What's New?

Well, there is a whole lot of new things goin' on around here. First of all, i finally brought the van down to The Paper Sparrow to pick up my most special birthday present from my daughter Kate. Last Summer we had the good fortune to meet a local artist, Lorraine Bowen. She sells many of her delightful paintings at my daughter's shop. Anyway, i happened to go to her website, and saw a painting called "Ox" and fell in love...(I love anything bovine, but have a special soft spot for soft brown cows with those big sweet cow eyes...) When i told Lorraine that i especially loved that painting she told me it was big...but i had no idea HOW big. (Here it is, sitting on my couch, waiting for me to make a final decision on what wall it will be hung) Well, months went by and my daughter told me she had a special surprise for my birthday. When she dragged this big square package wrapped in brown paper out of the gallery space in her shop i had no idea it was the Ox painted by Lorraine. This truly was a big surprise! Katie told me Lorraine and her Mother were both a little sad to part with this painting. But i hope seeing it in my home will make them feel a little better. It is a well loved addition to my growing art collection! Not real sure where it will go yet, but i am down to either a nice sunny yellow wall in the sun room, OR center stage on my warm, cocoa colored walls in my kitchen. (Somehow i can't help but feel this little Ox will be happier in the kitchen...but we'll see...) When we do decide where it is going, i'll take another picture of it in it's official home space. Thank you Katie! Thank you Lorraine! I LOVE it!

Another new member of my doll and teddy collection is Ned, from Teddy Bear's Wednesday ~ Jess McCoughey. This little guy is a little more "portable" and will also be a much loved addition to my home. Thanks Jess! So happy you have an Etsy shop now! Keep makin' those teddies!
These are two of my Mother Earth paper dolls. I take copies of photos of women i support thru Kiva.org and make little paper sculptures of them, to raise awareness of the fantastic job Kiva does. I am making these to display at The Paper Sparrow at the next Troy Night Out, where my Mother and I will be the featured artists! It will be the first Mother~Daughter art show at the shop. We will be showing our matted and framed paintings ~ mostly watercolor, and a few acrylics and collages... You are all officially invited to attend the show opening on January 30th, 5:00 till???
And i'm still baking that bread! Here are two loaves of french boule cooling on the rack... yum!

On the needlework front, i finally made a slightly more complicated sweater. This one and the little hat to match will be given as a gift for a newborn baby girl who has just become a part of our extended family!

And this little sweater/jacket is a basic beginner's sweater. The colors don't show up very well in this photo(i truly need a new camera) but it is a nubby yarn with shades of pink, rose, raspberry, grey and white. I used a vintage mother of pearl button to close it at the neck. I still need to wash and block this little sweater before it is ready to go.

And last but not least, i am ALMOST done with my first mitten! WOOHOO! It is actually my umpteenth try at mittens.... The first few tries i tore out the cuff twice because of mistakes in the ribbing. Then when i was finally half way thru the first mitten, my puppy Pollyanna got a hold of it and decided to play tug of war with her sister Zinnia with it...That was discouraging... Anyway, all i need to do is finish the thumb and i have one mitten down, 1 more to go!

I am very proud of my stitches in this project. When i first started knitting, my stitches were all over the place, but i am finally pulling it together. Again, the color is washed out of this shot but it does show my neat little stitches...(again, i really need a new camera ...) So, that's it for now...Time to start a few new projects(and get that second mitten done!)

New Knits

I am continuing to practice my new skill, and have a lovely model to show these new creations to you....

This is the first sweater i made actually being WORN by my granddaughter Lola. This was my goal to be accomplished by the end of this year - to make a baby sweater for Lola.

It is by no means perfect, but i am very pleased with it.

I have a lot of work to do as far as perfecting my seaming technique, but that will come with time and practice, just like anything else...

I got this pattern free online here if you are interested in trying it. It is made up of rectangular pieces knit in garter stitch, and sewn together into this little kimono style sweater. I plan to make dozens of these little sweaters, all in different colors and sizes and different types of yarn...

I made this hat up in a few evenings, from a pattern i found in the book:

Debbie Bliss: Baby Knits for Beginners

So cute!

Knitting Away!

Here it is...my first hand knitted baby sweater!

And i am amazed... I have talked about learning to knit for years, and have always said i would get to it "someday...." Well, that day is here! After 4 weeks of beginner knitting class I have finished my first ever baby sweater, and am almost finished with the second one! It is a very basic pattern, all squares and rectangles sewn together. The sweater above is done in garter stitch, with a single crocheted edging.

And this turquoise sweater is the very same simple pattern done with a garter stitch edging and the body of it is done in stockinette stitch. I still need to sew some seams and do some finishing touches on this one.

Here is the first hat i made with knitting needles (I've made plenty of them using a loom) The second hat is well on the way and should be finished tonight. I am using a self striping yarn and i LOVE it! It makes the piece look so much more complicated that it really is. I had nothing to do with the color pattern. The yarn did it all! When i am ready to move up to more complicated projects, i'd love to try socks with this type of yarn...

I tried to get my hat model to sit still for the camera, but you know how it is....

I can see with each project that my stitches are more consistent and uniform. But boy do i need practice in seaming! My knitting teacher Linda suggested that i make up some squares and practice the seaming techniques on those. She really is a brilliant teacher! Thanks so much Linda... You helped me to reach my first goal of making a baby sweater. I'm having so much fun!

Latest Projects (Knitting and Jewelry)

Well, just a week into my new "schedule" and i am liking it! I decided i needed to be more productive with my work and have decided that Mondays are jewelry making days, Wednesdays are fiber days, and Fridays are dedicated to painting. I wish this meant that i could lock myself up in my studio first thing in the morning and emerge hours later with a few new masterpieces on these days, but hey, i gotta save some time for life too! So i am making sure i dedicate at least one hour a day to these aspects of my creative life. It sounds like it should be easy, but...

Anyway, here is the latest in the jewelry and knitting department....

My newest serpentine bracelet nestles in Buddha's hand. The colors are deep and rich mossy greens, greys and ochers. The clasp is sterling silver

Here are a few pair of earrings. More chalcedony with sterling silver wires, and some green peacock fresh water pearls, and tiger iron beads, hung on gold filled lever back ear wires...

Mixed turquoise nuggets, some real rough and some more polished, are hand chained together and held with an oversized sterling silver lobster claw clasp.

More of those peacock green fresh water pearls strung with a sliced shell centerpiece, and sterling silver fish hook clasp. The necklace and matching earrings sit on a bed of amethyst...

here is a picture of the back of the centerpiece, which can be worn either way...

i really like the sheen on that piece of shell...

In the knitting department...LOOK WHAT I MADE! I still have to sew the seam together , but you can actually tell it is a baby hat! The wonderful world of knitting has opened up for me! And i could never have done this without my wonderful knitting teacher, Linda Lange, who teaches knitting classes at The Paper Sparrow This may not look like much to you, but it is the first time i have actually been able to read a pattern, and make something in knitting with needles other than a square or rectangle! Thank You Linda!

And for my latest project and one of my goals for the year...make a baby sweater. This one is all in garter stitch and is the easiest pasttern i could find on the internet. Once i get this one done and put together, i'm going to try to make a fancier sweater for Lola and then one for Seth. Wish me luck!

Peace and Quiet (There's No Place Like Home)

Well, the major rehab work in the house is finally done! We have moved out of the Holiday Inn Express, which magically turned into the Ramada Inn literally overnight while we were staying there. And tho our three week stay there was, well, pleasant, there really is no place like home! This morning i grabbed my cup of coffee and went out on the deck to sit in the rare weekend sunshine and soak up the late Summer warmth...

I started taking a beginner's knitting class at The Paper Sparrow, and am amazed at how fast i am learning this new art. My Grandmother Mary taught me how to knit...just knit, when i was young but i never learned how to DO anything with the skill. ( I crochet and work all my knitting on the looms) My goal is to make a sweater for Lola before she is an adult, and Seth wants a sweater with an alien on it...Hmmm...that may take some time, but i will try! My next goal is to get good enough to make this:

I bought this pattern from Barbara from Fuzzy Mittens. You can find her Etsy shop here for more beautiful knitting patterns...After that-the sky is the limit! Before i sat down to do some serious knitting homework, i thought i would take some pictures of some of the things that caught my attention this morning...

Some hen and chicks i forgot to actually plant in the planter...Tho judging by the way they are flowering, they seem happy ....

The baby Japanese Maples

and the Japanese maples in training (pre bonsai) are starting to turn color already from all the rain we've had and the cool crisp night air....

One of our favorite pre bonsai, our Jacaranda tree, has fully recovered from an attack by aphids earlier this Summer....

And Bill spent some time sitting in the sun..something he loves to do and something we have just been too busy to take time for....

Yep...everything just seems so calm and peaceful...There really is no place like home....