A Poem for Friday
January 20, 2012
I can’t quite figure out how to put a video in a post yet, so here is a link to Frank O’Hara reading “Having a Coke with You” – one of my favorite poems. I really recommend you watch it, his reading it is so good. Here’s the poem:
Having a Coke with You
is even more fun than going top San Sebastian, Irun, Hendaye, Biarritz, Bayonne
or being sick to my stomach on the Travesera de Gracia in Barcelona
partly because in your orange shirt you look like a better happier St. Sebastian
partly because of my love for you, partly because of your love for yoghurt
partly because of the fluorescent orange tulips around the birches
partly because of the secrecy our smiles take on before people and statuary
it is hard to believe when I’m with you that there can be anything as still
as solemn as unpleasantly definitive as statuary when right in front of it
in the warm New York 4 o’clock light we are drifting back and forth
between each other like a tree breathing through its spectacles
and the portrait show seems to have no faces in it at all, just paint
you suddenly wonder why in the world anyone ever did them I look
at you and I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world
except possibly for the “Polish Rider” occasionally and anyway it’s in the Frick
which thank heavens you haven’t gone to yet so we can go together the first time
and the fact that you move so beautifully more or less takes care of Futurism
just as at home I never think of the “Nude Descending a Staircase” or
at a rehearsal a single drawing of Leonardo or Michelangelo that used to wow me
and what good does all the research of the impressionists do them
when they never got the right person to stand near the tree when the sun sank
or for that matter Marino Marini when he didn’t pick the rider as carefully
as the horse
it seems they were all cheated of some marvelous experience
which is not going to go wasted on me which is why I am telling you about it
Birthday Apron
January 19, 2012
I think it’s safe to post this… I made this cute apron for one of my sisters as a birthday present. I wanted it to look fun and pretty like the Anthropologie aprons do. This fabric was actually a sheet I found at the thrift store! Isn’t it just lovely? The green color is really nice, it’s one of my favorite greens. I made the yellow and white bias tape from some my fabric leftovers stash.
With aprons, you don’t really need a pattern, just a few measurements. I did add bust darts to the top. The apron just seemed to call for them. Do aprons talk to you? Apparently mine do.
I made the skirt portion go around the hips a bit, in case of extra messy cooking. And there’s a pocket on the side if you can see it. Just a simple patch pocket.
Awhile ago I wrote about gathering stitches for the Coletterie. I didn’t use it for this ruffle (I only did one row of basting) but I highly recommend three rows! It makes the gathering prettier.
And once I finished photographing the apron, I wrapped it up in some fun yellow fabric and tied it with purple bias tape. My sister is starting to sew and I thought this would be a good way to encourage her along the sewing path :)
Machine Knitting
January 4, 2012I took a 12 week machine knitting class during the fall that I didn’t tell you about! I’m so sneaky. It was something completely new for me. I’d never seen a knitting machine before. The ones we used were very, very basic. Everything is manual and there’s no electricity at all. The first part of the class was spent making lots of samples. It’s backbreaking! Lots of crouching over. I think if I got a machine, I’d have it up so I could stand while using it.
For the second half of the class, after making more intricate swatches, we were supposed to make a sweater or vest. I did neither. I ended up making this cowl scarf. I used a superwash wool from WEBS. Instead of taking up most of my time working on the sweater, I learned how to use a much more heavy duty knitting machine. One of my reasons for taking the class was so I could learn how to make beautiful sweaters like Hetterson.
One thing I really enjoyed about the process was how fast it was! I made that scarf in 2 hours. No way could I do that with hand knitting. But in the end, when I knit, I do it because I enjoy the clicking, the hand motions, the relaxation of it. Knitting is a peaceful and enjoyable pursuit for me. Using a knitting machine changes that and it becomes more technical like sewing. For now, the idea of buying a knitting machine is on the back burner of my mind.