Sew Loopy

If you thought that knitting had reached its peak with stitch-n-bitch groups, the knots are getting bigger in the form of guerilla knitting for the outdoors and phat threads for your interiors. I don’t really know how to knit and have tried to bring out my crafty side by picking up some free leftover yarn from work and finding some giraffe-stamped needles from the local charity shop. I have had friends try to teach me but I abandoned the project sometime last year when I got distracted by something else. But perhaps knitting graffiti can help me pick up those needles and cast some loops.

Graffiti has evolved quite a bit from its spraycan origins. Laser tagging and cuprocking are ones that spring to mind. Some might argue that guerilla knitting isn’t a true graffiti art (would you call it craffiti instead?), but you can’t really complain when it splashes colour onto our otherwise mundane (grey) concrete slabs. The other forms of graffiti can’t quite create that surreal feeling of seeing a knitted flower sprout out from the lawn.

Sticky in the middle

This Christmas, I decided not to send out any Christmas cards. I had the idea of making stained glass cookies and giving them out instead of the more traditional paper option.

Starting out with a mixed bag of boiled sweets, Katrina and I crushed the colourful sweets and placed them in little pyrex ramekins to urge us on with this fiddly, but exciting baking job.

We listened to some  music and worked hard together, waiting to see the end result. It was a satisfying feeling to see the shortbread cookies turn out looking like stained glass. They looked unlike jammie dodgers but in your mouth, the cookies had the unique texture of being both hard and soft.

I’ve always loved the look of sweets. Sugar is wonderful tool for producing edible art (think Papabubble).

I placed mine in little clear bags tied with some Christmassy ribbon and felt a little pride giving them out, knowing that they were homemade delights.

This doodle needs colour!

Not long ago I wrote a post about interactive wallpaper that I’d spotted. I was delighted today to read about Jon Burgerman‘s colouring-in wallpaper that is available to buy from nineteenseventythree

My first introduction to Jon Burgerman came from guyfriend who has long been a fan of this doodlist. My presents last Christmas were wrapped in the intricate illustrations of Bugerman, and one of the presents included some wonderful Jon Burgerman character stickers. 

I am pleased to see that more colouring-in wallpaper are being developed and the amazing characters of Jon Burgerman can be brought alive in a fun and interactive way. 

Get your colouring pens out and personalise some art!