Crossing things off

The best thing about lists is crossing things off of them, don't you think?

I have finally started finishing the finishing touches on my art. I got two nearly finished, the embroideries are laced, but I need to figure out a better way to use the frames I have. And if I want to use the glass or not. Right now I am not sure. The frames also need to be repainted, but that will take a trip to a hardware store for some spray paint. I hope I'm on a roll. I need to show these to people. I'm ready to share them. And that is such an exciting feeling!

Here's what the ironing board looked like while I tried to match the pieces to their frames...
AH! Only TWO, only almost finished!? eeep! :) I need to get to the thrift stores this weekend and find more frames for sure!

In the mean time, here's a glimpse at my end of a collaboration I've happily found myself in, and man, have I snuggled in and gotten comfy with this project!

Yup, that's a giant ball o' yarn from a Cotswold fleece that was cleaned, carded, spun and is FINALLY being knit by yours truly. I am having so much fun with this! And it smell so good, I can't even tell you, it makes me think of spring and long for chilly nights all at the same time.

There's a busy weekend a head of me, whatever happens!

Collaboration

Combining the brains of artists is so exciting for me. I love the thrill of explanation, exploration, trading sketches and ideas... And I Super DUPER love that sheep have brought me to a new collaboration with a brilliant artist. This is someone who speaks what I've wanted to say, what I'm learning to be brave enough to say loudly and with pride.

I don't know if it is because I moved around so much as a child, but I've always been wary of sharing the innermost parts of my creative self. The artist part you could say, I suppose. I am learning to cast off my fears and just plain say what it is I want to! That the only way to connect with like-minded folk is to get up off my arse and find them, and when I do, say HI! I'm Cat, wanna trade? To talk? To pretend? To play that we are sitting across from each other with a bodacious pot of tea and crumpets, with sketchbooks and pencils and ink at the ready, even if reality tells us we're far apart and have never met in person. That doesn't mean I don't want to meet the locals, of course!!! It's just that I've come to realize how MANY people share my ideals about the parts of the world that should and do make it go 'round. And how, with the mighty power of the internet, we can find each other and grow and learn so much!

Hooray!!!!!!!!!!!


:) Nothing like a shower and a good email to end the day.

Sweet dreams!

(this is one of my favorite mugs, by Kat Antis, a lovely lady who lived in town when I was at the pottery residency of tepid doom. )

Hmmm

Well, I think it's time for a new banner... I got a hair cut yesterday, Finally, and when I signed on this morning, the old banner bothered me. So, that means I'll change it soon, hopefully this week, but no promises as my list of "to-do" is long and changes order frequently. It's hard trying to be organized with all these new ideas popping in my head.

I'm off to the yarn shop to work a few hours, I do like the short Sunday shifts. While I'm there I will be picking out new yarn for an old pattern of mine, to see if what I wrote a few years ago makes sense. If it does, I'll share it with you here eventually. (Could I be a little more wishy-washy about deadlines??? sheesh! Maybe that's my problem!)

Anyways, here's the first version

I was in Appomattox, VA for a pottery residency (no, I don't mess with clay right now, I'm quite happy playing with textiles, but someday I'm sure I'll go back to mud.) Knitting really helped keep me sane while I was there. I'm much happier now, and am excited to rework this pattern!

Wow.

You all are awesome! I am so surprised how quickly people on Raverly found my pattern, and such encouraging, lovely comments about it! Merci Merci to all of you!

P.S. I've changed the blog's address to www.tanglesandmud.blogspot.com, instead of the old orangeknittycat, so please update your lists if I'm on any of them! I'm hoping that by making my etsy shop and blog match, I'll be motivated to post things in my shop soon!

Now, off to the store, for we have NO food!

Have a wonderful night!

First Pattern EVER

Well, first that I've written and shared with you that is I've finally gotten off my bum and have decided that since it is typed up, made twice, and I still like it, you should have it too!
So here it is, the Merci Beaucoup Shawl
I designed this pattern with my mom in mind, she wears shawls all the time, and it made sense that after helping me move from VA to NC, she needed one. And it might have been mother's day. Can't remember, the important part was helping me move. Not the easiest, not the worst, but I think the most exhausting move I've done so far. She's a brilliant woman, my momma. Hers is the shawl below in the grass, hopefully someday we will remember to take a proper photo shoot with her in it.

Hope you enjoy the pattern, and if you have questions, please leave a comment and I'll try my best to answer it. Please remember that I've made this shawl twice, but no one else has tried it, so be gentle if I've missed something! It's easy to knit through you own pattern and not notice glaring mistakes.
And a close up:

Edited to apologize for the weird html crapola that was appearing throughout the pattern. I will try to figure that out and will put it back up in its rightful place on this page soon. For now though, it is available on Ravelry.com as a free downloadable pdf. Right here, in fact. If you don't know what Ravelry is, it is SO worth signing up for. It's a vast pattern library, community, project journal... and an hour eater :)

***** Edited to add a correction to Row 3.  It should read as follows:

5 stitches in Seed st, P9, K2, * P1, purl into front of first YO, purl into back of 2nd YO, P1, K2* Repeat from * to last 14 stitches, K2, P9, 5 stitches in Seed st. 

************

xoxox

“It is written: He who makes the best egg salad shall rule the heaven and earth.”

Have you ever seen What's Up Tiger Lily? No?!? Well, if you want to learn the importance of a really good Egg Salad (yes, it IS a proper noun), and what role it can play in Japanese gangs, I highly recommend it. Oh, and Woody Allen is involved. Need I say more?

Yes. I did just make some Egg Salad. It will be perfect tomorrow. Not that I want to rule the heavens and earth, too much to do!


Anyways. I've just become involved in a MOST exciting project, which I'll tell you about later when more is firmed up and sketched out.



( I mean, wet yer pants whilst doing the happiest of dances kind of exciting here, people.)
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More importantly, I have also realized that I'd forgotten to give the artist part of me the attention it deserves. I've always been one, but damn is it easier when you're a kid and your mom gives you her seed catalogs to cut up and paste on to cardboard, or to be completely satisfied with a swath of watercolor paint across a page with a single, precious, velvety white rabbit sticker leaping across it. If I had it with me, I'd tell you what I dictated to my mom as the title. Maybe next time I'll grab that giant portfolio and start taking photos of it. I realized this the other day, and there was probably little I could have done about it if I had realized it sooner... I mean, I bought a house (eeep!), then the holiday daze kicked in full swing and work was CRAZY with trade show prep. My poor little brain had no room to stretch out, and I aim to fix that. To make solid times that are for drawing, doodling, photographing, writing, whatever I please, as long as I'm using that artist side of me. I need to let that bird fly wild and high! She's been perched on her... erm, perch too long!

Which leads me to my next mission: to build a mini light box and start taking photos of the art that I have managed to squeeze out over the past year. I need to finish most of them, well, no, they're done, but I need to get them ready for the public's eyes. I can't keep these pieces of fabric folded up forever, that wouldn't be fair! These stitches need some room to breath! To be seen!

So. That's what's that for now. I think that this blog will be taking a turn from the knitting blog it was born as, and I'll try to use it as my artist statement. There will probably be some strange, twisty thoughts. But I am willing to let you see them. They're art too.

Pondering again

I've been wondering if I should close this blog and start fresh. I have so many new ideas and think about the world in such a different way than when I started this blog... I want to start a new beginning, but I don't know if the blog-o-sphere is where I need my thoughts to be. There's so many things to think and talk about, I'm just not sure if these pages are where I want to be.
For now, though, I'll change the layout and template, see if that helps shake the dust off this poor thing.


Yarn is good, yarn you make (from almost scratch) is better.