Knit and Sew

At long last, I have a work that combines knitting and sewing.

Above, a pillow cover that I knitted: sari silk yarn, cotton crochet yarn, rayon and wool yarn, chenille yarn and some special yarn from a shop in San Francisco.

What you can’t see is the cover itself, a royal purple silk and cotton blend, and the invisible zipper. The hardest part? Not the knitting. Learning the new crochet stitches to do six rows of crochet for the flange was a challenge.

But doing the last part, making the full pillow undercover and back cover itself, was probably the most challenging… Not that I can’t sew. It was just that in my mind, the pillow was done and making the case was just cleanup work. Silk. It slid. I had to baste. I had to sew. I had to remove the basting. I had to resew a couple parts.

But, it was worth it. It looks gorgeous. And what a great stash buster!

And the Artist? He’s busy getting ready for the annual Open Studios event. Be sure to see his museum show if you’re in the area. It has received rave reviews.

Happenin' Stuff

Open Studios for The Artist this Weekend

That's the operative event. Everything else stops. Rather, all personal activity for the week revolves around Open Studios. Last night when I came in all hot and sweaty after my Jazzercise class, the lights in my studio were blazing.  I knew what it meant. Time to move the furniture, knitting, yarn, fabric, paint, and all half-finished projects out of my studio and to somewhere else for the annual Presentation of The Artist to the Public.

"Okay, sweetie," I said, "Let's turn off the lights and cut down on the electric bill. I get the picture." We ate dinner. We returned to the room. I saved dessert for later to reward myself. He actually sat there and watched me pick everything up and move it. Fortunately for me, he sets up a room  about six inches inside the real room, so I can mash some things against the wall and not quite move everything. I thought he was crazy when he first suggested this, but it works well. (Notice the purple wall of the studio behind the green "booth" panels.)

Exhausted Artist Hiding his New Work

"You know, you could stop all this next year if you were to apply to Open Studios and were accepted," he said at one point. "Then you could keep the studio as it is and not move much. A consistent body of work. That's all it takes." Well, I'm not quite ready.

I finally have a photo of my watercolor fabrics combined into a quilt. (I who do not make quilts made it.)

Watercolor Quilt

I truly love the colors and the graphics. If you would like to purchase the fabric, you may.  (Link to Spoonflower on the fabric below.)

I'm back on the Laddered Turtleneck knitting project and have yarn for a Blossom Blanket. (Great name, huh? All pinks and purples.) Hope to get a lot done while I sit around in the back yard for two weekends. Well, actually, I'd rather be busy selling The Artist's stuff.

I took a class in Drop Spindle spinning last weekend. Lots of fun, but I don't know if my fingernails can handle it.

Tomorrow evening? Avocado minicupcakes, apple minicupcakes. Get those internal engines revving!

I ran into an old friend this evening. She told me that I never change. I always look the same. Like a little girl. What a wonderful compliment. It's just the way I feel. Thank you, Bess.

I think it's dinner time. Talk with you later.

It's time for (CCSCC) Open Studios

The Artist at Work

This is the most exciting, exhausting and extravagant time of year for all artists in our small county. It's Open Studios time! The Artist is just one of many very good artists in our county who has been selected to participate in opening his studio to the public. In order to receive this opportunity to make a little cash (without the county requiring them to take out a special license), 300 artists were selected by application, after applying to the Cultural Council last April. It really is a very good deal for both the artists and the public.

The event is separated into the North County and South County weekends, with the third weekend designated as "encore" weekend where all studios are open. The Artist and I use the South County weekend to go on a sightseeing tour around the county and visit the most remote studios. I save up my money all year to spend at this event.

Today, The Artist and I visited (in this order) an oil painter, a glassblowing couple, the Artmaps creator, a double-sided ceramic bowl maker, a raku ceramicist, a lamp glass maker, a potter of garden pots, and a plein air oil painter. We had a great time, but we are exhausted. I am monetarily poorer for the experience, but richer in knowledge and spirit. I had always wanted to visit the glassblowers, especially because I received a piece of theirs at an auction last year.

This week will be a challenge getting ready for the North County. Clean the house, prune the garden, make everything look presentable. Most of this unfortunately falls on The Artist because I'm off to bed.