Author: Judy Webring-Reynolds

Owl Cave Map

Just in time before North Bend, Washington’s real-life Twin Peaks welcome sign was vandalized, we went up to the town for a little photoshoot.

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You can see progress shots of the map on Squid Fishing Fleet’s Instagram, but here some initial shots. Many of our pieces are traced and altered by elimination/addition and color choice. However, I did not have the resources to trace a large-sized map.

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On 24″ x 19″ tracing paper, I drafted a grid. Using the open source program GIMP, I added a grid, to scale, on an owl cave image from the Twin Peaks Wiki. From there, I used the grid lines as a guide to draw the image, starting from the center and going out. It was incredibly relaxing. I did it while watching Blue Velvet.

Next, I used the Sublime Stitching Iron-On Transfer Pen to trace the finished drawing before transferring into heat-pressed linen. From there, it’s all stitches!

The owl cave map is a puzzle, and crazy fans love to try to piece it together. I am impressed by Gisela’s detailed post on 25 Years Later, which applies alchemy symbolism to the map imagery in order to crack the code, solve the crime.

One point I found particularly interesting was the idea that the design on the bottom right-hand side isn’t an underground monster a la IT, like what I thought, but potentially a mask one wears to protect themselves from BOB. So, not only does the Owl Cave map provide where and when an event takes place, it may provide the supplies one needs for the event.

I can’t wait to see what happens in this new season! And look out for more David Lynch-inspired embroideries!

 

It’s About Time for Summer Sweaters

Portland is finally bursting out of a long, cold, snowy winter and a long, cold, gray spring. For a knitter, that doesn’t mean it’s time to put away the needles. It means it’s time to make summer garments.

This incredibly easy-to-make warm-weather sweater by The Brown Stitch is a dream. It has two seams only—on the tops of the sleeves. I used about 2/3 of my Red Heart black one-pounder because I’m not a yarn snob, though a wool blend or cotton/bamboo would be nice. I love the plushness resulting from the simple garter stitch and a toss in the dryer. I’ve worn this about five times in two weeks. It’s my new favorite!

Knitting x Embroidery

My take on Wool and the Gang’s Cross Country Coat combines chunky knitting and hand embroidery.

I added colorful running stitches to pieces of scrap fabric (the fabric from a pair of shoulder pads I removed from a thrifted romper), and created two pockets by hand-sewing the reimagined scraps to wool felt. I was pretty pleased with the pockets, even though I didn’t know what to put them on when I finished them.

The Cross Country Coat seemed just right for these random pockets. I used Lion Brand Thick and Quick in black to knit up the whole jacket in about five days. The result is a super soft, kimono-inspired, afghan-like cardi. Though my yarn choice isn’t luxurious, I like the machine-washable quality of the wool blend.

With about five skeins used, I spent around $30 on yarn. The romper probably cost me less than $10, and the floss was probably under a dollar total. Altogether, I made a cozy, oversized cardigan you may find at a small batch boutique, but for under $50.  The whole kit, pattern plus yarn and needles, on WATG costs almost $200. So, if you’re willing to go with synthetic-blend, big-box-store yarn, it’s super easy to make yourself a unique and trendy piece!