Rules of the game

The June 6th New York Times Magazine features a Dutch soccer school which teaches young children the rules of the sport in preparation for their professional athletic careers.

I like to knit while I watch sports. Here’s my first ever completed sock that I made the week of June 6th, though I wasn’t exactly watching sports, I was watching movies! You can tell by the fact it’s a lace sock that I was watching movies without subtitles, though I love movies with subtitles too.

Another thing I can do when I watch TV is make braids for miniature rugs. The braiding is especially useful for sports that I especially like to watch, like skating, since once I start a braid I don’t have to look at it as I work. I have tried watching skating while knitting items I have to pay attention to and have found it’s entirely possible to glance at my knitting periodically and miss every jump in a skater’s routine. That’s why I’ve found braiding to be a better compliment to sports like skating, and as you can see from my collection of braids, I’ve watched A LOT of skating.

Last week, while not watching sports, I read The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, which I’d highly recommend. It’s about race relations in the American South, in the 1960’s. I was raised in St. Louis back then, just north of the Mason Dixon Line. I remember the Civil Rights marches my mother took me on when I was a little girl, trying to break certain social rules in hopes of making new ones. It was so hot we passed around Dixie cups of lemonade, everyone taking tiny sips.

Here’s a fashion spread from Bill Cunningham’s June 13th Style section. There are many rules in these bold geometries too: black and white exclusively rules, rules about symmetry, rhythmic rules and rules about making strong statements. I watched Bill’s accompanying video on The New York Times website where he took obvious delight in seeing these looks meander along the stripes of Manhattan crosswalks.

Here are a couple of other dynamic black and white fashions that appeared earlier this year in the same section of The new York Times.

The cover for The New York Times Magazine for June 13th, though blue (who ever dreamed I’d complain about color!) does utilize some of these same rules. You have symmetry in the centered typography and the six evenly placed views of our President in action. There are visual rhythms in the staccato of bold white letters punctuating the blue background. There’s even some interplay of Mr. Obama’s black suit slipping between white letters…

all of which brings to mind some of those aforementioned optic art outfits which are the inspiration for my challenge today….

I have rules for my game (this blog) too. One of my rules (though not specifically stated) is to make an outfit from the cover of The New York Times Magazine and post it before the next New York Times Magazine issue comes out. At the moment I am a whopping two weeks behind! I’m coming around the home stretch of my little marathon here, making these outfits for a whole year. I appreciate all the comments I’ve gotten so far, but think a little bit more of a cheering section (especially if you’re not a friend or family member(!)) could help me slog through to the finish line when I’ll have my runway show. I see the numbers people…. I know you’re out there!!

Cheers until next time.