Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Paper, Silk, and Steel


I have some yarn that is begging to be used in something I make that is inspired by salt. The two kinds of yarn are both cobweb weight so will go well with a geometric lace that I am thinking of. One is a silk/stainless yarn and the other is a paper yarn.



Because I have so little of the silk/stainless, I would like to make something small like a necklace or bracelet. Maybe one type of yarn can make a bracelet and the other a necklace.

Here’s a quick sketch of what I am thinking about:



I don’t know how I will do a geometric lace pattern like the molecular structure of Halite but I will do some tests and see.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Halite


Now that I am thinking of knitting something inspired by salt, I am finding that my high school chemistry is a little lacking and was so long ago that I have forgotten most of it. But I am still finding it interesting and intriguing. Table salt or rock salt is called Halite. The structure of halite is, of course, a crystal and is therefore geometric, orderly, and stable.


Halite is made of sodium chloride (NaCl) and makes an isometric crystal.


In the Great Salt Lake, the salt is created when vast areas of the shallow lake evaporate leaving the mineral behind.


 
I have some salt from the Great Salt Lake that I picked up at my last trip out there. It does not have the large crystal forms but on a small scale you can see them.


I am thinking of using the structure in some kind of geometric lace pattern. All the lace I have made so far has had organic forms (leaves, vines, etc.) I am intrigued with how to make something geometric out of lace.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Salt


I have been thinking a lot about salt lately. There are a couple reasons for this. People have been gifting me salt because I just moved to a new house (hence the absence from posting!) Salt is a traditional housewarming gift. I have read many reasons why: some say it is so you always have the necessities of life. Others say you give salt to make life flavorful or so there is always spice in your life. Another meaning is that it represents life’s tears or it mends all wounds. Regardless, salt is very important for quality of life and I guess the tradition of giving it as a house warming gift reflects that.

I have also been reflecting on a trip I took last fall to the salt flats. It was one of those trips that was full of disasters but the thing I remember most is how beautiful the flats were. It was one of the trips that inspired my Salt Flats Scarf that I made a few months ago.



All this reflection was sparked by an email I received last week. I was contacted by Classic Elite Yarns to get permission to include the Salt Flats Scarf in their weekly e-letter on Indie designers! I am very excited that they liked it well enough to include.

So salt is on my mind. I think I would like to explore it a little more, its structure, its qualities, its color. There is something salty ready to be made.