Narrator Bob

A couple weeks ago while I was up at the Lake house I took some time to just figure out the Narrator Bob fair isle mits from Moonrise Kingdom. it was tough since I didn't have any good clear pictures but after a good bit of testing I think I finally got it nailed down.

I just used some scrap acrylic yarn from baby toy amigurami's to test it out. It took me about two tries to get it where I wanted the pattern and then a final two in a full mitt version to get the sizing and spacing on the pattern worked out.

This was one of the tests in final yarn. I have it all charted out now I just need to finish up the written instructions and I can post the PDF on Etsy for sale! I plan to add in a gusset thumb hole as well. With all the crazy from Craft Wars and festivals I'm still working and making things for the fall shows.

In August I am going to be traveling a lot so I am going to take it easy on meetings unless they are for Independents day. I am really looking forward to my trip to NYC in about a week to see the Impossible conversations, Prada and Schiaparelli at the Met and seeing friends of mine!

Do you have any trips planned in your near future?
How about projects that are longstanding that are coming to completion?
Cheers!

Chicago Trip - Fashioning the Object Exhibit

A few weeks ago I went to Chicago to meet up my best friend. I also went to see the incredible fashion exhibit at the the Modern Art Wing called "Fashioning the Object" the fashion of Bless, Boudicca, and Sandra Backlund which runs till September 13th.

I would show you pictures of it except that of course like most special exhibits you can't take pictures. Here are some photos I found on Google of a few of the pieces I got to view while at the exhibit.

I was very refreshing to see the pieces in person because as gorgeous and wonderful as the photos are seeing them in person made me feel much more "safe" about my own work. I could see stressed stitches, or how simple the shapes are. How she combined knit with padding and crochet to get certain effects. It was truly eye opening to see her work in person. It gave me a much needed boost of confidence in the work I am sketching and planning out.

The other two designers I wasn't as familiar with.

Bless is known for their interactive fashion displays where their inspirations are actively part of their presentations. You can't exactly call them a fashion show all the time but more like interactive sculpture and performance. For their display it was a curtained room with both inspirations and garments hung all around. You were invited to touch and to move through the curtains to view everything. I love interactive sculpture, it is much more meaningful to me and makes the experience personal. Below are some images from some of their Fashion Presentations.

Boudicca I had heard some about but still did not know much until the exhibit. They are known also for interactive fashion shows with technology such as videos, projections, and music. They also had this perfume called Wode where when it was sprayed it would be this indigo blue and as it dried it would wipe off the skin and clothing leaving only the scent.

The rest of the trip was the typically shopping and photos in front of what we always call the Bean but it's supposed to be a cloud. The day was gorgeous and I think it was one of the few times where I think it really captured the look of a cloud when I visited. They sky was just the perfect blue to reflect with the wisps of clouds above.

These were some outdoor Sculptures on display at the top of the Modern Art wing walkway. I just loved how they were all iconic in their own images then displayed in mono chorme matte colors very close and a bit random. It was like they were all intruding onto each others space and identity.

Everyone always talks about the Marc Chagall windows at the Museum but I never spent much time looking at them. To me they were something pretty on my way to class everyday when I went through the museum to get to my studio art classes. I took some time on this trip to admire them and they are breathtaking. The amount of work to go into creating each panel with all the curves and angles from the glass is impressive.

Hopefully if you have an interest you can go check out the fashion exhibit before it leaves. My next exhibit to visit is at The Met in NYC "Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada’s Impossible Conversations" Which ends August 19th so I need to save up for another trip to NYC. I'm sure it will be another amazing memorable exhibit.

NYC Bachelorette Re-cap

I landed in Newark, NJ to meet up with my Best Friend first since she lives relatively close to there.

You can see I am less then impressed with my 6:30 am Flight

Since it was so early I felt a little spoiled to have a mostly empty airport and tram car all to myself.  It was like having a private high speed train driver.  He was very friendly and not full awake either.

I like to take photos of my feet when I travel to show my apprehension of traveling by myself. I grew up traveling by myself a lot internationally to visit my oldest brother when he lived in Korea.

Yup It's a New York Street still super bustling and it's barely even lunch time.  I think we got into K-town around 11:30am

I had to take card of some bidnizz and get my Mul Nengmyung in my belly first.  Oh that yummy concoction of beef broth, pears, noodles and egg.  There really is no better way to eat a meal in summer then cold with ice cubes and loads of refreshing flavors.
We did stuff that night I don't quite remember what..... I think it was shopping but it wasn't the most important thing in the trip.

Going to this however WAS the most important thing on the trip.  We arrived an hour and a half before the museum opened and still there was a ridiculously long line.  It was to be expected since it was also the very last day of this exhibit.

My wonderful accomplices and Bridesmaids.  Juyon who is like a big sister to me every since we met in 1999 at the Yonsei Language Program in Seoul, Korea and Hyemi my best friend since College and Matron of honor.

OH yah! the wait was totally worth it.  Too bad I have no photos to prove the excellence.  I also did not buy the book there because I know you can get it on Amazon for cheaper and it's not like they are going to run out of it anytime soon.

I was forced to wear this Tiara (which I really didn't mind) and was called her highness and princess several times by the guards and workers at the Museum.

Wandered the modern wing a little bit after the GLORY of McQueen and saw some interesting pieces.  I really liked this draped sculpture made from recycled paper or packaging bits.

This strange mirror was made up of tons of tiny hexagonal mirrors fitted together giving these somewhat perplexing and uncomfortable reflections in angles and ways you wouldn't figure it could do.

This was made up of tons of tiny little plastic people.  It was just so random and yet poetic to me.

This Sculpture on the way out just caught my eye and I had to get a picture of her.  I have many more on my flickr. It was just haunted and vulnerable but the face looked like there was a secret.

After we had been wandering the Garment district we went to this Macaroon cafe and also picked up some lychee and other goodies to munch on while we rested our poor feet.

These are our goods from "Excellent Dumplings" which was across the street Diagonal from our Hotel in "SoHo" which was actually just China town at the edge of SoHo.  So lame..... but the fried scallion pancakes and the BBQ pork buns are hard to beat!

I was in Awe at night when we passed by this famous clothing store in SoHo whose name totally escapes me now..... Anyways the rows and rows of antique singer machines was so lovely

Around Astor Place there were several street poles turned to aculpture art by some roving group of artists (the name escapes me now) It was really great to see some thing like this just to break up what I find to be a dreary looking area at night right before you launch into my much loved St Mark's East Village area. They were just thousands of Zip ties in an array of colors on about 8 different poles.

This is the crazy eyed Raccoon that stands outside of one of my favorite Japanese bar food restaurants Kenka in St. Marks.

Something that has sprout up that wasn't there the last time I was in NYC a few years ago was the designer food trucks. 

A strange sight when we were coming back from Dinner is Soho were these windows at an upscale store with Pink Velociraptors in each display.  I kind of wanted to bring one home to put in the front yard instead of the usual Pink Flamingo.

One of the inside jokes between Hyemi, Juyon and me was around this slightly unnerving advertisement for back and foot rubs.  I don't think I want to get into it ~ha~

I can never go to NYC without going to Dim Sum.  I am not someone who likes to food blog of gush about food but I gotta showcase my all times favorites.  BBQ pork buns and Deep Fried Taro root with pork inside.  To me it's not Dim Sum until I've had both of these in my Belly.

I loved the place we went to, super crowded and they make small groups share the large tables together so you get some really interesting front row people watching.

Lastly we come to my purchases.

Gorgeous washi tapes from KinoKuniya Japanese Bookstore by Bryant Park.

A slew of Gap Press Magazines by most FAVORITE fashion/runway magazines that I never cry about paying the $35 for each issue, I only cry when I can't afford to buy them.  Also a little beading book from the crafts downstairs.  I am in LOVE with their basement craft book section.  I would of taken a picture but it was not allowed and I'm always hard pressed to break the rules when they so politely state them in signage.

My Spoils of sparkly pretties from the Garment district Drag side as I like to affectionately call it.  Some of these stores seriously blind you as you walk in because of all the rhinestones glinting in the lights.  I picked up this Octopus ring as my "something blue" in my wedding and this Salamander ring because it was just so pretty in the smoked crystal.  A huge FOBulous hair claw two small rhinestone claws for making my pompadour puff dazzle and this small mink clip for my niece.

We also went by far too many bead stores so i just could not resist the colors in this little glass blown balls.  Now that I have some time I want to order some chain to make them into necklaces.

So that was NYC in a nutshell.  

The Funny thing which I think a lot of my friends didn't expect was that I came out with almost not clothes.  These days there is almost nothing clothing wise in NYC that I can't get on the internet so I didn't want to waste my money on something I could buy elsewhere and with cheaper taxes.  I focused on stuff that I know I would have a hard time purchasing anywhere else.  Also I had my sights set on getting things specifically for the wedding such as an array of white paper lanterns as decoration for the reception.  Lately NYC has been more about meeting of friends and eating some unique foods or places that I don't have here in Columbus.