It’s never a good idea to leave me unsupervised in a bookshop. Actually, I probably shouldn’t be left unsupervised at all, but that’s a separate blog post. Yarn shops are OK because I’m that weirdo who isn’t into stash, but bookshops are another matter. I certainly shouldn’t be allowed in the sort of bookshop that sells this sort of thing:-
Both of these were published in 1972* which also happens to be the year of my birth. Please, no comments about which of us has aged better and maintained a degree of contemporary relevance, because I’m too old and cranky to hear them.
These beauties are from Much Ado Books in Alfriston, East Sussex. (We were down that way a few weeks ago.)
Dangerous things, bookshops, especially ones with second-hand sections in which you never know what might turn up. Last time I was in such a place, I found this:-
…which really got me thinking about the possibilities of freeform crochet and quirky knitting because it included work such as this:-
…And that inspired me to work on what became The Chair:-
…So I should probably approach these things with a tad more caution if I’m not to lose another year trying to recreate a herbaceous border in DK-weight yarn. But I’ve been spending quite a bit of time reading The Crocheter’s Art. May I share a little of it with you, please?
The author (Feldman) was originally a sculptor, so it’s not surprising that when she discovered crochet, she set out to explore the outer reaches of its artistic and three-dimensional possibilities. Some of the work in this book is hers, some is by other artists whom she respects.
She explores the separation of art vs. craft, and how in ancient times “art and craftsmanship went hand in hand to enrich everyday life” (p.12). Not gonna lie: that sentence really spoke to me. Just because something – a watering can, for example – is functional, why does it have to be ugly? Some of her language is of its time, and I winced at the mention of ‘primitive tribes’, but she does raise a good point about how “[p]erhaps there is nothing new under the sun. We go back and forth with our art.” (p.9).
That said, she’s interested in the fact that crochet is a (comparatively) new medium, and so its outer limits are still to be explored. She’s excited by the artist’s freedom to play.
She, and the people she admires, like to mix media, in this case yarn, plexiglass, and ribbon:-
She is wildly inspired by pieces from cultures that she refers to as ‘primitive’, but her work is a product of the modern world, too.
Have you seen enough pictures yet? I hope not. Let’s have another picture.
For now, the words and pictures in this book are fermenting in my woolly brain. Perhaps they’ll inspire another crazy project, perhaps they won’t. But still, it’s a joy to see the products of creative minds that have come before.
Happy yarnery, my friend.
Phil x
*To be pedantic, the crochet title is a British 1975 release of a book that was originally published in the US in 1972.
What amazing, inspiring pictures! Thank you for sharing your find!
You’re very welcome. 🙂
So much about books and so little about that amazing chair! Does it get sat-upon? I’m also a sucker for craft book of all types, but being from a little more than a decade before you, I have slightly different feelings toward the seventies. People produced at that time aside, the era has a distinct “style” including strange colours in everything from clothing to appliances. I find it very difficult to get past the “uglies” to be able to appreciate the ideas behind the results. Your book find is a great example. While the concept is wonderful (and wonderful of you to find it and use it!) some of the results pictured are verging on grotesque!!
I’m just picky that way! ????
I always enjoy your blog, full of interesting ideas and humour.
Thanks! ????
Yes the 70s produced some ‘interesting’ aesthetics. But the 80s were pretty dodgy too, in their own way…
(As for the chair, yes it is most definitely sat on, when it’s not being used as a sort of playmat by the twinnage.)
Agreed! ????
I’d be “afraid” after all that work, to let people actually sit in “the chair”!
Love your blog.
I love a second hand bookshop! You never know what will turn up! Thanks for sharing your finds!
Exactly. Sometimes they’re full of fairly dull stuff, sometimes you uncover treasure!
I love books too, and have recently discovered a couple of titles that I think are worth a look;
Free Spirits by Anne Podlesak, (Interweave Press) her patterns are nicely written with notes as to construction or technique. I cant wait to make the one on the cover, but of course I don’t have the right kind of yarn in my stash!
Then there’s Yarn Substitution Made Easy by Carol Sulkoski, (Sterling Pub.)great info and several patterns to try to get the hang of substituting. This is a recent publication.
Last, there is The Knowledgeable Knitter by Margaret Radcliffe, (Storey Pub.) I have found a lot of helpful information as I’ve been a knitter for eons but haven’t done everything, yet.
How wonderful to enjoy new information and sources. Thanks for sharing.
Our informal knit group meets weekly at a nursing home. We invite anyone there to join us for a visit. We are also making sure everyone there gets a gift at Christmas. One gal is making 75 small Christmas stockings and a lap blanket for all. Others are making hats, scarves, or shawls. The only hang up is that we have to use yarn that can go in the washing machine. That means acrylic or other man made fibers, a challenge.
Um, all I can think is that they must have been tripping. Some of those are seriously weird. What’s with the surrogate Baby. Am all for exploring what you can do with yarn and crochet etc but not sure I shall sleep soundly tonight. What is the pink spiky thing on the cover of the latest book find?
On the positive, I think your chair is amazing 🙂
What amazing finds! So happy for you. The first photo reminds me of what our family calls “The Salt Monster,” from one episode in the original Star Trek television series. Like you, I recently had a find, but this time from a huge Goodwill Store here in the U.S. Believe these all came from family having cleared out a house, subsequent to an estate sale. For $3, I came home with a series of monthly soft cover “craft” books. Each included knitting, crochet, Nordic needle work, weaving, paper craft, holiday projects and plant hangers. My lot was published from 1969 through 1974 – a true find. Some of the knitting and crochet designs have come back ’round and I’ve made a mental note to pull them out, choosing a few for holiday knit and crochet gifts.
What an interesting shop
I like the crochet person. Perhaps the bookshop would like one to sit in a chair and keep the book browsers company.
Looking forward to the results of your yarny cogitations! If it’s on a par with That Chair and the Knitted Pondscape . . .
Love the idea for the iPad cover – which, to my ageing eyes, appears to have crochet in the construction of the ‘eyeball’!
This sort of stuff is so exciting. I have frequent ideas of creating body parts in true to body colours as part of my attempt to improve my dodgy knowledge of anatomy and physiology…..
My sistermade this bit of road-kill for one of her installations. Creepy, but good I think.
Hope you are inspired to make and share something. http://www.janethaslettonline.com/sculptures-and-installations.php#
If I could cross the pond, I would love to visit the lovely bookstore!
That’s an intriguing book. I love your eye for interesting things, and the way you adapt them to become your own. That’s an awful cute store from outside as well.
Love your blogs. Our North American robins only similarity is the red breast. They’re probably 3 times the size of this cutie.
I should have added to my comment that I avoid bookstores. Used bookstores aren’t too bad but I don’t think I’ve ever left a bookstore (new or used) without at least one book.