Blossom Towel

I finished my Blossom Towel today!

You can find the free pattern here.

A Lazy Sunday

I didn't get much done today fiber-wise, but I did have a nice. lazy Sunday.  Chris and I went out for lunch, and then I took a nice long nap.

Here's a picture of two of my kitties, Max and Dimbo, sleeping on my in-process quilt.  Here you can see the back of the quilt.

I worked a little bit on my Blossom Towel this evening.

I'm making slow but sure progress on this project.

Have a wonderful Sunday evening, everyone!

A Productive Saturday

Today I worked a little bit more on my quilt.  I find I can't quilt too long or the quality of my quilting suffers and I get too tight and tensed up in my shoulders.  I have to remind myself periodically to relax!

I got the urge to spread the quilt out and view it as a whole; I've been feeling like the quilt top has really been shifting and spreading out of true, and I wanted to see if it really looked that way when viewed as a whole rather than as one little area at a time.  I don't think it looks too bad!  In any case, it is a scrap quilt, not meant as a showpiece, so I am not going to be too critical.

I just have one more corner to finish quilting; if you look closely at the pictures above you can see the safety pins in the upper corner.

I'm really liking the texture of the quilting over the entire surface of the top.

I also worked today on the Blossom Towel.  I'm on the last color of backstitching--the leaves and the curly tendrils.  This addition has really changed the look of the design.  I'm really happy with this one!

Happy Saturday, everyone!

Blocking A Shawlette

Today I blocked a shawlette that I made for the Red Barn Yarn Farm.  This is made in a 100% linen yarn from Schoppel Wolle called El Linio, using a pattern designed by Sara Gresbach, La Playa.

This piece has been finished for awhile now, but I've been dragging my feet on blocking.  I thought 

I would go ahead and get it done today, so I can deliver it to Jenny tomorrow at Red Barn Yarn Farm.

In other crafty news, I've been working slowly on the Blossom Towel, doing the backstitching on the motifs.

I also added color (with Stabilo CarbOthello pastel pencils) to my elegant lady in this art journal spread.

Progress is Slow

I've made some progress on several projects over the last couple of days.  I finished my spinning project; now I have two skeins of beautiful dark-brown wool.  I'm not sure of the yardage on this--I'm a little lazy when it comes to calculating yardage on handspun.  I know that it's about 8 oz.

I've gotten a bit farther on my original design, Blossom Towel.  I finished all the actual cross stitches and have begun on the backstitching.

 

And I crocheted a bit on the "Chicken Wire" segment I am working on for the Mr. Ghan.

And, last but not least, I began today on a top-down sweater I am making for a class I'm teaching at the Red Barn Yarn Farm.  (The class starts tomorrow and runs all month, in case anyone would like to come knit with us!)  It's not much to look at yet, but it's a start.  This is the back neckline area.  I guess, technically, this too will be an original design.

 

A little bit of progress on several different fronts--when you work on several different projects at once, as I tend to, progress on any one thing tends to be slow.  But a little progress is better than nothing, right?!

Tonight I feel like doing a little painting.  Off to my studio I go!

Progress on Blossom Towel

I made some progress on my blossom towel cross stitch design today.

I'm really happy with how this is shaping up.  It's been instructive to actually stitch up a design and make changes to my original chart as I go, as I've found areas and colors that need to be changed.  I hope to have this finished in a few days and offer it as a free chart here on the blog.

In other fiber news, I worked a little bit today on an installment of the "Mr. Ghan," a Mystery Crochet-A-Long that I'm a part of on Ravelry.  I'm a bit behind on my clues--I think this is the 10th clue out of 13; the 12th clue was posted today, so I'm lagging a bit.  So far, this installment, "Chicken Wire," isn't my favorite--it's a little less intuitive than some of the others.

My progress so far:

I'm feeling the itch to do a little spinning--maybe I'll tackle that tomorrow!  

Brave Intuitive Painting

I've been busy making things, although not busy blogging about it.  I finished the cross stitch towel with the pears, and it is currently seeing use in the kitchen.  I like to actually use the things I make; I know some people think that handmade things should be saved for "best," but I think handmade items bring beauty to our everyday lives.  To me, the best compliment that a maker can get is for something she made to be so loved and used that it gets used up.

I've actually made two more cross stitch towels in addition to the pigs and the pears (sounds like a band name, doesn't it--The Pigs and the Pears).  This first one I gifted to my friend Elaine for Easter, hoping that she would like it.  And she did!  I thought it looked nice and spring-y--appropriate for Easter.

This second one (sorry for the crummy picture) I made just because I liked the design.  I'm not sure whether or not I'm going to keep it for myself or put it in my "giftables" box.

Now I'm working on a border for a towel that I designed myself.  Here's my progress so far.

Further updates as they become available...

I bought the book Brave Intuitive Painting a couple of weeks ago, and I've been exploring some of the ideas in it and working on a couple of canvases.  (Flora Bowley is also one of the guest instructors in the year-long mixed media course I am participating in, Wanderlust.)  I bought both of these at a local thrift store and gesso-ed over what was originally there.

So far, this has been an interesting journey and evolution.  I just keep adding layers and colors and marks, trying to go with the flow.  Sometimes I feel like it's just really ugly crap that I'm painting, and sometimes I feel like it's starting to come together a bit.  But really, I don't think either one has really gelled yet.  Flora says to trust the process and just keep adding layers, so that's what I'm doing!

I may set these two aside for a bit and start on two more canvases.  

This one is actually the cover of an art journal that I made, following the instructions from another of the Wanderlust instructors.  I think I like this one the best, and I think it's about done.  Anyway, I'm going to quit fiddling with it for awhile.

Constructive criticism is always welcome!

More Cross Stitch Towels

I finished my cross stitch pigs project, and it's now ready to be put in use and into the rotation in the kitchen.

Aren't they cute?  I enjoyed this little cross stitch project so much that I started a second one as well.

Here's the picture of the finished towel from the booklet:

I'm also working on the first sock of a pair; I'm teaching a sock-knitting class at my LYS, the Red Barn Yarn Farm.  Gotta finish up the cuff of the first one by tomorrow afternoon so we can move on to the short-row heel.

Cross Stitch Pigs

Yesterday I got the urge to start a new project, so of course I obeyed that urge!  (Never mind the approximately 50 projects of different types I have going...)  Years ago I cross stitched some kitchen towels that I have used ever since, and they are getting pretty worn out--the stitching is completely gone in some spots and the towels themselves are getting fairly threadbare.  I've been wanting to make some more, in particular this one with the pigs in the upper right-hand corner.

I know, I know, it's kinda corny and cutesy, but, darn it, I like it!  For some reason, those pigs just make me smile.  Plus I like making something I know is going to be used.  (See the designs with the vegetables in the middle?  Those are the ones I stitched years ago that are all worn out.)  I've probably had this booklet for close to twenty years now.  And those pigs are just as relevant today as they were twenty years ago!

Anyway, here's my progress so far:

My husband helpfully told me that from a distance this appears to be bloodstains.  Thanks.  Thanks, honey.

In other creative news, I got this book in the mail today.  The author's approach to making art is based (somewhat, at least) on exploring your personal symbology.  At first I thought, "Oh, I don't have any personal symbols," but as I started to think about it, I realized I really do have some symbols that keep showing up in my life and artwork.  A door, face, sun, moon, stars, meander pattern.  Then I thought, "I won't be able to come up with any deep meanings for these symbols."  But again, as I thought more about them, the meanings just started popping up.  This is cool, because it really gives me a place to start when it comes to art journal pages and canvases.