bigger-than-life-size doudou

If you can't have a real pet, why not make a life-size doudou and put in your living-room? Making and having a full size doudou sort of makes it ok for adults, doesn't it. It would also add an air of mystery and fairy-tale to your living-room.

Little deer photographed in Causeway Bay

These ones here are perhaps a little more advanced. They are made to be art-objects, but when I saw them, I wanted to take them right home. Look so real. It's the artist Cosima von Bonin, she incorporates a lot of animals like dogs and mushroom (also bigger-than-life-size) in her work. I guess she wants to tickle our affection for pets and maybe ask if other humans could really be replaced by animals?

Cosima von Bonin @ Documenta

Cosima von Bonin @ Documenta

Cosima von Bonin @ Documenta

Cosima von Bonin @ Documenta

And how about these, actual interior objects, made to put in your living-room.
Different technique; mosaique. such a pity you don't find dogs like this in the DIY, they seem to only be doing dwarfs.

Milan Designweek 2008

Milan Designweek 2008

And here's the pattern to make one yourself, just blow up the size!

Libelle Magazine 1951

Have fun!

How to knit like an icelandic man

Take a look at this hilarious video where an Icelandic man is promoting knitting and crocheting for men. His understated manner makes me think about the office, as if it was a mockumentary, but I think it's dead serious. Brilliant of Iceland to promote itself this way. and great that gender-roles get challenged this way, the guy really knows what he's doing, he can actually stitch!


How to knit like an Icelandic man from Iceland on Vimeo.

knitting christmas baubles

I know it's a bit early to start about christmas, and christmas is also not my favorite part of the year, but I have to mention this; two Dutch men Arne and Carlos have started a new rage that I'm sure is going to hit hard amongst craft addicts; knitted christmas-balls.

the situation is slightly hilarious; two middle-aged men have grabbed the knitting-needles and are dead-serious knitting away on their christmas balls, promising to help anybody that cannot find out in one of their workshops. Both are wearing some contemporary take on Nordic sweaters. Maybe just to match up with the knitted Christmas balls? The interior is also oozing old auntie. This is knitting 2.0 with a thick layer of humor.
http://www.kerstballenbreien.nl/

Knitting Queen Shanghai

Walking around in the french concession on Saturday, with very friendly Jerry showing us around. Finally a day off after a hard week of intense work-shopping. Come across the Knitting Queen outlet which for obvious reasons immediately caught my attention. All the right key-words there on the board. But once inside it was very disappointing, or it is perhaps that I don't know and understand Chinese knitting and crochet tradition. 

Amigurumi update

My latest amigurumi is Findus. He's based on a drawing that Julie made, unfortunately we lost it in the process. Findus is a hedghog builder, that's why he's wearing orange wellys and suspenders. His belly and the inside of his ears are soft pink. Findus as you can see has spines on his head and all the way down his bag. Findus is feeling a little bit cold that's why he's wearing a warm and comfy scarf. He might even be on the edge of having a cold, because his eyes are very tired too. hope you like him! 

And so whilst I'm at it, here are all my amigurumi over the last 5 years!

you can see them all at www.flickr.com/knitbitch

here are a couple of zooms on some of the avatars that I have been working on.

Helene and Oliver at their wedding

Leo at her 40 years birthday

Bakker Baard about Breiwerkwest

Great piece by BakkerBaard about Breiwerkwest in the Parool PS 9th of July. This guy can for sure bake a great cake with surprising ingredients like pepper, but he can also write. I like his style. The piece describes in a nutshell what Breiwerkwest is about and it's also very funny. Thank you Bakker Baard.

Knitting-jam with Breiwerkwest

This thursday night I joined the BreiwerkWest for a knitting-in-public evening at the TokoMC at the Westergas terrein. It turned out to be a bunch of die-hard knitters and crocheters of all genders and ages. They meet every now and then in a public space to craft together. They also unite together around common goals; one of their first achievements is the covering of one of the bicycle racks in the Westergas-terrain appx. 1 year ago.

More recently the sheep Dolly (polystyrene) had been dressed up and exhibited in the Westergasterrain. Dolly turned out to be so irresistible that she has unfortunately been abducted. As you see here, all gone!

The BreiwerkWest group is right now working on a supersize Picknick blanket that is going to be finished and used for the world-record picknick on saturday 9th of July in Amsterdamse Bos.

 

Inititives like this Wild-breien or BreiwerkWest demonstrate that crafting has new relevance in our society today. Crafting can be used to unite people, people that do not necessarily know each-other, but they share an interest or passion for crafting. They are going public, no more hiding away in living rooms, now they knit-in-public. I could certainly sense that it felt almost intimidating for some of the other guests in the restaurant, they don't quite know what to make of it. And the goals and objects that they unite around are far away from baby clothes and coasters. Now they make public statements sometimes with political undertones, and most certainly commenting on the state of our society today.

You could almost say that crafting is becoming a new mean of political expression.