Schrift met 41 gebreide proeflappen c. 1867 - 1949

This is M.A. Smid-Alberts' 'Schrift met 41 gebreide proeflappen', or 'Notebook with 41 knitted swatches.' It’s a small, intimate object, likely made with humble materials, that speaks volumes about process and dedication. The cover, with its mottled blue, looks almost like a watercolour painting, doesn't it? Those splatters and stains are like deliberate marks, each telling a story of time and use. Inside, I imagine, are forty-one little knitted experiments, each swatch a testament to the artist's exploration of texture and form. Think about the time and patience involved in making something like this. Knitting isn’t just a craft, it’s a form of mark-making, a way of building up a surface, stitch by stitch. You know, in a way, this notebook reminds me of the sketchbooks of someone like Agnes Martin or Eva Hesse. Like theirs, Smid-Alberts’ work is a quiet rebellion against the grand narratives of art, an affirmation of the beauty and significance of everyday acts.