A trip to London Part 2: Kaffe Fassett

In my last post I already mentioned my visit to the Kaffe Fassett exhibition in the Fashion and Textile Museum in London (www.ftmlondon.org)
I am a Kaffe fan, so I was looking forward to this visit.
That day in  London was a grey day. I got there through the pouring rain; but once inside you forgot the grey and only saw colour everywhere.
This is the brochure you get; it gives an overview of his life and carreer.

Following tekst is taken from the FTM website:



" Kaffe Fassett – A Life in Colour’ is a celebration of the work of one of the great practitioners of contemporary craft. This exhibition, the first in London since Kaffe Fassett’s record-breaking show at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1988, features over 100 works within a dramatic installation designed by Sue Timney.

Exhibition highlights include extravagantly-coloured 9-foot-wide knitted shawls, coats and throws, patchwork fabrics shown in a glorious selection of quilts, as well as items especially created for this exhibit and not seen in public before. The design also features a ‘feeling’ wall that allows visitors to touch and better understand the textiles on display and their construction. From his childhood in the creative community of Big Sur, California, to his career as a painter, and later as a knitwear and textile designer in London from the 1960s to the present day, Kaffe’s ability to blend pattern, texture and colour has won him a dedicated following of enthusiasts.

It is not a huge exhibition, but truly a feast for your eyes:
Paintings, knitwear, needlepoint, tapestry and quilts from different eras are arranged against walls in different colours to create brilliant still-life compositions.

 

Have a look:
(The pictures may not always be sharp but I took them with my Smartphone and using the flash was not allowed):

 

 

 

Tapestry

 

Quilts

 

Knitting

 'The Country House Look'

 

 

The little shop of the FTM was a bit disappointing. There were some books and a few packages with fabric squares for quilting. But you couldn't buy larger fabric pieces.

For that you are directed to the Liberty store, but they don't have a wide range.

If you are looking for more, Cottonpatch has a large collection.

 

The exhibition still runs till the end of June.

My eyes and me, we loved it.

 

Warm regards

Kristien

A knitting bible.

Aside from embroidery and sewing, I have always liked knitting.
And now I think I have found the ultimate knitting bible!

Translated it is simply called : "Our knitting book"

 

Although it is written in Dutch, there are so many clear pictures, that you almost don't need the text.

It is packed with advice, tips and techniques . Many I didn't even know existed.

 

 

Part I : stitches, techniques and motives

 

 

To start with there is information for "knitting novices": chapters about starting a project (5 different ways are explained!) , basic knitting techniques, adding and decreasing the amount of stitches, finishing a project etc.

 

 

 

 

Then you can move on to more advanced techniques , knitting with more colours at the same time , circular knitting, more complicated stitches etc.

Part II: 5 chapters full of projects, for your home, hats and scarves, socks, fashion and accessories, projects for babies and children.

 

 

This book is beautifully illustrated:

 

 

A must have for knitting addicts.

I bought my book here.

You can also find it here.

Warm regards

Kristien