Sunday, January 18, 2009

Finish (in memorandum)

Three FOs, all l dedicated to the memory of Tony Hart, who died this weekend. I loved his TV programmes when I was a kid. Art and design via Tony Hart was always so calmly playful, it was about making interesting and beautiful things from stuff around you; exploring the world through shape, colour and texture. It wasn't about impressing posh people, following instructions exactly or being able to achieve measurable results. It was intuitive. It was creative. It was exploratory. It was fun.

Kirsty's bobble hat 3 Kirsty's bobble hat 1
Kirsty's bobble hat 4 Kirsty's bobble hat 2

Made for: Kirsty (housemate)
Pattern: In some ways it's Thorpe, but modified for DK weight and added bobble action. It similar to the one I did for Marcus last Valentine's but with more bobbles - which Kirsty says are very useful for attaching her MP3 headphones to.
Yarn: Wool-cotton in Gold.
Needles: 2.5 addi lace circ.
Ravelled: here.

anthony's socks 2

Made for:
Anthony (another housemate)
Pattern: Basic toe-up sock with stripes. I divided the yarn exactly (weighing on kitchen scales) and worked till I ran out.
Yarn: Cygnet Wool Rich 4 Ply (black), with leftover green of Trekking Pro Natura and Dream in Color Smooshy.
Needles: 2.5 addi lace circ.
Ravelled: here.

embroidered sock 1

Made for:
Marcus' mother, in exchange for a jacket she gave me rather than taking to the charity shop (clothes swapping is *so* the new shopping).
Pattern: Basic toe-up with extra embroidery.
Yarn: tea-dyed bamboo sock yarn, with some brown wool as contrast (again, leftovers).
Needles: 2.5 addi circ, my old one - too short to do them both at once, bah!
Ravelled: here.

I was going to spend the evening continuing the Tony Hart memorial by making Morph-like models with plasticine but now Woolies has gone, I'm not sure where I could buy some on a windy Sunday afternoon in Peckham. Instead, I think I'll just watch the Wallace and Gromit movie (Morph's greatest legacy) and swatch for my next project.

12 comments:

k. said...

It is a great loss. I grew up watching Hart Beat with him (and wanted to be Margot.) He's probably who inspired me most to go to art school- He always seemed like a lovely man, with ideas for using any inspiration to make art.

ps love the hat!

Katie said...

Another person who's going to miss Tony. The TV art programs were never as good after he stopped doing TV. He seemed like the sort of Grandad you'd love to have.

Anonymous said...

He will be sorely missed by me too. But you can Make Your Own Morph

alittlebitofscrap said...

Nice FO's. I especially like the hat :)

Anonymous said...

I remember Tony, Morph and Vision On. I was a TV addict as a child.
Sad to hear he's gone.

Andy said...

RE: Clothes swapping is SOOOOO the new shopping!!!

I use www.bigwardrobe.com xxx

Kate said...

I too grew up with Hartbeat and loved it. I always hoped my drawing would be shown in the gallery but it never was...

Anonymous said...

i'd hadn't considered it that way, but you're right about Wallace and Gromit.

Tony Hart really will be missed. :(

Little Lj said...

I've just discovered your blog, and it's so inspiring, especially to a beginner knitter like me (I started in earnest, in November just gone). I too will miss Tony Hart, but I love your tribute to him :o)

At Home Mommy Knits said...

Love the hat....it's adorable.

ofpinsandneedles said...

I loved Hart Beat! Art teachers and TV art presenters always made me feel inferiorly uncreative, but Tony made anything seem possible, inclusive not only in his inspiration and materials, but also in the people he spoke to. It always seemed as if he wasn't really on TV, just naturally using that as a medium to pop round to your house.

These three FOs are a great tribute to him, reinventing things and using up odds and ends. They're lovely, too!

Aase G said...

As a Norwegian I don't know this Tony you are talking about. So I'll instead comment on your knitted work: It' so nice! I especially liked the hat, nice colour, it's very cute! The garter stitch and the pon pons, so nice!