Tag: Crafts

Knitting

Whatcha Workin’ On?

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IT’S A NEW ONE ON ME

I’ve been playing around with the idea of starting a new Wednesday meme for works in progress, for crafters/artists of all types.  So, this week I did more than just toy with the idea – I did a little research (with emphasis on little) and decided to just jump in and give it a whirl.  I’m calling it Whatcha Workin’ On Wednesday and if you have a work in progress, or, like me, several works in progress, and you’d like to share, jump in and join me! I bet nearly all of us are familiar with the little form thingy, especially if you’ve been sharing all along, just remember to be patient and gentle with me, this is new territory and I’m learning as I go.  Oh, yeah, I love love love comments, but don’t feel like you have to leave one, no matter whst Mr. Linky tells you.  A link, though, a link back to Whatcha Workin’ On would be greatly appreciated.

FYI – I had no idea what a meme was until I googled it and I’m still not completely sure I understand.  Can someone explain in words of one or two syllables?? 😋

One more thing – don’t hesitate to let me know if something is wonky.  Again, I’m new at this and always up for suggestions.

ON THE NEEDLES

Christmas knitting is continuing.  I won’t post anymore about it because it’s a gift, but here’s another of my WIPs.

Socks of Kindness

Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock Yarn

Watercolor

A Pinterest Pattern

 

 If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.  John Quincy Adams

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Knitting

Mixed Media Monday

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MIXED BAG

I’ve been a busy bee this past week.  Besides my usual color/cut/paste fun, I’ve been trying my hand at carving my own stamps after watching a tutorial offered by The Documented Life ladies and enjoying it immensely.  I love trying new stuff.  Here’s a look at my first attempts –

 I’ve been having a blast with some new inks and paints and I’m currently in love with Tim Holtz’s Distress Inks.  These are my newest mixed media adventures:

Stamps, both purchased and handcarved, copic markers, Gelatos, Distress Inks, hand drawn and colored heart and flower cutouts, stencils

Tim Holtz Distress Inks, stamps, Gelato, downloaded image, handcarved stamp, peacock feather ribbon, stencil, random ticket die cut, hand drawn and colored flower

BABY GRAND

The newest pic of the newest grand –

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.  Albert Camus


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Knitting

FO Friday 11/12/14, Cowgirls, Well Hello

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SUP?

Between Revival, Stephen King’s newest, my obsession with finishing Sockhead and more than a little experimentation with some new inks and stains in my art journal, something had to give and this week it was blogging.  Anyone else familiar with the “as soon as I get to the end of this row/this page” syndrome?  I’ve had a raging case of it lately and see no respite from it in the near or distant future.  Oh yeah, and Michael’s 25% off everything (even sale stuff) Veteran’s Day sale ate up quite a few hours also.

OFF THE NEEDLES

Sockhead

Malabrigo Rios

Ravelry Red

This is the second go round for this hat.  The first was way, way too big so I frogged and reknit using size four needles.  It was still a tad big but after a soak, a spin and then a trip through the dryer at the medium setting, the size is perfect.  Two thumbs up!

YEEHAW!

This week’s prompt for The Documented Life art journal project was to incorporate fabric onto the page.  I found an old bandana that I knew was perfect but sort of got stuck as far as overall ideas.  Nothing felt “right”.  I did a bit of brainstorming about what I thought of or felt when I looked at it. The cowgirl motif fell into my head and I swear I actually heard a loud click.  I had the Wild West card in my paper stash, then added vintage cowgirl ephemera I found on the internet.  After I got everything in place on the page, I was reminded of how we used to stick photos around mirrors back in the day.  Actually, I still do this.  Old school all the way, me.  I love how this page turned out –

Week 46

The Documented Life Project

Use fabric on your page.

BAKED

At Mr. Iknead’s request, I baked Hello Dollies today.

Butter, chocolate, coconut, pecans and Eagle Brand – what’s not to like??

 STILL MY BABY

My son and his girls.  An amazing dad who got a surprise promotion today at work. I couldn’t be prouder!

An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while the pessimist sees only the red stoplight… The truly wise person is colorblind.  Albert Schweitzer

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Knitting

WIP Wednesday, Booklove 10/14/14

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ON THE NEEDLES

 My Simplex Shawl continues to grow.  According to the pattern, it’s more than halfway finished.  More about it here.

BOOKLOVE

Where do I start?  I’m rereading Stephen King’s Dark Tower series and am up to Book Three, The Waste Lands.  I read The Wind Through the Keyhole in Florida, a book that technically falls between Books Four and Five, but was released in February, 2012.  This series continues to be my all time favorite.  Crazy love them all.

THE DOCUMENTED LIFE

I got a little behind in my art journal while on vacation and am just finishing up last week’s prompt, which was Polka Dots.  After a couple of false starts, I got into the groove, using a circle stencil to draw flowers, then handcoloring them and cutting them out to layer with stenciled dots, spray ink and, probably some stamps.  I drew and colored these flowers just for fun today.  I don’t have a current plan for these, but I thought they turned out well.

 I love drawing and coloring flowers – they’re probably my favorite, but I’ve been sort of down on myself because I’m not good at faces and because lettering also isn’t something I feel I do well, especially when I compare my stuff to projects others post, but I’m adjusting my attitude starting now.  New mindset:  So what if all I can draw is flowers – I love doing them.  So what if every face I draw is weird and more than a little wonky – I’ll never be commissioned to do a portrait.  So what if my lettering leaves something to be desired – I can practice and get better at it and if that doesn’t pan out, I’ll use my computer.  So what if my journal pages will never be hung in the Museum of Modern Art or the Louvre – they make me happy and creating them feeds my soul, just like they’re supposed to and because of that, I am an artist!

Linking with Tami, Frontier Dreams KCCO and Ginny’s Yarn Along

Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.  T.S. Eliot

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Family · Knitting

FO Friday, I Do, Wise Words

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OFF THE NEEDLES

image

Honey Nectar Cowl

Tosh Chunky in One of a Kind Nectar

This yarn was much prettier after it was knit up.  The colors seemed sort of, I don’t know, blah, I guess.  I’m so glad I stayed with it to the finish.  I love the soft, subtle colors now!

I DO RENEW

Mr. Iknead and I are renewing our marriage vows this evening, with our sweet son in law officiating.  It’s very low key, just family, the kids and their spouses and the grands, in front of the fireplace here at home, with dinner afterward. The past 35(!) years hold so much laughter and love, along with some tears, of course, but the love and laughs far outweigh anything else.  So, yeah, I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.  Pictures to follow.

A WORD TO THE WISE

When your paper carrier leaves your paper right on top of your sprinkler system, do not, I repeat, do not attempt to dry it, the paper, not the carrier, in the microwave; or at least, don’t get distracted and walk away.

I didn’t know paper would ignite at around the 20 second mark.  Yeah, my attention span is about that short.  Burned clean through the first section and about halfway through the second, FYI.

Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.  Henry Ford

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Knitting

WIP Wednesday, Booklove and Paisley

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ON THE NEEDLES

My Cable and Pleat Tunic is once again on the needles, after starting and then frogging three times.  I’m hoping that this attempt is THE one and I’ll finally see real progress.

MORE CRAFTINESS

I decided to I needed some kind of jar or pot to store the assorted brushes, pencils and markers that are accumulating quickly on my craft table.  I love paisley- bet you didn’t know that about me- and decided to experiment with some paisley shapes and a straight sided glass jar.  It’s not finished, I plan to cover the jar completely with paisley and then outline to make them stand out.  Here’s what I have so far-

 

Yeah, I can see that outlining them is going to be a must to delineate the paisley shapes.

BOOKLOVE

I just finished Maeve Binchy’s A Week in Winter yesterday and it was OK.  I enjoyed it, but probably won’t pick it up to read again.  Admittedly, it was a departure for me, I generally go for nonfiction or horror or crime novels.  Still, I liked it enough to finish it.

FIRST TIME

This morning was the first time I’ve been able to enjoy my coffee and newspaper on the patio.  Birdsong and cool breezes, coffee and newspaper=perfect place to spend the morning.  Crazy good.

Linking with Tami, Ginny and Frontier Dreams today.

Who we are never changes.  Who we think we are does.  Mary Almanac

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Knitting

FO Friday 3/28/14 or No K1P1 Rib for a While

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OFF THE NEEDLES

My Seafoam Shrug

in Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Cotton, Arctic Ice

There are no words for how over the moon I am with this shrug!  The fit is perfect, I took my photos after I washed it on my washer’s handwash cycle, then dried it low and slow in my dryer and hung it on a hanger.  I’m wearing this baby until it falls apart, and maybe then some.

I’m linking with Tami and KCCO, go take a look at more masterpieces!

It’s good to be just plain happy; it’s a little better to know that you’re happy; but to understand that you’re happy and to know why and how….and still be happy, be happy in the being and the knowing, well that is beyond happiness, that is bliss.  Henry Miller

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Knitting

Guess What Day It Is!!!!!!!!

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WHAT DAY??

It’s the first day of the new session at the Art Center – now known to my family as “my new second home”.  I can’t wait to see what this new pottery session will bring.  I’ve decided that I’d like to make a couple of big (think holding with both hands) coffee cups, all different, but with matching glazes to tie them together.  Actually, this project is two fold, I want the cups and I need to practice uniformity in certain projects and more than anything, get better at making handles.  For some reason, I’m apparently handle challenged, just can’t seem to “get” them.  They always turn out wonky, won’t stay on, droop, are crooked, are too big or too small.  So, I guess you could say that my goal for this semester is handles.

Cups of My Dreams
Another of my pottery goals is to remember to take pictures of projects, before, during and after, if for no other reason than to be able to identify my pieces when I forget to mark them as mine.  My bee stamp looks to have turned out well.  I’ll give it its first use today; results to follow.
Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit.  We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.  Aristotle
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Knitting

Presto Chango, FO Friday and Divaliciousness

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OFF THE NEEDLES

Here’s Babymama modeling the (reversible) Hilton Field Cowl and doesn’t she wear it well?

and flipped

I think it turned out rather well, it being my first colorwork project.

ON THE NEEDLES

My Le Miz wrap is currently in time out, mostly because of unnoticed dropped stitches, leading to an incorrect number of stitches, which were finally noticed by yours truly when she decided, just for giggles, to do a quick stitch count.   FYI, if you’re going to do a project that incorporates purposely dropped stitches into the pattern, you must be extremely vigilant in counting stitches, since a huge mistake has the ability to look like a perfectly knit pattern row.  Dang.  Life goes on.  Sigh.

THE GRANDS

In the solo spotlight today is Babydiva, who is already talking a blue streak at the tender age of 20 months and definitely knows her own mind, thank you very much.

Workin’ those baby blues!

I’m linking today with Tami’s blog and Frontier Dreams.  Check them out for the best inspiration around.

Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning.  Thomas Edison

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Knitting

Shutdown, Spirals and Festival

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YOU CAN DO THAT?  REALLY?

Mr. Iknead and I woke up this morning still wondering about the predicted government shutdown, even though we pretty much knew from last night that nothing had changed or had been agreed upon.  This hits pretty close to home for us – Mr. Iknead works for the State of Arkansas, which in turn is contracted by the Feds, so we’re sort of up in the air.  I feel very, very fortunate that at this point in our lives we don’t have to worry about our finances and if Mr. Iknead is furloughed for a bit, it’s not a crisis situation.  I know others who are not so fortunate.  Thank you, Mr. Iknead, for the austerity program, even though I gripe about it sometimes.

GONE TO POT

Pottery class is going well.  Teach told me yesterday that I definitely had gotten the hang of using the wheel and with practice, I’ll get better at it.  Still have nothing post worthy, but I’m planning on going in to work on the wheel more this week and hopefully, I have something at least minimally postable.

Here’s the spiral bowl I glazed this weekend with shiny black.  Can you tell that I totally didn’t check the background when I whipped out my phone to take a pic?  This one cracks me up.  It looks like it’s drinking out of the bowl –

LOOKING AHEAD

The first Diamond State Fiber Festival is this weekend.  I’m really looking forward to it and I’ve already got some extra money budgeted for whatever strikes my fancy (up to a point, of course).  Hoping to come home with enough fiber to keep me spinning for a little while, at least.  Violet, yeah, that’s my wheel’s name, is making the trip and hopefully, I’m going to learn a lot in the beginning spinning class I’m taking. I’ll take lots of pictures.

The goal of life is living in agreement with nature.  Zeno

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Knitting

WIP Wednesday 9/25/13 and Happy Birthday

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Happy First Birthday, Sprout!

I’M INTO POTS

Oh my gosh!  What a difference seven days makes!  First pottery throwing class was last week and I admit it – I wasn’t sure that that whole wheel thing was for me.  I did promise myself that I’d give it four weeks and if I still wasn’t feeling it, I’d go back into the morning handbuilding class.  Well, yesterday’s attempt at the wheel was totally different, something clicked inside my head (in a good way) and it was so cool!  The clay stuck to the wheel, just like it was supposed to, centering the pot on the wheel was a million times easier and by the end of class, my hands were beginning to know what to do to cone the clay up and down on their own.  Nothing post-worthy yet, but I may go to the Art Center today to practice more, besides, I have a pot that needs to be glazed and I’m thinking black.

GRINS AND GRANDS

I ran across this photo when I was looking for something else on Flickr.  I don’t know how I missed it because I love it!  My son, Jordan, and his niece, Susannah.  Isn’t it sweet?

ON THE NEEDLES

Les Miserables from Cynthia Parker, Hand Held Knitting in Fayetteville, Arkansas

Using

I’ve also started on some Christmas knitting, which, for obvious reasons, must be kept under wraps until then.

TOPSPIN

My roving FINALLY arrived and this is what it has become –

Mixed undyed black and white roving from Fire and Fluff, this may further morph into socks, but I’ve still not decided for sure.

Linking with Tami Amis and Frontier Dreams.

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.  Mother Teresa

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Knitting

Junior High Rewind

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JITTERS?  AT MY AGE?

The first day of my new pottery class is tomorrow.  My Monday schedule is turning upside down -class starts at 12:30 and runs to 3:30 instead of 9 to 12.  I have to keep reminding myself of the time change. This semester it’s Introduction to Throwing and Independent Study.  I’m very excited but why do I feel like is the first day in junior high? For the last two semesters, my classmates and I have been a group of five, comfortable and acquainted now, asking about kids, colleges and vacations.  We have a history.  Who will I talk to?  Who will I sit with?  Nice to know that some things never change.  I guess.

ON THE NEEDLES

As for the continuing saga of the Blue Day Socks, I’m happy I frogged them and restarted with a different yarn.  It’s going much more smoothly and I’m so much happier with the result.  See?

THE GRANDS

A week from tomorrow, our babiest of grandbabies, the Sprout, will turn one.  She’s number three in the line up and Mr. Iknead and I should probably be getting a handle on this grandparent thing, but you know what?  It never gets old, never gets routine and her firsts are exactly that for us, firsts.  She made her debut in this post.  Time doesn’t fly anymore – it’s jet propelled, rocket boosted and don’t blink, you’ll miss it.  She’s very enthusiastic and I can’t wait to see her with a cake ALL her own!

You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; in just the same way, you learn to love by loving.  Anatole France

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