Delete Charlie

Sometimes when I start a project, I'll blurt out my idea just to get it out of my head, and into fruition. Sometimes it's spot on in one try, and other times I have to kill the first idea and try again. That's how the creative process works. In order to create a strong body of work, you have to learn to kill your babies, specifically the weak ones. But doing the work, making that first attempt at creating what you know might die is a necessary part of the process.

So the first idea was to knit three narrow bands of garter stitch, and then whip stitch them all together. This is still a pretty solid direction, but after working on it for months, I realized how much I hated the monotony. This first version of this project was the only knitting project I had going for a while, despite the fact that I needed to be knitting hats for my Etsy shop. I was calling it "Fragments" at the time, stupid name, really.

During this time, I was also learning how to weave on a rigid heddle loom that I purchased recently. I was torn. Do I jump into a full-blown weaving project so soon after having learned the most elementary basics of plain weave? Or do I continue to bang out weaving samples parroted from Jane Patrick's book? So boredom with my first idea, and an itch to weave a twelve foot warp lead to what this project turned out to be.



And what it turned out to be is an iteration of my stash-busting series, Delete. Being the third, it is designated Delete Charlie. If you're curious, here are Delete Alpha and Bravo. The twelve foot warp I just mentioned barely diminished, shrinking only six inches to a completed length of 11.5 feet (350.5 cm). The width relaxed down to about 11 in (28 cm).

I don't remember where I mentioned this, but I don't like little tiny scarves. I don't see the point. By tiny, I mean short. This is a very subjective term, I realize, but to me the term 'short scarf' refers to anything that is under five feet (152 cm) or so. I want to drown in it. If I neglect to wrap it around me enough times, I want to be penalized by having it scoop under my feet, and trip me. But this, of course is not that type of long scarf. It could have been, but it's not.

Since this is a circular scarf, the winding around has already been taken care of. I got the idea for this peculiar spiral construction from a bag I saw on SriThreads. I'm intrigued by diagonal geometry in general, and this bag has popped into my head (and my Pinterest feed) on a few occasions. The technique is pretty straight-forward, but the tricky part was determining a reasonable width for the resulting cylinder. In this case, the circumference is about 55 inches (140 cm). I achieved this by modifying the angle to a length that was half of that. It ended up being about 28 inches (71 cm) which is slightly longer to account for some shrinkage.



As far as the seaming goes, I attached selvedge loops to one another as if to introduce a new warp yarn. This created some interesting discrepancies where selvedges of alternated colors met stripe sections along the spiral seam. Because of the slight differences in yarn sizes, there were differing weft heights being joined together. This resulted in portions that looked like deflated balloons, or under-stuffed pillows. I remedied this with little armies of running stitches. It's reminiscent of English smocking, and Japanese sashiko, and the visual texture it created really brings the beauty of plain weave up (quite literally, I suppose) to another level.



I look back on the knitted thing that this piece could have been, and it's so boring in comparison, so ugly. That first idea had to die in order for this one to live. Being creative means having the ability to generate so many ideas that killing some of them is only natural. Additionally, it would be quite arrogant to presume that every idea is good enough to keep. Coming up with bad ideas is just as important as coming up with the good ones. It's all part of the process.



Here are the yarns I used: Brown, Grey, Black/Bronze, Red, and a very brief appearance of Orange.

Web Content Strategy

This is a little info graphic I've been meaning to make for a while, not just to clarify for my own sake, but to show you guys how I strategize my online content. Pretty straight-forward, eh?

Unpredictable & Finite

I do love this design. Not just because of the pattern itself, but because this is a signature color for gridjunky. I think the whole "boring colors" argument stems from knitters who seem to think we (guys) have no desire to be daring. And I may get some flack for this, but I also think it stems from a lack of design training. Color isn't the only way to express yourself. I choose to forge my path with texture.

But as I've mentioned before, this is the last of this particular yarn lot, a scottish shetland wool recycled from a Nordstrom men's cardigan. The sweater was badly damaged with ripped seams, missing buttons, and straight-up filthy. It took about five washes to get the water to run clear. It was so gross I didn't even take a picture of it. But this is shetland wool at it's best: indestructible. And once I re-spliced all the breaks into decent yardage, it was new again. In total I've made five hats from this lot, two of which I kept for myself because I love it that much.

This is the same pattern as the original I did in navy blue. Nothing different here except the yarn, and when it's gone, it's gone. Will I find another gray shetland sweater in the future? Who knows? But I guess that jives with gridjunky too: the organic structural systems I explore with texture represent the paths of life, and life is both unpredictable and finite.

Etsy Shop Listing

Thrive Through Cooperation

Duality Delta is about symbiosis, specifically Mutualism in which two organisms benefit from cooperation. This relationship occurs frequently in nature, contributing to the stability of an ecosystem, and facilitating evolutionary survival.

For example, bees pass pollen from flower to flower as they gather it, facilitating plant reproduction. Clownfish enjoy the protection of sea anemones while protecting them from other fish. Mutualistic symbiosis occurs everywhere, and these organisms thrive through cooperation.



Duality Delta demonstrates Mutualism by using a triangular format to suggest progression, and lengths of garter stitch emanating from the central spine represent life cycles. A reversal occurs at the center where the emanation switches to the outer borders. I use this to suggest the two perspectives of this relationship. While the left and right sides represent each organisms life cycle, the top and bottom sections represent their awareness and perception of the relationship.

The yarn is a navy blue 100% cotton recycled from a sweater vest, and knit on size 5(3.75mm) needles. The piece is set up on a three stitch garter tab with matching three stitch garter borders, and a sewn bind-off.

Etsy Shop Listing

Feral

This cat was born in a patch of jade plants on the side of my house. I would see him walking past the back door, or stalking gopher holes. My interaction with him was limited to spotting him through windows and glass doors. Feral cats avoid human contact, so he'd run if he saw me.

I liked having this wild thing just wandering around out there. I never fed him or anything, it seemed like he was doing just fine on his own. I just left him alone. I never even named him.

A few weeks ago I found his body in the patch of jade plants he was born in. He must have died a while ago judging from the decomposition. I found this picture I took of him back in '06, a rare shot of him in loaf mode. Pretty handsome, eh?

I know he was just some stray cat, but I always regarded him as my little analogy. I can relate to being resourceful enough to survive, and living this simple life untethered by human connection, yet appreciated from afar. He was wild and free. To me that's a pretty awesome life.

Self Edit

I'm really not sure why I've put this off for so long. Over the past few years I've been half-assing my logo in an attempt to get 'something' up and be done with it. Maybe I just didn't want to subject my personal brand to the same critical examination as my past clients. Or maybe it was out of laziness, who knows. In truth it was a refreshing change from all the knitting. Applying the creative process to my own content has been liberating in a way. I always used to do this for someone else.



Logo design is all about coming from a conceptual place which is why I like it so much. It starts (for me anyway) with a list of words. What's the gridjunky brand about? Is there a recurring creative theme? What words characterize your skill set? From about twenty or so words, mine ended up being: 'Organic' & 'Convergence.'

Nature inspires me, I know that's a cheesy cliche, but it's true. Nature is exploding with patterns. Like right now. I find that fascinating. A lot of my projects are an acknowledgment of these 'organic' patterns.

I'm not a scientist or a teacher or any other hero of earth. I'm just a creative person, so I recognize and demonstrate nature differently. 'Convergence' is a reference to the connections between organic pattern recognition and the creative process. It's also a reference to the merging of different skills -such as design, photography, writing and knitting- into a cohesive brand.



The symbols I came up with revolved around a trefoil design which I feel represent both convergence and the cohesion of organic structure. The decrease patterns of my hats are a play on this design as well. The final logo consists of a 'g' and a 'j' nested together in a trefoil shape. I still have to work out some stroked variations, but I'm happy with the result.



Hmmm... now I need new business cards.

In Stitches

There's a part of me that really dreads the thought of selling all the stuff I'm making right now. It's causing me to think hard about what it is I'm trying to do with this craft I just happened to pick up for the hell of it. Exactly a year ago I finished my first crochet project. It was a slouchy beanie. Big surprise, right? The following month I signed up on Etsy to reserve my name. This entire year has been focused on improving my skills so that I can offer hand knits to people who might want to buy them. That's a pretty general goal, but there it is.

Now that I'm here surrounded by thousands of sellers, I can't help but feel like everyone is offering the same thing: chunky-ass knits. What's up with that? If i were to guess, I'd say it's because they look fantastic on a computer screen. The stitch definition is all up in your face, plus you feel warm just looking at it. Another reason is from a production stand point. After developing the Carve series I was reminded of how easy it is to work with worsted weight yarns. They knit up quick, so you can blow through a hat in one day. Easy.

It doesn't fit. Carve series doesn't jive with what I'm trying to do with my knitting. You know what it feels like? It feels like I'm copping out. I'm falling for that Etsy trap of spitting out some quick thing that looks great on your iPad or whatever. The whole idea of coffee cup cozys is another cop out. I may as well be churning out amigurumi owls or felted mustaches on sticks. Okay, maybe that's a stretch, but that's what it feels like to me.

So the Carve series is my compromise. It's me accepting that most people won't understand that Skew series is wearable throughout the year, or that Pyramid series is far more sophisticated & stylish than any chunky cop-out.

Then what am I trying to do with this craft? Well, I've been learning crochet and knitting for one year, and I see all the old fascinations I had as a graphic designer materializing in stitches. All the geometric abstractions and glorified distress are coming through into a new medium.

But more than anything, it's the design process I'm fascinated with. The sitting there moving a triangle left and right for an hour trying to find the flow of visual energy. I don't really care if the things I'm doing have been done before. My knitting isn't about them, it's about me. It's the learning and the doing, and the logical progression towards a conclusion independent of outside influence.

Sat though all that, did you? Well then have a relaxing look at these pretty pictures of works in progress and sweater entrails:

Restrained Clarity

Graphic design is all about the message. If you aren't saying anything, you're demonstrating nothing. If you have something to say, communicate it with eloquent clarity. Form it, nurture it, groom it, clarify it, and let it out.

I like the idea of having something there, behind the eyes, waiting to bust out, but restrained, waiting for the right moment. It's not about the release, it's about control.

Jerome Robbins nailed it with a stunning piece of choreography in West Side Story. After the loss if their leader, the Jets are off balance, confronted by fear, regret, anger and sorrow. On top of that, they have to deal with the cops. With so much raging inside, and so much riding on it outside, the best thing to do is "be cool."

Before the action, before the idea springs from your mind full blown into the world, just before it explodes, grab it. Pull it back. Then slowly let it go and examine it as it passes softly through you.