Artsy Fartsy Interlude 2: National Museum of Natural History

I've gotten behind on my posting, and today's entry is about the National Museum of Natural History, which I visited almost two weeks ago. While there was a bit of art there, I'm not presenting it in this post, so this is another interlude in the Artsy Fartsy series.

Let me preface this post by telling you that when I was little, I had two basic passions in life: rocks and dinosaurs. It's a love that still lives on today. I've used dinosaurs in at least three of my art classes so far, and for the longest time you would not find me without a small, pleasing to the touch, rock in my pocket. So you can imagine how much in awe I was when I visited the Natural History Museum, and this was one of the first exhibits I saw:

The stegosaurus was always my second favorite dinosaur, because how could anything be better than the brontosaurus? (Even if it is a junior synonym for apatosaurus, brontosaurus is the favored term amongst most people I know, because we grew up with it. Also, it seems easier and more pleasing to say.) One of these days, I'll find my way to a museum that has a brontosaurus skeleton on display.

When I saw this next creature, my first thought was that it was a wampa from The Empire Strikes Back.

No, that's not the creature I saw, that's the wampa. This is the skeleton on display:

It's a giant ground sloth. They're extinct, so you have no worries about being able to reach your lightsaber to defend yourself from it.

Not all the animals I saw were dead, though. There was a very colorful exhibit of tropical fish. I wish I'd had a clicker to count how many people made Finding Nemo references when they saw this.

I took so many photos of rocks/gems/minerals that it was hard to decide what to include here, so I pulled out only the very best one.

A spectrum of rocks. Glorious to behold, isn't it? I think so, anyway. From there, I moved on to what is possibly one of the most famous gems in the world, the Hope diamond. You hear stories about how big it is, and how pretty, but I was vastly underwhelmed by it.

I was expecting something more along the lines of the Koh-i-Noor as seen in the Doctor Who episode "Tooth and Claw":

You can see in comparison why I was not impressed. What did impress me, though, was this perfect chunk of quartz which formed the largest crystal ball I've ever seen:

Perhaps the greatest lure of the Museum of Natural History, though, is the butterfly pavilion, which is free on Tuesdays. It's basically a sort of indoor greenhouse, filled with flowers and butterflies. You are assigned a specific time, and are allowed to stroll through and linger as you wish, watching the butterflies. Please don't touch them, though. The same rule doesn't apply to the butterflies, probably because they don't speak a human language, and they are allowed to touch you. These guys stayed on my shorts for probably half an hour. You can even see the proboscis of the closer one.

And one lovely Monarch decided to grace me with its presence as well. Hello there!

Next time we'll visit the National Zoo and the National Air & Space Museum.

Artsy Fartsy, Part 4: National Museum of American History

I promised this last week, and I've finally gotten around to sorting through my pictures and paring them down to show you the ones that I like best. As such, and since the National Museum of American History is not an art museum, this post is less arty than others in the Artsy Fartsy series.

I have a feeling that this is the building that most people think of when they talk about "The Smithsonian" in general terms. It doesn't even begin to cover a fraction of everything that the Smithsonian holds, but is a good general overview of American history and culture in general.

If you're there at the right time, you can see (and maybe help with the unfolding/folding of) this giant replica of the Star Spangled Banner written about by Francis Scott Key. The entire building seems to stop for the singing of the national anthem. I have to admit, I'm not much of one for flag-waving, but it was a moving moment.

Some other truly American items on display are the hat that Lincoln wore the night he was shot,

Eisenhower's golf clubs (are those cozies just knitted, or both knitted and crocheted? I can't tell.),

and one of the first Teddy bears named for Teddy Roosevelt.

Something I found interesting was this display of swatches from the Textile Color Card Association of the United States, Inc. The Color Association does the same thing most people associate with Pantone these days, determining the "in" colors.

And keeping with the theme of textiles, this swift from the 1800s is made of ivory and bone, and doesn't appear to be much different from the wooden umbrella swifts of today. Why tamper with what works?

American History doesn't have to mean it's only about things you learn in history class. Pop culture can also have a historical relevance. I bet anyone could tell me whose shoes these are, after all, and the film they were used in was made 73 years ago.

And is there any American under the age of 45 who didn't grow up with this guy?

I think the biggest indicator of change and development in technology and culture in the last 140 years can be summed up in this picture. How much more is the object on the left capable of than the one on the right, and how many more people are aware of it than of its antique predecessor, yet how much more impact did the original model have on the world?

Now, I just have to decide which branch of the Smithsonian I want to visit next. Let me consult my iPhone...

Artsy Fartsy Interlude: Washington, D.C.

I said my next post was going to be about the National Museum of American History, but I haven't been able to pare down the photos and decide what's worthy of showing, so I'm bringing you this interlude instead.

The last time I was in D.C. was in 1998, and a good portion of the pictures that were supposed to come home with us got fried by the X-ray machine at the J. Edgar Hoover FBI building. I'm still angry about that. FBI, you owe my mother a new camera. Hers never worked properly after that.

So I wandered around D.C. a little bit between museums yesterday, and got some photos of famous landmarks. If you've seen them before (and I'm sure you have) they're nothing special, but this is my blog and I can show you whatever I like.

The four pictures below were all taken from the same spot, but at 90º turns. The first three of them were taken at the same level of zoom, and the last one was without any zoom at all.

To the south, the Jefferson Memorial.

To the west, the Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool.

To the north, the White House.

And to the east, the Washington Monument.

I tried to get a good picture of the Capitol Building, but it just wasn't happening yesterday. I still have a lot of sightseeing to do, though, so I'll get one eventually.

Artsy Fartsy, Part 3: The Renwick

Today's trip took me to Washington, D.C., to the Renwick Gallery. It's the section of the Smithsonian that focuses on American Craft, which is where my interests lie. See? It even handily informs you of what it houses.

The lower level was unfortunately closed so that a new exhibit could be installed, but I did get to look around on the second floor and see some fascinating pieces.

The first room I entered was the Salon, and one of the pieces there almost immediately drew my attention. When I saw who the painter was, I was unsurprised that I liked it so much, as one of my very favorite paintings is by the same artist and hangs in the Parthenon in Nashville. This is The Perfume of Roses, by Charles Courtney Curran.

The next piece that grabbed me was the one below, by Wendell Castle. It is entirely made of wood. No, that is not a sheet on top of it. Entirely made of wood. Yes, really.

The Renwick seemed to have a higher ratio of textile and fiber-related art than the Walters or the BMA did, which I was pleased with. None of the pieces really stood out to me, though, other than this one by Michael James.

But quite possibly my favorite piece is the last one I'm going to show you. I saw it in a magazine just a few months ago and wondered how they'd stiffened the dress to stay in that shape so well. Imagine my surprise when I read the article and found that it was made of glass. I had a newfound appreciation for the medium of glass, thanks to Karen LaMonte, and I'm ever so pleased that I got to see it in person.

In my next post, I'll show you the highlights of my time at the National Museum of American History.

Artsy Fartsy, Part 2: The Walters

It's hot in Baltimore. So hot that I decided I wasn't going to venture outside today unless absolutely necessary. This sort of weather is not made for fair-skinned redheads, so I'm sitting in front of the air conditioner, typing up this post about my latest museum adventure.

Yesterday I continued my tour of the local museums with a trip to The Walters. It's larger and possibly more varied than the BMA, and I saw a lot of things I liked or found inspiring, but surprisingly I decided I preferred the BMA overall.

I enjoyed seeing this piece, a late 18th or early 19th century figure carved from bone and depicting a woman spinning thread. There were surprisingly few textiles at either The Walters or the BMA, so anything related to fibers was a pleasure to look at.

Then there was this piece of armor, and I had to laugh because it looked to me as if it were made for an alien.

Another thing that had me giggling was the wall where a Monet piece was displayed.

Can you see the recently repaired spots on the wall? They look as if they're mimicking the sunlight dappling the girl's dress in the painting.

The Walters has a separate building dedicated to Asian art, and this "garden vessel" (I'm not sure if it's a planter or a fountain or what - it looks like it should be a fountain, if you ask me) was probably my favorite piece in that area, even moreso than the teapots, and I love teapots.

And of course, there was all sorts of woodwork with geometric patterns, which I am absolutely crazy about.

Even the wrought iron on the outside of the windows was in a wonderful geometric pattern.

I think I preferred the BMA to the Walters just because a lot of the Walters' collection is Christian art, and there are only so many paintings of Mary and Jesus I can look at before it gets to be really, really boring. If that's your thing, though, you are set. I did enjoy the ancient art and artifacts, though, and seeing an x-ray of a cat mummy was pretty nifty.

Now I'm going to keep trying not to melt. Stay cool, northern hemisphereans!

Artsy Fartsy, Part 1: BMA

I'm staying with some friends in Maryland this summer, and since I'm an art student, the free museums in the Baltimore and DC areas are a huge draw. I plan to visit several, and will be posting about each one.

Today I visited The Baltimore Museum of Art. I enjoyed the short walk over there, and spent a few hours on the grounds, checking out the art inside as well as the sculpture garden. I even spent a little while knitting in front of an Alexander Calder piece.

Two of my favorite pieces in the collection are these by Claude Monet, one depicting Waterloo Bridge, the other showing Charing Cross Bridge.

There were a lot of other ones that I enjoyed for various reasons (and surprisingly, some of them were modern American pieces, which I'm not typically fond of) but it's hard to beat a Monet.

When I saw this next piece, I had to stop and do a double-take, because we studied it in my Craft History class last semester.

It's a glass vase by Lalique, called 'Tourbillons.' The popular study method for Craft History classes ensures that some pieces of art I can simply look at and immediately know when, where, or by whom they were made, and I looked at this and instantly thought "1925." I guess my brain's doing something right.

Some of the pieces I found most inspiring, though, were from the Antioch Mosaics. Their use of color and shape was wonderful, and I found myself wanting to incorporate something similar into my knitting or weaving.

I guess it's off to the drawing board with me!

Baby Crazy

It seems like these days, everyone I know is procreating. Therefore, I have been subjected to the interesting (and often torturous) chore of gift knitting. Or gift crocheting, as the case may be. You never know whether the parents will appreciate the gift as much as they do store-bought presents, and there's always that chance that they won't let the baby use whatever the handmade item is, even if you tell them that it's machine washable.

This month, I had two different baby showers to attend, so my time was filled with making tiny FOs for homo sapiens WIPs (I guess that should technically be WsIP, but that just looks weird).

For my friend Jacque, who is expecting a girl and has decorated the nursery in black, pink, and white, I made a star-shaped blanket, knowing she'd appreciate the sort of punk girl vibe it gave off.

It wasn't the nicest handmade gift there by any means, but it was made and given with love, and that's what matters, right?

Then, for my cousin's impending boy-child, I made two smaller items. I sort of wanted to keep them both for myself.

I'd had this tiny lion in my queue for a while, but I'm terrible at not wanting to seam things, so I knew if I had a deadline I'd actually do it. He was super simple to make, and I modified the tail slightly to have that little orange poof at the end instead of the yellow loops called for in the pattern.

The other thing I made for my cousin was not as cute, but slightly more interesting.

(pen included for scale)

This was fun to see come together. Knit in strips of varying colors and then seamed together, it achieves its ball-like shape through the interlacing of the pieces. I wasn't too excited about it while knitting it, thinking that surely mine wouldn't come out as well as the ones pictured on Ravelry, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was so easy, and the finished item looks so interesting, that it may just become one of my go-to baby knits.

Now, please, everyone I know: stop having babies so I can knit the things I want to.

Here, kitty, kitty, kitty

I've done lace. Cables. Colorwork. Toe-up and top-down socks. But I've never tried double knitting. I've never had a strong desire to learn it, as most one-sided knits are warm enough for me. I live in Tennessee and I tend to run hot anyway. There's no reason for me to want two layers of anything wrapped around me. But now? Now I have a reason to learn double knitting.

For this. My friend Neil designed a kitty blanket, and I have a desperate need to make one for this monster:



If your feline friends need a new nap spot, go download the chart.

MDSW 2012

I, like a lot of knitters and crocheters, am a dedicated user of Ravelry. I post in the forums quite frequently, and the group I spend the most time in is a tight knit - no pun intended - bunch of fiber lovers. So when one of us decided that we should have a get-together around Cinco de Mayo, and that said meetup should be in Maryland, it was sort of like fate. It just so happens that Cinco de Mayo is the same weekend as Maryland Sheep and Wool, and my birthday fell on the same weekend as well.

I drove from Nashville to Baltimore, making a pit stop in Virginia to spend the night at the house of another fantastic member of the group. While not the first time I'd met friends from Ravelry (I attend DragonCon every year and room with a few wonderful Ravelers who I love dearly), this time, it kind of felt like coming home. The people who came to the Cinco de Mayo festivities aren't the people I interact with the most frequently of my Ravelry friends, so it was slightly awkward on my part at first, but I'd gotten into a tiny fender bender (no damage) within 50 yards of my destination, and they greeted me with comforting hugs.

We had dinner that night, and explored Baltimore the next day, and by the end of Friday, it felt like they had always been my friends, more than just faceless usernames on some knitting website. But Saturday? Saturday was where the fun was. We headed out to the fairgrounds, and while I'd been to Stitches South and SAFF, a couple of the others had never been to a fiber festival, and MDSW is in a league of its own.
 
I petted some of the critters.

We saw the fluffiest bunny in existence.

And I both bought yarn and had yarn and fiber (and a bag!) given to me as unexpected birthday presents. I already have plans for some of it.

It was amazing. I got to spend days with these people who have seen me at my best and at my worst, and we were immersed in the thing that had brought us together to begin with. We dined, we drank or abstained, we knitted, and laughed, and laughed, and laughed some more. I never wanted to leave. But of course, all good things must come to an end.

So we packed up our things at the end of the weekend, and everyone went back to their daily lives. Except me. I journeyed further north, to New Jersey, to visit with another bunch of friends from the same group. It wasn't a weekend, so we didn't get to spend as much time together as I'd have liked, but we did hang out a bit and go out to dinner. I found out that they are just as wonderful in real life as they are on the internet, and I definitely want to go back when I can stay longer and everyone can get together for a longer period of time. Two of us who are nail polish addicted even finally - months after we'd first talked about it - got to combine our powers and do manicures to match (my hand is on the right, hers is on the left).

And a week after I left home, I got the chance to go to New York City for the first time, with a non-knitter friend acting as tour guide.

After my whirlwind tour of NYC, where I saw most of the major Manhattan sights in 8 hours, I headed back south the next day, with stops in Baltimore and Virginia for rest, and got home Saturday so that I could spend Mothers Day with my mother and grandmother.

I met so many amazing people during this trip, and I love them all. There are others I've already met, and many more who I want to meet, and each one of them is dear to me. Never let it be said that "internet friends" are not real friends, because they most certainly are.