but ofcourse I need to make one all on my own..but this one works as a nice place holder until I return from the library.
I better git...now!
Seal can be generated at says-it.com
edit: hmm...it hurts my eyes now...might need toned down. I'm a bit color starved atm, and can tend to over do.
I always wondered about this thing...what are the words?
Oh hey...guess what. I have a head that is larger than what is considered average for a man.
Oddly..I always thought I had a small head.
I have a bigger head than Bill....at least in circumference...his is 19 and a half..mr skinny head.
But loooooong. :)
Perhaps I shall study phrenology one day.
And look..I am.
This is a painting that I finally finished today...the recipient..if she sees this ever, will know how over due it is. I am sorry.
It's a Sphinx kitty. Acrylic on clipboard. ( yup..it's useful too!)
I am thinking to post about 3 paintings a week..both old and new. A gradual migration of the old art blog. A mix of painting and knitting..and other stuff..I NEED to do the "other"
It's killing me not to.
See..I also can embroider pretty well,applique, and also paint fabric.
to this blog, that is.
First...I maintain the position that knitting and other textile and needle ...crafts are simply art in a different form.
They are as valid to me as painting.
So...
All the art is going to live together.
I want this to be a compilation of all my thoughts, writing, and whatever else I spit at you.
I have seperated myself from myself for too long.
Maybe I thought that if I put each part in a box, it would get easier to figure out...but it isn't.
I do know one thing..I have let others influence my art too strongly. I have let others tell me what is or isn't art.
I may argue, but I complied in the end.
It's funny. I was praised for color usage. Then I was told that I should be insulted by that.
I was praised for imagination...but when I did realism people seemed skeptical.
So I went on to try and prove my abilities there.
When noone responded, I just didnt know what to do.
I listened to my Mom when she more or less told me I wasn't all that good.
I got upset that I paint in the style that this person or that person paints.
I let other's tastes, skill, and opinions dictate how and what I paint....and knit....and every other creative pursuit.
I have to stop.
No one is going to tell me what, how where, or why anymore.
I dont care if DiVinci himself comes to haunt me and tell me it's wrong.
In fact...the more I think about it..I dont need a new face..
I need MY face.
Anyone that doesn't like it can look elsewhere.
Hmmm..I had a new name for this blog figured out...then I forgot it.
Sigh..I hope it comes back to me because it was really good.
OK...the girls want to go out...I would rather cut my tongue out than go out right now ( or any other time generally speaking).
But you do things for your kids that you dont want to.
You just do.
I dont know what was so hard about a simple heart...even without a chart...why did I have so many problems!?
Well...true...the first time issues weren't about the heart at all..more about my inability to count.
By the way...this is a cardigan for my youngest. Ms Tiny Butt Donna Rae Lopez.
Nah..I dont worry that you'll look her up now that you have her full name. Not unless you want shot.
Bill was trying to rip the sweater from my hands as I began to rip again the back of this freaking sweater that should have taken about two days!
I am knitting in a large heart...and ...
God it's embaressing..
lets just say, I didnt measure or chart one damn thing..
heart was too low on the body.
As for Bil..he has never seen intarsia being done before..he saw all the tangled yarn...yeah....fuck bobbins I say!...
anyways...
he says "Honey...can I do something..you need me to hold something?!"
Poor man was truely alarmed...
I ofcourse have this "what the hell is your issue" look when I am doing something wrong and get called out on it...
A look that says "YOU have the problems buddy...not me!"
I have no idea why I'm not divorced yet.
I cant figure out how Bill has not seen me for the sub quality human that I am.
Oh well..some other time I guess.
I love the idea of this book..who wouldn't?
Knit what you want..at the guage and size you want..choosing the yarn yourself.
But errors in math and poor judgement have turned me off of this book very much.
An example. My daughter is 5 years old. She wears a size 7 and has a 231/2 inch chest.
They have a size two childrens sweater measuring in at 26 inches!
And as I said there were simple math errors...the number cast on in the same pattern formula would not make the size they say at the guage that I was looking at.
It deeply saddens me...almost to the point that I want to take out needles, yarn and calculator myself and fix the errors for knitters who need this kind of book.( nevermind my previuos post...the stitches were hard to see! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!)
As for it being a beginner book..the instructions as to how to read the charts are a bit thin. But I am not one who feels that every book on knitting need apply to a beginner...contrary to what seems to be the popular opinion these days.
I screwed up the guage with a cardigan sweater I am knitting for my youngest daughter. I had to rip out 3/4 of the finished back and both front sides.
My husband died with each pull of the yarn, even as he himself helped me to rip it out.
But I knew there was no point in proceeding...it wouldn't have fit her until she was 40 at the size it was turning out.
I easily accepted it as a part of knitting.
Bill is knitting a bit better. But he isn't yet a knitter.
He will be.
I have seen several examples of chair/cushion covers lately..
and I have this recliner with a sure fit cover on it that has a hole worn in the arm.
I was thinking..I could use the sure fit cover as a template, and make a kick-ass red cabled slip cover for my recliner.
I could use a very bulky yarn...
I am going to test drive some of the fattest wool-ease that I can find today.
I get a 20 percent discount at Michaels today for doing some teaching for the Warm Up America event...I am not going to be the only one teaching ofcourse...so 20 percent is generous.
I would have done it for free....but since I will get the discount...might as well use it..
Mom gave me the ball of yarn from Joann's called "shaggy". I wasn't too crazy about it..still am not, but it was free yarn!
I made my daughter a scarf in 2 hours too!( first time I ever actually used those size 17 needles...it was weird.)The scarf is the last pic because I'm stupid...so there.
Also pictured is part of my other daughters costume...she's going to be a poodle.
Also a pic of another cat sweater...I won that yarn.10 balls of Phoenix by...ummm...I dont recall but at list price it was about 100.00 worth of yarn that I won! I combined it with knitpics palette to give more body to the fabric..
So..that completes our novelty yarn fashions for the family show.
In other news...I taught my husband to knit the other day.
In even more other news. I will be at Michaels tomorrow teaching people to knit for Warm Up America! 
but still dont do it.
I have suddenly seen everything click into place like a dream.
All the things I have learned to do...the painting, the needlework.
I am supposed to be a textile/mixed media artist of some sort.
But I am quite frankly afraid.
I dont know why.
I have sold my paintings...and from what I have seen, straight painting is harder to sell than fiber art or mixed media.
Collage has exploded in popularity...and has began to be all the same. Some kind of black and white vintage compilation of photos with different body parts combined different ways to make a new human like form...and usually wearing pointy hats. Add some swirls and some flowers and dont forget some meaningful and personal handwritten text.
Voila...you have art that is sooooo unique that you learned how to do it from a book sold at Michaels.
Books about collage, altered books, etc were sadly just coppied instead of being starting points as I believe they were originally intended.
I want to incorporate my art into fiber. I have those I admire.
But I dont want to BE them. I dont want to be someone saying how creative they are when really they're just doing what is the trend.
I panicked when knitting became "in". Only continue to do it because I love it...and I have done it since way before it was the thing...and because like tattoos and peircings...you may see lots on the net, but it isn't really all that rampant in Westerville Ohio.
that I did another one the other day...far less labor intensive, but worthy I think. Click for the download.
EDIT: The chart is now on my website Click the link that says "knitting charts" to access it.
It was alot of work...about 10 hours worth.
I will have it available for download as soon as possible..the download is larger...this is just for display.
I used the knitpro web app to place the drawing in squares form..but the charts made on there account for any color...including a grey made from softness around the lines.
So I had to hand color it...or Photoshop and Wacom hand color it...which is just as labor intensive as drawing with a pencil as I did with the original drawing.
Title of the drawing is "evolution"
One pic is how it looks in chart form..the other is a bad scan of the original. obviously, I added and subtracted this and that. And corrected for all the "extra" colors". I am seriously considering changing the highlight on the lip to me more like the original.
hmmm...you know that old saying...
well..I have been putting all my data on one computer, out of the three that I have.
That computer has had it's wireless card go bad, and so it has been a challenge to post anything on the internet...nor have I been all that interested even.
I have decided that I would prefer to most of my free time knitting or painting.
I have loosened my self expectations when it comes to painting...and have been having fun as a result.
I proved that I really can paint half way ok...now I'm going to do what I want.
I have also been sketching and designing..and writing patterns.
Going to post pics...although at the moment none of it really looks like all that much.
ok..at the top is a very fitted leg warmer for my oldest daughter. I machine sewed this one with my machine's overlock stitch....they are going to have a button closure so that she can easily get them off when she arrives at school.
She prefers dresses...and detests tights...so, hopefully these will keep her warm.
Below that..the magic splotch socks are finally done...geesh.
Next is the start of Bill's balaclava....I do hope I know how to make a balaclava. That man would ask if I knew how to knit a pony and would I for him...and I would die trying.
Next...child sized hat thatI wasn't willing to wake a child to model..so...you get my big head modeling it.
And last...cuffs...
this will be the first pattern/tutorial on this blog....or possibly I will direct those interested to a page on my website.
They are for my long legged and quickly growing youngest daughter. A way to extend some perfectly good pants that I am not willing to give away just yet.
Most is knitted in various wools..the legwarmers are ...Red Heart...erm..light and something.
I LOVE this yarn.
It has such a beautiful color and feel.
The pic doesnt show it off well at all.
A medium rose roving type of yarn mixed with a delicate pearly pink.
It is light..and soft...and just really nice.
Plus it knits very fast!
This time of year..I am into fast.
Hopefully tomorrow I will have some pics of the last two cats sweaters..totally different from the first two...drastically different, because of the yarn.
They are also the softest things I have ever felt.....sigh.
