elise lopez 1/22/18 elise lopez 1/22/18

knitspiration: artist kate jenkins

i follow a lot of amazingly talented makers on instagram, and am constantly discovering new artists and inspiration. when i came across the work of kate jenkins, i was immediately blown away by the level of detail and texture she has achieved; her knit and crocheted foods manage to look both playful and realistic at the same time! i love to discover artists like kate that are creating such fun and whimsical pieces. check out some of my favorites:

this is such a beautiful and colorful plate! i love the wrinkly walnut and microgreens.

how great is this sequined crab eating linguine? she has a lot of other great work in sequins including shiny lobsters and little sardines coming out of the can.

happy little mussels :)

i love the snips of "chive" on this plate of crocheted penne!

pineapple hunk!! very cute and clever. i love the bobble texture and the shaping of the arms!

check out kate's website to see more of her work and pieces for sale, and follow her on instagram @kjcardigan so you don't miss out on the knitspiration!

elise lopez 11/15/17 elise lopez 11/15/17

knitspiration: artist phil ferguson

following the release of my turkey hat pattern and with thanksgiving only a week away, what better time than now to highlight an artist who crochets incredible, oversized hats in the shape of different foods?

if you haven't already heard of phil ferguson and/or aren't following him on instagram, he began crocheting whimsical food-themed hats in 2014 and has been killing the game ever since.

one of my favorite creative outlets is to knit in 3D, to play with form and shape and try to create the designs i see in my head. when i discovered Phil's work, i was so inspired by his obvious mastery of the art of crochet and his ability to render his ideas into a perfect blend of playful and realistic. literal goals!

i might be biased, but of course my favorite piece is the yarn ball hat with knitting needles!

go follow chili philly on instagram here, and check out his website, www.chiliphilly.com.

Do you have a favorite food that you would wear as a hat?

elise lopez 10/23/17 elise lopez 10/23/17

knitspiration: artist dave cole

this week, i want to share some amazing work by the artist dave cole.

i first discovered his work sometime around 2007 when i was a junior in art school, focusing in hard on fiber and textile arts. i was just starting to discover the world of fiber artists and how they were transforming materials and processes typically associated with "craft." when i discovered dave cole's knitting machine, a large-scale installation from 2005 that utilized custom john deere excavators to knit a giant american flag, my whole notion of what knitting could be went out the window.

photo credit: Mass MoCA, from www.davecoledavecole.com

the installation took place over the course of a week, during which the machines knit the entire flag. this piece is inspiring because it introduced me to the concept of extreme knitting (now pioneered by the incredible artist jacqui fink), and to the idea that knitting can make a social and/or political statement.

to check out the video of the machines in action, click here.

another piece by dave cole that i love is the money dress:

photo credit: Stewart Clements Photography, from www.davecoledavecole.com

the dress is knit from $1,124 of hand-cut bills. i would love to know how he cut them and how the cuttings were connected to create yarn. i also wish i could touch this piece, i bet it feels really cool! i love the idea of using non-traditional materials to create knitted fabric.

what do you think about the knitting machine and the money dress?

to learn more about artist dave cole and check out his other textile work and sculpture, visit his website at www.davecoledavecole.com.