Flashback Friday: Shalom Cardigan

So, I learned to knit in college and made my handy dandy felted slippers, some equally useful felted mittens and then didn't really make anything for a while. Fast forward a few years and I had just given birth to my daughter. She was nearing a year old and into everything. As with most parents of children this age much of my free time (heh, free time as a parent of a little - funny right?) was spent supervising her various pursuits to keep her from coming to harm. While necessary and at times highly amusing, there are only so many times you can watch a ten month old empty and refill the laundry basket before it loses some of it's tremendous excitement. Around this time I saw this post on the Soule Mama blog about her Shalom Cardigan. "Hey," I thought to myself, "That looks useful and snuggly. The pattern is free and my LYS has yarn. I know how to knit, I know how to purl. Never mind that I have never made a sweater and am the most sleep deprived that a person can be without violating the Geneva Convention - I can do this!"

Success! Shalom Cardigan

 Somewhat surprisingly, I did - with modifications even (with the help of much handholding by and blind faith in the project comments on Ravelry). This was also early into my discovery of Ravelry and such was my state that I didn't even record the dates of this project so I don't know how long it took. I know it took a while because mostly it was accomplished in groups of seven or ten stitches before I had to go "parent" (read: keep my daughter from wrapping dirty clothes around her neck or use chunks of cat fur as a teething toy). I have trouble describing my sense of awe when it was completed, but also the joy of having accomplished something that would stay done. This feels huge when most of your life revolves around a series of tasks that will just have to be repeated in a few hours (feeding, diapers, cleaning, laundry, lather, rinse, repeat).

Note: These pictures were taken in February of 2011, a good, oh, three years after I finished knitting the thing.

 So deep was my satisfaction, the doneness of it so completely psychologically fulfilling, that I can probably point to this little cardigan as the moment Things Got Serious between me and my knitting. From that point in 2008 on, I've pretty much always been working on something.

My daughter's idea of the perfect knitwear modeling pose from that same day. Posting it too just because I can. 

Knitting is Better than Book Reading in Waiting Rooms

There. I said it. Don't get me wrong I am an avid, and I mean avid book reader; but let me tell you that my little take along sock has changed my time in waiting rooms, outside my daughter's classes and car rides for the better. 

I used to always carry a book with me everywhere. As in, one of my biggest requirements in a purse was for it to hold a decent sized hardback book (I read enough that mostly I get books from the library which are mainly hard-backs). The problem is, while waiting in a public place theres either enough going on, or I'm sufficiently nervous that I could never really concentrate so I suffered from Same Sentence Syndrome (you know, where you just keep reading the same bit over and over because you aren't really absorbing it). Let me tell you that just reading the same thing over and over isn't actually really distracting and certainly doesn't make the time go any faster.

Horrible Picture of A Boring Navy Sock That Currently Resides In My Purse

Enter the highly portable sock. It fits in my purse like a treat and keeps me occupied without really requiring attention. I can follow and join conversations with other parents outside my daughter's classes and use up nervous energy in waiting rooms.

I've managed to finish a few pairs this way by now and it's especially helpful when knitting excessively boring plain men's socks that are going to be painful to get through in any other way. Longer wait in the dentist's waiting room today = finally past the gusset decreases on a sock for my husband. Really, if you haven't already jumped on the take-along sock bandwagon I urge you to give it a try.

In Which the Tour de Fleece and Gotland Conspire Against Me

A little more early morning spinning (about 35 minutes or so) finished off the last of my 4oz. of Gotland. Towards the last half ounce or so, I started to have Doubts. I started to worry that I was adding too much spin and decided to back off a bit. Don't ask me why I thought it was a good idea to change my spinning part way through. It seems ridiculous now as really most people don't want a skein of yarn that randomly changes part way through. All I can say to defend myself is that I was having scary Doubts and it was early in the morning. It turns out I hadn't spun the bulk of the yarn too tightly - but believe me when I say that I very much spun that last little bit too loosely. 

Look at it sitting there all pretty acting like it's not about to cause me a world full of pain.

 When I went to wind the yarn off the bobbin it began drifting apart - but not completely all at once. No, it did it every so often so I thought with some splicing I could salvage it (ha). After dealing with this I then began the process of felting it. Now here's the part where I pay for not just cutting my losses and getting rid of those drifty bits from a moment ago. You see, most of the yarn is felting beautifully, adding strength to the yarn and stabilizing the twist. The drifty, loosely spun bits? Oh, right, those are felting in the ugly, clumping, never to be torn apart again way. Le sigh.

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen.

A little bit of creative re-skeining and discarding (about 56 hours or so) I'm left with 280 yards of fingering weight that may have gotten into another tangled mess while I was trying to count strands and measure it. Let's not speak of it.

Tour de Fleece 2012

Do you know what today is? If you are a spinner (or if you read the title of this post) then you know today is the first day of the Tour de Fleece. Basically, the idea is to spin every day of the Tour de France and try to challenge yourself. This is the first year I'm participating and my goal is simply to spin every day. This is slightly more of a challenge than it sounds when you allow for the fact that I have a very, very, active four year old. 

Luckily, today being a Saturday, Daddy ran interference and took her to her swimming lesson this morning. So, between spinning some before everyone was awake and then some more while they were at the pool I managed to accomplish this... 

Spunky Eclectic Gotland "Robin Red Breast"

All told that was about two hours of spinning which used up 3 1/8 ounces of fiber. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be able to finish up the 4 ounces before the end of the Tour (making thicker yarn makes spinning go faster - noted). This is destined to become a felted singles yarn which is a technique I've never done before so I'm pretty excited (read: scared) to see how that goes.

In fact, I'm really trying to talk myself down from just trying to finish spinning it tonight. My muscles think that after twisting into awkward positions to paint our kitchen that it might be delightful to take a break this evening. Stupid muscles.

Flashback Friday: My First Knitting Project

I first learned to knit when I was in college. I took a beginners class at the Local Yarn Store. We made a few squares just to learn how to knit and purl. Then, for everyone's first project we made these...

Felted Slippers

While I'll be the first to admit they are not the most attractive slippers I have ever seen, they are surely some of the warmest. I think they are actually a genius project for beginners. Now I know some people right now are thinking, "Double pointed needles? In the round? And turning a heel? And this is a good beginners project how?" Stay with me.

You see the teacher explained that once we made these, we were fully prepared to make socks, a sweater - anything really. If we jumped in and made these in the beginning we would never have a chance to be intimidated by anything else. Of course, there is also the fact that it's a big, chunky yarn on big needles so it goes quickly and any holes or mistakes get hidden when you felt them (there were many and yes, they did get gloriously hidden). 

I can honestly say this method worked for me in a really big way. From that class onward, I've never looked at any project and thought, "Oh, that's way too complicated for me." or "I've never done this before and I'm too scared to try." I follow the directions, I make mistakes, I rip back, learn and try again. These ugly slippers are what I have to thank for that. They taught me not only how to knit and purl - but that on some level, no matter how complicated, that all knitting is just knit and purl. 

Sadly, these slippers are no more as, unattractive as they were, I loved them literally to pieces. 

Row Gauge Can't Be That Big A Deal...

I like to always have some sort of mindless knitting project. Right now this is it.

Roxborough Dolman

 Miles and miles of stockinette make for good T.V. watching. Or is it T.V. watching that makes miles and miles of stockinette bearable? Anyway, like a Very Good Knitter I did a gauge swatch and everything checked out alright. Many hours of fingering weight stockinette later, I reach the point where I've finished doing the increases and need to check how much longer to make the body before dividing for the armholes. The pattern says I need to keep knitting until I reach 16 3/4". So out comes my trusty tape measure...

Ruh roh.

I've got 17 1/2 inches just to the final increase. Now the good news is that I'm somewhat tall with a longer torso so I'm telling myself that an extra inch in length isn't going to be a big deal. For just a second though, before my brain had a chance to kick in with the logic, it was panic city. Frankly, I still have a fear that instead of looking drape-y, fun, and easy this will instead look like a big yellow and gray sack. There is only one way to find out.
Knitting onward...

What I've Been Doing for the Last Few Years

So...
It has been a long, long while since I last posted. In all honesty I haven't been doing much in the way of sketching for quite a while. Fear not, my fingers haven't been sitting idle all of this time - they've just been busy creating in a medium that is much more friendly to picking up and putting down.

Any guesses?
Here I'll give you a hint...

Mmmmm. Yarn. I've been obsessed with yarn - touching it, knitting with it, wearing it, and recently, even making it. Now, I'm also going to be blogging about it.

I still have a few old sketches that haven't made their way onto this blog and they might slowly trickle their way here; but I have even more older fiber-y projects that will certainly be showing up. The plan is to have Flashback Fridays for a while to catch up with all that I've been doing.

Now back to that picture hint. This is actually yarn that I spun from this...

Spunky Eclectic 4oz. Corriedale Club Fiber "Abstract"

Into this...

470 yards of navajo-plied light fingering weight

I cannot completely explain the sense of supreme satisfaction this gives me. I just look at it and think, "I freaking MADE this." Which, incidentally, could be a perfect name for this blog if it didn't already have one. In any case, get ready, because it's about to get sheepy up in here. 

Peony Kinshi

I actually remember drawing this last Spring. Grandma was watching my daughter and I remember it feeling so luxurious to have the time to sit and draw. When I draw, and then later look at those drawings, it almost has the same power as scent as a memory trigger for me.

Dent De Lion

Chloe's Backpack

Here's a sketch I did of Chloe's little backpack. I find that now that I'm a parent, I'm making little notes and sketches everywhere of the funny things she does and says. Most of the time it's just a quick note written in my cheap planner. Occasionally, it ends up being one of these full blown illustrations.

I find it amazing looking back at this stuff at how much of it I would have already forgotten had I not written it down somewhere.

Normally I Don't Criticize My Sketches But...

I don't like to criticize my sketches. They are just sketches in a sketchbook. Sometimes I try something and it works - other times it doesn't. Generally there is always something I learn - which is the point of a sketchbook really. I can always find something I like in any drawing I make. On the other hand I can always find something I would do differently. I refuse to go down the road of "this is awful, that is awful, I suck, blah, blah, blah". You don't want to hear that. I don't want to hear that.

With all of that being said, I am also a mother. And as a mother I must let the record show that my daughter is way cuter than this. This is creepy. My daughter is not creepy. Even when she throws a blanket over her head and says, "Boooo. I am a ghost. Run away." she is still cute and not creepy.

So there sketch. I criticize you in defense of my daughter.

Castle Tea Room Before Watercolor

Here is the Castle Tea Room just in ink. And yes this was done over a year ago. Over the next few weeks I hope to post some older sketches that just never made it to the blog.

Castle Tea Room

I've been wanting to do a series of sketches of my city's downtown area. A new year and a new larger formatted journal have made me decide no time like the present. This sketch has eaten up bits and pieces of my daughter's nap time for the past week. My favorite part of the drawing-the tree in the upper left corner added as an afterthought. Go figure.

Vanilla Extract Painting

I couldn't post this earlier because it was actually a Christmas gift for my brother and his wife. Over their last visit he looked through my sketchbook and asked if I could do a larger version of my vanilla sketch. I blew it off as him being nice until he asked about it again a month or so later. And so here is a watercolor painting (my first actually). I get nervous when I'm not doing a pen drawing first - but I think it's good to do work out of your comfort zone every once in a while.

Molly

This is an important post for a few reasons. It is the last page in my first moleskine notebook. As such it marks the first sketchbook I have completely filled. It took a few years for such a small book but it is done. I fully intend to start on another notebook soon now that the holiday craziness is dying down.

The real reason this drawing is so important to me is because it shows Molly. Molly passed away just shy of Thanksgiving after being with our family for almost 16 years. To put that into perspective Molly was a Christmas present when I was a girl and now I am married and have a child of my own. We grew up together. She was technically a dog, but had more personality than many people, and was a definite member of our family.

I love this drawing so much not because it is a picture of a dog. Not even that it is a picture of a West White Highland Terrier. I love it because it is a picture of Molly, that specific little being who is much loved and much missed.

Acorns

Here's a quick sketch of some acorns I did recently just to get back in the swing of drawing. Without realizing it I drew this the wrong direction in my moleskine - which is neither here nor there but this is how I see it since this is how I drew it. Turn your screen upside down and you'll see how it looks in my moleskine.

St. John's

I drew this in late summer when we were at a local park. The tip of this church tower just reached over the tree tops and my husband graciously chased around our daughter while I sat on a park bench and drew. I didn't have a pencil and had the drawing in public jitters so after a few lines I looked and realized it was off. Way off. Instead of scrapping the whole thing I decided to just use what lines I could and just ignore what I couldn't. So here is the slightly wonky drawing with a few extra lines with absolutely no right to be there. But you know what? I kind of like it.

Unfortunately this is the last drawing I've done in a while. In the meantime I've made a quilt, worked on a stocking for my daughter, and now am knitting slippers for her. I guess I've just been following my creativity in other directions lately. Hopefully soon I'll have some more current sketches to share.

Noodler's Ink

So for my birthday a while back I received a bottle of Noodler's Bulletproof Black Ink and a much discussed Lamy Safari fountain pen. I then did this quick sketch using both. I find I have trouble getting different line thicknesses with the Lamy but it also loosens me a up a bit too. I'll probably try again with it sometime but I can say for sure that I love my Lamy for everyday sorts of writing.

Before the Haircut

This is only the second drawing I've done in public. I notice that everything is less accurate, more loose. It's not necessarily a bad thing to occasionally get more loose even if the results are less than stellar.

Chloe's Sunglasses

Coming up are a few sketches I did over the summer that I never got around to uploading. Should be easier now that we have a new printer/scanner that is always attached to our computer.

Flag

Here's a sketch from around the 4th of July. Just a little plastic flag that was handed to my daughter when we were taking a walk downtown.

Words Chloe Can Say (Sort of...)

This drawing is a little more doodle-y than what I normally do. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do to get drawing again.

Tree Outside the Dentist

Here is a sketch from May that I never got around to posting. It was done while waiting in the lobby at the dentist. It was my first sketch I've done in a public place. Finished it up at home. Next time I'll have more recent sketches.

Lortab

So I haven't been posting (or unfortunately drawing) much recently and the reason for that has been illness. So apparently when you get the chickenpox the virus stays in your system. And then can decide one day, hey, the last time we made geeky girl miserable was what, 20 some years ago. That is not acceptable. We've got to get going now, only this time, we're bringing the PAIN. And this, my friends, is shingles. Boo. I got it about a month ago, and frankly I've been fine for a few weeks but just haven't gotten on top of drawing again yet. But I promise I will start drawing and posting again soon.

Pictures of Bag

By request here are some pictures of my bag. Anyone who wants to is free to draw this bag for any EDM Challenge, artistic pursuit or just general love of bags.

Chloe Mix Container

I found this Cheerios container a while back. It's now filled with whatever dry snacks happen to make up the current batch of Chloe mix. The drawing was going fine until my cat decided she needed to climb into my lap and help. Kind of hard to keep the concentration going for all of the little text on the left side. But I kind of enjoy when I'm not in love with a drawing because then I can have fun experimenting with the paint without worrying that I'm going to "ruin" a good drawing. 

Comments

Just a quick post to thank everyone who has been stopping by and commenting. It's really great motivation to keep drawing. So thanks everyone! Also, by request, I'll be posting a photo of my bag as soon as I get a moment to take the pictures...

Chloe Mix

After the keys I needed to draw something a little less... intense. Thus a drawing of cheerios and goldfish crackers. 

Keys

Here's the tag inside my bag and my keys. This drawing made me realize that I probably don't need two carabiners on my keychain. An updated drawing would show that I've tossed the cheap green one with the compass that doesn't work and the light that's burnt out. Drawing as a means to clean and get rid of clutter. Who knew? 

Green Purse

This is my green purse and it is nearly perfect. It holds my sidekick in one pouch, (you can see the case for it), and my moleskine and pens in the other (which you can't see as I'm using them to draw). It's the perfect depth to hold my wallet, some watercolors, an ipod and even a decent sized hardback (I always carry a book with me, it's a sickness really). There's a flap in the back that holds my datebook. The strap is serious enough that I can attach my keys and sigg bottle full of water to it without a problem. I love this bag.

Green Chair - Part Two

Here is another view of the green chair. I like how it looks a little abstract up close.

And here are both pages together. It's the first time I've done a spread across both pages.

Green Chair - Part One

Here is the slouchy green chair in my living room. This is my first spread that sort of goes over two pages. I'll post the second half tomorrow. 

India Stamps

Sometimes I want something in my sketchbook. Sometimes I know what I want in my sketchbook will be somewhat of a pain to draw. At that point, whether I want to or not, I know I will be drawing said object because it's not good to back down from a drawing challenge... and I'm stubborn. And so I present the stamps from India. My mala came in an envelope covered with these stamps.

Mala Beads

I've been setting small goals for myself. My first goal was to meditate every day for 30 days. When I accomplished that I drew this drawing. Right now my goal is to draw at least 4 days a week. Stay tuned to see if I can keep it up...

Tufted Titmouse

I find that having an unknown amount of time to work on a drawing (limited by how long naptime lasts) is adding a looseness to my drawings. It's a balance between keeping things simple, quick, and loose but not letting things devolve into frantic scribbles. 

Lamp Harp

To help get me back in the swing of things I'm occasionally referring to the EDM challenge list. I had already drawn a lamp previously in my sketchbook so I decided to draw the same lamp from different angle.

Pear and Baby Spoon

So this is the first sketch I did in 2009. Getting back into the swing of things now that I can do a quick sketch now that the baby girl is finally taking a nap regularly. I did a very rough blocking of the outline of the spoon and pear in pencil and then dove in with my pen. Felt pretty wonderful to get something on paper again.

Iron Pills

Pregnancy, severe morning sickness, anemia, uterine inversion, then newborn = 1 sketch in all of 2008. And let me just say I'm proud of even doing that. 

Ladybugs, The Sequel

Another sketch from 2007. And the ladybugs congregated at our house last fall as well.

Ladybug

This drawing is actually from way back in 2007. I got pregnant, got sick and basically didn't draw much for the rest of the year. I had the baby, had a very serious complication, and again didn't really draw much for another year. Slowly I've made my way back to drawing. Over the next week or so I'll be posting old drawings while I start scanning in my new stuff. I'm trying to keep the habit going so hopefully there will be more to see soon...

The State of the Blog

Probably time for another update. Pregnancy is not being kind to the geeky girl. Got over the extreme morning sickness to feel ok for a while then started getting tired. Really tired. Kind of dizzy too. That's normal right? Right?
Apparently not. Had bloodwork done that came back that I am quite anemic. I am now taking insane amounts of iron and just generally taking it easy. Nothing too serious, just unpleasant and draining. Hopefully in a few more weeks the iron will finish kicking in and I'll be up and going again.
Over the course of the last few months I've only managed to do a few drawings but I'll slowly get those posted.

The Swing of Things

This is a little sketch a I did a little while ago just to try to get back in the swing of sketching. Not really of anything in particular. I think I was watching something on the Discovery channel showing henna tattoos and later when I decided to doodle this came out.

A Quick Update

It's been a while since I last posted due to the awful "morning" sickness I've been dealing with for the past few months. It's slowly starting to get better. My husband and I are very excited and happy about this pregnancy and upcoming baby. As I'm starting to feel better I hope to start sketching on a more regular basis again soon. Thanks for people's kind comments and hopefully there will be more pretty (or not) pictures on here soon. Stand by...

Speaks For Itself Really...

Gaillardia Grandiflora

I did this drawing a few weeks ago in my front yard in humid, 90 degree weather. It's hard to stay focused in such conditions. I wasn't quite able to capture the vibrancy of the the reddish-brown color but I like the blotchiness. Gives it a little more life.

To New Zealand