Saprobia || Introduction Part 2

The words from the first part of my introduction to this project describe the biogeochemical cycles continuously occurring over time in natural ecosystems.  Rarely do we think of a tree as a product of the growth and death of all other trees in that place before it... Perhaps as the offspring of another tree's seed, but rarely as an organism nourished by the same building blocks that it will one day again become... in order to support life going forward.

Saprobia communicates this idea through the representation of a tree as a decomposer organism that would contribute in returning it to the soil to continue the cycle.  The project manifests as an installation of various forms of fungi, each constructed from components of a certain species of tree.  These saprobic representations of a species connect the viewer's perception to the continuity of forest mineral cycling and the interconnectedness of all organisms in an ecosystem, past and present.

Saprobia poses the question of what is next for the elements that once comprised a plant. How will they contribute to other life going forward? How can so small a thing have such an impact? The balance and interaction within nature transforms into a muse for our rejuvenation and strength.

For a number of weeks going forward, up until the installation in October, I will share a little about each saprobic form created for this project. All parts of an ecosystem depend on one another in the delicate balance of the environment.  Natural intelligence guides phenology harmoniously, in a magnificent symphony of self sufficiency.  How remarkable it is that we get to witness this strikingly mysterious collaboration of life.

Photos: 1. dye jars with baldcypress leaves, eastern red cedar heart wood, and black walnut hulls 2. working with honeylocust leaves 3. knitting with seed of cottonwood

 

On My Needles || Brise

Once again, I'll talk a little bit about how much I love Hannah Fettig's patterns.  Brise went on my queue as soon as the collection of Knitbot patterns for Quince and Co's new linen yarn, Sparrow, came out.  Unfortunately, Sparrow sold out before I could get my hands on some (good for you, Quince/Knitbot!), and I didn't really want to wait until the warm weather left us to cast on such a perfect summer project that I can wear through the fall.  Enter Louet Euroflax Sport.  What better excuse did I need to let myself live a little and indulge in some of this luxurious linen?  My colorway here is Ginger, and while I always question myself about knitting fingering weight cardigans (I mean, really?) I can't stay away.  It's going slowly, but I love the yarn.  It's a perfect project for finishing the evening on the couch after putting in a few hours on Saprobia.  My love for Knitbot lives on, and my love for linen has just begun...

52 Forms of Fungi || #20

This mushroom holds a special place in my heart.  While I have no idea what species it is, this is a replica of one of my favorite mushrooms that I encountered on my visit to the Pacific Northwest last summer.  We were on a coastal trail surrounded by ferns and, well, mosquitos, and there was an eerie darkness under the trees near the creek bank where it was found.  I won't forget that moment for a long time.  Blackish red russula?  What do you mycologists think?  The actual mushroom was a little more reddish than my interpretation.

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project, through which I will knit a different type of fungi for every week of 2013. Check out more of the forms from this project.

Weekend Workspace || 8-25-13

Saprobia || Introduction

The biota of a forest ecosystem continuously adapts in a self sustaining cycle ofgrowth, reproduction, decline, and renewal. Trees originate from tiny, energy packed seeds - an acorn, a legume. As it grows, a tree is consistently supported by rich mineral soil and moisture retained by organic matter. While debris falls due to conditions surrounding an individual plant, it takes on new life on the floor to impact all other organisms extending their roots to that locale. Broken down by saprobic organisms, trees that lose vitality become the insulation that provides security for water uptake by other trees’ roots. They become the minerals that nourish plants for generations forward. Life feeds life, and all parts of the ecosystem support each other in the continuity of ecology, perhaps in a different form but always present.

Off the Needles || Ines

Ines!  After holding on to the Manos Del Uruguay Serena collection booklet for a couple of years, I finally put this short sleeved top first on my knitwear queue earlier this summer.  With reverse stockinette and US 6 (and later US 9) needles, it knits up pretty fast and is perfect for your mindless movie watching knitting.  The  yoke is shaped with short rows that are also simple enough to breeze through without much concentration.  My numbers did come up a little off with the last section of short rows, but it was consistent on both sides, front and back, so I decided it wasn't really something to worry about.  The fit overall turned out great and I might even consider making one in another color someday.

The pattern calls for Manos Del Uruguay Serena yarn, which has quite a bit of alpaca in it.  Since I wanted to make a summer top out of this, I went with a strictly plant fiber yarn for my project since me in alpaca garments and Oklahoma's summers don't really get along.  The humidity here is insulation enough without adding the magical warmth of alpaca (soft and enticing though it may be).  As an alternative, I used Knit Picks Shine Sport in Macaw.  My smaller gauge didn't end up causing any problems, and the top still fits comfortably loose despite the difference.

 Top - Manos Del Uruguay Ines top knitted with Knit Picks Shine Sport; Shorts - Ruche; Tights - Hansel From Basel; Shoes - Shoemint

Weekend Workspace || 8-18-13

Pine needles.  That's pretty much the extent of my weekend-- lots and lots of pine needles.  Tweaking my methods of working with this material has taken a lot of trial and error, but I've gotten it down to a pretty comfortable (and effective) rhythm.  It's interesting to see how different the pieces look when they're just finished and still damp, as opposed to after a day or so once they've dried.  I'm looking forward to observing the change continue as the needles completely dry out and turn brown.

The piece you see above will form the cap of a mushroom constructed from materials harvested from loblolly pine trees.  This tree species will make up the first segment of Saprobia, an installation for Momentum Tulsa this October.

Weekend Workspace || 8-11-13

In additional to loblolly pine, I've also started working with materials from honeylocust trees.  The forms created from honeylocust are reminiscent of the pieces I knitted for my Decomposition: Colony installations.  Since smaller scale forms have a greater impact in large numbers, this particular "species" will likely encompass one of the largest groupings of the installation.

Acquiring these lovely thorns and branches required a hike in the forest, which I haven't experienced enough of lately in my disdain of summertime heat.  I, of course, took a million photos of fungi and stopped to look at every rotting log.  The rain this summer has resulted in an impressive amount of mycological activity, so I've resolved that a "just for fun" hike is in order in the very near future.  I hope you got to enjoy the outdoors this weekend too.

Momentum Tulsa Spotlight Artist

I've been hinting around enough, but haven't actually officially announced my recent big news... Earlier this summer I submitted a proposal and was selected to be one of three Spotlight Artists for the Momentum Tulsa exhibition that will open in October!  This is a huge honor and I am so thankful to Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition and the curators, Emily Kern and Krystle Brewer, for this amazing opportunity!

You will find out more about my project, an installation entitled "Saprobia", as the weeks go on.  I plan to continue posting workspace snippets and progress photos.  This project has already pushed me to try out new techniques and media that I have not worked with before, which has been both enlightening and inspiring.

I'm excited to share more about  my installation, the individual pieces that will be a part of it, and the greater concept that it embodies.  For now, here are a couple of images from recent stages.

Wall Hangings || Riot II

Typically, my work is very setting based, and most often it is impermanent (or really always... until now).  Aside from showing installations that will be removed or immortalizing them with photographs, I had not explored other avenues to make my work accessible for people to view in person until recently.  I currently have two wall hangings up in Coffee Slingers, my favorite coffee shop/roaster in Oklahoma City, in addition to several framed photographs of past installations.  The piece shown above is "Riot II", an extension of the "Decomposition: Riot" installation from April of this year in southeastern Oklahoma.  I used Jack-O-Lantern fungi forms for the piece, as well as bark shed from an elm tree.  The bark is a story in and of itself.  I love how the wall hangings turned out, and will most likely be making more of these.

If you are in the Oklahoma City area and would like to stop by and see my show, it's up for the full month of August.  Coffee Slingers is located at 1015 N Broadway in Downtown Oklahoma City.  Another post is to come with images of the second wall hanging.

52 Forms of Fungi || #19

I've been working diligently on these for several weeks now to incorporate into a wall hanging (more on the finished product soon).  These are one variation on turkey tail fungus.  I'd like to make more using a different color palette - when you look up photos of this species there are so many different shades and patterns.  I love the contrast!

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project, through which I will knit a different type of fungi for every week of 2013. Check out more of the forms from this project.

Weekend Workspace || 7-21-13

As you will know if you've been following my blog for a little while, I've been working on a couple of knitwear designs and am preparing to make the patterns available.  This morning my lovely friend Jenna was nice enough to model the samples for me to get some photographs for the patterns!  I will show more in detail as I'm closer to releasing them, but here is a glimpse.  The top photo is for a headband called "Urbanite Garland", and the second one is my "Exoskeleton Shawl".

The rest of today will be spent on a huge piece that I'm working on for a group show this coming month.  More to come on that...

52 Forms of Fungi || #18

Caesar's mushroom

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project, through which I will knit a different type of fungi for every week of 2013. Check out more of the forms from this project.

On My Needles || Ines

It feels like an eternity since the last On My Needles post, but to be honest there just hasn't been much time for any "just for fun" garment knitting this summer.  I picked up the Manos del Uruguay Design Team's Serena - Collection 1 booklet at my local yarn store a few years back, around the time that I was drooling over a lot of knits but not really making many of them.  The top on the cover, Ines, has been on my wish list since that time - there are several eye catching knits in the booklet, but this one grabbed my attention as soon as I glanced at it and was pretty much my reason for the purchase.

In looking for a summery piece of knitwear, I decided to seize the opportunity and cast this one on.  The thing is, however, that Oklahoma summers are ridiculously hot.  The yarn this pattern calls for is mostly alpaca, and that just wouldn't do at all.  While alpaca is one of my favorite fibers to work with it's just not suitable for a short sleeved top in the Lower Midwest.  I decided to go with Knit Picks Swish worsted, in Macaw, an EXTREMELY summery color, in all its glory.  It reminds me of cool grass.  Cool grass distracts me from gross, humid heat.  As does the cotton/Modal fiber it's made of - oh, beautiful, breathable, drapey yarn!  Plus, it's soft.  And... let's be honest.  I'm a tree hugger.  A tree hugger's favorite color is almost always green.  My gauge is slightly smaller than what the pattern calls for, but with the amount of ease provided in the pattern I'm thinking it will be okay- just a little more fitted.

Thus far, I've finished the front piece and am working on the bottom edge of the back.  If I dedicated this week to it, I could probably finish.  There are other projects that require my attention, however, so that daydream has to go on the shelf for a bit.  Just like stitching in the elastic for my Lanesplitter skirt, another knitwear project that's been collecting cobwebs.  Just because I haven't been working on things for myself, however, does not mean that all knitwear has been pushed to the side.  Part of that time has been dedicated to finalizing some original patterns that will hopefully be released in a few weeks!  Linger nearby, my dear knitters.  More on this soon.

Tutorial || Washi Tape Pennants - Knitting Needle Organization

When setting up my new studio space, one thing of importance to me was making my knitting needles easily accessible.  Up until now, my double pointed needles have been stored in their original packaging, and grouped together with all the other double pointed needles in an inconvenient pouch.  Every time I go to look for a certain size of needles, I have to sort through this pouch and then put it away in the organizer on top of my bookshelf. Now that I have a desk to work at, it makes sense to display these in the open, which also makes each size easier to find!  I organized my different double pointed needles by their US size, although you could easily organize them by millimeter size if that's easier for you.

Materials:

A roll of washi tape,

A paint pen (I used white, but a metallic one would look really great too!)

1+ sets of double pointed knitting needles

Copper wire

Wire cutters

Scissors

Not shown: a mug or vase to display them in

To begin, take a set of double pointed needles and wrap them with the copper wire, enough to hold the needles in place without any slipping out.  At the top, leave a "flag pole" of a few inches and cut with wire cutters.

Take the washi tape, and wrap the top of the "flag pole" with it.  Wrap about 1.5" around one side, and stick the back of it to the other side of the tape, lining up the edges so the front side of the tape is showing on both sides forming a rectangular "flag".

Cut at an angle twice to make a triangular pennant shape out of the washi tape rectangle.

With the paint pen, write your needle size on the pennant and place it in the storage container!

Done!  A nice and easy way to display your double pointed needles while still knowing what the heck the size is when you need to use them!

52 Forms of Fungi || #17

I remember that as a kid I was always enchanted by fairy ring mushrooms.  Aside from the folklore, how did they manage to grow near one another in a perfect circle like that?  Something mysterious was at work.  Turns out, that something mysterious is just a common "root system", or mycelium, that the entire group sprouts from.  I still find them enchanting, despite my soon approaching cross-over into my 30's.  We need magic at every age...  Fairy rings are your mycological whimsy.

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project, through which I will knit a different type of fungi for every week of 2013.

Weekend Workspace || 7-6-13

I'm working on many different things at once today, aided by my jitters-inducing, home-brewed ice coffee, which makes one ten times more productive than usual (or at least puts one in a better mood while they are doing it).  These are exciting times because I am starting to work on and plan out a really huge project for a show this fall!  I need to formally introduce it, but not today.  Just know that it's a concept I've been honing in my head for months now and thanks to the wonderful people at OVAC, it's going to happen.  More on this soon...

The logwood purple dye jar looked pretty effective about a week after I started it, but I just this afternoon opened it and rinsed the fiber.  The yarn is a deep purple jewel tone, with some patches of lighter hues where it was twisted for the skein.  I've got it drying on the porch now, and am fairly certain that it will make a beautiful shawl later in the year.

These little polypores above are for a new piece I'm working on to show next month.  It's another new execution for me, and so far I'm happy with the progress.

Well, back to it!  I hope you're having a relaxing and/or highly productive Saturday as well.

52 Forms of Fungi || #16

Aseroe rubra, or anemone stinkhorn, is one of those organisms where what appears to be land borne and sea borne collides.  Truly one of the wonders of nature, this beauty grows in the tropics as well as South Carolina (your confusion is as great as mine) where it has apparently been introduced.  The unique construction was a challenge but fun to create!

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project, through which I will knit a different type of fungi for every week of 2013. Check out more of the forms from this project.

Weekend Workspace || 6-30-13

Today the "weekend workspace" phrase is more fitting than it's ever been, because I've been building a home workspace!  Up until now I've had a bookshelf and have worked at our dining table or the couch... but last weekend we pretty much rearranged the entire house so half of the front room could be a dedicated space for me to work in.  My bookshelf has pretty much remained the same, but I have added another cabinet for yarn storage, and a desk (!!) where my yarn swift can remain set up at all times and I can sit and work on project/pattern development.  I also have the small beginnings of an inspiration wall.  Now, off to put it to use!

52 Forms of Fungi || #15

What happens when a friend emails me a photo of an unusual fungus found in one of your houseplants?  They can expect to see it shortly thereafter in knitted form, of course!  This is the yellow house plant fungus (yes, let's be descriptive as possible, shall we, taxonomists?) and it will often grow in inoculated potting soil that stays moist... which a lot of indoor plants don't like anyway... so maybe let it dry out a little bit and see what happens.  They are not harmful to the plant itself though; just don't make a stir fry with them as they are toxic.

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project, through which I will knit a different type of fungi for every week of 2013. Check out more of the forms from this project.