Paris in the Springtime!

This Knitting Mystery was appealing to me--Why?  Because today I'm in Paris!  Yes, Paris, France! We are on a River Cruise along the Seine River!

When I saw that Cindy Garland was featuring a mystery shawl pattern based on Paris, I just had to sign up--of course, the pattern begins until April 1.   I've ordered my yarn, beads etc. so I can begin knitting on April 1st. 

Join with me on this exciting knitting adventure! 

Journey Along With Books

As we travel, I try to have plenty of books on hand to read--who knows when you'll miss a flight, be stranded on a desert island, need some quiet time to be alone, or just plain bored!  I think I have plenty to keep me busy !  Plus there is always the Kindle reader on my I-Pad.  

Good reading to you!   

One Day We'll Never Forget!

I'll never forget this day.  We made our ways to Freedom Tower and the fountains that remember the fallen.

Names are stamped into the panels surrounding both fountains where the twin towers once stood.

Deep into the 9/11 Memorial, we pass through sights and sounds from that day 

Remains of the retaining wall

It looks like an art piece, but it's actually twisted beams from the Towers.

I'll never forget that day!  

Walk in Their Shoes

We finally were able to visit Ellis Islad while on our time in NYC.  Our last trip here, the government was shut down and all were closed.  Something's it's hard to realize how it was for those who immigrated to US soils, but taking this journey we were able to walk in their shoes for a short while. 

I was happy to see in one section of education area, there was this great photo of a family weaving.

Weaving was given a small portion of  the display area, but it as there!  I can't even fathom the hardships our ancestors endured during those years, but I'm so thankful they did.  

Looking For Creativity!

We are in the "Big Apple"!  And everywhere I look I see sights that can be used to build creativity. Look at the building lines

And see how the shadows fade in and out.

Take this photo with its sharp peaks and angles 

Make it black and white and see something totally different

The streets even give off a sense of design style.

Use the color of the flashing billboards as basis for texture

Even the carpet in our room gets me a thought about quilting lines or weaving patterns

I'm loving this time in The Big Apple

Design Elements

 

When I'm traveling my eye is constantly looking for design elements everywhere! 

 

How could this design be used in your work?  How about a quilting pattern or a stencil effect as surface design?

Two together make for interesting view

Even the shelves of liquor bottles catch my eye--wonder how I could use this--besides drink it??

I liked the water shadow in the bottle as it sits on the blotter

What lines and reflections! 

Any of these will be noted in my design portfolio for future use--how about you?  Do you look at your surroundings?

Yarn Bombing!

Have you done any yarn bombing?  I know that photo bombing is popular now but I was happy to come across this yarn bombing in a city community area.  

Here is a great view of the construction and this length of knitting covers an ugly pipe giving it a soften touch.  Of course, I had to touch!  What a super way to brighten the town center.  

When Nothing Else Works-----DYE!

 

When one of our weaving friends moved to the West Coast, she had a super sale--sold everything out of her fiber closet that she wasn't taking with her.

 

I bought a few skeins of this gray or is it grey (?) alpaca/wool blend.  Although it is commercial yarn, it had a nice handle and it was good quality.  I didn't much like the color, but it was a bargain--you know how it is with a bargain!  I thought of it for awhile and then decided I could DYE it and it would be useful in one of my knitting projects

So, I skeined it off on my niddy-noddy; tied it securely for the dyepot

I selected a magenta acid dye and went for it--

I think this will be used in one of lace shawl patterns.  The tie strings, which are wool, shows the color of the primary dye.  Overall, I'm pleased!

So, when all else fails, over dye!

Add to the List--What NOT To Say...................

Listing courtesy of  California Arts Council

"why would I buy art when I can download it for free on the Internet"
 "My eight year old could do better than you."
"don't offer 25 dollars for an item that cost more than 200 dollars for material and hours of work to create!"
"How long does this take you to make?" 

What would you add? 

What is Old is Useful Again!

Recently, at one of our expatchers gatherings, Linda was pressing her fabrics for a future project. 

Press, press, press at the stand-up ironing board with a regular iron.

Judy M came to her rescue!  "Why not use the

Ironrite?"

What is an Ironrite? you ask!  The greatest invention for the ladies in the late 1940's!

The company was founded by Herman A. Sperlich and Johannes M. Uhlig in the early part of the 20th Century. They started in Detroit and eventually moved to Mt. Clemens, Michigan where they became a mainstay of the local economy, providing about 400 jobs until the factory closed in the late 1950s

Oh, yeah, you were lucky if you had one of these machines in your household--no more standing to iron large qualities of laundry--and ironing was a major chore of the women in 1950's!

Lucky for Linda, Judy has an Ironrite and she heated it up quickly and away you go!

Just place your fabric on the board and let the Ironrite do the job--perfectly pressed without any effort from you!

Today's weavers even use this machine as a mangle for their linen woven fabric

If you are interested, you can find used Ironrites on EBay.

Well, It Does Help To Read Instructions.......................................

Yes, it does help to read instructions--very Carefully!  Just when you 'think' you know what the next step will be----WHAM!!  NOT!

Yelp!  Got caught in that web of 'thinking I know"  When all I should have done was READ the directions!  There were to be two knit rows, but I began on the wrong side with the next set of clues--

and you can see I decided on the black as my second color, so the only thing to do was

RIP!!

Do I knit back to the start?  That would be three rows of over 300 stitches!

OR

 

 
 

Do I just bite the bullet and pull out the stitches and then pick up?  What would you do?

My choice..........pull out the stitches--very carefully!  Then pick up and after couple of hours of picking up and getting back to the pattern

I'm on target!

It's a pull and tug situation to put on the beads, but I'm managing..........

I think I like this, as long as I don't make any more mistakes! 

 

Spring! Arrives!

 

And the Dogwoods Bloom!

 Total Solar Eclipse: Fri, 20 Mar 2015 on the day of the March Equinox.… See animation

There are two equinoxes every year – in March and September – when the Sun shines directly on the equator and the length of night and day are nearly equal, but not quite.

 

 

 

Celebrating new beginnings: The March equinox has long been celebrated as a time of rebirth in the Northern Hemisphere. Many cultures celebrate spring festivals and holidays around the March equinox, like Easter and Passover.

May your Spring be filled with sunshine, love and blooming of new life!

 

 

 

 

Weaving Misteps!

"All that truly matters in the end is that you loved" Life Lessons According to Regina

Even experienced weavers make a mistake every once and awhile.

Sometimes, we find that mistake right away and other times

we can't find the mistake until we have finished the weaving.

These are lovely blue/white towels with yellow border

Can you see the mistake?

Yelp--there it is!  a definite weft mistake--somehow, a wrong treadle was lifted or we could say not lifted!

Oh joy, how to repair?  Get out that magnifying glass, needle and thread and begin to weave, weave, weave by hand!  Yes, sometimes, experienced weavers make mistakes and we will admit it!!  

1083 Stitches Minus 720 Equals 363!

"Growing old beats the alternative.....dying young" Life Lessons According to Regina

Is my math right?!  I cast on 1083 stitches last month and decreased according to the pattern down to 363--so I reduced by 720 stitches! 

And of course, I'm running out of yarn!  Now to rummage through my stash--what would work with these colors?  Hmmmm, let's see............................

  

I'm leaning towards the black or the top yarn that is on the shade of turquoise.

One small problem--the next clue contains beads and I'm not sure size 6 beads would fit over the top yarn, but would over the black--

here comes the next clue and we only decrease three stitches.

Stay tuned!