CrumpArt

March 8, 2010

In a spin.

Filed under: craft, friends, knitting, yarn — Tags: baby, handmade, hat, present, spinning, yarn — Crumpet @ 7:40 am

Yesterday I got news that my friend Alex and his partner, Rebecca, had welcomed a little boy into their family. Now, I knew they were having a baby, knew when it was due, but still somehow had only imagined making a present.

It turns out I can make one of these in half a day. Hooray! It’s the Umbilical Cord Hat from the first Stitch ‘n Bitch book, with 8 extra stitches and as such, an extra lot of decreases to make up for the thinner yarn and smaller needles. Rav details here. I hope it’s still cold enough in China for a tiny new babby to wear a lovely wool hat.

It is getting colder here. And when I was choosing a yarn to knit the hat with, I found two bags of ‘Summer’ wool/silk roving from the Melbourne Handweavers and Spinners Guild in my stash. What better time to start spinning it than just after summer’s end, on the weekend of constant storming when we get hailstones the size of golfballs?

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March 7, 2010

Gratitude.

Filed under: Melbourne, friends, photography — Tags: birthday, macro, photography, presents, storm, zest — Crumpet @ 8:37 pm

On my birthday, I received Aperture 3 from Paul and a Microplane grater from my parents. <3

I also received some other lovely presents and many well-wishes from here, there and everywhere. Many, many thanks to everyone. I also had a very lovely party; thank goodness it was last weekend…

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March 2, 2010

Opening Lines.

Filed under: art, books and writing, photography — Tags: fiction, handwriting, mfa, novels, thread, warp, weaving, writing — Crumpet @ 7:36 pm

For about a month now I’ve been collecting images of circles and space and such on Once Upon a Spacetime, my MFA tumblr. So of course the first thing I did after setting up my studio this week was draw lines. I was thinking of them as threads or a warp, and have been playing with op art ideas of perception and the way our brains interpret visual signals. The lines evolved into opening sentences from novels. Today I took the camera in and started taking pictures. Not sure where it’s going from here, but that’s part of the fun, right…?

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February 28, 2010

No bullshit beauty.

Filed under: friends — Tags: cocktails, cosmetics, potty mouth, skincare — Crumpet @ 8:58 pm

This is Erin, a friend of mine. She’s pretty great and, once upon a time, worked as some sort of beautician. Erin’s just started making videos about various skincare products and stuff you can make at home. Check ‘em out!

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The Black Death

Filed under: food, music — Tags: amanda palmer, breakfast wars, vegemite — Crumpet @ 7:18 pm

The war, it rages on in our house.

(I love the stuff so much that I had to pause this mid song and go make myself a delicious, delicious salty snack. It’s an addiction. Seriously.)

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February 21, 2010

What do you mean “hard to buy for”?

Filed under: Random — Tags: birthdays, gift, i'll be 31 next week, presents, wishlists — Crumpet @ 5:37 pm

I don’t really expect people to buy me things for my birthday. But I do like presents. This is mostly for the benefit of the people who ask Paul what they should buy me.

A warping board.
I need one of these. I wish I was a) better at woodworking or b) these were more prolific and less ridiculously expensive in Australia.

A skein holder
So I don’t have to use two chairs to wind a ball of yarn. A ball winder would be great too, but is less essential.

A drum carder
I’m dreaming, I know.

Black Monday
This is an etching by my friend Kyoko Imazu. I adore it. One day it will be mine. Also, any of her drawings or paintings from the Rachel’s Cabinet shop.

This tape dispenser
I saw it at the NGV shop and it is MADE OF AWESOME.

An old school, hand crank pencil sharpener
I fell in love with one of these at the library. The one I linked above is more adorable.

A bone folder
I have one of these, but I’d like a second one to keep at uni. A bone folder is the most essential tool for anyone working with paper. I’d also like a second awl, which is used to punch small holes in paper for sewn bindings, etc. in bookmaking.

Safety glasses, dust masks or a respiration mask
An odd request, I know. Clear safety glasses are most essential. As non-dorky and comfortable as possible is even more important. These are all part of our OH&S requirements for uni. The dust masks are for doing things like filing copper, using talc, etc.. The respirator mask is for using chemicals like turps or acid. I’ve managed to not need one so far and just worked near the exhausts, but it might be useful at some stage.

A Microplane zester grater
Please. Pretty please.

Kosta Boda ‘Mine’ tumblers
In any colour. I have two in orange and love them. I’d like to build the collection.

A floor-standing knock box
Because bench space is a precious commodity!

A double spout
For my Vibiemme handle. Part number 511672. It’s that easy.

An adjustable dress form
I’ve asked my parents for a Lincraft gift card to put towards one of these.

Finally, things from my various Wishlists.
Amazon, Fishpond, Etsy.

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February 20, 2010

paper wrangler

Filed under: art, printmaking — Tags: business cards, stamp, type, useful tools — Crumpet @ 12:44 pm

I’m a big believer in the idea that your business cards should reflect what it is you do. And being a printmaker, I always felt a bit odd sending off a file and some money to have someone else print my cards up for me. So a year or two back I had the idea to upcycle my old printmaking remnants into business cards. I tried a few times running prints through our printer, but the thickness of the paper made it a bit difficult, and I also couldn’t use up a bunch of the small scraps I had. I contemplated making a photo-etched copper plate with my details, but that always seemed just too difficult and messy. Then a year ago, I was in an exhibition with Wanda Gillespie, and she showed me this awesome stamp she’d bought and used to make notes on post-its as part of her work. It’s essentially a blank case that comes with tiny rubber type, and you can set 3-4 lines in the stamp. Aside from the business cards, I’m also currently using it to create an edition of tiny art/poetry zines (or “art books” if you’re Paul, who I imagine breaks out in a rash at the mere mention of the word “zine”). So stay tuned!

Edited to add: the prints on the non-type sides of these cards are combinations of monoprinting, linocut printing and lithography.

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