Loss of Concentration

This morning the machine didn't seem to want to cooperate. I really think that it is my lack of concentration.

I mean.... It's 70 degrees here, the daffodils are just about to pop. I'm really feeling like playing not working. There is a long list of tasks though here at the shop. And I'm sure that people will be out wandering. Maybe there will finally be some business.

I was just humming along and didn't even realize that the knitting had fallen off of the machine. Too late to save that piece.
I had a bad color choice this morning, too. Time to get back and try again...

A little off topic today.

I just wanted to say hey and congratulations to Josh for the award at Aspen.

Not totally off topic since his image is one that I'm using in the knitting.

To answer anonymous who asked

"in fact, would be possible to see some of your other work on here? a retrospective of sorts. like the rug you knitted out of the sunday new york times or the piece of sushi tuna meat you knitted out of bow ribbon. or the famous barbie doll hat you knitted out of joint compound tape. bitchin!"

This link, Has a little bit of my history. It's stuff that I actually used knitting needles to make. A few years before I got the machine. Not the specific things you inquired about, Well, part of Sunset Blvd. is on there.

O.k that's enough for now. I've got to get into the studio....

Muddled, Out of Focus?

It is about time that I acknowledge some of the places that I go to read.

There seems to be a story in this. A boring one, but a story.

One of the first blogs I stumbled across and still return to is The Knitting Fiend. I think I first ran across her when trying to figure out how to cast off on the knitting machine.

Through Lucia is think I found among others Yarn Harlot.

And then I started to read a lot of the knitting blogs., including JenLa and Rabbitch. From Rabbitch came The Casting On Couch and Yarn-A-Go-Go and The Panopticon and , well you know how it goes there were a lot of bookmarked blogs. Some about knitting, some about food, some, as you know, were related to project runway.

And then BOOM, I thought I should just join in and here I am.
Trying to write a little about the knitting that I'm doing. Thinking about dinner. Just putting it out there into the community.

The End

What are you doing?

I've had a couple of questions about what I do... so here is the technical part. This is how the photographic images are knitted.

I have a Brother 970 machine with a ribber attachment. I bring my camera to parties and ask people to take pictures. I use the knitPro program at microRevolt's site to translate the sometimes photoshopped images into a grid pattern. I punch the pattern bit by bit into the low tech computer on the Brother and then I knit knit knit a double bed jacquard fabric. That's it.


The harder part is the, then what part... Since I taught myself how to work on the machine I have found that my casting off just really sucks. I can't seem to get it right., so I knit an extra little something at the end and sit down at an antique singer sewing machine and sew it. I do this with fingers crossed that a: the stitches are fairly even and b: that I don't forget to move my finger out of the way of the rampaging needle. I just found out yesterday from Corbett, that there are different types of needles for different fabrics. Makes sense. Who knew?

O.K. that's it for now. I'm at home not at the studio and that often means interruption. Next time I think I should begin adding links to the people I read. I have been a lurker on many blogs for a while. And have just returned to reading Franklin.

Good Day Bad Day

First, Hi to everyone who has gotten here from Rabbitch's blog.


I feel like I won a popularity contest or something.

Seeing that little mention this morning had me whistling all of the way into work. tra la la la la, so innocent so unexpecting. I go back to the studio, It looks dirty. Now I'm messy but I'm not dirty. I look at the knitting machine, I look at all of the yarns and pieces of knitting, then I look at the table where I have a pile of books and sketch pads. Everything has dirt on it. It dawns on me, the new speakers that the bar upstairs just put in, the ones that have been vibrating the chandeliers, they have vibrated dirt loose from the ceiling. It's not in the whole shop just the back studio portion where the ceiling is wainscoting. My whole work space has a layer of dirt on it. Everything. I'm freaking out, what if the knitting machine gets f****d up?

I spend the next part of the morning just vacuuming and, yippee, everything is alright.

I go to take a photo of the latest wall , today's work. Oops the camera battery is dead.

You all will just have to look at this older image. Or page down or check out the archives to see the current bits of knitting.


Oh and to all of the first time readers, Please come back.

One more of these

I have another of the basic "layouts" done.
I have so many pieces to play with now.
I have no idea what I'm doing.

Today's project

Today I try to add to the knitted images.
These are tests. I still haven't decided about the embroidery. It is a block that I have in Textiles. I think that I had it drummed into me that the structure of the cloth is somehow sacred, adding to it might diminish the cloth as object. I don't know how that happened but it is holding me back from doing anything to the surface of the knitting.

Oh, that and I got rid of all of my embroidery hoops.

I'm just going to do it.

Wow,
Finally the image post is working.
This is the basic layout for the new work.
I'm still not thrilled with the color.

Before I forget. In the airport in Leon, Mexico I saw this article in Discover magazine.
Looked interesting. I just wanted to mention it.
I am still waiting for the blogger photo upload to work again. No pictures of the latest wall, yet.

Small World, 2

Remember this post? Well, imagine how surprised I was while doing my morning Blog reading to see this on Cat's reBlog.
Yes, I was at the party and yes, eliel and I talked, a little.
We are all connected.
Eliel's blog just so the circle is complete.

It's been a few days since I have been able to find some time to update. I have gotten a format/layout for the new group of work. I am still trying to figure out a way of adding other imagery to the pieces. I think it will be some kind of embellishment. maybe embroidery.

Other than the little bit that I have gotten knitted I have been busy with work related stuff. The show in NY, which sucked. Then taxes. Yuk.

I am hoping to get a bit of sewing in this evening. I can picture how I want these things to look, but I'm having a harder time actually making it happen.

This afternoon I'm also fighting with blogger trying to get a image of the wall up.

Maybe the image will have to wait until tomorrow.

I'm going to be away again this weekend. Sorry for not posting everyday. I'm just playing catch up and getting ready for this weekend's show.

I'm also trying to get some knitting in. Here's yesterdays wall. These I'm happy with. I'm still thinking of embellishment of some kind on them. And, yes, I'm ready to get some new colors. Are you bored yet?
This is what the general format for the new work will be. I'll be working a little more with the scale changes.

So back to the knitting.

small world

It's a rainy sunday here in the Hudson valley.
I've just been thinking to myself about how small the world is and how connected we all are.

Last night I was at a birthday party for Corbett and Jim. This is a connection first since Corbett is a fellow Cranny who I met here in Hudson, second they are friends of our friend Linda. The party was at her house. It is always great to be in a group of interesting people. What weren't we talking about. At some point during conversations knitting came up. Corbett's a knitter, Linda's a knitter, and then, well I was there. Anyway, a friend of C+J's says, "I just met this interesting person on the train to NYC, she's from upstate and does a knitting blog.... Guess who it is,Cat. I laughed. I still haven't met her in person but I now know that I will. Oh did I tell you all about the show she's organized showcasing KnitPro? Check it out. There is more. 2 other Crannys with a house upstate.

Then there was the Mexico trip. In the 1st three days I ran into several people I knew. A lot were the known to be in San Miguel group from Woodstock. But I was surprised that Barbara and Honey were there.
Then on the plane ride from Houston to Newark I sat down and looked at the woman sitting next to me and said, "I know you from Somewhere" She said. "Yeah, I know you", we eventually figured out that she had been in the shop at some point. She remembered the store and what we have in it. Funny...

Now I am on to a little bit of thinking and working in the studio. Then, the sunday crossword.

What I walk into

It's the weekend here. I have a plan to get some work done but since the weather is so great people are around and it doesn't look like I will get the chance.
Here is the wall of the workspace today. Just the way that I left it before the Mexico trip.



I am thinking of Mexico. It will come out somehow in the work. I'm struggling with thoughts about the finished size of this group of work. One big blanket looking thing, or small individual "faces". Maybe both. Sitting here looking at these portraits that's a little of what's rumbling through my head. Should they be dolls? hmm....

Return

We are back from a great stay in Mexico.
A ton of stuff went on, like a trip to see the butterfly forest in Michoacan

The photos can't do justice to this. You just have to experience the millions of monarch butterflies in the trees, looking like menacing topiaries. Then the sun hits them and they start flying and you're surrounded by them and the sound.... it's like a soft rain with clicking. It was crazy

Other stuff that drove me wild.....
The Aztec Dancers in the Jardin, celebrating the 1st Friday of Lent and the acceptance of christianity. I'm getting dizzy thinking about it. Hundreds of dancers with loud drumming, shells and bells on their ankles, rattles, incense.....



All of the dancing (which lasted all day until about 10 or 11 that night) also included a "bull dance" led by transvestites. This group of dancers also led all of the others around the Jardin and to the church, the music would get quiet and psalms were sung....



I haven't processed it all, but I wanted to share a little bit on my first day back.

Hi from Mexico

Today will be another busy day. The aztec dancers are going to be performing on the Jardin. We caught a glimpse of them last night, but today there should be many many more and the dancing and drumming will go on for hours. I'm hoping to have some photos to post tonight.

Just to point out how small the world is. or maybe how popular San Miguel de Allende is, We've run into 6 people we know so far this week.

Anyway this is just a short post and a reminder that I am not at the studio at all so I haven't any posts of new work.