What In The Heck Have I Been Doing All This Time?!

"Cerebration is the enemy of originality in art."
Martin Ritt

These 3 eagles (can you find all three?)
is what greeted me when I stepped outside this morning

Rather then my Sunday chapter notes for The Artist's Way I thought that I would try to answer my own question: What have I been doing? Where have I been? (The next chapter update for the Artist's Way will return tomorrow.)

There are times when I feel as though I have accomplished nothing. When painful days run together I get so darn frustrated because I just wnat to be painting,drawing, knitting, quilting, - all of the things that bring joy to my life. Thankfully, when I stop for a minute & think about it I realize that I have, in fact, been producing - just not as fast as I generally like to!

Here is a peek at my desk - all of the accouterments of art are there - just waiting for me to sit down and play!

I love fingerless gloves. I wear them all of the time - generally indoors and outdoors in the Winter because my hands get so cold. For Christmas last year I made about a dozen pairs of a simple pattern - and it is one of the few things that I have gifted people with that everyone seemed to enjoy using. That always makes me feel good to get feed back! I found this pattern on Knitty and fell in love with it. It is called "Fetching" and is designed and graciously shared by Cheryl Niamuth from Vancouver, BC - just across the road from me. I love this pattern and my first pair was made from Jo Sharp worsted in 'Lichen' - Oh! Do I love this yarn. I want more and more of it! I just started a pair in Lion Brand WoolEase in 'Lemon Grass'. Thus far I think it will work well. I am on the look-out for a pair of fingerless gloves in a more lacey pattern now.

This is the pair of socks I am working on using Conjoined Creations Flat Feet yarn with their 'Ladder Socks' pattern. The pre knitted pieces are really wonderful to work with. Much tidier than working with skeins of yarn. I like the pattern - just a bit of added texture than the sock pattern I usually use. I am hooked on the pre knitted pieces too. KnitPicks has aome preknitted sock blanks and a started set of dyes that is on my list of must purchase items. I am waiting for another thing from them to get something else back into stock and then I can give dyeing my own blanks a try!

Next up is one of the several silk pen rolls I have been making. This one is for a wonderful lady who sold me a pen that I had been lusting for at a more than very fair price. It is a Pelikan M400 honey tortoise & it has become my most favorite pen. It's nice to lust for a pen and then, when you actually get it, it performs as well as you hoped it would. Oh so beautiful & Oh so smooth. I cannot believe that I have found a pen that eclipses the love I have for my Bexley. I wanted to make this for her as a heartfelt thank you for selling me the pen at such a low price. I will be shipping it off to it's new Austrailian home on Wednesday.

The inside of the roll is Dupioni silk and the outside is from vintage kimono silks from AH!Kimono.

One Completed & One Just Beginning

Flat Feet yarn being unknit to knit. Really a tidy way to knit the fine yarn needed for socks!

Socks. One pair finished & another just begun. The ones on the bottom of the page were began this summer using Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn. Noro yarns in general, and Kureyon in particular, are generally my favorite yarns to work with. I suppose my favorite Noro Yarn is Silk Garden - and Noro has just introduced a sock yarn version - which I am hoping to get this week. I was not, I have to admot, overely fond of knitting socks with Kuryeon. While the thick and thin looks marvelous in sweaters and bags I am not that thrilled with it in socks. I had heard that the texture imporves with washing and this is true. It did "bloom" well in it's first wash. The socks look nice & are nice and warm despite their relative thinness. There are othertyarns that I think are more pleasant to knit socks with though. I think that the Silk Garden will be lovely - despite the inherent quality of thick and thin that it also has. It's softer because of the silk in the yarn and I think it will handle better. I am glad that I made these socks - and may try another ball of Kuryeon in another color way sometime...just not right away!

I try to make myself finish one pair of socks before I begin another - so once the Kuryeon's were finished I was able to try the new Flat Feet yarn from Conjoined Creations. The sock yarn is preknit on a knitting machine, dyed in the flat and then you knit off the flat to make the socks Of course it is curly as you "unknit" it in order to knit it again, but I can't say that it seems to be any problem. It's a lot tidier than knitting from a ball of yyarn and it seems to flatten just fine as you knit it up. No different really than any other yarn in that respect. Flat Feet is available from many retailers - and, hopefully, your own local yarn shop. Knit Picks offers a fabulous plain version of this flat sock yarn - you can dye your own with one of their cool kits. That will definately be my next purchase - or maybe I will ask Santa to get me the blank and the dye for Christmas .. yeah! That's a good though! Anyway, my feet are warm & I enjoy both knitting and wearing socks that a bit differnt than the everyday.

A Flat Feet yarn piece in the process of being knitted. Great color combinations!

My socks made from Noro Kuryeon sock yarn. Pretty and warm!

Flat Feet Yarn Is In

My flat feet sock yarn from Conjoined Creations came in yesterday! It is flat knit as you see it here and , as you knit your socks , the yarn unravels. Any kinking comes out in the first wash. It may be a gimmick - but it seems like a fun, good idea. Personally, what I would like to see is the company selling white, ready for dyeing, blanks. Maybe I should ask them ! Then I could really have some fun socks ! We'll see how this knits off. I love the idea though that's for sure. They have some great bright red orange that may be my next pair !

On The Needles Now

I once swore that I would never make a sweater. I am generally warm enough without them - and most of them make me look like something that Omar The Tentmaker would be proud of! Of course, never say never. I am working on one now! As I have mentioned before, I am a Noro yarn addict - I use it so much - for so many things! The pattern I am working on is from Knitter's Magazine from the Fall 2004 issue. The sweater is called "Random Acts of Color". I would NEVER have thought twice about the pattern from looking at it in the magazine had I not seen it done by fabulous knitter Carol Harrington. I instantly knew that, in fact, there was a sweater in my future. Carol teaches this sweater in a class at Anacrosstitch in Anacortes, Washington called 'Scarf Sweater' & she has some wonderful twists to the magazine pattern. I like Carol's rendition better. The class is over four weekends - 2 hours at a time on a Saturday. That's a lot of money and travel time for me - so I thought I would try the pattern from the magazine on my own to see if I could do it myself. Thus far - I can! It's difficult to find this particular issue of the magazine which is out-of-print and very seldom available - so I was thrilled to be able to find one. It's actually a VERY simple pattern. Simple strips knit like small scarves (hence the name Scarf Sweater) are actually rather boring & simple knitting . Carol's three needle bind off method to connect the strips makes the pattern so much more interesting than the instructions from the magazine. Of course, I think anything made with Noro is a winner - and for this sweater I am using my favorite Noro yarn - Silk Garden. I think it's going to be a real treasured sweater !

The other Noro project that I have on needles is a pair of Noro socks - one sock is done ! I have found that I really like Skacel 12 inch Addi Turbo needles for making socks. It took me a bit of time to get used to the bent tip on them - but I think that the shorter length makes for faster, easier knitting. Another great new find for me! I have been thinking that the next pair I make will be done on size 0 needles though - these are being worked on size 1's. The socks feel better on than I had thought they would as the yarn feels rather stiff and waxy in the hand. I have also been reading on Ravelry that the yarn sofens with washing - which gives me hope of a drawer full of Noro socks ! I would love it if the came out with a sock yarn made from Silk Garden ! Okay - I am off to do some honest-to-gosh SEWING now - on a quilt for our Aunt !

Just In Case You Think I have Been Idle

Sometimes it may appear that I have not been stitching at all. I have, in fact, been sidetracked recently by the wonders of my new camera & by the likes of those fabulous little Dorset Buttons. My camera & I have bonded & I am trying to come up with an appropriate name for it. Suggestions? I now find myself stopping the car more frequently to take a photo or two along the way. Despite that I have, in fact, been stitching quite a bit both with thread as well as with wool.

I finished my new scarf made from Berocco Soft Twist. It's wonderful.There is just the right amount of viscose in the yarn so that I am able to wear it next to my skin despite the wool. It's a great yarn!

Here is the new Noro sock yarn. Almost done with sock number one - using Cat Bordhi's pattern from "Socks That Soar" - my favorite book on socks because it taught a new knitter like me to knit socks ! I am still not sure what I think of the yarn. I am a die-hard fan of Noro yarns - and use them more than any other yarn. I guess I will have a better idea of what I think after I wear them a bit. It's somewhat coarse - I know -duh! that's what Kureyon yarn is like! It has some slubs - also like standard Kuryeon - that can make the stitches look more uneven than I like in a sock.I think I might like a smoother yarn. Maybe I just wish they had made the yarn from Silk Garden instead. Like all Noro yarns however, the colors are simply the best!

Also recently finished are my "Pop Up Paws". I love this convertible mitten pattern. I have never made a glove before - so there are some obvious defects in my first attempt. This is such a great pattern though - it keeps your hands so nice and warm - and flipping the 'Pop Up' is easy up & down. The directions are very detailed which is nice for a beginner like me. Next pair, I will make the ribbing & cuff longer and the Pop Up longer as well. Still not sure if I would make a closed thumb on the next pair. Might depend on how cold the winter is! I like it open for this year anyway. Makes stopping along the road and snapping a photo or two so much more easy & comfortable!

Projects: One done; One Almost Done

I was looking for a no brainer quick to make project last week while I was in class and decided that I would make a simple scarf. Problem is that I can't wear wool around my neck ! This "Softwist" by Berroco will work I think. It's 41 percent fine wool and 59 percent viscose. It feels so soft and silky - and knits up really easily too.

While we were away I also managed to finish a pair of socks I had been working on. These were done with SoxxAppeal. The color is 9580 and is called 'Jungle'. It's a very cushy, springy, soft yarn. I really liked working with it. After these were done, I started a pair of socks using the new Noro Kuryeon sock yarn. Noro yarns are my favorites. I like using them in almost everything - so I was happy to get a chance to pick up some this newest of their products. The feel of the sock yarn is , well, different. Thus far they are looking nice - though using a size 1 needle however may mean that they will take me a long time to finish ! I'll post something when I get a bit further along with at least one of the socks !

For any of these yarns - if you are local to Anacortes Washington go to Anacrosstitch. It's a bright, friendly, fiber full place that new owner Kristi has stocked with all of the latest and greatest yarns & fibers. Previous wonderful owner, Lois, is still involved as well and teaches classes at the store. The selection is amazing! I often wander the store aimlessly - just touching all of the fibers she has to offer. Hanging out at their table is a great learning experience!

Okay - back to my fabric projects and my needles. Have a great day y'all!