I’ve been keeping quite busy lately. I’m trying to paint my art supply room ( I hate painting) as it needs cleaning out and organizing very badly. I decided if I was going to rip it apart, I should paint it too - it is all white and y’all know how I feel about the absence of color - Ack!! Notice how I completely passed over the most disturbing part of that last sentence? A whole room that is just art supplies - very scary! So, by dribbles and drabs, I’ve been working on that. I also taught a new sock class recently which had to be written and was all about the options of toes; sock toes, it was fun!

And I’ve just started another of my Toe-Up, Two at a Time on One Needle Socks class. In fact, sock knitting must be hot because one filled up so I schedule another immediately following it and it’s full too. Cool beans!

But I’m also taking an online art class with Laura Cater-Woods. It’s called Idea to Image and it’s also an artist coaching group therapy class Laura is brilliant and has really helped me clear some cobwebs in my brain.

So, I’ve just started a new piece. I’ve decided to be brave and let you see the steps I’ve done so far. First, I want to keep this as non-objective as possible for a piece that actually has objects (I just learned a new term “non-objective art” is art with no recognizable objects in it; abstract). So, I’m trying to represent the theme of the work with just color - well, so far. Think — grape vine on a stucco wall. First blush at my idea was a water color.

Then, I added a sharp black, fine line to see if i like the contrast with soft color. I do.

Then I got out my fabric (silk noil). I decided that I’m a chicken and put in a few resist lines to represent the grape vine idea. The resist is Elmer’s Blue Gel School Glue - it works very well for this.

A better look at the resist.

Then I played with color!

It’s a bit more yellow than I planned but this is only the first layer of color. Since this is a wall piece, I don’t have to worry about how many layers I add and the fabric getting a stiff hand. If this was garment fabric, I would be very concerned but - I can explore this concept without that consideration.

Off to play some more!

Deb H

I’ve been managing to keep myself too busy lately so I needed a mindless knitting project. What is more perfect than a linen garter stitch shawl? Just in time for spring too. And yes, I just took this picture and it’s snowing! Again! Harrumph!

Knit in Louet’s Sport weight Euroflax in “grape #18″. Actually, I’d call it plum as it’s a bit dusky. A truly lovely color and will go with most of my wardrobe. Now, the question is, will I wear it? I’ve never been a shawl wearer but I just had to do something with this yarn and I wanted a quickie project while I waited for my next project’s yarn to arrive.

I do believe that the simplicity of this shawl is what will actually make me comfortable in it. I’m just not the phoofy type and too many ruffles or flowers or lacy bits make me nervous.

I do like purple and all of it variations, however The border is a simple YO, k2t (yarn over, knit two together). Oh, the hand dyed rayon dress underneath it is the one my Winterberry socks are meant to go with. It seems I have a complete outfit!

And best of all, the linen has a lovely drape and softened up incredibly when it was washed. I love this yarn, I may need to make a summer top!

Deb H

I finished the Winterberry socks I was knitting in Tofutsie yarn. They turned out delightful, don’t ya think?

They were December’s Sock-of-the-Month from the Tofutsie club through Southwest Trading Company and local yarn shops. I get mine from Heritage Spinning & Weaving in Lake Orion, Michigan.

The colorway is not quite what the yarn selection was for December. I decided that the beautiful pastels were not what I need at the moment since I was thinking ahead to spring already and have a hand dyed dress that needed socks to go with. This colorway is a perfect match for my summer dress.

I think the beautiful little bobbles were a hoot to knit (I’ve never done any bobbles before) and they were not as hard as I expected. They did slow me down a bit but I knit for the pleasure of knitting. A finished product when I’m done is just a bonus! I also like the picot hem instead of a cuff but I have used this before because it’s easy.

I deviated from the pattern in only one place, the toe. Debra Lake, the pattern designer, used a standard top-down toe and I had been wanting to try a spiral toe from the 2006 Holiday Gifts Issue of Interweave Knits, page 54. I think they turned out rather nice! And they fit well too.

Can you tell I like my socks?

Deb H

PS - 3/20/08, I added the link to Debra’s web site for those of you who would like more info on the pattern designer.

I’m a sock addiction enabler, a pusher if you will. If someone indicates to me in even a very small way that they would like to learn to knit socks, I slip them that little taste that might get them hooked. I’m evil, I admit it.

Mom just e-mailed me and said she wished I live closer (than 25,000 miles away) so I could help her learn to knit socks. I recommended my favorite book on that very subject, Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch, then went on an Internet quest for a good beginner pattern or tutorial. I found one that is so fabulous I had to share.

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Silver’s free sock classes are fabulous, as is her enitre site, check it out and happy sock knitting!

Deb H

It seems like I have not done anything but knit socks since Christmas. On my long list of things to get done in January, only the hall got painted, and one class got written… OK, I did more than that, I polished my Etsy and added some more yarns. I also learned a little about using Flickr and Ravelry but that is a huge learning curve at this point (well, for me).

I’ve been knitting socks.

Well, I did knit about 100 (slight exaggeration) sock toes as I was writing a class on alternative toes for socks to teach at Knit Michigan, which was a blast! Here are some of the round toes that survived the Grim Frogger (being ripped out).

But I had finished the grey silk socks and then began the December Tofutsie Club socks; Winterberry (top two photos) when my DH decided he needed heavy socks for his winter boots. His house socks I knit him last year (I hand dyed Cascade 220 Superwash for these and knit them on size 3 (US) needles) were perfect so could I just do another pair like that? But longer?

I love dyeing sock yarn, didn’t the colors come out nice and manly?

So two more balls of Cascade later (I did not dye these, he wanted them this winter) and I got them finished.

Not very exciting as far as color or pattern but somehow satisfying to work on. Even if they did take a very long time for such a big gauge - his has big feet! And the lovely green heather was soothing to work on. These were a basic pattern done toe-up, two-at-a-time, my favorite sock knitting method.

So, what is ABD? And, what does it have to do with sock knitting?

Avoidance Behavior Disorder. Before you run to your shrink for medication, I think I may have made this one up. Of course, that’s what they (the Dr.’s and the pharmaceuticals) do too, isn’t it? ABD is what you do when you really should be doing something else but are avoiding it… like cleaning up the studio.

Sigh,

Deb H