I love looking at art and craft books. I recently borrowed 2 inspirational books from the library. They are not just in the knitting or spinning category. I don't even know if I will make anything from them (probably not), but they are firing up the synapses in my crafty brain!
The first one is "Three Dimensional Embroidery" by Janet Edmonds. She basically uses fabric, thread and other soft materials to create sculptures, often inspired by nature or other organic forms.
The second book is "Take Silk" by Judith Pinnell. The tag line reads "A guide to silk 'paper' for the creative fiber artist." Silk paper?!?? It looks related to wet-felting in a way ... She takes silk roving and puts layers of silk fibers on a mesh screen, laying them all in one direction and then in the opposite direction (90 degrees). She then uses Acrylic Gloss Medium as an adhesive and the result is a sheet of silk paper or cloth. She goes on to create items from these pieces of silk paper/cloth, such as boxes, hats, jackets, etc. You should see the colors! The dyed silk is absolutely stunning! I don't think I'd ever wear or display the items (just not my style) but they are quite a feast for the eyes and appeal to my visual and tactile senses. More pics on my flickr site.
This morning, I woke up dreaming or thinking of some of Norah Gaughan's designs. I want to buy her books, even though I don't think I will have time or the inclination to complete a project. I think I had a tiny epiphany that I love looking at unusual designs and working on the technical details in my brain. I like rolling those ideas in my brain, just like how you'd roll a hard candy or gobstopper around in your mouth, letting it melt slowly, and tasting the layers of flavor. It's OK to buy knitting pattern books just to look at and enjoy the artistry and mathematical genius of the pattern, right?
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