I need to floss...

Not my teeth...with my extensive dental work...not 
flossing would be tooth-a-cide.
I mean..embroidery floss.

Cause...48 dollars is more than I wanna do. ( freepeople boutique )
But aren't they CUTE!

I have about 9 pairs of 
black Mary Jane style shoes...
and a ton of floss.

I can have em for zero dollars.

ZEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

They also have a jaquard knit reindeer skirt.
And it's looking mighty cute...I forget
what it really is...has straps like suspenders.
I can do without those.
The front is a "sweater knit" panel set into a woven
fabric skirt...back is all woven fabric. It's mine.
I can make that so easily.
And the shoes.
They may be called "free people"...but the clothes
aren't...and I can do it for darn near free myself.
Well..at least simple sewing, embroidery, and knitting!

 

100 reasons...a challenge for artists.

100 REASONS CHALLENGE



The point of this challenge is to test and
improve your skills...



THE RULES:





1) Make 100 works of art, with each having
a theme as listed below. Each should have
ONE and only ONE theme to it.



2) No time limit, so have fun!



3) The art should be of your own ability,
so whatever medium you are most familiar
and comfortable with is allowed. Artwork must
be original and created by you, the participant.
Photomanipulations are fine, but DO CREDIT the stock
you use! Your work can be anything from crap
to great master pieces. Just have fun with it.



4) The list below is to be placed somewhere
in your or website for others to see that:

A) You are in the challenge.

B) What you have completed.



5) Make sure to update this list and check off
what is done and make a link to work as it is
submitted to your gallery.



6) In the comments for your artwork add
a note stating that it is
part of the "100 REASONS CHALLENGE" list and
state which ONE theme it is.



7) Now the good part... CHALLENGE YOUR FRIENDS!



THE LIST





1. Introduction

2. Love

3. Light

4. Dark

5. Seeking Solace

6. Break Away

7. Heaven

8. Innocence

9. Drive

10. Breathe Again

11. Memory

12. Insanity

13. Misfortune

14.Smile

15. Silence

16. Questioning

17. Blood

18.Rainbow

19. Gray

20. Fortitude

21. Vacation

22. Mother Nature

23. Cat

24. No Time

25. Trouble Lurking

26. Tears

27.Foreign

28.Sorrow

29.Happiness

30. Under the Rain

31. Flowers

32. Night

33. Expectations

34. Stars

35. Hold My Hand

36. Precious Treasure

37. Eyes

38. Abandoned

39. Dreams

40. Rated

41. Teamwork

42. Standing Still

43. Dying

44. Two Roads

45. Illusion

46. Family

47. Creation

48.Childhood

49. Stripes

50. Breaking the Rules

51. Sport

52. Deep in Thought

53. Keeping a Secret

54. Tower

55. Waiting

56. Danger Ahead

57. Sacrifice

58. Kick in the Head

59. No Way Out

60.Rejection

61. Fairy Tale

62. Magic

63. Do Not Disturb

64.Multitasking

65.Horror

66.Traps

67. Playing the Melody

68. Hero

69. Annoyance

70. 67%

71. Obsession

72. Mischief Managed

73. I Can't

74. Are You Challenging Me?

75.Mirror

76. Broken Pieces

77. Test

78. Drink

79.Starvation

80.Words

81. Pen and Paper

82. Can You Hear Me?

83. Heal

84. Out Cold

85. Spiral

86. Seeing Red

87. Food

88. Pain

89. Through the Fire

90. Triangle

91.Drowning

92. All That I Have

93. Give Up

94. Last Hope

95. Advertisement

96. In the Storm

97. Safety First

98. Puzzle

99.Solitude

100. Relaxation



Could any of these be translated through
knitting...or some other more tactile and 3 dimensional mediums?

I have known about this challenge for some
time...I only now have the sudden urge to do it.
As for painting..I may go weeks with no ideas...then
full paintings appear in my head all at once...and in
multitudes!

This was originally found on a deviantart journal...I
don't recall who the journal belonged to.
 

I wanted to love it...

 And I did!
I did!

I love it!

See post below...

Anyways..weird..I kept having the carriage jam.
I would knit a row...a row and a half..and bam..
everything would just stop.
Then I felt my hand relax when for some
reason my mind wandered...and the carriage
...which was getting ready to jam...whized
through the row.

Seems the trick to this thing is to relax.

I made a 12 by 13 square in no time..(an entire
ball of dishcloth cotton.)
after I had figured it out.
It took a couple of hours to figure it out.

What is the point of knitting

Yup...
I know for many,
many knitters, the whole point of knitting 
is to make something by hand....or to enjoy
the process of knitting.

I have to say that I do enjoy that process.
I wouldn't make socks by hand,
when I can buy them for 2 dollars..ready made,
if I didn't like the process.

But alot of times, the point of knitting for me,
is to have something that is knitted.

Alot of times, that something isn't the most
interesting thing...
or like the 270, it takes forever.
like when your daughter asks you to make her
a 48 inch wide Supergirl cape..at 6 stitches to an inch...

Yup...you know what I did.

I bought a USM.

I am hoping that now I have some
power to
quickly knit the things that dont
take tons of thought,
and can put more time into lace,
cables, and fair isle.
The machine is supposed to do
these things,
but I want to do them by hand...
Specifically, I'm getting interested
in Shetland Lace.
Now maybe the kids can have
their cardigans( and capes!)
I can have my scarves, and wraps.
Also I can do more charity knitting.
AND...I will also have more time
for socks, and lace.

Let's hope I am not one of the people that HATES
the machine.
Seems to be 50/50...it's loved, or it's hated.
I wanna love it.

As for it being plastic....
I have many plastic things, that have been
used like crazy for 15-20 years.
They still work.
Plastics aren't all crap.
Geesh...metal also breaks, and
can be very cheaply made.....

As for machine knitting not really being knitting..
The Kntting Guild of America disagrees, it would seem.
True...they aren't talking Ultimate Sweater Machines
in their Masters Course for machine knitting....
but they dont say machines are out.

We shall see what happens.

Well..it's Saturday....but I posted on Sunday.

I dont have much to do, yanno?
So, I thought I would write another 
facinating blog entry.
I found some 3mm DPN's.
What's with calling both 3mm and
 3.25 mm needles size three?
Frugal knitter call em size 2 1/2.
That just makes alot more sense to me.
Anyways, they are only $ 6.50! 
AND they are 10 inches!
I really was wanting some longer
DPN's.
Since I use size 3 the most...well..
I have wanted to use size 2 1/2...
but all I can find is size 3.25 mm...
anyways..I am going to get those
2 1/2 needles and now use those for most of my socks.

I have the flu...am I making ANY sense at all?

I think I'll save this as a draft
go do the SuperGirl chart for my
oldest girl's pink and white sweater.

SUNDAY

DAMN IT! I did all this work on finishing this post
..and Blogger couldn't complete my request...
and it's gone!


ok...
I have something to add anyways.
I could pretend I had added it..
you wouldn't know the difference.
But I'm honest.

I found some size 2.5 DPN's at Joann's!
They are plastic....my least fav material ...
(inspite of my beloved Denise set.)
And they are only 8 inches...but that's still a bit longer
...and I think it'll help when I'm doing hats.
I got a pair in size 13 also.
I am aquiring quite the needle collection..
as in I have the Denise set
AND I have a two needlecases full.
That makes me sooooo happy.


( Actually...pitured here..it doesn't look all
that impressive! Oh well..I have a few circs too? )

I wish I had a set of bamboo interchangables.
That would be...well...
The thought is making me all hot and bothered.
I wonder if I could call up my hubby and have him
talk some knitting with me...

( He has been sick all week...I haven't had any action.
So forgive me, ok? And anyways...isn't he cute?
He says I made him better looking than he really is...not true.)


Now onto Supergirl.
I use www.microrevolt.org/knitPro/
to make my charts.
I do ALOT ( often HOURS worth of 
work prior to the
 initial chart being made) to them
after, because they have
so many color variences.
But I still give credit.
I am NOT going to use 58 colors in achart...thanks.
Sorry..can't share the chart for this one...copyright issues.
But here is what I will knit for my daughter's sweater.
The yarn is more baby/bubblegum
pink than here...but Photoshop wasn't cooperating.



Wow..it posted this time..in spite of
getting the same error message.
Lets hope the link I made works too.

I need a new face

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.

Book review- The Knitters Handy Book of Patterns.

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.

An idea that wont go away..

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..

When you have it figured out..

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.

Why knitters are crazy

Aren't those hot?
I want them..I can go to sock dreams
and buy them for ten little dollars. TEN!
But..I want to knit them.
Yes, I do.
That is why at least this knitter is crazy.