Art week 6

Today we tried applying last week's colour theory to a still life in water colour. I did not do very well! I found it very difficult today... I could have spent all morning on the sketch, let alone try and deal with the colour.

Anyway the good points are, I like some of the texture I achieved on the taller jar, and the reflected colour from the apple. Overall, though, I was disappointed.

On a more exciting note, today is the closing date for applications to SP10, and so in the next 2 weeks I should find out who I am going to be secret pal to (i.e. the person I will be sending stuff to) and I will also be allocated to someone who will then send stuff to me (i.e. they will be the secret pal to me). It's exciting. I have been on the lookout for nice things to send to my pal, and am looking forward to finding out what she likes and what she does.

Sap rising

In a previous post, I mentioned the sari silk bag that had gone horribly wrong.


Well, I have now finished recycling it into something else: an embellished, knitted, abstract picture. I have called it Sap rising as it was inspired by a picture of tree bark posted on In the Pink, and the glass beads remind me of the way sap oozes and crystallises from a branch when it is cut.





The only problem now is, as with all abstract pictures, which way round does it go?

Now that's what I mean

In my SP10 questionnaire I mentioned mixing bold colours in bold ways. Good kharma bunny put me on to this site http://www.knotjustknitting.com/ ... then go to the "what is freeform" page...

Amazing!

Chunky collar

I recently bought the book "One skein wonders" edited by Judith Durant. It's a great book - full of small (one skein!) projects of varying complexity and using a wide range of yarns.

I decided to try out one of the projects using some hand spun, hand dyed wool that was given to me by a friend for my birthday. The wool is dyed using things found in her garden, and the two pieces I used were alum & onion skin, and elderberry.

The project I chose was the "chunky collar" which is a neat alternative to a scarf, and is knitted in "broken rib" pattern.

Well, it takes about 3 hours to complete... and I am wearing it already as it is so comfortable, warm and not at all bulky. We live in an old house, and our boiler is on the blink as well, so it can be a bit chilly at times... but no longer thanks to this fun little project!!

By the way, that is NOT my wrinkly neck showing from underneath the collar, but a handily sized plant pot!

There is no art to report today, as we did colour theory, and I doubt that my various blobs of green and orange hues (guaranteed to aid aerial perspective in my next painting) will be of much interest here.

Stitched and dissolved silk

I have had a skein of recycled sari silk yarn in blues and greens in my stash for some months. I recently knitted it up and attached some handles, with the intention of making a craft bag for my Mum. The finished item, however just did not work. The handles were curved, and the weight of the sari silk meant it all bunched up and hung in an ugly mass from the centre of the handles. Now, the problem with sari silk, is when you have stitched it up, the stitches just disappear into the yarn, so it is not possible to unpick it. What to do to salvage the beautiful colours and textures in the knitted piece? Well, the answer lay in the dissolvable fabric I bought at the show in Harrogate last year...



I chopped the knitted piece away from the handles, and stuck it to a piece of backing felt, then I put over the dissolvable fabric and stitched through it to secure the fibres. Then quick rinse in warm water got rid of the top layer, and after drying above the Aga overnight, I have been left with this...







The colours glow more than this picture shows, but once again the stitching has disappeared into the fibres of the sari silk. The slight ribbing from the way it was knitted, and the mix of colours remind me of a picture of tree bark posted on "In The Pink" (see post 07/02/07). The next step will be to embellish with some beads and maybe some angelina fibres. I think I shall also try to pleat it a bit to give it some more 3D shaping. I'm excited by this... I think it has good potential.

Half term mayhem

This week has been half term... and it has been mad! Little chap started his week off from school with 2 1/2 days soaring temperature and non-descript virus type symptoms. We spent time doing art and craft projects, including some plaster of paris moulds of "monster trucks" which he painted, and attached to friction drive wheel bases.... lots of fun.

When he felt a bit better we went to a local theme park for the under 12s. It's a great place, not least because there are plenty of opportunities for parents to be big kids too. Our favourite ride is the bumper boats. These are like huge tractor tyres with an out-board motor that you ride on a boating lake. The aim of the game is to bump each other, and if you get the bow wave just right, give each other a good splash! The best thing is that for the 10 minutes that you are out on the lake, everyone becomes playground pals, and there is fun, laughter and banter freely flowing between dads, mums, sons, daughters and across all different ages. It is completely rejuvenating.

We also went to a local museum, where there was a temporary exhibition on the holocaust, persecution and genocide. I know it doesn't sound like a place to take a 5 year old, but there were beautiful, if haunting, pictures of people of all races, creeds and social situation, along with slogans promoting understanding and condemning prejudice. So my little chap and I sat on the bench and talked about not being fearful of people who seem different, but taking the opportunity to get to know them and understand the things that are different between their lives and ours. So it turned into a lovely positive moment, aided by a beautiful picture of an African boy of 4 or 5 years in age pulling a toy string on a car ... something boys across the world love to do.

I have not done much in the way of art or craft this week. Despite having a mega Amazon session and buying "one skein wonders", "Yeah, I made it myself" AND "alternacrafts"... so inspiration abounds, and I am looking forward to some "caged minutes" next week. This will, however, have to do battle with the need to finish some painting (of the redecorating kind) in the hallway, this quarter's VAT return, and another practice run at book keeping with the ultimate aim of producing a perfectly formed Trial Balance!!!! Oh! And Spring is coming, so the garden beckons with increasing urgency!

Secret Pal 10 Questionnaire

Having seen the fun others have had with Secret Pal, I decided I would sign up for the latest round. What a great idea to send and receive to/from other crafters around the world. It is very exciting... The first step, of course, is to complete the questionnaire... so here goes...

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

I like both fine and chunky yarns, and these can be natural or synthetic... but what I like best are yarns with different colours in them, as I love seeing the way the colours mix and build up when the yarn is worked.


2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

I keep my needles in two earthenware jugs, one that I brought back from Portugal in 1986, and one that I received from and Irish relative as a wedding gift in 2000. I also use earthenware jugs to keep my paintbrushes in and also my button collection.


3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I have been knitting since 1979 when our school got everyone to knit squares to sew into blankets and send to Africa as part of Action Aid. I am probably still classed as a beginner... I do small, simple or quick projects, and don't do many fancy stitches.


4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

No.


5. What's your favorite scent?

Lavendar, lemon and nutmeg.


6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

I don't have a very sweet tooth, although I like milk chocolate but don't tend to eat much of it.


7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I sew, draw and paint (watercolours). I like trying new things, and am a dabbler. I have recently bought some disolvable fabric and am enjoying playing around with it. I don't spin.


8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I like jazz and blues and folk. Also David Bowie, Simply Red, The Scissor Sisters, Chrissie Hynde, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.
I like South American music.
I love the sound of the clarinet and trumpet.
In terms of the technology, I'm just getting to grips with MP3s.


9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

I like purple, orange, green and gold. I like strong colours mixed in unusual ways.


10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I am married with a 5 year old son and a 16 year old step son. We have no pets.


11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

Yes! Especially hats and scarves. I have a woolen cape, but have never had a poncho.


12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

I like to knit small pieces that I then sew, embellish, cut up or otherwise work into other objects. Last year I knitted 17 hats as gifts for various people! In the last year I have also knitted bags, purses and journal covers.


13. What are you knitting right now?

A hat made from recycled sari silk, I am also using some fibres spun by a friend of mine to make lampshade.


14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

I love to give and receive handmade gifts. The love and care that they embody makes them all the more special.


15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I tend to use aluminium needs, but only because that is what I have. I have never used circular needles, although I once knitted a pair of socks on four double ended needles.


16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

No.


17. How old is your oldest UFO?

I am ashamed to say it is 21 years old - it is a half made cross stitched tea cosy in the shape of a cottage. I don't think it is ever going to be finished. Apart from that I tend to finish items within a couple of weeks of starting them.


18. What is your favorite holiday?

May bank holiday - the weather is nice, and it is the start of the season of garden fetes and country fairs which I really enjoy visiting.


19. Is there anything that you collect?

Soda syphons, wooden fruit and ceramics decorated with fish motifs.


20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I'm working my way through my mother's old set of "Golden Hands" - a craft series from the 70s, so I have not been looking at books and subscriptions recently.


21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

Felting, shibori stitching, machine embroidery.


22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

I have only once knitted a pair of socks - I was 14 years old at the time and the socks were fluorescent green! I take a UK size 5 shoe.


23. When is your birthday?

11th January.

Art class week 4

We were back to still life today (as opposed to drawing from a picture)... and it was boots! This is quite funny, as I have long wanted to draw boots. When I was at school everyone who did art drew their Doc Martins. I, however, was studying science. Then there was a fabulous and huge picture of DMs in one of the first "locals" that my husband and I drank in. I drank 'directors' and he drank Guinness. It was a funny old pub, full of the local winos, but a great plus for it was the real ale and the fact that there was no juke box. Last year, after a discussion about whether a 'technical' approach to art was required, we set ourselves a challenge to do a picture of boots in our own styles and look at the results side by side (this challenge as yet is unstarted).



So this is a trial run for my side of the challenge. I have learned a lot from drawing these boots... firstly matt, old, worn in boots do not pick up many reflections! Secondly, the temptation to reproduce all the lines of stitching is very hard to resist. Thirdly, boots are a weird and very awkward shape!







And what did I learn of the people today? Well, I learned that my art teacher is 65, that he did not go to art college until he was 50, that he had a riding accident a few years ago, and that one of his main income streams is painting other people's horses. He also told me he thought I should be very pleased with my picture of a castle on a hill (and I am), and he suggested some ways to work it up a bit more to improve the overall effect. I shall give it a go and post the results.