Thankful

There's a lot to be thankful for on any given day, but this is the time of year we sit and really think about it. The list of things I am personally and professionally thankful for is miles long - a wonderful family who makes each day an absolute joy, the baby growing in my belly, the roof over our heads, the chance to teach a friend to knit on a quiet afternoon, to read a book in the sunshine, take a walk, eat a good meal, spend time with my amazing students, work on my new book, hang Christmas lights outside... the list goes on. I often find that the simple things make life worth living, so whether or not we as a country can agree on policy and politics, you're going through a difficult time, or you can't wait for the year to end, I encourage you to focus on the good and give thanks. We're all in this together.

I am especially grateful to you, dear readers. Friends, students, fans, fellow knitters - whomever you are, I am grateful to you and for you. I am delighted to be part of this knitted tapestry of life we find ourselves all in together. Thank you for knitting my patterns, reading my books and my blog, taking my classes both in person and at Craftsy, sending me emails with your finished projects, your tweets, Instagram comments and the outpouring of creativity each and every one of you shares with me. It makes my day, truly.

In honor of Thanksgiving and giving thanks, I'm doing something I haven't done before. Please enjoy 25% off all hand sewn (by me while you're all sleeping) TanisKnits project bags in my Etsy shop with the coupon code TANISKNITS25 at checkout now through Saturday, November 26th. Why are my knitting and crochet project bags better than the rest? Made with 100% designer cotton fabrics, my bags are fully lined with coordinating fabric, are machine-washable, roomy enough for a big project, and one-of-a-kind. Unlike other bags, I use fabric drawstrings instead of cheap nylon cording. There are no plastic toggles or zippers for your yarn to get stuck or snagged in. Please enjoy.

Happy thankgiving!

Embroidered Portraits

While things have been quiet on the blog, I assure you, they have not been quiet in my studio! I continue to work on my new book and cross freelance projects off my list. So many exciting things are happening that are still under wraps and I'm trying to squeeze in teacher appreciate holiday gifts, something for our amazing school crossing guard, various friends and family. 'Tis the season to knit like the wind! As always, dear readers, when I see something interesting happening in our small crafting world, I love to share it with you. I've gotten back into embroidery lately and when I saw these I was struck by the colors, detail, and how it felt like these people were so realistic they were about to walk out of the cloth. Check out the below work by the incredibly talented Cape Town-based artist Danielle Clough. Original article found here.

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Intimate Embroidered Portraits by Danielle Clough

by Kate Sierzputowski 

Cape Town-based artist Danielle Clough embroiders portraits of friends and loved ones, adapting black and white images of subjects into multi-colored works. By working from black and white images the resulting works are not tied to the colors present in the original images, creating vibrant pieces that feature bright oranges, purples, and blues.

The portraits featured here were produced by Clough for the upcoming book Queer Africa II, a collection of new stories about love on the continent of Africa. The editors, Makhosazana Xaba and Karen Martin, were drawn to Clough’s work for the publication because of the conceptual linkage of her layered yarn to the personal narratives told in the book, which Zaba explained “adds meaning and speaks to the zigzagging nature of our lives.”

Queer Africa II will be published next month through MaThoko’s Books and be available online through both Amazon and African Books Collective. You can see more portraits by Clough on her Instagram, and take a look into the artist’s process on her blog.

   

Discounts!

Who doesn't love a good discount?

I'm happy to share a discount link for you all for my Craftsy class, Fair Isle Fundamentals. Save 50% off the full retail price of my class (cannot be combined with other coupons or discounts) from November 1st through January 15th. Follow the link here to download!

If you've taken my class, I'd really love if you could share your experience and write a review on Craftsy.

Get that holiday knitting started!

Unraveled

This is one of the coolest things I have seen.  It looks like my yarn stash when it begins to take over the house! Original article found here.

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A Mass of Tangled Red Yarn Unravels from a Loom to Overtake a Brazilian Chapel by Kate Sierzputowski

Tatiana Blass, “Penelope” (2011), carpet loom, wool yarn, chenille at the Chapel of Morumbi. Photos by Everton Ballardin

In 2011, Brazilian artist Tatiana Blass pierced the walls of a Sao Paulo chapel with large masses of red yarn, letting the bright material trail into the surrounding grasses, landscape, and trees. The installation, titled Penelope, was named after Odysseus’s wife in Homer’s Odyssey, a character who kept herself away from suitors while he was at war by weaving a burial shroud by day, and secretly taking pieces of it apart at night.

Inside the chapel the work continued with a 45-foot-long carpet leading to a loom into which it was stuck. Immaculate on one side of the loom and in pieces on the other, strings of the dismantled rug traveled outside of the chapel through preexisting holes that made their way into the yard. The piece, just like the epic poem, leaves us to wonder whether the work is in a state of construction or unraveling, if the carpet is being built, or slowly torn apart.

Penelope, before and after 6 months