Some crochet inspiration

I decided to try making one of those Flickr mosaics today. I thought what better topic than crochet to try it out with. So here are some crocheted items from Flickr that make me want to get to work!

1. Garden basket crochet necklace, 2. More Tapestry Crochet Fishy Pillow, 3. Untitled, 4. Crocheted stripe rug, 5. Untitled, 6. ♥ colors, 7. saying thank you with flowers, 8. c u s h i o n, 9. Babette Blanket, beginnings!

Sometimes I'm helpful!

Today was great! Austin and I went for a nice walk this morning. It was nice and dry out and even sunny. Adam and I had lunch together and then we went to see Kristin from Twin Ravens Press to talk about our wedding invitations. We went over not really having any idea of what we wanted to do. Kristin showed us so much beautiful and creative work  and gave us so many new ideas of what we could do that I think she got us both pretty excited. Earlier in the day she mentioned that she needed some help in the studio (She broke her leg about 4 weeks ago! Ouch!) so after our meeting I brought Adam back to work and went right back to help out.


Kristin printin'!

I had SO much fun. I mostly just carried stuff around for her and passed her stuff but it was so awesome to see all the steps that go into a letterpress project. I kind of felt like I was amazed by everything. Even cutting the paper! Even the little ticking counter on the letterpress! Even all the boxes of envelopes and all the paper samples. I think you are getting the point that I think what Kristin does is pretty awesome.

I can't wait to work on invitations now!

48 and counting.

That's how many pieces I have crocheted so far. It feels like a lot and so very little all at the same time.

I'm still on a hunt for the right blue colored yarn. I need to check some actual yarn shops and hopefully I can find something not too expensive. My friend Casie is coming over later so I can teach her to crochet and hopefully she can help me knock out some more of these bad boys.

My dress is supposed to be here tomorrow. Fingers crossed it works out well!

Buddy Monday - Adam deGrandis

This week's buddy is a pretty special one to me! Adam and I met in 2001 at Maine College of Art. We lived in the same house, had the same major and every. single. class. together. We became fast friends and even when we both left MECA to go to other schools for a bit (and both eventually returned) we stayed close. Very simply put, Adam makes art for video games and getting to see that process is SO cool. He is one of the most dedicated, hard workers I have ever met and seeing his skills and creativity grow over the years has been amazing. I can honestly say that I am in love with this week's Buddy Monday feature. So much so that I am going to marry the crap out of him in a couple months!

1. Tell us about yourself?

My name is Adam deGrandis.  I got my start in graphic design in high school as an intern at a local branding firm, went to Maine College of Art, and then made a jump to games.  Generally speaking, I believe a person is only as good as what they put back into the world, so I'm constantly working on something.  At work I obviously have games to make, but I also work on little side project games at home, take the odd graphic design job from friends I know, draw little doodles in my sketchbook, and I also write and record a lot of music.  And while I love art, I think I may be a little more passionate about teaching - but that is a whole giant tangent that I won't get into right now.

2. What do you make?

Professionally, I make artwork for computer and console games.  Without getting into the details of it, I sculpt, paint, and animate using a computer as my primary tool.  If its something you see when playing a game, it's something I make.

3. How did you come up with your shop/business/blog name?

Well for a little over a year, I operated my own contract studio which was called Games Extract.  The name is something my brother thought of, and the whole idea is that I didn't make whole games, I just made the sweet part, the part that was tangible, the part you remembered, etc, etc.  But now, I'm working my dream job at a studio called Mad Otter Games.  That name came from part of a documentary which featured river otters fighting off crocodiles who enter their territory.  They swim up and jump on the croc's backs until they leave.  It's a metaphor for our approach to the games industry.  We're small, fast, and super adorable competing and winning against much heavier, slower, scary adversaries.

4. Influences?

On a personal (and more meaningful) note, I would have to say Randall Sckaal, George LaRou, Joe Maruschak, and this blog's very own Sarah Lomba, as they were all mentors of mine at some point in my life.

Talking about the greater world, though, my influences are pretty wide reaching.  For example, I love studying the original disney aninmators because they did a lot to define animation as an art, but then hanna barbara found a way to boil down the art to make it profitable and fast.  And sticking with animation, then there's more current figures... Brendan Small, Brad Bird, Matt Groening and company, Astrobase Go.  And a bunch of bands too. And authors. I basically admire and can find something to learn from anyone who finds a way to make something of substance.

5. Who would you like to collaborate with?

Well the good people at Mad Otter are the people I love working with; I wasn't joking when I said its my dream job.  I guess, though, I'd love to be able to define how we worked.  Having a big pile of no-strings-attached money which allowed us to make a really revolutionary game would be fantastic.  For those of you not in the know, games are EXTREMELY expensive to make, and thats the reason why most new games are just a copy of something that already came out.  It's more cost effective to copy a working formula than try to come up with something new.  So if I got to work with my current coworkers on something brand new, that would be ideal.

6. 5 songs you like to work to?
Cave In - Big Riff
Sunny Day Real Estate - Friday
Russian Circles  - Youngblood
Toadies - Little Sin
The Long Winters - Copernicus

Listen to them here!

To learn more about Adam or Mad Otter click any of the images in this post, become a fan on facebook or follow them on twitter.

It was still worth it.

I made this to keep track of a gem collection that one of my sims has. Something got messed up though and now she can't travel. I loved making this little chart so much. I found a little blank sketchbook that I now plan on using just for game related notes and doodles because I'm always scribbling stuff when I play games.

Oh and Buddy Monday will be back tomorrow! The holiday last week totally threw me off and I didn't even realize it was Monday. Yeesh.

Game color palettes

When I was in school I took a color theory class. The class was mostly focused on painting because, well, it was taught by a painting teacher. And for the first few weeks of the semester she pretty much treated me and the other new media major in the class like we were aliens with our "digital media". (She warmed up to us eventually. Even after telling me later that she thought I was a smart ass for saying I thought paintings were kind of boring because they just hang on a wall.)

Our final was to make a book however we wanted as long as it had something to do with color. I chose to do a little booklet of color palettes I made from screenshots of different video game levels. My goal was to show the use of color to convey different environments and emotions in games, so I only used ones that I had played. Every once and a while I go back to the file that has all the palettes and add a new one. I was looking at them today and thought I'd share a couple! (The only ones that were in the actual project are the HL2 ones.)

Animal Crossing:

Half Life 2:

Shadow of the Colossus:

Twilight Princess:

I think my favorites are from Shadow of the Colossus. They are so beautiful and subtle. I have about a million different ideas of things to do with these palettes but I thought I would just start with sharing some. So there, something other than crochet for now.

More more more

I have been a damn MACHINE the past few days. This is just a pic from the other day to show what I had been practicing. Yesterday I pretty much crocheted alllll day with breaks to eat pizza, eat a couple cookies and a few other things. My shoulder is starting to get tired but I don't care because now I have a little bag started of pretty crocheted shapes. My plan is to keep crocheting like a maniac until the wedding and then we are going to stitch a bunch of the pieces together into some amazing things!

The other day my friend Casie pointed me towards The Hood Internet mixtape volume 4 and I am loving it! It's all mash ups, which I feel like can be really hit or miss, but the majority of these are pretty good. It makes me want to have a dance party really really really soon. Check it out!

tr5tog, tr6tog, tr4tog. W.T.F.

If you know a lot about crocheting then this won't be a big deal, BUT I am excited. I have a really hard time reading patterns and directions. I usually have to read them at least 10 times and then maybe another 5 times out loud and then maybe think about what I just read or said for a couple hours before it even starts to seep into my brain. Have someone teach me one on one or show me a video and I'll pick it up pretty quick.  Stick words in front of me and, well, you get the idea.

So here is what I am so excited about. Turns out that it's actually ridiculously simple to make, it's just that pesky wording! Why must there be so many parenthesis, brackets and asterisks in crocheting!

Oh and I made this because I'm practicing the different elements in this:

I want to make it in our colors for the head table at the wedding. It's so pretty and the pattern is here!

2nd afghan!

Holy crap I don't ever want to stop crocheting. I try to keep it as a night time project while Adam and I watch 80 million episodes of Law and Order: SVU on Netflix, but I think about it all day. I had to start a new afghan because the other one I started was working up sooooooo slowly. It's my own fault, I should have known better than to use my G hook. It's my favorite but not always practical for big projects.





I'm using Cotton Ease yarn by Lion Brand and I love it so very much. It's a 50/50 cotton, acrylic blend and it's so so soft, easy to work with and the colors are pretty great. I am even in love with the label because it's ever so slightly Saul Bass-esque.

Buddy Monday - Little Leg Warmers

Brooke and I met many years ago when I attended University of Southern Maine for a bit. I met her when she became friends with one of my BFFs, Bobbi. It was not until a few years ago, when she opened up her  Etsy shop that I found out she is a quilter. I absolutely love her use of pattern and color and simple shapes to put together adorable, modern quilts. From her home, her work and, well just herself, Brooke is one of the most stylish people I have ever met and it very very seriously shows in everything she does! 

1. Tell us about yourself?

My name is Brooke, and I live in Portland, Maine. By day I work in a busy hospital OR, and by night I sew and quilt (and decorate). I am quickly approaching 30 this year, and I'm hoping for it to be the best year yet! I live with my boyfriend and our two kitties.

2. What do you make?

I make mostly patchwork quilts, and sometimes pillows, curtains and other little goodies. I love using fun designer fabrics and playing with the colors/designs.

3. How did you come up with your shop/business/blog name?

I came up with my shop name, littlelegwarmers, about four years ago. At the time, I was obsessed with wearing legwarmers!! I had about a dozen pairs, and wore them constantly (except in the summer) to keep warm and just to be a bit more unique. I put the word "little" with "legwarmers", because, well, I am little (5'0"!) :) As time went by, and people asked me about my shop name ("why don't you actually make legwarmers?"), I explained that a little blanket is the perfect leg warmer.

4. Influences?

My mom was a big sewing influence on me growing up. She made a bunch of clothes for my brother and I when we were young, as well as quilts and curtains and pillows, etc. She still works with fabric when she has the time. I also am constantly influenced by the community of quilters I have found online through blogs and flickr.com, as well as fellow shop owners on etsy.

5. Who would you like to collaborate with?

I would love to collaborate with so many people I've come across online! Mainly I am interested in someday participating in an online quilting bee/quilt along (like this one, for example:http://www.flickr.com/groups/scquiltalong). I think it would be such a fun and rewarding project!!

6. 5 songs you like to work to?

I'm not sure about my top songs to work to, but as far as top albums (that I usually just put on and let them loop through over and over) right now: John Mayer's "Heartbreak Warfare", Norah Jones' "The Fall", OneRepublic's "Waking Up", the soundtrack to Lost In Translation, and sometimes a little bit of Lady Gaga ;) Listen here!

To see more of Brooke's work you can click any of the images in this post or visit her blog, flickr or shop.

Giveaway winner!

Wow, thank you So much to everyone that entered the giveaway! It definitely encourages me to do more in the future. You all had such great things you are looking forward to this year that it was hard to pick so thanks to random.org here is the winner:

Congrats, Kristen!

Thanks again so so so much to everyone who entered and those of you who are now following the blog: Welcome! I hope you enjoy it!

Now to get working on this week's Buddy Monday post! If you haven't checked out last week's yet, take a moment to meet Kristin of Twin Raven's Press.

Buddy Monday - Twin Ravens Press

Alright you guys! Here we go with the first Buddy Monday.

I met Kristin of Twin Ravens Press when we both had tables at the first Meet Your Maker show here in Eugene. I remember loving her work right away and how clean and fun her imagery is. It was not until I started following her blog that I found out she also does beautiful business cards, wedding invitations and any other kind of announcement you could possibly want. She is totally awesome and friendly and I'm so happy to have met her and be sharing her to kick off Buddy Monday!


1. Tell us about yourself?

I was raised in the small, mountain town of Wilson, Wyoming and lived there my whole life until I moved to Eugene, Oregon to go to college. I studied photography, graphic design and printmaking at the University of Oregon and knew that I wanted to eventually be an independent or studio artist as a career when I graduated. I spent some time working odd jobs and applying to work in studios outside of Eugene and when my job applications turned up fruitless, I decided to start my letterpress printing and graphic design business, Twin Ravens Press. I continued working my side jobs for a while until at one point I realized I was making more money and enjoying myself more when I was doing my own work than I was working for others. At that point I quit my day job and started running Twin Ravens Press and developing my own work further, full-time.

When I'm not working, I love playing soccer and tennis, roller skating, reading, playing games, gardening, hanging out with my geeky boyfriend, cooking and eating tasty food, hanging out with awesome friends and doing pretty much anything outdoors.


2. What do you make?

I design and print custom wedding invitations, birth announcements, shower invitations, Bar & Bat Mitzvah invitations, menus, programs, business stationery and business cards, greeting cards, letterhead, small hand-bound books, calendars... you name it! I also have a small line of greeting cards, personal stationery, coasters and small gift cards and tags that are available for wholesale and retail sales. All of my work is designed either on paper or in a computer program like Adobe Illustrator, then printed on an antique 1912 Chandler & Price Letterpress. I pride myself on using organic, recycled, and tree-free papers and materials whenever possible, including vegetable-based inks, handmade papers, cotton papers, and recycled and biodegradable packaging.

3. How did you come up with your shop/business/blog name?

Coming up with a name for my business was really difficult actually. I wanted something unique and interesting, and I also wanted it to be non-specific enough to where the name could suit my ever evolving line of products and designs. My boyfriend was really into greek and roman mythology and was reading a lot of books about it when I was trying to figure out my name and he told me this story about two ravens: Hugin and Munin. One of the ravens represented thought and the other represented memory and the story went that they would fly around the world every day and return to the god Odin and tell him what was going on in the world. I really liked this idea and thought about how people use stationery to commemorate important events that turn into memories and how they also use nice paper products to write down their day to day thoughts and the thoughts they share with others. The more I thought about it, the name just sort of fit. 

4. Influences?

There have been a lot of artists and illustrators whom I'm sure have influenced my work over the last several years. A few whom I absolutely love though are:

Jay Ryan of The Bird Machine (http://www.thebirdmachine.com/)

KozynDan (http://www.kozyndan.com/)

Kate Endle (http://www.kateendle.com/)

Nikki McClure (http://www.nikkimcclure.com/)

Jessica Hische (http://jhische.com/index.html)

Among others. I also feel very inspired by the "older generation" of letterpress printers whom I've been fortunate enough to meet and/or stay in touch with. One such gentleman, in particular, my good friend, Bob Giles, has been both incredibly helpful and inspirational.

5. Who would you like to collaborate with?

I feel very fortunate to have gotten to collaborate with several different individuals so far. I work with two amazing calligraphers and illustrators on a regular basis, Fran Heider of Little Flower Calligraphy (www.lilflower.etsy.com) in Dayton, Ohio, and Crystal Kluge of Tart Workshop (www.crystalkluge.com), of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Both of these ladies are amazing to work with and I love their individual styles!

I tend to consider all of the custom work I do a collaboration between myself and the client. I want the work I create for others to really reflect their personality, business and/or event.

Who would I love to work with that I've never worked with before though? Sarah Lomba of S. Jane, Heather Moore of Skinny Laminx (www.skinnylaminx.com), this friend of mine named Amanda Ryznar who owns a pottery company named Yoga Goat (www.yogagoat.etsy.com) and does really amazing designs, Brook & Cory Burnett of Crowerks (www.crowerks.com), Nikki McClure, & Bruce Mau, just to name a few. There are probably dozens of others and many that I haven't even thought of yet. You can learn so much from collaborating with other artists and it's so refreshing, in my opinion! 

6. 5 songs you like to work to?


                    

To see more of Kristin's work you can click on any of the images in this post or visit the Twin Ravens Press blog or shop.