Rainy Day Art in London

On my way to Iknit (on a typical grey drizzly day) I was stopped in my tracks by the beautiful art installation of umbrellas suspended outside the Channel 4 offices on Horseferry Road, London. The vibrant colours and geometric shapes of these lost and found umbrellas gave the overall form a soft balloon-like appearance as though the entire structure would float away at any moment. I love Channel 4's whole idents series - the way their '4' logo gradually reveals itself to you as you are taken on a magical journey of perspective around a larger than life everyday structures.

If you also think this is inspiring you may like this article on other stunning umbrella art installations at http://www.environmentalgraffti.com/

Shelter by Stepahnie Imbeau
Using lost and found umbrellas, lighting attached & a steel frame
1600cm x 1200cm

KIPing & KTOGs

The past few weeks have been busy and interesting, opening up opportunities for meeting lovely new people and starting new projects. The Summer holidays are over and the girls are back at school in Year 6 (final year of primary school) and Year 10 (start of GCSEs) leaving me to resume a more regular working pattern and make plans for the months ahead. Best of all, the lovely Outcasts have all regrouped! We've had lots of catching up to do and plans to make for our knitting in public events, not least of all a spontaneus group effort to knit a banner.

Outcasts! 8ft long bunting-style banner. If you'd like to personalise one of your own a link to our pdf instructions and chart can be found here.

The first KIP event was Iknit Weekender, London - we knitted little hats for Innocent Smoothies Big Knit 2009 and presented our knitted letters for the Poetry Society's centenary Knit a Poem event. We had also hosted a 'stitch together' event in Reading and stitched together almost a fifth of randomly selected words from this secret poem, the unveiling of which is scheduled for October. Exciting!

The next event was Iknit Weekender - the first knitting show I've attended and I really enjoyed the relaxed shopping, chatting with other knitters and exhibitors, and also ... meeting the enchanting Ysolda. (Smith also met her too! a bit crumpled from his journey I think but still obilged her request for a photo).

Finally, whilst the Outcasts were running Let me Ease Your Day (LMEYD) in Reading Town Centre, making knitted items for the public, I was at a community BBQ near Caversham doing "a little knitting activity with the locals". They had seen me at the Children's Festival and were really keen to have a similar event at their bbq with a familiar face. It was quite exciting to be asked but I felt strangely responsible for honouring this craft and passing on my enthusiasm and skills to others. I think it went okay - I took along a basket of yarns, needles, a few cosy knits from home (blankets, cushions, hats, shawls) and printed off a few simple patterns for Innocent hats to get them started. It was truly lovely to see how much unrequited interest there is in knitting from all ages and the patterns were perfect. Everyone at the stand was soon chatting and reminiscing about grandmothers' cosies and childhood sweaters that their mothers made. They are now asking about how to set up a knitting group! - great I said, you'll need tea, cake, friends and of course needles and yarn.

That kind of brings me up to date - I'll leave Wemake Christmas Fayre, and the projects for that, for a future post.