Brush & Palette Club

Yesterday was the second demonstration of the year for the Brush & Palette Club in our town. Dani Tupper showed her techniques of applying watercolor paints diluted with water, using spray jars filled with the watered paints. She introduced, new to me, the idea of using spray webbing over her paper.  She said one could also use the Halloween type webbing available in bags at hobby stores around that season, and that it would give the same effect.  She would pull apart that type webbing and cover the paper with the wispy material prior to applying the paints. 

Tupper applied spray webbing (available online) to the 140 lb. Arches watercolor paper, securing it onto her paper with tacks.  Then over the webbing she sprayed on her colors, allowing them to dry. The webbing was then pulled off the paper, and various pools of color emerged with textures giving differing effects.  

You can access Dani here at her home website and see some of her beautiful works.

Below is one of her paintings in process.

Linking with Fiber Arts Friday and Freshly Finished Fridays, I have made several crochet book covers for writing journals.  The inside of this one uses Mardi Gras material in like colors of purples and greens and blues. The flap is convenient for holding my mechanical pencil.

The journal cover is an idea with some directions given on Elizabeth's blog, and she even has one featured on Google images.  I tried to channel her crochet talent, but did not end up with one nearly as pretty as hers using granny squares shown here.

I leave you with lemon yellows and pictures of a pie and lemon water from organic lemons shipped from a Florida backyard directly to friend Norma, who shared some with me.  When one is given lemons, after all, one MUST make a pie.  This one I made just before Brush & Palette Club, and it haunted me throughout the demonstration.  It had to be tasted (after dinner of pot stickers, I must say it was pretty palatable).

Crafting with the Lutherans

Tomorrow and Saturday the church ladies (and a few men helpers) will be involved in the

FALL BAZAAR HOSTED BY ALC WOMEN’S MINISTRIES

• October 17 – October 18, 2014
 
• 9:00 AM to 2 PM

LUNCH SERVED BOTH DAYS  11:00 AM TO 1:30 PM

EAT-IN OR TAKE-OUT AVAILABLE

HOMEMADE JAMS, BAKE SALE, LEFSE, HOLIDAY DECORATIONS, QUILTED ITEMS, GIFT BASKETS, EMBROIDERY AND MORE!

Friday hours are 9 AM to 2 PM      Saturday hours are 9 AM to 2 PM

Bazaar proceeds benefit ALC Women’s Ministries and local service organizations

Here are the knitted items I've knitted over the past couple of years and will donate to the bazaar to perhaps bring in a few dollars for the American Lutheran Church ministries:

The Elowen shawl on Ravelry:

and the Wilhelmina Shawlette on Ravelry, including a few color coordinated accessories:

This week I finished knitting the Norwegian Shawl by Sivia Harding, with yarn from Louet Gem merino fiber. This project took four weeks to knit.  There were very few problems in crafting this lace shawl; it was well written and the yarn was very well behaved. Generally, I wear shawls with the spined upper edge at the neck and the longer pieces wrapped around and, so the finished dimensions of 62 inches in length (29 inches in depth) will give adequate coverage to the neck, shoulder and front area.

Joining in with Fiber Arts Friday, Creative Friday at Natural Suburbia and Yarn Along for sharing.

My First and Last Vogue Lace Knitted Shawl

On Ravelry here are all the notes about knitting this shawl.  Curse words were deleted for family friendliness, and just the facts were included; this is the end result.  Mind you, I will never, ever knit this pattern again.

But the hearts, once they were blocked out, do make an interesting motif down the center panel.  It is five feet in width, so the shawl will wrap around the neck/body with appropriate warmth.  Although I am not a big fan of picot edging, it was included as a part of the pattern, so who I am to argue with Vogue. (?)  So it was picot edged.

Linking with Natural Suburbia and Fiber Arts Friday where other fiber related crafts can be seen.

Done and Done

Finally.  Finished the Shetland Lace Shawl #2 in record time to participate in Fiber Arts Friday blog-along.

Pictures are not great, but the shawl itself is different in that it is made from 100% organic linen from Quince & Co..  It softened up after soaking and blocking, although it was not blocked to points since I will wear it around my neck and those points would not show anyway. So why bother? is the motto of the day.

Here is the model wearing this shawl found in Allen and Budd's Wrap Style, but made in  wool.

Evelyn Clark's ebook looks interesting.  She has this pattern and others at that link.

Go here to see other finished objects this week.

PS: Son in law Jack took this picture yesterday.  Awesome, and not in the sense that kids say it today.  Jack captured God's presence right there in York, South Carolina after a spring rain storm.

Knotty Little Problem

Not really a problem so much as a frustration.  The arm stripes on the Delancey Cardigan do not match with one another. Likely the reason is that I was distracted and did an enormous number of short rows, about 20 too many, on the right sleeve.  But since the left sleeve is coming along nicely, I have canoodled over the problem enough to realize that I can simple cut a thread on the right sleeve cap after the appropriate number of short rows, create a provisional cast on, unravel enough grey to match the left side, and then when it counts/looks more or less right, graft that left sleeve together again. And toss that extra yarn.  Maybe.

For today, a completed pair of Teeny Tiny Mary Janes, courtesy of Knitsofacto.

Linking with Fiber Arts Friday.


Next week the husband will make bread (his blog is here and his bread recipes are here and here).  He has a bread with pumpkin added in that he wrote about here.  Gene has a great recipe for pita bread here.  He has Ciabatta Bread written out also!  His recipes (truly his own) are a blog post in themselves, but go take a look at his Grand Life Food & Cooking.

I'll stir up a crock pot of taco soup for our Lutheran Church and its weekly Lenten soup lunches after noon services and we will contribute bread and soup for the communicants.

The taco soup I like not only has the traditional tomatoes, beef, hominy, several beans, etc. but also adds some Ranch Dressing (dry) and lots of spices.  Maybe too spicy for the older crowd?   There are usually about 30 people who stay for lunch after the noon service, mostly retired codgers like ourselves.  (Last week we did have a few kids and parents there as well, probably because is was Spring Break for the school district.)

The wind has been blowing mightily and the leaves are everywhere.  Here is one last look at our back area from the porch.  I'll try my hand at painting a picture of the bare tree trunks with light and shadows.

Looking forward to next week's art show over the weekend at

PALISADE ART LOVERS  

34th ANNUAL PEACH  BLOSSOM ART SHOW

April 10th-13th, 2014

George Callison will be the main judge.

What is on your agenda?

Candied Violets and KnitWits

There are lots of ways to make sugar coated violets.  Since my two violets are blooming profusely, it was time to make a few to top a basic buttermilk cake from Lottie and Doof.

This is what they look like after 14 hours in the fridge

Be sure to give yourself a day for the egg whites to dry, making them ahead of time so that they will be ready for cake decoration.

Several KnitWits were served cake and ice cream yesterday sans the violet toppers since they were still drying. Should have read the recipe two days ago. Oh well.

Still knitting on the chevron Delancey cardigan and am half way through one sleeve.  Pictures later.

Remember it is Fiber Arts Friday!

 and linking with a new site, from a home schooler in South Africa

Gift Enclosure Cards and Fiber

Everyone has favorite images saved on their computer, just because.  So take a few of your favorite pictures, sandwich them between plastic laminates or clear plastic sheets from recycled products and make some interesting gift tags or book markers with the help of your sewing machine and left over bits and bobs of ribbon, buttons or bows.  (Clear plastic sheets can be purchased at any craft store.)

Images are held between clear plastic pages, then stitched to separate pictures. Cut beside the stitching lines to create open topped envelopes.

Now an enclosure card, your business card, or just a quick "thank you" note can be slipped into the opening of the card you made.

Here are a dozen made within an hour.  (Be sure to discard your needle after sewing because the plastic will dull the point of the needle when sewing through the plastic.)

Joining in Finished Objects Friday and Fiber Arts Friday, here is a finished Looped Loop cowl made from Shetland hand dyed and hand spun wool.  It was completed right before going to Phoenix for the Scrabble tournament, but it was too warm there to wear it.  Never fear, more snow will blow in Colorado this March, so it will get lots of use.

Mouse, Mice, Meece

How can you not think mice are cute?

Not the destructive type of mouse, that varmint type, that eat grain, sneak into your pantry and eat a hole in your Cheerios box ... but the type of mice as portrayed by Beatrix Potter and other whimsical artists.

Let your mind wander to sweet mice, funny mice, darling mice, like these

And even knitted mice!

This is a family of mice I knit from the book Knitted Cats and Kittens by Stratford.  An odd choice for knit?  Maybe.  But I think that one or two peeking out from the brim of a hat might give a chuckle.

 

 

Again linking to Fiber Arts Friday and Finished Objects Friday!

 I do think mice are very nice.