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Africa Inspired Fashions and Decor

Africa Inspired Accessories and Decor

 

“I have loved no part of the world like this and I have loved no women as I love you. You’re my human Africa. I love your smell as I love these smells. I love your dark bush as I love the bush here, you change with the light as this place does, so that one all the time is loving something different and yet the same. I want to spill myself out into you as I want to die here.”
Graham Greene – The End of the Affair

I have always been a little obssessed with Africa. Though I have no desire to get on a plane for more than 3 hours at a time – and that’s pushing my limits – I might do it to see Africa.
Until that moment comes, I am making do with creating Africa inspired accessories for body and home. I did a little research on Kente cloth and pulled the colors from there and have kept them in mind as I began work.
The first item that will come out is an afghan. It’s a beautiful geometric with blocks of bold color.  I made one years ago and gave it as a wedding present. I don’t  have a photo of it but this version is new and improved because I am knitting it to be reversible!
The colors I’ve chosen for this one: black, gold, cranberry, olive green, medium blue and deep purple. Each color has a meaning in Kente cloth colors:
Blue: Big spaces
Gold: preciousness
Green: they symbol of life
Red: Sacrifice
Purple: Women
Black: spiritual energy
I am enjoying it immensely. It will take about 6 weeks to make as a custom piece but I believe it to be worth the wait for such a bold piece.

The africa inspired knits will be available at designbcbin the fall of 2018.

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The Color Purple – Date With Royalty

The Color Purple

“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere an don’t notice it.” Alice Walker

it should make the supreme being upset. Who does not notice purple when it is in the room or in a field? It’s not even demanding – it’s commanding. You just see it.

They say purple is the color of royalty and i can certainly understand why someone of regal stature would claim it as their own.

It was Elizabeth Tudor, Liz the first, who claimed it for royal wear. The dye to make the color was quite expensive and that would put it out of reach to those who were not rich already so why not make it even more exclusive?

Luckily, the dye is more readily available and even us everyday folk can indulge and wear it whenever we want. It is a bold and beautiful color. When I knew I was going to work with specific colors, there was no doubt purple was going to be one. In seventh or eigth grade all my clothes were purple. While I have expanded my wardrobe colors, purple remains firmly in place.

Other than the textured scarves shown here, I have several other purple items completed or in the works.

Expect to see purple in hats, afghans and other scarves. I may even do a purple hooded scarf. I can’t believe I haven’t done one so far. There’s a purple cowl on one of my crochet hooks. I look forward to showing it along with the long scarf.

There is a way to wear purple and a way not to. You can use it as a main color and pair it with something white or black. You can even go Viking and wear it with gold but use reason.

You want to be careful about wearing head to toe purple. Unless you’re Prince – and no one is.

  

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Man Knits – Get it for him; Then Borrow It

Man Knits – Fall 2018

I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naive or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman. – Anais Nin

Knitting for men can sometimes be a thing. You have to get the color right. You have to get the texture right. And there has to be a certain amount of function and form. Unless he’s really into the fashion part of being dressed, practical goes a long way down the success road.

You also have to get past the whole ‘boyfriend sweater’ thing where you never knit a sweater for your boyfriend because that dooms the relationship. I never knit a sweater for any boyfriend and the relationships ended anyway but I’ve also never knit a sweater for Mr. Honey and it’s been more than 20 years with him….so

I know I am often asked if I have hats, scarves, etc. made for men so it’s about time I fulfilled that request.

Here’s a sneak peek at one of the scarves coming for the new Man Knits section in the shop. It has texture, color, form and function – and you can get it for him but keep it for yourself.

There will be more than a dozen choice of the Textured scarf available ranging from $21 – $32 from acrylic to acrylic/wool blends. Available fall 2018.

Also in the works are two Man Knit hats and at least one other scarf option. Of course, women should feel free to don any of them and have them in their own wardrobe. I suspect that might be the case anyhow. Men have been known to buy for themselves. I just created a scarf for a guy who’s jetting off to England. So maybe he should buy it and resign himself to handing it over to her.