up

Lots is up in my life. No, I'm not moving again. And I'm making things up as I go. What I've been up about is all I've been able to do with what is right in front of me: create gifts with leftover yarn and thrift store buys, watch an organ going up (pipes lifted up to the pipe chamber), sun rising, etc.

I’ve decided I’m on an “upcycle” kick. It started several years ago. I was given some yarn and challenged to tat a shawl. Several months later, I finished the project. It was a success in some respects, and I’m glad I learned how, but I probably will never repeat the project!

It was successful enough that I have been gifted boxes and boxes of yarn and such. In those boxes have been real treasures. I’ve been able to pass on much material for others to use. I’ve made gifts for others from all the wonderful supplies. At one point, I had about 10 boxes of cast off stuff. Now, I’m down to 6….or 7…..or……

My most recent project has been pin loom weaving with the bits and pieces in those boxes. I’ve 3 boxes of yarn/thread to choose from. I’m having fun with it. Currently I’m trying out tapestry techniques. It’s nice and portable, I can set it down at any point in time, and I’m using up the “trash” stuff learning! If it’s photogenic enough I’ll share a picture here.

Where am I working on it you ask? While watching the organ being assembled! It’s great fun!!!! Pictures of that will be filtering in. Here’s the console minus the pedal board:

Off to find more yarn to play with!

25 motif challenge

I’ve recommitted to the 25 motif challenge. 

So far in 2016, I’ve completed

Ornament cover:

Pattern # 10 by Nadine Nunnelley

10 shawl crosses: 

Wild Rose: http://picotsnkeys.blogspot.com/2016/01/wild-rose-22.html

And a snowman: 

Snowman by Melanie Cervi

Shawl angel

4 down and 21 to go.

On the shuttles now:

Jane’s TIAS

Another Shawl angel

Flag http://picotsnkeys.blogspot.com/2014/10/flag-with-red-stripe.html

That’s pretty good for me! Just 3 UFO’s!!

That encourages me that I can tat 25 motifs in 2016! Off to the shuttles……

Remember the angel

Remember the angel requested for shawls by the group at St. Andrew’s?

Well, I finished trial #5. It’s still not quite right. I’ve been approaching the design properly. There are just so many factors. I’m trying to create a “fabric” with multiple straight of grain. Or so I’m thinkin’ now.

You see, in preparing for the Double Weave workshop in November, I’ve been puzzling through the structure of fabric. That opened the door to looking at the skirt of the angel pattern a little differently and low and behold, I realized how complicated the execution of my idea will be. Funny how that happens!

So, I dug out my “book” on alterations. The sewing notes that I absconded with from my Mother’s library eons ago. We share the same build type. And we altered many a pattern to fit that build. Mixed in among the specific notes are reminders of “rules” to follow. That’s what I was looking for. Low and behold, when you have a flared skirt that needs adjusting, you have to work with the straight of grain to maintain the drape. Duh!

Since the printer/scanner wasn’t scanning, I have no picture to share prior to the snipping I did yesterday. I do have a working scanner today, so if I repair the swirl section, you’ll see a scan soon. I know the s word…soon……

More Bach, more snipping, and more washing

I took in another concert at the Carmel Bach Festival. One of the draws for festival attendance is the events that are related to the theme of the festival, but not core literature that is popular to perform. You come to hear Carmel to hear Bach. You go to other locations around the world to hear Mozart, or Beethoven, or Wagner, or Marsalis, or Scaggs, or….well, you get the idea. There’s always an event that stretches you a bit. Last night was one of those events for me. Bartok and Dvorak were offered right alongside Bach. The pieces chosen are familiar repertoire; I just hadn’t connected them together with Bach. I’ll be looking over the concert notes and thinking about that connection a little more today. Perhaps during my walk, or when I’m mulling why I’m up to version 6.2 of the shawl angel.

Yes, 6.2

I know my idea is good. I know it will come together. I know even the best designers do quite a bit of snipping and binning. I know I will work it all out. I know I have as much time as I need to take. I know also I’m a bit weary of it all.

Off to wash some walls in preparation for priming. Yes, priming. We’ve decided the accent wall is just too bold a color for using the Swiss Coffee alone. We’ll be washing, maybe sanding, priming, and then the color coat(s). I don’t have as much time as I need for that, so I’d better get started!

I bought the.....organ!

So, June was a crossroads? Yes.

July was to be painting time? Yes.

After last weekend, I get to add a very big project to that list: Moving my organ into the house. 

The studio will be the central room in the house. Right now, it still looks like a converted courtyard. So, we’ll add flooring to the July task list.

Oh, and I discovered a huge pattern oops in the angel. You know how you pick up and set things down a certain way until you are forced to do things differently? Well, I watched a friend pick up the angel and hold it. The way she was holding it turned a light bulb on in my mind. I’m sure she would have been surprised to see my face at that point. I’m sure I looked rather silly. I’m sure the pattern will be a better pattern now; so, back to part of the drawing board on that pattern.

Right now, I’m off to research what flooring will work best for the organ.....

Process and plans

The process of relocating is gathering steam. We’re signing lots of paperwork, writing a few checks, and making tons of phone calls and writing tons of emails. It’s a good thing there’s 2 of us working on this with 2 agents. I can’t imagine trying to do all this alone! I’ve been shopping for an organ, a different computer set up, clothes for cooler weather, furnishings for the older, bigger house, and lots more.

I’ve also finished a few tatted gifts and another angel, this time in size 80. It looks much more elegant in the smaller thread. And at just 7 cm tall (about 3 inches) it will fit nicely on the shawls. Now to figure out how long it will take me to tat one without writing down the pattern as I go. Should be much, much faster (snigger, snort, chortle) and without any cutting out mistakes, the next one should look much neater. I may even use a different color thread on the skirt edge. We’ll see.

I will be posting the pattern eventually. I just don’t have the computer power to make up a good diagram or the mental energy to write the pattern out into a word document. But, this is one to share and spread the healing and celebration! So, stay tuned.

Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted. Consider yourself lucky…in a way.

First, the good news:

The Saint-Saens worked in blues is back and framed and hanging on my wall. I enjoy it so much! I don’t think I’ll ever sell this one. Call it my “first” that I consider a lucky charm.

Next, the shawl angel is coming along. Here’s the second version worked in some old size 20 (hence the stained thread).

 

 

I've still more work to do on this design. I'd like to see how big it will be in size 80, so I guess that's the next step.

Now for the whining:

This living in a house that is staged for sale is not fun. I’ve lost track of so much. The 2 hours each day I spend cleaning and primping is tiring. I’ve decided I will never try to be a full time maid. It makes the characters on Dowton Abbey that much more real to me. I know there are those who see such drudgery as a step up and a good choice for a career, but I’m outa here! I soooo want to be messy for a day or so!!!

 

 

Spring is here!

The plum tree is in bloom. The birds are starting to stake out nesting places. And the weeds are back. If you’ve followed this blog over the years, you know about our garden and weeds. post on weeding I didn’t do a real thorough job of weeding while the ground was soft from the rain. Now, the weather is turning warm and dry. So, I’ll just have to cope later. I really dislike using weed killer in the ground around the fruit trees. There’s just something off about that.

I hit another snag in the angel pattern. I struggle so with scale and making the motifs fit a shape I’ve determined. I hope to conquer this over the next few days; Then, on to tat a test in smaller thread to see how big it really will be. I may have to simplify the pattern to get it down to a manageable size.

I think I will take a walk around the yard to smell the roses first……

Shawl angel coming along

I finished the head, body and wings of the angel.

 

Shawl angel head, body and wings

If my math is correct, when I work it in size 80 thread, it will be a little wider than the labels that are sewn onto each shawl and blanket and lap robe and scarf. It will be a tad longer I think. I’m not sure because I decided not to work on the skirt yesterday. I chose to work on tacking down the Blue version of the Saint-Saens. That task won out over sorting for the move as I decided that I didn’t want to move with the doily still in the hoop. I think with 2-3 more days it should be ready to go to the framers. Whew!!!

 

Back to my goals

Well, it’s been awhile. My bad. I’m very embarrassed!

 My excuse is I’m moving….soon….to Monterey/Carmel area. That means we have to sell this house. Now, we’ve only been in this house for 15+ years. So, there’s not too much archeology required. But, we’ve raised our children here. So, there’s all the “stuff” associated with that and the memories. ‘nuff said.

 What have I been tatting you ask?

 Well, I’m still bouncing around ideas for an angel for the Prayer Shawl Ministry. I’m getting closer. I’d like to have a skirt that seems to swirl, so I’ve been looking for geometric patterns that are dense. I found this heart pattern:

Morales heart

 Lilly Morales reworked an older pattern. I kinda reworked her pattern. I’d like to adapt it for the skirt of the angel. Along with keeping up with Jane’s TIAS 2015 and continuing the flag. More on those later.

Shawl pattern discovery

I’ve mentioned before that I knit comfort shawls for a ministry at my church, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Saratoga, CA. I’ve also mentioned that knitting with needles has been less than successful in the past. I knit using a Knitting Board. Since I use both sides of the board and wrap with the double technique, I’ve converted patterns from single knit notation. If your eyes are glazed over, don’t feel bad. Sometimes I give up and just decide to not get fancy.



Dotty with loom

The shawl on my loom currently is my interpretation of a favorite in the group.

 



 

It’s called Dotty. I have no clue where the pattern came from originally, it’s one the ladies have memorized and have used for years. It’s essentially 4 rows: first row knit, second row purl, third row yarn over-knit 2 together, and final row knit. Here’s what that looks like when worked using needles and single knit technique:

Dotty knitted with needles

 

 

 

 

and here they are side by side:

Dotty comparison

Quite a difference! I’ll be anxious to see how it all works up. More later.

Incidentally, the group functions rather autonomously. If we have a completed shawl and we hear of a request or need, we act. We don’t wait around for a clergy member. I know that seems wrong to some, but we’re a big parish. There are lots of requests. And besides, no one has told the group  “don’t” so we figure we’re good. There have been a lot of wonderful stories shared. I figure asking for forgiveness rather than permission fits here.

And where did November go?????

First off….I’m OK. The area of USA that we live is prone to Earthquakes; but that’s not what disrupted our house. I can usually handle one or even two small disasters; and moving doesn’t normally phase me. I’ve handled remodels in the past without moving out or getting storage lockers. Well, this time, it has thrown me. I’m misplacing things, running out of energy in the afternoons, and getting overwhelmed far too quickly to manage the whole process. Good thing our daughter is moving back in. She will be able to handle a lot of her things on her own. So, now we get some termite damage fixed and then we’ll be set to get back to normal.

I completed a huge project last month: a prayer shawl. I knit with a Knitting Board loom. I’m very pleased with the way it all turned out. It took a day or so to get a decent photo. Scanning is so much easier the way I have the computer set up. Then, the photo disappeared. I can’t find it anywhere. Not on the cameras (yes, plural), not on my phones (yes, plural), not on the computers (yes, plural). I guess I just thought I had taken the picture. Anyway, the shawl turned out well. The yarn was fun to work with. It’s a very fast repeat of 6 different fall colors. That made it look rather heathery. I’m sure it will warm and brighten someone’s day.

Next project: Move back in and sort out. Then it’s on to Christmas. However, I may have to postpone some of the sorting until after the holidays. Gee, that will make me sad….hehehe.

brushed acrylic yarn

Here’s the yarn I’ll be making my next prayer shawl in…..

brushed acrylic yarn for prayer shawl on knitting board

Since I’m using the Knitting Board, it’ll be a double knit fabric. So, the colors will have just a few stitches visible before they change. I’ll be interested to see if any pooling occurs. From this sample, I doubt it.

a connecting sample

I ran into a small problem: How to connect all the parts of a design? Here’s my solution:

Round 8 & 9 of Large Round Doily

This is on page 6 of Anne Orrs Classic Tatting Patterns (Dover). My sample will probably end up as a bookmark to buoy the spirits of a dear friend. Her job is stressful and she gives so much; she deserves something to remind her she is a treasure!

close, so close

I asked what you thought of the different cluny technique. So far, no one has weighed in. Well, I think I could use both techniques; just need to play a bit more to see what I like about each one.

In the meantime, I’ve been working on the knitting board. I’m so close! When I get this close to the end of a project, I have to be quite firm with myself. I tend to rush and make all sorts of sloppy errors. So, I will be careful in the last few rows.

prayer shawl almost done

I mentioned my shawl a few days ago. Well, I realized yesterday that I’ve never shared a picture. The colors are so yummy! 

 At the rate I hook, it’ll be Easter before it’s ready. Sigh.

Celtic cross

I love sitting in on the Monday class that AKTatter monitors. I’ve learned a lot. Found a ton of good patterns. Discovered tatters from all over the world. Most importantly, I’ve learned how to talk tatting.

Celtic Cross by Yvonne Reypa

This pattern discussed during was a recent class. I am always intrigued with “celtic” patterns and how the chains weave. With this cross, the weaving is done with rings; a bigger challenge. After sitting in on the discussion and looking at what others have said about the pattern, I attempted my version. The thread is size 10 Manuela. I felt like I was always one DS away from a mistake that would be hard to correct, but I think I’ve got it.

I think this will end up on a blanket a friend is knitting. Don’t know yet. We’ll see……..

Pocket Prayer Shawl idea

Sometimes it takes me awhile……

More than a year ago, our Prayer Shawl Ministry group received a request: Something small folks could tuck into their pocket. We bounced the idea around and experimented, but never really came up with something the Chaplain could use. Well, I’ve been tatting bookmarks, but I haven’t been able to tat many. I just knew the need was unmet.

Today while browsing, I came across a picture of a pocket prayer shawl. It looks like it was taken with a phone (it’s not a blurry as what my phone pictures end up) and there’s nothing to reference scale, but I’m thinking this may be the ticket. (I have requested permission to post the picture.) I’ll have to play with the idea……..

Bookmark donations

This is a good time to explain my fascination with bookmarks.

I sit in the second row of Sopranos in the choir. They are a very creative and fun group. Like me, several of the ladies find it hard just to sit. So, they needlepoint and knit and crochet during breaks in the singing. Better than and less disruptive than talking during those moments when the director isn’t asking for music. Like many folks who knit and crochet, they have begun to make prayer shawls for use in caring for cancer patients, those in grieving, and others in need of a warm wrap. They invited me to try….so I agreed. I know the basics of knitting and crochet work. My daughter knits very well. My attempts are…..well, let’s just say…..amusing! But, I know such volunteerism is badly needed and valued by many. So, what’s a tatter to do?

The answer came from a good friend who works as a volunteer coordinator at a local hospital. She has a gorgeous voice and loves singing. So, we felt a strong bond. I’m not much for being around hospitals…been there, done that. But, she really cooed over the tatting I was working on between Christmas services one year. She came back several weeks later with a proposal: tat bookmarks for those she works with at the hospital who need a bit of a pick me up; sort of a warm something for those who care for others.  Thus, my bookmark donations began. They’re fun for me, she uses them often, and the stories she has related are just as heartwarming and wonderful as those that come from those shawls the ladies knit and crochet.

So, that’s my bookmark donations.

Now, my challenge to you: what tatting can you donate?

TIAS Day 6 and Hope

The sunrise was lovely again today. The fog cleared over us, but stayed in the hills. As the sun crested the Eastern hills, everything lit up! Sigh!! It was lovely to watch as I finished my cuppa.

Then, I finished Day 6 of Jane’s TIAS.

TIAS Day 6

I'm thinking legs of something with a square body. But, there are those two beads rattling around on the shuttle. Don't have any better idea to what I am making. Such a fun game!

I have been mulling an idea for a pattern. The background: I support the Prayer Shawl Ministry at my church, St. Andrew’s Episcopal, Saratoga. We as a parish also support seminarians. One in particular with a wonderful bass voice has been working with the Veteran’s Hospital near here. He expressed an interest in having something to leave with those struggling with PTSD. As he spoke of the female patients, my mind’s ear remembered his singing “My Hope is Built”.  Shelve that tune for a moment and back to the Prayer Shawl meeting. I ended up with a bit of left over yarn and a cro-tat tool that was given to the group. In looking for a pattern to try it all out, I picked up my copy of Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konior. Her patterns are always an inspiration to me. I tried out her Hope pattern.

Hope by Mary Konior using Cro-tat and yarn

Not that successful, but good enough not to “bin” after a scan. I had tatted that pattern in size 10 and really liked how it worked out. If I had a ton, and I mean a ton, of the yarn, I might try to cro-tat something for the group by joining the motifs together. My quick estimate is 16 yards for each motif. That’s a ton of yarn!

Back to Solid Rock (the tune for the hymn). The meter for the hymn is listed as 8.8.8.8 with refrain of 8.8.8.8 for a total of 8 syllables for 8 lines. Some of you are already seeing where this is going. I’m going to try to play around in my graphic program before picking up the shuttle to see if it will work. I may just get impatient and start tatting……

More on this later