Knit Knightmares - Inside Outside

Festering Flowers and Creepy Sentinels

Deep in the McCall's craft magazine that the recent Knit Knightmares photos came from, one gets the sense that all things in the early 1970s had shaggy fringe attached to them. The publication is thick with shag and avante-garde embellishment pushing the envelope on what was acceptable. But for this shot - in an attempt to be artsy and cutting-edge - the photographer merely reminded us there is only a two-letter difference between "Festive" and "Fester."

Case in point: Creepy Daisy Owl stands sentinel behind the yellow pillow while Angelina Jolie's Mod-60s Clone displays worm-sized fringe the color of marshmallow circus peanuts. While intended to be a passive-artistic interior shot showing love, innocence, and creativity, a flower arrangement with Tim Burton sensibility only serves to create a macabre sense of pending doom, reminiscent of the folk song "The Sun Is Burning." Here we see the colors of excitement and happiness in the foreground stalked by the dark blues and blacks of the underworld in the background. The balance of the universe, good and evil held in check by one weathered image from the back of a thrift-store magazine; who will win? My buck is on the nature-baby.

The only redeeming part of this photo is the cupcake on the blanket; I could really use one of those today. Just a reminder: the toddler is 40 now, and probably shakes her head in shame every time someone brings up this picture.

-------------------------------
Photo Shoot on a Budget

How better to show whimsy, vibrance, and a life of freestyle action than with black & white on a dead foliage background?

Ah, the Poncho. My sisters had them, loved them supposedly. But did either one dare populate a poncho that represented the most extreme opposites of color? I don't recall, but no doubt sister Karen would have worn it with gaucho half-pants to show off her striped Mork & Mindy socks. There you have it - poncho y gaucho. Lo es mejor.

The poncho pic screams budget shoot. Why use a real studio when we can go outside and take pictures there? To choose a backdrop that looks as cold and lifeless as Chicago in January is bold, or maybe done while attending a winter funeral to save money. Hey at least half the colors would be correct for the graveside service. But with all the stupid choices substitutions and cost cutting measures that are clearly evident here, we have to wonder if the garment is in fact a poncho. I can imagine that prepping for the photo shoot went something like this:

Cecilia: "Okay...I'm back. Hair and makeup session took way too long. Jim, what am I wearing for this shot? Jim? Where is that guy? Oh there's my top. Wait a minute, why does it smell like wet poodle?"

Jim (from the next room): "Honey, have you seen Pierre's dog blanket?"