WHAT I'VE BEEN KNITTING: FOXES & BAUBLES

With Christmas approaching I wanted to knit some baubles to put on my etsy shop, it's still a little bare, and to keep me busy on my commute to London. I played around a little with stripes and simple patterns and more contemporary colours. My favourites to make were the luxury ones, using Sidar's beautiful softspun yarn. Overall they're easy and quite fun to make and will look super cute on any Christmas tree.

Also with all the cold weather I love wearing all my woollies, especially my fox scarf. In the Christmas spirit I've put a discount code on etsy so others can keep warm without any cruelty to animals!

The discount is FOXLOVE20 for 20% off

MY ETSY SHOP

 

 

Inspiration and DIY - London

I've been spending a fair amount of my spare time in London, with some of my favourite people living there I've done a little bit of window shopping and idea gathering. First is this beautiful scarf I saw in Topshop Westfield. I love how it looks like unicorn hair. Its super chunky with those lovely tassels.... something to think about making with some of my spare yarn around giant needles.

The second thing that really caught my eye was this shirt collar in Blitz London, walking down Brick Lane I was enticed in. I think Blitz has vintage appeal, but in that it looks like vintage, rather than is. I'd love to go back with a couple of hundred pounds and spend it all. 

I kept thinking of the shirt collar, digging out an old New Look shirt that I'd never worn that much. Seeing its shade of denim I took a trip out with my Nan to our favourite craft shop, buying a fat quater to sew onto my shirt. A little hand sewing and an added button and I now have a shirt I'm happy to wear doubled up with a darker denim.

Baroque

What has recently caught my attention is the Baroque revival/influenced clothing for fall 2012. Seeing the return of luxury fabrics, embroidery and craftsmanship excites me as this is an opportunity to stand out in beautiful golds and blacks. 

Looking at Fashionising.com there were so many beautiful photos from the Aquilano Rimondi, Balmain, Dolce & Gabbana, Giles, Mary Katrantzou and Marchesa shows. I have pulled a few of my favourites from the site, which inspire me the most. The regal look of well placed gold pieces is something I am incredibly interested in, as well as the embroidered dresses and religious aspects of some of the pieces.

I started looking on etsy for some pieces similar to those I saw online and found these, however I doubt I could find something as extravagant as the runway in my budget! 

Continuing my search, I went looking to see if there was anything similar in knitting. There are so many different types of knitted collars, but nothing I could find in a baroque style. I feel I was attracted to the first one because of the colours used, but not the style it has been done in. The second is similar, but simpler. I have tried knitting a collar before but it was not much of a success, so I think I need some careful planning and looking into other patterns before starting my own.

A quick knitting search including baroque pointed me to this. I like the pattern, but like the two collars it doesn't have an elegant or luxury feel. Perhaps this is something I could look into reinventing, looking at the textile patterns of the dresses on the runway and creating my own knitting version of it. Watch this space for some developments of my baroque knitting project! 

What I've Been Knitting - Adventure Time

Like most people my age I watch ever so much Adventure Time. I had a google/instagram look around for people who had knitted various characters and found there were a few out there, but not a whole handmade set, making it my mission to start knitting them all. I didn't just want to use wool, as I feel when trying to make cartoon like eyes out of yarn it often looks a little odd. I decided to get the fabric glue out and buy some felt to do some of the details of the characters with, as I had experimented a little with it, making a strange bat like creature whilst watching The Dark Knight Rises. 

Essentially they would not be children's toys, but more of a collectors set for one of my friends. I need to get the needles for these back out and finish them as I wanted to give the set away on facebook. Maybe that could make for a nice Christmas give away?

Wooly Hype

A few days ago I graduated. I received a 1st on my Commercial Photography degree. I've finally had my hair dyed grey, but I had to put some pinky/purple tones through it so it doesn't look yellow. Anyway I've been away from my blog for a while, I'd love to say its because I have been busy, but really I'm a little lazy and enjoying some time out.

For anyone following my blog you would have seen all the post on the making of my Wooly Head series. Those who haven't its my latest work that combines knitting and photography and I have been lucky enough to have had it featured on a few places online.

A few weeks ago I woke up to a huge surprise after being tweeted by @VinandOmi saying:

After clicking on the link I was wide awake, featured on Lost At E Minor was amazing, I guess that they found the work on my website. I had been featured as a designer, which makes me smile a little. The reception I have had from it was amazing, liked 375 times?!? Crazy. From that other blogs began to pick up on it. I wish I could thank everyone who featured me as it does make me feel very humble.

One of my current goals was to be featured on a website like Trend Hunter, the other to have a photo with loads of notes on tumblr! After a little while I had a google of myself, seeing where I had been featured, I tried Louise Walker photography, Louise Walker knitting and Louise Walker wooly head and found there my work was. It amazed me that from one blog it had been picked up by so many others and what had been written about it. My work had been pinned, tumblred and tweeted I was so happy.

Another website that I was very happy to be featured on was Bournemouth Vintage. Watch this space for wonderful things coming from their website. I'm really happy to be included with this project! 

Finally, I had a shout out from Frankie magazine, on their facebook and twitter page, which was so crazy. I had friends telling me it had happened and the response from it was all good! 

So, with all the good hype around my photos I was glad to have chosen them to be featured at my graduate show. If you are in London Wednesday or Thursday feel free to come and see them and some of the incredible work my class has created. 

F.ThirtyEight

10 am - 6 pm at the Candid Arts Trust Gallery

www.fthirtyeight.co.uk

1930s Knitted Hair Portrait

Today I had my final shoot for my knitted hair portrait series. I asked Welly to model for me, a girl who I had met when helping out at an animal casting and she won it! I had always thought she was so interesting looking and very beautiful and was waiting for the right project to ask her to model.

For the hair piece I had looked at several images and actresses of the time. I liked the loose curls in the hair and didn't want to recreate the finger wave I had done for the 20s look. I went for a middle parting in coral red wool. I found that the piece was a little heavy on the right, so I knew I couldn't shoot it from straight on. I also felt Welly had a much better side profile so everything worked out. I felt shooting with the red gel was harder than the others, and the technician made red for me out of two colours.

It was probably the fastest shoot Louise and I had done, as we knew exactly what we were doing, the make up was quite simple and I knew how I wanted the lighting. I had some darker shadows in the hair to reference the images I had looked at in my research.

I think the hair piece could have been better. It needed more volume on the top, and if I had made longer pieces I could have doubled them up to make them visually stronger.

Context

For both my projects I need to consider the commercial context. I have written about this in my sketch book, but wanted to blog about it to reinforce what I am making. 


Project One


My first project is based on Eponine. I have chosen my images to go in Dazed and Confused.  


Dazed Digital writes:


Agenda-setting editorial, world-beating fashion, brilliant photography and illustration, unrivalled music and film coverage, headline-grabbing events, distribution in over 40 countries, and with admirers and imitators across the globe – Dazed & Confused has come a long way since its first steps in the early 90s. But above all, it's still proud to be independent.

With Dazed Digital now one year old, it is now bringing that same cutting-edge and ground-breaking ethos to the web. The world's first Ideas Sharing Network, Dazed Digital posts exclusive video interviews, live footage of tomorrow's music stars, behind-the-scenes fashion reportage, and exclusive features above and beyond what is in the magazine, all alongside daily blogs and submissions from its extended global network of writers, photographers, artists, and activists. Dazed has also taken its long-established tradition of nurturing and supporting new talent to the next level in the Rise section of Dazed Digital, where new talent in music, illustration, fashion and photography is profiled by Dazed's in-house creatives, with a special guest judge each month.

Innovative one-off projects already undertaken on Dazed Digital include a 24-hour non-stop live webcast of film and photography for World Aids Day on December 1, 2006, and Wanted, a digital 'outsider' exhibition that has to date received over 3,000 submissions from independent artists.

Founded by prodigious photographer Rankin and writer and cultural enthusiast Jefferson Hack, and taking its name (and freewheeling spirit) from the classic Led Zeppelin song, Dazed & Confused started life as a limited-run fold-out poster in 1992. Early cover stars profiled by Hack included Bjork, Harmony Korine and David Bowie, who all contributed to the magazine over the years. Also on the cover in the early days were PJ Harvey, Damien Hirst, Richard Ashcroft, ChloeSevigny, Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, Robert Carlyle, Kate Moss and Milla Jovovich. It was during this time that Dazed cemented its growing international reputation for daring to extend its editorial remit beyond fashion, music and film not just to include art and literature, but to tackle local and international social and political themes.

With its fashion, photography and art content long established as the best in the world, Dazed brought its music and film editorial up to similarly world-beating standards with a long list of UK and world firsts, including the likes of Eminem, the Libertines, Pharrell Williams, and Alicia Keys. Under its current editors Nicki Bidder and Rod Stanley, recent cover exclusives have included The White Stripes, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Bloc Party, Zooey DesChanel, Sofia Coppola, Justin Timberlake, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Selma Blair, and Madonna.

Today, still 100 per cent independent in ownership and in spirit, Dazed & Confused is perhaps the most influential monthly magazine in the world. Far from resting on its reputation, Dazed Digital is now pushing its taste and influence into new areas, bringing the brand to life in more ways than ever, and engaging a new generation of switched-on, intelligent, aware and influential individuals.






With this in mind, I  need to be really considerate of the images I make. They need to be up to the Dazed standard. I think it is the next step up for me, as I produce very vintage static images. The editorials and photographers I have looked at in my sketch book are so cutting edge and different, how can I make my work like this? I think the answer is that I cant, I shouldn't want to recreate somebody else's work, but rather push my work further in my own style. To make it more suited to dazed I will not be heavily editing any of it. I may clean up a few strange bits on my photos but I will not do any real skin work. This way the photos stay real and are commercially viable in a world that is rejecting Photoshop in editorials. 


I also want to make my work darker, as I am using natural light in caves I do not this this will be a problem. But not only darker in the images themselves, but with the styling and the expressions my model portrays.


With daze's audience they do expect something different. I do still want to contain elegance in my work, but use my concept to push the way I make my images. It is quite a personal project so I think I will be able to communicate with the viewer well. 




















Project 2




My second project is the knitted hair portrait series. I decided Selvedge would be my context. They write about themselves:

Selvedge is an independent, 100-page full colour magazine published six times a year. The magazine is image led and has an uncompromising design.

Directed towards an international audience, Selvedge covers fine textiles in every context with illustrated features on fine art, fashion, interiors, ethnographic textiles, important collections, travel and shopping. The latest book reviews, exhibitions and comprehensive listings feature in every issue. The magazine provides a wide-ranging, unbiased and critical overview of the textile world.

The Selvedge readership is composed of all those who claim textiles as their first love, not simply makers and academics. They include professional artists, textile students, collectors, fashion and interior designers, museum curators and gallery owners. Selvedge is also aimed at an audience beyond those with an established interest in textiles. Discerning consumers are amongst our readers. Intelligent and curious they use Selvedge to learn about the history, techniques, artists and designers that made the items that furnish their lives.

We aim to provide a publication which reflects the creative lifestyle and tastes of this group without isolating or restricting readers. The magazine serves as a link to many other areas of interest, inspiration and knowledge. 

I think this is really helpful when working towards my context goal. The work I am creating could fit in the magazine because it fits into the fashion category. Because the magazine is aimed purely at a textile audience it also works, because knitting is such a widely known and accepted craft. Because the viewers have a creative lifestyle they will know more about knitting than the readers of a commercial fashion magazine, as well as having knowledge of fashion, lifestyle and other subjects.  

I do think I can have several alternatives for my context with this project. As knitting is becoming such a wide spread hobby across the world I do think I could get it published on various knitting blogs, such as Knitty, or magazines. Although the work is not wearable to easy to re-create it shows knitters a different side of the craft. 

1940s Knitted Hair Portrait

For my 1940s portrait I decided to go for an up do with the hair. I liked all my visual research with the curls on top, as I felt it was completely different to the 20s and 30s designs that I liked. I had some problems with the piece, as time was not on my side.

I used my machine to make straight pieces, originally I had been cabling strips, however I could not produce them fast enough. I had also been making in a dusty pink colour and came to realise I did not want two pink shots in the series. I started knitted in a pastel purple and decided to change the rest later in photoshop. Because my piece was limited, my make up artist and I decided the best thing to do would be to comp it together, shooting with the pieces up and down. It would mean more work for me later, but it was for the good of the hair piece!

We had a lovely model come down from brighton. I chose her because of her interesting features and felt should would work well as an alternative 40s girl. She had a persian background which made her really interesting to work with, and gave her lovely big eyes.

I shot against a purple colour, but it was quite dark and I decided to change that later. I knew when I was shooting it that it was not going to be my best image from the series, but was happy with it none the less.

Bronson Caves

After my test shoot I wanted to find some more interesting inspiration images, I came across Brice Bischoff's Bronson Caves on Nonverbal Magazine. I thought they were a fresh and contemporary series that I could be inspired by. The images are surreal, using long exposures and beautiful colours. I think from seeing these it does make me think I can create photos in my own way. I do not want to copy these at all, I couldn't! But I am attracted to the silhouette idea and shooting things more creatively. I do think some of my work is stiff and I need more movement, and maybe this could be my starting point. I think with my final shoot I do want to play around more with my models body movement and use the material more to my advantage. I thought Jess was an amazing test model but she lacked the high fashion element that the girl I am casting should bring to the table. 

All I can hope for is that it all comes together on the day. And that I can produce some amazing photos. My confidence is slowly growing and my team is coming together well!

1970s Knitted Hair Portrait

Today I had my 1970s shoot. I had a Natalie from Portsmouth come down for it. I found from my research I really liked the Farah Fawcett flick, however didn't want to completely recreate her. I had also been looking at Diana Ross and when casting my models I could see the potential to use her influence with Natalie. Through out my research I had liked the heavy lashes on the bottom lips. I had seen them in my visuals and with my blogger images. 

The hair piece was inspired more by the flick of the era, using tassels to mimic the hair. Looking at the contemporary versions of the 70s inspired hair I like the flatter hair with the middle parting. This was my main inspiration. The only fault in the piece was that I had made it way too long. As I was only doing a headshot I should have realised this when casting on. I think it could have been half the size.

I decided to use the purple headband to break the hair up a bit, and to add a hippy style to it, so that the era would be reinforced. I love Natalie's big eyes and lips, as I felt they referenced Diana Ross perfectly.

I made the piece in green, as again I felt it was quite organic and free. Mixing and matching the stereotypes of the time.

Studio Marisol

There are many artists that work with hair. I think this is an amazing example of hair as high fashion. The oversized piece on the first two images is extraordinary, with the plaits changing size and creating a piece that makes you ask "how did they do that". It creates quite a stern character. I think with big hair it is easy to think of judges hair, which is not contemporary at all. These on the other hand have some kind of life to them. Even the image where the model is naked with the piece covering her face. She looks like a mannequin, perfectly formed, showing this beautifully crafted piece on her head. I like the way you can see the hair as well. It does make me think maybe I could try something like this, going more artistic and abstract, however I am not sure how well it would fit with my vintage era idea. 

Finally I found the fourth image. I love the idea of knitting hair, I think that would be such an interesting thing to do on a larger scale, but I am worried about the production value and how much it would cost. If I am using so many yards of wool for my project and that is costing a fair amount, how much would hair cost?