Faculty Gallery Show pieces

The Faculty at Florida School of the Arts had their first gallery opening of the year last night; these are some of my pieces in the show.

Raining Fire over the Pillar, Watercolour War Study, Watercolour & Mixed Media

Dog Rock Point, Watercolour & Mixed Media

Holly Berries With Fir Cone Lace Border, Weldon's 1895, Victorian Lace Today

FINISHED! Holly Berries and Fir Cone Lace Scarf, Weldon's 1895

rainbow on pointe bag

Yet another felted bag, out of the leftover boku yarn from the last basketweave bag. I can't decide if I like this one or the grey and white one better.

Of course, I still have to sew on the strap.

While I'm on the topic of this: (really I don't know what topic I'm on, I just like this) and I don't understand how so many people can look at what we as artists do and ask why we do it by hand, why not have a machine do it....

"Useful and ornamental needlework, knitting, and netting are capable of being made, not only sources of personal gratification, but of high moral benefit, and the means of developing in surpassing loveliness and grace, some of the highest and noblest feelings of the soul." ~Author unknown, from The Ladies' Work Table Book, 1845

Because, as of yet, a machine cannot feel grace.

Cot'n Corn sock #1/Flow Motion Sock

Well, here's the finished sock.
It is a beautiful sock, and the fibre feels very good knit up like this.
However, it is too big in the foot area. There are too many stitches across the ball of my foot and down where the arch is. I suppose that it is because I used the wrong weight yarn for this pattern, but, the ankle and calf part fit just fine. I love the part where the leg and the foot come together over the instep. That point is very pretty and interesting how the foot part looks a bit like a "shoe" and the lacy part is coming out of it.

Aside from it being too big, I don't care for the finishing at the top. It's a seed stitch picot edge, and I think that it's just a rather bulky and awkward finish for such a pretty lace pattern. The bulk that results when you turn down the top edge seems to ruin the whole line of the lacy leg.

AND, since I completely HATE the toe, and how square it is, (it was that invisible figure-8 cast-on-which, to me, just isn't right), I will not feel bad ripping out the toe, and shortening it from there. So, here I go unraveling out the toe, and taking it out so that I can fit and refinish it a full 1.25" shorter. Since the lace is so pretty, and I like the top so much, I'm willing to do this, otherwise it may end up being a christmas stocking. I do believe that I'll take out the top and make it just a short 1x1 rib, something plain, so that it looks better, and is not so bulky.

But, maybe not today.

a sock from "The Ultimate Sock Book"

This the Flow Motion Sock from Vogue Knitting's Ultimate Sock Book and it's my latest project. It came about because I found this yarn--Bernat's Cot'n Corn. It is so soft and rather beautiful when knit.

The pattern is very time consuming. The lace part is a 13 row pattern, and all the rows are different. Each row has a repeat of 3, so by the time you get that row down, you have to change to the next row.

Trying to knit and get this monster off my needles

My cat, watching TV. It doesn't even matter what's on, she'll watch it. And sometimes she needs to sit with me to watch it. Too bad that when I watch TV I want to knit. And this project has become so large that it takes my whole lap-no room for kittens, unless they take over the project.
Which is a little ironic because I really want to get this thing off my needles. It is so big. Actually I don't know how big it really is. I guess that I'm just going to knit until there's no more room on the needles. Still more room; but no ability to turn with kitten on it. So I'm texting this message to my Blog, because I can still text and I could reach my phone with the texting and camera abilities. So. Will the kitten get bored of "Everybody Loves Raymond" or will I kick her off.
Anyway, this project will be done soon and properly pictured.
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shhhh...it's a secret

So, I feel as if I am secretly knitting.

That's got to be bad.

I know that all my lists are done.

I know that all the things that need to be done, will be done tomorrow, via delegation.

I know that I don't need to be at the theatre tonight.

I know that others are there, and are probably going to hold it over my head that I am not there.

I know that I don't have to be there.

I know that.

I still feel as though this has been a secret knitting project. It started out to be a mindless project which would be worked on during tech rehearsals, and don't get me wrong, it still will be, however I have found more time on my hands at home where I don't have anything else to do. I have cleaned, and rearranged, and cleaned again, looked for more important projects, cleaned up after the "searching tyrade", and even made bread.

But, here's this project; one side almost completed.

Maybe it's because I have knit over half of it sitting by a fire. And maybe I feel a little guilty because my colleagues are sitting in a theatre, programming lights, while my costumes are sitting all ready on a rack.

Well, almost ready. There's still a few things that need to be bought. But that can happen tomorrow, also known as a day of the work week. Enpointofacto, those things are: 2 pairs of black pants, 4 pairs of shoes, 2 pairs of slippers, 6 chef hats, 1 visor, 1 pocket protector, 1 twinset, driving gloves, and an old lady (not the lady, just her clothes).

Still, I feel like I'm forgetting something. If you know what it is, let me know. There's probably a whole scene that I've never seen (hahah that rhymes) that has a 1000 costumes in it--that's it.

Anyway, here's the second version of the on pointe handbag, being knit by the fire. It's knit out of the left over boku yarn from the last basketweave handbag. I don't know if I'll have enough. I guess it won't kill me to make another order from Patternworks. Oh darn.

a day off

I woke up this morning, and decided to not go to work today.

Many reasons, the first being that I feel a little sickly. The second, that fall has finally dipped down below the Mason Dixon line and is licking the top of Florida. I woke up this morning, and it was 65 degrees IN my house--how wonderful is that!!!!

It is a wonderful day in Florida.

Perfect for knitting a scarf.

AND perfect for finishing a scarf.

I started, knit and finished my new scarf by 9.45 this morning. Of course, I cheated a little bit, but, it was so gratifying to be able to do that. Just sit down and fight off the kitty from the ball of yarn while turning the wheel and finishing a project.

Now, the scarf is around my neck, and the kitty is watching Uncle Joe mow the lawn next door out the window from the Queen chair. She's a little miffed still that she can't go outside because of her "fixing" last week.

Anyway, I'm home today, puttering around--different from work? Heck yea! I don't have to pay ANY attention to those cluttering bodies people call students--not that I don't love them, just that I need a break from them every now and then.

turkeys and lace

Here are pictures relating to the last two posts. Froggy and Fishy are featured here, looking at the top of the quilt I am working on. I need to do two more of the component swaths to get it to be the size I want and then it needs sashing. This is a close-up of the pieces--I still think that Pamela's is a little more crazy--sorry Pamela, I do have big chunks to sew on part of them.
And, this is Red's fleece, spun at lace weight--it's a 2-ply. The pattern is from Victorian Lace Today, by Jane Sowerby, which proves to be an excellent collection of modern-day translations of Victorian Patterns. This pattern is the Holly Berries with fir cone lace border from Weldon's, 1895. It is so pretty, and it feels so nice. Red was one of my sheep in the 90s. She was showed in 4-H along side Nuthin' (her buck, named so, because he was found in a hole on the desert and he was all of nothing he was so small). I am sure that there are remnants of her descendants in the flock now. And, this is the newest happening at Broken Wing. The turkeys hatched in the incubator yesterday. Awful gangly things. Sorry to say, that they did not make it through this morning--we don't know why...but, we tried...

On pointe handbag finished!

I just finished sewing this together at dress rehearsal last night (in the dark). And then this morning I put it through the washer twice. And as with the one before - a really really great hat!
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On pointe handbag

So this is the next "I'm bored, so what can I start knitting now?" project. Mom sent me this yarn-I do believe that it is Romney/Rambouillet, natural coloured from our farm. She Navajo plied (plyed) it so it is about worsted weight. This pattern is from the same book as the basket weave bag. It is called On Pointe Bag.
This piece is called a 99 row block. I'll make two of these and then knit a gusset the length of two sides. That gusset will then be sewn to the two mitred blocks from corner to opposite corner.

And, also I'm including the newest member of my family-Billie-and she's already got this yarn thing figured out.

P.S. Transliteration finished.
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transliteration???

So, I have to take a break from the transliteration of the pattern from Knit Picks "Boot Socks".
It's hurting my head right now.
And why am I transliterating? (I think that is the right word...) It's written for those new fangled sock makers who are using two circular needles to finish the two socks at the same time. All fine and good! Except, if you're needing them to represent sock making in 1918.
I plan on using this pattern for the socks that Mrs. Pert is making for Ben Gant in the play Look Homeward, Angel. Yes, I have boot sock patterns that are written for dpns, but I really really like these socks. (they're a free download on knitpicks.com)
I have gotten to the heel flap--the heel's short rows are next, and very easy, and then comes picking up the gusset--and it's seeming very difficult to get my mind around.
To top it all off, I need to have an actress learn how to knit by June 15th. Good luck to me. I shoud start a knitting club, and make them come--some of my students are already interested in it------hmmmm....one should think about that....