30 Days 30 Lines-Day 2

OK, some of these I've done on the same day but I'm not sure that I will get to it every day but I figured if I can do 30 pages, I will have done well.

I was concerned that looking at Melanie's drawings & other people's drawings that I might be too influenced by them to be able to come up with something original. I figured that was OK because sometimes the best way to learn something new, to feel comfortable in what you are doing & to find your own voice is to copy what others have done before you until you feel comfortable. I needn't have worried as I'm starting to feel that I am finding my own.

I actually love this piece. It just came to me & it is all the same type of line - just different lengths and directions.

Excuse the fingers but the book wouldn't lay straight!

Draw a line-1

I loved Melanie's class so much that when she gave a challenge on her blog to draw 30 lines for 30 days I thought why not. She is doing hers on fabric but as I will be traveling soon, I decided to do mine in a small moleskin journal (you can't beat a moleskin).

Now, I am not a drawer although Melanie keeps insisting that anyone can do it. I'm starting to believe her. Her line drawings are turning into works of art. I'm still sticking with one type of line per drawing but it is coming together very nicely for me. I will come up with an idea and I just have to draw it. I am challenging myself, trying something new. I've always wanted to draw & be better at it. I know it is practice. I've been lazy.

But my Dad was a great artist. Why can't some of those genes have come through to me?

So, here is my first page. I'm using Pitt pens at the moment and oh, they write so beautifully!

Been awhile

OK, yes, it has been awhile. So much has happened over the last few months & most of the time I just wanted to crawl into myself. But I've started trying to work more & it is helping. There is light on the other side.

At the end of August I took a workshop at Create It! with Melanie Testa. She is a fantastic teacher & every time I think of journaling, things she said in class come to mind. I'm finally getting there. It is all about layers but learning out to put those layers together in a way that works - I'm working on it. I'm also realizing that I need to find my voice. Not other people's voices. What works for others does not necessarily work for me but if I keep trying, I will find it.

I finally finished my journal page I did in her class. Took a bit & I couldn't quite figure out how to get it to come together but I finally got there. That is not to say that I won't make additions but for my first piece, I think it is not bad.

"Outback Wanderings"

I was inspired by the quilts of Ann Brauer. She uses a quilt as you go method with all different types of fabric to create beautiful landscape style pictures. Something about the lines & the colours just spoke to me. I had to give it a try myself.

But I did have to be different! I do need to make it my own.

I love the colours of the Australian outback so I decided to start there. I sewed strips of fabric to a paper square. Why, I'm not sure. I like the stability that the paper gives but it is a pain to remove. I may have to figure out another method that works for me.

I haven't decided how I'm going to quilt this yet. I may just quilt in the ditch or I may actually embellish it with thread & beads, etc. I also had to work with the colours I have on hand. I obviously could do with more fabric! Oh dear!

But I loved the process & I LOVE the look! I'm going to have to work further in this style.

Third pair completed!

I finished my third pair of socks while here in Hong Kong. Have started a new pair now & hopefully it won't be another year before the pair is finished. This pair of socks is a very good example of why you should finish the pair you are working on before moving onto another one. The yarn I was using for this pair of socks I purchased at Hobby Lobby. It has aloe in it. It was very nice to knit with & the skein was a little larger than normal sock yarn. So on the first sock I had knitted an extra 10 rows in the leg. Well, with it being nearly a year until I started the second sock, I had forgotten that! So one sock is slightly longer than the other. When I'm wearing them, only I will know & I always wear them under pants but they will be a reminder to always make sure I double check & measure the first sock & not just assume that I have not made changes to my pattern!

2 Down 1 to go

I have finished my second pair of socks within a week. Mind you, I only had half of the second sock to complete on both. I still have one more pair to finish but it will take me a little longer as I have only just started the second sock.

These socks are made with bamboo yarn purchased from The Yarn Workshop that I dyed quite some time ago. You can see more about that here. This yarn has been a dream to work with. It feels nice on the foot so I'm looking forward to wearing them and seeing how they hold up to my huge feet!

I have found that I always seem to go through the bottom of the heel on my socks & through the toes before they wear out anywhere else. With that in mind, I have started adding strength to these areas but knitting just across the bottom of the heel part with a second strand of yarn. When I'm done with the heel part, I cut the thread to continue knitting in the round, I then start a new thread when I come to the heel section again. The picture below shows these cut threads, before I have trimmed them. I don't trim them right the way down but do trim to about 1/2 to 3/4". So far I have found that this helps the socks hold up better and those extra little bits of thread seem to get worn into the inside of the sock. For the toe area, I use two strands of yarn on the complete round of knitting, starting with where the decreases for the toe start.

One down 2 to go

I love working on socks because with traveling, they are small & compact and easy shove into my bag. Generally I don't have to think about them but the heel part is always a little tricky, especially as I do something different to what is written in the books. I use double the yarn when knitting the heel across the bottom part. It requires constant cutting of the thread so that the double thread is only on the heel part. It is more of a hassle but worth it because it makes the bottom stronger. I do the same thing for the toe.

Because of the fiddle factor, I like to work on the heels when I'm sitting at home. The problem is that I usually have tons of other things to do at home so I rarely sit & knit. So, I have brought to Hong Kong with me 3 half finished pairs of socks. I finally finished the first pair. Yeah!!!!

BJP 2010 January

I have now almost finalized my January 2010 Bead Journal Project piece. I was in Australia for January where it was summer while being winter back in my home in Chicago. I wanted to show that here between the sun & the snow.

I have a question. The journal has a rough edge to it with almost a plastic feel although it is paper. The bead work has been mounted on an interfacing which is about 1/8" think. I decided to frame the work by putting a piece of ultra suede behind it. I really like the way it looks. At the moment these are just sitting on top of one another. Obviously I have to attach it somehow. I was thinking of using E6000 glue. Can anyone see why that would not work? I would use the glue to attach the stiff interfacing to the ultra suede. Once that is try use the same glue to attach it to the journal.

Suggestions? Any other options? I had thought about sewing the beadwork to an ultrasude band that I then slip over the cover but I do like the look of the framing.

All suggestions or comments appreciated. Thanks

Green Craft

A few months ago I sent in a garment made out of dryer sheets to be considered for the magazine Green Craft. Today I found out that I have a 2 page spread in the magazine! I can't wait to see a copy. If you are in the States, check it out.

A Year A Day

I may not be real good about getting a blog post every day but I have been good about posting to my flickr account a photo a day for 2010.

Check out my pictures here.

I will try to start posting them here as well. Here is the latest picture that I had posted.I'm at Port Macquarie NSW at the moment and the pelicans are here! I love them! This is just one of the many photos that I took.

January BJP

This is the beginning of my BJP for 2010. It will be placed on the front of a small journal for me to write thoughts & happenings for the month. As I am in Australia this January instead of cold Chicago, I decided to try to blend these two differences together by starting with the yellow of the sun above and blending into the snow at the bottom.