Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Cilla Ramnek is on my mind

Somewhere I came across her book on knitting and crocheting. The Swedish title sounded really intriguing, like an incantation: Sticka Virka. I liked her stuff so much that I even ordered the book twice. Could I have expressed my interest more explicitly?

The interesting part is that I only saw one picture from the book, the title one, and I knew it was something that I had been waiting for. My liking went even further when I read in the two books that she has never finished a single piece and she has a stack of knitted and crocheted front parts of sweaters still hiding somewhere in her house. Yes, knitting is often very boring to be concluded as a sweater or something reasonable and I also have unfinished parts at home (but I am more practical then her, I often rip them off). And she doesn't like following the pattern, so don't I. (Necessary to say, she definitely is more creative then I am).

One thing I wonder, would she ever wear the clothes that she included in her book? Some of them, why not. It is a pure inspiration, like a certain type of a fashion show that is supposed to blow your mind. It is actually based on one idea that I dare to describe, with all the respect to the artist, as composing different textiles and texture unpredictably, yet logically, following the postmodern sense of mixing old and new ideas, low and high art. Someone said quite perfectly: there is a sense of the ugly made beautiful in this book.

The book doesn't have pattern manuals, which is expected, and the models are people like me or you. That really enhances the feeling that it won't be difficult to follow.My favorites are knitted aprons. And as a bonus to illustrate a similar craziness I am adding here pictures of knitted bibs that I have seen on Flickr (they must be hard to wash...).

The English editions is called Knitprovisation and costs ONE dollar!

4 comments:

Tiuku said...

Hi! I'm so happy you visited in my blog. Othervise it might be that I would never have found my way here. You have a really interestin blog. And I like it!
I think I know what you mean about handmade clothes being out of fashion. Luckily it's slowly becoming hip again. Hopefully there too.
Cilla Ramneks book,wau! I have't seen it in Finland. Are we missing all the cool books? Definitely. A word to the bookstore keepers.

I wish you very happy and sunny day!

Liivia said...

I LOVE this book!

17 neliötä said...

I found your blog today for the first time, it is really nice and interesting. You are very skillfull! :) That book you introduced seems to be very intersting as well.

Bohemian girl said...

Tiuku, on knitting and crocheting there is only one book like that but it is worth it!

Tiuku and 17, I am happy you like my blog!