I'm spoiling myself with four thick, fluffy washcloths knitted from KnitPick's Cotlin (a cotton/linen blend)! From top down, the colors are Planetarium (a bit darker than the photo turned out), Harbor, and Swan.
These are easy .... great for times when you can't give your full attention to the knitting, like visiting or watching football. I cast 45 stitches onto US size 6 needles, knit until I had a square (about 9 inches), and cast off. I then put two rows of single crochet around the edge with a US size E hook. I have this idea of making one for each day of the week, but for now four will suffice and it's on to a couple of quilted table runners I have ideas for!
Happy Creating! Deborah
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| Autumn Allium Duo |
If you're in need of inspiration today, quickly head over to the website of Vancouver, Canada artist Kirsten Chursinoff! Kirsten uses scraps of many different fabrics sewn together as her backgrounds, resulting in gorgeous gradations of color. I'm looking at all my little scraps very differently now!
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| Rosehips and Umbrels |
On top of these pieced backgrounds, she machine and hand embroiders little pieces of nature - flowers, fruit, leaves, even weeds.
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| Knapweed 2 |
See more of her work on her Facebook page here and read an informative interview on Creative Machine Embroidery's blog here.
Happy Creating! Deborah
Autumn begins this evening - one of my favorite times of the year! Partly because everything turns new colors, and I'm a total color freak. But also because of the different textures as leaves and flowers fade, dry, and decompose. Early autumn reminds me of Dutch still life paintings - mixed in with the still vibrant flowers and fruit are ones that are already beginning to break down. The ripeness of summer is fleeting. In my last few summer days on the farm, I've been gathering up photos that I can work with over the winter, creating new fiber art.
Happy Creating! Deborah
One of my favorite places to browse for inspiration is the Studio Art Quilt Association's annual benefit auction! Members from all over the world donate small art quilts - it's a great place to see new techniques.
This year's pieces are up on SAQA's website and the auction's already begun, so be sure to take a peek at the 387 small quilts!
Happy Creating! Deborah
This is a simple baby blanket done in straight knitting - garter stitch. Well, the knitting is simple, but the weaving in of all the ends is pretty time consuming! I wove ends as I finished each color section so I didn't have quite as huge of a job at the very end.
Materials:
*Yarn - I used Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash
Base color - gray
Thin striping - A Rust
B Cream
C Blue
Color Group 1 - 4 shades of purple: dark, medium dark, medium light, light
Color Group 2 - 4 shades of orange: dark, medium dark, medium light, light
Edging - the medium light shade of purple
* Size 10 1/2 circular knitting needles
* Size E crochet hook
Directions:
1. Cast on 125 stitches with base color.
2. Knit 43 rows with base color.
3. Knit 2 rows each of the thin striping colors, going from A to C.
4. Knit 4 rows each of Color Group 1, going from dark to light.
5. Knit 2 rows thin striping color B, 4 rows base color, and 2 rows thin striping B.
6. Knit 4 rows each of Color Group 2, going from light to dark.
7. Knit 2 rows each of thin striping colors, going from C to A.
8. Knit 28 rows with base color.
9. Repeat steps 3 through 8.
10. Repeat steps 3 through 2.
11. Knit 43 rows with base color.
12. Bind off.
13. Join on edging color and crochet a single crochet stitch in each knit stitch across the top and bottom and evenly along the two sides, making 3 single crochets in each corner.
14. Join to first single crochet, chain one and single crochet in each stitch from the previous round, making 3 single crochets in each corner.
15. Repeat step 14. Finish off.
The new little guy this blanket was knit for is almost ready to make his appearance - I hope he enjoys snuggling up in it as much as I did while working on it!
Happy Creating! Deborah
Not too much fiber work has been going on this week - instead, there's been lots of playing with Charlie, roasting/freezing and dehydrating/powdering the 30# box of Hatch chiles I bought, baking with the ripening apples and canning applesauce! At our Oregon farm, everything seemed to change on September 1st .... summer is waning, autumn is rising. I'm inspired by the changes and beginning to think of what I'll be working on in the next few months!
I've finished knitting a southwest inspired baby blanket - just the crocheted edging to go! I should have pictures and instructions up next week. And I'm getting ready to start learning to knit lace with this gorgeous yarn and pattern birthday present - it definitely looks beginner friendly!
Happy Creating! Deborah
