How-to, why-to

I've been supremely lucky to have not one, not two, but three fabulous books fall through the letterbox this week. 



The Crafter's Companion - Tips, tales and patterns from a community of creative minds
by Anna Torborg (Ed)
Snowbooks, Oct 2006, Paperback 9781905005178.  RRP £14.99

Many of you in the online world will have already heard about this, as it's a compendium of the work of seventeen of the most inspired and creative bloggers out there, from all over the world.  As well as patterns for selected projects, there's details of inspiration and thoughts on why these women create.  It does seems that most people came from crafty families and supportive environments:

I remember being four-years-old, waking up one morning to a toasted bagel and my father setting up a blank t-shirt and several bottles of fabric paint on the kitchen table for my sister and I.  He told me to do whatever I wanted to the shirt, to write my name on it, perhaps.  To decorate it.  I don't know why he chose that particular activity on that particular morning, but I remember thinking what a wonderful way to start the day
- Katey Nicosia

That made me wonder about my own childhood. I didn't exactly have art with breakfast but I was taught to sew, knit and patchwork in school.  My mum knits, my father made amazing wedding cakes in his career as a baker.  Neither would claim to be artists because they are too modest, though both are enormously supportive of my current crazy endeavours which is lovely. 

There are certainly a few projects in the Crafter's Companion that I'll be interpreting after a fashion - as Anna says

A skilled craftperson may be able to reproduce each of these projects exactly, but a creative one won't be able to resist adding her own twist.

and I think this is very true.  While basic patterns in the book will be useful to me, I've realised that it's been a while since I used one.  I like getting tips on construction etc but it's getting to the stage that for accessories and housewares I'm making my own patterns, like I used to when I was a kid. The value of The Crafter's Companion isn't so much a 'how-to' as a 'why-to' book and is very timely, tapping into the vast networks of creative encouragement that exists out there in cyberspace now, which I think most of us have benefitted from.  This book is a little glimpse into the studios, the imaginations and the works of some very talented crafters, related in a sympathetically designed and illustrated book, which is wonderfully colourful to boot.

Of course, it's kind of preaching to the converted, but that's ok.  I like the fact that seeing it as a book legitimises all our blogging efforts - mostly in domestic settings - because I'm one of those diehards who perseveres in believing that there's something powerful and somewhat magical about paper products, if you will  - this in no way diminshes my almost-shameful in its intensity admiration of the internet, of course. 

I'm sure you know someone who will delight in this - if you're reading this, I suspect you've almost certainly got your own copy on order already.

By Hand - The Use of Craft in Contemporary Art
by Shu Hung and Joseph Magliaro (Eds)
Princeton Architectural Press, November 2006, Hardcover 9781568986104.  RRP £20.00

And then this stunning book is about what happens when craft officially grows up, a sophisticated, elegant look at how successful artists incorporate traditional crafts into their very modern work.  It's not about art versus craft versus design (that old chestnut) but acknowledges knitting, sewing, lace-making, embroidery as equally valid techiques for creating. Interesting to know some of them have also encountered resistance:

I have been knitting on and off for most of my life - my mother taught me when I was a girl and I knitted on and off until my early twenties, when I started to really concentrate on it along with sewing and other needlework...secretly I was knitting and making embroideries that I considered art, but I didn't feel confident showing them to anyone.  The first time I did show a former professor, he laughed at me.  Then I saw an exhibition of works by Elaine Reichek at New York University's Grey Arts Gallery. It was a revelation!
- Robyn Love

Robyn Love uses handknitting in her exterior installations (though there aren't many pictures on her site, and not as gloriously shot as in the book) which are only put in place for a matter of hours - when you think how long they must take to complete, they have an extremely limited time in the sun.  I loved Kent Hendricksen's blackly comic embroideries and Dave Cole's Bullet Proof Sweater - knit from 3,540 linear feet of Kevlar thread.  Rachel Cole's Claws and Yeti Foot Wallpaper - you just have to see it.

In this technological age, using hand embroidery is extravagantly inefficient in terms of time and labour.  So I end up with an object whose only value is the work that's been put into it
- Karen Reimer

I believe there's resurgence in people believing that this sort of work has value.

Refreshingly, there's no sense of 'oh gosh, isn't it cutesy/kitschy to be knitting' or any sense of superiority or indeed inferiority in this well 'curated' selection, of both male and female artists.  The layout is spare and enticing, the photography is clear, effective.  In summary, I think you need both of these books on your shelf to compliment each other.

Blackstock's Collections - The Drawings of an Artistic Savant
by Gregory L. Blackstock
Princeton Architectural Press, September 2006, Paperback 9781568985794.  RRP £12.00

As I knew he would, my husband loved this - as I did.  Blackstock is an artistic savant who worked as a potwasher in a Seattle restaurant for twenty-five years, and during that time he learned twelve languages from his coworkers because he has a gift for languages which is as profound as his skill at drawing.  He has been called 'an anthropologist of the everyday' as his meticulously drawn lists range from art supplies to the Great American Wasps.  He draws from memory though he also researches his subjects extensively to ensure that they are comprehensive.  Also beautifully produced,  a very attractive book and, dare I say it, ideal as a 'Dad present' come December.

I meant to add that my photography skills aren't up to recreating the beautiful images, plus I was wondering if there would be copyright issues.  So go to this page on Amazon and you can search inside the book to see some of the pages.  I defy you not to click it straight through to your online cart.

P.S. I lost this post halfway through and had to recreate it - please let me know if anything isn't clear after it's been patched together and re-edited...

Comments

[ruth singer]

Thoughtful and interesting post, thanks!

[kirsty]

Gosh, Blackstock's book sounds SO interesting!

[Denise]

hey Flib
how'd you get the inside track on these books? I have been resisting buying (even more) crafting books lately, as DH may start piling up power tools on his side of the bed in protest, but if you think these are worth investing in then I may have to sneak them in under cover of groceries...
Afghan 17/35th the way there....though may in fact be 17/25 of the way there, depending on patience :)
Chat soon
D xx

[bekka]

the first two look really great, but the third? hmmmmm.... i pre-ordered the first and cannot wait for it to arrive, maybe this week? and the second? oh, i may have to ensure that my library orders a copy of it!