February 25, 2011
Quotidian day 78: accidents, computers,
13th patch complete! Three to go! Countdown to the end....On this patch, the colours for the two 'computers' remind me of the colours of the cases of machines I have used over the years.
Posted by glittrgirl at 9:59 AM | Comments (0)
February 24, 2011
Quotidian Day 73-77: finishing the nautilus and more computers
Like Glittr, I have 3.5 patches to go. It feels good to be so near the end, it has given me an extra boost. Like Glittr, I like the sounds, but I have had to deal with a partner who hates the pock and rasp made by the needle and thread, and who has moaned about the process the whole way through.
This has had an effect on my efficiency, unfortunately- I probably could have gone faster if I had either packed him off somewhere else for two months, or hidden him in a cupboard.
Ah well. But I'm very excited to see the pieces sewn together, and how they will look as a quilt, especially as Glittr and I have different styles, different fonts etc., but have chosen to have certain rules to follow in terms of thread colour etc. I think it will give the whole piece a really nice rythmn that wouldn't otherwise be there if every square was done in the same way.
Posted by scumkitten at 12:02 PM | Comments (0)
Quotidian day 77: syndrome, computers,
I can't believe this is day 77. I should have been finished before now. Still, only 3.5 patches to go. I am actually still enjoying this project, especially the sounds. The dry rasp of the thread drawing through the cloth, and the satisfying plink of the eye as it completes each fabric piercing. I am finding it hard to think of embellishments for my remaining patches, but that's OK. There will be enough between the two of us I think.
Posted by glittrgirl at 11:09 AM | Comments (1)
February 21, 2011
Quotidian day 74: white on white
I haven't blogged any embroidery for a while. My printer ran pit of ink, and then I ran out of paper, meaning I couldn't stencil my letters on to the cotton patches. I have both now, I have prepared all four remaining patches, and embroidered 'computers' in off white, on off white. Nightmare! Looks nice though, and will make an interesting contrast with the black words on the same patch. The other 'computers' will be in a greyish beige.
Posted by glittrgirl at 10:57 PM | Comments (1)
February 12, 2011
Quotidian Days 57 onwards: a spiralling indication of time
Thanks to tracey of her suggestion of a nautilus shell as an example of a creature marking the passage of time as it grows, leaving the history of its life visible for all to see. I'm doing the embroidery in a pale blue, so it will not be entirely visible- but you should be able to get a hint of something from far away, see it close up, and be able to feel it, braille-like, when touched.
Posted by scumkitten at 3:17 PM | Comments (1)
February 6, 2011
Quotidian day 59: induces the search for patterns and meaning
Patch number 12 completed. Four more to go. This one really got me thinking. As humans we seem to be looking for patterns and meaning, in just about everything we do, don't we? I got to thinking about how things might be different if we ceased looking for the reassurance of recognisable pattern and stopped examining everything for meaning. And that thought excited me. As I have written before I like fuzziness, I thrive on change and I like uncertainty. However, without any pattern or meaning, at all, I think life would be terrifying. I will continue to ponder. In the meantime I am starting the preparation for the next patch.
Posted by glittrgirl at 10:53 PM | Comments (0)
February 4, 2011
Quotidian Days 54-56: mess of time
Here's the photograph. Am going to leave this one plain, I think... unless you think some form of clock would be appropriate? Will have a think on.
Posted by scumkitten at 3:07 PM | Comments (0)
Quotidian day 57: a
I have embroidered an 'a'. That is all.
Posted by glittrgirl at 2:17 PM | Comments (0)
January 31, 2011
Quotidian day 53: search
One word. Good though! Enjoyed stitching search a lot.
Posted by glittrgirl at 9:47 PM | Comments (0)
Quotidian Day 53: turn, over time, into a history
I am desperate to decorate this patch, but am keen to include something along the lines of a geological timescale. Not this one, as is lovely, but far too complicated. Will continue searcing...
Posted by scumkitten at 10:17 AM | Comments (0)
January 30, 2011
Quotidian: day 52 computers, funerals, computers, biscuits
Thanks to Charlotte for the colour choices on this patch, which is my number 11. Five more to go. The last red 'computers' was done quite quickly this evening, allowing me to get back to the very exciting knitting project I am working on. Can't say yet what it is, but I giggle everytime I pick up my needles. I think it is possibly the coolest knitting I have done.
My next patch I think will be 'induces the search for patterns and meanings'. I would love some suggestions of embellishments around ideas of pattern and meaning, searching for patterns and meaning, in whatever form. Software, architecture, learning design, physics - whatever. Leave a comment on this blog, on Facebook or @ me on Twitter.
I think you in advance for your suggestions. If you are reading this and haven't suggested anything before, do this time. I really want input from you.
Posted by glittrgirl at 9:41 PM | Comments (0)
January 29, 2011
Quotidian day 51: funerals, computers, biscuits,
Slow progress again. But hoping to speed up from now. Home stretch!
Posted by glittrgirl at 11:13 PM | Comments (0)
January 25, 2011
Quotidian Day 47: In an otherwise tangled mess of time
This is my next patch. Started, just. But it had to be that particular patch, due to a series of conversations that ended with the ISIHC quote "as the alsation of time sniffs the crotch of eternity...".
Posted by scumkitten at 9:09 PM | Comments (0)
January 24, 2011
Quotidian day 46: funerals
I stitched 'funerals'. I am tired, I should have taken my contacts out hours ago, and I'm rushing to get to my knitting. So it's a bit pants. Hey ho.
Posted by glittrgirl at 9:57 PM | Comments (0)
January 23, 2011
Days 39-45: still the same square!
Blimey. Still not finished, despite a real go at it during a gash Star Wars film last night. Not sure why it has taken me so long. Three more 'lightening strikes' to go.
Posted by scumkitten at 1:38 PM | Comments (1)
Quotidian day 45: biscuits
I did this during the day rather than evening, and therefore was able to use daylight for the photo. If only I could do this every day. Anyway today I embroidered 'biscuits' and asked Charlotte to nominate 2 colours for 'computers'.
Posted by glittrgirl at 1:01 PM | Comments (0)
January 22, 2011
Quotidian day 44: horoscope symbols and patch 10 complete
I finally finished this patch. No way is the next one going to take me ten days, that is simply ridiculous.
Posted by glittrgirl at 11:51 PM | Comments (0)
January 21, 2011
Quotidian day 43: small but perfectly formed
Last night I made another horoscope addition. A small addition as I had a great deal of work to do.
Five symbols left to add and then this patch will be done. This will be patch number 10 of 16. My embroidery skills have definitely improved. The quotidian requirement gets easier. I find that I am thinking about the actual words less. This disappoints me, as interaction with the text on a deep level was something I was looking forward to. I find the aesthetics of the shapes are fascinating me more, as well as making sure my stitches are even and neat.
What is interesting, is that my mood and general demeanour affect my sewing much more than I thought. Why this surprised me I have no idea - after all I am well used to the effects my emotions and stress levels have on my knitting. My tension can vary hugely, and if I am not on top of my game, my purl stitches are much tighter than my knits, making my stocking stitch look strange. With stitching, I find it more difficult to be even with stitch size, and in making sure my curves are smooth.
Next patch?
computers, funerals, computers, biscuits
Suggestions for colours for 'computers' are welcome, as are your thoughts on embellishment. Leave a comment here on Facebook or via Twitter.
Posted by glittrgirl at 8:00 AM | Comments (1)
January 18, 2011
Quotidian Day 41: still no pictures
Still working on the same illustration- not because it is big and complex, but because I am picking my way through it stitch by stitch, and because I spent a significant portion of last night either cooking or dancing Zumba with a bunch of old ladies in St Germans village hall.
I still did some embroidery though.
Posted by scumkitten at 11:34 AM | Comments (0)
January 16, 2011
Quotidian day 40: backside forwards
horoscopes, computers, matrimonial,
This patch has it's lettering complete. I found it weird that I could stitch 'horoscopes' and 'computers' fairly neatly, whilst any attempt at fine embroidery with the word 'matrimonial' just seemed impossible. I embroidered two letters of 'horoscopes', then two of 'matrimonial' then 2 of the first and 2 of the second etc. .... so its not to do with tiredness or time lags. I can only presume, therefore, that my relationships with those words are to blame. Which is weird, because both horoscopes and matrimony are alien to me. Whereas computers aren't.
Posted by glittrgirl at 10:09 PM | Comments (0)
January 15, 2011
Quotidian Day 39: still the same old, same old.
I did two stitches last night- two. But at least I did something! This patch is taking an age, and you will wonder why when you see it- not because it is anything special, but because I am just dragging my heels to get it done. I don't want to photograph it until it is finished.
Posted by scumkitten at 3:29 PM | Comments (0)
January 14, 2011
Quotidian Day 38: radio, again.
Sorry, sorry, sorry: this is about yesterday, but computer access was an issue. Interesting how it's the blogging that is proving frustrating rather than the embroidery! Mike gets a little antsy about the tiny pop and sssshk that accompanies each stitch, as he forgets what the noise is each time. In addition, even though I have explained the project to him, he can't see the point of it.
Posted by scumkitten at 8:18 AM | Comments (0)
January 12, 2011
Quotidian: day 38 horoscop matrimon
Sewing hasn't been fun this evening. Hence my effort looking like a dogs breakfast. Putting it down. Hopefully tomorrows effort will be neater.
Posted by glittrgirl at 9:36 PM | Comments (1)
January 11, 2011
Quotidian Day 37: Computers, Radio
Have spent the day nauseous with tiredness, but still had to run and workshop then cook dinner. Have embroidered a few letters, but really cannot pluck up the energy to take a photo. However, am having a quick look for a suitable image to embroider on this segment of cloth...
Posted by scumkitten at 9:34 PM | Comments (0)
January 10, 2011
Quotidian: day 36 MP
Only managed 2 letters today. Had other things to do this evening. Still 2 is better than none!
Posted by glittrgirl at 10:30 PM | Comments (0)
January 9, 2011
Quotidian Day 35: computers
the embroidery of 'computers' is now becoming everyday. I did this yesterday, in addition to cutting out and ironing some more patches, but our Broadband connection is proving a little flaky at the moment, so I couldn't post. I should finish this patch today, and start on a new one. I'm away in London tomorrow, a long day, so fingers crossed Glittr can post!
Posted by scumkitten at 2:57 PM | Comments (2)
January 8, 2011
Quotidian: day 34 ho co ma
I started all three words on this patch, after asking my Twitter friends for the 'computers' colour - which as you can see is orange. Everything I have done of late has been orange! Anyway, 6 letters today isn't bad. Now back to my knitting.......
Posted by glittrgirl at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)
January 7, 2011
Quotidian: day 33 that which is thickened
liminal zone, that which is thickened
Patch number 9.
7 more to go.
You know I'm just starting to feel like I am getting into the groove of this project, and as far as the patches go, I am over halfway done..... Film, quilt, finishing to go......
Posted by glittrgirl at 10:51 PM | Comments (0)
January 6, 2011
Quotidian Day 32: Demands fleeting
Eighth patch. Unlike Glittr, my embroidery is NOT getting better, but is, instead, starting to look as if I am drunk.
Posted by scumkitten at 9:17 PM | Comments (1)
Quotidian: day 32 almost two words, but desperate to knit
I managed 'tha' and 'which'. but need to knit. Agreed to another challenge. 11 shawls in 2011. I must be mad. Off to browse patterns.....
Posted by glittrgirl at 8:03 PM | Comments (0)
January 5, 2011
Quotidian: day 31, liminal zone
I asked on Facebook and Twitter what liminal meant to people. I asked for interpretations rather than links to actual definitions.
Here is what I got (and many thanks to all who answered):
- Well I live by the sea, so it has a physical meaning for me. Also I seem to find myself at the edge of groups, cusping opposites
- I think it's the watershed no-mans-land on the beach: the in-between space where the edges are continually moving and changing
- on the edges -- extra -- unexpected -- maybe mysterious
- Kinda sorta on the edge of things ish. The hard to define borders of concepts.
- I'm not much help - my brain translated it as 'littoral' the intertidal zone - although that is also a point of flux between two states in a way..
- on a boundary, in a boundary region (like a beach, between low water andd high water lines). Then used (and oh so overused) in literary and theatrical contexts.
- for some reason I always associate liminal with temporariness, so more of a temporal boundary than a spatial one. Although technically I would think its supposed to be more of a spatial word.
- don't know but love the thought of you embroidering it!
- Isn't it the nearest town to Lostwithiel?
Posted by glittrgirl at 8:13 PM | Comments (0)
January 4, 2011
Quotidian Day 30: Nature of Anything
To be honest, I am not finding it hard to do some embroidery every day- I am enjoying it and not finding it a chore. But it is hard to summon up energy to blog, most especially to blog something worthwhile. So instead of wracking my brains after the first day back at work after New Year, I'll leave you to ponder something: what is core to the nature of anything in our universe?
Posted by scumkitten at 9:13 PM | Comments (0)
January 3, 2011
Quotidian: day 29 embroidering transport
computers, buses, computers, bike (with stylised bicycle)
I am very satisfied with this patch. My blue 'computers' is the neatest yet. And I very much enjoyed stitching the bike. I have completed 8 patches now. This is half of my allocation, and one quarter of the total required to complete our term.
I prepared the remaining eight patches yesterday, inasmuch as I tore them from the old sheet, to the right size, and ironed them all flat.
I also ironed the completed eight. They are looking pretty good I think, and from what I can see of scumkitten's patches, hers are looking really great too.
I am very much looking forward to when we can make the required film, and then put our handiwork together into a quilt. Though how long that will take us is anyone's guess.
Posted by glittrgirl at 7:00 AM | Comments (0)
January 2, 2011
Quotidian Day 28: fog
Had the cooking of dinner for 8 thrust upon me yesterday, after a morning of surf and beach and an afternoon of sleeping on the sofa in front of the fire. So realised a little late that wasn't going to have time to post. So here it is now: ubiquitous fog.
Posted by scumkitten at 11:17 AM | Comments (0)
January 1, 2011
Quotidian: day 28 limits, routine
Limits.White cloth.
30x30cm.
Black text.
Exceptions:
'Quotidian' - red.
'computers' - free colour choice.
Embellishments. Free choice.
Routine.
Embedded daily embroidery practice.
Daily project blog entry.
Posted by glittrgirl at 1:27 PM | Comments (0)
December 31, 2010
Quotidian: day 27 random
New Year's Eve. Random. I am embroidering the text on this patch backwards. Just for variety.
Posted by glittrgirl at 6:13 PM | Comments (0)
December 30, 2010
Quotidian: day 26 I can see a rainbow
I tried all night to post this yesterday, but our server was down, and it took our webhost a few hours to get things back up again. Anyway this was all done yesterday.
Posted by glittrgirl at 9:55 PM | Comments (1)
December 29, 2010
Quotidian: day 25 birthday pause
Finished the lettering on this patch. Not started embellishment. Birthday pause. Back to it tomorrow. BTW can highly recommend all varieties of Jack Cain gin. Made from Northumberland hedgerows.
Posted by glittrgirl at 4:46 PM | Comments (0)
December 28, 2010
Quotidian day 24: I love you with all of my heart
Apologies for the slightly fuzzy picture, but boy, I enjoyed doing this bit of embellishment! Nothing makes me happy like the chance to revisit my human biology days.
Posted by scumkitten at 11:57 AM | Comments (1)
December 27, 2010
Quotidian: day 23 embellishment
I am almost ready to embellish this patch. I have two things to add. My satin stitch skills are really rusty, but they shall be tested in a 'computers' related addition. My backstitch skills are OK, and in fact improving with every letter.I am beginning to think of the totality of the quilt. And of the film we must make for the Embroidered Digital Commons project. I must share the rules for the film with you, scumkitten.....
Posted by glittrgirl at 10:51 AM | Comments (0)
December 26, 2010
Quotidian: day 22 know your onions
I managed the 'o' on 'onions' last night. Didn't manage to blog before midnight, but have done some more this morning.You know when you type a word, or write a word, and for whatever reason, it looks wrong. Even though you know it's right? Well, 'onions' did that to me this morning. I trace my letters and check time and again the spelling is right. Didn't stop it appearing wrong though. I am sure there is a term to describe this experience, but I haven't the scoobiest what it might be.
So if you know, please comment and help me out of my frustration.
Posted by glittrgirl at 10:08 AM | Comments (1)
December 25, 2010
Quotidian Day 21: half a letter
and no more. I've been out for the whole day, and then come back and cooked Christmas dinner for 6. I've drunk more than I should, and watched Kung Fu Panda. I need to sleep. I've managed half a letter. That is all.
Posted by scumkitten at 11:35 PM | Comments (0)
December 24, 2010
Quotidian: day 20 computers computers
Colours as suggested by Twitter and Facebook followers. Actually green was most popular colour, but I've already done 'computers' in green. The next popular colour was aqua, and the next suggested, pink. So here they are.
Posted by glittrgirl at 5:30 PM | Comments (0)
December 23, 2010
Day 19: a morse code request
Following on from my decision to include some morse in this piece, you'll see a request. I think there'll be some more morse elsewhere, continuing the conversat...
Posted by scumkitten at 4:49 PM | Comments (0)
December 22, 2010
Quotidian day 18: onions, computers, pyjamas, computers, carpal tunnel
This selection of words is baffling me. What weird juxtapositions of images have been going through my head. I like onions though so I might attempt an onion or two. Mind you, this patch is quite text heavy, so I may decide to leave it text and text only. I shall consult the Twitter oracle for the colours of 'computers' again.
I am currently on a train back from Edinburgh which is going very slowly. The patch is prepared, and I shall start it when I get home.
Hopefully I will have two colour nominations by then. But only if anyone responds to my request....
Posted by glittrgirl at 6:59 PM | Comments (0)
Quotidian Day 18: Computers, Conversations
Embroidery going fine, but no picture- thoughts about how to depict electronic conversation, and where did it all start, this concentrating down of conversation to defined items of delivery? Smoke signals? Drum beats? Poldhu, Cornwall, is the site of the first telegraph delivery system to be laid under the sea, across the Atlantic, to North America, so I think it might be fitting to put some morse on this piece...
Posted by scumkitten at 11:25 AM | Comments (1)
December 21, 2010
Quotidian Day 17: The Measure of all things
Not been well at all, but have still managed to do a bit of embroidery.
Posted by scumkitten at 10:47 AM | Comments (2)
December 19, 2010
Day 15: the measure of all things.
No photos of the last three days of embroidery, but there has been movement forward, my chums, albeit slow due to colds, cooking for 30 people, and a lot of rum-based drinks. 'the measure of all' thus far, but I have also spent a bit of time pondering the nature of measuring. Therefore, I think I will be adding some SI units around the outside of this patch, including base (e.g. m, kg, s etc.) and also derived (e.g. Hz, rad etc.)- these internationally recognised units of measurement allow us to communicate the physical world around us in an immediate way, and are, I think, strange and elegant.
Posted by scumkitten at 11:44 AM | Comments (0)
December 18, 2010
Quotidian: day 14 - 2 weeks in
2 weeks in. 5 patches complete. 11 patches to go out of my 50% 16 patch allocation. Enjoyment is still high and managing to fulfil the quotidian requirement so far. About a third of my lot complete. I am pleased with progress on the whole. Though I would like to make my lettering a bit more even. I know that I need to change needles. The one I have been using is just about blunt. I should probably use a new one for each patch really, but you make a connection with your needle and its sometimes hard to let one go and pick another up. Next up - onions.
Posted by glittrgirl at 10:29 PM | Comments (0)
December 17, 2010
Quotidian: day 13 tracing memes
Embroidering isn't just about stitching - there is preparation too. Just traced 'In memes iterated beyond reasonable' and I am about to start stitching it, but I needed to blog something today, and wanted to share how I prepare my squares. Simply blown up text traced in pencil on to the cotton square.
Posted by glittrgirl at 10:27 PM | Comments (1)
December 16, 2010
Quotidian: day 12 Do a QWERTY dance on a keyboard. The
I am at a friends house for dinner. therefore the light is more yellow than at my house, and white balancing an iPhone ..... well anyway. Waiting for a dance thing to embellish. Though it has to appear before the next patch is finished, I think.
Posted by glittrgirl at 8:50 PM | Comments (0)
December 15, 2010
Quotidian Day 11: Quotidian
Interesting that Glittr should blog what she did- this picture is of the embroidery I did yesterday. One word, admittedly an interesting word, but one word. Like Glittr I have had a day where I also did one letter only. But that is the nature of life, and the glorious thing about this enterprise is, we have plenty of time and we have not set ourselves an impossible deadline.
This, to me, seems appropriate. If quotidian is about everyday actions made memorable (quite a buddhist point of view, I think- being in the moment), then it should not be about Glittr and I pushing ourselves to 'do' a significant amount each day, but about managing to include it in our day to day lives as if it were nothing more than having (in my case) a cup of coffee or washing one's face. It should be about being aware in the doing of that everyday thing.
Also, the dog ate my homework- ok, the camera battery went flat and had to be charged overnight.
Posted by scumkitten at 7:57 AM | Comments (1)
December 14, 2010
Quotidian: day 10 progress
The daily requirement to embroider and blog is not to be underestimated.
Especially during the festive season, when the pressure to be out and about socialising is intense and makes finding time to stitch, photo and blog difficult.
I figure it is best to blog about how the project and the process is making me feel, then to show you a photo which would be, essentially, the same as yesterday, with the addition on one letter. Boring.
Making a commitment to anything is hard for me. How I have managed the same job for the length of time I have is staggering - needless to say I have been lucky enough to chop and change what I actually do daily for a good long while. I crave variety, I thrive on challenge, I find consistency difficult.
Doing this project, making a daily commitment, being consistent, altering my daily practice, fitting in the quotidian requirement is not easy for me. I wanted to challenge myself. I don't want to fail in this challenge I have set myself.
My hobbies have shifted over the years. Only knitting has stood the test of time. Embroidery is something newish to me. I did a bit years ago, Phil and Wendy have a beautiful piece I did for them, which is based on a drawing of an oxalis plant. Root to tip. It is gorgeous, accomplished even. But I didn't take it further.
I feel like I have to do something with 'quotidian' every day. After all, it is supposed to be a quotidian activity. A challenge. That's what I said I wanted out of this thing.
I HAVE succeeded today. I have embroidered one more letter than yesterday.
Today I have embroidered one letter.
I have embroidered.
But only one letter.
I am torn.
Do I photograph and blog a single letter? Dull.
Or do I wait and post something more meaty?
Actually if I had used the time I have spent writing this guff, I would have something more to show you.....
Meh.
Tomorrow is another day.
Posted by glittrgirl at 10:46 PM | Comments (0)
December 13, 2010
Quotidian: day 9 dance on a keyboard
'Do a QWERTY dance on a keyboard. The'
As suggested by Alice Bell (thanks Alice). hoping to embellish with a bit of dance notation, or an adapted dance pic. Luckily this patch is going quite quickly. So far. Until I end up doing something over ambitious with a dancey thing.
Posted by glittrgirl at 10:42 PM | Comments (0)
Quotidian: day 9 crowdsourcing
I have decided to give over most many of the decisions on my contributions to our Embroidered Digital Commons term, quotidian, to my friends and followers on Twitter and Facebook.
The first patch was all me.
The second had decisions to be made on the colours to embroider the word COMPUTERS twice. @5currantbuns (whom I only know via Twitter and Ravelry where she is Vlad, but I do know she is a lawyer) and @bingeknitter (local knitwear designer, friend and Miss Spiritual Tramps Knitting Circle regular) were the first two to respond and I reproduced their suggestions faithfully (purple and sage/green), incorporating @5currantbuns suggestion of making the most of the coincidental early feminist colours. I gave myself a headache with the binary which translates as 'thank you ada lovelace'.
I polled my followers with the decision on the next patch to work on. @alicebell (Science Communicator, Senior Teaching Fellow, Imperial College, who I admire greatly) responded with 'do a qwerty dance on a keyboard. The'. I failed to find a suitable openly licensed image of dance notation to incorporate, but have taken up the offer of a friend and colleague @firemane (from the equivalent office for performing arts to the ones me and Scumkitten work for) to ask on a specialist dance education list for help with this, which she offered via Facebook.
It feels right to be using web 2.0 technologies to help with these decisions, and totally in the spirit of Open Source Embroidery to crowdsource them. Whilst we have decided to embroider our term between just two of us, opening up some of the decision making process felt, for me, to be a neat way I could use my daily interactions on Twitter and Facebook to make this process more 'open'. This mirrors nicely work related recent blogposts from @ambrouk and @kavubob on the nature of openness in UKOER (see http://infteam.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2010/12/10/rethinking-the-o-in-oer/ and http://blogs.cetis.ac.uk/johnr/2010/12/10/oermetaphors/ respectively).
Coincidentally, we licensed the content here at gkk with Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike just before we started the Embroidered Digital Commons project.
Posted by glittrgirl at 7:31 AM | Comments (0)
December 12, 2010
Quotidian: day 8 The end of binary
I loved stitching the alphanumeric. I detested stitching the binary. And fitting daily embroidery requirements around 3 parties, 2 presents to make, a cat needing attention, plus normal cleaning, shopping etc has been impossible. Don't pay me any visits this week. The flat is a thread ridden hovel with bare cupboards.Onwards.
Posted by glittrgirl at 10:12 PM | Comments (0)
Quotidian day 8: Bread, Compute
So tired. It's been a hard weekend, physically tough, with much DIY on THE BATHROOM, and then a quick trip to Okehampton tonight for a party. I've still done my daily bout of embroidery thought- bread (as a weird twin to sex- linked to different human needs, obviously) and my second computers- although my eyes won't let me finish that last word tonight, so the patch remains unfinished. Newcastle beat Liverpool though, so all is good in the Scumkitten household.
Posted by scumkitten at 9:52 PM | Comments (1)
December 11, 2010
Quotidian day 7: COMPUTERS
The first 'computers' of my patches. Have only just been able to buy some different coloured embroidery threads, and had already started computers in black, so decided to add shading in pewter. A subtle shading, nothing bright or glaring, even in the sunlight. The colour of gunmetal.
The red light you can see splashing the meiosis diagram? The light from my computer mouse.
Posted by scumkitten at 9:05 PM | Comments (0)
Quotidian: day 7 embroidering binary
I am about halfway through the binary addition I decided to add to this patch. Embroidering binary is dull. Really dull. I am trying hard to get in the zone so that it becomes a meditative activity, which is what happens to me when I knit something with little pattern or shaping. But it just isn't happening. I'll persevere until this patch is done, but binary ain't appearing on any of my other patches. No way. No how.
Posted by glittrgirl at 8:47 PM | Comments (0)
December 10, 2010
Quotidian: day 6 night, computers, class, computers, skin
night, computers, class, computers, skin
This phrase, from the term we are embroidering, fascinates me. The juxtaposition of 'night' and 'skin' with the repeated 'computers' is intriguing. There is sensuality suggested there - darkness, nakedness - with the machine? Because of the machine? Aided by the machine? Mediated by the machine? Kraftwerk's Computer Love was running through my head as I stitched these two words. Skin warrants stroking, and the soft worn cotton I am using for my patches, reclaimed from worn bedsheets beckons touch, and evokes memories.
The colours are interesting too. I polled my followers on Twitter to suggest a colour, I used the first two suggested. Purple and sage/green. Against the white cotton this gives us the early feminist movement's colours, an indication to me that I need to include a reference to Ada Lovelace in this patch somewhere. Binary maybe. Made up, perhaps, of long running stitches and french knots. Codified, secretive to the many, known to the few.
And more reflection on the text. There is something sinister with the juxtaposition of words. Something vaguely threatening, thrilling, dangerous, exciting .... I'm looking forward to embroidering the three remaining words.
Childishly, I am slightly jealous that Scumkitten has the patch with 'sex' on it.......
Posted by glittrgirl at 8:37 AM | Comments (2)
December 9, 2010
Quotidian: day 5. Embroidering sex
Oh, I'm just so childish. It took me a while to think about which of the words 'sex, computers, bread, computers' I wanted to illustrate- ok, it didn't take me a second. However, the question was, how? Well I have a PhD in Molecular Genetics, so the answer wasn't difficult: an extremely simplified diagram of meiosis, the specific type of cell division required for sexual reproduction, in particular, part of meiosis II (heading towards anaphase II). Hope that's clear.
Posted by scumkitten at 9:26 PM | Comments (3)
December 8, 2010
Quotidian: day 4
I enjoyed this patch a lot. I used a thread that was much easier to work with. The first letter happened to fall on a very weak piece of worn cotton, which kept giving way. That letter is therefore part darning and part satin stitch. The rest is just backstitch. I particularly liked the sounds made as the needle punctured the cotton, the dry swish as the thread was drawn through and the drum like sound as the eye left the fabric. Lovely.I could have got this done earlier, but had to take Greebo to the vet. Turns out he is arthritic. Well he is ten. Mind you, one dose of metacam and he is already a happier cat. Back to throwing my thimble on the floor at regular intervals. Amazing.
Posted by glittrgirl at 8:49 PM | Comments (4)
December 7, 2010
Quotidian: day 3
For goodness sake, how hard is it to spell 'HARD DISK'?! I had to unpick some of this yesterday evening. I'll finish the DISK tonight. Probably only one word will get done, I need to finish my Christmas cards, scan in photographs of my childhood and eat chicken curry.
Posted by scumkitten at 7:12 PM | Comments (0)
December 6, 2010
Quotidian: day 2
computers, silences, computers. My first patch. Number two prepared. I had to use glittery thread for the first, and added some ssshhh and embellishment.
Posted by glittrgirl at 10:31 PM | Comments (0)
December 5, 2010
Quotidian: day 1
As it's nearly midnight I need to prove I've embroidered today. Not as well as Scumkitten, but I have started in my daily embroidery journey.
Posted by glittrgirl at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
Quotidian: day 1
I'm not good at sewing. I've not done much of it, including the more decorative side of things (embroidery). But I love words, and I love trying stuff out, and I love doing things with someone else... hence being keen to work with glittrgirl on this project. I don't have an embroidery hoop, but its amazing what you can find lying about the house: a roll of masking tape and a hair band do just as well. So here's my first square.
Posted by scumkitten at 6:05 PM | Comments (0)
December 2, 2010
Quotidian: facilitated by Twitter
Today Scumkitten and myself spent some time talking on Twitter about how we were going to move forward with our quotidian commitment to the Embroidered Digital Commons.
We decided on layout and words per patch. We decided on the amount of embroidery real estate on each patch. We split the patches between us. The illustration opposite is not an aesthetic mockup. It is merely to indicate the words on each patch, and who is doing which one.
- Each patch as per instructions will be 30cmx30cm with a 20x20cm working space.
- Each patch will be made from a base 100% cotton in white/offwhite.
- The main body of the text will be black. The word 'quotidian' will be in red. The word 'computer' will be in random colours.
- There will be embellishments in any colour we like (including metallic thread, beads, buttons, sequins etc).
- We shall work on alternate squares to be embroidered in a random order, with no limit on how long for each square.
- We will make a commitment to have something appear on this blog every day for the duration of the project.
Have I got that right?
Posted by glittrgirl at 9:33 PM | Comments (0)
November 29, 2010
Craft, art history, feminism, technology, commons, convergence, blether
WARNING: Long post ahead, which rambles incoherently. I make no excuse. It's slightly more organised than a stream of consciousness, but not much. I just wanted to get my thoughts down somewhere that I could share with Scumkitten, and the few people who have asked me what the Embroidered Digital Commons is all about and why we are doing it. I can only speak for myself, so here goes.
I blogged a little while ago about taking part in the Embroidered Digital Commons project (2009-2012), curated by Ele Carpenter as part of the Open Source Embroidery project, based on an embroidery of the Raqs Media Collective's text 'A Concise Lexicon of/for the Digital Commons' (2003) (1).
The terms in the project are: access, bandwidth, code, data, ensemble, fractal, gift, heterogeneous, iteration, journal, kernel, liminal, meme, nodes, orbit, portability, quotidian, recension, site, tools, ubiquity, vector, web, xenophiliy, yarn, zone.
We have:
Quotidian: Common but not commonplace. The memorable nature of the everyday. Memory walking down a street and turning a corner. Memory buzzing in a hard disk. Ubiquitous, the dirt in a site, the fog in a liminal zone, that which is thickened through repetition.
Milk, computers, onions, computers, pyjamas, computers, carpal tunnel syndrome, computers, accidents, computers, sex, computers, bread, computers, night, computers, class, computers, skin, computers, love, computers, money, computers, headaches, computers, police, computers, buses, computers, bicycle, computers, radio, computers, horoscopes, computers, matrimonials, computers, funerals, computers, biscuits, computers, conversations, computers, silences, computers.
The quotidian is that which makes a journal turn, over time, into a history, because it induces the search for patterns and meanings in an otherwise tangled mass of time, in memes iterated beyond reasonable limits. Routine, yet random, the quotidian nature of anything demands fleeting moments of lucid engagement with the real world, which now includes within it the world that is forged every time any fingers do a qwerty dance on a keyboard. The quotidian is a measure of all things, rare and commonplace.
Ele originally invited me to be a part the project when I was at The Miners Hymns at Durham Cathedral (read about that here, here, here, and here). The invitation was based on a previous piece of work which grew out of a throwaway comment by email from a colleague at work (Rob! You know who you are). The knitablog project was a piece which came together quickly, and which was based on our organisational and networking skills, incorporating the creative and craft skills of a network of women brought together via cyberspace to contribute to a whole, real object, which only ever meant anything when taken together with the chronicles, journal and blog entries of participants. We were the instigators, the curators, the agitators, the organisers. We wrote a set of rules, which got broken. We set a deadline, which was missed several times. We had no idea what we were going to do with the darned thing. The project had unforeseen consequences. It got lost several times, but kept resurfacing. The community it brought together fleetingly felt vibrant, had a common if rather lax purpose. It was a group of people held together by a bit of knitting, but they all wanted to be part of something. To contribute. To create.
And then Ele saw this blog and asked us to show the work in the Open Source Embroidery exhibition. It was subsequently seen in HTTP Gallery in London, at Umea in Sweden and at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art in San Francisco, USA.
It was a challenge.
Then I was invited to create a community piece for a one off event in a local gallery based on the knitablog piece. Twitter Knitters was both exhausting and exhilarating. The piece is done but took an age to get motivated to complete the finishing off. Over two hundred knitters contributed pieces of work of 140 stitches or less to a stream of knitting in the space of a few hours.
It was a challenge. It was exciting.
Ele's invitation to join in the EDC project excited me. I had spoken to her energetically about how it was synergistic with a piece of work I was involved in at work, which was working up a proposal for a Consent Commons in open education - balancing the desire for openness in educational resources, with the rights of people to refuse or withdraw from participation.
When Ele suggested I blog about the two Commons at the same time, I wasn't keen. I had previously tried with some small success to keep my work and private lives distinct. Besides I only had a personal blog at that time. My work blog had not yet materialised.
The convergence of these things made me revisit my own motivations, needs and desires both for my work, and for my hobbies. Work, hobbies, hobbies, work.
They don't seem distinct any more. They are converging. And Ele's suggestion seems like the right thing to do right now. Convergence seems exciting, vital, and brings together the worlds I inhabit at work and personally.
Scumkitten and myself had revisited our feminist art (history in my case) interests when we visited the Quilts show separately at the V&A earlier in the year. We got very excited indeed by the quilts which used text on them. We liked the same ones in the show (hardly a surprise given one of the reasons we share a blog). Neither of us had done much embroidery or quilting, but we were intrigued by the prospect of making something similar, which meant something only to us. Which we could work on together, and which explored critique through intense familiarity with a text, allowed us to discuss textuality together. Just us. At a distance. Using technology as an aid.
However, since then, we have put off. We have procrastinated. We have avoided. Though My erstwhile blogpanian has indeed made a quilt.
We have been overcome by the events going on around us.
Over the past few days, whilst sitting on interminable bus journeys brought on by the wintery weather we have at the moment, I got to thinking about why I was taking part in the EDC project - my motivation, my needs and desires. Were they any different to my motivations, needs and desires at work? Why is the Consent Commons stuff happening and the Embroidered Digital Commons not? Why can't I balance the two? Why aren't I motivated to do both at the same time? Surely if I am able to make them work together, they should enhance each other. And may make unforeseen connections, provide new directions, and provide us with a sort of shared challenge - which is in itself exciting.
My degree was in modern art history with a strong thread of feminism running through it. Craft had been reclaimed by the feminist movement in the 1960s and 70s as a way for women to have a creative voice, that had a history and that was their own. Reading about artists like Judy Chicago, Mary Kelly and others in the Second Wave of Feminism had validated my own lifelong interest in craft and making things.
I have sewn since I was six, knitted since I was about ten, and made things all my life.
This blog, mainly about knitting (and soup) has been going for over 5 years now. Knitting and cataloguing my projects here is ingrained in my life in much the same way as religious devotion, yoga practice or art practice is in others.
But I don't do it every day. And I'm not really that disciplined about it. It is, however, really important to me. I feel passionately about it. It soothes me, relaxes me., takes me out of myself, has given me friends aplenty. It also feels like a political act every time I pick up my needles. In a small peculiarly british way. Almost like a two fingered 'up yours' to the clothing and fashion consumerist establishment; mind you there is a tension with the procurement of luxury yarns with which to knit your anti fashion garments, but that's a whole other post at least as long as this one.
So what ARE my motivations for taking part in this project?
Well, it is challenging. To make a patch, photograph it and blog it, one a day until the term is complete, to put those photos together in a film, and finally to join and quilt the patches into a whole artifact are all things which are fairly alien to my current practice. Not completely so, just on the edge of what is comfortable. Just enough. To challenge. And to be a part of something bigger. And to do that with a person I love sharing things with will make it special.
To bring the things I like doing more into line. To work on converging my interests. To motivate me. To keep me going in a time of uncertainty. To explore new ideas, networks and experiences by building on what has gone before. To add to mine and Scumkitten's shared history. To explore deeply and intimately the properties of a text through a daily practice. To instill self discipline. To experience something. To create. To contribute. To add to the whole. To be a part. To make a mark. Not just with EDC but with my other work too. I just need to talk to Scumkitten, decide on aesthetics and form, and get on with it. We need to do it. Soon. Now.
At the same time I want to knit this.
I like a challenge.
Reference
(1) Raqs Media Collective, 2003, A Concise Lexicon of/for the Digital Commons. In: Sarai Reader 03: Shaping Technologies, ed. Monica Narula, Shuddhabrata Sengupta, Jeebesh Bagchi, Ravi Vasudevan, Ravi Sundaram + Geert Lovink, Sarai-CSDS Delhi/WAAG Amsterdam, 2003. p365.
Available at: www.raqsmediacollective.net/texts4.html
Posted by glittrgirl at 7:07 PM | Comments (1)
September 1, 2010
Embroidered digital commons
The Embroidered Digital Commons (EDC) is a project taking place from 2001-2012, an artwork faciltiated by Ele Carpenter as part of the Open Source Embroidery (OSE) project, utilising social and digital connectivity.
The project in its totality is to create an embroidery of the text 'A Concise Lexicon of/for the Digital Commons' by the Raqs Media Collective (2003).
From the EDC website:
This distributed embroidery aims to collectively stitch terms from the Lexicon as a practical way of close-reading and discussing the text and it's current meaning. Each term is chosen in relation to the specific context of its production.
Some terms have already been completed, some are ongoing, some have yet to start and many have not yet been claimed.
We at gkk have asked for a term to be reserved for us. Our term is:
QUOTIDIAN
And the Raqs Media Collective definiton:
Quotidian: Common but not commonplace. The memorable nature of the everyday. Memory walking down a street and turning a corner. Memory buzzing in a hard disk. Ubiquitous, the dirt in a site, the fog in a liminal zone, that which is thickened through repetition.
Milk, computers, onions, computers, pyjamas, computers, carpal tunnel syndrome, computers, accidents, computers, sex, computers, bread, computers, night, computers, class, computers, skin, computers, love, computers, money, computers, headaches, computers, police, computers, buses, computers, bicycle, computers, radio, computers, horoscopes, computers, matrimonials, computers, funerals, computers, biscuits, computers, conversations, computers, silences, computers.
The quotidian is that which makes a journal turn, over time, into a history, because it induces the search for patterns and meanings in an otherwise tangled mass of time, in memes iterated beyond reasonable limits. Routine, yet random, the quotidian nature of anything demands fleeting moments of lucid engagement with the real world, which now includes within it the world that is forged every time any fingers do a qwerty dance on a keyboard. The quotidian is a measure of all things, rare and commonplace.
I may have been a bit stupid to choose a term without realising how long it was.... this is one of the longest in the lexicon... but in terms of our initial thinking I am convinced we made the right choice.
We have yet to finalise our thoughts on what our patches will be like aesthetically, and how much of a coherent integrated artefact we want to end up with, but we have decided that unlike many of the other terms currently being created, ours will not be a community created piece.
Ours will be a term created in the private social digital space between the two authors of glittyknittykitty, who are at opposite ends of England geographically, but which will be shared via readers of this blog, and via our other more public digital personas in social networking spaces.
The only thing we have agreed on, apart from the term 'quotidian' is that our creative energies will be pushed via the need to blog daily.
A quotidian activity.
Ideally we would like to finish and blog a patch a day. We may not finish one every day, however we will blog daily about our progress.
As we agree on how we will do this project, and what the guiding aesthetic principles for our term will be, we will blog more under the 'quotidian' category on this blog.
Please don't ask if you can take part in our EDC project. We will say no.
But you can contact Ele and create a term yourself. She would be delighted to hear your ideas.
Posted by glittrgirl at 3:42 PM | Comments (1)
