Crafts on Board

30 Jun 2007 3 Comments

by fabricfan in altered art, vacation

When I go on holidays, I like to take a variety of crafts. The criteria is that it can’t take up too much space. All of this except for the pencil crayons fitted into a Canada post mailer box. There was also pen and pencil and a film cannister with needle and threads inside.

This are the word prompts that I had taken along. I found this on Nicola’s bloghttp://artful-life-with-elizajane.blogspot.com/ and the words are put in a bag and you do that technique on your artist trading card or journal page. The two columns on the right I didn’t use as I didn’t have those things with me. I did have my labeller so that I could make my prompts. I also have a set of words that I am going to use for fabric as well.

I am quite happy with this group of 4 ATCs and this journal page. In the end I was tearing up travel phamphlets and yarn labels. Next time I am adding a felt pen, a needle with a bigger eye and a bigger variety of papers.

I will post knitting later, along with the list of magazines that I need incase I am bored.
Adriana , You asked if I got seasilk on board, I think you are besotted with your latest yarn. I don’t knit underway only when docked or at anchor. It would be lovely to get seasilk.

Sailors return

29 Jun 2007 2 Comments

by fabricfan in boat, life

We were moored at Maple Bay, it has really changed in two decades, better docks, boathouses, and more on shore facilities. ( I like to shop)

Rock formation on Kuper Island, I have always been fascinated with how different the geology can be a short distance from home.

Party time, approximately half the boats at the Beneteau Rendezvous 07 at Telegraph Harbour which is between Kuper and Thetis islands in the Gulf Islands. Good food, lots of people and over 50 boats. Games and give aways. A chance to get on boats, see how others have problem solved storage, made boat cushions, looked at a variety of dogers and biminis. Heard about sailing in different parts of the world. Lots to think about.

Stanley Park between Siwash Rock and the Lions Gate Bridge, the seawall walk still blocked to bikers and walkers. It will take a long time and a lot of money to recover from the storm damage of last November.

Thanks to Joyce and Louisa for the comments on the last post. I can agree with Louisa, I had forgotten about UFO’s.

knitting meme

17 Jun 2007 2 Comments

by fabricfan in knitting

I found this meme on a blog that I have been reading “Joyce makes Art” for over a year.
She calls this ” A disaster leads to a knitting meme”
http://joycevance.typepad.com/ on June 12. TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/842478/19244064

1 Is it about the finished item or about the process of knitting? Some of both? Has your focus changed one direction or the other over time?
For me it is mostly about the process unless it is a gift. I don’t seem very focused.

#2 How do you view mistakes? Do you think they give your project character? Is it important to have one, as my Aunt says, because only God is perfect? Or would you rip all the way back to row 5 of your husband’s finished sweater knit on size 3 needles to eradicate a mistake no one else would notice?

A mistake hidden under the arm, or on the back of a garment, I’d probably leave it. I am still not terribly pleased with my knitting on straights I don’t have an even tension. A mistake with a big project on small needles, I wouldn’t rip out immediately. I’d try to convince myself it was ok and knit another part of the project. Then I’d rip back, I would need some emotional distance before I could rip it out.

#3 Would you rather knit a project that is comfortable for your skill level, or do you prefer a challenge that requires you to figure out new things?

I’d like one of each on my needles and prefer to have two different sized needles and different yarns as well.

#4 What is something you really want to make but haven’t yet? What holds you back? Is it money, skill level, time, fear of the unknown or something else?

If there is something that I want to make, nothing holds me back forever. If I have to learn a new skill set, or design it myself I will. Granted it my take me awhile to get around to actually doing it.

Back in the real world

07 Jun 2007 3 Comments

by fabricfan in books, knitting, sewing

I’ve been reading for the past week something that I haven’t wanted to put down. I haven’t been reading very much for the last couple of years except for magazines about my hobbies and blogs, the daily paper and a few paperbacks.

I saw a new book on 7 day loan at the library from Penny Vincenzi and decided a quick read wasn’t for me, but on the shelves I found Sheer Abandon. http://www.amazon.ca/Sheer-Abandon-Penny-Vincenzi/dp/0755328523/ref=sr_1_6/702-8783674-2895201?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181240998&sr=8-6 It was great and I kinda wish it hadn’t ended.
The next one of hers that I want to read is Absolute Scandal.

My sewing machine was out getting serviced, it runs very quietly now and that might have something to do with the fact that 2 pins were found inside the machine. I don’t know how they got there and I don’t have anyone to foist the blame onto. The repairman wanted to know if any little kids had access to my machine.

The best friends jacket by Sally Melville, ran into a couple of problems. I wan’t happy with the body of the jacket and I decided that there would be too much weight hanging from the shoulders and that a seam would give added support. I was also having worries about how much yarn it would take. I was also concerned about the neck edge at the back. I decided to start another sleeve, and I went back to the store and bought 2 more skeins of yarn. I am thinking of using a smaller needle for the body of the jacket and changing the direction of the stitches. I have several schematics drawn of vertical, horizontal and diagonal garter stitch arrangements.

When I was knitting sock and it said to put the remaining stitches on a holder while working on the heel flap, I discovered that my denise cords were really too thick and now I have decided that I like using the nylon cord from a weed wacker. It is cheap too if bought at a dollar store.

Yarn dye challenge

02 Jun 2007 2 Comments

by fabricfan in knitting

A couple of months ago, I challenged the girls at Friends Knit Together to dye yarn for each other according to the others colour and yarn preferences. We ordered our yarn from Knit picks and then sent a couple pictures of colourways that appealed to us. I sent actual pictures from magazines and they sent me pictures of fabric via email. It was a do the best you can with this scheme. I wanted wool and silk for my sock yarn. Heather dyed the top one for me, it was based on a flowering cabbage. Adriana did the second one which was based on a sunset. I love both of them. My mail came on Wed evening, parcels usually arrive in the late afternoon but to find it in the mail box at 8:30 pm was new for me.
This is one I dyed for myself, I was trying for pastels. Not quite what I was going for but like anything dyeing takes practice and experimentation.
I dyed dongeal yarn for Heather, lots of fun with the different colour flecks and silk and wool for Adriana. It was mailed off to them today, I was so tired after shopping yesterday, I just popped them in the envelope, trying to catch the 4pm pickup. I then decided that I was too tired and probably too late to get them in the mail on Thursday. It was a couple of hours later that I realized that I didn’t take any photos of the yarn I had dyed for them.