Showing posts with label knitting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label knitting. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Needed a rest from knitting, so there's spinning..

 This is a pretty challenging fiber.  I think it may be silk from saris.  At any rate, it's a lot of parallel slippery parts, with little to no fluff to catch.  So it's the very devil to spin, short staple, very tricky.  The black and white threads are the strongest, but the red parts falls apart if you breathe on them.

Anyway, I persevered and adapted my spinning and drafting to accommodate it, and I am getting actual yarn from it.  I will have to be sure and ply this with a wool single, so as to have a yarn that will hold together in handling.

It's all an interesting journey.  I need to spin more so as to keep up the supply for knitting. This much knitting has used about three quarters of my supply of yarn.



Thursday, August 30, 2018

Knitting in three stages

I've been inundated with yarn, about ten bags, new, clean, cared for, as my friend empties her late sister's apartment, plus art supplies, books, a lot of very good items.

So I've started passing them along to various art and knitting friends, and seeing what I might use, since the sister had said firmly she wanted everything to be used, one way or another.

The latest batch came yesterday, and included a half made pair of socks, on size one dpns, probably knitted alternately to make sure the pair matched and got finished. In the trove was also this book, a collection of sock patterns from a nineteenth century magazine which went out of business in the late century.  So I'm thinking of doing some detective work since I think these socks are from the book. I may finish them and give them to my friend, to honor her sister.




Meanwhile I had knitted one half of a vest, seen here in blue wool, but there wasn't enough to complete it. Sent away for more yarn, meanwhile embarked on a cheerful cotton version seen here. The vest is fun to knit.

You see the piece in blue? That middle curve is the armhole. This bit goes from center front to center back. The second half does same for the other side. Then you button it up front and back. You only need join the shoulders. Then it's reversible, round or v neck at front.

Very inventive design. I will need ten buttons for each vest. Any suggestions? I'm thinking of making them myself, clay, or knitted, not sure. They need to be comfortable to lean back on, since there will be back buttons however you wear it.

It looks as if my fall and winter projects are upon me. Here was I thinking about trying my hand at spinning flax, but I think that's for later.

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Grow Your Blog Day 2015

Today's the Annual Grow Your Blog day, organized and created by Vicki at Two Bags Full, much applause to her, and see the button on the right indicating this.

Welcome to new readers, and welcome back to current readers and followers.  My screen name is Boud, by which I'm often referred to, but my real life name is Liz. This is my art blog (I also have a general purpose blog, Field and Fen here )

Art the Beautiful Metaphor, a joke relating to soccer, the beautiful game, is the blog where I show my current and past art in a range of media, monotypes





 drawings



 tapestry weaving



ink and wash watercolors



Portrait of the Artist


embroidery







knitting



 sewing







artist's books





 handmade paper











 here with reverse drawing on glass


 stick weaving







 beadweaving







 my exhibits




what's up in the studio










 where I also review other people's exhibits 



 Homefront, a wonderful local organization helping with homeless emergencies and with people's need to restart their lives and whose artists show great work



 Ellarslie, Museum of the City of Trenton



 Mercer County College



and generally give an artist's eye view of the world and gladly welcome input from readers and observers, artists or not.

Sometimes I'm accompanied by my character dolls, the Dollivers, seen above modeling a handknit scarf I designed and made for a friend, five knitted creations with a large wardrobe each, to exhibits and to hindrance in the studio...they mainly live at Field and Fen, though, and if you like them, you can wander over there to see more of their exploits.

There will be a small giveaway to a random commenter on this blogpost, and to see it, scroll back a little way for a picture and description.  No need to have a blog in order to enter, no need to do more than comment in here and you're in.  I'll do the drawing on February 15 and announce the winner in here and get an address from him or her to ship the item to.

Meanwhile, browse enjoy, ask, comment, and thank you for being here.