We Covet: Josef Frank for Svenkst Tenn

[David Netto's Long Island Cottage bedroom from House Beautiful's October 2011 issue]

We're head over heels for Svenskt Tenn's archive of textile and wallpaper patterns by Austrian designer Josef Frank. While architect first collaborations with the venerable Swedish furniture company were in 1935, his archive of swirling and almost psychedelic botanical prints has only recently been rediscovered in North America. 

[Lisa Grue's home from Design Sponge]

There is much to admire about Austrian designer Josef Frank. A founding father of Viennese Modernism, in the 1920s he came to think that the movements ideals had become standardized and  interior design was becoming too cold. So he developed a freer asthetic that embraced on comfort, nature and colour. Which is why his vibrant designs work just as well with a minimalist, Scandinavian-style interiors as well as more maximalist spaces.

[Windows Linen Fabric]

[Gröna Fåglar Linen Fabric]

An architect in Vienna, he emigrated to Sweden to escape Nazi Germany. Svenkst Tenn's Estrid Ericson hired him to create furniture and household objects as well as fabrics. At the height of all the WWII, he fled to New York. And despite the horrors of war, it was here that he developed his most famous patterns — figurative works that depicted flowers, trees and animals all bursting with life.

After the war, he returned to Sweden where Ericson and Frank continued their creative partnership until his death in 1967. But his legacy lives on, not only in the way he influenced generations of Scandinavian designers, but also because his playful take on textile design has been reinvented as wallpaper, placemats and many other household objects.

What's New Bookhou and Spring City of Craft

We ran into Arounna from Covet Garden issue 18 at the One Of A Kind Show last month. She was there representing her shop, Bookhou. We are crazy about all the new designs and handmade goodies—especially the ceramics (see below)! And since they'll be showing their wares at the City of Craft Spring show this Saturday at Trinity St. Paul's United Church on Bloor Street, we thought we'd give you a sneak peek at some of their wares.

[images: Jessica Reid]

[image: Arounna Khounnoraj]

As always, you can also follow what's new with John and Arounna at bookhou.com, but if you do get the chance to go to City of Craft, you'll also get to meet many other fine craftspeople, including folks from The Workroom, Kid Icarus, Fieldguided and Falcon Wright.

Adventures in Cape Town: Behind the Scenes at Skinny LaMinx

[image: skinny laminx]

Covet Garden's own Jessica travelled to Cape Town, South Africa earler this month. She came back with lots of great stories and discoveries to share. This is the first of four posts detailing her adventures.

Regular readers of Covet Garden know of our admiration for Heather Moore, the illustrator and designer behind the textiles and homewares label Skinny LaMinx. So when I found out I was going to Cape Town, I knew I had to visit her new brick and mortar shop, which opened last December. And as you can see from the photos, it's an amazing showcase of her distinctive style. My fellow Covey G'er Rhonda wants to live in this store!

Heather is pretty amazing herself. I emailed before leaving Toronto and she gave me great tips on exploring her city. We also met at her shop and she let me peek into her studio. I loved seeing the bits and pieces of inspiration she keeps on hand, such as her collection of Arts and Crafts-style book jackets, and a vase full of wooden spoons (which were no doubt the inspiration for her "Borrowed Spoons" tea towel). While being in South Africa provided new context to the way Heather is influenced by her surroundings in her pattern and imagery (like the amazing plant-life I spotted on my trip up to the top of Table Mountain), there is something very international about the Skinny LaMinx style. 

Similarly, Heather takes inspiration from her colourful collection of vintage fabrics, but there's something very fresh about her designs and the interior of her shop and studio.

[studio photos by Jessica Reid. Pillow by skinny laminx]

I couldn't resist buying a metre of her "Flower Field" fabric in Rosy (pictured above). I'm not sure what I'll make out of it (suggestions are welcome in the comments below), but it will at least be lovingly hoarded for some time.

Lynda's Square Foot Project: Crocheted Scarf

I love to buy yarn and then dream about all the great things I will make — a tea cozy, a hat, a sweater for Lily. The truth is, I’m a dream weaver. I envision myself having a knitting project on-the-go at all times because I like to think I’m that gal. You know, the kind of gal who curls up with a cup of tea and can knit for hours. And I was her — once.  That was a while ago yet I still have a collection of lovely yarns around my house in various baskets and bowls. When I look at them I feel like a fraud. So, this months’ square foot project was to think of a way to use up all the bits of wool around my home.

I was inspired by Alexx’s four hundred squares-blanket featured in Covet Garden Issue 7. I like the  idea of making a bunch of little things that could then become a bigger thing. I’ve always wanted to learn how to crochet so I found a helpful how-to crochet a circle video on YouTube. I began with circles of different sizes and they were so cute and easy to make that before I knew it I had used up all my yarn. Looking at them gathered together on the floor it came to me — I'll make a scarf. Who can have too many scarves during the winter? Not me that’s who!

And that’s not all.  I then sold one of the that bowls that I used to display my yarn! 

Let's recap:

I started by wanting to reduce my "stuff" foot print to 1,600 square feet. Last month's square foot total was 1,594 square feet

 • 18 balls of yarn = 4 square feet 

 • 1 bowl =1 square foot

New total = 1,589 square feet

Knit Your Own Cat Contest

Last year we blogged about Best in Show, Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne's awesome guide the making your own dogs out of yarn. Muir and Osborne have a new book out called Knit Your Own Cat, which shows you how to stich your own feline. We got an opportunity to ask the duo about tips and tips for making wooly pets. They also sent us a copy of the book to give to one crafty Covet Garden reader. Read to the end for contest details.

My first question is already answered...Are there British Shorthairs? Yes!

Covet Garden: What are the most important things to bear in mind when sizing up to make a larger version of your cat?

Muir & Osborne: Proportion, you may need, for example, to increase the length of the legs, shorten the back etc. Work with the photographs from the book and alter anything you feel doesn't look right, you may also need to make some sort of armature if you are going for a life-sized cat, as it could sag with the weight of the stuffing. 

CG: While we're planning to knit a companion for our British Shorthair, what are the most creative uses you've seen for knitted pets? (ie. a mobile made of cats)  

SM & JO: Earmuffs, epaulettes, charms, corsages — you can put them to all kinds of uses as household or personal accessories, but we find that one of the best uses is as doppelgangers to freak out your own pet. We've got photographs (which we'll send you if you like) of our and friend's pets looking disturbed by their mini-me's.

CG: Any hints on stopping your cat from playing with your wool when you are trying to knit?

SM & JO: You could keep the wool in a box with a hole in the top, try using a shoebox. Make a hole in the lid and pop the ball in the box and thread the yarn through the lid, this stops the ball of wool rolling around in (what a cat finds) an irresistible way.  Or you could perhaps knit in a different  room to your cat.

CG: Could one knit a cat with wool spun from their real life cat's shedded fur?

SM & JO: Someone has knitted a Husky from our dog book from their own Husky's fur, and we also know someone who has knitted a hat with fur shed from their Maine Coon. So assuming you have a long haired cat, it should be possible to knit a cat with cat fur, but you'd probably need to consult a spinner to be absolutely sure.  For more information there is a book called 'Crafting With Cat Hair' available on Amazon.com.

CG: If you are a relatively new knitter (or if you have five years of knitting, but still haven't progessed past making scarves), which cat should one start with? 

SM & JO: It's probably best to start with one of the one colour cats like the curled up British Shorthair or prowling Black Cat,  the kittens are also pretty simple and also small, so fairly fast to make. In the introduction on P6, it gives you suggestions as to which are the easiest and which are the ones to work up to when you are feeling more confident. 

To win a copy of Knit Your Own Cat, leave a comment below telling us what you would do with a feline mini-me. A life-sized British Shorthair named Ronnie James Dio will select his favourite response. Contest ends February 29, 2012 at 11:59 pm.