The Jewel Scarf is done. It’s nice and soft. I’m not sure what I’m going to work on next; maybe a top-down sweater. For now, here are some more views:
I like long scarves, but I think this will fit well on the person for whom I designed it.
It actually drapes well, which is nice. I haven’t blocked it yet; this is just off the needles. But I like the flow of the fabric even without blocking.
Image drawn by John Green, from Dover Publications Little Seashore Stained Glass Coloring Book; colored by A. Catherine Noon.
Okay, ever since I started knitting, I’ve discovered that I’m hip. Not because I’m, like, hip, or something; but because, apparently, what I’m into is the new black. My theory is, it’s all us X-Geners putting our collective spending power together and making stuff popular because we want to buy it. Take coloring books, for instance. I’ve adored coloring books for years. My two favorites are the Dover line of Stained Glass Coloring Books and mandala coloring books. The latter were hard to find up until this holiday season when, apparently, booksellers started listening to me and my X-Gener pals and poof – lots of options.
Just in time for me to be on a budget, of course. 🙂
But I figured I’d share some of what I’ve been up to, particularly because it dovetails nicely with the whole yoga-meditate-getinthemoment-beinthebody vibe that I’ve got going lately.
This one is held up against my monitor so you can see it by the glow of the light. That’s why I like these, because they are translucent. One project I’d like to do at some point is make a Japanese-style paper lantern using these colored designs.
Here’s the back of the book so you can read a little more about it. (If you click on the image, it will jump you to the Amazon page if you’re interested in shopping.)
I figured a discussion of pens is warranted, especially since there’s such an interest in adult coloring books now. I’m a pen snob. This will not surprise any of you who have been reading me a while, but I say it because I’m extraordinarily picky about what pens I like to use. Pentel pens are, by far, my favorite for luminosity and lasting power of the pens themselves. I know there are more expensive and higher quality pens (I made the mistake of telling a graphic artist friend of my love affair with Pentel and got an ear-full). But here’s why I like these: I’ve owned this specific set for OVER 20 years. No, that’s not a typo. The red’s a little dry now, and so is one of the greys, but by and large it’s still working for what I need it to do – color coloring books so I can relax. I don’t use them for serious Art with a capital A. (Well, that’s not true – I have used them for that; my point is, I’m not saying these are the best pens out there, just that they’re my favorite).
Here’s the inside of the set; I like this wallet type. I saw online that there’s a version in a rectangular case, but this one allows me to put them in the order I want them in and they stay organized. They do sell smaller sets, if you don’t want to fork over the money for all 36; I used a smaller set for years too. They really seem to last. I’ve put a hyperlink to Amazon in the image so if you click on it, it’ll jump you to the shopping page.
(I think I’ve fixed the comment problems, but holler if not; email is a.catherine.noon AT gmail.)
I have discovered the joys of Craftsy, an online school for crafting. They have fiber arts, paper arts, photography, even woodshop. I’m having a ball!
The other day, I discovered one of their Halloween kits on sale for 80% off. Wowsers. It was the Halloween Decor Kit. Not only did it come with supplies, it came with a class on how to make stuff with the supplies. I decided to give it a shot!
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| My completed banner. Is it Halloween yet? |
We learned layering and creating interest with disconnected patterns of paper. We used paper tape with a pattern so that everything would be tied together, and I even took a risk and let stuff come together asymmetrically!
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| Detail of Banner: The “S” and “P” panels |
In this one, you can see the polka dotted paper tape that ties the panels together – and, incidentally, reinforces the paper at the holes we punch in to thread the cording through. I used orange mercerized cotton from a recent weaving project.
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| Detail of Banner: The “P” and first “O” panels – is that a design off the side? |
I took a creative risk when I made these and actually had parts of the collage jut off the side of the panel. Dare we take creative risks?
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| Detail of Banner: The second “O” panel as well as “K” and “Y”. |
I became more daring as I progressed through the pieces. I used a Permanent Glue Stick from Avery for gluing the pieces; it was a very low-stress, clean way to glue things together.
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| The completed banner with the mini pieces that will help add interest to the banner. |
I love how all the colors go together and have a common theme!
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| All stacked up and ready to be put away, awaiting Halloween next year. ~sad~ |
Okay, now I’m ready for Halloween to come right now!
If you haven’t checked out Craftsy before, you should totally toddle on over there. They have some really neat classes, even some for free so you can decide if you like the platform. They have regular sales, too, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled. And best of all? You can post pictures of your projects to share with other crafters!
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| What’s In YOUR Wallet? or Bag? |
Happy Monday, Dear Reader! I’ve gotten some of my design mojo back and have been playing with some different knitting designs. This morning, as I waited for the bus, I checked the Bus Tracker tool. It said the next bus wouldn’t be there for 27 minutes. Aside from making me late for work, that meant I had time to get some knitting done.
Then, mid-row, what do I see but a bus? Holy crap. Try stuffing size 10 needles in an already over-stuffed knitting bag and grabbing everything to get onto the bus.
MONDAY!
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| WIP |
This is what I’m making with my size 10 needles. One of my books has an afghan on the cover that’s made out of triangles. I decided to take a twist on that idea and using a base of 35 stitches, make a sampler with leftover yarns and different textures.
This is a Turkish Stitch done in Lion Brand Homespun. It’s a boucle-type of yarn and difficult to see stitch definition; however, I like the less dense look of the fabric. I find the juxtaposition of the bias pull of the stitch with the decreased edge for the triangle to be an interesting opposition.
What are you working on?