Uncategorized – Page 6

Artist Robert Indiana played a central role in the development of assemblage art, hard-edge painting and Pop art. As a young artist in NYC, he scavenged for materials which he would craft into free-standing structures he called “herms.” I met him in 2004 when he came to town for a solo exhibition of his paintings and sculpture. A fairly retiring man, he did enjoy the company of women. He was happy to stay and chat with our (largely) female staff before the opening event, but quickly disappeared from the scene when invited guests began to arrive. My craft of today is drawn from Indiana’s 1960s series of number paintings. These works were loaded with personal symbolism for the artist. To Indiana, the number 6 signified the prime of life. Let’s see how well I can translate it into a knitted piece.
Here is the chart I drew fashioned after the number 6 poster.

Obviously, translating a curvilinear design into a chart is a bit dicey. Let’s see what happens when it is knit up.

**Knitting is finished and off the needles.**

Below is the washed and blocked piece. While in the water, it is important to pull the piece in all directions. This helps even out the stitches and the rows.

I’m not fond of all numbers, but I’m very fond of 2 and 6.
– Robert Indiana

To learn more about Robert Indiana, visit http://robertindiana.com/work/

” A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step” says the ancient Chinese proverb. So I have decided to start small. Amigurumi is a relatively modern craft form developed by the Japanese. The name is derived from Japanese words ami, meaning crocheted or knitted, and nuigurumi, meaning stuffed doll. The aesthetic is cuteness. There are hundreds of examples, especially on the fiber arts site Ravelry. I chose to make a new-born guinea pig, using a pattern by Kati Galusz.

Guinea pigs are adorable creatures. The name “guinea pig” has become synonymous with experimental subjects. Of all the rodents and small mammals in the world, guinea pigs are biologically quite similar to homo sapiens. Did you know that, like humans, guinea pigs cannot manufacture vitamin C in their bodies, and must have a source of this nutrient in their diets? So if you get a guinea pig, be sure to provide plenty of fruit. Here is my new-born Amigurumi piglet after the first 16 rounds: