Socks Saga and Fall Festival

By now I expected to have a finished pair of Snowflake socks, and a pair of Manly socks on the needles. And I would have too, except for a small sock tragedy. Here's the story. About a week ago, I was down to forming the toe on the 2nd Snowflake. I decided to try them on, as Mom's feet are about the same size as mine. I know you think the next thing I'm going to say is the damn thing was too small and I had to start all over. No. It fit beautifully. I was so impressed with myself until I saw a gaping hole about 1 inch above the heel. I must have dropped a stitch. I tried to pick it up, but I just couldn't cope with the lace. I frogged it to beyond the hole, and then realized I didn't know what row it was on. Then I figured, every other row was a knit row, if I could just frog to a knit row, then I could figure out where I was. I tried that, and I couldn't figure out what stitches to pick up. In the end I frogged the entire sock. I was that close! I rolled the yarn up into a neat ball and didn't look at it for almost a week. I started back on it a couple of days ago, and I'm to the heel flap. I'm thinking I could finish it in a couple of days if I don't screw up again.

In other news, I've been swamped. I've been making handmade watercolor cards for 3 packages I need to mail. Thank you's and an exchange. I'm way behind on the exchange, but it's finished and just needs a cushy package. I haven't done any real studio work. I've had soccer games, building dedications, Halloween parties and Fall Festivals (what happened to Halloween Carnivals? Are they too EVIL?) I baked a mean Lemon Ginger Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting for the Festival Cake Walk. It was gone by the time we got there, so I don't know who got it. I hope they like it. I brushed some Lemoncello over the cake before I frosted it, so I hope they don't object to a little kick.

And about that Fall Festival. We have (had) no pets. DH is completely against having another creature being solely dependent upon us for its well being. What did they have at the festival? Win a Goldfish by throwing something into something else. Both #1 & #2 won a little fishy. At first DH (let's call him Scrooge) told them to take the fish back and exchange them for candy, but I feeling all warm and motherly, said "Let's keep the fish. How hard can it be?" On they way home as the little ones clutched their little plastic baggies in ecstasy, I realized we had nothing to put them in and nothing to feed them. So I dropped off all my guys and headed to WalMart at 8:00 pm on Friday night. It was packed. I never go to WM at nighttime and was surprised at how many people do their shopping in the dark. Anyway. I bought a little bowl and some food and a cute plastic plant. We gave the fish their new home and put the boys to bed. I decided if we were going to keep these fish, I'd better find out what they need to live, so I looked them up on the internet. Turns out goldfish are very dirty fish and poop almost instantly after eating. They need at least 5-10 gallons per fish. Sheesh!

Next day, after 4 soccer games and a Mexican lunch, we headed to Petsmart. Bought a 10 gallon tank and natural pebbles (the fish dude said the colorful UNnatural ones could cut their little mouths). He also recommended live plants for oxygen and a "cleaner" fish, a dogo loach, to eat up the excess goldfish poop. We passed on the plants and the other fish because we had other errands, and apparently they would turn into fish stew if we left them in the car. So yesterday, I went back to Petsmart, bought the cleaner fish and the plants and put them in the tank. It turns out Dojos like a place to hide, so now I'm considering buying him his own sunken ship or treasure chest. You know, so he'll feel at home. So for 2 fifty cent games, we have made an approximately $100 investment. Those fish better live!

Sienna with Buttons and Other Stuff

A cold front passed through last night, and it was chilly this morning. Perfect for wearing my brand new sweater. As promised, here are a couple of pictures. My faithful photographer Mac did the honors, but he doesn't really understand color, so the first one shows Sienna looking a little too orange.



Here's a closeup to show the buttons. I got them at Hancock's (no time for treasure hunting at flea markets right now). They are brass with brown glass eyes. They are kind of heavy, so on the wrong side, I sewed in thin, flat shell buttons, to reinforce them.



It's fall break at the university, so I did get some work done in the studio today. Here's the ugly thing that was driving me crazy. This is how I left it on Tuesday:



I worked on it today, and even though I'm not really satisfied, I guess you could say it's finished. The best thing about this painting is it led to the next one.



Here's the next one. Obviously not finished. Because I'm not going to paint again until next Tuesday, I wanted to use up the paint on my palette. Also, I wanted to redeem myself from the previous painting. Much looser. This is how I want to begin the final painting with all the kids in the composition. I really like the drips, but I always paint them out. I'm going to try to make myself keep them in and let this be a juicy painting.



Friends, I wish you had been here last night. Once again we watched Live Aid with some friends (this time at THEIR request, and no one really got drunk). I cooked Country Captain, a sort of southern version of chicken curry, in the crockpot, and made homemade brownies. MMM. This time I paid attention to some other bands besides Queen (the best though). The Who did a great job, especially on "Won't Get Fooled Again", and Elton John was really entertaining. Not that I'm a George Michael fan, but he covered "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me", and delivered a great performance. In case you're wondering how I can watch that concert over and over, the entire thing is 16 hours long, and I haven't seen every performance in it.

I hope everyone has a happy weekend!

Frustration and Inspiration

I know, I didn't post anything yesterday. I did work in my studio, but things didn't go as I planned. Or I didn't plan as I went, or something like that. Anyway, the studio time was frustrating, and the work reflected that, so I refrained from posting. I didn't get much time in last week, so I was anxious to get started. I didn't clean my palette, and tried to use old paint that had formed a skin on it. I didn't properly clean my brushes, I closed down too quickly...I was making rookie mistakes left and right, and flailing about. I kept at it for several hours, though, and mucked something out of it. I'm going back in tomorrow, hopefully with more direction and clarity.

I have been knitting. I've finished one of the Snowflake socks, and am working on the second. I hope to have the second done by Saturday or Sunday. Then I'll make my dad's Manly socks. After that, I'm getting into the Regia Silk Color and knitting up a simple pair for myself. I can't wait to put my toes into that.

I've added a new link to my sidebar under "Some Other Links" titled VvG's letters. In case you didn't know, Van Gogh was a voracious letter writer and most of what we know about him comes from his correspondence with his brother Theo. What's really cool, is you can access all his letters, unabridged, online. I've read them all several times (hard copy), and he is incredibly inspiring. I really like that if you are wanting to find a letter about a specific subject, you can just type in a keyword and any letters with that word in it will come up. I am an advocate for humanizing Vincent, and making people realize that he was incredibly intelligent and approached his work analytically as well as emotionally. The letters illustrate this better than I ever could, so I direct people to them as often as I can. He wrote about virtually EVERYTHING, so it's fun see what he had to say about just about anything.

I'm Lucky

In the words of Joan Armatrading, "I can walk under ladders..."



I'm not sure exactly what's going on with me, but I have been so happy lately. This week has been particularly wonderful. When I went out of town to get my hair done, I visited an elderly friend I haven't seen in years. She is a wonderful, vibrant person, and she has meant a lot to me. She has over-collected glassware and insisted I take a piece home with me. I agreed and picked out this fruit bowl. Seeing her after all these years was sweet made me realize how precious life and friends are.



Several weeks ago I felt the need to reconnect with a dear friend from graduate school, so I sent her an email. Today when we got home from soccer games, there was a package in the mail. I don't have a secret pal, but it was the type of package I imagine I'd receive from one if I did. Anyway, my dear, sweet friend, a much better person than I, replied through the US mail, and sent me a lovely handwritten card, with two skeins of Regia Silk Color Sock Yarn. Turns out she's been knitting too, and she sent me a happy. How sweet is that?



To top it off, after soccer today, I was spent. I think I'm becoming hypothyroid again. I told DH, I was so tired and I had to lay down. He didn't complain, and kept the kids away while I took a 2 hour nap. That's a great gift, right? Nothing more needed there. When I got up, he said he needed to run to the store to get some vitamins for the kids. I said, run, my dear. When he got home, he brought me these. For no reason. What a guy. How'd I get so lucky? I'm blessed.

Snowflake 2 and a Different Kind of Art

I decided that the Cherry Tree Hill yarn and the #2 needles weren't working out for the Snowflake sock. It was knitting up way to big. I switched to Opal Uni and #1's and here's how it looks. Once again, DH has the camera so I'm relying on Mac as my photographer:



And usually on Tuesdays I post something arty for you, but yesterday I traded a day of making art for a day of receiving art. I drove 2 hours to get my hair cut by someone I consider a genius. He started doing my hair 26 years ago. I was 15 and he was 22. He made me glamorous and I let him experiment with new techniques. It was a hair match made in heaven. We have been friends through the years, and though usually someone in town does my hair, when I really need a boost, I go back to Ralph. I don't have to tell him what to do, I just tell him how I'm feeling & what I've been up to, and how I want to feel, and he does the rest. Yesterday I said I wanted something fresh & sexy that didn't deny the curliness of my hair. Here's what I ended up with:

Front view



Side view:



I took a pic of the back view, but the lighting was off. I'm really happy with the cut. It's so easy to fix and it makes me feel great. Also, Jason did the color, and it looks just like what my hair naturally should. So I'm feeling sassy and ready for anything. The anything I need to be ready for is midterm exams and portfolios. I will probably spend all day tomorrow and a good piece of the weekend grading. Back to art making next week!

My Sock History

Having joined Socktoberfest, I decided I must PARTICIPATE in Socktoberfest. At Lolly's suggestion, I'm going to share my brief sock history:

When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?

I started knitting socks last spring when everyone in my household had strep throat and I couldn't do much else. I looked up several simple sock patterns on line and finally taught myself on a small "training sock."

What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?

My first pair of socks were from Joan Fernbach's pattern using Paton's Classic Merino. They were intended for my husband, but they felted down to my size. I made myself a pair using the same yarn after I finished his pair. Here they are. Can you tell which pair is mine? They haven't been worn much, so other than felting, they are doing just fine



What would you have done differently?

I would have used yarn that does not shrink

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?

I've used several yarns I love. Lornas Laces Shepherd Sock, Fleece Artist Merino, and Cherry Tree Hill are my favorites

Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?

I knit my socks using DPN's. I prefer 4 DPN's, but am starting to get used to 5.

Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)

I've only done the flap heel, so I guess that's what I prefer

How many pairs have you made?

I think it's about 8 pairs. I kind of went crazy knitting socks over the summer while I was sick. I've got 2 or 3 pairs to go before I'm satisfied I've done all my Christmas knitting.

Drudgery

Well, I didn't get in any studio time today. I had a doctor appointment midmorning, and a bunch of errands to run, so I decided to devote my day to dull, but necessary stuff. I cleaned the bathrooms and the kitchen, to the amazement of my husband. I've kind of let things slide around here since I've been in the studio. I worked on the Snowflake sock some, but I'm not sure about the yarn. It's Cherry Tree Hill in a color called Spring Frost. It appears to be a subtly variegated grayish color, but it knits up much brighter than I expected, and I think it's going to compete with the lace pattern too much.



I may frog it and restart with some bright blue Opal Uni I have. Can't really decide right now. The good thing is, the Snowflake pattern isn't that difficult. The pattern is rated advanced, but it doesn't seem as difficult as Branching Out. There are 12 rows with 4 sets of 13 stitch repeats. In other words, you do the same set of 13 stitches 4 times per row, with a 12 row pattern repeat. Not that hard.

Well, this has to be a short one. Have a great night everyone.

Sock, Block & Draw

Happy Tuesday, Everyone. Today I decided to join Socktoberfest. I've been knitting socks anyway, and any kind of knitting event that compares itself to drinking beer, sounds like my kind of fun. I'm almost finished with my husband's pair of socks and I have 2 more pairs to go. I'm going to make my mom the snowflake socks on Magknits, and I'm going to make my dad a pair of the same pattern I've made for my father-in-law and my husband. The Bear Brand Book gives this sock the charming name No. 2222. I've decided to rename it The Manly Sock. It's plain, and comfortable, nothing fancy, just meat and potatoes. Something just about any guy would like.

Sienna is blocking. She turned out pretty well. The pieces sewed up beautifully! I don't know if the pattern is just great, or my skills have improved, but this sweater went off with out a single hitch. Here's how she looks now. I haven't found the buttons, yet, but when I do, I'll show a pic with me modeling, to show the fit.



Well, I didn't get my canvases gessoed, like I wanted, so I didn't have a surface to start a new oil on today. I put a coat of gesso on the canvases, and pulled out some beautiful Rives BFK (printing paper) I've had around for a few years, and pulled out my acrylics. I just wanted to do a value composition. Here's the result. It was fun to mess around with acrylics again. Honestly, the only thing I enjoy doing with acrylics is drawing on paper with them:



I hope everyone is having as much fun as I am!

Some More Painting

First I'd like to thank you for all the kind comments about my painting and my knitting. I love hearing what you have to say about my work. I would also like to say that as much as I enjoy positive feedback, I'm not fishing for compliments. I figured if I said I was going to work in my studio on a regular basis, and showed pictures to everyone, it would give me incentive to continue. I mean, what could be more embarrassing than proclaiming my intentions, then not following through?

I have been so motivated lately. It's been a long time since I've had a really good go at painting, and it feels great. I used to paint all day every day, for years. I went through 7 years of college and graduate school completely devoted to the pursuit of painting and drawing. As I've said before, life in the form of kids and an old house stalled me.

Anyway, this morning I stretched 2 canvases and put a coat of gesso on each. I'll give them a couple more coats over the next 2 days, and they will be ready for paint next week. After that, I mixed a bunch of color on my palette. I wanted to have the approximate colors I needed premixed, so I could just paint and not worry too much about mixing:



So I painted some and kept the little girl fairly open:



And this is what I ended up with. She's closed down some, but much more open and loose than the paintings I've been doing. As Susan said in the comments of the previous post, I DO want the gestural energy to carry through to the final painting. That's why I'm doing all these little studies. I'm trying to work the kinks out before I invest in my large canvas.



Well, I've got lots of ideas swimming around in my head. Both painting and knitting. I've finished one sleeve on the Sienna Cardi, and will start the other tonight. I'm enjoying that sweater as much as my painting. This afternoon I'm a soccer mom, so I guess I'd better go get the boys!

Sienna Cardi and Painting

I've been working like a fiend on the Sienna Cardi. I've finished the back and the two front panels. I tacked them together last night to test the fit and the length seems fine. I can't tell yet about the circumference, but I'm sure once it's sewn together, and the button and button hole panels are knitted, it will be great. I'm thinking about going on a flea market treasure hunt for some appropriate antique buttons.



Here is a close up of the lace cable. It will look a lot better once it's blocked and the button and button hole panels are knitted. You can see the yarn is kind of fuzzy. I think that is the llama. This yarn sheds like crazy and is pretty loosely spun.



And it's Tuesday! That means studio time. I've been working on the same painting as before. It's shaping up. The colors are still pretty raw and there is not enough transition between colors and dark/lights. Also that leg on the right is super chunky. Here's a view in progress:



Here I've fixed the foot a little and cleaned up the background:



This one is tuned up a little more:



But here's what I'm really excited about. I've been unhappy with how tightly I've been painting and wanted to work from a mark oriented point of view. I've been thinking a lot about the painter Joan Mitchell (not the singer, who is a pretty good visual artist, but the Abstract Expressionist). She's never really been an artist I was interested in. I respected her, but wasn't really moved by her work. Wow! What a difference time makes! I've been looking at her paintings and am in complete awe. Anyway, after I had done all I could on the boy, I decided to use up the paint on my palette and be very direct. No outlines, no filling in. Here's the result. I know, it may look a mess, and it's obviously not finished, but it's really satisfying to me.

Painting, Knitting, & Running Around

I got a lot done yesterday. I had to drop off #2 at pre-school first thing then run some errands, so I got a late start on painting. I tried really hard to keep the piece open, but I closed down a little too quickly. Also, the colors are raw, but the form seems pretty solid. Here are a few pictures to show how it went:





In the afternoon before I had to pick up the boys, I started the Sienna Sweater from the fall Interweave Knits. I'm using Elan's Peruvian Uros Aran. I made 3 swatches before settling on my Clover Bamboo #9 US. I knit last night while I was watching Grey's Anatomy, so I'm past the ribbing and into the stockingnette stitch. You can also see the 2nd in the pair of socks I'm making for the husband. Please excuse the Caron Simply Soft. I have to make a 6 x 6" square for an exchange, and I'm procrastinating due to gauge difficulties. The skein is there to shame me into working it out.



Speaking of procrastination, I'm giving a test at 10:00 a.m. this morning, and I haven't finished writing it yet, so I'd better get to that project.

Painted Study

Hi guys. I've been working in my studio on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I've got an idea for a painting of my kids and their friends romping outside in the hose. I'm working from several photos. I have always been taught that is sacrilege, but hey, if it's good enough for Degas, Matisse, and Fischl, then it's good enough for me. Hell, even Vermeer probably used a camera obscura. I figure, use the tools you have to the best of your ability. I've done 2 painted studies so far. It's been a while since I painted so they are quite stiff and too literal. I'm not showing pictures of those today.

I painted on one of the stiff compositions until about 1:30, and realized I had only 1 hour before I had to start retrieving boys from schools, and I wasn't very happy with what I had done. I had several primed canvases, and I decided to start another quickly and try to be loose. I already had paint on my palette, so I picked up a canvas and did a quick gesture with just oil and mineral spirits. That felt good, so I took a picture:



Then I thought, it would be cool to take sequential pictures of the development of the canvas. Cool that is if I can get my hands on the camera regularly. So I only had about a half and hour to continue. I took a couple more shots. Here's one with some color and the composition laid out a little more:



And this one is just a little farther along than the previous one:



This study is one of at least 5 of the kids individually. I plan to make a couple of compositional studies with all the kids, and to paint at least one large scale finished painting. My goal is to move towards more abstracted imagery using the essential forms in the photograph. Want to watch?

Pirate What?

A couple of blogs I read are saying today is Talk Like a Pirate Day. I don't know anything about it, but I'm game. For a really funny pirate joke, check out Susan's blog Hyperactive Hands.

ARG! Yohoho!
.

Power Rangers Sculpture

The other day I walked into the kitchen and found this on the island.



At first it appeared to be a meaningless lump of toys dropped off by my 4 year old. However, on closer inspection, I saw that it was a very deliberate construction. Notice how beautifully balanced it is, and how carefully the foot is placed on the head and the hand.

Here's another view.



This kid just blows my mind sometimes.

Radio Ga Ga

This is what I'm talking about. Please watch it to the end, the best is the last:

Silent Rememberance

Some Socks

Well, the husband has the camera for a few days, so I'm relying on my Mac's built in. I don't have a lot of options, so bear with me.

Here's my kitchen. This is what my computer sees when no one is in front of it.



I've been knitting socks for Christmas presents. Here is the pair of Opal cable socks for my other sister-in-law.



This picture shows the color more accurately than the previous one, and yes that's me.



Here is the brown sock that was driving me nuts. It's Fleece Artist Merino, and I love the feel of the yarn. It's the color that was bothering me I think. This one is for my camera-stealing hubby. Although one hank of this stuff is supposed to make a pair of socks, the finished sock weighs just a little more than the left over yarn, so I'm not going to chance it. I'll order another hank when Simply Socks Yarn Company has more in stock.



This is Lornas Laces Sock in a beautiful cedar colorway. It's the same pattern as the previous sock and it's mate is on the needles as I speak. This one is for my father-in-law and the color is the exact same color as his eyes. The pattern is from an old Bear Brand Sock Pattern Book from the early 1950's. The cable sock pattern is also from there.



I've got to finish the one sock for my husband, and the one sock for my father-in-law, a pair for my dad, and a pair for my mom, and then Christmas knitting is done! Maybe then I'll make myself a cardigan.

A Year Ago Today

A year ago Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, parts of southern Louisiana, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Most of the media focus is on New Orleans, so perhaps, the rest of the country does not realize how badly hit Mississippi was. This is due in part to the fact that the recovery of the Gulf Coast is progressing more smoothly than the recovery of New Orleans. For that we can thank the gaming industry, which has poured large sums of money into rebuilding the area, local and state governments that cooperate with each other and with the federal government, and the many volunteers and locals who set forth to rebuild.

But Mississippi was hit hard. There are towns on the coast that were completely obliterated. Nothing left except the roads, and sometimes, even these were washed away. A 30 foot storm surge does that kind of thing. Entire neighborhoods swept away. This goes on for miles and miles. I've seen both New Orleans and the Coast first hand, and both sadden me.

I live 60 miles north of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and although we made preparations to stick it out, we evacuated at the last minute. I'm glad we did. It would have been hell on our children. We went to Jackson, 160 miles north of the coast and stayed with my folks. Even there, tropical storm force winds lasted 7 hours. A tree fell on my parents' house while we were in it, and the city lost power for 4 days. All the businesses closed, so no supplies could be purchased. The water had to be boiled or chlorinated in order to drink it, and bathing was out of the question. This in 90 degree weather, no air conditioner of course.

When the power returned in Jackson, my husband & I went back home to check out the damage . The eye of the storm passed directly over our town and everything was a mess. Miraculously, our house was OK. We lost 2 trees, but they fell in the road, not on our roof. There were trees in every road including the interstate and the highways. Every other road was closed.. The grocery stores weren't open yet, but there was nothing in them. No gas for cars, no electricity, no clean water, no ice. Once ice was shipped in, a man killed his sister over a bag. Another man was carjacked and murdered over the gas in his tank. We had intended to stay and clean up the mess, but decided it was too risky, and gave our supplies to our friends who were staying and went back to Jackson.

For 2 weeks, we drove back and forth, cleaning up our neighborhood, and helping friends. Gradually, school reopened, and we brought the kids back. Gradually things got cleaned up. There are still blue roofs, and still trees on houses. The landscape has changed tremendously. There are great patches of blue sky where there was once nothing but tree tops. The population of the town has changed. Lots of evacuees relocated here.

I know there are stories more dramatic than mine. I am one of the lucky ones. It's just hard to believe how devastating the storm was 60 or even 160 miles inland. There is a peculiar feeling I get when I watch the news footage marking the 1 year anniversary of Katrina. It's like I'm remembering a dream, where everything seemed primitive and all the people were angry or stunned. I remember at the time thinking I'd never feel normal again, that things would never be normal again. But, somehow, here I am, living my life, normally. So many others aren't there yet. My heart and prayers go out to them. I hope that they can have their normalcy soon.

Stu-stu-studio

You're cheesy Phil, but I've grown fond of you....

Don't have much to say about knitting. The sock I'm working on is brown.

Here's some photos of my studio. First I just wanted you to see the space. It's pretty amazing, but it wasn't always like that. It started out as a dirty, dusty, dark attic. We painted it and cleaned it up and I work in there when I can.

Here's a picture of a the studio itself. The ceilings are mostly about 10 feet high. They get higher on the ends of the house where the high window is. They get lower on the sides where they taper down. You can see the stretchers and canvases I've been making on the floor.



Here's a shot of a naked stretcher. I'm making a corner brace. I can't wait to get this one stretched and primed. In the foreground is some unbelievable Arches Watercolor Paper I scored a couple of years ago. The stuff is so fine, I'm afraid to use it. USE YOUR SUPPLIES!




I know this probably boring to my knitting friends, but this stuff thrills me. I appreciate your tolerance.

Stretcher Progress

Yesterday my husband cut my quarter rounds and today I'm glueing and nailing them onto the bases of the stretchers to form a curved transition. I have 3 stretchers in progress, 2 are about 3 x 4 feet, and 1 is about 2 feet by 4 feet. The 2 x 4 one is for restretching an unstretched painting a friend gave me. The other 2 are for me. They are looking great and I should be finished with them by Wednesday. Then I can stretch & prime the canvases and probably can get to painting by Wednesday or Thursday. I feel so much better getting this moving. I haven't painted much since the boys were born and I have been pining for it.

I'm not feeling so blue about my knitting. I really don't like the color of the yarn I'm working with and I think that is the problem. It's a manly brown/black/cream combination for my husband. Also, I'm used to knitting for women's feet and his big ole' clodhoppers require many more stitches. Sobeit!

#1 started 1st grade this morning. It was surprizingly easy for us all. He is sitting next to a little boy he idolizes for his soccer skills, so he's happy. I smell trouble ahead, though. They will probably talk and fidget with each other.

I'm just so glad to get those stretcher going!