design for a living world at the chicago field museum

on our way to chicago

before we headed to the airport for our flight to england

we stopped at the chicago field museum

to see the exhibit

design for a living world

different artists and designers

exhibited pieces composed of natural

and renewable resources

that were mostly local to the artist

the entire exhibit was great

but the real reason we went

was because 

christien mienderstma's

giant cable knit wool rug

was there!

 (see previous post here)

each section is made from the organic wool of one individual sheep

that lives at lava lake ranch in idaho

christein is from the netherlands

but she travels to the farm in idaho to meet with the famers

and the sheep

i was so psyched about seeing this in person

it is truly inspiring

i was so excited that i forgot to take pictures of anything else

she also had a display of different papers made from the fibers

of native plants that grow in the chicago area

it was also beautiful

as were the pieces from the other artists

who also deserve mention

but apparently not pictures...

sunday funday

my husband made the rustic banana bread muffins with roasted local pears from the farmers market. they're very yummy! the skins are thicker than store bought pears and they look a little bit rough, but they taste great.

i want to make them with figs next.

i finished dillon's tweed baby blanket for billie and eric.

they're due any day now...

i finally made a circular knitting needle holder out of some amy butler fabric. while i was knitting the blanket above my needles were all twisted from being stored in the pocket of a fabric needle case. i even used the pot of boiling water trick but they wanted to stay in a tight coil. hopefully this will fix that.

i finally used my awesome clay buttons that josh gave me over a year ago. they have different leaves and herbs pressed into them.

christien meindertsma

today i found myself trying to explain the brilliance that represents one amazing woman. it's as hard as pronouncing her name correctly. so here is my attempt to share something beautiful with you and a few of my favorites...



this is amazing

christien meindertsma is a dutch multi-media artist and designer. she has exhibitions all over the world and has won many awards in graphic design including best living product and sustainable product from sonoma woon. her work includes a book mapping the journey of a pig after its death. it's very interesting to see how many strange and unexpected applications the by-products of a slaughtered pig can be traced to. i love that she is interested in sustainability and the environment. this video explains the book and what it entails. it's a bit long, over ten minutes but well worth it if you are interested in where our products come from and what they are made of.

TEDxAmsterdam: Christien Meindertsma from TEDxAmsterdam on Vimeo.

i also admire her for her knitting. she takes the wool from an individual sheep and turns it into a one sheep sweater.

she knits these rugs that aren't like your usual rugs...





giant yarn + giant needles = gigantic cable knit rugs.





i want one of these floor poofs for my home...maybe some day...

this is a sustainable sheep ranch in idaho where the yarn for the one sheep sweaters and the giant rugs comes from. lava lake ranch is concerned with land conservation and habitat restoration. sounds fantastic.

designs for a living world is a project by the nature conservancy. christien meindertsma's created a patch-work rug where each section is made of an individual sheep's wool. thus creating a "flock" rug.

Love for Nygårds Anna...

This scandinavian designer has some of the most beautiful clothes I have ever seen. I love how delicate and cozy they look. They are down-home-country-girl and yet very feminine at the same time!

I want one of these huge, chunky knit sweater dresses for my very own. Oh, only in my dreams....for now. Maybe I will make my way over her way next year and hunt one down!

Fisher(wo)man's Hat

It stated with a Vogue magazine, some models wearing oversized coats and my older sister coveting their hat. The simple rib knit hat with a fold over brim evoked visions of Paul's Discount mercantile shop on the South side of town. This however was no Carhartt. It was fashionably simple and a chance for my sister to actually enjoy wearing a knitted item made by me. So I searched thinking how simple could this be? There must be thousands of patterns for a rib knit hat right? No. I spent more time searching for a pattern then it took to complete the hat. So without further ado.....



Fisher(wo)man's Hat

I used 2 skeins Araucania Azapa yarn
3.5 sts/in. on US size 10-16" circular needles
45% Merino Wool, 30% Alpaca, 15% Silk, 10% Donegal
I used two strands at the same time to make it extra chunky on the recommended needle size
You will need US size 10.5 DPNs or a second circular needle for binding off

CO 70 sts (it appears so small until you wear it a couple times and it stretches!)
Join in the round making sure not to twist!
Place a marker at the beginning of the round

For an added texture I ribbed as follows: (ktbl (through back of look), p1)* Rep from* until end of round
You can do a simple (K1 P1) instead of ktbl. I think it gives the outside rib a bit of a twist and makes it look almost braided (as you can see here the top part is different from the inside which shows when folded.)



The hat will be very long before you bind off. You want to be able to fold it over and have it still fit on your head. I knit until it was at least 10 inches in length. When you can fold it and put it on your head while still having 70 sts on your circulars you can begin binding off. BE CAREFUL when trying it on! If it is not long enough your sts can come off the needles. (When ktbl it is harder to pick up sts that have come off the needle because they are twisted.)





To close:
1st row: K2tog on the K sts of the rib pattern connecting the K and P together (if you Ktbl: k2tog through back of sts.)
Next 2 rows: Continue to K2tog. You will need to switch to the DPNs or use 2 circulars.
If you have a single st at the end of these rows, knit one.

When you have roughly 9 sts remaining, keep sts on needles and cut the yarn leaving a long tail (10"). Using a yarn needle sew the tail through the remaining sts on the needles. After you have the tail through all the sts run it through the first st again (just for good measure.) Pull the tail through the center of the hole at the top towards the inside of the hat. Pull it tightly. Remove your needles and pull it again. Turn the hat inside out and tie a knot. Sew in the ends.





The hat can be worn folded over for extra warmth or loose for a bulkier look. Make it short for a beanie. Very comfortable and quick to make.!