So many blankets, so little time

I really want to make this!  I have not been knitting or crocheting lately but this might just be the one that draws me back!

Sadaf Momeny Interview

Next artists participating in Plush You this year is Sadaf Momeny. To be honest, I couldn't find much on the internet about her so think of this as your possible first sneak peak into the wonderful world of Sadaf Momeny. Enjoy!

S- You mentioned you are a grad student in Wellington. How does school help you foster your craft these days or doesn't it?

SM- I think in some ways it really helps being a student, mostly because I can steer my urge to procrastinate in a productive way! I should be devoting all fruitful hours to my philosophy masters thesis, but when I can't bear to sit in front of the computer for another moment I can always work on my crochet creations (I hope my supervisor doesn't see this..). I also did some tutoring for the introduction to philosophy of art classes and they helped reconnect me with some of the fundamental questions regarding art, what it is, what value it holds, what the difference might be between art and craft; these sorts of questions help inform my work to some extent.



S- Your crochet creatures have so much personality. How long does it take to make each piece? What do you like most about crochet?

SM- Oh thanks! Time varies with each piece and I tend to lose all track of it when I am working on them anyway - mainly because I always crochet while watching movies or listening to the radio, and I enjoy the process so much I don't notice how long it all takes. Though some trickier shapes do take longer for me to suss out than others, I made a Marlin for a friend and that took ages! I started out working with fabric or felt wool but once I started to play around with crochet I couldn't go back, I like the way the creation sort of unfolds as you are working. There aren't too many rules to the craft, I enjoy the freedom in that.



S- Do you have any plans for the summer?

SM- Well, summer seems a long way off for those of us suffering through a particularly chilly New Zealand winter (I can vaguely remember those warm carefree days). But I am making the effort to take winter road trips, in fact I just got back from a long weekend in the Coromandel (in the north of the North Island, NZ) and it was wonderful, fireplaces are a must!



S- What is your process for creating new creatures?

SM- I get a lot of my inspiration from seeing the amazing work other people create, sometimes crochet but mostly from other medium. I keep a scrap book with pictures of all the cool bits and pieces I see and when I need a kick in the pants I flick through it to get me going. I also have a lot of creative people around me and they always have suggestions (some good, others crazy). Once I have an idea it's just a matter of drawing it out, finding the colours, sitting down on the couch under a blanket and crocheting like mad.

Cardigan

Basically, this stuff is AMAZING!

Mr. Funky

If you purchase the Mr. Funky's Super Crochet Wonderful from Mr. Funky herself you will get free Amigurumi bear pattern AND and Funky pin.

Pattern for Baby Octopus

Make your own baby octopus. Found at SuperNaturale

Elements of Sculptural Crochet

I like this a lot! I want to try it.

Purl Soho

Another thing I did was check out the stores, Purl Soho. The yarn and fabric store are equally amazing. It's rather funny that certain stores can have such a huge online presence and then you finally go to the location and it's so tiny. But I love tiny things so these shops were adorable, had a friendly staff and I stocked up on some amazing fabric. I would shop there all the time if I lived there. Anyways, I checked out their blog, Purl Bee and noticed they are offering a crochet class that starts this Friday where you will learn how to make a baby blanket. Another thing I did in NYC was visit with my good friend, Betsy who is due at the end of the month with her first baby. I was frantically finishing the last touches to her blanket that I made her right before we met so I didn't even get a picture of the final piece. I'll have to ask her to send some over.

After you go to Purl, go eat at Souen. It's a really good macrobiotic restaurant. I was skeptical but man, it was delicious!

Crochet Jardim

I found these while I was surfin' the good ol' interweb today. They're made by Thais Ueda (Crochet Jardim) from Brazil. It's a great idea, and they're really well-executed. I love the pots and packaging. You can visit her flickr to see more of her work. It looks like she has a website up and coming as well.

Lampes Lumps

My other obsession these days is knitting and crochet. Yarn is so fun to choose since there are so many pretty colors to choose from. I think choosing color combinations is one of my favorite things to do. One of the magical gifts to the world is hand spun yarn. To all of you that do that, I think you are wonderful, talented and deserve awards of coolness.

Such as these folks. Nice yarn, nice plush. weeeeee

MMMFruit

I don't know if you could tell yet but I love amigurumi. This stuff is just too cute for words. Really I am at a loss.

*I have tried to upload some pics here of these cute guys for you and it's not working so click the link above to see what I am talking about.

You can get her patterns for the little birds in the book, Kooky Crochet: 30 Remarkably Wacky Projects which looks like a lot of fun!



Speaking of cute amigurumi books...Mr. Funky's Super Crochet Wonderful is well...wonderful.