KNIT & PURL INSPIRATION

out of the box knitting inspiration

Design Inspiration – Yarn Bombing on Wall Street

December 28, 2010 in KNIT & PURL INSPIRATION | No comments

2010_12_bull by Olek New York City based artist Agata Olek spent Christmas day putting the finishing touches on a custom purple and pink crocheted sweater for Wall Street’s famous 7,100 pound bronze “Charging Bull” statue. She then spent hours stitching the sweater, with freezing fingers, to the 11 foot tall beast.

A peak at Olek’s website reveals that she is a talented and adventurous knitter, influenced by the recent craze among knitters worldwide to “yarn bomb” or “yarn storm” public places with colorful, humorous and unexpected knit art.

Olek, sends her warmest wishes. “This crocheted cover represents my best wishes to all of us. It will be a great, prosperous year with many wonderful surprises!”

The crochet covered Charging Bull is her Christmas gift to NYC, she says, and a tribute to the sculptor of the bull, Arturo Di Modica, who placed the bull on Wall Street just before Christmas of 1989.

Says Olek who couldn’t make it home to Poland for the holidays, “I wanted to make it for all those people who couldn’t make it to their families and for those people who don’t have coats and don’t have any money.”

But like much “guerrilla art,” Olek’s work was not on display for long. She says the kill-joy caretaker of the park tore it apart early in the morning. With all the snow that has fallen in New York since Christmas, I bet the bull wishes he’d been allowed to keep his sweater!

More Yarn Bombing here.

Via: CNN Money

Tags: crochet, knit, street art, sweater, yarn bombing, yarn storming

Holiday Sweaters

December 20, 2010 in KNIT & PURL INSPIRATION, MY ARTWORK | 1 comment

I just spent the day playing in a print studio making a glorious mess! Sweaters have been on my mind lately and somehow (surprise, surprise!) they worked their way into my printmaking. Collaging has also been on my mind and my sweater prints seemed like a fun place experiment mixing the two. I rather like the outcome and think they’d make nice greeting cards.

Recently I’ve been thinking it would be fun to start selling blank notecards of my work; start a little business on the side to fund my ski habit. I realize there are billions of cards on the market so I wonder if I’m being realistic? So I’m putting it out there – if these print/collages were cards, would they sell? Why or why not? Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!

©PoppyGall_GreenSweater

Green Button Sweater

©PoppyGall_OrangeSweater

Snowflake Sweater

©PoppyGall_MArbleSweater

Renaissance Sweater

My folk art prints might also make nice cards…

Tags: collage, greeting card, knit, print, sweater

Knitter’s Tattoo

December 4, 2010 in KNIT & PURL INSPIRATION | No comments

This photo of a true knitting devotee from Wool and the Gang blog stopped me in my tracks!! Who still thinks knitting is for grannies?

eringreen-knitting-tatoo-2

For a little knitting inspiration visit my Knit & Purl category.

P.S. There is still time to win a little something designed by me in my 1st Anniversary give-away! Click here to participate.

Tags: body art, knit

Design Inspiration – Knitting Outside The Box

October 25, 2010 in KNIT & PURL INSPIRATION | No comments

On the far end of the fashion spectrum – the runway end – I’ve been spotting extraordinary knitwear for the last couple of seasons. These garments defy definition; they are architectural and sculptural, and are knit with a high level of skill and artistic vision. They resemble woolly armor.

I find them fascinating and absurdly un-wearable (for my lifestyle at least). But my fingers itch to pick up a pair of jumbo knitting needles and a luscious skein of yarn and to start knitting outside the box.

Architectural

NewKnits

To see more knitting inspiration click here

To become an interactive part of Poppy Gall Design Studio on facebook click here.

Tags: design, handknit, knit, knitwear design, sweater

Design Inspiration – Guerrilla Knitting

October 8, 2010 in KNIT & PURL INSPIRATION | 1 comment

Operating from a secret underground wool-lined bunker in the heart of the busy metropolis of London, Knit the City’s Yarn Corps are a crack team of woolly warriors and part of an ongoing campaign to guerrilla knit the world.

Guerrilla knitting or ‘yarnstorming’ is the art of covering part of the world in a knitted or crocheted fabric. It is a street art that harks back to woolly thoughts of grandmas and nice cups of tea by the fire, then takes that stereotype by the blue rinse and drags it kicking and screaming into the street to wrap round a lamppost, blanket a bollard, or swathe a signpost.

No part of the city is safe from Knit the City’s woolly war on the mundane, humdrum and expected. Here are a few examples of guerrilla knitting antics from Knit the City and other yarnstormers worldwide.

KnitTheCity_Phonebox Cosy

knitbus

CoventGArden

crochet_covered_smart_car

Photos: Knit the City & friends

If you like this post you might also like seeing the Bokja Bug.

To become an interactive part of Poppy Gall Design Studio on facebook click here.

Tags: knit, yarn bombing

Color Inspiration – Knitter’s Paintbox

June 22, 2010 in COLOR INSPIRATION, KNIT & PURL INSPIRATION | No comments

I just finished up designing sweaters for a client for fall 2011. My last step was to “color” them – to assign colors to the jacquard knit designs. I’m a visual person so I dipped into my “knitter’s painbox” – bushels of colored yarns; some that I dyed myself and others purchased on a whim, to help me pull this last piece together.

It was a nice day, so I dumped the skeins on my lawn and started playing; moving the colored skeins around until I came up with the requested bright and feminine palette.

Sometimes when I’m “stuck” and can’t seem to come up with colors that I like I resort to this simple and enjoyable method.

If you like this post, you might also like this one.

“Like” my Poppy Gall Design facebook page to see what sorts of projects we’re working on and to become an interactive part of the studio.

Tags: color inspiration, handknit, knit

Design Inspiration – Everlasting Sprout

May 19, 2010 in Fashion, KNIT & PURL INSPIRATION | No comments

I couldn’t resist sharing these fantastical (is that a word?) knit and crochet outfits from Japanese design house Everlasting Sprout. While I don’t imagine that I’ll ever in a zillion years wear a dress that appears to be an embellished lampshade, and don’t personally know anyone who would, I admire the unbounded imagination that conceived them. Here’s a smattering of images from previous collections. Enjoy!

Picte 1

To see more of my knitwear design, click here.

P.S. I have a new ‘Poppy Gall Design’ facebook page. “Like” it to see what sorts of projects I’m working on and to be an interactive part of my design studio.

Tags: knit inspiration, wearable art

Design Inspiration – Cielo Pessione

April 20, 2010 in DESIGN INSPIRATION, KNIT & PURL INSPIRATION | 1 comment

Design Inspiration – Cielo Pessione

While searching for design inspiration for a knitwear project, I discovered Italian fiber artist Cielo Pessione.

Distinctive collars and necklaces, hats and bags flow from her knitting needles and crochet hook.

I love the way she interweaves silk, linen, lurex, leather, felt, raffia, buttons, pearls, plastic, glass, crystal, bones, feathers, wood and found objects into her imaginative one-of-a-kind and limited edition accessories and garments.

While searching for design inspiration for a knitwear project, I discovered Italian fiber artist Cielo Pessione and her one-of-a-kind and limited edition wearable art pieces.

Distinctive collars and necklaces, hats and bags flow from Pessione’s knitting needles and crochet hook.

medusa orange

medusa orange

wool, silk, mother of pearl

morning dew

collar morning dew

raw linen, silk, cotton, glass, crystal, african glass, mother of pearl, vintage fabric

collar red carousel

cotton, vintage fabric, plastic, Venetian glass

bissier

pectoral Bissier

cotton, silk, mother of pearl, shell, vintage fabric

processionaria

collar Processionaria

wool, felt, vintage button

coat grey pink

coat gray pink

cotton, vintage fabric, stones

Masai

reptile Masai

cotton, plastic, stone

hat

hat Calliactis

silk, polyester, cotton, pearls

To see more knitwear design and my knitwear click here.

Tags: fiber art, knit, knitwear design, wearable art

Design Inspiration – Sock Monkeys?

April 16, 2010 in KNIT & PURL INSPIRATION | No comments

Who would have thought that sock monkeys have been around for over 100 years? The first sock monkeys were made from Red Heel® socks made by the Nelson Knitting Mill in Rockford, Illinois. The red heels inspired the distinctive monkeys mouth. The monkeys became so popular that instructions for making them have been included with each pair of Red Heel® socks since 1920.

Who would have thought that beloved sock monkeys have been around for over 100 years? The first sock monkeys were crafted from Red Heel® socks made by the Nelson Knitting Mill in Rockford, Illinois. The red heels inspired the monkey’s distinctive mouth.

The stuffed primates became so popular that instructions for making them have been included with each pair of Red Heel® socks sold since 1920.

I cruised around the internet and found some designers who’ve monkeyed around to come up with some pretty imaginative stuff…

The monkey that started it all…

newsockmonkey

sock-monkey-dress

Minneapolis designer Rebecca Yaker of Hazel and Melvin’s Room conceived of this crazy silly monkey dress. I wonder if it’s itchy?

sock monkey cuff

A sock monkey cuff would be a nice addition to any wardrobe…

Monkey_Dress._original

Or Rebecca can knit up a custom sock monkey dress like this one for you for a mere $1,500. (I don’t think I’ll be ordering one anytime soon!)

Click here for directions for making sock monkeys. For more things related to sock monkeys click here.

redheelsock

The original Red Heel® sock

Tags: knit, socks

Sweater Design – Updating A Classic

February 19, 2010 in DESIGN STUDIO PORTFOLIO, KNIT & PURL INSPIRATION | No comments

Sweater Design – An Updated Classic

How does one go about updating a classic style like an Aran knit cardigan? This a challenge as posed to me recently. I love bobble and cable stitches but wanted to design something that didn’t look like it came out of my grandmother’s sweater chest.

I made the center front placket and collar quite wide to give it a more current look. A sweatshirt-type kangaroo pocket with a decorative vine design stitched in red adds to the trend-right look.

I wanted to keep the classic Aran feel by using natural ecru wool, but liked the idea of adding a little pop of color here and there. I decided to add some simple hand embroidered accent stitches – running stitches and cross-stitches – in red yarn for the color. I also stitched on the faux-horn buttons using the red yarn.

I like the touch of the wide woven ribbon on the inside placket; it can be hidden when the sweater is buttoned or peek out when partially closed. The chocolate floral design adds a sweet touch without being too saccharine. For more about my sweater design go to my website or look in the “Knit & Purl” category on my blog.

I made the center front placket and collar quite wide to give it a more current look. A sweatshirt-type kangaroo pocket with a decorative vine design stitched in red adds to the trend-right look.

Pocket

I like the touch of the wide woven ribbon on the inside placket; it can be hidden when the sweater is buttoned or peek out when partially closed. The chocolate floral design adds a sweet touch without being too saccharine. For more about my sweater design go to my website or look in the “Knit & Purl” category on my blog.

Tags: handknit, knit, Poppy Gall Design Studio, sweater

Happy Valentine’s Day

February 12, 2010 in Folk Art, KNIT & PURL INSPIRATION | 1 comment

Needlework designs have migrated through the centuries, adorning household linens, everyday and special occasion clothing, and textiles for the aristocracy and the church. The embroideries hold hidden symbols and talismans – stars, crosses, birds, stags, the tree of life, and hearts – supposed to keep away demons and witches and avert calamities.

Download To Your Desktop

I’ve adapted a cross-stitch design from the 16^th century to create a valentine theme that can be downloaded to your desktop as wallpaper. I chose bright folkloric colors, perhaps because the winter landscape is still so blue and grey and I am craving color. The motifs could be copied and used in your own knitting or needlework projects. I hope you enjoy my valentine!

RedValentine

Tags: cross stitch designs, knit, Needlework designs, Valentine

Knitting For The Olympics

February 10, 2010 in KNIT & PURL INSPIRATION | 1 comment

I stopped dead mid-flip through last Sunday’s New York Times Magazine when I saw Ryan McGinley’s photo essay “The Highfliers – UP”. The photos feature a cast of Olympic fliers – jumpers, figure skaters, skiers and snowboarders. The portraits define the solitary and graceful nature of each sport in thrilling colors. McGinley uses a paradoxical soft focus to depict these otherwise hard edged sports.

But the thing that REALLY made me stop were the hand-knit outfits the athletes were wearing; so totally non-functional for the activities – yet so amazingly unexpected and beautiful. The shaggy, loopy, meticulously wrought scarves, tops, bodysuits and pants, stretched the imaginations of the designers, Kate and Laura Mulleavy. The technical apparel design side of my brain excuses the lack performance attributes in these pieces and applauds their original concept and execution. After all, the athletes won’t be competing in these garments.

My favorite piece was made for figure skater Johnny Weis.

I stopped dead mid-flip through last Sunday’s New York Times Magazine when I saw Ryan McGinley’s photo essay “The Highfliers – UP”. The photos feature a cast of Olympic fliers – jumpers, figure skaters, skiers and snowboarders. The portraits define the solitary and graceful nature of each sport in thrilling colors. McGinley uses a paradoxical soft focus to depict these otherwise hard edged sports.

My favorite piece was made for figure skater Johnny Weir.

Johnny Weir – Figure Skater

photo: Ryan McGinley

Jeret Peterson – Freestyle Skier

photo: Ryan McGinley

Photo: Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

Emily Cook – Freestyle Skier

photo: Ryan McGinley

Photo: Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

Below are excerpts from an interview with Kate and Laura Mulleavy, designers for Rodarte, who designed these amazing outfits. From tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com.

Q: Knitwear has been a major component of your collections pretty much from Day 1 — or maybe Day 2. So, when you got the call to make the outfits for these Olympic athletes, where did you begin?

A: Our initial concern was, How can we create pieces that will visually unify the athletes in the portfolio when their sports require such different things of them physically? At first we thought of color, then fabrication and finally knitwear.

Q: Were your concerns mostly aesthetic? I mean, did you think about things like warmth or aerodynamics?

A: We spoke with each athlete as much as possible in regards to functionality for their sport. In the end, we attempted to simulate the look of their uniform with techniques and aesthetics that are reflective of Rodarte.

Q: You are used to designing for a specific body type. The models in your show are all tall and thin! Were any of the outfits more challenging either technically or conceptually than others? Why? And how did you work it through?

A: We looked at each sport and played with the idea of what each athlete was used to wearing and what we would be able to ask them to wear in place or in addition to that. Working with athletes is an incredible experience. Extreme movement is a cornerstone of their work. They use their bodies in ways that most people cannot even begin to understand. Because of this, they are very much aware of how clothing affects their movements and the way that they perform. Overall, the most difficult part of this project was realizing pieces that could allow them to be themselves.

Tags: knit, Olympics

Wearable Art – Inspired by Romanian Shepherds Coats

January 18, 2010 in Folk Art, KNIT & PURL INSPIRATION, MY ARTWORK | 5 comments

Wearable Art ‚Äì Romanian Shepherd‚Äôs Coat

My inspiration for this knit piece came from the traditional long woolen coats worn by shepherds in Romania. I saw many of these in museums while traveling there.

The below-knee length coats are woven from homespun wool, usually the charcoal natural color of the sheep‚Äôs fleece. The body is relatively plain.

The yoke is the astounding part of the garment. It is elaborately embroidered with fanciful and colorful motifs; birds, flowers and fruits, and hangs part way down the back. The shepherd was able to pull it up over his head to keep him warm or roll it up and use it as a pillow while sleeping in the high pastures.

Insert front pic here

I chose to knit the yoke (rather than weave it) and I intentionally did not add the body, as I wanted to highlight just the yoke. I suppose I could add to it one day‚Ä¶

Insert back pic here

The motifs I embroidered are ones that I saw on textiles all over the country. I used the same color palette using yarns that I dyed myself. To see more of my work visit my website www.PoppyGall.com.

Insert close up here

My inspiration for this knit piece came from the traditional long woolen coats worn by shepherds in Romania. I saw many of these in museums while traveling there.

The below-knee length coats are woven from homespun wool, usually the charcoal natural color of the sheep’s fleece. The body is relatively plain.

I chose to knit the yoke (rather than weave it) and I intentionally did not add the body, as I wanted to highlight just the yoke. (I suppose I could add to it one day.) The motifs I embroidered are ones that I saw on textiles all over the country. I used a traditional color palette using yarns that I dyed myself.

Tags: knit, wearable art

Doodling With Yarn

January 4, 2010 in DESIGN INSPIRATION, KNIT & PURL INSPIRATION, Textiles | 3 comments

Put some paper and a pen before me and I begin doodling, regardless if it’s on a meeting agenda, shopping list or the back of an envelope. I usually start in the upper left hand corner and work my way outward and circumnavigate around the text if there is any.

doodle

Somehow doodling helps me distill or organize my thoughts and keep me alert. I’ve been doodling the same shapes – mostly exploded snowflakey flowers and leaves – for as long as I can remember – probably since I could hold a pencil. Given a chance, my hand just naturally draws those shapes.

It should come as no surprise that when I sat down to embroider this plain knit hat without a plan in my head that I should start doodling with yarn with the same wonky flowers I use to decorate my telephone bill. The random effect is pretty much the same, but it’s more fun to pull colors out of my yarn basket and see where the next flower takes me.

IMG_0818_1