Thursday 29 October 2015

In which my local yarn store blows me away...

Yesterday, I was at my lys (local yarn store) looking for multiple colours of yarn for an upcoming project.
 I was looking for dk, and they suggested three different brands that each had their own colourways.

I chose 6 balls from one brand and had them laid out on the counter, but since I had initially walked in looking for "bright" colours, I moved over to another brand and started to try to put a set together.

The owner saw me struggling to make colour choices so she asked me if I have a favourite painting...
...and then proceeded to pull this painting up onto the monitor.

These are the yarns that were already on the counter at that point.
Clockwise from top left we have sky, clouds, grass/umbrella, shadows, flowers, and the darker portions of the sky.   Well will you just look at that!  Needless to say, I stopped looking and just bought these six.

The subconscious at work.  The funny thing is, I haven't seen the painting in months.

Tuesday 27 October 2015

One finished object, one WIP

I've finished my first successful stranded knitting project and I couldn't be more thrilled.
 The pattern is Baby Snowflake by The Cozy Knitter and is absolutely lovely.

 I learned a couple new techniques...and now I want to put the delightful "latvian braid" on everything.
 And the back is just as lovely as the front.   
Note, the super bright colour!

In progress:
So many buttons.  My stockpile is quite low so I'm hustling to get a bunch finished in time for people to add to their Christmas gifts and other cold weather knits.  
Pictured, these are the same as this pendant, which I have had several requests to turn into buttons.
Won't it make an adorable large button?

Joining my friends today at:

Tuesday 13 October 2015

Not your grandma's yarn bowl...

I've been working on a fun series of yarn bowls.  
They're shapes I've been wanting to try for a while now.
All geometric.

All different sizes.

So far, all white.
Because some of my customers live in modern "abodes".
And some knitters are men...who want something a little less fussy.

Inside view of the one above.


Works in progress:
There will be several more coming.


And I'm thinking some will double as candle bowls...with patterns punched in them.
I can't wait to get back into the studio (I've been too ill to work in clay).

Linking up with:


Tuesday 6 October 2015

Work in Progress

I'm pretty excited that this piece is working out, and feel the need to share it.
 
Our local "Center for the Arts" is having a college exposition, and since I am enrolled in the Open Studio at the college, I qualify as a student.  I've had this little number simmering in the back of my brain since I made a fabric version a year and a half ago.
 It's a 60-sided figure, and was a little trickier to put together than I expected.  If you've worked with clay before, you know that pieces have to go together wet.  Which means it's a little bendy, and sloppy.
I still have to put a hole in it somewhere (so that it doesn't explode).  I'm thinking of glazing it black, and putting a hole large enough to fit a flower stem, and displaying it as a vase.  Kind of a symbol of war and peace).  I think that would be appropriate given the current social climate, don't you?

Linking up today with:
Frontier Dreams for Keep Calm Craft On - incidentally...if you go over and check out her "October sponsors" post, you will find a discount code for my etsy shop.  Hurry hurry.