KNIT PATTERN: Ripple Fingerless Gloves

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Cables create a ripple effect of circles in these fingerless gloves.

These are knit from the bottom cuff up.
They are knit in the round.

Special skills:
• Knitting in the round
• Increase & bind off
• Cable stitching

Size: Adult
Approximate finished measurements: Glove length: 8.5 in (21.6 cm), Flat width: 2.75 in (7 cm) – 1 inch wider in thumb gusset area.

Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm) double pointed needles – set of 4 recommended.
Tapestry needle.

GAUGE
US7 – 20 st + 24 rows = 4˝ (10.16 cm)
in unblocked stockinette stitch.

Yarn: Worsted Weight, approx 125 yds (114 m)

Available on Etsy for $3.50

Knit Pattern: Maille Fingerless Gloves

Inspired by the intricate patterns of chain maille, these highly cabled fingerless gloves look more complex than they are to knit. Though not as stretchy as some of my other patterns, the thumb gusset gives the gloves a comfortable fit.

These are knit from the bottom cuff up.
They are knit in the round.

Special skills:
• Knitting in the round
• Increase & Decrease
• Cable stitching

Size: Adult
Approximate finished measurements: Glove length: 8.75 in (22.23 cm), Flat width: 3 in (7.6 cm) – 1 in larger in thumb gusset area.

Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm) double pointed needles – set of 4 recommended.
Tapestry needle.

GAUGE
US7 – 20 st + 24 rows = 4˝ (10.16 cm)
in unblocked stockinette stitch.

Yarn: Worsted Weight, approx 125 yds (114 m)

Available on Etsy for $3.50!

Knit Pattern: Nautilus Fingerless Gloves

Knit with worsted weight yarn, these ribbed fingerless gloves feature spiraling ribs reminiscent of a nautilus shell. With minimal cabling, these gloves are very stretchy.

These fingerless mitts knit from the bottom cuff up.
They are knit in the round.

Special skills:
• Knitting in the round
• Increase & Decrease
• Cable stitching

Size: Adult
Approximate finished measurements: Glove length: 7.5 in (19 cm), Flat width: 3 in (7.6 cm) – 1 in larger in thumb gusset area.

Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm) double pointed needles – set of 4 recommended.
Tapestry needle.

GAUGE
US7 – 20 st + 24 rows = 4˝ (10.16 cm)
in unblocked stockinette stitch.

Yarn: Worsted Weight, approx 125 yds (114 m)

Available on Etsy for $3.50!

Knit Pattern: Figure Eights Fingerless Gloves

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These fingerless gloves can use DK or light worsted weight yarn in a pattern that uses cables to create a textured repeat.

These fingerless mitts knit from the bottom cuff up.
They are knit in the round.

Special skills:
• Knitting in the round
• Increase & Decrease
• Cable stitching

Size: Adult
Approximate finished measurements: Glove length: 9 in (17.75 cm), Flat width: 2.75 in (7.6 cm) – 1 in larger in thumb gusset area.

Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm) double pointed needles – set of 4 recommended.
Tapestry needle.

GAUGE
US7 – 20 st + 22 rows = 4˝ (10.16 cm)
in unblocked stockinette stitch.

Yarn: DK Weight, approx 125 yds (114 m)

Available on Etsy for $3.50!

Things We Like: Slowdive, “Slowdive”

Slowdive’s self-titled “comeback” record was floating around my Spotify playlists last year and it was a nice little reminder of a band I enjoyed in my earlier years. While they weren’t my favorite shoegaze band way back when – that honor goes to Lush – they were a reliable go-to for some solid atmospheric guitar tunes. 

But the couple of songs I heard nearly 25 years later wouldn’t leave my head. Select melodies drifted back and forth and I kept coming back for more. A taste here, a taste there. The songs were good, but I had no idea how irresistibly good until I let the whole album run through – at full blast. Then I finally got a copy. It’s barely left the turntable since.

Woozy and atmospheric, tranquil and sometimes rocking, Slowdive is perfect for these long, damp, gray winter days that seem to have settled in. All the sounds – angelic vocals and chiming guitars among them – congeal in a beautiful haze that’s hard to navigate. It doesn’t really matter, though, for the melodies, textures, and pure emotion are enough to push you through. Besides, sometimes it’s best to just surrender and let the sounds wash over. You know, just numb out and stare at the sky for a while.

Again, they weren’t at the top of my list, but Slowdive could seriously put them over the top in a retroactive best-of. Why? Because the record continues to deliver song after song, time after time. And it definitely gets better with age. As with most great records, there are certain moments that jump out immediately, while other more elusive sounds don’t reveal themselves until that fifth, sixth, seventh listen – when you really start digging in. Slowdive is teeming with these tiny little jewels and you’ll be rewarded handsomely for taking the taking time to settle in and discover them.

Anyway, give me a nudge in April to see if any other record has replaced this slab of excellence on our turntable. At this point, I’m not confident anything possibly could. 

2020 into 2021

One chapter ending, another just beginning. Celebrating the end of a dizzyingly bizarre year with a simple gesture via our Christmas card was quite cathartic. And looking ahead is now so very satisfying. 

Spinning Yarns

My mini electric eel wheel has allowed me to explore spinning up yarns this year. With a variety of fibers, I’ve been able to explore very fine barber pole yarns to chain-plied long run color transitions.

Things We Like: Keluar, “Panguna”

On Panguna, Keluar deliver an inspired combination of the exotic exuberance of 80’s synth-pop and classic, hard-edged EBM. But unlike many of the recent retro-electro throwbacks, this one sounds exotic, somewhat mysterious, a little bit dangerous, and – dare I say – fun. 

Keluar manages to capture the mysterious, globe-trotting themes of so many 80’s synth-pop hits. Here, I’m thinking specifically of Duran Duran. The tracks carry the torch of classics like ““Rio”, “Hungry Like the Wolf” or “Wild Boys” to foreign lands and destinations unknown. And the lyrics pair nicely with the sultry, emotive delivery of vocalist Zoe Zanias.

But where the choruses on those 80’s hits can veer straight into middle-of-the-road, crowd-pleasing purgatory, Keluar instead ground the songs securely in the darker BPMs of classic electronic body music like Front 242 or BiGod 20. Really, the tracks on Panguna could best be summed up as “Wild Boys” meets “Headhunter” meets “The Bog”. Darker Duran Duran or lighter Front 242. No other description necessary, really.     

Even as a fan of so much new music these days, rarely does a track excite and surprise as much as the title track. Everything here is interesting, complex, fresh and mysterious. When I put this on, I’m reminded of that rush of excitement you’d get when the DJ would put on an epic synth 12” to crush the dancefloor. One of those rare tracks that would get everyone moving, not just the electroheads.  

An added bonus, here, is the addition of a Hacker remix of the title track. It’s an outright banger that delivers by smoothing things out with a roiling synth line and taut, crisp beats that crack like whip.

They tried to tame you, looks like they’ll try again.

Prints: New. Improved.

Some prints get wrecked in the printing process. It makes sense that hand-printed works are more susceptible to flaws than mechanically printed ones, but knowing that still doesn’t make it any easier to take. Inconsistencies – whether it’s ink flow, a knick in the stencil, a fingerprint or smudge – can ruin a perfectly good print. It happens. It’s just part of the process. I know this, yet I still take the flaws pretty hard.

But I got tired of feeling this way and sought to do something about it. Rather than looking at flaws as a door closing, I decided to look at them as a window opening. By doing so, there’s an opportunity to add new ideas or, in this case, make corrections. I embraced the flaws and just canceled them out. Literally.

My first step was to unearth slightly less-than-perfect prints from the depths of purgatory (i.e. the neither-here-nor-there void of the flat file) and assess the damage. Next up was fixing them. That’s achieved here by masking the flaws with a big, blunt mark. Simple as that. Rather than just erasing the flaws, I chose to acknowledge and celebrate them.

In some cases, crossing out the mistakes added to the composition. In others, it was just a means to an end. While making perfect compositions was certainly not the goal, there are some beautiful moments to behold.

There’s beauty in everything. Finding it is just a matter of perspective. Clearly my interest in signage, typography, and found objects influenced the direction, but, in retrospect, there are other references that come to mind, like the butterfly joint in a George Nakashima table or even the knots in a piece of plywood.

These days, it’s about accepting what comes your way. Taking each day as it arrives – with all the highs and lows – and making the best of it. That, in a sense, is what the Correction Series is all about.

Pictured: “Untitled (Correction)” 2020, “Untitled (Correction)” 2020, “Untitled (Correction)” 2020, “Untitled (Correction)” 2020. 

Prints: Monoprint #27, 2020

Here’s a monoprint that made a cameo appearance in a recent video for Grant Design Collaborative. I was wavering on whether this one was complete, but with a slight trim (and some much-needed time/distance) this one is officially complete. Nine colors on white.