Spoons, and Handmade Nation

one day a few months ago i was having lunch with a friend of mine and she told me about an article she had read about depression. the author of the article analogized depression to having a finite amount of energy (spoons) to deal with the trials of daily life. so let's say you have six spoons on any given day: waking up and getting ready for work might deplete you of one, morning commute another, workload could take away two, the argument you have with your sister could take another two. suddenly you're left without the emotional capacity to take yourself home, make dinner, call a friend for a drink, or make art.

so. spoons. i have decided to put more spoons out into the world. this is the first piece in my spoon series. it measures approximately 22 in. x 26 in. this particular piece is already spoken for, but there will be more to come, and yes they will be for sale.



in other news, i have a new myspace page that includes some of my very short stop motion video, some blogg-age, and soon enough, a calendar of the craft shows/zine symposiums in which i will take part.

whatelsewhatelse? oh yes! i have some new exciting book love to spread around!

Handmade Nation: the Rise of DIY Art, Craft, and Design is a book that profiles people from different regions of the US who have influenced/taken part in the rising DIY movement. it also includes a timeline detailing when now-major players in the indie craft scene came to fruition, like Bizarre Bazaar, Venus Zine, and many many others. Bonus! it's also a movie!! that's right. a movie. find more information at the official website.
i love this book. it is my new best friend, my new lover, my new muse.
check it.

B I G F A T D E A L B O N U S:
there will be a screening of this film at the Mezzanine in SF, March 11th. all the details:

San Francisco Film Society Presents:
SF360 Film+Club: Handmade Nation
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Doors open at 7:00pm, show starts at 7:30 pm
Mezzanine, 444 Jessie Street, San Francisco, CA
Tickets are $8 for SFFS members and $12 for non-members and are available here.

see you there!

KnitKnit Artgasm

Second only to those precious gems of fabric and random found-objectry one acquires at SCRAP, knitting books are my craft achille's heel.


Let's talk about about KnitKnit: Profiles + Projects from Knitting's New Wave. In this book you will find not only profiles on some amazing textile artists/activists/crafters but you will also find patterns for couture knitwear, installation knit pieces, boxing gloves, and possibly the tiniest knit sweaters in the world. If you're not interested in knitting anything, at least pick up the book for the pictures of two Deere tractors holding knitting needles and knitting a gi-normous american flag, or a room-sized installation replete with knit tree centerpiece. This book makes me drool.

KnitKnit started as a zine in 2002 and was released in a total of 7 issues, the contents of which you can peruse on the knitknit website.

knitknit. chinchin!

SQUEEE :D

six weeks later! seems that i am constantly falling off the horse/ready to get back on the horse.
it has probably been obvious that since i got back from the portland zine symposium in august i haven't been working very much. i spent the fall trying to fill my creative well and find new direction for my creative expression through fashion styling and design.

i have been on hiatus from fashion the last few months, though i did recently style a photoshoot for my lovely friend Sarah Swell - you can read her blog and buy her jewelry online - i'll post a link to my portfolio once i get the final images.



the creeping depression and the concurrent sinking pressure of not "producing" has been getting to me for the last six months.

so i'm finally gettin off my arse and getting back to work! i think the turning point occurred last week when i piled up my multi-gallon containers full of fabric in the hallway. when my housemate asked what i planned to do with it and i told her "get rid of it" she shot me a look like i just told her i was planning to sell my baby off the back of a truck. well it worked. i have a few textile sewing projects simmering in the brainpan already but right now i'm focusing on knitting lace from my favorite knitting book Super Stitches Knitting.

right now my hands are full of the magic sprinkles of creativity, but i will find more and more reason to blog, i'm sure, as projects come to fruition. thanks y'all who keep checking in.

many artgasms to come!