Creative genius: knit wit
July 8, 2009
Okay, so this has nothing to do with food, but it does have to do with creativity and originality and art and beauty .. so there’s a link, right?
These funky arm-warmers were made for me by a knitting genius friend-of-a-friend. I don’t know about you, but in chilly weather (and even in air conditioning!) I am plagued, when writing, by perpetually icy wrists and hands. All that sitting around and not moving, I suppose, and possibly rather too revealing of how my fingers do not fly over the keyboard when writing ….
Anyway, one day I was seized by seething jealousy at my friend Tegan‘s gorgeously funky woollen arm-warmers, made as a present by her friend Vikki.
So I begged to commission Vikki to make some for me, and here they are: personally designed, made to measure, perfectly fitted, above-the-elbow, pea-green-and-parsley, cable-knit, pure Merino wool, soft and cosy and funky and fabulous.
I love them, in case you haven’t got the message.
And speaking of knitting and art, check this out. Guerilla knitting – love it.
Oh and PS: Happy birthday Dad, wherever you may be.
How to shuck an oyster 
Lovely! Particularly the cunning darker band at wrist, which lends a flattering waist. Rather Jane Austenish/Georgette Heyerish,though the formers frocks never had one. Must rustle out my grey flannel German gauntlets which end at a point over the paw.
Speaking of writing clothes I remember interview with Sally Vickers who claimed she always wrote in her nightgown. Very good heating or winceyette?
Jools, I just had to look up winceyette – I thought you were making up a new word for ‘wince’, but there it is – flannelette equivalent, correct? I have never gotten into the writing-in-nightwear thing that people love (staying in pyjamas all day, etc). However one of the things I do love best about not working in an office is being allowed to wear the same clothes every day. Eventually I do wash them, of course … but none of that hideous pressure to appear in different guises for the sake of – what? So I have four long-sleeved t-shirts, the same but different, two pairs of jeans. And now the world’s best gauntlets (love that, much better term). Set for life.
Exactly, and flannelette sheets come second only to nylon in my list of fleshcrawlers. Other useful fabrics are nankeen and bombazine.
Love your rational dress regime though do not find that jeans deliver the comfort factor these days, sigh. Loathe slopping around in dressing gown, despite or perhaps because of movie where Michael Douglas played tortured novelist could only write in his pink chenille brunch coat.
So, where do we place our orders? I would love a pair, maybe with longer fingers, so just the ends stick out. Is that too hard? And I’d like a matching beanie with earmuffy bits. And maybe slipper socks… Then I’ll be set.
Jules, I completely agree re flannelette sheets. It’s like being suffocated by fur. Lou, can’t you put your gifted primary students to work?? What are they there for if not to mould into slaves for this sort of purpose?
This conversation is hilarious. Am in complete agreement – no jim-jams allowed at my desk, but no sartorial splendour is required either. Plus I figure we’re helping the environment by reducing our wash.
But why are these toasty gauntlets not attached to a magnificent jumper? And how does this woolly encasement not tamper with your typing fingers??
I wondered the same thing re typing finger mobility, Di. I tried a pair of ghastly Faigen-style fingerless gloves one winter which came up to the first knuckle and prevented fingers getting sufficiently close to type properly. Ah, but now I look properly, Charlotte’s spunky ones don’t actually go between her fingers – that’d work.
Ah, yes, I see what you mean, Stephanie. And Charlotte’s are indeed spunky and not like creepy Faigen’s at all (instant flashback to poor Nancy’s bludgeoning… horrors!), but I still suspect I’m too much of a cuff Klutz to manage… I pulled my jumper sleeves up over my palms to do a bit of a test just now, and the extra bulk resulted in a torrent of typos. So sad. So inept. So cold.
Gels, I assure you my typing fingers are untrammelled and perfectly nimble. Not that nimble is necessary with the slowness of the mind … however I am loving this discussion and especially the image of DrDi getting all jumperknucklehanded. V funny. Now I must run and go to bed because there is no wine and the sooner it is tomorrow evening the sooner there WILL be.
After further consideration, and close inspection of your digit-to-wool ratio, I’m prepared to accept your endorsement, Charlotte. Now where the hell do WE get some?! Vikki could turn these into a nice little earner!
Laughing at your ‘early to bed’ philosophy, and happy Wine Day! You made it!
[…] else is happening? Well, inspired by Shuckin’ Charlotte’s own snazzy hand-warmers last year, Darkling C hatched a plan with her mum Bundy B to keep the Darklings toasty for the […]