An Exhibition
After a staff meeting at work last Monday I decided to make the most of my train ticket and visit the new The Cult of Beauty exhibition at the V&A. I left feeling almost dizzy with inspiration and the urge to buy a peacock (visit the exhibition and you'll see why!), although a nice cup of tea and a sit down in their beautiful cafe room helped calm me down a little. I'd never been to an exhibition on my own before and it was really freeing to take as much time as I wanted to experience it. The exhibition focuses on Aestheticism, an artistic movement which involved creating art for art's sake; beauty has intrinsic value, they argued, no meaning required.
This is a really attractive idea for me, although my interpretation of it is rather less high-brow. I like to surround myself with beautiful things and I like being able to create beauty in my life. That's one of the biggest attractions of crafts (or should I say arts?) like knitting and sewing, I think. There's nothing like the rush of adding something beautiful to your life. We can't all be Rosetti or Leighton, but we can create a little beautiful something that gives us pleasure every time we wear it or look at it. And that's worthwhile in itself. So the next time someone asks why you would spend all that time making a pair of socks or a sweater when you can just go and buy one, you can tell them that you are adding a little beauty to the world, and that the Aesthetes would approve.
FO - The Jan Sweater
Speaking of sweaters, I have a finished object to show off. This is the Jan sweater, a sneak peek pattern from the soon-to-be-released A Stitch in Time Vol. 2. I raced through it in about two and a half weeks and I am so pleased with it. I had to sew up about an inch on each side of the neckline to stop it from falling off my shoulders (the pattern has the front and back attached only by the sleeves) but I think it's really flattering.
The yarn is the gorgeous Tern by Quince & Co, which is a lovely merino/silk blend that's drapey, but not so much so that it immediately looses its shape. Having said that, I think the ribbing might benefit from some elastic sewn on the inside..
You can see more photos and stats here.
Next time I shall tell you all about a certain Crazy Colourwork What Were We Thinking Sockalong with the fabulous R, but for now I will leave you with a little exchange that occurred on my way home from the exhibition:
Mr Suitey Commutey: "May I ask what you're making?"
Moi: "A sock"
Mr SC: "Just the one?" *confused face*
Moi: *equally confused face* "...no. I've just finished one. This is the second."
Mr SC: "Good for you!"
Exeunt
You are too kind, Mr SC. Although I rather wish I had replied, straight faced, "Yes, Sir, just the one. The other leg's made of wood"
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