PROGRESS REPORT 33

A L I S A

I really love combining techniques in creating my puppets and dolls. I am currently working on a budgie doll and decided I wanted to weave the wings. I've used a sewing ham to secure the warp and then packing the weave tightly to create a woven shape. I really love that I can create these types of shapes. 

J E N N E

Heading into Autumn, feeling the need to make some warm woolies for everyone.  Wool socks are a necessity and not cheap, but somehow over the years I have amassed a stash of quite a lot of sock yarn and it makes more sense to just make them this year.   Its the first time I have made socks completely from math and measurements and though they look pointy they fit my kid better than any other socks I have made for myself from a pattern.  I love this time of year, the slowing down and working on home projects and turning a bit inwards, it suits my hermit-y craft pursuits.  

PROGRESS REPORT 29

J E N N E

A reknitted/revision. I had this little vest along with me while traveling all of last month and realized my daughter is just growing too fast for my knitting, that I need to add another 3 inches at least to make it a "dressvest" as requested. But it "has to end with the pink and then the blue" so I found another ball of Noro Kureyon and unknit it and am now adding length with the green yarn. Its nice to have a constant companion of a project like this one while contemplating the new possibilities of moving north - new energy, new directions. How to incorporate the forest into craft? How to marry the same divine presence felt in a redwood circle to the effortless energy of weaving weft into warp?  How to keep learning, keeping your mind and your hands happy. Planning, reknitting, revisioning.  

A L I S A

I have been working on homework for my spinning class a lot lately - it's just that time of year. Anyway, it's not very exciting to photograph or talk about. It's very methodical and specific… I'm taking a little break with some more freeform stuff. Finishing making some dolls that I've had kicking around for awhile. I'm very excited about the combination of techniques and materials I'm able to use - paper, weaving, crochet and, likely, some fabric too. Here's a little peek of a siamese cat I'm making.

PROGRESS REPORT 26

A L I S A

I finally finished and blocked my Camino de Santiago cowl by Danielle Kassner. I started it last year when I was visiting Cal at Hodge Podge Farm. It's made out of a variety of yarns from my stash and is super warm and cushy and perfect for the impending winter. It's done in tapestry crochet and I have to say that this is one of my favourite techniques. I cannot wait to use it more and make up my own patterns. The only thing about it was that it was a difficult project to carry around because there was a chart and several balls of yarn on the go at once. I'm thinking of digging out my fingerless mitts to finish - a pattern by the same designer. 

J E N N E

Last week I almost totally destroyed my left hand in a fall at my daughter's school. Thankfully, after xrays nothing was deemed broken, just a lot of pain, bruising, and a sprain. My doctor's prescription was normal daily activity in moderation, and when I explained that that for me was alot of handwork she said yes. My hands were used to the work and it was important to keep the muscles moving in the ways they are used to. Alisa sent me a message that Laboradite would be a good stone to hold in my hand to help heal, so I spent the last week weaving and knitting on this vest, alternating with rest holding my favorite blue flashy stone in hand. And today my hand is so purple, turning yellow, in the clearing up stages of bruising and looks terrible but feels totally normal. Thank you craft. Thank you hands.

PROGRESS REPORT 22

J E N N E

I love weaving.  The rhythm and the wordless consideration of what color change to do or how far to pull the clasped weft is meditation for me.  I love weaving at night it is the perfect way to end the day and I love waking up in the morning and peeking in my studio to see the colors in the sunlight.  The warp is still crazy, and last night two warp threads broke so I was up super late getting through the rough parts.  No big deal,  tie on a connector through the heddle and move on.  In my mind I was hoping to get to this technicolor place, the warp creating a background of light and dark (there is some brown in the honeycomb color yarn)  and this is exactly it.  

A L I S A

I finally finished my Pop Spots Siamese Cat shawl and I love it! I decided to put a crocheted edging on it instead of the knitted one called for in the pattern, mostly because I love crochet and love adding it to knitting. I was chose a clover pattern which goes with the personal theme of this scarf (I even added a four leaf clover as a surprise). I was getting a little worried towards the end that it wasn't going to be very big as the pattern structure is quite collapsable, but it blocked out quite a lot. I just love how big and cozy this shawl is and how my nearest and dearest had a huge hand in the making of it. It's going to be my fall go to.

PROGRESS REPORT 19

J E N N E

Finish what you start...9 years later.  I handspun the green and pink and white yarn in 2004, and started this little sweater for a little girl who just started 6th grade this year.  Ahem.  I have made Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket many times in the past, but in this one I lost track of where I was and it sat in a box for a very long time.  Lately I have been super busy with the daily tasks of life and not able to do anything in the studio at all, save for pick up on projects that I can work on where I could figure out where I left off and work on around my daughter.  With a little improvising I finished this sweater which is more like a short sleeved vest now for my daughter (yes, the intended recipient is in 6th grade!)  but I feel really good about at least getting this project off the needles.  Finish what you start.  To celebrate I started a few little felt strawberries that M is going to help with "do the stuffin's" and little leaves on top.

A L I S A

I spent a whole week last month at the Haliburton School of the Arts.  This year was all about spinning silk, exotics (camelids, pet, bunny, etc.) AND dyeing with indigo. Learning about indigo blew my mind! It is the dye that has THE most superstitions, secrets, mystery and value (historically) in all the world in all time. I guess I'm including woad in this factoid too… So, my class cooked up 7 different indigo vats. My partner and I had some trouble with our vat at the outset - it wasn't blooming and the PH was really off. We decided to try it anyhow and it worked so well. I've worked with indigo before minimally, but after this class I can totally appreciate the magic and mystery surrounding indigo dyeing because it IS magic! In Japanese culture, a kimono is often dipped first as a symbol of good luck. So, I dipped a paper kimono in my vat - perhaps that's why it worked???

PROGRESS REPORT 14

J E N N E

The last week has been a bit of an ebb in the actual working on projects.   Weaving was still on the mind as over the weekend I amassed this stack of gems from the library.  I discovered a ridiculous number of weaving books in the San Jose Public Library collection - so many that I now need to go visit the stacks downtown to browse and take a look at them in person. I requested a few and when I picked up the books at our local branch I noticed they all said San Jose State Library on them.  I just wonder how long they are going to keep all these amazing books in their collection, since the textile program at SJSU was sadly discontinued a couple years ago.  Also - omg.  These books are crazy inspiration.  I find it so weird and sad that so many art programs are dropping textiles out of their schools - which is even more impetus to learn and find and document and make as much textile work as possible.  Keep it alive and moving into the future.

A L I S A

This is my Pop Spots Siamese Cat Shawl… It's coming along nicely. I'm almost done with the main part of the shawl. It's at this weird point where it seems like I'm knitting and knitting and it's not getting any bigger - nothing a good blocking won't sort out! I wanted the whole thing to be made out of the two special skeins of yarn, but decided that the lace boarder should be different. I purchased a beautiful skein of yarn by nbk called "Macha". I'm thinking of doing a crocheted boarder instead of the knit one that is in the pattern, just because I like to mix things up...

PROGRESS REPORT 2

A L I S A

I started working on this amazing shawl pattern called Pop Spots. It is made from a special line of yarn from Ancient Arts Yarns that helps stray and abandoned cats by donating proceeds to the Meow Foundation. I came about these specific colours and pattern choice in a very wonderful way, through three of my closest friends! All three of these wonderful friends know how much I love siamese cats - I grew up with these felines. Firstly, Tamara came back from her vacation and gifted me with a skein of a colour called, "Cat's Eye Cobalt" - the exact colour of siamese eyes. Several months later, I was visiting Cal Patch who had just returned from Colorado and had a surprise for me from wonder-shop, Fancy Tigre Crafts… a skien called, "Siamese Cat" - the browns that make the beautiful patterns on these kitties. I was waiting for the right project to utilize these two yarns together in an "Homage du Siamese"… along comes Jenne! She pointed out how amazing this pattern is. The spots that pop out certainly resemble eyes! I also love the very 70s colour combination overall. There's a story and many hands behind most projects and this is one of them….

J E N N E

A soft blue grey and pink sweater for a dear friend's little girl.  I started knitting this 2 years ago and stopped just as I was about to finish it, for no good reason.  The occasion of a new baby and my year long resolve to finish what I start (or have started) brought me back to this project, knit in leftover yarns in the Small Things Sweater pattern by Carina Spencer.