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Saturday, November 26, 2016

Ephemeral

If, like me, you have a deep fascination for New York City and its history, I suggest taking a look at Ephemeral New York.
The website is a treasure, each article tells you a little bit about the history of the city, the hidden worlds within it, the way it used to be, the lesser known historical episodes that occurred there, the characters that have lived in it and their way of life... I can get lost in it for hours.
It makes me long to go back to that amazing city and try to look at it with an eye for hidden details.
I suggest exploring through their archives, but if you live far away from New York, be prepared for a healthy dose of Wanderlust...

 
 
 
 

 All images from Ephemeral New York

Saturday, October 8, 2016

Texture

As I've been struggling with my productivity a bit lately, looking back at pictures my dad and I took of things I have made during the years encourages me to create more. I especially love the detail shots, so many amazing yarns, so many beautiful textures...


Saturday, May 14, 2016

Japan

The past two weeks I had the opportunity to travel around Japan and attend my childhood friend's wedding there. Beforehand I had never been further East than Turkey so the whole experience felt entirely new  to me, it was like being in a world that is somehow similar to mine yet entirely different.
Japan is an amazing country, and what I loved especially was getting the chance to appreciate the diversity it offers...from the huge modern cities full of lights and people to the quiet and peaceful temples hidden in luscious forests, from the incredible contemporary art museums to the old town centers with wooden houses and narrow roads, from foggy mountain tops to beaches full of highschool kids in uniforms.
There was something about Japan (and probably being on vacation helped as well) that calmed my spirit, and I really hope I can maintain this state of mind as long as possible as I move on into my daily life.
Here are a few pictures from the trip...

 
 

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Spring knitting inspiration

This past winter has been probably one of my least productive from a knitting perspective.
I am still having a hard time managing my time and adjusting to my schedule and fitting everything into the limited hours of the day and this has made it hard for me to sit down and knit as much as I would want to.
Lately I've been slightly obsessed with learning more about minimalism. I have been consistently reading and following blogs and youtube channels about minimalism and simplifying your life (some of my favorites are The Minimalists, Becoming minimalist, Light by Coco etc.)
I know that it has become very much a trend this past year (as for instance with the whole KonMari method obsession), but I believe that even when the novelty and trendiness will have worn out, the important message behind the whole movement will remain. We have seen enough excess, it's time to slow down.
What I have found very interesting is that all of these bloggers and youtubers and writers don't just concentrate on physical objects, they also focus on simplifying your life and schedule. Owning less and doing less in order to have more time (and money!) to concetrate on the things that are truly important to you. This has really made me evaluate the way I live my life as I have always had a tendency to fill every waking hour of the day with stuff to do, and have always had a very hard time saying no to people. It is something I am trying to work on. Time is limited, I have to learn to let go of some things in order to enjoy others.
In hopes of finding more time to work on what I truly love (knitting projects, ça va sans dire), here is some knitting inspiration I found on Quince and Co for beautiful spring projects.
I love how all of these items are simple, wearable and make perfect sense with the warmer season.
Enjoy...

Amalia by Pam Allen, via Quince and Co
Jessamin by Melissa Labarre, via Quince and Co
Zara by Dianna Walla, via Quince and Co
Tamsin by Dawn Catanzaro, via Quince and Co
May by Bristol Ivy, via Quince and Co

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Last bits of winter

This morning we woke up to the first snowfall of the year.
It has been a pretty warm and dry winter and I had forgotten how beautiful this city is when it snows...




I am actually really starting to look forward to spring but this brief moment (the sun came out later in the day and soon enough all the snow had melted away) reminded me of how calm and simply beautiful winter can be.
With that said, before winter comes to an end, here is a cold weather item I added to my shop today...




As always...details on my Etsy page!

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Fascinating cityscapes

I was perusing Etsy yesterday and I came across an artist who's artwork just blew me away. It was a coup de foudre.
Liz Brizzi, who according to her Etsy about page was born in France from Italian parents and grew up in L.A., is a mixed media artist who makes awe inspiring cityscapes using photography and acrylic paint on wood. She sells prints of her work on Etsy.

From her Etsy about page:

Inspired by urban themes, she loves to portray the beauty she captures in the raw, desolate and industrial aspects of cities and their outskirts. Her unique mixed media technique begins with the manipulation of her original photography collaged onto acrylic painted wood panels, finally blended within layers of colorful acrylic washes. She began this series of works with landscape paintings of the streets and alleys of Downtown L.A. A city that is currently changing and developing rapidly, her artwork captured its authenticity and some of the disappearing traces of its History.

Her work basically puts together so many things that I love and am drawn to: Los Angeles, architecture, urban lanscapes, the quest for beauty in hidden details or desolate places, moody atmospheres... I could go on and on.

What I would give to go back to L.A. right now and be able to see her work in person!

Take a look for yourself:









All the images are from her beautiful Etsy shop and you can follow her on Instagram here.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

F.O.: The gray heathered shawl wrap

It seems like my last F.O. was ages ago, but finally, here we are.
I love this yarn, it's an ecological wool from the company Manifatture Sesia, an amazing company from the lovely wool area that is northern Piedmont.
The yarn is 50% virgin wool and 50% alpaca, with black and white threads twisted together for an interesting gray heathered look. It's soft and looks slightly rustic.
The shawl, which I posted glimpses of on Instagram a few times, has rows of contrasting stitches, some of which lacy, so it is textured and has some hints of lace.
More info on my Etsy page!