caitlin makes

DADA zine at the V&A

Sat, 18 May 2013 16:37:54 -0400

DADA zine at the V&A

At Borough Market

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:40:03 -0400

At Borough Market

fuckyeahneedlework: kecobe: Dora Wheeler Keith (American;...

Fri, 03 May 2013 19:32:54 -0400

fuckyeahneedlework:

kecobe:

Dora Wheeler Keith (American; 1856–1940)
Penelope Unraveling Her Work at Night
Silk embroidered with silk thread, 1886
Embroidered panel made for Associated Artists (1883–1907)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Thus she: at once the generous train complies,
Nor fraud mistrusts in virtue’s fair disguise.
The work she plied; but, studious of delay,
By night reversed the labours of the day.
While thrice the sun his annual journey made,
The conscious lamp the midnight fraud survey’d;
Unheard, unseen, three years her arts prevail;
The fourth her maid unfolds the amazing tale.
We saw, as unperceived we took our stand,
The backward labours of her faithless hand.
Then urged, she perfects her illustrious toils;
A wondrous monument of female wiles!
Odyssey, Book II (translated by Alexander Pope)

Now that’s neat.

Today on the blog I’m excited to share an interview with...

Thu, 02 May 2013 20:30:26 -0400

Today on the blog I’m excited to share an interview with Maggie Stein, the maker of these incredible modern quilts.

museumuesum: Hudson Hayden A Stellar’s Jay, 2012 scanned color...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:19:55 -0400

museumuesum:

Hudson Hayden

A Stellar’s Jay, 2012

scanned color negative

Leavin’ on a jet plane? Me, too. I’ve rounded up...

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 20:30:40 -0400

Leavin’ on a jet plane? Me, too. I’ve rounded up the air travel regulations for taking works-in-progress through security, as well as travel-friendly tools and cases, over at caitlinmakes.com.

Progress

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 23:07:00 -0400

Progress

fuckyeahbookarts: Book Cover Collages by Hollie Chastain

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:15:18 -0400

fuckyeahbookarts:

Book Cover Collages by Hollie Chastain

Saw Stefanie Dykes’s Querl and eighty-six other tiny wonders at...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 07:42:49 -0400

Saw Stefanie Dykes’s Querl and eighty-six other tiny wonders at the Virginia Arts of the Book Center last weekend. Read more about the exhibit here.

austinkleon: Patti Smith’s advice to young artists A writer...

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 10:53:37 -0400

austinkleon:

Patti Smith’s advice to young artists

A writer or any artist can’t expect to be embraced by the people. I’ve done records where it seemed like no one listened to them. You write poetry books that maybe 50 people read. And you just keep doing your work because you have to, because it’s your calling.

But it’s beautiful to be embraced by the people.

Some people have said to me, “Well, don’t you think that kind of success spoils one as an artist? If you’re a punk rocker, you don’t want to have a hit record…”

And I say to them, “Fuck you!”

One does their work for the people. And the more people you can touch, the more wonderful it is. You don’t do your work and say, “I only want the cool people to read it.” You want everyone to be transported, or hopefully inspired by it.

When I was really young, William Burroughs told me, “Build a good name. Keep your name clean. Don’t make compromises. Don’t worry about making a bunch of money or being successful. Be concerned with doing good work. And make the right choices and protect your work. And if you can build a good name, eventually that name will be its own currency.”

So, so good.

cinoh: Happy Birthday to abstract painter Josef Albers, who...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 19:49:43 -0400

cinoh:

Happy Birthday to abstract painter Josef Albers, who turns 125 today! Pictured is one of Albers’ many “Homage to the Square” paintings.

convincingindie: hollygonightly: I was kicked out of the Girl...

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:38:07 -0400

convincingindie:

hollygonightly:

I was kicked out of the Girl Scouts in 6th grade and I feel decidedly okay about that after this exercise.

Flying Dog Brewery presents, beer and cookie pairings…

With absolutely no affiliation or direct partnership with the Girl Scouts of America, Flying Dog is pleased to present the unofficial guide to pairing cookies with beer.

The brewery generously purchased one box of each variety from Brewmaster Matt Brophy’s daughter, a gesture that will fund numerous outings for area girls to learn courage, confidence, and character.

“At my old job, there was this unspoken obligation to buy cookies from the boss, even if you were on a diet or had diabetes,” one Flying Dog employee said. “But here, there is a greater sense of purpose behind the cookies.”

Brophy was visibly pleased by his daughter’s sales. “Who cares about da other things?” he said. “The moon sometimes looks like a “C” but you can’t eat that.”

The cookies arrived yesterday and in another gesture of sheer selflessness, the staff of Flying Dog Brewery poured multiple beers and consumed multiple cookies to develop the best pairings for the guide.

“It wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do on my Thursday afternoon,” another Flying Dog staffer said, “but I was able to get through it.”

Here’s what the brewery came up with:

Trefoils with Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout (DD)

The smooth butter and vanilla flavors from the shortbread are complimented by the dry chocolate and roast character in the beer.

Do-Si-Dos with Lucky SOB Irish Red

The sweet peanut butter filling and light graham cracker cookie are a perfect match for the rich caramel and toasty malt notes in Lucky SOB.

Samoas with Raging Bitch Belgian-Style IPA

The caramel coating of the cookie and caramel malt soothe the extreme hop character while the chocolate and coconut bring the Belgian fruity funk to life.

Tagalongs with Gonzo Imperial Porter

The one-two punch combination of peanut butter and chocolate is a knockout with Gonzo’s rich chocolate and nutty malt character.

Thin Mints with Kujo Imperial Coffee Stout (DD)

Chocolate, mint, and robust coffee and chocolate malt notes created a peppermint mocha latte in your mouth.

Legend: Pairings marked with a DD are definitely dunkable.

Useful information!

To keep in mind for next year—YUM.

Spring is here, so I’ve rounded up six beautiful knitting...

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 13:02:17 -0400

Spring is here, so I’ve rounded up six beautiful knitting patterns for triangular shawls/scarves at http://www.caitlinmakes.com/2013/04/spring-bandanas.html.

New project up at caitlinmakes.com.

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 08:30:15 -0400

New project up at caitlinmakes.com.

nyxfox: Ok. This drives me up the wall. Anthropologie reblogs a...

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 20:21:30 -0400

nyxfox:

Ok. This drives me up the wall. Anthropologie reblogs a picture, puts the account that reblogged the pic as the source. But had they taken that extra SECOND of effort, they’d see the original poster reblogged that photo (acknowledging the source), that girlsack took this picture, that it’s of yewon kim, who runs girlsack. Those familiar with yewon’s blog recognize the, at this point, somewhat iconic composition of her shots AND HER TATTOO that identifies the shot as a girlsack shot.

But even if you ignore this, the only thing anthropologie about this shot is the aesthetic. Mind you, I’m a massive anthropologie fan, I love buying the clothes they stock, etc. But a company-sponsored social media site NEEDS to take responsibility and actually cite the source of their content. They’re not a 13 year old girl who knows nothing about copyright, they’re a business. This is what social media IS. Do your job.

hear hear!

I’ve rounded up this and three other great beginner...

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:30:20 -0400

I’ve rounded up this and three other great beginner patterns on caitlinmakes.com.

Finished, as of Saturday: my first pair of socks. I used the...

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 20:41:00 -0500

Finished, as of Saturday: my first pair of socks. I used the Purl Bee pattern Men’s Socks for Giving Away. It’s a great first-sock pattern: the clear instructions and step-by-step photos made turning the heel a breeze. I also love the athletic stripes and contrast heel and toe. But the next time I knit a pair of socks, I’ll go with a pattern that’s a bit less … slouchy. That said, Michael loves his long-promised hand-knitted socks. (Which are the same length, I swear! The right one is just pulled down a bit more in the first photograph.)

If you’re interested in seeing more of my knitted projects, check out my projects page on Ravelry. I spent a little time today editing and uploading new photos, so it’s looking fancier than ever (hey there, Damson, you’re looking fine tonight). You can also see the updated photos at http://caitlinmakes.tumblr.com/tagged/projects.

Wow. Saw this embroidered leather-and-calf-hair clutch by Lizzie...

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 07:30:00 -0500

Wow. Saw this embroidered leather-and-calf-hair clutch by Lizzie Fortunato on Fiction to Fashion and had to share it here. What a knockout.

The envelope shape and buttery leather are a huge part of what makes this bag so stunning, but I naturally focused on the embroidery. A similarly shaded palette of DMC floss colors would make a beautiful bracelet; you could also stitch a geometric pattern on a pillow cover or canvas zipper pouch. The shades are (clockwise from top left) 718, 310, 741, 972, 3033, and 3771, and they’re all available online at Purl Soho. (The gorgeous product photographs are theirs, too.)

austinkleon: Andrea Dezsö’s Embroidered “Lessons From My...

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 07:30:30 -0500

austinkleon:

Andrea Dezsö’s Embroidered “Lessons From My Mother”

I met Andrea in San Diego last year and was immediately floored by her work. (Also, being 1/4 Romanian but still knowing almost nothing about Romania, I’m always fascinated by Romanian artists.)

NYTimes:

From afar, the stitching and calming colors looked like the work of a doting grandmother, but up close there were images of vaginas, fetuses and a study of the myths that mothers told their daughters in Transylvania, Romania, where Ms. Dezsö, 39, was raised…

Working in the city has provided fodder for many of her ideas and for her embroidery series, which she stitched while traveling throughout the city. A woman stitching in public is viewed differently in different neighborhoods, Ms. Dezsö found.

“If I’m in Queens, people think I’m a traditional woman,” Ms. Dezsö said. “If I’m in Manhattan, it’s the hippest thing.”

See more of Andrea’s work here.

Hold This Thread

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 12:30:00 -0500

After spending much of the fall letterpress printing and embroidering, I’m back to my first crafty love, knitting. My needles are pretty much spoken for at the moment (socks for my husband, a hat for me, and a long-promised cowl and mitt set for my mom), but that hasn’t stopped me from daydreaming about knitting my first adult-sized sweater later this spring.

I’ve heard Jane Richmond’s Oatmeal Pullover is a great starter pattern (one of my favorite Ravelers has referred it as “nasty easy”), but Melissa LaBarre’s Agnes (above, photo by Carrie Bostick Hoge) has really turned my head. I love the simple construction, the chunky yarn, and the mod, a-line shape—not to mention those hidden pockets. (Aren’t they calling out for a bright contrasting color, and maybe even a tipped edge on the garment itself?)

I can’t cast on yet, but I can play around with possible color combinations in the pattern yarn, Quince & Co’s Puffin:

Twig & Cypress

Peacoat & Delft

Chanterelle & Carrie’s Yellow

What colors would you choose? (I’m leaning toward the third one.) Are you working on any projects, knitted or otherwise, this weekend? I’d love to hear about them.