Penguins and socks

Here is the 'quilt show' sock yarn and it's first finished sock of the 'mens pair' that I have been working on this week. Casting on wednesday and then done on saturday is pretty good timewise for a sock now. I loved this opal yarn. The color is nice, subtle and looks great and it's going to be nice and warm since it's a little thicker than most yarns I've been knitting with. Now to cast on for the second one.

In my quest to send out christmas cards I've added another in my extremely limited series. I like these singing penquins. What is it about penquins that make you laugh. They do need a good wash and press before they're mounted and ready for mailing. I'm enjoying the break from knitting. So many projects calling my hands to work on them.

Holiday for crafting

A holiday designated for crafting would be a wonderful invention. I know there is a month dedicated to sewing but just a day for everyone to craft would be nice. Since it was veterans day and I'm a veteran I decided to make it a nice day dedicated to doing what I like to do. That is crafting, watching movies and relaxing. I did a lot of that and even baked a batch of yummy bread to munch on.

The first project was the Marilyn Monroe cross stitch that I had stitched a month or two back. I had got the frame but had put it aside to do other stuff. She came out really nice and I love the super special frame that I got for her (on sale of course). She's going into work tomorrow and I'm thinking of giving her away in a raffle. I know she'll go to a good home.

Next up was the third member of the 'dino gang'. It's a yellow brontosaurus that I finished last nite. I had help getting his legs knitted and assembled by my black cat 'magpie'. She lay in my lap keeping me warm and toasty and encouraging me to just keep on crafting and not move my lap at all. I love when she lays in my lap because she gets really relaxed and stretches out and looks very angelic for a black cat. She is a craft enabler.

Here is the finished stocking of the redwork snowman. This worked up quickly even with the iffy finishing instructions. I omitted the thin batting for the stocking as it would have made it a little too bulky in my opinion. It's fully lined in matching cream and has a red back. You don't even have to put anything in it and it looks good. Quite large it could hold something special.

At the end of the day when my bread was rising I got out my snow cats and did some more embroidery. Here is snow cat 2.

And here is snow cat 3. Only three more cats to stitch up. Tomorrow it's back to the workaday world but there is a meeting so I'll bring my sock kit and cast on for another pair of men's. So at the end of veterans/craft holiday I think I accomplished my mission. Good crafting karma, yummy smells throughout the house from the bread, the yard almost totally cleared of leaves and some more projects moved to the 'it's done' pile. Happy crafting

Dino and friends

This snow guy is another piece of redwork that I finished over the weekend. He's going to be transformed after a lot of assembly into a folk style christmas stocking. I realize that I don't need a christmas stocking but I think he'll look great hanging from a mantle somewhere. I like his bird theme. He's quite large and will look impressive.

Now for my favorite new additions to the knitting family of toys in our house. Here are the t-rex and teradactyl, posing in the back yard for their glamour shot. They are reenacting a fight scene from one of the many godzilla flicks we like to watch. They are so cute and are soon to be joined by a new friend, a yellow brontosaurus. His body is done but only has two of four legs knitted. These are quite the adorable knitted treasures all from the 'jean greenhowe' collection.

Quilt show and cats

Yesterday my sister and I went to 'a quilters gathering' and had a great time. You do the quilts first, admiring all the work that went into each, the colors, composition, quilting and just that it's done. Not all were great but some were spectacular. I love fabric and crafting and admire all those who can do great quilting. Then it was on to the 'gift shop' or all of the venders areas. We decided to do a circuit and then go back and decide what to get. It was crowded but every one was in good spirits, included the bus loads of quilting ladies from all over. A wonder lunch break off site got us fueled up for more and it was back to the venders to make our purchases. We even discovered one room we had missed. Another walk around the show and we called it a day. Whew.

The 'snow cat' is from a pattern I got in that almost missed room. I do love redwork or in this case 'bluework'. It's easy and fun but comes out so nice. You need to trace the pattern on to your fabric in order to embroider it. I didn't have a big light box so I improvised. I sometimes use a storm window over two chairs with a light on the floor under neath. Last nite though, all the storms were in place and it was cold so I looked around for another substitute. I found it in the shape of a semi-clear plastic drawer. The side was large than the paper, smooth and perfect for putting on my ironing board with the light inside. My black cat Magpie wanted to sit inside the box while I worked but the light got in her way. She had to settle for the entire box on the floor once I traced my patterns. Finding a hoop and my scissors and I was off on a new project. I really have to stop starting new ones and finish all of the others.

My little dinosaur got sewn together last nite too but he's waiting for a trip to the backyard once it dries out so he can look fierce in the grass. Happy crafting to all.

Prayer Shawl

Three days go by and I finished knitting a small triangular prayer shawl. I used a lacy border but the thin yarn was a little problematic. I blocked it today and it's drying now, getting ready to go out to be given away on friday after a blessing.

Since the prayer shawl was finished I cast on and started knitting a green t-rex. A Jean Greenhowe pattern. (www.jeangreenhowe.com) is a first for me. It's coming out great and watching the Lucy Neatby dvd helped in making my 'mattress stitch' look almost invisible. Pictures to follow at a later date.

What is art?

I read this article about an art installation in a modern art museum this weekend and it got me thinking about art and what qualifies as 'art'. For this artist (and others I have read about)he sends out instructions, a diagram of what the art should be. Then others recreate the art from the instructions. The museum pays for these directions and has to hire people, not the artist, get supplies and make the art. It's like paint or sculpt by the numbers. Lots of museums could buy the same instructions and each have a 'kit' made piece of art to display.

As I'm knitting along on my sock quest it makes me wonder about all of the people who have designed patterns for knitting and all the other crafts I love. They send me a design I've paid for, I then get the supplies and recreate the design in yarn, fabric or stitching. Some I display just like art, on my mantle or wall. Others I give away for the recipient to enjoy. In the case of my multitude of socks when do they become 'art'. I've followed the same pattern, done it in many different fibers and colors, put them all in their jars to look like something they are not (decorative but functional) and lined them all up on the shelf to admire until the holidays when they will be given away. When I look at them all jarred up they look like a piece of art. If I put them on multi-tiered shelves they'd look even better. Unless you opened them up you wouldn't know what was in them, or what was their function. They just look good and interesting. Is it art, folk-art, handicrafts or just knitting?

I'm not sure. I love to go the art museums and admire the painting and sculpture knowing that I haven't the talent to produce a great painting or sculpture in oil or marble. But the modern art, or sculpture by number, I know I could do. It would be like building a model airplane or knitting a sweater. But the question remains is what I do art. When do the crafts and skills of my hands become 'art', art that is valued by others? I don't think any of us 'regular' crafters will know. Perhaps it is the taking of risks or just the designing from within, creating from scratch.

In the end it's just good to think about why we value some art more than others.

So read the article and think about your last visit to a museum, look around your house at your own art, and look at the things you make and create. I'm really sure the 'paint by number' kind of art, recreated by others is good but keep in mind it's a copy, not by the original artist just like my multitude of socks, made by me from a pattern designed by another. Makes you think.

Mass MoCA fills a 3-story building with a tribute to Sol LeWitt - The Boston Globe

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Another month, another pair

It's November and I finished another pair of socks last nite. These are for a man and might be a little wild in color but they feel really soft and will fit well. I'll ask my son to to a quick test fit just to be sure. Not one to rest on my laurels or even rest I went to the attic and looked at my yarn stash with a man in mind. I came up with another multicolored blend and a green/blue mix. My son thought they could both work as guy yarn but wanted to see a little bit knit before he would commit totally. I agreed, put it down (step away from the yarn) and decided to give myself a project break from the sock extravaganza which my knitting has become. My daughter had given me some yarn from her stash on the last visit so I pulled out a cone (loads of yardage) of thin, natural wool and cast on for a triangle shawl that will go to the prayer shawl ministry.