Hi guys. So one deadline down, and one to go. It's the big essay/dissertation thing. That I really wish was done already so I could just talk to you guys and make videos and share cool stuff with you. But I need to do it so I can get a degree. I'm trying to stay positive about it.
So I'm busy not sleeping and stressing about this. In the meantime, here is some real words of wisdom from a guy who is kind of awesome. Enjoy. (Wheezywaiter)
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Early this summer I started gathering inspiration for a new project. My first stop was the Victoria and Albert Museum. It's probably my favourite place to go and find things. It's full to the brim of beautiful pieces of creative history. It gives me butterflies.
Was I expecting to find a pot of Medieval stuff brimming to overflowing with statues and staircases and tapestries, no. But I did find it. I thought, maybe a few paintings, a tapestry... not literally everywhere I looked. What a pleasant surprise. Here are photographs of some of my findings, because I thought they might inspire you too. And so you can get a sneak peek of what I'm working on.
Okay- this ceiling isn't medieval- but it is William Morris and he very much subscribed to the medieval sensibilities.
So intricate and long-lasting.
These stitched masterpieces are my favourite. So much time and love and hard work. Sigh.
Love, Kimxo
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Some of you may be aware that there is a Warner Bros Studio Tour just outside London! Basically a dream come true. It was completely magical as I went with fellow geek, Amy, and we spent the whole time with our eyes as wide as saucers, quoting the books and movies at each other. I even dressed up a bit. haha! Unfortunately I lost ALL of my photos from this day during a horrible hard drive failure. Luckily, Amy still had all of hers. Phew! I think that just means we will have to go back another time!
So here are some of her snaps- and you can check them all (there's a lot!!!) here : Studio Tour part I : part II
There's also a fun guide that we put together of tips if you are planning on going. I would just to add: DRESS UP! because it's more fun!!! And when you take photos, you'll look like you really belong. :]
My highlights were: Spending the day in Harry Potter land, haha! Hagrid's Hut, The Burrow, The Potter's House in Godric's Hollow (I cried when I saw it.), And the surprise at the end!!! There were just so many amazing things. Like- the potions classroom, and creatures department- we got to see Buckbeak. Aw! OH! And Remus Lupin's self-packing trunk. That was cool. And, if you couldn't tell, I'm definitely a Marauders Era fan. Give me Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs over the trio anyday. Thanks for these photos Amy. <3 kxo
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I could visit the Victoria And Albert Museum 1000 times and never get bored of it. It's my favourite place to go and be inspired, and it makes a really nice day out with friends. My friend Jack (who does Big Sounds Radio- good tunes!!) was down visiting London, and he is really into Theatre, so we had to go and see the big Costume/Theatre exhibition. (It's up stairs next to the tapestry room if you fancy seeing it. Free!) Jazz came along too, because she loves the V&A too.
They had a few walls full of old posters. I love learning about the old techniques and for example: Upper class theatres wouldn't use illustrations on thier posters for the longest time because they wanted to attract a literate audience. But circuses and variety shows would use images to illustrate what you might see. This was also useful because then the poster boys knew which way was up (back when lots of people couldn't read). Apparently lots of posters were pasted up upside-down!!! And Red ink was super fancy.
They also have A LOT of historical artifacts, (like a broken Pete Townshend guitar!!!!) but probably the most impressive was this...
Jack told me that Shakespeare was really protective of his plays, and would give each actors seperate scripts with just the minimal prompts so that no one could reproduce the plays. After his death a bunch of actors got together and pieced it all together put together these 'Folios' and if it wasn't for that we wouldn't have the classics! Mind blowing!
While there I did a little bit of drawing...
But mostly I was just soaking it all in. We sat outside for a bit before it started raining, and I tried Freelensing for the first time:
Super fun day. Thanks for letting me share. kimxo
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I'm a sucker for a geeky t.v. programme with loveable characters and something 'magic' or 'mysterious' about them. Right now, I'm on a bit of a Murdoch Mysteries binge (like, one episode after another, haha).
Here's the gist: Set in Toronto in 1889(ish), a detective stirs things up by using 'new' and 'unusual' ways of solving homicides and other crimes. All of the stable characters are adorable (especially Crabtree!!!), and the mix of science geekyness and Victorian sensibilities makes the show fun and easy to watch. They often include nods to modern society too (like automobiles, electricity, mobile phones...) and I enjoy that twist. It's geeky. But hey- so am I. :]It's pretty low budget, but I enjoy the costumes a lot. More men should dress in three piece suits and have Mutton-Chops (big side burns!). It feels a little more realistic that the girls have only a few dresses unless they have well paying jobs and... well, I think they do a good job with the wardrobe.
The cinematography leaves a lot to be desired- there are too many 'stock' shots, but I try to let that slide, and embrace the cheesy 'dun dun dunnnnn' zooms. haha.
Oh, and I love the romance between Detective Murdoch and Doctor Ogden. She's a really powerful character- pushing the boundaries of what women are and aren't 'allowed' to do in that time. Love her (and her hair!)
Thanks for letting me share my guilty geeky pleasure with you. I usually have something like this on in the background while I work/knit. Plus I've been feeling really inspired by this era. So many advances happening and yet there were so many boundaries... A very interesting time. kimxo
(All images in this post are from episodes of Murdoch Mysteries.)
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I've been on a little mini holiday the last few days to Bristol and Devon to see friends. While I was in Bristol I got to see all my old friends. They are a seriously inspiring bunch of people.
(Heather, Jack, Sophie)
In The Kitchen 1 by The Jam Archive
In particular, Jack Drewry's passion for everything really inspires me. He is one of those people that just has music in them. You can't help but get excited about things when he's around. It's this amazing attitude about music and drama (and everything creative) that makes me adore him so much- not to mention his good humor and all around 'good-guy' mentality. I'll stop gushing now- but I think you really ought to check out these jams that he's been recording recently. They are with a variety of people and as far as I know, all spontaneous. (Sam.)
Vocal Swing by The Jam Archive
(Jack)
You can hear more here. So, here's to good times and good vibes and good sounds.
(Top 3 photographs by Lucy Eskell, a good friend. Last by me.)
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The other day, I wrote about my experience at Standen House, and the drawings I made. While I was there I took a lot of photos to use as reference for a project. The whole place is so beautiful, each corner has something interesting about it. Here are some photos of the house, without much editing, so you can see the real colours and feel of it.
I'll let the photos speak for themselves...
Taken October 2011. Standen House.
Kimxo
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My biggest inspiration right now is silent movies. On sunday a couple friends and I watched an old Russian silent film on the top of a car park. There was a live band playing and we had an incredible view of London from up there. Anyway. It reminded me of that tingly feeling I get when I watch black and white movies. Especially silent ones.
These are scenes from Metropolis! (not the Russian film) It truely is a masterpiece! I can't even imagine how long it took them to film it- but I heard that it cost WAY more than the usual budget for a film back then. I can't even imagine- so many sets and quite a long storyline.One of the things I was focusing on was the main girl and the scenes where 'magic' things happen. Hallucinations or experiments etc. Just gathering things for my summer project. :]
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Going through some old files today, looking for some drawings and I came across these from christmas time. Liz and Denis are my Great Aunt and Uncle and live in England. We see them once or twice a year and it's always smiles and cups of tea and good conversation and lovely jumpers. [:
(that's my dad in the chair there) So, even though I know it's August and still quite hot (here, at least)- I thought you might be inspired by these colours/patterns too. It's no secret that wintertime is my favourite time of year, and right now I'm dreaming about organizing all my jumpers for fall. And maybe starting to knit my first one???
Hope you got the week started off alright. Love, kimxo
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Hello, fellow art = happy readers! My name is Lisa and I blog at goodknits! I am so happy to be here sharing one of my new favorite things to do--knitting up vintage patterns. I'm not talking about just knitting the pattern straight out. No! I am talking about taking aspects of a vintage pattern--your favorite parts--and making them into something new; something you LOVE.
One of my favorite things about art equals happy is Kim's vintage style. I love seeing how it influences her life and her art. Seeing the old transformed into new always brings me such joy. It's even more lovely when showcased in beautiful photos and we all know there is no shortage of beautiful photography here. Today, I am going to share my "re-imagining" of a vintage pillow pattern. I found the original pattern in this 1977 Better Homes & Gardens Crochet & Knitting book. Isn't the cover just radical? It was what initially caught my eye while browsing the books at one of my favorite thrift shops. 
There are quite a few lovely patterns in here! Some blankets, table cloths, place mats, and even a lacy valance. The one I chose to transform is a pillow pattern, seen on this page (the two on the right): 
I really loved the lacy look of the pillow, so I read on and figured out the stitch pattern. The pillows were made flat and I wanted to make a slouchy hat in the round, so I did a little tweaking. I left out the round of garter because I wanted the lace to look fluid and not broken up. 
Then, there was the matter of my stitch number. I generally start my slouchy hats at 80 and increase to 120 after ribbing. Luckily for me, the stitch pattern was worked on a multiple of 8 stitches, so it fit perfectly! 
After knitting the body of the hat, I had to figure out crown shaping. That's where things get a little tricky. I love these sorts of challenges, though, so even frogging at this stage to get things to look right is pretty thrilling. I finally figured out a method of decreasing and the crown worked out beautifully! 
I added a giant yellow pom pom because...ummm...who doesn't love poms?! What do you think? Do you ever take vintage patterns and chop 'em up to make something new? Vintage inspired knits (& crochet!) are some of my very favorites.
In fact, one of my newest favorite groups on Flickr is completely devoted to vintage crafts. Set up by the amazing Danielle Thompson, Vintage Craft is full of beautiful projects made with vintage patterns. You should check it out! If you want to knit a hat like mine, I took notes! Let's give this baby a name. How about Nell? Short & sweet. I like it. I took the liberty of putting up a page with the pattern on goodknits. [Nell] Feel free to check it out! I have also made a project page for it on Ravelry, here.
Many thanks to Kim for having me! This has been super fun. You can find me on the internets in a few places: my blog @goodknits on twitter yarnattacks on Ravelry & on Flickr See you soon!
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