Category: artwork by Rachel


Knitted Journey: the Iceland Series #5, Landmannalaugar

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June 6, 2013

Landmannalaugar is a park in south central Iceland. I finally got to visit this spectacular place on my 3rd visit to Iceland in 2010. It is comprised of miles of rhyolite mountains in a whole rainbow of colors, including reds, purples, browns, yellows, white, black and more. In the center of those mountains are several hot springs that you can swim in and a camp. There are also lava fields that surround the area, and, in the summer, cotton grass in bloom. Just getting into the park is not for the faint of heart: you have to ford many streams and rivers and be in a bus or other heavy duty vehicle. But it’s absolutely worth it. As with many places in Iceland, it is very windy. But the hot springs were so warm that once you got in, the wind wasn’t as much of an issue.

Details of Landmannalaugar. Left: overview of some of the “mountains”, lavafields covered with moss, the hot springs and the nearby vegetation. Right: another overview:

some smaller details:

and shots of the actual place:

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Knitted Journeys, the Iceland Series: Thorsmork

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May 9, 2013

Knitted Journey, the Iceland Series part 4: Thorsmork. This one was based on a trip that I took to Thorsmork National Park. This spectacular place (Thor’s Forest) is surrounded by dramatic mountain ranges in 3 directions and eventually stretches out to the sea. To get here, you have to ford numerous streams and rivers on a bus with heavy duty tires. A utility vehicle follows the bus the whole distance to make sure there aren’t any accidents. When I went in June of 2010, Eyjafjallajokull volcano had just finished erupting about a week before. The entire park was covered in nearly 1-2 inches of thick ash. I visited a glacier that was about 5 miles away from the volcano. The mountains had hoodoos and bizarre formations in them. In the center of the park was a beautiful forest. I hiked up to the top of the cliff and had the most spectacular views of the park. Layers of mountains, lava fields, endless rivers and streams and patches of forest stretched out for miles on end. The overall piece:

Thorsmork detail. A few of the many rivers you had to ford to get into the park and the heavy layers of ash and moss covered lava fields (left)
Thorsmork detail. The magical forest that was full of purple and yellow wild flowers and birch trees (right):

Thorsmork detail. The many layers of rocks in the mountains and cliffs, the hoodoos and strange formations (left):
Thorsmork detail. Another view of the flowered forest, the ash and the layered cliffs (right):

Pictures of Thorsmork that I took in June 2010:

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Knitted Journey: Reykjavik

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April 15, 2013

This is the third Knitted Journey in my Iceland series. Of all the non-US cities in the world, I am most familiar with Reykjavik, Iceland. I’ve been here several times and have spent nearly a total of 3 months there. For a small city of 150,000, Reykjavik is surprisingly cosmopolitan and has an impressive arts scene. It has 3 major art museums plus a bunch of minor ones and galleries. It has a major lake (the Tjornin) in the center of the city. It has Hallgrimskirkja, the tallest building in Iceland. It has numerous islands, including Viday, in Faxafloi Bay. It has the Perlan, a domed building sitting on top of 6 hot water storage tanks. It has the City Hall, designed by Alvar Aalto with moss down one side and water dripping into the Tjornin. Rows of rainbow colored tin roof houses, innovative and cutting edge shops, serious graffiti, hot dog stands (Pylsur) and streets by the names of Kaplaskjolsvegur and Bergtadastraeti and Thingholtsstraeti. I got to know the city like the back of my hand. This is my Knitted Journey dedicated to this most fantastic city. Completed March 2013:

Details:
The institutional grays of the government buildings on Bankastraeti street, the sharp white futuristic architecture of Hallgrimskirkja and the modern art museums of Hafnarhus and Asmundarsafn and the rows of rainbow colored tin roof houses.

Detail of the Tjornin (the central lake) and Faxafloi bays and the moss covered City Hall:

Detail of colorful houses, Faxafloi bay, aluminum factories (Alcoa) and the moody gray skies:

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Knitted Journey: Chicago March 2013 continued…

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April 2, 2013

March 9, 2013: Slept in and then drove to Vogue Fabrics on Roosevelt and then on to Fishman’s Fabrics. Hadn’t been to Fishman’s in about 25 years. Overcast and light rain. Then I drove to the Prairie Avenue District and took a one hour tour of the Glessner House-a beautiful Old World mansion built in the 1870s on the corner of Prairie and 18th streets with strong Frank Lloyd Wright elements. Then picked up Melanie and went to a Mexican restaurant with a gluten-free menu. They screwed up and I ingested unsafe chips and found out some of the items on their gluten-free menu weren’t safe, either. I filed a complaint and got a free meal. Had fun with Melanie, though, and we talked about our futures. Then I drove back to the hotel and went for a very brief swim. The swimming pool was full of loud tourists, so I didn’t stay long at all.

March 10, 2013: Went to the Field Museum for several hours. First saw a small fashion exhibit. Then wandered through Native America and Northwest coast/Arctic peoples. Went to the Hall of Totems. Deep wood colors, reds, blues, spruce, black. Then through the Americas and up to South Pacific/Oceania. Maori jade and creepy masks and puppets from Papua New Guinea, Vanatau and New Ireland. Exhibits on Hawaii, Tahiti and the Marshall Islands. Then on to Tibetan and Chinese exhibits. Entered the Hall of Plants. Dated but beautiful exhibits. Briefly through the dinosaur exhibits and then back downstairs through mammals (particularly Asian) and briefly through Africa. The beautiful white interior of the museum with sweeping balconies, chandelliers and massive elephants and dinosaurs.
Then on to Karl Vogel and Jeremy Brown’s house. Karl is now a father to 2 twin boys named Nate and Sam, born in India to an Indian mother. Lots of visitors. Took down the Christmas tree and the ornaments. Chili for supper and ice cream. Socialized.

March 11, 2013: Went to Village Discount Outlet in Andersonville and got some great deals. Strange people as usual but some good finds. Then drove back home. Overcast, misty and windy. Most of the snow was melted and there were huge puddles dotting the dead brown land. Very gloomy skies. Got home around 2:30pm.

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Knitted Journey: Chicago March 2013

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March 30, 2013

My latest knitted journey was my most recent trip to Chicago in March 2013. I spent 5 days up there, saw many friends, family and explored several new neighborhoods and attractions. It was a mixture of excitement, angst, luxury, discovery, annoyance and intensity. The overall piece was about a foot wide and about a foot and a half long.

Day 1 (March 7, 2013)
drove up to Chicago from Champaign. Snow speckled fields-a mixture of white and brown (dead vegetation). Arrived to the Palmer House in early afternoon. Clear skies and melting snow. Walked through the South Loop to Loopy Yarns and stocked up. Then Trader Joes. Some other miscellaneous shopping, including a visit to TJ Maxx. Interesting installations of flashing colored light fixtures with talking sports channels in the Loop.

Day 2 (March 8, 2013)
Drove to the University of Chicago hospital for my morning appointment. Cancelled! They never notified me. I was in shock and angry. Still got my blood drawn. Then drove to the Beverly Hills neighborhood to meet up with my friend Arlena. She showed me around this interesting neighborhood in the far Southwest side. The highest point in Chicago is here, a ridge with giant mansions on top of it. Lots of Irish influences, Victorian houses. Drove back to hotel. A hair-raising drive on the expressway and in the Loop. Exhausted and took a nap. Then went over to the Chicago Cultural Center to see several great shows, including one with huge painted rainbow blow-up sculpture and an indigo textile show. Met up with cousin Patrick that evening and had Chipotle takeout. Then went to an RIT reunion at the SPE conference and saw some people I hadn’t seen in decades.

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Knitted Journey: Blue Lagoon

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March 16, 2013

I have finally finished my second Knitted Journey in my Iceland series. This one is inspired by the Blue Lagoon in the lava fields near Keflavik International Airport.
I have been there 3 different times, once with each of my visits to Iceland in 2005, 2007 and 2010. Here is an excerpt that I wrote from my first visit in 2005:
“There is simply nothing like this place anywhere else. You drive through tortured lava
fields for miles and suddenly, you see a huge steam plant and a spa. And
lots of tourists. The Blue Lagoon is a artificial lake, but uses the steam
nearby to heat it. The lava fields and white calcium boulders are also
natural. The color of the water is otherwordly- a milky, almost
flourescent baby blue. This is due to the algae in the water. There are
also some natural steam vents that produce a complete blizzard of white
smoke when you stand in the path. So I took a swim. It was almost a
spiritual experience. I felt I could only move very slowly. There were a
few boulders where you could get white silica mud to put on your face like
a face mask. I waded in the lagoon for about an hour. Additionally, the
wind was so strong outside, that it felt really nice to be in the warm
water. When i got out, I felt that I had huge weights hanging from me. I
have never experienced this feeling getting out of a pool before.”

The finished piece is about 4 feet long by 1 foot wide. There are well over a dozen yarns in here including novelty yarns (some with sequins), angora, hand dyed lace yarn from Montreal, alpaca and more.

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Labyrinth art yarn: “As the World Falls Down”

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March 4, 2013

“Labyrinth” is one of my favorite movies of all time. It’s so creative and combines a mix of distinctive characters, fantastic lands and clever humor. David Bowie is my favorite solo musician of all time. One of my favorite scenes in the movie is the ballroom scene where Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie dance to his song “As the World Falls Down.” Just the song itself is spectacular, but the scene is haunting and surreal.

So I decided to make an art yarn that was inspired by this scene and song. Just made this most stunning art yarn in February. There a number of different fibers in here including wool, rayon, mohair, metallic tencel and merino. Some of the fibers are hand dyed. There are also some unconventional fibers including metallic easter grass and fake doll hair (long and blond, like the Goblin King’s). Lengths of various novelty yarns, laces, silk fabrics, beaded and sequined trims were spun in at various intervals. Two strands of thread one mint, one dark silver), one with dozens of multicolored beads of all sizes (including glass, plastic, shell, semiprecious stone and metal) were spun into the yarn. The other strand has hundreds of unusual sequins in silver and black stripes and iridescent olive eye shapes. There are several larger beads put in later.

Because of the many types of fiber and beads, there is a real diversity of texture in this yarn. It is also quite heavy because it’s packed with beads, trims, sequins, fabrics and more. This yarns is packed to the ultimate max with treasures.

It’s a very bulky yarn for size 15 US needles and up for knitting, size P hook and up for crochet.
69 yards
12.3 ounces/346 grams

the yarn is for sale as well.

In 2009, I spun an art yarn inspired by the Goblin King (Jareth) played by David Bowie. This yarn also included fake doll hair, pompoms and beads:

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Climate Scarf

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February 19, 2013

I finished my Climate Scarf for Champaign-Urbana, Illinois in which I documented the temperature from January 29, 2012 to January 29, 2013. I knit one row for every day of the year in the color that coordinated to the temperature high that day. I photographed it in a circle, as the year is like one big circle:

It was an exceedingly warm year, with temperatures as hot as the high 70s in March. July had weeks of temperatures in the 90s and 100s with very little rain:

I have decided to knit a new Climate Scarf this year starting January 30, 2013 and see how it compares to last year. So far it has been another very mild winter with many days in the 40s (yellow-green) and a few in the 50s (yellow). I’m just hoping it won’t be another searing summer with record low rainfall contributing to the worst drought since 1988. But only time will tell…

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Wreaths for all seasons

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January 31, 2013

Recently I’ve enjoyed making several wreaths from mainly upcycled or repurposed materials. A few months ago, I shared a couple of wreaths made with various fabric scraps. Since then, I’ve made 2 more. One is made from old felted sweaters, which I bought at places like Goodwill. There are so many things you can do with felted sweaters. I cut them into leaves and flowers and glued them onto a styrofoam base.

I also made one from styrofoam balls wrapped in various yarns. Some of the yarns were upcycled from sweaters and other garments. The styrofoam balls were purchased at the I.D.E.A. Store in Champaign, IL-a creative reuse store where all proceeds from all sales go towards local children’s art programs. These yarn balls were glued onto a twig wreath, also purchased at the I.D.E.A. Store.

I have these colorful wreaths hung up in my apartment to add color and cheer to my home!

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Knitted Journeys: 3 daily projects finished after 1 year

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January 20, 2013

Well, I’ve managed to keep my promise to myself to knit one row per day for 5 different daily projects for a total of 1 year. So far I’ve finished 4 of them. The original idea came to me as an inspiration from Leafcutter Designs blog post for a conceptual “Sky Scarf.”
I did one of these, but also got the idea to do other conceptual projects.
The other 3 projects that I have now finished are a Tree Scarf, a Mood Scarf and a Dream Scarf.
With the Tree Scarf, I knit one row per day based on the colors of the tree outside my apartment window. I’m unsure as to what kind of tree it is, but the gradually changing colors made a really interesting outcome. The final scarf is probably at least 10 feet long:

The Mood Scarf was more intuitive and open to interpretation. I knit one row a day for an entire year. Each day I knit in yarns that I felt best expressed my moods that day. As you can see, I’m very moody! Well, actually I’m a generally cheerful person but experience many moods. There are more literal colors that I used: gray and blue for depression, red and black for anger, bright colors for happiness. But for more complex emotions like anxiety, frustration, indifference, contentment, reflection, etc, I used colors and yarns that were more ambiguous. Many times I had a difficult time sorting out my exact moods, they were a blur of different ones. And sometimes I couldn’t even really figure out what kind of mood I was in that day. I used multiple strands of yarns each day to reflect the more complex nature of my emotional state. This scarf was probably 7-8 feet long and about 1 foot wide:

The Dream Scarf was also more abstract. I am a vivid dreamer and often have very memorable and visually stimulating dreams. I also have plenty of nightmares and dreams filled with anxiety. Once and a while I cannot remember my dream the night before, although this didn’t happen too often. I tried to write them down as soon as I woke up. Many of these dreams are reoccurring…some I’ve had for years and years, some up to several times a week. Perhaps my anxiety filled dreams about having to return to school are my most common. But I also have dreams about traveling to exotic places or discovering amazing new neighborhoods in my own town of Champaign-Urbana. I knit this scarf in the round, so it’s one long tube. Again, I used multiple yarns per day to capture the more complex nature of these dreams. The finished scarf is probably about 8 feet long.

I’m almost done with my Climate Scarf. I started it a little later than the others but it will be done in 10 days from now. Stay tuned!

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