"Exquisite Corpse" socks

My Aunt is an artist in Sudbury, MA.  Her studio is located in the next town over and she often has shows and does other activities with her studio mates.  Last spring break I took my older girls out for a visit with her and her family, and one of the days we had a chance to visit her studio.

While we were there, she showed us a series of sketches she developed with her studio mates based off the game, "exquisite corpse".  They eventually each created an art piece based off their sketches and put on a show - it was amazing to see their pieces in the studio! 

Inspired by the collaboration, chance, and randomness of this game, my girls and I designed and knit up a pair of exquisite corpse socks for my Aunt to wear and enjoy.

I put all my sock leftovers on the couch, covered them with a towel and asked each girl to select three colors/yarns at random.  I kept their choices hid from one another until after their selections were complete too.

These are the six colors, plus unifying calf, heel, and toe gray color.

And these are the resulting socks!

We sent them out to my Aunt with a letter explaining our work and a hope that she'd at least admire them, of not wear them.  They were a huge hit!  I think that we can say objectively that they are not the most attractive socks, but they have a story and meaning.



















In thinking about this project, there are many different directions you could take it - maybe switch up the stitch patterns, but keep the same color throughout, or switch colors and stitch patterns every time.  The possibilities are endless!

Sewing + Beading

This summer I managed to get a bit of time behind the sewing machine.  Currently we are remodeling so everything is mostly packed away, but I had two kits to use and a couple of free days over the summer when I could set up my machine at the dining room table and go to town.

The quilt is Geese on the Prairie by One Canoe Two.  I purchased the kit from Caftsy.  The table runner was a kit (although I did not purchase the online classes) from Craftsy too, this one is True Colors.

Both the table runner and living room quilt are with a quilter at the moment, and I am excitedly awaiting their return to me for finishing.  I am excited to see what Heather of Blue Turtle Quilting will do with these two projects.  Per my request she will quilt and trim the projects.  She will also attach the binding strips (which I made in advance), but I will hand finish them at home.  I also get the joy and excitement of washing and drying them for the final reveal.

I have another kit in the works from Missouri Star Quilts - Merrily Christmas quilt by Gingiber for Moda.  I have many of the pieces cut and a few blocks made, but the rest will likely have to wait until Christmas 2018.  This remodeling project (which we are doing ourselves at this point) will take many more months to complete.

My other summer creative project was the necklace below.  One of my daughters loves pottery and beading and luckily we have the absolutely best pottery and beading studio just down the street from us.  My daughter took a one-week day camp at Fine Earth Studio and Gallery, and I got to come along to play, design, and make for an afternoon.  What a treat.

(2.5) of (4) French Hens

These adorable french hens are staring to populate our house.  I've completed 2.5 and have them on hold for a bit.  I just might need to give myself until the holidays to finish the last two - wouldn't they make perfect stuffers, though?

Each of my daughters is getting one that is unique, but using the same three colors.  They are just adorable.  Yarn is from my stash; pattern is by Susan B. Anderson, published in Taproot Magazine.

WI Sheep and Wool Festival

I was lucky to get a day away this past weekend to attend the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival.  I attended the festival last year and enjoyed myself.  A lot.  So this year I expanded on my festival experience by taking a class taught by the very talented Mo Brown (owner of The Cat and the Crow yarn shop in Mount Horeb, WI).

This was another dying class.  And while the basic process was the same as the other class I took in the summer, the techniques we used were very, very different.  This was specifically a sock yarn dying class, and we went from undyed, superwash wool, machine knit sock blanks to skeins of hand dyed yarn.

Some contrasts to the other class include: using syringes instead of brushes to apply the dye, using a microwave instead of steam heat to set the dye, and working with a knit fabric instead of loopy skeins of wool.

I am really happy with the two skeins I brought home - one is an experiment in gradation, going from dark purple to light and back to a dark red-purple again.

The other is (hopefully) full of long color repeats of blue, green, gray, black and orange.














I found the class very inspriational, and was quite taken by the approaches of the other students.  A few treated their sock blanks as canvasses, painting elaborate pictures on them.  What is amazing is that work become hidden once the yarn is wound, and then knit up into a project.  But the artists' intent remains: a secret wish, or hidden message, if you will.  Like a whisper, those 'paintings' were utttered and then will disappear into the wind.

I didn't make any elaborate paintings, but I did find myself fantasizing about hidden messages in a hand knit project.  Don't you think a yarn blank could (literally) be printed with messages about love, peace and joy and knit up into something beautiful?  What about including messages of social justice or protest?  Civil disobedeince as public art!  Craftivism!

I did some browsing after the class, but came home with only one kit - the Pippa and Poppy dresses by the talented ladies at Ewetopia.  They are absolutly adorable!  I've cast on for a first dress, with hopes of completing three more (one for each of my girls) by next spring.  

p.s.  I'm also in love with Ariana and Roaslind and might have to splurge in the new year.

Yarn Painting



my four hand-painted skeins.

This past weekend I was lucky to attend a yarn painting workshop given by Sandy Jones of Sandy's Palatte at Shake Rag Alley in Mineral Point, WI.  What a fantastic afternoon! 

[Mineral Point, an old mining town, is worthy of its own photo shoot.  Many of the original Cornish-built, miners' homes have been restored and there is thriving arts community to round it all out.]

Yarn dying is a dirty, hot business.  And one best not done at home with curious hands about.  For this reason alone I am excited that I was able to get away and try it in a space where I didn't have to worry about anything (except for what colors I wanted to try!)

undyed worsted weight wool

We started with skeins of wool and roving.  Dipped in a bucket of warm water, they are soaked to prepare them to take the dye.  


empty dye jars.
dye will be shelf-stable if not used for up to a few months.

We started mixing dyes (vinegar, dye, and boiling water) in mason jars, and practiced mixing colors on coffee filters.  They bleed nicely and let you guesstimate how two adjoining colors will blend.  Then the fun began.  We painted to our hearts content, completing as many skeins as we wanted.  It was hard to start - the fear that I would create something that would simply turn out brown was high - but once I began I didn't want to stop.  The possibilities are truly endless.


last skein (sock weight) in bright colors.
 what's going to happen with all the white space?

After painting, the skeins are wrapped up in plastic wrap and steamed for about an hour.  Then they are removed from their casing, rinsed (being sure not to agitate, lest you felt them!), and hung to dry.

three of four skeins after steaming and rinsing.

In a mere 3.5 hours I created 4 one-of-a-kind, non-reproducible skeins from which to knit two pairs of socks and two hats. I am so excited to start knitting a project using my custom-painted yarns!!  I can see how custom painting yarns is addictive.  But given the little people in my life it is not something that I will begin doing at home.  I am, however, interested in taking another class and painting more yardage in a particular color blend.  Lucky for me Sandy has said that she's open to hosting one or two day-long dying workshops in the fall and next spring too.

Over the weekend I also bound-off the bottom edge of my Current cardigan!!  Now...on to the sleeves.

Acorns

It's fall around here, and inspiration is everywhere.



I made these up one night last week while hanging out with friends. It was my first try at needle felting. Can't say I am a huge fan, but it sure was fun to try something new. It was very simple: I waded up the roving and punched it with the needles until it was roughly acorn-shaped. Then I snipped off one end, filled the acorn cap with glue, and stuck the wool in. Simple, colorful and festive.

While it seems like a great project to do with kids, I wouldn't advise using the felting needles (ouch!) with small children. The little ones did help me collect the acorns, and acorn tops, however. If you wanted to involve kids, maybe you could give this a try with wet felting instead? I imagine you could similarly wad up the roving, felt it in your hands with a bit of hot water, and let them dry before gluing them into the tops.



The roving is from a trip to Stitches Midwest 2009, from the Village Spinning and Weaving Shop, and I love the color assortment. I was thinking these colors would also make a lovely necklace of small wool beads - or a garland of larger ones.

Not sure I like it, but I made it.

It was a small experiment - well, that's a generous word for it I suppose. I had pent up energy, and the kids were running wild, and instead of taking them to the park (like I should have) I told them to play downstairs while I hid in my space upstairs cutting, threading and sewing.

The result is probably an accurate reflection of my excited and rushed process. No measuring, no sketching beforehand. And the fact that I wasn't settled or quiet or peaceful when making this shines through to me. I don't know if I like it. But I made it. And it will hang around somewhere. If only as a reminder that I can still be myself, even in the middle of the sometimes-tornado that raising kids creates.

I like the graduation in color from ground, to grass, to horizon to sky. I like the silver thread I used to quilt the design. The background fabric is soft and has a beautiful weight to it and the backing is a light grey - I even added a hanging pocket. But when I put it all together and hang it on the wall it just doesn't quite work. Can't put my finger on why. I'm not sure I like it. But I made it.

The olden days, hand-me-downs, and some thoughts

This past weekend DH and I took a long day away. We did a similar trip last summer too - maybe this will be a tradition for us? This year we hit the road and went west, toward the (say it with me...) M-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-i River.

We made many stops along the way, but our destination was Stonefield, a historic site dedicated to re-creating the agricultural life that dominated southwestern Wisconsin a century and a quarter ago. We mostly explored the rural farming village, wandering in and out of the blacksmith shop, the carpenter/undertaker shop, and the general store. Then, a small shop caught my fancy - the millinery. I loved stepping inside and seeing the fashion of yesteryear. Animal ethics aside, what I wouldn't give to wear a hat with a big feather sticking out the top!! And just check out those hat pins too. I loved looking at all the supplies in the shop, along with the homesteading staples found at the general store. For info. on the history of Clark's Mile End check here.







The following day a neighbor brought over a big box of hand-me-down clothes and inside was a lovely treasure - a hand knit sweater. I promptly asked my neighbor about the sweater, certain that it was in the box by mistake and she would surely want it back. But no, it was actually a hand-me-down to her from a friend and she said her friend didn't even recall where she picked it up.

The individual that made this sweater knew it would be worn by an active child and created it accordingly. The fit is snug, but not restrictive. The yarn is a washable wool. The buttons are securely fastened. Whoever made this also knew a thing or three about sweater construction - the seams and button bands are lovingly perfect. The design details and color are nice too; especially on my purple-loving girls.

Amazing that it should come to us on a cool, breezy summer day - the sweater was immediately worn and loved.





- - - - - - - - - - -

Some slightly incoherent, dis-jointed, and not necessarily on-point thoughts:

I could wax and wane here about the history of art, the history of craft, the handmade and homesteading. However, I think that in even considering these ideas, and sharing photos, I am saying a lot about what I value from the past and what those actions/ideas/lessons hold for us in the current day.

I don't knit clothes for my family because I have to; because my husband will get frostbite if he doesn't have decent wool stockings. I do it because it brings me joy and a sense of fulfillment. The same holds true in our home for woodworking, gardening, sewing and preserving. So why do we do it? Because the process of doing...making, making do, mending, creating...ties us to the physical process, and resulting tangible goods, from our predecessors. When we make it brings forth their art, which so often doubled as a necessity, and places it centrally in our lives.

Do I live a less 'authentic' life then they did? I think you could make the case that is true. I don't always wear/eat/use the things I create, which means I have time to make things I don't necessarily need. I do these things - the things they needed to do to survive - as a hobby and artistic expression. But that doesn't mean that I honor or enjoy them any less. Indeed, our life is the fuller because of it.

I remember sitting at our dinner table when I was a teenager and my Dad saying things like, "This broccoli [or insert any number of other vegetables here] is from our garden!" I rolled my eyes, smiled awkwardly, totally embarrassed by my Dad's happiness. What I didn't know! How foolish I was! Much to his dismay, I am sure, I am repeating his phrase at our own dinner table now.

Admittedly my contributions are small in comparison but I still can say, "This salad mix is from our garden" and it fills me with a similar sense of joy (pride?). I hope our girls will be spared my teenage ignorance. I hope they will come to value the handmade and handgrown that surrounds them. I hope they will understand that our society didn't spring out of nothing, fully formed, fully wired. That we are who we are because of those that came, struggled, persevered, and created, before us.

And lest I forget to mention it, much of what I enjoy, specifically knitting, has traditionally been termed 'women's work.' The kind of work that for generations has been considered oppressive and isolating, either due to the shear physical labor, or by the hidden and subjugated nature of it, by my academic colleagues.

And as a feminist scholar how to I reconcile the apparent contradiction in what I study and what I enjoy doing? I know there is a new movement underfoot, you can look here, here and here, and I think I am a part of it. But my scholarship and my craft don't intersect on paper or in my pocketbook; I don't write about my craft, nor do I profit from it. But I do both. I write about gender diversity, equity and inclusion, and I knit.

Melissa has also written about feminism and aprons. You can read her thoughts here.

The aliens have landed!

Awhile back Melissa and I arranged a barter through her fabulous marketplace. She asked for a crayon roll for her son's birthday. Here's what I sent off in the mail last week.

It was much smaller than the pencil rolls I have worked on, so it took some tinkering to get the dimensions just right, but I think it turned out really well. The only hitch was that I intended to make one sized for the large-size triangle crayons. But when I tested them out they didn't behave well in a roll and were awkward to carry around. I had more success when I downsized to the regular-sized triangular crayons. I hope it loves it.

My favorite part is the exterior fabric. The aliens look so fun and friendly!

She wanted her own.

My youngest loves coloring, especially when her big sisters are around and doing it too. Recently there was a squabble over the colored pencil rolls and I knew it was time to make a third. I'm really happy with how this one turned out; my sewing and assembly skills are improving little by little.

The basic pattern is from LMPQG, but I made a roll that only has 12 pockets. I used a linen fabric from the stash for the exterior, fabric scraps for the interior, and an old flannel receiving blanket for the batting. The ribbon is also from the stash, and while it's not my first color choice, I was determined to use up what I have rather than run to the store to buy something new.





The pencils pictured are from Melissa & Doug. They are awesome. They are big, sturdy and shaped like triangles (to minimize rolling off table tops!) I highly recommend spending the extra couple dollars to a nice set, rather than the cheap ones on sale. I can't believe it's taken me this long to learn this lesson: it helps everyone when I get the nicer art supplies for the kids. Less frustration on their part, and fewer trips to the store to purchase replacement supplies on my part. While I spent a bit more on these sets I know that they will last for quite some time.

I made this roll earlier this month, but I would like to add it to the idea book challenge hosted by Rebekah. I own the book and pulled it off the shelf when it was time to make this little project.

Second Birthday

My youngest turned two years old this past weekend. Hard to believe that my little baby isn't so little anymore, and she most certainly isn't a baby anymore. She's a toddler thru and thru; playing an endless game of keep-up with her older sisters. On her birthday we kept asking her, "how old are you today?" and she'd reply with a firm, "FOUR years old." I wish I could explain to her that there's no rush, no race to grow up. Stay young forever was my wish when she blew out her candles.

This was another low-key birthday in our household with only my parents and one uncle in attendance at our small party. The afternoon was full of homemade, however. Homemade cupcakes, birthday crowns and presents. My mom and my other daughters made the cupcakes and my mom also sewed her a cute little corduroy jumper with a star-and-moon print. My SIL made her a wonderful handmade doll, and sent it up from Tennessee.

I did manage to squeeze a quick crown-making session on the morning of her birthday. I had the forethought to cut extra pieces when I was making these, but never assembled it. It didn't take anytime at all and all three girls looked great wearing their crowns all day.

As for presents, we gave her this book, and this book. And earlier in the week I shoved all else off my plate in honor of making her a faux butterfly specimen case. I saw one just like it here (there are lots more links for other inspiration there too) and knew my daughter (we?) needed one too. It's perfect in her room and she literally jumped out of her seat when she saw it. "Budfry, budfry, budfry" she chanted as we all gazed on in wonder at this little ones uncontrollable enthusiasm.

The project took no time at all really. The most labor-intensive part was marking the foam mat so I could place the butterflies in neat rows and columns. I did this with a template made from a paper grocery bag, cut to the size of the mat. Then I drew grid lines on the bag and poked holes through it, leaving a mark on the mat at each intersection of the grid lines. That let me center the foam dots that are below each butterfly.

The butterflies are made with a butterfly punch (ala Martha) and the display case I found on clearance a couple months ago. The covers of my back issues of Cooking Light and Knit Simple provided the colorful paper for the butterflies themselves. If you look closely you'll see knit fabric, polka dots and even a red onion on the wings of the butterflies.

The V&A

I absolutely adore this museum. I desperately want to go again someday.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/fashion/features/knitting/index.html

Freezer Paper Stenciling Tutorial

My brilliant friend over at Tigerlily Tinkering has posted a great tutorial for freezer paper stencils. She makes a mean turtle! Go and check it out...it is sure to make an artist out of all of us. Although I am too hectic at the moment to give it a try, it is certainly on my back 'project to try ' burner for a cold winter day!

http://tigerlilytinkering.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotta-pass-it-on.html

Wall hanging complete (Version 2)

I've been taking a break from sewing and knitting as there are pressing deadlines looming for school: conference papers, fellowship applications and my dissertation proposal. I'm off to sunny FL in early November for the annual ASHE conference, the two fellowship applications are due in just a couple weeks and I submitted the first draft of my dissertation proposal to my advisor this past week. I am now anxiously awaiting feedback to see how much farther I must go before scheduling a proposal defense date (hopefully before December 15th). Once I leap that hurdle I will officially become a dissertator.


However, my in-laws came for a visit this past weekend - partially to help celebrate a first birthday for our youngest. In a rush to get ready I finished up this wall hanging and put it up. I am very happy with how it turned out. I even put two back hanging pockets on it, but no label yet. These crazy 9-patches are the remaining six blocks from my earlier work, what I consider Version 1. Also, now that I've got the hang of binding strips I think that I will take that other one back from my Mom and re-work it. Hope you all have a good week - I'll be putting my nose to the keyboard, so to speak.

Art Fair on (and off!) the Square

What a lovely Sunday at Art Fair on the Square – the weather was perfect, the crowd was moving at a good pace and the art was incredible. Dan and I escaped the kiddos for a couple of hours and wandered around. We did purchase one giclee print (pictured here), “The Fireflies” by Hilary Berg; she was participating in Art Fair off the Square. Dan has a cherry wood frame that he made in a woodworking class last fall and it is the perfect size for this print. Now, to get a mat cut, some glass and to hang it…I think it will wind up in our bedroom which has some blue tones. This year I was absolutely taken by all the drawings, prints and paintings featuring trees. I am not sure why – Dan first noticed it and when he said something it just clicked, yeah, he was right. Maybe it has something to do with putting down roots in our new home over this past year? Here is a smattering of the artists whose work I especially enjoyed.

http://hilaryberg.googlepages.com/
http://www.marvin-hill-art.com/
http://www.hawksbillpottery.com/
http://www.lauranugent.com/
http://www.artglyphs.com/
http://www.nickwroblewski.com/
http://www.leahevanstextiles.com/