currently reading: "The Autobiography of Alice B.Toklas" by Gertrude Stein

"Largely to amuse herself, [Gertrude Stein] wrote The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas in 1932 ... using as a sounding board her companion Miss Toklas, who had been with her for twenty-five years."
--Donald Sutherkand

"... The record of nearly thirty years of life in fantastically changing Paris and else where--a life passed in the most  stimulating and important society."
--Louis Bromfield

"And now I will tell you how two americans happened to be in the heart of an art movement of which the outside world at the time knew nothing."
--Gertrude Stein, writing as Alice B. Toklas, at the tail of chapter two

At the turn of the 20th century and the infancy of the Bohemian Revolution in Paris, France, young artists (like the Spanish Picasso and the French Matisse), musicians, writers (like the American Hemingway), and dreamers flocked to the house of Gertrude Stein at 27 rue de Fleurus to dine and exchange ideas.  This book has been on my to-read list for quite some time, and I finally picked it up late last night.  Stein's account is utterly fascinating due to both her writing voice (of which it is written that she took on the conversational style of her lover, Alice B. Toklas) and to her intimate witness of a time of explosive life.  The book includes some gossip (such as the young Pablo Picasso's separation from wife Fernande), but it is all fascinating.  How all of these innovatively creative peolpe from all over Europe and across the seas found her and each other, I have yet to find out.

Library call number: 920. S8192A

The art of sanctuary: the Japanese Garden of Portland

I arrived in Portland Sunday the 14th of August.  Walking along and visiting the independet shops, I got this delightful indie, DIY vibe.  For instance there's the shop Crafty Wonderland that houses the handmade trinkets and clothing by local (and non-local) artists and designers (like a felt pin cushion shaped as a frowning drumstick).  Or the shop Urban Fibers, which features handspun yarns, handcarved shawl pins, and (my favorite) quirky knit patterns by the Portland semi-celebrity Lee Meredith!  (I say "semi" because the impression that I get about Portland is that Portlanders are too shy to be fully famous, haha!)  To the crafting world, she's celebrity!

But the most illuminating experience that I had in Portland was my time in the Japanese Garden.

The Portland Japanese Garden is renowned for being an authentic Japanese Garden, with plants, animals, and even roof tiles imported from Japan.  But it's not just the materials that make the garden authentic . . .

I went with two gentlemen from the hostel whom I met the previous day at the 4T tour, Mathius from Germany and Thorvaldur ("Toto") from Iceland.  We purchased our tickets just in time to hop on a tour that had just begun.  I would have enjoyed the tour all on my lonesome (or all on our threesome, as it were), but I am beyond happy that I went on the tour as it was truly enlightening.  The guide told of the philosophies and processes behind the designs in a traditional Japanese garden.  For instance, the paths in Japanese gardens always wind because curves slow a walker down.  And trees and plants are trimmed so that there is a feeling of openness.  The sands and stones in the rock gardens are meant to signify change as a natural constant and meant to emulate bodies of water.

The guide's name escapes me, although I want to call her Nancy for reasons I can't fathom.  She was an older white woman, with white hair; I recall that she gives tours on Tuesdays and Fridays.  Try to catch her tour, if you can!

I could have stayed in the garden for another hour or so, but my tour buddies were ready to move on to the next destination, the International Rose Test Garden, which surprised me in many wonderful ways.  (I have a new found love for floribundas!)

(There are 4 categories of rose.  Category number 3 is what you see inching its way up the lamp post: the climber.)

Downtown Denver Partnership presents: Your Keys to the City

I recently embarked on a train trip to the Pacific Northwest.  I began my journey in Denver on August 12th, quite early in the morning, with my departure scheduled at 8:05 am sharp.  My train was late (very late), so I put my bags in storage and wandered LoDo.  I don't make it up to Denver often, so imagine my delight to find a plethora of painted pianos strewn along 16th Street Mall.

The project "Your Keys to the City" is sponsored by Downtown Denver Partnership and launched in May 2011, toting the talents of local Denver artists.  Seventeen pianos sit along the mall for the public to play from 8 am to 10 pm (how the city regulates this, I'm curious to know).  An official press release can be found at http://www.downtowndenver.com/ under the Life tab; follow the "What to Do" link, then "Your Keys to the City."  The press release tells a little about the artists whose works are displayed vibrantly on these upright pianos.

Here are the pianos that I happened upon:

The key cover reads, quite poetically: "I fell in love, taken by the innocence of the wind."  The seat reads (aptly and invitingly): "Take a seat."

How now, blue cow?

My favorite piece.

Or is it this one?

The artists adopted a spring theme for their piano canvases.

Much to the pleasure of mall strollers, one local musician showcased his piano prowess by playing pop songs known for the recognizable piano riffs.  Remember that local musicians need our support; it is much appreciated to tip.  If you like what you hear, toss a dollar or two into the jar.

Cabled knitting (and an endorsement from Embi)

If I could by choice be the poster child for any product or consumer good (that is, if I were meritous or important enough in the first place), it would be Debbie Stoller's Stitch 'n Bitch: Superstar Knitting.  Really, I'd endorse any of Stoller's books, but this particular book (the latest to be published in the Stitch 'n Bitch line, in 2010) was an absolute treat to find on the shelves of my local library.  I must say that being a Stitch 'n Bitch fan, I'm slightly embarrassed that I didn't hear about this book sooner, but I'm not very keen with picking up on what is new the world over when it comes to consumer goods; that's the price that I must pay sometimes for frequenting the library often and the retail stores almost never.  I digress . . . 

In all of her books, Stoller has this delightful flair for describing how to execute stitches and techniques in fun and lucid language, all under wittily-named chapters and sub-headers and accompanied by uncluttered and cute (yes, cute) illustrations.  Stoller holds a Masters in psychobiology and a Ph.D in women pyschology, so naturally she makes efforts to briefly include the history of feminism and how women's crafts have evolved artistically and socially.  But the chapters don't read arduously like a history text book or a social science abstract: think mini-dissertation written in the vernacular of, say, a cool aunt or a hip, liberal arts college professor.

Superstar Knitting includes 41 classically modern patterns and tackles cables, lace, intarsia, and more cast-on and bind-off techniques than you may ever need or care to know.  And with Stoller's clear and natural voice, the complicated patterns all make sense!

I've been wanting to make a tam for a long time with this particular yarn that I've owned for an even longer time, but I wanted the hat to look like more thought was put into it than the rudimentary stockinette stitch (which is a clean, classy, and functional stitch, yes, but one day baby must learn how to frolic).  I thought that lace or cabling would make a hat look spiffy, and then reminded myself that lace is usually way too soft of an asthetic for my personal taste.  So I decided to give cabling a try . . . that is, if I could find the right pattern . . . and learn how to cable.

Enter Superstar Knitting and the "Gretel Tam" project!

The pattern follows a beautifully intwined lattice cable, which (Debbie Stoller was right!) is much easier to create than it leads on.  Cabling is also incredibly fun, and it was exciting to watch the cable form as I knit.

Thanks to my uniquely-shaped head, I tend to wear my Gretel Tam more like a Gretel Beret, but I love my new hat nonetheless.  And always a hooray for warm ears (which is why humans made clothes in the first place: to keep the naked body warm.  It's smart design that protects the body beautifully).

Art Attack! anonymous art around the neighborhood

Brought to you by: anonymous

Someone left these out in the open for public discovery, but unlike the taggers of the 1980s underground in New York, left no signature (that I could discern anyway).  And unlike the overt and naked displays of subway station and train terminal taggers, these local artists chose a more covert and private space for their expression in the safety of a college neighborhood, and yet the pieces are still very publically noticeable and enjoyable.  Here they are for your viewing pleasure:

On the trail, Winking Boulder with Squiggly Moustache.

On a block corner, Very Jolly Shrub.

Play with yourself today. Invite others.

Steve Keil: "A Manifesto for Play, for Bulgaria and Beyond"

http://www.ted.com/talks/steve_keil_a_manifesto_for_play_for_bulgaria_and_beyond.html


Isabel Behncke: "Evolution's Gift of Play, from Bonobo Apes to Humans"
http://www.ted.com/talks/isabel_behncke_evolution_s_gift_of_play_from_bonobo_apes_to_humans.html