Letters
Stop, Drop, and Knit
Dear Ann,
One of my favorite moments of the knitting life is when I see something and it knocks the visual wind out of me, and I have to get it on my needles immediately. Sometimes it’s a knitting pattern, but the most memorable such moments in my knitting life have been individual pieces of handwork, whether knitted or not. One that I still think about often is when I stood in front of Loretta Pettway’s log cabin quilt on the wall of the Whitney Museum in 2003. Her specific arrangement of pieces of cloth, so elemental and eloquent, spoke to me deeply. I wanted to participate in that quilt in my own way, to enter into its source. And my way of doing that, often, is through knitting. It’s 100 percent personal, I need to do this for me.
It’s happened again. A few weeks ago, a kind person steered me toward the Instagram account of Maysa Tomikawa, @m_moos. All I know about Maysa Tomikawa is in the profile: “A Japanese-Brazilian living in Tokyo. Who loves to knit, crochet, sew, spinning yarn, read, and write.” But oh, what knitting, crochet, sewing, and spinning—a distinctive visual sensibility that manifests in the details of each piece of work.
Take a look around the @m_moos feed. Almost every piece of knitting has that knocking-the-wind-out effect on me. Why? I can’t say, but surely it has something to do with these three things, in brilliant combination: garter stitch, marling, and intarsia. Yes, I said intarsia. I remember, dimly, some experiments with garter intarsia in my blanket-knitting past. I love its boxy, blockish solidity. The marling, and Maysa Tomikawa’s use of handspun yarns, makes the shapes vibrate.
I had to knit something in response, for me. I grabbed some skeins of linen/cotton and cast on. For now I’m keeping it simple, intarsia-free, just marling this twine-like yarn in colorblock stripes, changing color whenever a skein runs out. No doubt, though: intarsia is coming soon. I can feel it.
Thank you, Maysa Tomikawa, for sharing your work on Instagram.
Do you do this? What gives you that cast-on-NOW feeling? Also: Isn’t it a wonderful feeling?
Love,
Kay
I do love the cast-on now feeling! For me it is cables or fair isle, but I am extraordinarily picky about both. The cables have to be “just right” and I ca’t articulate what “just right” is — but I know it when I see it. Fair isle has to be small gauge and the color combo has to, again, be just right!
Intarsia hints please!
Ooh, I ‘d love to take a class with her. Her shapes are simple but still require body fitting skills. And how does she change colors? Hers look different than the standard or the one described in one of the knit.wear magazine issues. What makes me want to cast on right away is color, simplicity, drape and/or a luscious yarn. Anything complicated (cables, fair isle, lace, etc.) would require a lot of “gathering-my-forces” time.
Kay, she is a real find, extraordinary, would love to she her spinning process from start to finish. Very inspirational. Wow
Kay what are you making? Love the colors.
Interesting pendulum swing after all that fine lace work.
I can see why she caught your eye.
It sure is a wonderful feeling
WOW! You are so right. Her work is spectacular. One of her colorful cardigans almost moved me to tears, it was so beautiful. Gorgeous works of art. She is very talented.
Mmm, looking at Maysa’s work makes me feel like I’m deep into a mug of hot chocolate! And some pictures have a little schnapps added too. So cozy and warm and…sigh…
I am thinking Noro!!!!
I think there is a field guide opportunity here!!
Yessssssss! Am visualizing. Field guide in 2021
I get the “cast on NOW” rush every once in a while — Maysa’s designs certainly get me there. The ruana! I love it! I can’t wait to figure out how to do it — the shape is simple enough. If only I had her color sense….
Patterns please!! A Field Guide??
Yes! Yes!
Well, to each his own.
This. Pretty much this. I would already be knitting except that I’m hiding from my family in a room without the supplies. This. I want to cast all of this on, omg.
I just knew you would love it. I think her sweaters have crossed the line from wearables to art. Her sense of color and pattern are amazing. I can’t imagine how long it takes to go from spinning the yarn to the finished product. I’m so glad I fell into that rabbit hole.
Where are her patterns available? I would love to purchase the shawl you are knitting. What yarn and colors are amazing
A pattern of something, whatever, will just light my wick and have me casting on asap. Colors are irrelevant at this stage. It’s the pattern that catches hold first.
Very tempted to quote Molly Bloom but there is always, “I’ll have what she’s having.”
When Cat Bordhi’s Rio, wandering cable cowl was featured on here a few weeks ago. I cast aside my beloved new fall WIP like forgotten lovers and cast on. I wondered if the cables would tell me what to do, if I would know it if they did, and how I could knit cables without solid direction. Well..it’s so cool! The one place where I tried to tell the cables, instead of them tell me, looks like a log jam in the river. When I listen to the cables, it flows beautifully. My sister and mom also cast on. We have extremely different knitting styles so we are eager to compare when we finish.
Well, knock me over with a feather. These are thrillingly sui generis, and she is amazing. Pre-plague I really wanted to somehow translate a boro kimono into knitting. Had some yarn and a vague idea. Then COVID hit and the anxiety + lethargy turned my brain so mushy I couldn’t work out anything I didn’t already know how to do. The yarn went into a bunch of BSJs for refugee camps so some good came of it, but if I’d seen this 7 months ago, it would have given me the inspiration I needed. I’ve also lusted after a couple of Andy cardigans on Ravelry, by katkaCOURAGE and danayares, that appear to use marling and color changes to great effect.
Oooooh, I love everything on her feed .. very scrappy and fun.
I am old, clueless and Instagramless. Any other way to view Maysa’s marvels?
She is maysamoonha on Ravelry, and posted a few of her projects there. She also blogs at http://www.mmmoos.com .
I love that feeling of being stopped in my tracks to cast on a new thing – I can’t explain what specific pattern or yarn or combination of all those things will pull me in, but I know it when I see it. Maysa Tomikawa is an excellent example!
WOW, a 2022 field guide??
Elizabeth Elliott has a new pattern, Dither that has marl, fauxtarsia and garter. Best of all is the name!
So many hearts!!!! Wow this designer is amazing. I can see why you feel the need to respond in stitches. I might have to break out my spinning wheel.
Also, she seems to be hinting at writing up some patterns- you guys are especially good at that at MDK. Maybe a collab for a future field guide? Please say yes!
I concur with all who have suggested that Maysa’s work constitutes a field-guide-in-the-making. MDK should jump on this bandwagon for sure.