Rachel Suntop

Knitted Journeys

2012-02-23T20:25:00.003-06:00

As of January 2012, I have been working on a new body of artwork: the Knitted Journeys. Knitting is traditionally seen as a craft to make things, particularly wearable items. It has certain connotations. My aim is to take knitting to new levels, whether it's fine art, conceptual, political or documentary. I have decided to use the concept of the journey in my work. Journeys take place in many forms. A few of the many types of journeys that I am encompassing in my work are travel, my emotional state of mind, sleep and dreams and the daily weather/climate. I am working on many projects at once and am knitting one row or section each day. My daily knitting projects include documenting the color of the sky each day, the temperature outside represented in different colors, my state of mind, my dreams and the appearance of my tree outside my window.
I'm also working on geographical knitting projects: knitting one panel for every state in the USA and every country in the world. These help me focus on one state and country per day, learn about that place and become completely involved in representing that place in knitting. Every country and state has something different to contribute and I am making colorful tapestries documenting the many cultural and geographic variations. Future project ideas include knitting the many different towns and attractions in the country of Iceland and all of Canada's 13 provinces and territories, among others.
I am closely documenting these various projects with daily writing. I write about the geographical knitting projects and my dreams primarily. I feel the other projects are more self-evident in the knitting alone. But I want to write what inspires me to create each section for the geographical projects, as well as document my dreams.
Additionally, I am knitting pieces that are based on my travels. On my 2-week trip to Florida, Georgia and South Carolina in 2012, I knit a visual diary of what I saw and experienced each day. The knitted diary is full of different landscapes, architecture, culture and personal experiences. It even contains some seashells that I found on the beach to add to the experience. I just finished another one on my brief trip to Chicago in February of 2012. I am now working on a knitted piece about one particular beach that I visited on my recent trip: St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. I am interested in knitting more landscapes, focusing on the subtleties of the various textures, colors and forms and interpreting them into knitting.

Upcycled and Eco Friendly yarns

2011-12-23T17:40:00.002-06:00

I have recently added a new line to my Etsy shop, Coolclimates, the Upcycled and Eco Friendly yarn line! These are made from yarns from unraveled sweaters, accessories and second hand yarns. Since most of the components in these yarns are on their second (or more) lives, there may be some slight curl and/or knots. I pick my own combinations of different yarns to spin together into unique compound yarns.

Twitter

2011-11-01T19:38:00.010-05:00

Be sure to keep up with the latest news by following my Twitter account, @Coolclimates! I also have a second one at @Fibereasta. Frequent updates on both!

New body of work: Collages of 2011

2011-03-22T10:16:00.005-05:00

When I was in Portland in February 2011, I started on a new body of work. I'm currently working on a series of collages using mainly paper (but also some fabric and stickers). I have collected many beautiful papers and am cutting them into various shapes to make these creations. I'm also stamping on to blank paper to create my own patterns and am then cutting them up.

Portland visit in February 2011

2011-03-10T21:58:00.005-06:00

I had the pleasure of staying in Portland, Oregon during the month of February 2011. During this time, I made many connections with the artistic community, visited numerous art and craft venues, got aquainted with the layout of the city, the public transportation and many distinct neighborhoods. I also created some new artwork (pictures coming soon) and worked on some more items for my Etsy shops. This was a great opportunity for me and I'm hoping to return again soon.

New lines of yarns in Coolclimates shop

2011-03-10T21:47:00.003-06:00

I have started offering several new lines of yarns in my Coolclimates Etsy store. These include component yarns, Coolclimates yarn samplers and most lately, fabric ribbon yarns.

Component yarns:
A unique line of Coolclimates yarns, the component yarns are deeply textured and colorful skeins made from many strands of different yarns tied together, often 3 at a time. Most of the yarns are commercial, although some are also handspun. The yarns are often those left over from projects (you know those small amounts of yarn you don't know what to do with?). They are all different kinds of fibers, textures and weights, although uniformly the weight tends to be bulky.

Coolclimates yarn samplers:
small samples of several yarns in one order. These often have underlying themes in color, etc.

Fabric ribbon yarns:
These are made from vintage fabrics that have been ripped into strips and knotted. Some are vintage fabrics. They are mainly cotton (but other fiber blends as well). The strips are approximately 1/2 inch or 1 centimeter wide. The many knots add an organic look with lots of interesting texture.

Welcome to my 2nd Etsy shop, Coollight

2010-02-02T21:37:00.002-06:00

On January 14, 2010, I opened a second Etsy shop Coollight. This shop specializes in materials for fiber artists (fiber batts, fabric grab bags, stitch markers, etc), handmade jewelry and home decor. Essentially, I carry everything else besides handspun yarn, which is for sale in my Coolclimates shop.
Please visit my new shop and take a look! Frequent updates.

2009-08-08T15:45:00.012-05:00

Finished objects with my handspun yarn by customers

2009-08-08T15:36:00.011-05:00

Here are some beautiful objects that customers of mine have made with my yarn!
Courtesy of: AndreaDesigns, Maddcrocheter and Gnomegarden

New Etsy store "coolclimates"

2008-12-30T14:30:00.003-06:00

In the beginning of December 2008, I joined Etsy, a renowned site for buying and selling crafts and artwork. I sell mainly necklaces at this time, although I am adding on hats, scarves, purses/bags and handspun yarn. Make sure to visit my new shop!href=http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6146766

Show and sale at the Evanston Art Center

2008-12-30T14:24:00.002-06:00

My handknit hats and scarves were featured in the annual holiday show and sale at the Evanston Art Center, near Chicago. I was able to make it up there and volunteer for one day. The art center is in several beautiful old buildings with great views of Lake Michigan.

New body of work based on Scandinavian trip

2008-03-02T11:32:00.002-06:00

I am currently working on a new body of artwork that relates to the trip I took to Scandinavia in June 2007.

My recent fiberart show at Springer Cultural Center, Champaign

2008-03-02T11:18:00.002-06:00

My recent artwork was featured in Prior to Plastic show at the Springer Cultural Center in Champaign, Illinois. The reception was on December 7, 2007. The show was up until January 5, 2008. It was later reviewed in News Gazette

Miao Children's Costume article featured on the Summer 2007 newsletter of the Textile Society of America

2007-08-04T16:48:00.000-05:00

During my internship at the Textile Museum in Washington, D.C.,I wrote an article on a topic of my choice. I chose to write about the representative collection of Miao textiles and dress at the museum. These textiles are made by the Hill Tribes (an ethnic minority) in Southern China, Vietnam, Thailand and Laos. To see this article, visit http://www.textilesociety.org

Small Expressions 2007 show at Indianapolis Art Center

2007-08-04T16:39:00.000-05:00

Handweaver's Guild of America's annual Small Expressions show, juried by Wendy Weiss, is being held at the Indianapolis Art Center until September 2007. It was previously at the Robert Hillestad Gallery at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. My piece Hellnar was selected as one of 30 international entries. This is a felted piece that I created at my artist residency in Hafnarborg Cultural Center in Hafnarfjordur, Iceland, May 2005. More information about this piece can be viewed here at this website by clicking on the link Icelandic Voyage.

Return to Iceland

2007-07-29T16:01:00.001-05:00

In June I returned to Iceland to visit the Harnarborg Cultural Center where I was a resident artist two years ago. After staying six days, I continued on to travel in Scandanavia.

My feltmaking demo at the Mongolia 800 Festival, Smithsonian Museum

2006-10-10T12:09:00.000-05:00

I took a short visit to Washington D.C. in early October 2006. I was invited to participate in the Mongolia 800 festival at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. During the festival, I demonstrated felting, a traditional Mongolian technique. The Mongolians use felt for many purposes including clothing, rugs and the coverings for their gers (traditional Mongolian homes). The Mongolian themed headdresses I made earlier on in my internship at the museum were also on display. There was an incredible turnout at the festival. Additionally, there were spectacular singers, musicians and other performers. The costumes were magnificent, too. This festival celebrated the 800th anniversary of Ghengis Khan.

Colorful Spinning/Dyeing workshop at Penland

2006-09-10T13:51:00.000-05:00

I was a work-study student at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina for the fifth session, which lasted from late July to early August. During this 2 1/2 week period, I took a workshop taught by Deb Menz called "Create Colorful Yarns for Knitting." The first week, we learned about color theory in great depth and started dyeing all types of commerical yarns. The second week, we started to spin our own yarns, using the knowledge from the past week about color harmonies. Additionally we started knitting up some of these yarns into finished pieces, although I didn't have much time to do this. I am now working on some planned pieces. This class was an excellent opportunity for me and I am very lucky that I got to take it. Penland's website is www.penland.org

Smithsonian Headdress Project

2006-06-22T20:10:00.000-05:00

These are four headdresses that I created during my internship with the Arctic Studies Center at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC, May-June 2006. The two on the top row are Mongolian inspired headdresses for the Mongolia 800 show, in October 2006. The two on the bottom row are replicas of Native Alaskan headdresses.

Working at the Smithsonian on a Mongolian Project

2006-05-13T15:58:00.000-05:00

I have been in Washington for the past several weeks working in the Arctic Studies at the Smithsonian on a Mongolian textile project. I am creating an interpretive felt headdress for an exhibition that will be held in DC this fall. I expect my part of this project to be completed in June. I will return for the opening later this year.

Good Bird/Bad Bird show

2006-02-03T19:36:00.000-06:00

In November and December of 2005, my Hawaiian Feather Hat was featured in the show Good Bird/Bad Bird at the Contemporary Crafts Gallery in Portland Oregon. The Contemporary Crafts Gallery is one of the oldest galleries of its kind in the US. I also have hats for sale in the shop.
http://www.contemporarycrafts.org

Hawaiian Feather Helmet featured in Surface Design Journal Winter 2006

2006-02-03T19:13:00.000-06:00

You can view this hat in the latest issue of Surface Design Journal, Winter 2006. This hat was inspired by ancient Hawaiian feathered helmets, made for the alii, or the elite rulers.
http://www.surfacedesign.org

Cool Light: An Icelandic Voyage. My book about Iceland now online.

2005-12-17T14:10:00.000-06:00

Have a look at my photographic album with text, written about the two months that I spent in Iceland. You will see the landscapes and the work that they inspired. If you want to print out the book, just open the PDF attachment and do it. To see the book, follow this link: An Icelandic Voyage.
http://test.rsuntop.com/gallery/book/index.php?image=icelandcover1.jpg

Textile Museum Internship: October-January in Washington DC

2005-12-17T14:03:00.000-06:00

I have been at the Textile Museum in Washington DC since October as an intern in the Eastern Hemisphere and registrar's department. While here, I have been able to visit and gather inspiration from many museums, galleries, gardens and historic sites.

Hafnarborg Cultural Center

2005-11-26T16:51:00.000-06:00

I was fortunate to spend nearly two months in Iceland. Here I encountered mysterious and seemingly impossible landscapes filled with raw nature, from craters and glaciers to black sand beaches and lava fields. During this time, I lived in Hafnarfjordur, a town directly south of Reykjavik. I experienced a distinctive culture and saw provocative artwork. Additionally, I was able to explore other regions of the country and saw the diversity of the island. As well as gaining considerable inspiration from the landscapes and scenery, I also became familiar with Icelandic art by visiting numerous museums and galleries. Icelandic art and design challenged me to reconsider the beauty of simplicity and elegance. As a result, I feel that my artwork is going through a metamorphosis as I continue to explore themes from nature. My experience in Iceland has had a deep effect on the way that I look at my work.