Solas na Cruinne

“A snowball is simple, direct and familiar to most of us. I use this simplicity as a container for feelings and ideas that function on many levels. ”
~Andy Goldsworthy, Environmental Sculptor

When we are talking about art, and we are talking about frugality, we should definitely be talking about Andy Goldsworthy.

His art is something that bridges the gap between both art and eco-friendliness but also speaks to us of other, perhaps more important, concepts like innocence and spirit.

Andy Goldsworthy, a British Sculptor who does some fantastic site-specific sculpture using natural materials found on location, has such a unique style. His work is transient, deliberately and most naturally temporary, lasting only so long as the winds, the seas, gravity or mankind allow.

He takes his inspiration from the colours and textures in the landscape, from the patterns so common in nature herself, and he delights in transmuting things from their ordinary form and function into something equally natural but yet astoundingly different.

Andy has been working since the seventies, when his disagreement with the restrictive programme at his art college led him to seek solace in the real, in the inspiring. In other words, in nature.

To look at some of his early works check out the online catalogue at Glasgow University’s website. Or if you’d like to watch a documentary about his more recent works, check out Rivers and Tides.

Since his beginnings Andy has become renown for his distinctive and ephemeral brand of landscape art, encompassing pre-dawn ice sculpture, beach sculptures that just barely beat the tide and leaf collages which tempt the fury of the winds.

There is something so sacred and yet so human about his type of artwork. It makes a beautiful and terrifying statement about the way in which man has such a great, and yet such a fleeting, effect on his environment. His pieces remind us of our divinity and our own mortality.

Andy’s casual, quiet nature, as well as his somewhat reclusive lifestyle in the Scottish Highlands, has left much room for new artists to follow his lead and, over the years, many have. But only one really deserves mentioning in the same arena as Goldsworthy, not necessarily for the grand scope of his works but for his similarly spiritual and unassuming approach to his craft. And that is Shane Hart.

Hart’s impromptu art, a precarious balancing act between upright stones that seem to have no right to defy gravity, has been given the name of Uppala Yoga. And it is certainly rooted in the philosophy and peaceful grace of yoga.

The uppala stone sculptures present elegance in the face of resistance, defying gravity with an awe-inspiring simplicity. To stumble upon one of his works unexpectedly would certainly challenge our own impressions of what is possible and what is divine.

All-in-all I am enamored of those who can, from found natural materials, channel through their unique spirit an original piece of low-tech art that showcases the innate magnificence in all creation.

The spiritual beauty in accepting, and even embracing, their art as temporary and transitional is what is most moving, and like all good art it speaks to that silent something in our human core which defies explanation. Now THAT is real art, here today, gone tomorrow yet leaving us with a splendid feeling and a memory that will last forever.

“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”
~George Eliot i.e. Mary Anne Evans, 19th-century British Novelist

Here in England the autumn is rolling in quite quickly. By far my absolute favorite season, it has that crisp, heady smell on the breeze.

Something about the autumn makes me long for the traditional, for the comfortable and cozy. I guess that growing up in Massachusetts somehow the autumn (or the fall, if you please) became acquainted with history and family traditions like Halloween and Thanksgiving.

It seems that I have such a happy flutter in my heart when this time of year dawns and I feel the need to pull out heavier blankets, my wool cloak, long novels and YARN! Yep, that’s right. I have been bitten by the autumn crafting bug a bit early this year! And being as we left all of our lovely knick-knacks and craft supplies at our apartment back in the U.S., it has been difficult to get my hands on some yarn and good knitting supplies at such short notice.

Before we set off to explore Europe and work on some of my spirit channelings, I was in the process of taking my knitting to the next level. I was graduating from afghans and scarves to baby sweaters and socks. My intention was to then get to learning fair isle and intarsia. So all of those rather groovy and expensive supplies are waiting for me, in limbo, back in Massachusetts.

When we are going to move back to North America, or whether we will at all, remains to be seen. So for now I simply NEED to get some knitting done but don’t want to spend a whole lot of MONEY to get that achieved. Frugality is key folks.

I am sure lots of readers, and crafty persons, out there are wondering about making gifts for friends and family this year, since the whole world seems to be sinking into an economic recession. For me the answer was the dollar store (or “pound shoppe” as they are called in Britain.)

Having to compromise my values about free trade and natural fiber yarns was not easy for me, but I figure it is just for a while and, in this economy, frugality sometimes wins out over my politics…not often, but sometimes. In general I do not agree with plastics of any kind and I agree even less with my money going to something that was made in China. I did manage to find yarn that was made in England, but it is, unfortunately acrylic.

The fiber shop here in town wanted ₤8 ($16) for their cheapest ball of natural yarn, with only 100 meters of length. That being said, at the pound shoppe I got ₤3 ($6) worth of acrylic yarn and ₤2 ($4) worth of not-so-great knitting needles. For ten bucks I got 900 meters, enough yarn to knit 3-4 scarves or maybe 5-6 winter hats. If you try Ebay you may be able to find some luscious alpaca or mohair yarn for an affordable price, but certainly not enough to make any really BIG projects.

Most people do not like the feel of that cheap acrylic yarn close to their skin. This is easily remedied by using some fabric from an old pair of pajamas or old t-shirt to line the finished item. You do this by laying the item down on a paper bag and drawing an outline of it, this makes a template for cutting fabric.

For a scarf, make a template of 1/4 or 1/3 of its length and then just cut out and sew together the correct number of pieces to line the whole scarf. For the hat, cut out a pattern for 1/2 or 1/4 of the hat and then sew them together as above, make sure that you use a somewhat stretchy fabric for the hat lining.

Then you place the fabric and knitted item, with wrong sides together, and use a matching color of thread to sew the edges together, tucking in about 1/4 inch of fabric along the edge as you sew. This creates a nice finished edge and keeps the fabric from fraying during normal use.

So, just for fun, here are a couple of free scarf patterns that you could use to make some quick scarves as gifts, I’m using both of these for my current projects. Plus, think of all the relaxation and enjoyment you get just from knitting them up. If you like, you can always donate them to charity.

Marijke Scarf *pictured right*

Meandering Rib Scarf (registration required for free pattern) *pictured above*

These scarves would also come out great in multiple colors and weights of yarn, so get out that scrap box and get knitting!