Rainbow Country

another one of my favourite tracks of all time. Listening to it right now.

Qwerty

Old Typewriter, originally uploaded by Marimoo.

QWERTY- the keyboard of a typewriter or computer of the ordinary sort, whose top line begins with the letters Q, W E R T and Y.

I bet you just looked down at your keyboard! The lovely lovely image above is by Marimoo, check out her blog. She also is a fellow etsyian and has allowed me to use her photograph which completely captures what I think is interesting and quirky about typewriters.

I have always wondered why the keyboard doesn't just read from A through to Z. The origins as to why they are as they are can be traced back to old typewriters. If you are interested, click qwerty.

I love old typewriters. I have no idea why but there are quite impressive. There seemed to be a certain art to the way they were made, they appear almost sculptural. I also really like way they produce imperfect type on paper although in this day and computer age that would be a little bit annoying! no backspace, cut, paste.... i don't think so!

image courtesy of Suzanne Clements

I also came across this beautiful print by Suzanne Clements another etsyian, check out her store too. This piece is beautifully titled 'Long Forgotten Memories'. I think that sums it up perfectly. Love it!

Anyone have any old, interesting, quirky objects they like?

Before I sign off for the weeknd, thought I'd mention a magazine I was featured in, Mimi magazine. A long and detailed piece thanks to Belinda Otas. It is called 'What is Urban about African couture?' Have a read! Have a lovely weekend too!

Q

I am sooo stuck on Q, I'll have to come back to this one.

'Pencil' Clutch

Red, black and white 'pencil' clutch, originally uploaded by Urbanknit.

It is called the pencil clutch for so many reasons but the obvious one is that it is reminiscent of the simple regular pencil case that holds stationary.

The pencil clutch is a minimalist yet funky clutch because sometimes you want something that is simple and functional but that still says a little something.

This one is made out of 'aso-oke' which is a heavy hand-woven fabric from southern Nigeria. Aso-oke is usually worn by Yoruba people during special occasions; festivals, weddings and most celebrations.

More colour and fabric combinations to come in this style but the first few have been in a red, black and white combination as its Valentines day soon.

Do you have anything in red, black or white that you absolutely love? If so please leave a comment and a link.

Thanks for reading.

Orange

etsy frontpage 20th Dec, originally uploaded by Urbanknit.

So this is a bit of laziness on my part. Just didn't have anything for 'O' so I dug into the archives and retrieved an Etsy Frontpage that I made it onto last December thanks to riyzedesignz.

You can guess the theme was.......Orange! It was great publicity and the scarflette got sold shortly after.

I am not even sure I am that great a fan of the colour but once in a while, it just works for me. I prefer the derivatives; burnt orange, rust etc. Are you a fan of Orange? Would love to hear your comments.

On another note, Urbanknit now has a facebook group so if you would like to be kept informed about events, new items, exciting news or are just a fan then do join urbanknit on facebook

thanks for reading!

Not On The High Street

For UK shoppers who had become a bit bored of Urbanknit being available only in Dollars, worry no more! Urbanknit is now sold on 'Not On The High Street'.

NOTH was started in 2006 by Holly Tucker and Sophie Cornish out of a passion and interest in supporting small creative businesses who may not survive in the cut-throat world of the high street retail.

There are a lot of interesting and unique finds available on Not On The High Street and you definately see the passion and care that has gone into the various creations from a broad range of NOTH sellers.

You can find jewellery, lighting, cushions, cards and plentymore.

So if you are based in the UK, go on and have a look or even if you are not, go and have a look anyway! www.notonthehighstreet.com

Maxwell

where art thou?

Something amazing started with Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite.

With tracks like Ascension (Don't ever wonder) and Sumthin' Sumthin', some say it was the birth of neo-soul.

Click on the links to listen and watch the videos.

That was all the way in 1996, wow. Anyways, we are waiting expectantly for a return, well.... I am.

Looks like maybe we'll hear something, sometime soon....

Black Summers' Night.....

Any other Maxwell fans out there?

London

My current abode... There is so much to say about London, so I won't! Not enough space really. Plus there is so much on the internet and better still, you can visit it to get the real flavour.

There is one thing I do find interesting, and that is how a graphic representation can contain so much information and at the same time be so simple yet iconic.

The London tube (equivalent of a subway) map captures this idea. With each colour representing a line and the circles showing where lines meet, and the interesting station names which in themselves have so much history.

Whats your favourite stop? No you can't chose Notting Hill.... just joking. Or is there anything in the city or country that you live in that captures the spirit? Please share!

Kelis

.....her milkshake brings all the boys to the park.... apparently.

If asked who I'd say typified my ideal customer. It would be Kelis.

She is funky, creative and looks like a lot of fun. Her style is constantly changing and is never boring. I guess it helps because I really like her music as well. When I first heard 'Caught out there' I had to go and get the album, Kaleidoscope. I also love the fact that she is not afraid to throw crazy colours together. So if anyone knows her, point her this way and she can have anything in my collection..... really!

Jazz

was my favourite transformer from the oringinal TV series. I liked the way he talked and if i remember correctly, he was a bit of a joker.

The movie was quite cool but they have taken some serious artisitc license in changing the original characters and their characteristsics. Oh well....