String Theory, Part 2

As more than a few people pointed out to me, String Theory would also be a great title for a post about knitting, "and besides, you're an artist: what are you knitting these days? You are still knitting, aren't you?"

Green coconut hanging from the palm.

Well, yes, I am: I let myself be persuaded to submit a proposal for Transforming Spaces: 2012 being held in March at, among other places, the National Gallery of Art for The Bahamas, no less.

Husk opened with axe, and pith-covered fibre is stripped out.

Much to my surprise, it was accepted, so I spent a lot of my time in Nassau working on that project, instead of with the art supplies I took with me (small bookbinding kit, watercolour pencils and crayons, and some mindless knitting).

Pith-covered fibre has been soaking to make it more pliable and easier to clean.

My proposal was to knit a pair of socks from coconut husk fibre: if I had known how difficult getting the fibre would be, I'm not sure I would have been so keen about it, but there you go.

A coconut's worth of fibre.

I tried knitting with the fibre shown above, and it was, at best, a challenge. So I processed three more coconuts, let the fibres soak as long as possible while I was there, then drained them, double-bagged them, and brought them back to Calgary with me.

They've been soaking ever since, and I will gently spin them together and knit them up that way.