Out Like a Lamb
March 14, 2019
Well, we’ll see. While we’re experiencing record low temperatures for March its the perfect time to start the segue to Spring with a simplequietmodern project like the Elementary Wrap from Purl Soho, knit up in their Linen Quill…a transitional combination of wool, alpaca and linen. Get it on the sticks now and you’ll be ready to wrap yourself up just in time for that first Spring outing.
Shown in Kettle Black, Linen Quill is available in 30 additional colors. And, the pattern is free…https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2018/05/02/elementary-wrap-in-linen-quill/
Photos: gp
Back Up Plan
June 7, 2017
As usual, the weather has been a little loopy. More rain and cooler temperatures than you’d expect, particularly when the forecast promised warmth and sun. Taking that as inspiration I’ve been getting “loopy” as well…putting some scraps and down time to good use. I’m thinking a little creative experimentation now should come in handy come Fall. We’ll see.
photos:gp
A Little Magic
January 23, 2017
The simple twist of a basic knit stitch and your resulting textile looks decidedly woven. The magic that is this Plaited Throw by Purl Soho might be just what’s needed to tide you through the last weeks of Winter. The pattern and step by step instructions are free, so all you have to do is select your fiber and grab your sticks.
Purl Soho’s Linen Quill in kettle Black…a fine wool, alpaca and Linen blend, would be my simplequietmodern choice.
all photos: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2017/01/13/plaited-throw/
Three Bags Full
February 23, 2015
Not wool, but newsprint yarn spun during last winters onslaught to ward off cabin madness. Now what? A starting swatch alone provided great textural interest…the addition of sisal twine added more. Then some manipulated copies brought things back to the original two-dimensional roots of the original newsprint sheet. Adjustment to scale might be next. Go big or go home? Yeah, that sounds right.
photos: gp
47,335,389
November 27, 2014
47,335,389 minutes adds up to ninety years. And, ninety years adds up to one special life. First a daughter and sister…then a wife and mother…and on to grandmother and great-grandmother. Ninety years of loving life, loving children, loving animals…all the while raising a family and working as an RN, early on in the nursery and later in your career in surgery. Add Breast Cancer Survivor to the list and well…what else is there to say? We are all very thankful for you, particularly on this Thanksgiving, which is your 90th birthday. I think 47,335,389 minutes deserves at least 48,000 stitches…each one a different combination of color…coming together in this modern knit to warm you as you plan for your next milestone…100! With more love than you can imagine coming to you today, Happy Birthday Mom, Grandma, Great-Grandma. It’s time for some “bubbly”.
photos:gp
Better like this?
August 17, 2014
When an unexpected package shows up on your doorstep…well, it’s just the greatest. Intended to cure my homesickness for the West Coast, this “care package” contained some items found by friends on a trip to the desert…a program book from Modernism West, a bit of vintage modern Hawaiiana and a pile of wool yarn that I’m sure was gathered at one of their regular ” picking ” haunts. I could feel the hot desert air the minute I broke open the box. I laughed out loud thinking how much fun we would’ve had if we had all taken that trip together…then laughed some more as I imagined them guessing what would become of these skeins whose palette was clearly…umm…challenging. Well, challenge accepted.
Who knew that a little fuchsia dye and a kettle of hot water would turn that Robin Hood green into this? Yep, better like this.
Or, that the intense green/blue/purple self-striping yarn would turn into this rich charcoal black when cooked up in a bath of dark brown? Oh yeah, now we’re talking. You’ll have to check back to see what happens next.
Another year over…
January 1, 2014
and a new one just begun.* The perfect time to be grateful for the good of the last year and set forth on a new and creative path for the next twelve months. Not one prone to the making and breaking of resolutions, I have always found that committing things to paper…notes, bits of inspiration, plans for upcoming projects, events or personal goals…can not only organize your thoughts, but gives you a resource to refer back to and evaluate your progress. A hardbound sketchbook or journal is always my simplequietmodern must have, although a designated project pad can do the trick. Keep it handy to jot down a thought, tuck in a bit of inspiration or flip back to enjoy each progressive step. The clock for 2014 has started ticking. On your mark….get set….
top to bottom
The classic Braun travel alarm clock ,now in gray, will help keep track of those fleeting minutes at home or away. http://needsupply.com/mens/new/classic-bnc002-clock-in-grey.html
What could have been a disaster rose from the ashes of a failed project to become Koishi one… one big, thick and richly textured linen blanket.
This sculpture greets and inspires me daily. Created completely of recycled LA Times newsprint, it brings home the idea that the great beauty can be found in the most humble material.
The found nests in my yard pale in comparison to this Australian example captured by my friend Kirsten Johnstone. It’s easy to see how it’s texture, form and structure caught her architects eye. http://www.kirstenjohnstone.com/blog/
The best part of my everyday…the “Hambone” Jaxon. The full-out belly laughs he induces daily are the best gift one could hope to receive.
Staring me down from a basket on the corner of my desk, these two yarns in gray and olive seemed to want to work together. Looking good so far.
The beginnings of a great Winter salad of Farro, roasted red grapes and red onions. I’ll post the simplified Martha recipe soon to help you get back on track after the holidays.
Classic. Black Minnetonka moccasins. They help me keep my focus on the warmer months to come.
Raw wood. You can almost smell it can’t you? The simplicity of the design and use of a single material in this space says it all. http://remash.tumblr.com/
A glass of your favorite sparkler for toasting to your perfect health, success and happiness in this New Year 2014
*So This Is Christmas, John Lennon
Home Stretch
November 20, 2013
Eighteen hundred yards in and a few hundred more to go before binding off, it’s nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And, with the holidays drawing nearer, it’ll be nice to have this off the sticks. I gotta say, it’s a big thick lapful of linen blanket…and it’s shown folded in half.
Knit One
October 24, 2013
The Brioche scarf…pure simple, pure quiet, pure modern. Start one now for yourself and there will still be time to make a couple more before the holidays…for those extra special gifts. Knit up in their new line weight merino wool yarn from Purl Soho you are sure to find something you’ll love from the selection of pale to dark neutrals, pastels or brights. If you can’t make up your mind you cannot go wrong with the Oyster Gray or Toasted Charcoal. Laura’s pattern is posted on their site as well so there is no excuse to delay…they’ve got you covered with everything you need to get started.
photos courtesy of Purl Soho
http://www.purlbee.com/the-purl-bee/2013/10/20/lauras-loop-brioche-scarf.html
simplequietmodern 