the Slipper Man of Ottawa

(Ash Abraham/CBC)

They call me the Slipper Man, but my real name is Robert Lacombe. I’ve probably knitted 20,000 pairs of slippers in my lifetime. 

(Ash Abraham/CBC)

From tattoos to yarn

I was a tattoo artist for about 10 years. I'd tattoo out of my house, but then my eyes started getting bad, so I had to quit.
My wife owned one pair of knitting needles, so I started knitting with chopsticks. She bought me my first pair or real needles.

We were married for over 30 years. During that time, my wife became sick. She had kidney dialysis three days a week. While she was on the machines getting her treatment, I’d wait for her in the lobby, knitting. I’d knit little things for other patients in the hospital, especially patients who didn’t have any visitors. I’d give them something, and they’d be happy.
It’s been 10 years since she died, but I am doing pretty good.

(Ash Abraham/CBC)

Nothing but a stitch

I could sit inside all day and watch television, but I like talking to people. After my wife died, I started knitting in places other than the hospital. Now, I knit all day long.
The only time I am not knitting is when I am at work. Even if it rains, I am knitting outside. I put a plastic bag over myself and keep knitting.
When I am not doing anything, I start to think about my problems. But when I am knitting, I have no problems. I am thinking about nothing but a stitch.

Robert Lacombe carries a shopping bag filled with needles, yarn and finger puppets he has made for children he meets. (Ash Abraham/CBC)

Comforting Patterns

I knit the same slipper pattern my wife taught me. It takes about 16 hours to make a pair. I go through tons of wool a week. And, I figure, there’s more feet in the world than anything else, and it’s really cold in Ottawa, so I’ll just keep knitting slippers. People who are sick or don’t feel great can wear my slippers and feel a little better.
I don’t want to sell my slippers online because I hate computers. It’s nice when I sell a pair, but talking to people is what I love the most. I’ve met people from all over the world.
I have no reason to stop. It makes me happy. Why would I stop doing something that makes me happy?
Knitting keeps my mind active, and makes me feel good. It makes me feel like I’ve done something with my life.

When he’s not knitting, Lacombe enjoys spending time with his cat, pictured here. (Ash Abraham/CBC)

Source: newsinteractives.cbc.ca

knitted camouflage by Joseph Ford and Nina Dodd

Your eyes aren’t fooling you — these models are carefully camouflaged into their surroundings without use of any digital manipulation. each subject is wearing meticulously-knitted garments tailored to blend seamlessly with their surrounding environment. ‘knitted camouflage’ is the brainchild of photographer Joseph Ford, who worked with knitting friend Nina Dodd on a collection of custom hand-sewn sweaters. ‘all the clothes are real, not photoshopped,’ Ford tells us.

Ford worked closely with Dodd on a range of printed patterns suited to match urban backgrounds, like a bus seat, a tiled wall and a running track. The knitted compositions are both complex and carefully coordinated to exactly match their selected surrounding. Amongst a range of models, the photographer shot well-known parisian twins, Mady & Monette malroux, as well as street artist Monsieur Chat, who painted one of his trademark cats on the wall of a derelict factory as part of the project. 

The latest additions to the series of custom hand-knit pieces are included in the duo’s newly published book ‘invisible jumpers.’

Source: www.designboom.com

knitwear: nina dodd
photography: joseph ford
books title: invisible jumpers
publisher: hoxton mini press

Amazing art by textile artist Ana Teresa Barboza

One artist to do so is Peru-based textile artist Ana Teresa Barboza, who creates colorful embroidery art that depicts natural forms, found in plant life and landscapes. Her three-dimensional work often spills out from the confines of the embroidery hoop or canvas she’s working on, illustrating the sprawling growth of the organic subjects. Barboza’s latest work continues to push the boundaries of embroidery by incorporating different disciplines, such as illustration and photography.

Barboza’s 2017 Immersion collection features illustrations of plant life printed with single-color hues of natural dye on cotton. The artist then adds textile fringes and weaves by stitching long threads into the illustrations, which often hang loosely, or are held up elegantly by a wooden rod. 

Her Read the Landscape series merges landscape photography with textile art. One tactile piece features fragmented images of a lush jungle environment, that appears to have been overrun by colorful woven yarn. In another, thread from an embroidered lake emerges from the photo, as the viewer’s eye is lead to each of their yarn spools, attached to the gallery wall.

 "Read the Landscape" series

 "Read the Landscape" series

   "Read the Landscape" series

  "Read the Landscape" series

The Increase series similarly explores the natural world with overflowing textile fringes, flowing from embroidered tapestries. Each piece depicts the movement of a plant’s shadow over the space of two weeks, with balls of yarn gathered at the base, perhaps depicting the plant’s roots. Barboza explains, “The embroidery in these pieces was made from drawings made with the shadow of the plant for 15 days, visualizing its growth and movement. The embroidery is growing and the tangles in the pieces make evident the constant transformation of nature.”

 "Increase" series

 "Increase" series

Source: mymodernmet.com