Cheerful. Joyful. And Rest.

I am such an armchair traveler. I love the luxury of curling up with a travel magazine–Budget travel, CN Traveler, Sunset, VIA magazine, or travel/photo blogs will do quite nicely.  Nothing too complicated.  I love looking at the places other people have discovered on their travels and adding to my list of places to go.

At any given time, I have a place that’s on my mind.  Sometimes, the time is just right for a trip.  Today, I found myself revisiting the gallery for another fabric fix.

I love these shows…I get to meet awesome people, see all the new goodies, and be around other quilty people and talk quilts for hours–how cool is that?

Has your scrap basket been bothering you ‘cuz it’s been getting a bit full?  Stress no more. In this exhibit, you will see many practical way to use most sizes of square and rectangle.   Soon you’ll see the bottom of your bins and empty scrap baskets.

It’s like cruising Etsy and art blogs looking for interesting pieces to decorate my home with.   (The “Winding Way” templates had been in Michelle McMicken’s stash for a couple of years just waiting for the right opportunity.)

The primarily blue–ranging from green to violet– fabrics in the Laundry Blue series, orchestrated by The Fiber Chix,  alone inspire me.  (Blowing in the Wind below is by Kathy Shaker, May 2011 featured quilter.)

I, like many others, seem to be drawn toward CERTAIN FAVORITE COLORS.   Rub-a-Dub-Dub on the High Seas is made up by Virlene Arnold, of Storm at Sea blocks, a pattern she had never done before but wanted to scratch that itch.

It doesn’t get better than this–eight remarkable quilters inspiring and challenging each other to create such art form.   Beautiful fabric color in the following quilt by Pat Jones.  Her Awash design is from Margaret Rolfe’s  Black Opal in the Spectacular Scraps book co-authored with Judy Hooworth.

Next…Tumble Dry,  a show’s stopper, by Bevalee Runner. I love scrippy, scrappy quilts…any kind of scrappy quilt, in any kind of color combination. However, this one is in MY favorite.

Look at these beautiful curves.  Bevalee used the Laundry Blues fabrics to make a class sample she was scheduled to teach from Wendy Hill’s Easy Bias Covered Curves book.

Here, Patty Gates got her pattern idea for Wash Day Fresh from Freddy Moran and Gwen Marston’s Collaborative Quilting book.

Lady Liberty Does Laundry was made by Tammy MacAuthur from Karen Stone’s paper piece Lady Liberty Goes to Hawaii pattern.  I love Tammy’s philosophy:  My favorite rule to the challenge was there are NO rules!   She’s one wise cookie.

Some quilts please me more than others. But…that´s the point, isn´t it? I am still learning. I will never stop learning though as I keep on exploring new arty paths and renovating my creative “pad!” I hope–with practice, that SOME DAY–my quilting may be at least a fraction as good as these talented quilters. How will I find the time is another matter. It’s often hard for me to find a big block of studio time to set myself up for success. Anyone has a sound game plan?

There you have it, folks, my kinda mini-break. It can be as little as drinking some tea in silence. It make me feel like I have more time to get things done, than if I hurry through my day.  This is a way of resting my brain so I may be available to my children when I switch to a task that needs more brain power.

Sorry it’s taken me a while to post about The Fiber chix. Better late than never, right?  One of my favorite things to do is to self-enable and, at the same time, inspire others. Feelin’ the urge?  That’s one of many reasons why I still love coming back to this place.  Hope you find some creative sparkles today as I rediscovered through these eight splendid Fiber Chix–exploring artistic aspects of contemporary quilting and thoroughly enjoying each other’s company.  Both Kristin‘s featured gallery

and The Fiber Chix exhibits will be up ’til April 5.  So hop on over Quiltworks and see all the glorious details up close if you can.  I promise you it will be a blitz.

Oh…while I’m at it, don’t miss next Quiltworks’ gallery reception exhibit featuring Novel Idea Quilts:  Rules of Civility by Amor Towles on First-Friday Art Walk. Mark your calendar: April 6. Read the novel. Invite a few friends (or a dozen). There ain’t no party like a party at Quiltworks.

I have had so many works-in-progress lying around over the past month or so, it’s been kind of silly. Life isn’t always perfect but the way I respond to life makes all of the difference.    At least I try.   Do you take “breaks” out of your day? What do you do to bring you cheerfulness, optimism, rest, and joy?

Happy crafting and keep those creative juices running!

(still doesn’t do texting, MySpace, Twitter, StumbleUpon, DiggIt…but caved into Facebook!)

Success

Today was a gorgeous day. Like the kind of days when you roll down your car window and deeply inhale.

Mountain air, fresh rain and snow, and a splash of car exhaust…ahhh, nothing like life in the high desert!

Sometimes I feel myself inspired.  Then I’m led to yet another place of awe.

Before I know it, I have spiraled into this world of excitement and hope!

So many time, I have run along that straight line–particularly in the beginning of projects–I’d run into a turn that disrupted my dream of making it to the arrow.

But, I’m realizing the key is to keep going. It’s all about perseverance and never giving up. We all face turns and scribbles, loops and jumbled direction. I must keep my eyes ahead and get through my mistakes and detours.  Do you have a goal or dream in mind?  I encourage you to do the same.  Success is just around the corner.

Happy crafting and keep those creative juices running!

(still doesn’t do texting, MySpace, Twitter, StumbleUpon, DiggIt…but caved into Facebook!)

Feng Shui Energy

Is this a brilliant idea or what?!  No matter how large a home is, I can always use extra storage.

Picture Source: http://dornob.com/10-clever-under-stair-storage-space-ideas-solutions/

Out of sight and neatly tucked away~~you know this Feng Shui gal LOVES these multifunctional drawers.  Just don’t pack them with junk!  What would make this even more fabulous…if the drawers were voice activated to open so I could keep my treasures and no one else could.

Picture Source: dornob.com

At last week’s knit-up, my neighbor and knitterly friend showered me with her gorgeous Nanook.  Not only did I pet it, drooled over it…I got to photograph her.

So today, I could not hold out but cast on my own-version of Nanook.  What do you think of it, honestly?  Yay or nay?

Happy crafting and keep those creative juices running!

(still doesn’t do texting, MySpace, Twitter, StumbleUpon, DiggIt…but caved into Facebook!)

Coming together

for the Music Enthusiast.

I have been nipping at my heels, creating, doing something about my work, logo, pattern template, graphic design…

That’s one of the great things about designing. I am making an effort to MAKE a picture

not just take one.

This picture is something completely different for me.

Sometimes a picture comes together just how I see it in my head. Other times, it’s all about trial and error. The key is to take ideas and run with them.  I am learning to not be afraid of sharing photographs that are different, out of my comfort zone. Keep on moving forward, upward…where I may reach other fabulous, creative minds.

Dueling piano is number two in the musical instrument series designed by my friend Anne Pickering of Owl & Otter Designs.  These socks are knitted toe-up, in round, two-at-a-time.   Keyboard was stranded, intarsia knitting in flat.  Lace-less option is provided if ribbon-lace isn’t appealing to you.   Both socks can be made yin-yang as Anne had done instead of an identical pair.

The original wasn’t quite a full octave.  It wasn’t difficult to add few more keys, however.  I like mine lengthened to calf long–but wish I’d have continued to a pair of stockings.  Yet, I am very pleased with the modified outcome.  The pattern was easy to memorize and creates beautiful texture.

My test sample was finished back in November.  Only today, did I finally get around to compose some modeled shots.  Pattern is now available at Craftser or Ravelry.  Next up will be a clarinet.  Can’t wait!!!!

What’s on your needles?  Or creative plate?

Happy crafting and keep those creative juices running!

(still doesn’t do texting, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, DiggIt…)

Clear As Mud

everywhere in the knitting world I find temptation.

Some luscious yarn.  Some silky roving/batt.  A new pattern.  Others’ clever creation like Kirsten’s latest brioche play. Some lovely notion.  I am easily tempted/persuaded.  It’s worse when I am on a deadline.  Go figure!

I can resist things and periodically I do successfully resist things.  Then, those things I normally resist would end up in my craft space. I am tempted by them all.   My very fragile façade begins to crack and crumble.  I find myself, in due time, trying desperately to block out the screaming that’s coming from my fiber stash and focus on my projects–or worse–my overdue holiday knits.

Current distraction is this

and my recently non-fiber addiction, PhotoMania–a comprehensive application ideal for acquiring, organizing, viewing, enhancing, and sharing your images.

even though another test knit is awaiting to be cast on…Today, I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York

admiring work from artisans of the past and reflecting upon how crafting has changed over millenia. It’s remarkable how time has changed. So was their legacy. Crafting used to be a way of life. Being an artisan was a source of work. Families crafted–truly a DIY effort–their own clothing and other household items.

It’s a different world now. I imagine if I were living in a time where I had to craft to live, then I’d still do and love it. Surely, there are folks fortunate enough to craft as their job. I, on the other hand, craft as a vehicle to relaxation and enjoyment.  How remarkable the times have changed with industry and mass production.  More folks would benefit with making craft. It’s a shame most folks don’t do it.  At each visit, I gain inspiration from these artisans.

Happy crafting and keep those creative juices running!

(still doesn’t do texting, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, DiggIt…)

The Day Everything’s Perfect

Everything went right today.

The aroma permeated the house and was both warm, spicy and welcoming.

It has that “ah” smell that makes me believe everything would be alright.

Honestly, if there were an essential oil of beef stew or delicious bean soup, I’d have it in the burner ALL the time!!

While the kids went for a hike and an educational backpack/survival tour at REI with their 4H Outdoor Skill Club,

I got to sit and play

with a friend at Strictly Organic…

caught a glimpse of beautiful painting in the sky

snapped some amazing photographs

and finishing up a week-long project.  Yaaay!!

Only thing it would’ve made this even better…if I know where the silk ribbons are for the piano socks (purchased back in September!!)

Do you have one of those infamous black holes?

Happy crafting and keep those creative juices running!

(still doesn’t do texting, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, DiggIt…)

Gluten Free Comfort

The change of seasons here is always centered around food.

With colder temperature, falling leaves, and Oregon sunshine autumn brings with it in mid-November,

I start craving hearty comfort foods such as roasts, homemade soups and stews, and fall and winter vegetables.

My favorite Everyday Menus are the menus I always have in mind for dinner in just a few minutes.  Here is one of many to help celebrate the season to my table.

Even my 10-year-old loves the kale and asked for seconds.  The secret? Midori dates.

And Shibui Balsamic Reduction, a nicely balanced syrup to use on vegetables, meats, berries, pasta, etc., from Krebsbach Fine Foods in Talent, Oregon.  It’s a tad pricey–$40 for this mushroom-shape 50ml bottle–I tell you, it’s so worth it.

Another quick and easy comfort food found on my dinner menu frequently is smoked beef sausage, sliced and sauteed, with a few onions. Then added small red potatoes quartered, carrots, lots of chopped cabbage, and a cup of apple cider. Simmered for about 1 hour or until vegetables are tender. A keeper for Gluten-Free followers. So is knitting and fiber.

The Piano Socks is all knit up based on Anne’s latest design; but, I am not stopping here just yet.

A full octave on the keyboard is so inviting, isn’t it?

Happy crafting and keep those creative juices running!

(still doesn’t do texting, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, DiggIt…)

The Architect

in me. Like architecture, with knitting, I develop a membrane, a skin which coincides with the body creating a symbiotic relationship accentuating the wearer, the space, and activity–of which the wearer inhabits.

With a design of a building, first design process involves the investigation the fabric of a shelter, site, and program…Knitting seems like a natural and easier application of my architectural skills. Perhaps, it’s just a testament to the genius Elizabeth Zimmerman’s pattern–successfully knitting up a baby surprise jacket makes a knitter look like a genius when in fact it is a very easy pattern.

I’m no architect, however do see knitting stitches as bricks of a project, different textures of stitches as various coursing in masonry. Each brick or stitch alone is not much on its own. When I put a thousand of them together, I may have a masterpiece.  Millions of possible combinations are overwhelming. No two crafters will put it together in exactly the same way. A pattern, or blueprint, gives a guide on how to construct it; but, the outcome is in the hands of the craftsman.  Then factor in the multitude of colors, hues, textures, treatments…it doesn’t take many iterations of an equation to move into the realm of billions and trillions of possibilities.

We, as craftsmen, take the humblest of materials and create masterpieces that stager the imagination of mere mortals.  On one hand, it may be fiber, fluff, and a couple of sticks.  On the other, clay, sand, and water.  Same basic materials that have been available for millions of years to billions of people all over the world.  Yet, we come up with new ways to accomplish the most mundane of tasks. Occasionally, we may have an opportunity to hear the gasp of awe and the appreciation of our art. “How did you know it would look like this?”  Not often, but it can happen.

I love regular plied yarns in beautifully dyed colors and facades with brick, glass, and stone. I dislike yarns with sequins, bobbles, eyelash, fuzz or that feels/looks plastic, and facades covered in metal. My knitting and spinning helped me understand why I am drawn to materials and facades that I am drawn to and have helped me remain true to my design instincts.

It took me little time to get knitting…to understand how stitches and garments are constructed.   Seeing a video or doing something myself is all it typically takes for me to acquire a new skill. I credit this to my architect’s brain that is used to taking 2-dimension ideas and imagining the 3-dimension result.

Screen print, producing geometric with metal plates, sketching with a single black pen, working in the wood or metal shop…none of these things are available to me. I have neither time nor money to indulge. However, tactility is one of the things I love about knitting. The chance to do anything free-ing is snapped up gladly. The art of knitting does that for me. I may knit anywhere, be quiet while my kids are sleeping…and dream of being able to come up with some new design, new colors, new textures, a new use.

I have found that I have the tenacity to attempt a new medium. I am fearless about creating in many different mediums and textures to explore a design challenge.   I get amazement from those outside of the fold when the finished product appears.  As an architect, many creative endeavors become architectural once an architect does them. I notice the similarity more in the attention to details–when two materials or colors join each other, how they join, what’s the most beautiful way to increase/decrease, etc. It reminds me of sill details or how to detail a change in floor materials. Interesting construction always appeals to/impresses architects–and yes, everything is “architectural” to an architect!  That’s just the way I am. I make things my own.

It’s so nice to make things with my hands. Every stitch is like hand laid brick or stone. Each one is touched by human hands. The instant gratification is great too, along with the total control over both design and construction! I love paying attention to different cast-on and cast-off techniques at the moment so even the simplest of scarves will look professional. :0)

Large work projects can take so long to become real.   It is absolutely rewarding to see progress in a more tangible form, even if it only a row completed or a cable crossing. I returned to knitting after a long hiatus when I read EZ’s Knitting Without Tears.   At that moment, I recognized I could take control of my knitting and the complexities of the craft were a good fit for the way my brain works–three dimensionally, ability to visualize, love of geometry, etc. I feel a real lack in my life when I am unable to knit for more than a day or two.  It definitely helps with stress release.  I do some of my best thinking when I am knitting (like now LOL)  and am lucky enough to be able to knit in the car on long trips (mostly as a passenger…but I do keep a simple lace shawl, a sweater, or a pair of socks beside me in the car for traffic jams and long red lights.)

Mostly knitting is an opportunity to flex design muscles where I have complete control…no clients, a self-written brief, a manageable budget, and no critiques!  The ability to knit grants me the patience to tolerate trucking the kids around town, daily. I love keeping the hands busy during small talks and the silence between conversations. Knitting is a good outlet for stress relief from a very demanding profession, full-time mom and wife. Fiber play keeps my creative brain spry when work-at-home is less demanding creatively. It isn’t always about solving design challenges…so, knitting it is!

Happy crafting and keep those creative juices running!

(still doesn’t do texting, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, DiggIt…)

Lazy and Lousy

Some chocolate is in order.

I’ve come to realize that I am a lousy friend. Or a lazy one. When a friend hits rocky patches, I’ve done the usual-–”Call me if there is anything I can do.”  Seriously. I meant well. I meant I’m available to help. I just never realized what a terrible thing this is to do to a friend. It puts the entire onus on her who is already struggling, just trying to get up every day.

And this is particularly double edged within my circle. I like, respect, and admire people who are strong, funny, and independent. The very people to whom–asking for help–comes the hardest. I’ve learned that someone can have PMS, be a big jerk, and expect forgiveness.  This same person will not forgive a sick person who snaps at her one day, somehow expecting…what exactly? She will blame a sick person for not having an entire skill set for expressing need…as if this is something we are taught…as though our strong and funny friends suddenly learn how to lean when handed a crushing diagnosis?

I haven’t been an entire failure at this endeavor and have called while at the park to see if she needs some little thing. I tried to bring her a funny comic ‘cuz life isn’t all serious all the time.  I tried to talk to her about my own life-–good and bad-–so she doesn’t feel isolated. I have to admit that all my words were awkward and potentially useless, but, that they came from my heart. All of which seemed at the time like little piddly things. Only now do I see that it’s the little things that make the difference between acquaintance and friendship. It’s not the size of the actions. It’s the intention of the thought.

Perhaps, lousy and lazy aren’t what I have been. Perhaps, ignorance is the real word I am after. After all, life is about learning.

Life is never easy to see. It’s all shade of grey…with everything in between. If only the grey would turn black or white (like the Piano sock.) But, if they did, they only fade back to grey…

Happy crafting and keep those creative juices running!

(still doesn’t do texting, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, DiggIt…)

An Experimenter

I am. I need to create…always. Handiwork–and life itself–enhances from a balance between sustaining intense focus and gaining a greater perspective. Once foundation is laid, the pendulum begins to swing: first focus on details, then hit the pause button

to allow something more vital to manifest itself.

My primary goal is to live a life of love.

My second goal is to figure out how to do that. I am enough.

As with most of my sock knitting, this is another Anne Pickering’s symphony series project with traditional heel flap. After knitting up 30 rows and more, I came to realization that heel flap doesn’t suit my feet.  I like mine snugly, with low or little arch expansion.

Hence, I ripped and am knitting me some fleegle heels. Sometimes it is nice to have high expectations of how difficult something is going to be because then when I approach it I’m almost guaranteed to find it surprisingly easy.

I am the cheerful minority today. Driving family to and fro without a hitch. Healthy. Slept moderately decent. Lunch with in-laws at one of the kids’ favorite spots.

Now, back home, a quiet place.

The pendulum swings between doing and being, action and reflection, engagement and stepping back.

Happy crafting and keep those creative juices running!

(still doesn’t do texting, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, DiggIt…)