No shots of the studio wall today

I'm just working on having the store in some kind of normalcy while we are away.

So I thought I would just give a little preview of what may be appearing on the blog in the coming week if I can get it together to post from Mexico.

I may just end up sitting in the garden. We'll see.

It's snowing today and there aren't many people on the street so it seems that it would be the perfect knitting day. Maybe I'm trying too hard to get something done before Mexico. What ever is going on the pieces have been deciding to jump off of the machine. I get a few rows knitted and then oops a skip. It's frustrating me.

So it's time to take a break and post the photo of the screw ups and make some coffee.

to bee or not to bee

It is a windy day today. The shop door keeps blowing open. That means it's cold in here.

I've been knitting. I feel much better. Yesterday I think I should have just stayed in bed.



I've been thinking that maybe I should include some of the bee/fly images into the pieces. It's just a thought. I haven't decided if I'm just bored with knitting the portraits and need to look at something else or are the insects needed. ?

I've also been looking for interesting fiber / textile links. I was thinking that I should include some of the things that I look at. You all know that I read Blogging Project Runway.
There are other things I look at though.
Sharon B.'s links to history and culture of textiles,
Diana Eng's Blog,
those are just 2 among many.

any way I'm trying to figure out a way of linking interesting textile related things. I guess I'd do this about once a week. I'm thinking of a sort of recap of textile stuff in the news from the previous week.

So .... stay tuned for that. I haven't gotten my s**t together enough to do it just yet.

I'm fighting a cold still. That makes it a little more difficult to work on the machine.

I'm also having a little difficulty even thinking of anything to write today.

I'll direct you over to blogging project runway, I wasn't really paying very much attention to the reunion show. If you missed it too, Laura's blog will fill you in.

I am having a hard time concentrating in the studio today. I'm really not sure what it is. Maybe I am thinking about...

Or maybe it's that my mind is somewhere else and I'm getting ready for my trip on Monday...


Or it could be that everything on the studio wall is beginning to look the same to me and I am stuck. I have a cold too. That isn't helping matters as far as getting my focus going,



I'm back to the knitting machine now. For a short while anyway.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday Dear Cynthia
Happy Birthday to You

bits and pieces

I have had very little time to work on the knitting. I've been trying white and , well I'm not sure yet about using it.

I keep getting questions about what these are. These will be pieces that hang on the wall. They are about being a textile and I don't want them to be framed or stretched. I also don't want them to become Identifiable objects. They aren't going to be sweaters, or scarves, or hats, even though the technique alludes to that.

Sounds unclear. I'm working on that.

Living in a museum

There are days when working in the studio are almost impossible. I'm starting to get the feeling that today is one of those days. Seems that there are many people on the street and they are coming into the shop, mostly , I'm guessing, to get out of the cold wind. They don't seem interested in anything.

I am the museum today.

So since the studio wall may remain blank I'm posting this image of one of the "pile rugs. They are knitted and then sewn onto cotton and then cut to make the pile. It's a nineteenth century technique. I'm doing it to use up the knitted scraps.

Feeling Better

The machine is my friend again.

After the frustrations of yesterday things are going much more smoothly today. I've got the color changes going on and the scale changes. It all feels like it's starting to work.

I realized that the scale of the pieces I've been showing is pretty unclear. This one is about 45 inches by 12 inches. The yarn is a 24/2 acrylic. That's how I get the vivid color. I am limited by the width of the machine. At least for these sample type pieces. I am thinking of stitching them together and letting them grow.

Thanks for the comments.... Anyone else looking at this have something to say?

These 3 are the first things off of the machine this morning. None are complete all feel like mistakes. Grrrrr...

Some days I just feel like I am in a struggle with the knitting machine. The yarn catches, stitches are missed, I am driven mad.

Maybe I am still thinking too much about Project runway. I was unenthusiastic about watching the show last night. All of my favorites are gone. Diana, then Nick. Now Santino, Dan, and Chloe have made it to the top three. I have a feeling that Santino might win. His collection at fashion week looked good in the photos. I'm hoping the win goes to Dan.

I'll be away when things are decided on the show, I don't think I'll really miss seeing the final episode.

Scale

As you can see it is all still moving along. I'm working on ways of combining the images.

The scale and colors are going to be changing. Last night I thought that maybe I should add some embellishment. Embroidery or something. That part is unknown to me at the moment. I wonder if these would work as a garment?

Happy Valentine's Day

I can't make it to the studio today. I have way too many errands to do. I've got some things at the house and I'll be working here. I'm a little in the mood to just watch television all day. I must need a mental vacation.

That's out of my system

I spent the day yesterday thinking about making the images fragmented. I kept wishing that the machine was at the house. (I was snowed in and stayed at home rather than driving up to the studio) So I watched the film Greed and cooked a meatloaf and thought about doing this knitting.

So I don't really like how it's looking. I did it though....

I think it'd time to see how or if I can make some finished things.

some days it doesn't work

Some times the studio wall can look like this.

So I just take a little time away from the knitting.
I think that everything got a bit too random here.

Back to thinking about what these are becoming. I should work on the finishing today. I'm also gathering a pile to work on tomorrow in case I don't make it into the shop because of snow.

more fun

Today's wall.

I am trying the patterning and layouts now. It is a little difficult since I am in the shop and it's a Friday. Mostly the people coming in don't seem to mind.

I'm starting to think about cutting the knitting apart and re sewing it. That's how these double image things started. I'm thinking of cutting them up. But I'm liking them as they are too. Hmm....

I think that I've just got to work on some more. So no PR update .... but the designers collections are up. The link is at Blogging Project Runway.

Could Kara win?

And another thing ...

Just kidding. I am over the PR rant.

I even managed to get some knitting done.
Slowly slowly it's coming together. Thanks for the comment about the siamese twins. Yes... Yes.




That's it.
Just wanted to let you all know that I haven't gone off the deep end. Yet.

a Project Runway Rant

This show was the worst project Runway ever.
I have always been a Nick fan so his being "aufed" is bad. But the whole show felt so edited and weird and I just hated it. There was something very strange in the way the comments were edited. What was it.

The voice over when Heidi spoke?

The really really bad Chloe makeover by Dan?

The faces that Michael Kors kept making and his nasty nasty comments? He really should just go back to his studio and inspiration ( wealthy socialites).

Ugh.... the whole thing has just left me feeling very anti-Project Runway.

There are tons of comments at Blogging Project Runway.

Everyone was at their worst this episode, well except Chloe. But then again look at what she had to wear. I hate reality TV.

The yarns are here

I got the package and the new yarns to try out. Today I did a very safe color way. I'm trying to get the imagery and placements right.

See what I mean about the colors. I'll get more of what I want later in the week.

Any comments from anyone on what's going on with the stuff in the studio? I keep thinking that maybe I'm not explaining myself as well as I could be.

I also found this today on Blogging Project Runway. Diana Eng's blog. She's doing mathematical knits. I'm sure that those who know me can see how they appeal to my sensibilities. I am still a Diana Fan.

Still Waiting

Since the shipment hasn't arrived I'm working with some other things in the studio to try to get the lay out of the images. I've been thinking about carpets. Strange for me really, but I'm thinking borders and centers and that kind of look.

These aren't going to be rugs though. I think that they will hang on the wall. Sort of floating.

So anyway this is a sample of what these images might become. At least partly.

Slow Sunday

I'm just hanging out. Too many people in to get any of my own work done. But over all pretty boring.

I've been thinking of Mexico and the possibility of a trip at the end of the month. hmmm.

The image has arrived

So see the brownie yellowie one it isn't too good. But the bright one. That's more what I'm going for.

Waiting for the yarn

The new batch of yarn hasn't arrived yet. So today I think I will play around with some of the existing yarns and see if any of them will work with the new project. It's a rainy rainy day and I don't think that many people will be in the shop today so I should have a little time to work.

As long as it isn't as noisy as yesterday. I can hear the floor sanders working upstairs still but it seems that they are in the last little bit of the sanding so it won't be the constant noise of yesterday.

While I had a bit of down time on Wednesday I decided to make the cassoulet. I did a short version and used canned beans, I think it worked out.

I also haven't commented on the latest project runway.... here it is.

First off, I think that the challenge was a bad one for this stage of the competition. It was way, way, too much like a college sophomore materials project. Over all the designers seemed pretty even in what they created. I actually thought that Kara was the only one who worked with the material. All of the others seemed to just make a dress and glue some plant material on to it. and the worst of all of these was Andrae, astro turfy, so he had to be "aufed". The high point and most memorable moment was Santino's imitation of Tim. "Andrae, why is it that every time we come to the Red Lobster you run into the bathroom" Hilarious to hear, not so funny written down. I am still sticking with my original predictions for the final three, Nick, Chloe, Dan V. That, despite the fact, that Kara was made out to be a very likeable stoner in this episode. The person I really missed during this episode was Diana, as you all know she has always been my favorite, even when "aufed". Since she was the most originally creative of all of the characters I think she would have shown in this challenge. I think this challenge also pointed out Santino's weakness/strength, which I would call an unbending ego. Who knows maybe he will some how manage to make that work for him and get into the final three. Just a little of what I've been thinking.

The day began ...

This day started out with my hearing about Cindy Sheehan's arrest in the House last night. Things are getting scarier and scarier where our freedoms are concerned. I thought it all rather ironic that it's happening at the same time as tributes to Coretta Scott King.

Anyway all of that combined with an email from Tina informing me that the year of the dog is not a good one for squirrels... Well it all just sort of set me up for the day. Yuk.

I have the yellow color way here at the house.Not too crazy about it.

I also ordered the new yarns. Brightly dyed acrylic. I think that they will be just the thing I need for this project. They are suppose to arrive on Thursday so I should have the sample color ways done by the end of Friday or Saturday all depending on how busy the store gets.

And....
it is Wednesday and that means Project Runway. Lots of speculation going on. Will Kara be out? Will Santino have immunity?What the hell is the challenge anyway? All of this stuff is covered at Laura's Blog. Which I read 2 or 3, well 5 or 6, well, okay, 8 or more times a day.

...an aside...
The images do sort of remind me of the inmates of an asylum, thank you, Cyn.