What Is Your Style?

I am the type of person that likes things that are different. Not weird different but something that you would not ordinarily see. My style is what I see. I say that because it is a mixture. I love to know what the latest fashions are but I don't go by what is in fashion totally. If something is not in fashion and I like it, guess what, I am going to wear it. As long as it can blend into the now.

I just love this rug that looks like a big doily. This is a pattern out of the February 2009 Crochet World magazine. And when I finished it, I wanted to make one for every room in different colors, but I didn't. I also love this shawl Panda Silk DK Fan Shawl from Crystal Palace Yarns, a free pattern. I thought at first glance that it was crochet, but it is knitted and worked up similar to mitered squares. I haven't started this, but I will by this week.

I am a lover of artwork. I used to go to all kinds of museums throughout the year. One year I visited 79 museums in different states. That was a fun year, but crazy. When it comes to artwork I lean towards the master artist of contemporary art. But then I surprise myself when I find something out of my ordinary style of artwork that I fall in love with. I ask myself why and I can't figure it out. For example, I love the Surrealist artist Salvador Dali's melting clock and I don't know why. I am intrigued and I just get a kick out of it. He was out there with his art and very ex centric, but that melting clock is so interesting to me.

And then there is Picasso. I look at his art and I say what was he thinking. And then I find myself liking a piece here and there of his artwork. It is so strange sometimes what connects with us. But I still am not convinced that the big black dot in the middle of a red background is art.

But then I have to return to the calmness of Monet and the beautiful colors used in the traditional way. I have my favorite artist. A few of them are: John Singer Sargent, Edomia Lewis, Jacob Lawrence, Frank Sabatino, Jr., George Seagle (sculpture), Dox Thrash, Max Weber, Paul Cezanne, Alfred Stevens, Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet to name a few.

I remember a tour I took at Isabella Gardner Stewart Museum in Boston. One painting in particular was depicting this play staged in ancient Egyptian time period. Well, after that tour I knew so much about that painting that I had to keep staring at it to recap what was said. I wasn't the only one that was doing that.

But that is another reason why I stress taking a class. Just as the tour expands your thinking of an art piece, a needle arts class expands your knowledge for improving your projects so much more.

I just admire the skill and creativity of people. I love to see what people use in their artwork and what they come up with at the end. It's like the chair that is shaped like a hand. Who would have thought that it would sell for such a large amount of money? But someone was creative and bold enough to put it out there.

I think of all the creativity in the needle arts. All the new stitches and patterns that took hours of thinking time, sketching, sampling, and creating the end garment just for our enjoyment. I like paying attention to detail.

When I go to a museum the first thing I do is ask if they have a tour. If you've never taken a tour at a museum I would highly recommend it. You get so much more out of the artwork and what is skipped during the tour you can go back after the tour. It enriches your visit so much more. And as I said, I like detail, the tour brings out the details and the background of the artist and their work.

I get that same feeling with my knitting and crochet. That is why I love Vogue Knitting International Magazine because of the detail in the garments and what new techniques and stitches you can learn. But even in the simplest knitting or crochet pattern you can find some wonderful new things to learn. So look for those treasures of learning and expand your enjoyment more for the needle arts. And I cannot stress it enough to de-stress and have fun!