inspired linens. (via)



Jessica Polka crochets some gorgeous sea creatres. I love how she presents them in a scientific way, with labels. Here's a pattern to crochet a baby octopus, and you can buy other patterns on her etsy shop. (I have to learn how to crochet already!) (via)




And last but certainly not least... Coe and Waito are two Toronto-based ceramic artists who make the MOST exquisite ceramic jellyfish. Their work was on display at Magic Pony earlier this Spring. Stunning! (via)

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bunnyfish and the magic pony

Hey Toronto! Kozyndan are coming!

Starting tomorrow, the Magic Pony Gallery in Toronto will be host to Kozyndan's new art show, Tales of the Bunnyfish. The show features bunnyfish (yes, bunny + fish!) through paintings, drawings, photos and sculpture. Plus, my craft friends, bunnyfish is crocheted! Love it.

Over the past few months, Kozyndan's little crocheted bunnyfish have been on all kinds of adventures... he especially likes cozying up with the ladies. Here are some bunnyfish photos from the road. (Or stream.)

If you're in the Toronto area, definitely go check out the show. Kozyndan's work is always great. I have a print of their work on my wall, and it never fails to make me smile: it's Kozyndan's take on Hokusai's famous painting - here's the original - but with bunnies. Again, bunnies. What's not to love?

Tales of the Bunnyfish is on the Magic Pony Gallery (694 Queen St West, Toronto) until July 29, 2007.

UPDATE! Check out photos from the opening, thanks to Magic Pony and also Kozyndan. They even had bunnyfish cookies! Yum!

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cuteness begets cuteness begets cuteness

You know the saying "like attracts like"? I'd like amend it to "I like attracts I like".

I Like #1: First, I came across this adorable photo of amigurumi bears on the Occupied Shoppe's flickr. I love their little growly smiles.

A comment on the flickr photo led me to this enviable artists' pillow collection, including one by Malota, who I've already raved about. Which would be I Like #2.

Turns out that the same person who owns those pillows also made those little red bears: M. Patrizio. Her work is I Like #3. M. Patrizio is a powerhouse of cute production. Painting, illustration, and crocheted toys galore. Go explore the cute on M. Patrizio's portfolio, blog and etsy shop.

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hostess craftcakes

Remember a few months ago when I blogged about Anselmo Swan, the artist who paints hyper-real cupcakes and other sugary treats? Well, two very wonderful (and sneaky) people* gave me a special gift - one of his paintings! It's so great, I just have to share. Cause I know you like sugar, too.



Looks even better than the real thing, huh? That is actually the very first Hostess cupcake I have ever eaten. It seemed wrong to have that painting and not actually eat one. Which brings up my tally of Hostess ultra-processed snack cakes up by one point:


My Lifetime Consumption of Hostess Snack Cakes To Date:
Twinkies: 0
Cupcakes: 1
Ho Hos: 0
Suzy Q's; 0
Ding Dongs: 0
Donettes: 0

Well, what I lack in consumption of these junkie treats, I will make up for now - at least by looking at my painting!

And it seems that many crafty types have paid homage to the Hostess Cupcake, in all shapes and sizes:

• Small: A knitted Hostess cupake hat by Flickr user beetsie.
  
  
• Large: A cupcake on wheels at last year's Burning Man festival.

Now that's a lotta sugar. Wheeeeeee!


---
*I know you like to stay anomymous online... But thank you!!!

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math + weather = crochet

This is not an April Fool's joke - although it does seem like one: mathematicians are using crochet to predict weather patterns.

Hinke Osinga, a mathematician from the University of Bristol, realized that the equations which are used to model weather patterns could be physically represented in crochet:

"On the top part, the geometry is incredibly complex where you have a helical rotation going up and you have a spiralling rotation going in one of the opposite directions," Dr Osinga said.

While staring at the Lorenz manifold on computer, Dr Osinga had a brainwave.

"I realised the way that we computed the surface naturally translated into crochet instructions," she says.

"When I saw that, I just had to try. It was too good for words really that you could actually make one."

You can see read more about the work, see photos of other versions people have made, and get the crochet pattern here.

(The original crocheted work was created in 2004, but I just read about it today, via What's In The Making.)

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crochet, al dente

Alicia must've had a lot of practice playing with her food. That's some fancy crocheted spaghetti.

(Via Crochet Me.)

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chihuahua + crochet = cuteness

Is your chihuahua cuter than my chihuahua?

Ok, fine. So I don't have a chihuahua. But everyone in the my chihuahua cuter than your chihuahua flickr group does. And those puppies sure are cute.

And you know what makes cute chihuahuas even cuter? Yes, that's right. Craft.

Exhibit A: Cowboy the chihuahua wearing a knitted sweater.

Exhibit B: Cowboy the chihuahua being crochet.

Oh. Yes.

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bwah!

Crochet a wee little chihuahua. Need I say more? I think not.

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janet morton and eveyln roth

Last weekend I went to see an amazing show at Vancouver's Belkin Satellite Gallery. "Material Obsessions" presented works by two Canadian craft artists - Janet Morton and Eveyln Roth. Although they worked in similar mediums - from wool to audio and video tape - they didn't know about one another's work, and were producing art 20 years apart.

The gallery - in the foreground is T.V. Trap (1973) by Eveyln Roth



The show was really magical, even for non-craftistas. You're greeted at the door by Janet Morton's full-size tree, knitted in black wool. Some of the branches turn into gloves or sleeves, and the roots trail off into balls of yarn and knitting needles. Inside the main room of the gallery, there's a giant work sock (aka sock monkey sock!), cassettes with their guts crocheted into quasi-Christmas ornanaments, a suit knitted out of video tape (from the CBC, no less!) that encloses a TV and the viewer. There's also a structure that would be pretty much the best playhouse ever. This is Evelyn Roth's "Environment for Living Recycled from 110 Sweaters" which she made in 1974, when recycling was "new" and groovy. It's the coziest hideout, like being in a pillow fort or inside a giant tea cozy. Here are some photos of the show. Enjoy.


Woollen Tree (2001) by Janet Morton



Environment for Living Recycled from 110 Sweaters (1974) by Eveyln Roth



Chain of Fools (2003) by Janet Morton



Memorial (Canadian Work Sock) (1992) by Janet Morton

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crochet to the rescue

Yes, as usual, crochet comes to the rescue.

Here's a nice little tutorial on how to crochet the cord of your iPod (or any other cord) to make it just the right length.

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call for submissions: be in the next stitch 'n bitch book

Debbie Stoller wants your help. Here's her call for submissions for her next Stitch 'n Bitch book:

Dearest stitchers 'n bitchers:

I'm gearing up to get cracking on my next Stitch 'n Bitch book. It's going to be an advanced knitting manual, and I'm looking for patterns that incorporate a bit of fancy-pants knitting such as cables, lace, color work (either intarsia or fair isle or, hell, both!), beading, etc. The book will be covering these techniques in great detail, as well as much more. Patterns can range from clothing to accessories to household items to baby things and pet items. Even first-time designers are invited to contribute. I'm looking for lively, fun projects, and I'm especially interested in socks and sweaters.

So put on your thinking caps, cause submissions are due June 19, 2006!

To submit, please send the following:

1) If you have a completed project, please send a few good-quality photos of the item, along with a detailed description of it.

OR

2) If you can't get a large project done in time to meet the deadline,dont worry. Just send me a very clear, detailed sketch of your project idea (include basic measurements, fit information, etc), along with a photo of a rather large swatch (at least 10" x 10") made in the yarns and stitch patterns you plan to use.

Photos of projects and swatches can be emailed to me at stitchnbitch@bust.com, or mailed to me here: Debbie Stoller, BUST Magazine, 78 Fifth Ave, 5th floor, New York, NY 10011.

IMPORTANT: Please be sure to include your full name, email addresses, daytime and evening phone numbers, and mailing address, along with your submissions. Include a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) if you'd like me to mail your submission back to you after I've made my selections.

It will take me at least 2-3 weeks to make my selections. If your project is accepted, you will be provided with the yarn you need to produce a sample, which will be photographed for the book and kept by me (to take on tour, 'natch!). You will also be paid for your submission, your pattern will be credited to you in the book and will run alongside a brief bio, and of course, you will receive a free copy of the book once it is completed.

If you have any questions about the process, feel free to email me. Thanks in advance, everyone!

xxxooo deb

-----------
Debbie Stoller
www.knithappens.com

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you wear what you eat

Why is it that wearing food is so funny? Is it tied into why the old pie-in-the-face routine is a classic?

Whatever the reason, the creations made by Twinkie Chan over at Twinkie's Fridge are funny stuff - and would be super fun to wear.



Twinkie crochets one-of-a-kind scarves with food themes: eggplants, peas and carrots, spaghetti and meatballs, rocket popsicles, french fries... The list goes on and on. Check out all the goodies here. Think how much funnier cold winter mornings waiting for the bus would be if you had a bunch of spaghetti draped around your neck.



For a more subtle ode-to-food via fashion, try the silver food pendants by Pagliei. They've whipped up empanadas, wontons, gnocchi and other yummy dumplings, served up in charm bracelets and on necklaces. Mmmm.

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this child will grow up to be a hipster

The talented Leslie at Rubber Sol crocheted a pair of converse all stars booties. Cute! [Link via whipup.]

This reminds me of a rad onesie I saw when I was in Santa Barbara over the xmas holidays. Half-pint hipster!

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you could hide in a bag... or microRevolt!

Have you ever painted yourself into a corner? How about crocheted yourself into a bag? Well, here's a movie of someone who has.

And now, moving from passive craft to the active (and activist), check out this video interview with Cat Mazza about her project, microRevolt, a series of art projects that combine knitting, machines, and digital social networks to educate about the sweatshop crisis.


As part of the project, the site offers a free program, knitPro, that you can use to transfer designs or logos into patterns that you can then knit, crochet, cross-stitch or latch-hook.*

While you're on the site, also sign the petition blanket that they are creating for Nike.

[Link via Rhizome via DV Blog]

(* On a completely selfish / obviously-not-as-important-as-fighting-against-sweatshops tangent, knitPro is awesome because ties into a thought that's been in the back of my mind for a few weeks now - about (A) how expensive and (B) how very ugly most rugs are, and (C) how I could possibly make my own. And if you're wondering why I am even considering making a rug - and I mean a large, several-feet-wide rug - read my post about lists below. See, I told you: there are always new projects!)

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tea cozies for taxidermists

Australian artist Louise Weaver is a wool taxidermist. Pretty much.

By covering taxidermist's molds of animals and birds, plus the occasional branch, with her crocheted creations, Weaver transforms the animals into magical, almost living beings. Her first crochet covered piece was aptly entitled "I am transforming an antler into a piece of coral by crocheting over its entire surface" - a great title! - but the effect is much greater than that. It has the power to evoke so many ideas - from issues of transformation and hybrid forms, to the relationship of the natural and the made-made, from the practice to taxidermy to the power of the imagination and our concepts of magical creatures.

And hey, they're also just beautiful to look at.

You can read more about Louise Weaver's work here, here and here.

[Link via Knit 1 blog]

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