Knitter’s Progress

My grandmother taught me how to crochet when I was in second grade.  I remember working so hard to learn how to make a chain, and how happy I was just with that simple motion.  I took my twenty foot long base chain to show and tell one day, and as I stretched it across the classroom, I remember Mrs. Defebaugh asking “This is it?  I thought you had made something.”  For me at the time, just the simple motion of making the loops over and over was enough to make me happy, but of course I did soon move on to new and larger objects. 

I also learned that knitting and crocheting was something “old fashioned” , and that it was “weird” to enjoy doing something like that.  Bear in mind this was the mid 70’s, when the women’s movement was in full swing, and things were changing.  I did continue to crochet during my public school career, but generally kept it at home and didn’t talk about it much when I was with my friends.

Then my grandmother died suddenly at the end of Y2K, and I found myself searching for some connection again.  And I found the book “The Knitting Goddess”, and knew that it was time to learn to knit (I had tried to teach myself in my teens, but unlike a crochet cast on, there’s not a lot you can do with a needle full of just one set of loops).

I started out just buying yarn that I liked, and learned how to knit and purl from online tutorials.  Because I was so skilled with the crochet hook, I found carrying the yarn as if I were crocheting the easiest, which I believe is called “continental”.  I bought every book I could and made the alien scarf from the first Stitch and Bitch book, and lots and lots of swatches.

I also discovered the community of knitters, because now, with a new generation of women, knitting and crochet were no longer looked down on.  I began attending a stitch and bitch at the local coffeehouse and made lots of friends.

I also found my brave pants, and began to off-road with my knitting and crochet, making creations such as this one:

 

Whose name I don’t remember, but he is a hybrid of crochet and sock creature techniques.

And Jackie:

Who is knit out of wonderful Cascade Pastaza and ArtYarn Regal silk, with a crochet purse and a hand made necklace.

I also am currently working on flowers for the Knitted Flower Project (see the link in “My Blogs” for more information on how to participate).

And of course I am still designing and knitting funky hats, because I always loved watching Miss America and Miss Universe for the wonderful costumes, and love that wearables are an art form you can take with you wherever you go. 

“Eight of Hearts” fair isle charted by me, valentine cable from Barbara Walker’s first book of knitting patterns, wonderful Lana Loft from Brown Sheep and Classic from Ella Rae (I am making hats with this one til I run out, it is such a great “neutral” for me).  I am hoping to track down some Lion Brand Wool Stainless or Habu Textiles Wool Stainless so that the next version of the valentine cables will have more body when worn.

I know my Gran would be so happy to see how far I’ve taken the skills she taught me.  And I would love to see Mrs. Defebaugh again to show her how far I’ve come from that first huge crocheted chain.

Keeping Warm With Stash

As with most of the country, we here in Ohio are in the deep freeze. As I dressed today, debating, "one set of long johns or two" , I realized that if I went with "two" I'd have nothing left for tomorrow but to stuff weasels down my pants (because tomorrow it is barely going to break double digit temperatures).

Then I thought, "Hey, I'm a knitter/crocheter/fiber artist. I could make myself something"

Well, I'm fast, but not that fast.

So, here's the quick and easy way to keep warm when the cold snap sneaks up on you.

Stuff your stash in your pants (and shirt, etc). Of course you'll need pants/shirts with a bit of leeway in them for this to work the best, and you may want to employ hairbands at the wrists/ankles to help keep stuff from sliding out, but hey, I think it would work. (You could also go the way John Cusack uses in the movie Money for Nothing, and try stuffing the stash into a set of oversize pantyhose).

Check back tomorrow to see how it went.

February 1972

My grandmother was in the hospital in February of 1972.  I am not sure what exactly for.  Being only 7 years old at the time, I was not allowed to visit her, and I was also told she was in too much pain to see me.  It was a cold, gray, confusing time for such a little girl with such a big imagination, especially since I think her trip to the hospital was not a planned one. 

I am not sure where we were coming from, but I remember walking into their house on one of those days, and coming across a small red heart shaped box on the kitchen table.  There was a little doll on the box, and when I asked Grandaddy, he said Gran had bought it for me before she went into the hospital.

I don’t remember much else of that time, other than wet cold feet, the smell of snow, and that box with the pretty little doll.  Gran always got me something special at holidays, and always found the most cool embossed cards filled with lots of images and details. 

The combination of hot red and lime green stuck with me from those cards and gifts:

“Good Enough to Eat” 24” x 18” 1998  Velvet, commercial cottons, hand-dyed cottons, commercial hand-dyed cottons, beads, embroidery floss.

This piece is obviously inspired by the box of chocolates my Gran had bought for me.  I made the flower on the box using the French wire beaded flower technique.  When I held it out on the palm of my hand to show my husband, the dog thought I was offering a treat and took it up in her mouth.  After she’d dropped it, we laughed, and then said “Good enough to eat!”, giving the piece its title.

Detail of the flower, it’s a little dusty from hanging on the wall.  The “sprinkles” on the chocolate are little bamboo bugle beads I’d picked up somewhere. 

And currently the color theme is revisiting in a hat in progress:

February 1972, fair isle pattern from the Kaffe Fassett Pattern Library, valentine cable from Barbara Walker’s pattern book volume one.  The yarns are a wonderful magenta red pink from Claudia’s Handpaints, and Ella Rae Classic.  I love how green the Ella Rae looks in comparison to the hot red.  When it is alone in the ball it is one of those colors that is kind of neutral.  It’s all in the color placement. 

I plan on picking up and knitting a “brim” under the wonderful dots, as the fair isle and cabling pulled in the hat so that it won’t fit my grown-up head.  That also gives me more time to work with the luscious pink yarn.  

Another hat is in process right now, simliar theme, but a darker red and there is a checkerboard involved.  I will post pictures of that when it is further along.  These are the perfect projects to work on while cuddled under an afghan listening to podcasts.  (We are expecting the “arctic blast” later this week).  What projects do you do when it is too cold to go outside?

The Work for MORPC

This is the piece I took over to the MORPC today. It is "Feast" and is 22"h x 30" w. Patchwork, machine embroidery, applique, beads and sequins. Much more lush in person, glowing turquoises and oranges. I love koi.

Delivering Art, Or Why I Should Always Have My Camera

No images this time, because, yes, I did not have the camera with me. We were in Columbus today, dropping off art at the Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission for their "Art in the Halls". The Commission is in the middle of the area's Brewery District, full of wonderful renovated old architecture, a miniature Eiffel Tower (I was so busy looking at it that we passed the MORPC without seeing it), and at the end of the street, the most wonderful weathered water tower. It may have been checked, even, it was hard to tell with the snow flying everywhere. Which also made it a really cool picture (I have been channelling grays lately). But, alas, no camera.

If I need to go back next month to pick up art, you can be sure I'll have the camera.

Stuffed is Here!

Carl, plush alligator, patchwork, crochet, machine embroidery. He's about 30" long and is one of the plush featured in the following:




















Stampington & Co's new publication, Stuffed, just hit my mailbox yesterday, so it should be on a newsstand near you soon. I have an article on three of my plush, Carl, Ally and Olivia, they are on pages 76-79. This publication is full of lots of cool plush, well worth finding.

2009, The Year of the Pen

Or pencil, or marker. Some drawing instrument. I used to love to draw, in high school I would stay home to work on drawings, I was constantly drawing something. This continued for a bit after high school as I took the "hiatus" path, taking two years between high school and college (this was in part because my dad's job moved to Mexico and so he started working at universities; imagine, a 9-5 Monday-Friday year round job instead of the continual afternoon shift he worked as a metal pattern maker in the Detroit metro area; it's a miracle we didn't kill each other), and even a little bit here and there since. But overall I have followed other creative paths, knitting, quilting, beading, even the occasional vision collage.

Through all that time I keep saying (usually every fall) "I want to draw". I love the feel of an Ebony pencil as it slides across the paper, filling in the forms I am looking at or the forms in my head. But somehow life gets in the way and the pencil goes back to the drawer, only a little smaller than it was when I took it out.

However, my intuition, my intention, for the year 2009 is to make this the year where I draw again. To that end I found an old journal that I made probably 10-12 years ago, filled with Strathmore 400 paper, I am sure (I had ordered a package wholesale from one of our suppliers and made a bunch of signatures with it). I spent part of New Year's Eve making a new slipcover for it out of some zebra print fabric I'd bought to make plush animals with. And on January 1st, I intend to start to draw. Whatever takes my fancy. As often as possible.

Some good books for inspiration on keeping a visual journal are:
An Illustrated Life
Everyday Matters
The Creative License
all 3 by Danny Gregory, all very good, filled with drawings and observations about daily life. you can read old posts at his blog as well. Fun stuff!

Drawing from Life: The Journal as Art Jennifer New
A Life in Hand Hannah Hinchman
A Trail Through Leaves Hannah Hinchman
The Decorated Page Gwen Diehn
The Decorated Journal Gwen Diehn
Creating Sketchbooks for Embroiderers and Textile Artists Kay Greenlees

The point of this is not necessarily to work out ideas for in the flesh works, but I know that will be part of it. All of the cleaning in the studio and all of the experiences I have had over the past year are begging to be processed into something new. Components are whispering stories to me, and documenting the process via drawing instrument on paper is the best way I know to help bring these stories to the outside world, where they can share their secrets with others.