The ruminations of an artist on art & life...art quilts, beading, knitting, drawing, painting, printmaking, bookmaking are all my passions, I love to explore creating....
Hello Dear readers...
so, I have certainly been absent from my blog for awhile--4 months in fact! I guess I needed a break, but now I am back and will be posting regularly. I thank you for your patience.
Yesterday, in a fit of creativity, I created these crocheted flowers. I crocheted these from scraps of wool I had on hand and finished them with nice vintage buttons.
What possessed me? I have committed to 2--yes 2!! craft fairs for the Holidaze and so need crafted items to sell. This is just a few of the items I will sell...I also have hand knit hats, some sewn "inchy" pins, some beadwork, and of course, some linocut prints.
these are quick and fun to make---here is a blue posey....
this one is made from re-purposed angora yarn---I unraveled a thrifted angora sweater for the yarn...
lovely sunny flower~
rainbow flower with vintage button
will you be my star? I love this star vintage button...
I had thought I would make these into pins or brooches but have decided to make them into hair clips....
"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.
"----Scott Adams
I am currently (among other projects) crocheting an afghan out of wool and alpaca "scraps" I had in my yarn stash...mostly blues, greens, and grays, with a dash of pinkish heather....but of course, I am just about out of "scraps"--so now if I want to finish this project I am going to have to go and buy some yarn....(oh darn;-)
This is a fun project...and crochet progresses so fast! compared to knitting. The pattern is from the book
200 RIPPLE STITCH PATTERNS by Jan Eaton.
and--oh yes! I found the camera (whew!!!) hidden behind some stuff...so I will be posting here more often now.
Here is a pic of some of the undergrowth outside my cabin door; this forest is very green and full of ferns and moss. This northern rain forest I am currently living in--THE TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST--was the inspiration for these baby booties...
Knit in hand dyed wool and brown angora...they are soft and fuzzy to keep tiny feet warm and comfy.
I have knit scores of booties from this pattern and all the Mom's tell me they love these baby booties because they are the only ones they have to stay on...the I-cord ties really do work.
"Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit either." ---Elizabeth Zimmerman
need that perfect VALENTINE DAY gift??? give her a warm a cozy angora and alpaca hat! (now available in my Esty shop: Borealis Beads) one-of-a-kind hand knit from my own design.
I have been having fun knitting with all that soft chocolate brown angora yarn I bought recently...hats and more hats.. and I'm not the mad hatter (yet).
I really had no idea of how productive I have been the past year with knitting until I started organizing my Flickr photos into "sets".... here are just few of my 2008 finished knitting projects. For closer look at each one, you are welcome to visit my Flickr account here.
Today's Quote--in honor of Martin Luther King Day---
"Don't let other people's opinions burn holes in your dreams." -----Elsa Joy Bailey
I had a brilliant idea as I looked at the box of yarn (which I had totally forgot I even owned). This was FAT yarn---I hardly ever knit with FAT yarn--but I had been hauling this yarn around since the 1970's ( I kid you not---the sorry pack rat that I am) precisely because I had dyed all this yarn back in the 70's with natural dyes....all those muted natural colors--so hard to part with....
but back to my brilliant idea---I could use this yarn to quickly crochet a rug--I say "quickly" because I crochet much faster than I knit---and then in a FLASH I saw it--a crocheted rug--with this fat yarn--using a lacy doily pattern would be DiffeRent and perhaps really kind of great looking upon my nice wood flooring...so I commenced. And guess what?? I think I was correct? What do you think???
Right now this is a WIP (work-in-progress)---and only about 1/3 finished--so do check back to follow this project as it grows and changes...and I will of course post a finished photo.
I really do have way too much yarn---or perhaps I do not have enough storage space after moving from a big house to a tiny one-bedroom apartment? Out of space after downsizing--so I made a survey of my YARN STASH yesterday and decided to part with some of it....so I am selling the yarn you see here---at BARGAIN PRICES. If you want to buy any of this yarn, please e-mail me : aurora at morningstarbooks dot com
Reynolds Shetland Donegal Tweed---100% wool, made in Scotland, handwash. This yarn is light celedon green & grey in color.
3 balls, each 1 3/4 oz. plus 2 partial balls. all for $10.00 includes shipping costs within the US
Cambridge Classic Elite ---70%cotton, 30% wool (great for a baby item) handwash or dry clean. 4 skeins, 50 grams each, approx 80 yards per skein. Color: light lavender/grey. All 4 skeins for $8.00! includes shipping cost within the US.
Omaghi Filati Baby Cotton---100% cotton. 2 balls, 150 grams each. Color: Variegated lavender, light blue, light green and cream. This yarn originally cost $21.50 each, selling both balls for $10.00 which includes shipping within the US.
or take all 3 yarns for a super-bargain price of $20.00 !!! (includes shipping) what a deal!
AND.......Please don't forget to join my hat give-away--see the blog post right below for details!
I love the way the two different Noro Silk Garden yarn colorways are knitting up in this scarf I have on my needles right now. The pattern is from here---from another blog I enjoy BROOKLYN TWEED. I saw this scarf on his blog last year and fell in love with it.....and I am finally getting around to knitting one. This is knitting up quickly because I am so fascinated with watching the colors evolve as I go....
Today's Quote: " The only place where housework comes before needlework is in the dictionary. " ~Mary Kurtz
Today I woke up so full of HOPE--for CHANGE--- and with the strong sense that we have taken our country back! Yes! and a sense now everything will get better. I like Patti Digh's post over at 37 Days blog---"He [Obama] will need our help. All of us, not just Democrats, not just African Americans, not just youth, but all of us. Hope cannot be bipartisan. Government cannot be theirs to run, it is ours to run. Let us continue our gestures of belief." That really sums it up for me.
Soul Coaching: Yes, by day 4 I am "noticing old stuff/ patterns/blockages coming to the surface" ---- my small room has gotten even messier--and I thought we were supposed to de-clutter! An old pattern for me is thus: I let my space get messier and messier until I just cannot stand it!--and then in one big swoop, I clean it all up. I am hoping to change this pattern to one where I clean & and organize a little each day, and I put things away more often.....
I sure like the notion of re-framing my tendancy to be blunt into "honest self-expression"---since sometimes my bluntness has caused trouble for me. I had a harder time transforming my other faults into positive traits--still working on that! and being an observer of myself has always been hard for me---don't know why, but I'm trying that today, also.
Meanwhile I have been knitting these MITTS---a shorter version of mittens--ie "fingerless mittens--I have one finished and the other one on the needles....these are knit with Noro Kureyon....lovely soft and cozy wool yarn. A nice small quick knitting project--guess what my family is getting for holiday gifts this year???
and the pattern is from this excellent book by Clara Parkes of the website Knitter's Review.
I have this book on my wish list...not only does she write eloquently about all types of yarns--but the patterns are wisely chosen to highlight the various yarns characteristics. So-- lovely projects, lovely photos--a must have for my knitting bookshelf.
Quote for the day : "What if you just knew everything was working out perfectly?"
Back to crafty endeavors--currently I have on my knitting needles this project...using up scraps of yarn, but darn! I just may have to trek on over to the yarn shop because I don't think I have enough "scraps"...one nice thing since I moved, I am within walking distance of one of my favorite yarn shops in Oakland--Article Pract (this is also dangerous...)
This vest should look like this when finished--except I am using different yarns...and the yarn here is variegated---so mine is a bit more stripey---but you all get the picture...
Thought for the day:
Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it.
the cable band is knit first---joined into a circle band, then I picked up stitches along one edge and knit the hat to the crown....
Some knitters--like the YARN HARLOT---knit socks when they travel--I seem to knit hats when I travel. Usually in the hot summer months I don't even want to knit--especially with wool! but this summer that has not been the case--I am having fun creating as many new and different hats as possible---USING ONLY YARN FROM MY STASH--now, that is a challenge! but I find having a limited "pallette" of yarns to choose from is a good way to stimulate my creativity. Plus I love trying out new knitting stitches....
So, we have hats here knit from mixtures of wool, alpaca, cashmere and angora. Also, one hat knit of a mixture of hemp and model...all of these hats (and more!) will eventually be for sale at my booth at the Berkeley Farmer's Market Craft Market during the Berkeley Old Time Music Convention on Saturday, September 13th.
Not only will there be the regular Farmer's Market--but a Craft Market AND the fun and exciting STRING BAND CONTEST---which is part of the Berkeley Old Time Music Convention...quite an artistic event, with good food, music and crafts! so add it to your calendar now folks...huzzah!
detail of above hat---and yes, the yellow circles I added after I finished knitting the hat--with some embroidery in yellow yarn.
twisted cable stitch or a "mock cable" --hemp yarn!
twisted "mock" cable stitch in lovely handspun and hand dyed yarn from SPINCYCLE YARNS of Bellingham, Wa---this yarn is a dream to knit with!
yummy green and fushia! in soft wools and angora....
detail shows the drop stitch technique I used for this one....mostly alpaca yarn.
Here is a fun stitch---a "mock cable":
When I get in the mood to try out a new stitch--I "swatch" by knitting the new stitch in cotton and make a dishcloth. I then have a nice finished item (and handknit dishclothes make great gifts, along with a fancy bar of soap) and I have thoroughly explored the new stitch.
I like this stitch so much I am already casting on some lovely handspun wool to make a hat with it!
I have always loved old swatch books---both books of handpainted fabric designs or real fabric swatches---they draw me in like a magnet. Lately I have been knitting swatches---some of these swatches I'm using as squares in a project, and some I just make to try out a new stitch. I'm decided to knit 1 (one!--at least one, maybe more more) swatch a week and blog it here...
Most books on knitting discuss the importance of knitting a swatch to check one's gauge before starting a project--- ideally knit in the stitch pattern used in the garment. I suppose if I was more organized I would record the yarn, needle size and other info on each swatch and then keep all this in one notebook--so far, this has not happened. In knitting--as with most art I create--I am much more into the process than the finished project...or in record keeping of any sort.
Here is an "all over cable" knit swatch--I used some left over variegated colored yarn.
and here is a slip stitch pattern I made up--the dark grey verticle lines are made from slipping a stitch, and the dark grey horizontal lines are made by purling....I think this would make an interesting sweater---with the right colors...maybe a pale variegated with a dark color for the squares? the greys here aren't very exciting, but one can see the pattern easily with them.
and lastly--in the center here--a "slip stitch herringbone" pattern---this one sure needs contrasting colors.
So anyhow, the long term plan is to put these all into my own handmade swatch book...even if all I put in is a photo of the swatch (because I used the "swatch" in a project.)
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