An Afternoon of Drawing

 

The Socks That Never End

I am really tired of knitting these socks. It is not like they are difficult or anything (maybe that is the problem) it just seems like I have been working on them forever. Of course I need to remember that I did finish one of them which I then frogged and started over, so yes, they have been around for a while. And also, they are not the only socks I am working on. Increasingly, I have been selecting others from the basket when I want to knit. But I am determined to finish them today.  I will let you know if I do!

Cable Knit Sweater

I did it! I made a whole Cable Knit Sweater in two days!
Isn't it cute? I am ridiculously pleased with myself.

Pattern by Marika Simon
from
Knitting Traditions
Spring 2013

(The yarn is from a thrift store sweater which I dyed with Kool-Aid.)

A Braided Headband

This is what I made with the big wooden dowel needles.
A Braided Headband
First, I made a three stitch I-Cord, 72 inches long, which I then
 folded back on itself three times, so the length of each cord was 24 inches.
Remember, I didn't cut it, so I had a loop at each end.
I then braided the cords, pulling the single end through the looped part on each end.
Confused?
Don't worry. You could finish the ends any way you like. Mine has a button.
For this sample, I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick.

Knitting Needles and I Cord

I wanted to knit a length of I Cord with some hand spun yarn. However, the largest double pointed needles I own are #8. I found some beautiful fat wooden ones on the Internet, but of course I wanted them yesterday. But wait! I have a piece of dowel rod...I cut it in half and tried to point the ends with my trusty pocket knife. It took a while (I couldn't get my knife sharp enough), but look! I did it, after a fashion. And I knitted the I Cord which turns out to be a cool thing to do with an Art Yarn. I am proud of myself!

In the Hoop and More Windows

More Scrim Lace with machine and hand embroidery
Cathedral Windows in organdy with inserts from a vintage hankerchief

Tassels

I had all that mess of threads and fabric strips on my table, so yesterday I made
Tassels.
Why? I don't know.
What will I do with them? I don't know.

I made them from strips of indigo dyed fabric, wooden spools covered with scraps of embroidered velvet, wooden beads and on the big one, a crocheted bowl shaped thing made of bulky hand spun.

Will I make more?
Probably

Oh What a Tangled Web

Dear Friends
 

OK I am here. Way past time. This last fall (flat on my face on the porch of the yarn shop) really did me in even though, unlike Humpty Dumpty, I didn't break anything. I finally went to the ER on Wednesday for x rays and they said all is well except that I have a "chest wall" injury and that will take time to heal. It is extremely painful. I hate to whine, but I haven't had this much pain since I broke my knee! The pain is finally getting a little better, but I have to watch out for pneumonia now--must take big breaths etc so fluid won't collect in my lungs. That is hard to do as it hurts to breathe. You know what that is like. I have tried to keep myself busy by messing with some new projects and techniques, but all of them have come to naught.

 

I tried to make a coiled vessel using some two ply string I made from indigo dyed fabric. I worked on that a good while, but I accidentally sewed it to the form (a cone of yarn duh!) and when I finally removed it, it had no shape to speak of--way too floppy. I dumped all that stuff out of the work basket and replaced it with some yarn to knit a scarf I liked that is a Lynn Vogel pattern. I got most of that done, but didn't really like the yarn (my own hand spun) so I frogged that. Meanwhile, I had some short socks I was working on. I had finished the first one and was working on the second one when I realized the first one was too big and clunky looking, so I frogged that finished sock and part of the second one and essentially started over from the toe of each. Meanwhile, I read something about Naalbinding and I decided I would like to learn to do that and so I went looking on the computer for a tutorial. That was yesterday morning. I tried all morning but just couldn't get it figured out. Eventually I tried making yet another vessel in what I think is a Naalbinding stitch--essentially a buttonhole stitch. I worked on that project most of the rest of the day and while we were watching a movie last night and I will probably frog it later on today.

What a massive waste of time! Oh and then there was the interlude where I worked on some Cathedral Window pieces that I think I might like to add to my new embroidery piece. Because I am not getting up from my chair of pain, I ordered some cotton organdy on line to use in the Cathedral Window project. That will be pretty don't you think?

 

 

Did I mention that the old sheet I cut up for the Cathedral Window experiment is too dense to sew through without using pliers?






You are laughing I hope!

 

I have spent a lot of time reading Wolf Hall. I have it on my Kindle Fire (I love that thing). Dangerous though. One click and it's mine............

 

This morning I walked around and watered the plants we bought a week ago on our anniversary. The day of the fateful fall. Some are already looking a little iffy. Gardening is touch and go here in the dry Hill country of Texas. The new plants look so confident and perky when I put them in the ground or the pots, but a week later, they have lost their spunk and just look tired. I baby them, and so some of them will make it as they are native to this area, but it can be a discouraging project.

 

I guess that is about it. I wonder what useless project I will try today? Maybe I will get lucky or maybe I should just stick to projects that I am already working on successfully. That would be a plan.....

 

Love always,

Sara

 

Progress on the Scrim Lace and a Window

Here is the next stage of that Scrim Lace piece I showed you before. I added a piece of plain cotton on which I embroidered some of those circles. They look a little like they are coming unraveled and have a "wrapped" thread in between two circles. I haven't finished the combo of circles on the right. I have done a lot more embroidery on the lace part as well (side benefit of having to sit around with an ice pack on my shoulder!). Lots of French Knots, buttonhole stitch and some thread wrapping. More to go of course.

At the top, there is a little piece of Cathedral Window. Did you ever do any of that? Probably you all are not that crazy. I made a piece a long time ago. It is in a box somewhere. I think it is about 18x20". I quit after that. Mainly I just wanted to see how it worked. That is what I do you know. I want to know how something is done. This time I wanted to see if I remembered how to do it. I think it has possibilities as a decorative strip or something, don't you?

A Little Smocking

This is a very small piece of hand dyed fabric.
I wanted it gathered,
but
  was it worth it to run it through the smocking machine!
I think so.
 The machine makes such lovely pleats!  

My Blue Heaven--a group of yarns

My Blue Heaven
A group of 3 hand spun wool yarns 

Projects in Handspun Art Yarn

This morning, on my daughter's new blog http://woolinitaly.wordpress.com/2013/04/04/whats-in-a-name-can-art-yarn-become-wearable-art/, she talks about using hand spun Art yarn.
That prompted me to go through my photos and find some of the things I have made with my hand spun "Art" yarn. Here are just a few of them...


Top row--vessel made from hand spun handi wipes and sisal, hat made from spun silk fabric strips, locker hooked bag containing some hand spun, shawls (squiggle shawl in background)
Middle row--vessel made from hand spun tissue paper. free form vessel. cowl, cowl
Bottom row-- locker hooked bag, vessel in spun plastic bags, hat, hat from a hand spun dresser scarf

Tessie and the New Tennis Ball

 

Scrim Lace and Some Embroidery

 

Banner

I just thought I would tell you about the "banner" photo. I shot this photo in Louise Hays Park in Kerrville, Texas. It is a HDR photo, which means, basically, that I shot the photo a number of times with different exposures and then layered them all together in Photo Shop. I had trouble getting all my ducks in a row (ha) and had to nudge things around a bit to make sure all the ducks had heads or all the bodies had the right heads...........