I’ve always loved to knit and crochet. These crafts are quite meditative, filled with repetitive motions that help calm the mind. And the tactile sensation of the yarn slipping through my fingers always serves as a reminder that time slips by just as quickly.

Yet the only completed project I can boast of is a somewhat pathetic-looking baby blanket I created almost three decades ago while I was pregnant with my daughter.

“Blankie,” as my daughter affectionately called this piece later, is now tattered and shredded and torn, its fibers literally worn away by her love and attachment. Somehow she never seemed to mind that Blankie wasn’t perfect, shaped more like a parallelogram than a square and sporting gaps where gaps were never meant to be.

Obviously, while I can string together basic stitches, my skills are minimal at best. So for me, knitting and crocheting has always been about the journey and not the destination. About the process and not the outcome.

While I’d start a project with the best of intentions, partway through I’d always end up ripping the piece apart when it stopped resembling the picture in the instructions. Still this didn’t stop me from starting each new project with enthusiasm!

And perhaps that’s why I love the idea of Knitffiti or urban knitting that is popping up all around the world. These Knitffiti artists turn their efforts to adorning light posts, parking meters, stop signs and trees with their colorful creations.

Untitled by Emerald City to Oz on Flickr

Knitted Trees by DieselDemon on Flickr

This often unexpected rejuvenation of urban landscapes is simply delightful and reminds us that it’s perfectly okay to to knit just for the sheer pleasure of it.

After all, the piece you need to fashion to brighten up the post on your porch doesn’t have to be perfect. Even an inexperienced beginner can enjoy the process of creating a simple panel to wrap around a tree in the front yard. And what a great project for kids!  Instead of creating another high score on their favorite video game, they can craft leftover lengths of yarn into an outfit for the swing set in the backyard.

Knit Covered Bike Rack by firecatstef on Flickr

Knitted Microcosm in Pink by sunshinecity on Flickr

So perhaps it’s time to grab a crochet hook and have some fun. Your inner child loved building culinary masterpieces with Play-Doh when you were little and molding plain ol’ bricks into medieval castles. But when was the last time you let this gal out to play?

Often when she whines for playtime, we shut her down before we can even begin to exercise our creative muscle because we’re afraid that whatever we make—a cake, a poem, a dress, a song—just won’t be good enough. Or else we admonish our inner child with a stern reminder that we just don’t have time for such nonsense.

But I have a sneaking suspicion that as you wrap your finished piece of Knitffiti around your mailbox or drape it through the trellis in your garden, both you and your inner child will both be grinning from ear to ear.

Of course, if you’re one of those super-mega-talented-artistic-types, you should probably leave the Knitffiti to us less talented beginners and channel your energies into creating something beautiful like today’s VPOD.

This vintage 1960s knit dress and coat set shows just how lovely stitches and purls can be when wielded by a master.

And it’s a beautiful knitwear find for a Vintage Crusader!

Available at Lady*Day*s*Vintage.

(To receive the VPOD free via email with detailed size and price information, sign up for the growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time. | Disclosure: Zuburbia is an affiliate of the eBay Partner Network.)

I spoke with my mom and dad yesterday and they asked me if I was going to watch the finals of America’s Got Talent.

Now I have to admit that this show isn’t even on my radar. And with those 28(!) open projects on my Master List that I told you about on Monday, you can bet I don’t spend much time watching TV.

But my parents raved and RAVED about their favorite act, Slihouettes, so I decided to check’em out on Youtube.

And WOW!

As a former dancer and someone who’s choreographed a show or two in my day, I was thoroughly entertained and impressed by the creative spectacle. As a member of the human race, I was truly inspired.

The group is from Denver, Colorado and is comprised of kids aged 3 to 19, many of whom are suffering from life-threatening illnesses and one of whom is going blind.

Their message to all of us?

Don’t let life’s obstacles stop you.

And a second message?

We must continue to fund the arts.

While it’s tempting to cut back on the arts during our current economic challenges, let’s remember that FDR made sure to include the Federal Art Project in his New Deal during the Great Depression. And it was this program that resulted in the creation of many of the significant pieces of public art that we now enjoy around the country.

Plus we shouldn’t forget that when President Lyndon Johnson signed the act creating the National Endowment for the Arts, the act stated:

For it is in our works of art that we reveal to ourselves, and to others, the inner vision which guides us as a nation. And where there is no vision, the people perish.

So I encourage you to view the Silhouettes video if you haven’t yet enjoyed this particular form of art.

And if you find yourself inspired by the group’s creative expression, you may want to grab a silhouette all your own.

Today’s VPOD features a real beauty. This c.1900 antique celluloid necklace is loaded with incredible details.

And it’s a striking silhouette for a Vintage Crusader.

Available at Got Lucky Vintage.

(To receive the VPOD free via email with detailed size and price information, sign up for the growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)

These days it seems like there’s a hot new movie star being born in Hollywood every couple of months. But few have the staying power of the old-time Hollywood greats like Tony Curtis. His career spanned six decades and included more than 100 films along with numerous television appearances.

One of those most memorable films, of course, was Some Like It Hot, where Tony Curtis shared top billing with another magnificent film icon, Marilyn Monroe.

But did you know that in addition to acting and finding the time to marry five times, Tony Curtis also gathered an impressive art collection over his lifetime?

This September, the estate of Tony Curtis, including his art collection and various letters, items and personal effects collected during his film career, will be offered by Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills.

My favorite piece in the catalog? The Andy Warhol Some Like It Hot piece that was a gift from the artist to the actor and is expected to fetch $20-30k.

A wee bit out of my price range, yes, but it costs nothing to gaze at it up close at the Estate of Tony Curtis Exhibition beginning August 6. More info here.

Do you ever dream of a world where you open your closet and all of your ready-to-wear clothes have been replaced by haute couture designs made especially for you?

Sure it’s a fantasy. After all, one haute couture gown might cost more than all the current clothes hanging in your closet combined. But there’s nothing to stop a girl from dreaming.

And if you’d like to take an interim step between your reality and your fantasy, you might want to consider treating yourself to one of today’s VPODs.

These vintage fashion sketches, or croquis, were all designed by Givenchy between 1980 and 1995 and include fabric swatches and design numbers. Originally given to a limited number of Givenchy clients at the Paris couture shows, these lovely sketches are now available to any gal who would like to frame them and gaze lovingly upon them daily.

They’re dreamy finds for a vintage fashionista!

Available at Katy Kane.

(To receive the VPOD via email along with detailed size, price and purchase information, sign up for my growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)

I’m keeping my eye on this eBay auction for a vintage poster by Courreges signed by the man himself along with Toutes mes amities, which, if my high school French doesn’t fail me, translates roughly to our Best Wishes or Best Regards.

It’s quite an eye-catching piece to decorate the wall of a vintage fashionista!

Available at eBay.

(Disclosure: Zuburbia is an affiliate of the eBay Partner Network.)