The Art of Yarn

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Creative Cross-Pollination

I was asked to write a guest column in conjunction with the 2nd annual Scotts Bluff Valley Fiber Arts Fair for the Gering Citizen this week. I felt honored and excited to share a few personal thoughts on art, creativity, knitting, fiber art, and the fair itself. Below you will find the article in its entirety. As always, would love to hear your comments.

Knit On,

Donna

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It was by no means a masterpiece, but my very first knitting project, a small square of dark green yarn seamed together on one side, became a “skirt” for one of my dolls. This humble project was, amazingly enough, the foundation and inspiration for the work I currently enjoy today. As a child, I loved making art. Don’t we all start off that way? Think finger paints, construction paper, glue, popsicle sticks, and of course a box of crayons and the endless possibilities of a blank sheet of paper.

Thanks to the patience of my grandma, Betty Thompson, knitting was one of those creative endeavors that I have had with me since the age of 8. I remember the blue and white, flowered recliner chair with the wooden arms she had me sit in as I carefully listened and tried to follow her instructions. Each stitch was a challenge and each one that I completed a victory. I have been stitching the stories and emotions of my life into my knitting projects in one way or another ever since.

At the risk of this sounding like a confession, though, knitting was only the beginning of my explorations. In my early adult life, for many reasons, I used to keep my creative endeavors to myself. I didn’t get together with friends or join groups or even take classes, and often times these weren’t even available. I simply walked into an art or craft supply store, purchased what I thought I needed, and proceeded to make, bake and grow things to my heart’s content. It wasn’t a secret, mind you, but quietly I set about trying my hand at crocheting, quilting, sewing, embroidering, scrapbooking, cross stitching, and card making.

The beautiful thing was that there were no rules and no levels of perfection to attain. That discovery alone gave me insight into why I enjoyed these domestic arts so much. The other revelation I had during all of this time was that there was a definite theme to the creative outlets I enjoyed. I would later learn someone had named that theme fiber art. But I will get to that in a moment. There was something else though, a discovery more important, and it took my thoughts back to my grandmother. This wasn’t just creativity, but creativity with a practical, purposeful side as well. I never thought of myself as an artist, believe me, but the history and importance of these arts of domesticity connected me to her, and others that came before me.

A common enough idea these days, but for me it added value to the time and money spent on these explorations in a way that was deeply satisfying. This wasn’t something to hide or keep to myself. This was something to embrace and enjoy with others. You see, the very strong feminist in me (I am my mother’s child) must have being doing battle with the young woman that was taking such pleasure in all of these things. Why did it have to be one or the other? Who was I in all of this? Just because I knit didn’t mean that I couldn’t go out and advocate for women’s rights, did it? Such contradictions, yes, but such sweet satisfaction I took in learning that in fact creativity doesn’t have labels and gender specific laws. (Just ask the men I know who knit! They would have their own story to tell, but I digress.) The point is there is no need to choose.

I also feel that too much emphasis is put on the idea that we are either creative or we aren’t. I can’t tell you how many times a day I hear someone say, well, I’m just not the creative type, as they talk about what they will be making for dinner that night and the beautiful flowers that grow in their garden. I send them home with a bag full of yarn and wonder who ever gave them the idea that creativity had any boundaries. Once I embraced these concepts, my art and creativity, especially my knitting, took on a life of its own (ask my husband or daughter who have been witnesses to my journey). Something was set in motion, and with a few detours along the way, I arrived where I am at today and can say with pride and immense gratitude: I am a fiber artist and certified knitting instructor.

A term I heard a few years ago I feel describes fiber art perfectly is: creative cross-pollination…a combination of so many things and includes so many things all at once (that’s me). And yes, that’s fiber art. It’s a collage of color, texture and technique. It’s construction. It’s often functional and frequently beautiful. It’s art. It’s a picture. It’s a sweater. It’s a soft, heathered gray hank of hand spun wool. It has words and music that you can’t necessarily hear, but they are there nonetheless. There’s something incredibly satisfying and comforting to me knowing that the work I do with my hands is all of those things and more.

Art allows us to free our minds and hands and eyes to enjoy often neglected and undervalued skills, color, textures, and patterns. Being creative is about taking the steps to learn how to make something, to allow yourself to be a beginner, and not to get discouraged if one kind of creativity doesn’t turn out to be ‘your thing.’ And everyone needs an occasional dose of inspiration, creative cross-pollination, or a light-hearted reminder about not expecting perfection. Just begin.

This Saturday at the county fairgrounds in Mitchell, Barn Anew Bed and Breakfast and Brown Sheep Co. will be hosting the 2nd annual Scotts Bluff Valley Fiber Arts Fair (SBVFAF). It is a celebration of textiles and fibers, specifically natural fibers. It is an exploration into the rich and practical history textiles have in our lives. Before trends and fashion came in, we were clothing ourselves for the lifestyle we lived and the needs we had. We used materials that came from our natural surroundings such as plant and animal fibers. Fiber art fairs and festivals are a representation of those natural fibers and the many, many processes we use to turn them into useful items and works of art.

The heart of any fiber arts fair is education and inspiration. There is an industry term known as “sheep to shawl”. It’s a concept that entails taking a raw material such as wool, silk, cotton, or linen, turning it into yarn, thread, fabric, or roving, and then making it into a finished product. Fiber festivals are all about giving you an inside look at that entire process. It’s about preserving and passing along traditional techniques and sharing contemporary methods and ideas with the artisans that spin, weave, felt, quilt, dye, knit, and crochet.

My personal hope is that by combining an understanding of the past with the present, it will give you greater confidence in your individual creativity, offer new ways of looking at century’s old skills, and help you to feel proud of and see the worth in yourself and what is considered art. How you express yourself through creativity is entirely up to you. Spend time with others, join a group, or take a class. My grandmother offered me her time and talent and that is a gift that has lasted a lifetime. I pay homage to her by teaching and encouraging others. How complete that circle feels.

I spent a lot of time recently thinking about why events like the SBVFAF are so important. I have come to believe that creating things by hand speaks to both the pleasure of the process and also to our natural instinct to create something useful or beautiful. Even though our world has become reliant on the work of machines rather than human hands—and speed and economic gain often seem to be valued over all else—the desire to make something, however time-consuming that process may be, remains with us.

If we no longer have to knit socks, make quilts, or bake bread, why would we want to do so? The true significance lies beyond usefulness. It is in the process and satisfaction of creating that we have the most to gain. Somewhere along the line I think we stopped giving hand crafted the respect it deserves. I hope you take the opportunity to visit the fair and I hope that you find joy in everything you create.

For more information about the fair visit www.nebraskafiberfair.com or call 635-2198 and you can follow my personal knitting journey at www.theartofyarn.blogspot.com.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

And now for something completely different...

What do you do when you are overwhelmed by your knitting 'to do' list (like classes, store knitting, personal projects, fiber arts fair...I could go on)...

You invite friends over and forget about it! A couple of weeks ago I had my dear friends Barb and Pat over to my house for dinner, drinks, and good conversation. For several years we had a regular monthly dinner night, along with our friend Kris. We would meet and take turns hosting. It was something to look forward to and we hardly missed a month, ever. For me it was a respite and reprieve from the craziness of daily life. The comfort of companionship from other women, very wise women I might add, cannot be replaced.

Kris has since moved away and we miss her terribly, but we are so happy for her to be out in her RV, traveling around and enjoying her retirement. That left the three of us and we certainly had good intentions of continuing our monthly ritual. Over time though, the dinner dates waned, and now it's only the occasional get together we seem to manage. That is why I savor the moments even more when we do see each other.

I love cooking and baking almost as much as I love knitting. My pantry is full of cookbooks and food magazines, boxes of recipe clippings and so on. I can sit down and read a cook book like a novel. (same with many knitting books). These are truly two of life's pleasures for me.

Anyway, I really wanted to make something out of the ordinary for Barb and Pat that night and decided on:

Southern Cornbread Salad

Yep, cornbread salad. Ever heard of it? I hadn't until recently. I ran across the idea while perusing recipes online. And well, I cook like I knit...I can never just follow a recipe (or pattern) exactly as written. By the time I am done, it has transformed into something completely different. This salad was no exception. Also, I had always wanted to make something, trifle or otherwise, in a trifle bowl...so I promptly went out and bought one! It makes the prettiest presentation. All of the colors and textures layered delectably together in one beautiful bowl. Plus, hey, it's just fun sometimes to eat something out of the ordinary, right?

I started by making my Green Chile Cornbread and letting it cool. Here's the recipe:

Green Chile Cornbread

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup yellow corn meal

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup honey

1 cup lowfat buttermilk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg or 1/4 cup egg beaters

1 small can diced green chiles

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray an 8 x 8" or 9 x 9" baking dish with cooking spray. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together honey, buttermilk, oil, and egg. Add mixture to dry ingredients and mix until moistened. Fold in green chiles. Do not over mix. Pour batter into baking dish. Bake 20-25 minutes. Top should be very light golden brown. Do not overbake. Let stand 10 mintues. Turn cornbread out onto cutting board and cool completely.

(This recipe also works well when you add 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or colby-jack to the batter. I do the cheesy version when serving it with a big pot of chili.)

And now for the salad recipe (this is such a great idea for all of those Farmer's Market purchases this time of year!):

Southern Cornbread Salad

1 baked Green Chile Cornbread, cut into 1" cubes, reserving 1 cup or so for "croutons"-which I toasted in the toaster oven

1-15 oz. can pinto beans with jalepenos or black beans, drained and rinsed

1-15.5 oz jar salsa (or use your own) mixed with one medium tomato, chopped

2 cups fresh, cooked OR frozen, thawed corn

8 cups of greens-I used a mixture of chopped romaine hearts and baby lettuces

1 diced green pepper

1 diced red pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

2 tomatoes, chopped

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

3 cups chopped, cooked chicken (deli broasted chicken works great and saves time)

1 T chopped fresh parsley, optional

1 T chopped fresh chives, optional

2 cups Spicy Buttermilk Ranch Dressing (recipe follows)

Toss chicken with salsa mixture. In a trifle dish or clear glass bowl, begin layering ingredients in this order, making sure that they go to the edge of the bowl so you can see the layers:

Beans

Corn

1/2 lettuce mixture

Untoasted cornbread cubes

Chicken

1/2 lettuce mixture

Red onion, red pepper, green pepper

Cheese

Tomato

Chives/Parsley
(press down on everything a little as you get to the top layer)

Chill in refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Pour dressing over top of salad just before serving or serve it on the side if you think you will have leftovers.

Set reserved, toasted cornbread croutons in a dish on the side to sprinkle on top.

Spicy Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

1 pkg. buttermilk ranch dressing mix

1 cup mayo (I use a light olive oil mayo, but choose your favorite)

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 T chopped fresh parsley or 1/2 T dried

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 T paprika

2 T chopped fresh chives or 1 T dried
1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a jar. Shake to mix thoroughly. Chill for several hours before serving. Works well if made up the night before.

Enjoy!

On a related note, I mentioned Farmer's Markets earlier and wanted to tell you about my visit this last weekend to the Scottsbluff Farmer's Market. I bought many wonderful things including a giant zucchini, which I promptly turned into Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread, fresh corn on the cob and tomatoes...

Grass-fed beef for chili from OpenBar2 Ranch...

...and two fun products, a habenero peanut butter (yes, you read that right) from Nuts for You , and an apricot/habenero jam called Blazin' Glory from Beeloved Jams...

Also a cantaloupe and some goat's milk feta cheese from Victory Hills Farm.

I spent about an hour or so just browsing and visiting. Such a great way to start my weekend off!

My good friend Monique Larsen has started a blog called Prairie Bloom, and you can find many of the Farmer's Markets in the area listed there, as well as resources for many organic, locally grown and/or produced items. She is continually adding to the lists found there.

I have in the past complained on occasion about my lack of choices for these kinds of items, and now I find the resources I have always wanted in one convenient location. I admit it takes more effort to buy, cook, and eat seasonally, organically, when possible, and locally, but oh it is so worth it!

Hope you enjoy the recipes and thanks for the break from my knitting. Some days it just gets to be a little much. Never thought I would say that about my knitting, but then if I plan to do this for the rest of my life, I had better pace myself somewhat, don't you think?

Taking the time to purchase fresh, locally grown ingredients, putting together a meal, baking something delicious, and sharing an evening with friends...I can't think of a better way or a better reason to take a break, decompress, refocus, and re-energize.

I suddenly have the urge to pick up my needles...

Knit On,

Donna

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Art, Part 2

Funny how time can make you forget. With enough time between one blog post and another, it seems that I can completely forget why I wanted to write about knitting and art. Well, I haven't exactly 'forgotten'. It's more like I don't know that it's so important to me that those questions get answered anymore, if that makes sense.

The images and questions I shared in my last post came from the desire to have a 'discussion' about what art is and what it means in our lives. But over the last few weeks I realized that what I really wanted to do was to get you thinking about creativity and creative expression in your own life. That doesn't necessarily mean that we're talking about art, does it?

Thank you to Jenn, for her thoughtful response to my last post. I am honestly not sure I could have put it any better, Jenn. If you haven't read her comment, it's worth going back and doing so. I would like to share one part of her thoughts:    "In the end I try not to think about it all too much. I think sometimes our desire to come up with an exacting definition [of art] closes the door to possibilities."

I believe that is right on. Art is many things, but most certainly it is personal and it is about possibilities. And that's the note I was trying to hit and didn't realize it until I had time to reflect.

Possibilities.

Have you heard of SARK? I have every one of her books and have read them and reread them many times. She has a particular style and soul in her writing and her creativity that makes me feel free and unique and capable of anything. And aren't those the things we're looking for in creative self-expression?

In her book A Creative Companion, she writes: "We all started out creatively free. Remember the sandbox? All you needed was bare toes in warm sand, and maybe a good bucket. Then you could build your own world. At school, things may have changed. ...the chairs were in rows, and tree trunks were to be colored brown, not purple. If you lived in a world of purple tree trunks, you probably learned to hide it."

I understand that statement. I grew up believing that tree trunks were always supposed to be brown and the sky was blue and the leaves were green. And that belief translated it's way into my knitting right from the start. I tried to 'knit within the lines'. I thought of it as a one dimensional endeavor that had to come out a certain way, period. And honestly, this probably served me well for a time. At least in the sense that now I know that is the exact opposite of what creativity and art really is, or can be.

I couldn't tell you for sure when it happened, but at some point I realized that I had my own ideas and opinions about how things should look. I suppose my epiphany about my knitting came about the same time my epiphany about my life hit me (one of many obviously). Yes, that would make sense, wouldn't it?

The hard part is having the courage to step off that ledge and go in your own direction then, isn't it? This could be as simple as choosing a different color than what was originally used by the designer, or possibly searching for different texture in the yarn you will work with...it could even be that stepping off of that ledge means tackling a pattern that has a difficult to execute technique that you have been afraid to try.

Listen, if that 'difficult technique' is the only thing keeping you from knitting that beautiful sweater that you have had the pattern for in your notebook for many years, take the leap!

There's always a way, trust me. Books, magazines, on-line videos and tutorials, and of course classes! ;) The single, solitary reason that I love to teach is to build confidence in my students so they can go out into the knitting world and achieve whatever goals they have set. I live for the 'light bulb' moments that come over their faces in class.

Creativity has to be cultivated to some degree. 99% of the creative world out there had to study their art or craft in order to do it. For sure there are exceptions and I bet you could name many, but for the purpose of this discussion we'll stick with the idea that creativity takes some amount of effort.

You must also give yourself the time and space to work at it. I don't know of very many creative endeavors that happen if every single day is filled to the brim with with scheduled things. I do understand busy. I am the queen of 'busy'! Meaning, I can take 24 hours and fill it up like nobody's business.   But fill it up with what? I had to step back and really reassess how I was spending my time (and more importantly why I was doing it this way) in order to realize that my creative goals (see the very end of my profile ;) were NEVER going to happen if I didn't start actually giving myself time to explore them in a pretty serious way. Life had become way to many 'have tos', and it felt like time was starting to roll by like a freight train.

I can't tell you how many times a day I hear people say to me--well, I am just not that creative or I could never do that, or if only I had the time. I am here to tell you that it comes in many forms and looks like many things. There is no one set definition.

I promise you that there are no 'knitting police.' No one is going to come look at your projects and say, you know you should have done this and it's supposed to look like that...the important thing is: how do you feel when you are creating?

Carve out a little time this week, sit down, and just revel in what your hands and your heart are able to do. Whether it is coloring a picture, baking something sweet, or putting sticks and string together.

Creativity is always there — you just need to want to explore it.

A few movements with a knitting needle and a little bit of yarn suddenly turns into something remarkable, something that exists nowhere else in the world; it's yours. And once you’ve created it, it will remain a unique and inexhaustible source of further inspiration because each time you do this, you are opening to your own possibilities...

...and that, my friends, is a beautiful thing.

I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Knit on...

D.

Friday, June 18, 2010

ART...in the eye of the knitter?

There's been questions running around in my brain lately that I would very much like your opinion on.

Are you game?

Ok, here goes...

What is art? What does art mean to you?

What is the difference between an artist and an artisan? Is there a difference?

Do you consider yourself an artist?

If you are an artist, do you make your living through your art? Why or why not?

What is your definition of fine art? What are some examples?

And the big question on my mind: Does FIBER ART fall into the category of fine art? Is knitting, crocheting, needle felting, lace making, weaving, and spinning art...or craft?

Depends, you say?

What does it depend upon?

How do you decide what is art and what is not?

Hmmmmmmm...

Have I asked enough questions to get you going? Do you even care about any of this? Have you ever given it any thought? Do you think it matters?

Do you simply create to create, or do you have a mission, a purpose when you create?

Let me offer a few basic dictionary definitions to get you started:

–noun

the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.

the class of objects subject to aesthetic criteria; works of art collectively, as paintings, sculptures, or drawings: a museum of art; an art collection.

a field, genre, or category of art: Dance is an art.

the fine arts collectively, often excluding architecture: art and architecture.

any field using the skills or techniques of art: advertising art; industrial art.

(in printed matter) illustrative or decorative material: Is there any art with the copy for this story?

the principles or methods governing any craft or branch of learning: the art of baking; the art of selling.

the craft or trade using these principles or methods.

skill in conducting any human activity: a master at the art of conversation.

10.

a branch of learning or university study, esp. one of the fine arts or the humanities, as music, philosophy, or literature.

11.

skilled workmanship, execution, or agency, as distinguished from nature.

–noun

an art, trade, or occupation requiring special skill, esp. manual skill: the craft of a mason.

skill; dexterity: The silversmith worked with great craft.

skill or ability used for bad purposes; cunning; deceit; guile.

the members of a trade or profession collectively; a guild.

–noun

a person who produces works in any of the arts that are primarily subject to aesthetic criteria.

a person who practices one of the fine arts, esp. a painter or sculptor.

a person whose trade or profession requires a knowledge of design, drawing, painting, etc.: a commercial artist.

a person who works in one of the performing arts, as an actor, musician, or singer; a public performer: a mime artist; an artist of the dance.

a person whose work exhibits exceptional skill.

–noun

a person skilled in an applied art; a craftsperson.

–noun

a person who practices or is highly skilled in a craft; artisan.

And now for the fun part! Grab something to sip on, get in a comfy position...

Take your time.

Let me share with you some images of fiber art.

What do you see? How do these images make you feel? Do you know how many different things can fall into this category? I have found them randomly and saved them because they remind me of the fabulous diversity of the industry I work and play in every day.

I have posted them here randomly for your enjoyment, but also for your consideration...

The question I have is this: art or not? Craft? Or something else entirely?