A surprised construction worker and Ulee spent the morning together.
After seeing pictures from the zombie invasion last week, you might think some weird things have been going on at Lark headquarters in honor of Halloween–and you’d be right. But the weirdest thing happened weeks ago, and it wasn’t even something we planned.
It was Thursday morning when Meagan went into our storage room and noticed that some of the stuffed creatures from Closet Monsters were missing. We looked everywhere, emailed everyone, and left work that day mystified as to where they might have gone.
The next day, we received a call from a construction crew who came across Ulee Bingham trying to operate one of the machines. We told them to distract him and keep him there long enough for us to get down there and pick him up. The crew jumped in the car and headed down highway 240.
We found Ulee happily riding one of the machines–no surprise considering he represents property developers from another planet–and making the driver somewhat uncomfortable. We thanked the driver for his hard work and told Ulee we’d take him anywhere he wanted…but not until after he helped us track down his friends.
Have you ever been walking through town or on a morning hike when you came to a standstill, entranced by something that caught your eye? Perhaps it was something out of the ordinary, such as a child’s sidewalk chalk drawing, or perhaps it was something unexpected, such as a brightly-colored alley door you’d never noticed before. Did you then reach into your pocket or your pack and pull out your camera–professional, personal, polaroid, or phone–and capture that intriguing image? If so, you’ll appreciate our Focus series, which celebrates the art of the unexpected photo and the community of photographers who embrace and encourage our infatuation with the visual image.
Our first title, Focus: Love, explores the enigmatic and compelling nature of the heart: a wrought iron heart in a gate; a candle flame flickering in the shape of a heart; tree leaves, oyster shells, uncurling fiddlehead ferns, clouds, graffiti, even cobblestones all assume this familiar shape in oftentimes unfamiliar places.
Our second title, Focus: Passages, delves into the photographic community’s passion for the evocative power of doors, tunnels, and other passageways: bright city doors; moss-covered hideaways; underground tunnels; stained-glass cathedral entries; open or closed, each passage has a story to tell or questions to ask.
In celebration of the recent release of Focus: Passages, we’d like to share a very cool book trailer with you:
We’d also like to GIVE these books to one of you! We are giving away a copy of Focus: Passages and its fellow Focus title Focus: Love. To be entered for a chance to win these two books, please leave a comment on this post by 9 p.m. EST on Monday, November 1st. One winner will be selected at random on Thursday, November 4th. Click here for the official rules.
We asked the photographers in Focus: Passages to reflect on the nature of passageways and what the concept of a “door” means to them. Here are a few of their quotes:
“To me, a door symbolizes the liminal space between one place and another. A door equals transition, metamorphosis, progress, opportunity, and the unknown. Yet it also equals a sense of comfort and a sense of home.” –J.C. Fink
“The world is full of doors, both actual and imagined. A closed door is a mystery that urges us to solve it, while an open door is an invitation to a friendlier place. Is something hidden behind a closed door? Is that door a test? What if we opened it and walked into a secret world?” –Christian Cable
“A door is like the wrapping paper on a present. You never know what you’ll find—a room, a tunnel, a staircase—until you open it.” –Pirlouiiiit
“Doors hold the promise of a new experience.” –Pace Ebbesen
“Every door takes us to a different world. Every door is a silent witness of history. When I see a special door and capture its image, it makes me think of the people who have crossed its threshold.” –Leonardo Ramon Diaz
“A door is a connection between two worlds—my own familiar one and an unknown one. A door is a thin film that’s easily—and not so easily—penetrated, a boundary between two worlds that are possibly in conflict.” –Abel Pau Garcia
“As a photographer and wandering spirit, I view doors as symbols of possibility and hope.” –Stephanie Hatzakos
*Also! Keep your eyes peeled for the third and fourth titles in our Focus series due on shelves next spring: Focus: Found Faces and Focus: Letters.
The project in these free instructions has such a cool rope! The design is called Verdant Spirals Necklace, and it’s by Sarah McConnell; it was published in her book One Big Beautiful Bead.
Click here to download a free PDF of instructions for the Verdant Spirals Necklace.
What’s better than one Lark author at Rhinebeck? Four, of course. In addition to Vickie Howell’s recap of her trip to the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival, authors Dora Ohrenstein, Iris Schreier, and Laura Zukaite were also there. Laura was kind enough to send along her own review and photos of the trip. Read more about Laura and her new book, Luxe Knits: The Accessories here and here, and download a free project here.
What, we ask, is not to love about this bright and cheery Shoo Fly Quilt from Malka Dubrawsky’s Color Your Cloth? The shoo fly pattern actually has some interesting history linked to it, both in its origins and later possible ties to the Underground Railroad. Malka’s hand-dyed fabrics are absolutely lovely (there’s more in the book on her particular techniques), but this quilt appears to have some serious stash-busting potential. Happy quilting!
Hey, there! I’m back from beautiful, Rhinebeck, New York where I partook in the annual Sheep & Wool Festival. This was bucket list event for me, so I was thrilled to finally be able to attend. I can’t imagine a better yarn lovin’ backdrop, than New England in the fall. Seriously beautiful, and for an Austinite like me, the crisp weather and turning leaves were a treat!
I admittedly only stayed a few hours at the fairgrounds–not because it wasn’t a good time, but because this trip offered me the rarity of holing up for two days in a rental house to knit with friends, whom I rarely get to see. That was an opportunity too good to pass up! I did however, stay long enough to walk the aisles of the many buildings, filled to the brim with fiber-related treats. I chatted with knitting enthusiasts, witnessed insanely long purchasing lines for the aptly named rock star of the show, Socks That Rock, bought copious amounts of buttons, saw cute animals, touched soft yarn, showed great restraint by not buying the place out, and took some pictures to share with you all. So, here’s a glimpse into the world renown festival!
Legions of yarn-y types, waited in the cold in anticipation of the festival doors opening.
Halloween is almost here so bring out the scary! Halloween is my favorite holiday, and Asheville is home to some great events to celebrate, the best of which (in my humble opinion, anyway) is the Asheville Zombie Walk through the streets of downtown.
A group of friends and coworkers decided we just had to join the shamble. First up, visiting the local thrift stores for that perfect outfit to destroy and cover in fake blood. Some of our finds included a bridesmaid dress, a whole bin of golf clubs, and a great bathrobe covered in teddy bears. We then met up at Lark to zombify ourselves using makeup, fake blood, bandages, and my secret ingredient: gelatin. Gelatin is great for making homemade zombie inflicted wounds. Continue reading to find out how…
The Spill Smiths is a two-part awareness project created in response to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Part one is an art, jewelry, and video installation project that will be held at Mr. Beast Gallery in Savannah, Georgia, November 4 – 9, 2010. The designs are complete, 1500 brooches have been cut, and now they are being assembled and constructed
Part two is an online interactive education platform, which includes the information about the spill, documentation of the Savannah project, and an online retail store where visitors can buy jewelry to support clean-up efforts. Funds raised are dedicated to charitable organizations operating in the Gulf to mitigate the damage inflicted by the spill.
The project in these free instructions has such a cool rope! The design is called Verdant Spirals Necklace, and it’s by Sarah McConnell; it was published in her book 
Hey, there! I’m back from beautiful, Rhinebeck, New York where I partook in the annual 
