tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91066220402208644942024-03-14T01:47:36.624-07:00The Bloated Ewe Blogs AgainVox, et praeterea nihil.The Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-70176401661167193852012-04-16T10:45:00.001-07:002012-04-16T10:45:07.929-07:00More springtime flowers.Hello,<div>
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Although I originally set out to write a post about a pair of mittens I knit up last winter, while going through my photos I stumbled across several more photos I took of the flowers that have been cropping up. Anyway, I figured I'd just go ahead and make another flower post while some of these guys are still in bloom. The wisteria's gone, and the roses are a little less intense, but the azaleas are going strong and I may be taking some photos of the violets and rhododendrons rather soon.<br /><div>
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This is the best picture I have of this year's wisteria blossoms. It was a little overcast, and many of the photos came out too shadowy.</div>
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...more pictures after the break.</div>
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Here's a picture of the azalea that was blooming first. Right now several more are in bloom. I like this one's hot pink colour.</div>
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The yellow climbing rose on the porch. I love this dude. Right now a cardinal's been nesting in it at night.</div>
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This is a crazy brambly rose that's over by the wash line. Each rose is roughly the size of a saucer.</div>
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The whole time I was trying to take photos of this guy, one of my cats, Isis, kept jumping all over for me for attention. Still snagged some decent ones.</div>
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Well, that's all I got for now. That should ease my compulsion to share pretty photos for now :D</div>
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</div>The Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-86960575449409364332012-03-26T11:19:00.001-07:002012-03-26T11:19:52.716-07:00Spring Has Sprung. Ish.It's been kind of a weird winter/spring combo. The winter in GA was REALLY mild-- I hardly wore anything more than a long sleeved shirt and jacket when going outside. Now, many of the plants are blooming and sprouting leaves at the same time, which is a tad unusual. The only tree that seems to know what's going on are the dogwoods. Anyhoo, some of the plants are so pretty, and the weather has been so nice, so yesterday I decided to take a few photos. Here they are.<br />
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Here are some pictures I took of the little red dogwood.<br />
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And a few of the texas roses we have growing. No, not real roses, but still very pretty.</div>
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A bebeh peach!</div>
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A close-up shot of blueberry flowers.<br />
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The Kwanzan flowering cherry. It has double blooms. One of my favourite ornamental flowering trees.</div>
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....and that's that. Sorry for the picture bombing; I'm going to go read up on the HTML for hiding posts soon.</div>
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<br />The Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-65460332190476355582012-03-25T12:58:00.012-07:002012-03-25T13:42:21.344-07:00From Coat to Rug.<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; text-align: left; ">Hey, look!</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; ">It's me again!</div><div style="text-align: center;font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; ">So, I still make stuff, but when it comes to the world of t<span style="font-size: 100%; ">he internet </span><span style="font-size: 100%; ">I'm a lazy mofo. Oh, I'll save and print out patterns and tutorials to knit/crochet/nalbind*/sew/etc. with. I'll even take picture</span><span style="font-size: 100%; ">s with my digital camera, and sometimes I'll upload them to the computer.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; "><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-align: center; "></div><div><span ><u><br /></u></span></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; ">That is the extent of my online efforts, usually.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">However, today I'm really excited, because this past winter I bought a big wool coat from a thrift store that has a 10 dollars per basket deal. The pattern was super pretty, but the coat itself was <i>fugly</i>. On top of that, it was a size 1X, so even if the cut wasn't ou<span style="font-size: 100%; ">tdated and unnactractive, it wouldn't have fit anyone </span><span style="font-size: 100%; ">in my family. So, I decided to carefully </span><span style="font-size: 100%; ">undo all the seams, remove the lining and interfacing, then cut the cloth into roughly 1 inch strips, salvaging as much material as possible so I could turn it into a rug.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">So far I've made one toothbrush rug (a form of nalbinding) in the past, That one was made from some old queen-size bed sheets and I gave that to my paren<span style="font-size: 100%; ">ts for their bedroom. It's been holding up really nicely, and gone through two washing like a champ. I used</span><a href="http://www.ragrugcafe.com/toothbrush-rugs-complete-video-instructions-part-1-beginners" style="font-size: 100%; "> this tutorial </a><span style="font-size: 100%; ">on toothbrush rugs my mother </span><span style="font-size: 100%; ">and I found while killing time on the internet. It gives guidelines rather than explicit instructions, but the videos are very cle</span><span style="font-size: 100%; ">ar </span><span style="font-size: 100%; ">and explained throughout. Both rugs I've made were oval</span><span style="font-size: 100%; ">s, a</span><span style="font-size: 100%; ">nd I increased in all four corners on each round in order to expand </span><span style="font-size: 100%; ">the ovals and make them lie flat.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Now for the part everybody has been waiting for...</div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div><span style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6di4qiZwo2mb8JGJ72mDAWu965sXqHJ6doofnKRalNT40a6dO9FoWXmL-qWSISc4vKyQqUwkXVLdPSSEodxBp8aQsG8UW7ABqUSHzXvt0AEYhOKD75ldfAwbfeUeWGu9VLOhiRRRg2EQ/s320/IMG_1146.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723934164410854898" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /><div></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span ><u><br /></u></span></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Ta-da! It's only 23 inches width-wise and 28 inches length-wise, but when you think it came from and old coat that's not too shabby. Right now it's in the living room, at the foot of a rocker. It's super squooshy.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span ><u><br /></u></span></div><div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHToT_gc1jx3xPTfCz7dG8DqKMKQzF50AAJlF_n3KVyljimP70XIjtWnBLz8_3gTOEvcsBis0M0rvjo8203iXD1NiIkf7RqbiE5HAB-eQ8Szux1lebetVQkH9VUU7DiwxRJQtjs5gCwYg/s320/IMG_1148.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723935051406007378" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, serif; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /><span style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto; "><div></div></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Isn't it lovely? The coat had a plaid of blue, red, and mus<span style="font-size: 100%; ">tard yellow. The colours all blend together beautifully as a rug.</span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span ><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Aaand...</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBI-7vvzjcS4ViNStVbg3wrf3_1UNJ03TdiL2UGB4w3r4_DGOBsgSVvgu3dgyxEDlVAApTu79M7jIFG0B4lwke1fyOXA8PhgFlJoK8r5G48dBde_eb1vZUWrjBr2dft_9dRRkTTOVSKM/s320/IMG_1150.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723935494346162930" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /><div><div><span style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto; "><div></div></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Closer....</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; "><div><span style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto; "><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigko9AVUIvZBLpI8RPO8kTBHA6lGl0cVJsmpmlqjqph3q7T6JsOdJtbZpnnhEube29tPkQB8Pe0yQ_iGbdESetXnu2qfEl2UkElgsIm_QRO7VChnBWhkXSTvwJo6jC_LqgTpD6QkowNjQ/s320/IMG_1149.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723936261459389266" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>BEHOLD ALL THE PRETTY COLOURS INTWERTWINING.</div><div><br /></div><div>I love how I made something pretty and functional out of something gotten for maybe like 2-3 dollars at a thrift store. </div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, and...this past new year's day, one of my resolutions was to blog more-- at least once a week.</div><div><br /></div><div>HAHA NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS FTW.</div><div><br /></div><div>-Cat</div><div><br /></div><div>*I'm nalbinding this, I nalbind, I nalbound that...is that how the word is used??</div><div></div></span></div><div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div>The Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-27705396963329786512011-09-20T16:45:00.000-07:002011-09-20T17:00:37.855-07:00Some updatesHello!<div><br /></div><div>No pictures today, but I figured I'd check in to prove that I haven't died in a horrible hiking/ukulele string snapping/mountain climbing accident of some sort. Since the last post, I have:</div><div><br /></div><div>-Finished (as in off the needles and blocked) Madli's Shawl</div><div><br /></div><div>-Started AND finished a pair of <a href="http://www.eunnyjang.com/knit/2006/09/bayerische.html">Bayerische Socks</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>-Started up in an art therapy grad program.</div><div><br /></div><div>-Took a little vacation down to Sarasota with my family, then headed down to Ft. Lauderdale to visit my grandparents and relatives.</div><div><br /></div><div>-Went to the neatest little fiber store while in Sarasota, called Picasso's Moon. Bought fiber with money I didn't exactly have at the time (yay credit cards). </div><div><br /></div><div>-And have worked on some spinning and crocheting, too. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's been a busy summer/early autumn overall. Now it's just a matter of uploading photos and making some proper posts around here. </div><div><br /></div><div>I CANNOT WAIT TO SHOW YOU THOSE SOCKS, BTW.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the meantime, go check out <a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEdf11/index.php">Knitty</a>. The "deep fall" 2011 issue is up. Can't say any of the patterns are screaming out to be knit by me, but I've just given it a quick skim-through,</div><div><br /></div><div>-Cat</div><div><br /></div>The Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-14733142828944421192011-03-24T16:55:00.000-07:002011-03-24T17:40:13.661-07:00Madli's ShawlSo, my latest major project has been "Madli's Shawl" from Nancy Bush's "Knitted Lace of Estonia". I have currently completed the bottom lace border and 19 of the 31 pattern repeats for the center. The center pattern consists of a traditional hagakiri with the addition of little nupps, making it appear almost like seaweed-- you know, the sprawling kind with little bubbles in them that would wash ashore back when I lived in south Florida. Anyway, each pattern repeat is only 12 rows...which is making it a little tedious to knit. I really prefer shawls where the stitch patterns sort of change and mutate into new stitch patterns, ala Elizabeth Freeman's "<a href="http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring09/KSPATTaeolian.php">Aeolian Shawl</a>". On the plus side is that I got the hang of the pattern very quickly, so now I really don't have to look at the chart while knitting.<br /><br />I'm knitting it up using yarn from my stash. It's a lace weight yarn called "Alpaca Cloud" by <a href="http://www.knitpicks.com/">Knit Picks</a>, which I think has been since discontinued. The colour is a warm red called "Tango" with the occasional yellow or dark blue fiber sprinkled throughout the yarn. It's a shame that it's no longer sold, because so far it's been a pretty good knit. It's slightly more energized that I'd like it to be, so it does occasionally twist up on itself, but what the hey, the shawl's gonna get blocked once I'm done. Also, I haven't encountered any bumps or knots, which is great. Knots in yarn fill me with rage...even though I'm more than capable of just cutting out the knot and grafting the two ends back together. I only have two skeins of this particular colour, but I think 880 yarns should be more than enough to finish things up. I'm over halfway through knitting and I just grafted on the next ball of yarn. If I ever knit this pattern again, I think I'll do it in a nice yellowy green. Like seaweed :D<br /><br />Here's a pic of it exactly at the halfway mark:<br /><br /><center><a title="Madli's Shawl by The Bloated Ewe, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26384310@N06/5551259907/"><img alt="Madli's Shawl" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5024/5551259907_3406c974a2_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" /></a></center><br />Can't wait 'till I'm done with this center pattern! Only 12 more repeats to go...if tomorrow's a slow day at work I may make some good headway on this baby.<br />-CatThe Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-10635900599780292912011-03-10T16:29:00.000-08:002011-03-10T17:35:18.823-08:00New Socks!A while back I had purchased two skeins of Knitpick's <a href="http://www.knitpicks.com/yarns/Imagination_Hand_Painted_Sock_Yarn__D5420173.html">"Imagination"</a> handpainted sock yarn in the (now discontinued) colourway, "Woodsmen". It was a mix of dark olives with the occasional streak of gold-- colours right up my alley! I was at a loss of what sock pattern to knit it up in for a while, though, because I usually like to knit socks with all sorts of crazy cabling and lace going on, and I knew that the colour shifts probably wouldn't make those kinds of patterns stand out very well.<br /><br />So it sat in my stash....until one really cold winter day when I was possessed with the urge to KNIT MOAR WOOLY SOCKS to keep my perpetually cold feet warm. After poking around ravelry a bit I finally decided upon the ultra-famous (amongst sock knitters, at least) <a href="http://www.grumperina.com/jaywalker.htm">Jaywalker</a> sock pattern by Grumperpina.<br /><br />It was a super easy knit-- one of those patterns you can take pretty much everywhere and not worry about losing track while chatting with people or watching tv. All through the leg every other row combined two stitch increases and one center three stitch decrease per repeat to create this fun little chevron pattern. Something giving the sock a little visual interest without being overwhelmed by the handpainted yarn.<br /><br />I did it in the smallest size because I have small feet, but while knitting the socks up I was thinking about how unisex the pattern is. For a really large-footed man I think it would be incredibly easy to adjust the stitch quantity to accomodate a much wider foot. So many socks are designed for the woman's foot in mind, and while that's really no problem when they're so frou-frou that 98% of the male population wouldn't be caught dead wearing them, I find the knitting pattern world is sorely lacking in some interesting looking sock patterns that include instructions for making them wide enough to fit a larger man's (or woman's!) foot. This sock pattern, however, is honestly simple enough to adjust the size, even if you don't consider yourself an "advanced" knitter in any way.<br /><br />Although for the most part knitting this sock was a breeze, I did have a freakout moment when I reached the toe and it came time to graft the stitches closed.<br /><br />I really passioned over this. Many times before while knitting through other patterns that required grafting, I'd pull out one of my ratty knitting manuals and study the stupid kitchener stitch chart. With the instructions within sight, I'd try my hardest to needle my way through the stitches, only to find that whatever I was doing wasn't freaking grafting. So...I'd rip it out and cheat with a three needle bind off. Yep. I was the knitter who'd rather knit a sock toe-up (I honestly don't get why people are so leery of toe-up socks, by the way) than kitchener stitch a toe closesd.<br /><br />BUT. This time I decided it was time to grab the bull by the horns and just master that damned stitch already. Instead of using that stupid knitting manual I found a <a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer04/FEATtheresasum04.html">Godsend of a grafting tutorial </a>on knitty.Using that tutorial just made everything click into place. It was...dare I say...easy???<br /><br />Anyway, I'm not afraid of grafting any more (hooray!), which makes me feel really accomplished. Now onto the photos!<br /><br /><div align="center">Here's a closeup of that magically seamless kitchener stitch toe. </div><div align="center"> </div><center><a title="Closeup of Kitchener Stitch Toe by The Bloated Ewe, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26384310@N06/5494701365/"><img alt="Closeup of Kitchener Stitch Toe" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5257/5494701365_4fdfc96ecb_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" /></a></center><center> </center><center></center><center></center><center></center><center>Here are some more pictures of the socks on my feet. It really was such a pretty colourway.<br /></center><center><a title="Jaywalker Socks by The Bloated Ewe, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26384310@N06/5495319822/"><img alt="Jaywalker Socks" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5217/5495319822_e582a4bfba_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" /></a></center><center> </center><center></center><center>Check out those chevrons. And my pale leg.<br /></center><center><a title="Jaywalker Socks by The Bloated Ewe, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26384310@N06/5494701567/"><img alt="Jaywalker Socks" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5018/5494701567_f89b1e1e06_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" /></a></center><center> </center><center></center><div align="left">Well, that's it for now. Now I've got a tree I'm working on for my cousin Lisa, as well as a shawl from Nancy Bush's book, "Knitted Lace of Estonia". The tree is almost finished; I'll probably get to taking photos of it soon. </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Later!</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">-Cat</div>The Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-82691696850159340322011-03-09T20:50:00.000-08:002011-03-09T21:01:09.786-08:00Cue Cricket ChirpWow. It's been quite a while since I've done anything around these parts.<div><br /></div><div>Part of the reason why is because I've been going through a lot of stuff in the past two years. I've since graduated from college, sat around wondering what to do next, sat some more, got a part time job because I became penniless in a literal sense, then sat around both at home and at work wondering where the hell everything was going...</div><div><br /></div><div>See, this blog is kind of a happy place. And what I've been isn't exactly happy. And since I couldn't exactly express positive things, I just avoided writing. However, I really would like to get back to being happy. Writing makes me happy. Yapping about textiles makes me happy. If I'm gonna start some place, why not with those? </div><div><br /></div><div>I could go on and on about all the crap I've been going through, but rather than do that, I think I'll just send whoever may be reading this post to go and listen to some very depressing country music. Preferably the kind that involve whiskey and a lot of sorrow. Then when you've had your fill, you can come back here again and hopefully I'll have some sparkly yarny goodness to share by then.</div><div><br /></div><div>-Cat</div>The Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-51477244043968538732009-12-08T13:45:00.000-08:002009-12-08T14:20:12.994-08:00Hello, AgainAhhh.<br /><br />For the past few weeks/months/however long, I've been totally M.I.A. But since I've finished the last final exam of the semester today, I'm in a celebratory mood, and more than willing to share with everyone the torturous projects that I've been working on all semester!<br /><br />This semester I've only taken one studio class-- portfolio production. For the non-art majors out there, this is when I produce a body of work that shows off my mad artistic skillz. Unfortunately, after spending a whole semester working on these babies, I still don't have any *finished* artwork to show for all my trouble. What I do have are:<br /><br />1. Three completely finished hand-dyed textile backdrops.<br /><br />2. Several hand-knit trees, made from hand-spun yarn, a few fence posts, and handknit sand dunes.<br /><br />3. Alot of hand-spun yarn.<br /><br />4. Four fabulous boxes that were made for me by a local carpenter.<br /><br />The end result should be four shadowboxes. In other words, I have a lot of work to do during my winter break...and I STILL want to weave a few things for my family and make some kanzshi hair ornaments for Christmas AND knit and spin a few projects that aren't related at all to my senior projects, which frankly, I'm sick and tired of.<br /><br />The whole thing feels like working backwards. When I make things, I'll usually dye some fiber a bunch of seemingly random colours. After the fiber is dyed, something about the colours will inspire me to card and spin it a certain way. The handspun yarn might then remind me of something else, like a flower, or a tree, or a spider, and from there I'll go and knit something from it.<br /><br />What I've been doing right now is...making a sketch and doing everything so the finished project resembles the sketch in some way. Why did I do this? Because I didn't trust myself. I didn't think I would be able to create a coherent body of work on time using my random yet far more natural method of creating art. And now I'm behind on my deadlines and forcing my creativity in ways it doesn't want to go.<br /><br />Also, if I were to do this all over again, I wouldn't have chosen such personal subject matter. With this current project, I'm creating little sceneries from my memory, and everything is symbolic. But everything just loses all meaning when I'm worrying about grades and time tables. Now I realize that it would have made much more sense if I focused much more on the technical aspect of art, like weaving or knitting structure. At least that's what I would recommend to someone who will soon be finding themselves in a similar position as I am right now.<br /><br />ANYWAY, I don't have any pictures yet, but I'll be sure to take some the moment I finish with one of my projects.<br /><br />It's so funny though. For a while, I felt like I no longer had an outlet that allowed me to unwind. Trying to knit, spin, or dye something that wasn't related to my senior art made me guilty. Eventually, I rediscovered makeup and baked copious amounts of exotic, old-timey pies.<br /><br />That's right folks. Take away my art, and makeup and baking become my creative outlets.<br /><br />And I don't plan on giving either up, even after I finish my senior projects and am able to work on whatever I want to. Because of this, I decided to make another blog (as if one wasn't enough): <a href="http://misspinkeyes.blogspot.com/">Miss Pink Eyes</a>. It's named after a B-side of a band I was especially obsessive about in my teens and still listen to pretty often :)<br /><br />I made that blog so I can share swatches of makeup and write about things that aren't really art or fiber related. I also made a second blog to keep this blog focused solely on arts and crafts, which is a huge part of who I am. Soooo...if anyone is interested, please do follow both! I know I find messing around with dyes and playing around with makeup quite similar, and I usually end up being just as crazy and sparkle-obsessed with my makeup as I am with my fiber.<br /><br />Well, other than my senior art, I don't have to care any more about school until next January!Hopefully now I'll have time to show my face here and blab to my heart's content.<br /><br />Adios.<br /><br />-CathrynThe Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-16339109818187633332009-07-09T15:48:00.000-07:002009-07-09T21:03:31.924-07:00Jan Svankmajer and stop-motion featured on Etsy!Hey guys,<br /><br />While perusing etsy's Storque articles, I stumbled across one on <a href="http://www.etsy.com/storque/spotlight/camera-obscura-jan-svankmajers-alice-in-wonderland-4348/">Jan Svankmajer's "Alice in Wonderland"</a>. As someone who can't stop blabbing about how cool Jan Svankmajer and other similar stop-motion animators are to anyone who will listen, seeing a slight undercurrent of renewed interest in artists like him is enough to get me blogging!<br /><br />The article talks about the work of Jan Svankmajer and the Brothers Quay and their use of antiquated curiosities and other objects that lend a dark atmosphere to their works. Like most etsy articles, it ties everything together by listing vendors who's specialties consist of items that, well, look like they might belong in one of Svankmajer's films, along with pieces that fit into the "Alice in Wonderland" theme.<br /><br />I think it's in part due to the fact that the whole steampunk aesthetic is slowly creeping towards the cusp of the mainstream. Also, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1014759/">Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland", </a>which is supposed to be released sometime in 2010, may be sparking some interest in Jan Svankmajer's rendition of the story. I still haven't made up my mind on Tim Burton's version; I think I'll have to see it first...all I know for now is that 1. It's going to use CGI, 2. It has pretty much all the usual actors that Tim Burton uses over and over again, and 3. The overall look of the movie is going to have "Tim Burton" written all over it.<br /><br />His last few flicks have been hit 'n' miss for me, but I'm still hoping for the best for his spin on "Alice".<br /><br />Anyway, I'm happy the etsy article was able to talk about Svankmajer and the Brothers Quay without trying to ride on Tim Burton's laurels. They're classic stop-motion animators who deserve whatever attention they can get. Go check 'em out-- maybe if more people learned about all the cool animators out there, stop-motion wouldn't need to be considered a dying art!<br /><br />-The Bloated EweThe Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-88583112225348419072009-06-30T16:29:00.000-07:002009-06-30T17:26:28.366-07:00Heat waves and some weather-appropriate yarns.Hey guys,<br /><p>Remember in the last post, how I planned to post LOTS of photos about all the things I did over spring? </p><p>Hopefully not, because I'm just going to move on and and talk about the present for a bit.</p><p>In my current little corner of the earth (northeast Georgia mountains, to be a little more exact), we're suffering from unseasonably hot weather. What little grass my family has tried to grow in what we like to call our front yard is in some pathetic state between dead and dying. I can't step outside the door without working up a sweat, and DESPITE MAKING SURE TO WEAR A RIDICULOUS COWBOY HAT AND SPF 50 SUNSCREEN...I'm tanning.</p><p>The whole time I've lived in south Florida I was able to prevent this from happening. I like to say I avoided the sun partly as a way of rejecting our current societal standards of beauty. Mostly I avoided it because of all the 40 and 50-somethings I saw who had obviously been sunworshippers in their youth, now looking kind of like the crispy, grease-dripping baked chicken carcasses you see on the racks in the deli section of a grocery store. </p><p>I didn't want to look like that. So I began wearing ridiculous hats, and sometimes even <em>jackets</em> in the summer heat. I also went out as little as possible. I searched high and low for vintage-styled bathing suits that would prevent those weird looking bikini tan lines I had once gotten years and years ago. I didn't want two-toned tatas, plain and simple. While everyone else was out enjoying the South Florida summer sun, I was smothering myself in spf 70. </p><p>And I'm still <em>that freakish</em>, but now I also have many more animals to tend to, and lots more outdoorsy stuff that I enjoy, regardless of whether the sun's shining or not.</p><p>So my skin tone is warming up. A bit. Probably not noticeable at all to the rest of the world. In fact, if I were to go to Florida right now, people would probably ask me if I was Canadian, like they always did when I lived there. But I still notice the oh-so-slight change, mostly in my arms. I don't mind it so much, but considering how much effort I go through in order to avoid looking like a fried iguana, it must be <strong>really</strong> hot and sunny out there in order for me to tan at all.</p><p>Okay, enough griping. Moving on to fiber.</p><p>For the past few months I've been digging into my roving stash and spinning a lot of white fiber. After doing a bit of natural dyeing, I've realized that it's most efficient when dyeing larger quantities-- dyeing six 100 gram skeins of yarn takes about as much time as dyeing one 100 gram skein of yarn. So I've been doing a lot of traditional, worsted spun yarn from several pounds worth of this cotswold roving I've had lying about.</p><p>Well, I finally got bored out of my brains and decided to treat myself to something radically different. I bought a batt set called "Rhymes with Orange" from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5380102">Bricolage Studios</a>. It was squooshy, lumpy, fluffy, and obnoxiously orange-- one of my favourite colours (after lime, avocado green, and moss). A perfect batt for the summer.</p><p>I just tore up chunks and spun the fiber the way it wanted to go, without much concern over drafting and teasing apart the fibers. The feeling the blend of textures and watching the various shades of orange just spinning out of my hands was divine. </p><p><a title="Rhymes With Orange Batt On Bobbin by The Bloated Ewe, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26384310@N06/3675995447/"><img style="WIDTH: 399px; HEIGHT: 307px" height="375" alt="Rhymes With Orange Batt On Bobbin" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2630/3675995447_9b4fd0c5c0.jpg" width="500" /></a></p><p>And like all wonderful batts, before I knew it, the whole thing was spun up...and it was time for plying.</p><p><a title="Rhymes with Orange Yarn. Again. by The Bloated Ewe, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26384310@N06/3676883328/"><img style="WIDTH: 392px; HEIGHT: 334px" height="375" alt="Rhymes with Orange Yarn. Again." src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3656/3676883328_4457a4d7f2.jpg" width="500" /></a></p><p>I bought some yellow and orange variegated quilting thread just for the batt, and used that for plying...the squiggles kind of remind me of orange peels, and the little random puffs of cotton fiber are that white stuff between the peel and the orange segments. </p><p>Isn't it purdy?</p><p><a title="Rhymes With Orange Yarn by The Bloated Ewe, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26384310@N06/3676016947/"><img style="WIDTH: 393px; HEIGHT: 313px" height="375" alt="Rhymes With Orange Yarn" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2500/3676016947_3bb0d64df3.jpg" width="500" /></a></p><p>........</p><p>Well, before getting back to spinning more boring, undyed yarn, I've been washing Aggie and Maggie's wool and dyeing it so I can card my own batts. And it's too hot to knit anything heavier than laceweight, so expect me to be doing that until the sun decides to stop picking on me.</p><p>Off to go refill the animals water buckets.</p><p>-The Bloated Ewe</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br /></p>The Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-51920785429305422832009-04-26T12:29:00.000-07:002009-04-26T12:44:31.066-07:00At long lastYes, I'm still here.<br /><br />I was just on hiatus due to a rather rough semester I've had. Between keeping up with my coursework, my work, staying on top of the going-ons of our school's art club, AND just plain old day-to-day life, some things just gotta give.<br /><br />But now the semester's over, and I can catch up with all the things I've deserted for a bit!<br /><br />Anyway, here's a general breakdown of all the things I've been doing all this time that might be of interest to someone, but I haven't had the time to write about:<br /><br />-I've woven buttloads of stuff for my advanced weaving class.<br /><br />-I've been sewing more often, mostly for my advanced textile design class. It culminated in a rather nice hand-dyed, hand-sewn raw silk skirt.<br /><br />-I've been trying to knit an Estonian lace shawl out of yarn I spun during what little spare time I have. So far I'm halfway through.<br /><br />-I attended the <a href="http://www.craftcouncil.org/">American Craft Council</a> craft show during spring break. I was too poor to buy anything, but I walked away with a lot of business cards!<br /><br />-Spectrum, our student art club, managed to get a lot of things done during this semester. We had our second biannual art sale, and this time around we had our own booth during the <a href="http://www.bearonthesquare.org/">Bear on the Square</a> festival. Hopefully this will be something we'll do every spring.<br /><br />-I did some natural dyeing with a friend over spring break as well. Dyed some handspun yarn a lovely shade of raspberry with cochineal.<br /><br />-I got my senior show idea accepted...now I have my portfolio production class to look forward to next semester (yikes!).<br /><br />-I bought a loom.<br /><br />.....<br /><br />So my plan is to eventually put up a lot of pictures and write a lot more about these things. Who knows whether any of that will actually get done, but at least I've given you the gist of what's going on.<br /><br />Until then,<br />-CatThe Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-40313475042077759312009-01-06T12:55:00.000-08:002009-01-06T13:24:49.814-08:00Latest handspun and some stash gloatingWell, since I only have another day left before I'm back in school and back into the non-stop studying and art-churning routine, I figured I'd spend some time here sharing some photos of the fiber I've been working with.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26384310@N06/3172858656/" title="Alpaca, Ready To Be Plied by The Bloated Ewe, on Flickr"><img style="width: 399px; height: 303px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3089/3172858656_0ba9a578bd.jpg" alt="Alpaca, Ready To Be Plied" /></a></center><br /><br />This is 2 ounces worth of a lovely warm brown alpaca that I spun up on my drop spindle-- so far I think it's the largest amount I've ever spun up using a spindle...<br /><br />I got it from <a href="http://www.harmonywoolsalpaca.com/">Harmony Wools Alpaca</a>, which happened to have a booth over at the John C. Campbell Folk School Fall Festival I went to back in...oh, October-ish?...<br /><br />It's been a busy year.<br /><br />AND...here's the final product, after I plied it using my drop spindle. Using my wheel to ply it after spending all that time spinning it on my spindle just felt like cheating. Oddly enough, I think this is my most balanced ply yet.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26384310@N06/3172883034/" title="Handspun Alpaca 2-Ply by The Bloated Ewe, on Flickr"><img style="width: 400px; height: 303px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3258/3172883034_0b97c17365.jpg" alt="Handspun Alpaca 2-Ply" /></a></center><br /><br />I found it to be a wonderful spin...I usually prefer batts to roving, and when I *do* spin with roving it tends to involve a copious amount of pre-drafting...not so with this.<br /><br />Lucky for me, I bought more!<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26384310@N06/3172075909/" title="Alpaca, Alpaca-Silk, and Mohair Curls by The Bloated Ewe, on Flickr"><img style="width: 401px; height: 302px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3105/3172075909_6304517428.jpg" alt="Alpaca, Alpaca-Silk, and Mohair Curls" /></a></center><br /><br />From left to right: 2 ounces of an even softer squooshier alpaca roving that I will definitely need a lighter spindle for, 2 ounces of a grey alpaca/blue silk blend roving (both were gotten from Harmony Wools Alpaca), and about 2 ounces of some gorgeous mossy green mohair locks from <a href="http://goodfibrations.com/">Good Fibrations</a>, who were also at the John C. Campbell Folk School.<br /><br />I regret not buying more mohair...this I purhchased for an art yarn I've got in my head, but a couple of ounces would have been great for a nice floofy curly yarn spun from the lock...<br /><br />I'm going to make an effort this semester to set apart some time off during the weekends to work on some non-school related art and crafts stuff. Its going to be difficult-- I'm taking both Brit Lit 2 and Visual Literacy, which apparently are both writing-intensive classes...not that art or british literature are subjects that I find at all difficult to write about, but deadlines are such creativity killers. Blech.<br /><br />Gah...gotta think positive! At least I'm taking textile design and weaving again. Can't wait to get back on the loom...<br /><br />Ciao!<br /><br />- The Bloated EweThe Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-87342364408788037432008-12-11T17:29:00.000-08:002008-12-11T17:46:27.458-08:00Etsy Steampunk Gift GuideHello to all,<br />I finished my finals this past Tuesday. FINALLY. They really weren't awful, though. Most of my finals were kind of like mini-parties with some critiquing on the side. Still, I've been slaving away on final projects and am happy to finally be able to focus on my non-class-related art stuff. And now I have weaving and dyeing to add to my growing collection of things I want to do outside of the classroom...<br /><br />Sadly, I've caught that nasty crud-bug that always seems to hit the campus, and it's annoying me to no end-- I currently have a few "commisions" I was working on for a few of my professors for Christmas, and they're all at a stand-still now that I'm all sneezy and groggy and just plain nasty.<br /><br />ALSO, I've been meaning to put up some pictures of all the neat things I've worked on for this past semester, but until I get better that just ain't happening.<br /><br />Ah well.<br /><br />At least there's <a href="http://www.etsy.com">etsy</a> to turn to when I want to share something crafty!<br /><br />They just put up a "<a href="http://www.etsy.com/gift-guides/steampunk-and-noir/84?&page=1">steampunk and noir gift guide"</a> filled with loads of stuff I'd just love to get my hands on. Needless to say, it's filled with cogs, frills, black lace and brass findings...basically, the kind of stuff that makes me salivate and feel rather greedy during the Christmas season.<br /><br />Now to just BACK AWAY and look at things that my <span style="font-style: italic;">family</span> would like instead of me.<br /><br />....The Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-13370045107998642682008-10-26T19:22:00.000-07:002008-11-08T12:03:01.049-08:00Spinning at the Fall FestivalWeeeelll....<br /><br />Last time I blogged I left off where I had *just* gone to do a bit of demonstrating with my sister at a local fall festival. For about four hours I spun, carded, and crocheted a shawl for myself-- something that I would have probably done at home on any average weekend, fall festival or not. It was our very first time doing a demonstration on our own, without the spinner's guild, but I feel we came well-prepared. Amazingly enough our booth was placed next to the basket weaving booth, set up by the woman who did the hand-spinning demonstration last year, who also happened to be a member of the spinner's guild as well.<br /><br />And if that wasn't quite a coincidence itself, she also recognized our drum carder. Turns out she was the <span style="font-style: italic;">very first owner</span>, and she had given it to Sharon, who then gave it to my family.<br /><br />Wow.<br /><br /><br />Other than spinning, carding, and crocheting, I had tons of fun chatting with demonstrators at the other booths and doing a bit of shopping. My sister and I both purchased really great face jugs from these kids who made them at the local high school. I was AMAZED that they hadn't sold out, because they were really great pieces and the price they were selling them at was a steal. Seriously, I would have bought everything if I had the money. But I only bought one; it has these two screaming faces on the very top, and the mouths are actually the <span style="font-style: italic;">eyes </span>for the main face on the jug. Very Halloween. I definitely need to share pics of it some time....<br /><br />Enough talking; here's a bunch of pictures!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Here's Mary at her Ashford traditional spinning wheel.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYe2btwh3k8hC1eyrAKnY34SO2DwFk7Blvs_aJrQ1VvEGC6cIMJTA0wpcXuslts4n6ouRhVzkmA__oYgZQIFVPZ9kZqcXL5Zfaop2mj-jSYXNtZn4i5juiQQvfPhb7A3ILDMal1gyOBhc/s1600-h/DSCF5164.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYe2btwh3k8hC1eyrAKnY34SO2DwFk7Blvs_aJrQ1VvEGC6cIMJTA0wpcXuslts4n6ouRhVzkmA__oYgZQIFVPZ9kZqcXL5Zfaop2mj-jSYXNtZn4i5juiQQvfPhb7A3ILDMal1gyOBhc/s320/DSCF5164.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266375530218290162" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Here's moi. My louet isn't quite traditional.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBi5aCDVZOuJH9gBkfWtGjpQM5sXPUBDCvDKWErLhpwfZ7I7NQhstTYaRsdIQeD-ACSSzVgY1ezaV9EB_Td3EUfiCSXMpb1-uodGmW6IiK03jMXPFVMkwGg84YXTk51EySxYu3ckH0_y8/s1600-h/DSCF5169.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBi5aCDVZOuJH9gBkfWtGjpQM5sXPUBDCvDKWErLhpwfZ7I7NQhstTYaRsdIQeD-ACSSzVgY1ezaV9EB_Td3EUfiCSXMpb1-uodGmW6IiK03jMXPFVMkwGg84YXTk51EySxYu3ckH0_y8/s320/DSCF5169.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266375818311472050" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Here is our little setup.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKs_Wj_h4VO6z2sHGUs1U9fAPVnkCnHYIjy__-NpROy1NtLrBrM_1iX6B6TD-cAK8tUw_dVWPh4y3jCfeO_UZlfuF8Yv0TZRf4P8gd60K_XpDlPBYD6evaPr7ZJ93qJr4DSGYOhZ9LtI/s1600-h/DSCF5166.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKs_Wj_h4VO6z2sHGUs1U9fAPVnkCnHYIjy__-NpROy1NtLrBrM_1iX6B6TD-cAK8tUw_dVWPh4y3jCfeO_UZlfuF8Yv0TZRf4P8gd60K_XpDlPBYD6evaPr7ZJ93qJr4DSGYOhZ9LtI/s320/DSCF5166.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266376186929112338" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Here were Gae's basket weavings. Definitely putting kudzu to good use!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghjog7HNIKyMCcw9IVYKa9_OLeT3CL2Xrw42R4GsdrUdP58OgF5sopzRxIcjrE5_xVZSC4H2kdcJBHdN-fmMPN__M490YgF_6esH66smEl5FQ0GtAxDmwow9sAEYr-vjIx2csKumcwVfA/s1600-h/DSCF5167.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghjog7HNIKyMCcw9IVYKa9_OLeT3CL2Xrw42R4GsdrUdP58OgF5sopzRxIcjrE5_xVZSC4H2kdcJBHdN-fmMPN__M490YgF_6esH66smEl5FQ0GtAxDmwow9sAEYr-vjIx2csKumcwVfA/s320/DSCF5167.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266376923174764802" border="0" /></a><br />This was Paula, the butter-churning lady. She sewed her whole outfit.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2RuOdloPDb6LlCiBO9WteGdXH_hHYwmQ6c0peHiKrxiHprJY4hL3UyyWbUQR8a4l37pfNo_V8Q8DgKq9UUqH2MZ4SuA8Ij3rgLFxNKP0iezvL3TDx3Pn3lTT6Gs1X8KLgjfGYxE2mpo/s1600-h/DSCF5177.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2RuOdloPDb6LlCiBO9WteGdXH_hHYwmQ6c0peHiKrxiHprJY4hL3UyyWbUQR8a4l37pfNo_V8Q8DgKq9UUqH2MZ4SuA8Ij3rgLFxNKP0iezvL3TDx3Pn3lTT6Gs1X8KLgjfGYxE2mpo/s320/DSCF5177.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266377381885825602" border="0" /></a><br />Making apple cider with a cider press...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsoLgslj4ZB3_xdpE5Ksqxiiy8ScIahkY1JarwuRtxtSJI9h2x3PKcFJ2BjFyA802LoBgKosCGo790p9hCFU4kdZ4EYwpfG_VHlxi0s2dV8A6cqemqsarRkebJE8as7auXFSSApOrrD08/s1600-h/DSCF5178.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsoLgslj4ZB3_xdpE5Ksqxiiy8ScIahkY1JarwuRtxtSJI9h2x3PKcFJ2BjFyA802LoBgKosCGo790p9hCFU4kdZ4EYwpfG_VHlxi0s2dV8A6cqemqsarRkebJE8as7auXFSSApOrrD08/s320/DSCF5178.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266377869604795474" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Here were some hand-made dulcimers.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8p9Tzt6ot2W0f4fgodSOPX5CGUEOmGEl3Qi7euV6Na7aACJ44YLDObkF3lsvsIc1ZF9GCbXX5RflE7YN8kFuuwejIVKsVyImFLdA7W4ZUOpAbEO0zo9vY6mG9E61RyapF8KYqwSAJFAY/s1600-h/DSCF5174.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8p9Tzt6ot2W0f4fgodSOPX5CGUEOmGEl3Qi7euV6Na7aACJ44YLDObkF3lsvsIc1ZF9GCbXX5RflE7YN8kFuuwejIVKsVyImFLdA7W4ZUOpAbEO0zo9vY6mG9E61RyapF8KYqwSAJFAY/s320/DSCF5174.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266378734002715922" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />By no means the gist of it, but my camera was low on memory...<br /><br />Anyway, hopefully I'll get back to blogging again soon, because I've been doing some spindling with some alpaca I bought over at the John C. Campbell Folk School's fall festival and I've been meaning to blab about how that's all coming out. So until then...<br /><br />-The Bloated Ewe<br /></div></div>The Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-86018680171025026132008-10-19T18:38:00.000-07:002008-10-19T19:02:19.004-07:00Natural Dyeing Escapade: The End ResultWell, since the last post not only have I had an overwhelmingly large amount of school work to do, but it also happens to be "Fall Festival" season, which usually keeps my weekends busy--the only time I have to write.<br /><br />Fall festivals also mean more fiber crap to buy, which also means more stuff to write and rave about...but for now I'm simply going to focus on what I left off on-- that yarn I naturally dyed a couple of weeks back!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWmVw3FuW6pWthCh3d8qSgOXLk3YiJH7-6mIyuqPbQJDaZFZLuPMJfOJPt2thVoqjmA3_wLowFMgT7CbqoNr6y21ic7uuHJTXUQKB_8iQPUEonsxE4sSH86wyhldBzeQxigPRN6vfzDjM/s1600-h/DSCF5161.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWmVw3FuW6pWthCh3d8qSgOXLk3YiJH7-6mIyuqPbQJDaZFZLuPMJfOJPt2thVoqjmA3_wLowFMgT7CbqoNr6y21ic7uuHJTXUQKB_8iQPUEonsxE4sSH86wyhldBzeQxigPRN6vfzDjM/s320/DSCF5161.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259046206093175186" border="0" /></a><br />On the left is a skein of yarn I spun from Aggie's wool, in it's natural creamy white. To the right are two similar skeins, naturally dyed with alkanet root chips and with alum as a mordant.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">While dyeing it I kept worrying that I under-guesstimated the amount of alum and cream of tartar that I mordanted the wool in, so I mixed up some more and poured it into the dye vat. I also let the yarn sit in the dye vat for a couple of days-- not so much to be sure that the dye took, but just because I wasn't able to finish dyeing during the weekend and got busy with school and work.<br /></div></div><br />Overall, I'm pretty happy with the colours; it's like a light lavender-grey.<br /><br />I took one of my alkanet-dyed skeins along with a lot more fiber-related things on a demonstration I did with my sister over at Smithgall Woods for their "Fall Celebration". Yep, another topic that I'd LOVE to write about right now, but I feel that it deserve a post all of its own, along with all the pictures I took.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">So for now all you get is a picture of my alkanet skein along with some more handspun yarns I had on display.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7yimwCP-k5Xbi9ot3U9filMCx1hw6ikd1qr6TWCPuBB2yBzAyemvCQL9ICnXwmmL7R-CkFaz1U7OBWmGpPyp9Jcq0ye-hKlLvt6u-2z_5q0iIs6Uf18zar5i3uac5k7rxcE7G1TktVDE/s1600-h/DSCF5165.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7yimwCP-k5Xbi9ot3U9filMCx1hw6ikd1qr6TWCPuBB2yBzAyemvCQL9ICnXwmmL7R-CkFaz1U7OBWmGpPyp9Jcq0ye-hKlLvt6u-2z_5q0iIs6Uf18zar5i3uac5k7rxcE7G1TktVDE/s320/DSCF5165.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259050263079380098" border="0" /></a><br /></div>More to come soon.<br /><br />-The Bloated EweThe Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-12645783239163832352008-09-27T13:00:00.000-07:002008-09-27T13:17:14.908-07:00Hands up, who wants to dye!So.<br /><br />One of my many studio classes this fall has been textile design. Every Monday and Wednesday I don two layers of protective plastic aprons, rubber gloves, and a respirator, and I play around with toxic chemicals. Like chemistry, but with pretty colours instead of beakers filled with stuff that smells like farts. Or home ec, but more edgy. Anyway, the end result is a bunch of fat quarters (cloth, not lard) that are painted in a wide array of patterns in all the colours I can muster up in three hours.<br /><br />Why am I writing about this?<br /><br />Well, all that playing around with dyes and soda ash and fiber has gotten my feet wet (and rainbow-coloured) in a realm of fiber art that I've wanted to attempt for a long time but never quite got the courage for. I bought the natural dyestuffs, I snatched up mordants, I called a big ol' canning pot just for myself, I purchased a couple of "easy to follow" (yeah right) books from the internet...but still no dyeing.<br /><br />But now, just as I'm writing this, there's that big ol' pot simmering in the kitchen filled with a couple white skeins of yarn I spun up from Aggie's wool, some white cotswold/mystery blend roving I purchased from a spinners destash, and some alum/cream of tartar that I was very careful about fully dissolving before dumping all the wooly crap in it. And notice that it's <i>simmering</i>. It's not boiling. It's <i>simmering</i>.<br /><br />All I had on hand to measure out the mordants was a tablespoon, but apparently a tablespoon is like half an ounce. So I just guesstimated from there.<br /><br />I feel kind of nervous about the fact that I guesstimated instead of getting ACCURATE measurements, but I keep telling myself that in the good old days they didn't have measuring spoons and all they did was eyeball the mordant measurements.<br /><br />This may or may not be true, but it makes me feel a little better. So don't correct me if I'm wrong.<br /><br />...<br /><br />I'm off to go check the fiber.The Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-90082548962753343422008-09-01T12:49:00.000-07:002008-09-01T16:41:45.803-07:00SerendipityAt the last spinner's guild meeting, I was talking to a fellow member who has been involved in the craft (and fiber-arts in general) for quite some time.<br /><br />Somehow the topic went to how I've been searching for a drum carder, but just couldn't seem to get one for a "deal". I explained how I was probably just going to have to suck it up and buy myself a drum carder for the usual going prices, when she said, "How does <i>free</i> sound for a good price?".<br /><br />For a few seconds I just kind of blinked, thinking that I must have heard wrong. She explained how she had a second hand drum carder that she had been thinking about giving away-- she had gotten to the point where she just could never get the teeth to align the way she wanted to, and at that it was just growing to be more of a nuisance to her than anything else.<br /><br />Next weekend I went with my family up to where she works to pick up the drum carder; it's like an Appalachian educational center where she works as a weaver. I got to see some of the results of a natural dyeing class that was being held at that time (I even purchased some mordants from her), and my family and I also had the pleasure of getting a little tour of the studio where she worked.<br /><br />That night I cleaned up the drum carder, pulled out some of Aggie's (our sheep) wool that we had sheared this past spring, watched some youtube videos on how to work a drum carder, and we all set to work feeding the drum carder and cranking the fiber through.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3222/2818893608_81787ec995_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3222/2818893608_81787ec995_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />This was the end result.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I am now obsessed with drum carding, and I can't wait to start dyeing and adding extra things like exotic fibers and glitter and Lord knows what else I feel like adding. The amount of creative control I have over my fiber has just increased tenfold; it's amazing.<br /><br />It's also amazing how just talking to someone can lead to so much. One of the things I've learned from working in the arts (I'm using "art" quite loosely here, denoting anything creative) is the necessity of others. Most know that art isn't created in a void, but when you find yourself working with other people, helping others and being helped by others, you realize the importance of working in a sort of community, rather than in complete isolation. For me, art was about forming a connection with the world around me; a tool to break that isolation that pervades humanity. And little moments like this serve as a reminder of the need to connect.<br /><br />Off to go card some more!<br /><br />-Caty<br /></div></div>The Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-32700341130049031302008-08-14T16:12:00.000-07:002008-08-16T10:31:41.436-07:00Moonflower Choker Pictures and PatternWell, I FINALLY got around to finishing up that choker I was working on, and I also finally got around to writing out the pattern of it. It's not by any means perfect, but hopefully it's somewhat legible. I made sure to re-do some of the trickier parts just to make sure that it all ran smoothly, so it *shouldn't* have any major flaws, but if anyone comes across anything, just holler.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3222/2764076392_5179107cab_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3222/2764076392_5179107cab_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Basically, it's a cable choker bordered with a crocheted slip stitch. Because bamboo isn't stretchy, I made the button band (the part you sew the button on) in garter stitch, to give it a slight elasticity. The button is actually a flower that you'll knit, which I was a bit leery of at first, but it really does fit easily through the buttonhole if you pull it out petal-by-petal, and it keeps the whole thing in place. The button band with the button hole is has a decorative picot bind off that peeks behind the flower when you wear it, looking like a little leaf. It's a quick knit, and it'll be perfect for early fall when the weather gets cool, but not nearly cool enough for a neckwarmer.<br /><br />Oh yeah, and you know how we roll. This pattern is for personal use only, any commercial use of this, whether it's selling the pattern or selling stuff made using the pattern, is ILLEGAL. So yeah, don't go makin' money off my freebies.<br /><br /><br /><center>MOONFLOWER CHOKER PATTERN</center><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/2764101446_63147d21b9_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/2764101446_63147d21b9_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />YARN: Plymouth Yarns Royal Bamboo in a (light) worsted weight in<br /><br />MC: 003 (a silver colour) and CC: 0013 Garnet. One skein of each, and you'll only use a wee amount.<br /><br />Needles: size 6 US (4mm)<br /><br />Crochet Hook: G-6 (also 4mm)<br /><br />You will also need a cable needle and tapestry needle.<br /><br />GAUGE: 11 sts, 12 rows per 2 x 2 in square in stockinette stitch. Gauge doesn't have to be absolutely perfect. For the most part it's worked by the inch, not by rows, but remember, if you're going to use the same yarn-- bamboo isn't stretchy!<br /><br />MAIN PIECE:<br /><br />In MC and on size 6 needles, CO 10 sts.<br /><br />Row 1: sl 1 knit-wise, p1, k6, p2<br /><br />Row 2: sl 1 purl-wise, k1, p6, k2<br /><br />Row 3-4: repeat rows 1 and 2<br /><br />Row 5: sl 1 knit-wise, C6B, p2<br /><br />Row 6: slip 1 purl-wise, k1, p6, k2<br /><br />Row 7: slip 1 knit-wise, p1, k 6, p2<br /><br />Row 8: slip 1 purl-wise, k1, p6, k2<br /><br />Repeat rows 1-8 until approx 2 in less than your neck circumference (ideally ending with Row 8, if you like symmetry). BO.<br /><br />CROCHET BORDER:<br /><br />With 6-G crochet hook and CC yarn, join using a slip st in on of the corner of the piece, towards the beginning of the cable, andwork a slip st into all the (knitted) slipped stitches around the border of the choker (it should start coming out the way it looks in the pictures...). On the narrow CO and BO sides, work a slip st into every other stitch-- amounting to five slipped sts on each ends. Once you've make a full garnet rectangle around the piece, finish off and weave in ends.<br /><br />BUTTON BANDS:<br /><br />Now, with your knitting needles and CC, pick up and knit 8 sts on one side of the choker. Work in garter st for approx 1 in. unstretched, then BO.<br /><br />On other end of choker, pick up and knit 8 sts using CC. K 5 rows of stockinette st (ending in a purl row).<br /><br />Row 6: k4, BO 4, k1.<br /><br />Row 7: p2, CO 4 using thumb method, p2.<br /><br />Row 8: knit all sts<br /><br />Row 9: purl all sts<br /><br />Now begin to work a picot BO as follows:<br /><br />BO 2, *slip st on right needle to left needle, then CO 2 sts using a cable cast-on, BO 3*, repeat to end. A total of five picots will have been made.<br /><br />FLOWER BUTTON:<br /><br />In MC and using your size 6 knitting needles, CO 4 sts, leaving about a 7 in tail.<br /><br />Row 1: sl 1 knit-wise, yo, k1, yo, k2<br /><br />Row 2: sl 1 knit-wise, k5<br /><br />Row 3: sl 1 knit-wise, k1, yo, k2tog, yo, k2<br /><br />Row 4: sl 1 knit-wise, k 6<br /><br />Row 5: sl 1 knit-wise, k2, yo, k2tog, yo, k2<br /><br />Row 6: BO 4, k 3<br /><br />Repeat rows 1-6 until four "petals" have been made, repeat rows 1-5, then on row 6 BO all sts. You will have five petals. Break off yarn, leaving about 7 in tail again. Draw the yarn through the little bumps on the bottom of the petals and draw tight, forming a flower shape. Draw the yarn through again so it doesn't get undone. Now sew first petal to last petal, completing the cup shape. Weave in the ends of that BO tail, leaving the CO tail out. Now using the CO tail, sew flower to center of the garter st button band, sewing through at different angles at the bottom of the flower. Give it a slight tug to make sure it's nice 'n' sturdy, then weave in ends.<br /><br />Voila! The end result should be a cute 'lil' choker. Enjoy.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26384310@N06/2764093468/" title="Moonflower Choker, With Cables Showing by The Bloated Ewe, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3102/2764093468_94c8c6acd6.jpg" alt="Moonflower Choker, With Cables Showing" width="382" height="500" /></a></center><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /></span>The Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-17134631643042660352008-08-11T18:31:00.000-07:002008-08-11T18:57:01.789-07:00Blueberry Pickin'A few days ago my family and I found out about a local person who has a sort of blueberry U-Pick-Em. We called him up for directions and time, and he told us to come whenever we want, and that he basically has an honor system for the blueberry sales-- a tip jar located on a table in front of the field-- so there was no need to concern ourselves with whether there'd be someone there or not.<br /><br />The money goes to a charity that helps orphans in Belarus, so really, you'd have to be quite a lout not to pay up regardless of whether anyone's watching or not.<br /><br />We arrived early in the morning, before the sun was harsh. I still brought my hat, of course. Despite my usual hatred for doing anything before 8:00 (including waking up), I still had enough of my wits about me to remember to take my cameras, digital point 'n' shoot as well as my clunkier, more professional, manual Pentax K1000. In my opinion, though, all the greenery looked far better with my simple point 'n' shoot, so that's what I used to take most of the pictures.<div style="text-align: center;"><br />Here's how a small family-owned blueberry field looks in the morning.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3105/2745379432_08a0ac46e5_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3105/2745379432_08a0ac46e5_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Here's what some of the blueberry stems looked like, all grey and hazy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3216/2745383200_a892ae00c6_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3216/2745383200_a892ae00c6_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Look at how colourful blueberries can be.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3063/2745381538_d6c147d62f_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3063/2745381538_d6c147d62f_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3156/2745387332_5f7e1a88b7_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3156/2745387332_5f7e1a88b7_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Here's my sister, Bebe, and my brother, David, picking blueberries.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3173/2744548387_1598088195_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3173/2744548387_1598088195_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3275/2744521821_e3dd4271ff_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3275/2744521821_e3dd4271ff_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>You can see the table with the buckets in the backround.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3107/2745388330_4ff682f08c_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3107/2745388330_4ff682f08c_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">We're still drowning in blueberries, despite Mom's incessant canning.<br /><br />More adventures to come soon?....<br /><br />-The Bloated Ewe<br /></div><br /></div>The Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-46891180773036900642008-08-07T17:01:00.000-07:002008-08-07T17:18:50.013-07:00Green FeetsMy green socks are finally DONE.<br /><br />I decided to suck it up and buy a second skein of Colinette's Jitterbug yarn in Popsicle...and since it was only the very tip of my right sock I needed to finish, I have enough a second pair of socks; maybe I'll knit some anklets in the future?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Until then, I'm just happy to have these babies all finished up.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3054/2742820392_663a08ee8f_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3054/2742820392_663a08ee8f_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3216/2741981395_abba6df63e_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3216/2741981395_abba6df63e_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Though in the future, if I ever do the pattern again...I'd probably alter the toe so that I'd be able to just draw the yarn through the remaining stitches instead of grafting. Yech.<br /><br />There's so many things I'd like to write about and post pictures of, but this week has been insanely busy. I relatives from south Florida who are currently at their vacation home up here, and we've been doing alot of things with them. And when we're not, my family and I are out and about, enjoying the last leg of summer. Today has been one of the more peaceful days for me. Hopefully I can get some snapshots up soon, before saturday at least... when both my spinner's guild meeting AND last summer contra dance just happen to coincide.<br /><br />Gah, I need to do so much before my courses start up again. I need to call up financial aid and make sure all my loans and scholarships and stuff are in. I need to see when I have to attend the student work-study workshop. I need to get my books. I need to contact disabilities and get my tardy exemption sheets and e-books. I need to get art supplies. I need to figure out <span style="font-style: italic;">where the heck my classes are going to be held....</span><br /><br />But this blog is a HAPPY place, so I need to get away from the boring university moaning and back to art and knitting.<br /><br />I finished the choker, and next time I write of it, there will be pictures and a free pattern to boot.<br /><br />Ciao.<br /><br />-The Bloated Ewe<br /></div></div>The Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-72486601136856257042008-08-02T10:48:00.000-07:002008-08-02T11:05:03.378-07:00Bike RidingThe weather this week has been quite balmy lately.<br /><br />But despite that, when my brother asked me if I wanted to bike ride with him down our road, I decided to tag along.<br /><br />I also took my camera.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I took pictures whenever I stopped for breath.<br /></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3145/2711628795_89645d1e3c_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3145/2711628795_89645d1e3c_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">I took a picture of what I've always assumed to be an <span style="font-style: italic;">abandoned </span>shack, but have never been totally sure.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3197/2711628633_f0b9154438_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3197/2711628633_f0b9154438_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I took a picture of the road, which isn't much of a road if you're used to pavement.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3045/2711628945_8cc0528aa8_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3045/2711628945_8cc0528aa8_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I took a picture of the mountains, where we decided it was time to head back.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/2712441544_edf6e2ef24_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/2712441544_edf6e2ef24_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Then I took a picture of the little church graveyard, along with SPECTRAL EVIDENCE.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3035/2712441674_de35cf8b69_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3035/2712441674_de35cf8b69_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Just kidding. It was a guy on a lawn mower.<br /><br />Then I took one last picture, as we headed back home.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3218/2712441862_9eb1674b49_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3218/2712441862_9eb1674b49_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">-The Bloated Ewe<br /></div><br /></div>The Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-2274615072333735922008-07-29T09:56:00.000-07:002008-08-02T11:06:23.351-07:00Choker in the MakingFor the past year I've had a few skeins of (what I now believe to be extinct) Plymouth Royal Bamboo yarn in a deep crimson and silver. They sat there. I occasionally squished them, loving that bamboo silky feel. But nothing really came of it.<br /><br />I knew I wanted to do something cable-y with them, but knew that cables alone wouldn't be enough. I wanted to pair the colours together somehow.<br /><br />I then began thinking up a choker. It was to have a single rope-like cable in the center, in silver, bordered by the crimson. Which then lead me to <span style="font-style: italic;">how </span>I was to achieve this effect. First I thought intarsia. But how would I do the crimson border? I then figured simple garter stitch, but knew that the natural drapeyness of bamboo would easily make it wonky, and the end result could look very sloppy.<br /><br />Despite <span style="font-style: italic;">just learning how to crochet</span>, I then settled upon crocheting a border. A single row of treble crochet would give a lovely trellis-like appearance for my cable-vine.<br /><br />So I set to work. Simply doing a treble crochet right into the main piece would make little spikey parts where I would crochet a stitch, so I did a row of slip-stitched around the edges....and liked it. Alot.<br /><br />Once again, I scrapped an old idea just to replace it with a new one, and here's my work in progress:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3227/2711672819_f6b47deca1_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3227/2711672819_f6b47deca1_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3171/2712488640_3b050b6036_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3171/2712488640_3b050b6036_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I know this sounds a bit dorky, but the silver yarn kind of reminds me of mithril. For those of you not familiar with J. R. R. Tolkien's work, it's the silvery metal highly esteemed by elves in the LOTR trilogy.<br /><br />I plan on buttoning the piece together with a knit flower in the silver yarn, but I'm still trying to figure out how to make that work.<br /><br />Off to tinker around some more...<br /><br />-The Bloated EweThe Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-64864478241052475302008-07-22T15:35:00.000-07:002008-07-22T16:03:42.661-07:00Flowers of the Garden Club at Hiawassee FairAlthough my lousy point 'n' shoot snapshot photos can in no way capture the all the amazing colours and textures in each flower, I still felt like sharing some of the inspiration.<br /><br /><br /><div align="left">The Dahlias<br /></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3217/2677519025_5b70efe817_o.jpg" border="0" /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3236/2677518501_0fef51ea34_o.jpg" border="0" /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3212/2677518851_2164d061c4_o.jpg" border="0" /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3252/2678334858_d8c18f4c40_o.jpg" border="0" /><br /></div><div align="left"><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="left">The Weird Succulent With Really Cool Star-Shaped Flowers<br /><br /></div><div align="left"></div><p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3112/2678335434_c32222a2a0_o.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/2677519185_9c2a2d312f_o.jpg" border="0" /><br />Now to somehow take these colours and textures and translate them into something fibery.</p><p>-The Bloated Ewe </p>The Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-30758659904850292432008-07-19T09:38:00.000-07:002008-07-21T11:18:15.939-07:00Hiawassee FairQuite recently I attended the Hiawassee fair with my family. It's something that's held biannually; once in the summer and once in the fall.<div><br />It's a cute little fair up in (you might have guessed already) Hiawassee. They have a whole bunch of little shack-like booths filled with craft vendors of all sorts, along with the typical fair foods. There's always a couple of bluegrass bands scattered about, and a few artisan reenactors to boot, like a blacksmith or the quilting bee ladies.<br /><br />This time around I actually took the time to go visit some of the old buildings.<br /><br />And I took many pictures.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"> Some were of this barn:<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3199/2677490067_83c5ed9ff4_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3199/2677490067_83c5ed9ff4_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Here's a picture I took while inside the barn:<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3174/2677489909_e52741fb02_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3174/2677489909_e52741fb02_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">And inside it had the coolest stall door, with a whole bunch of etchings in it done sometime in the 1930's by the children of the man who once owned the barn.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/2677489761_1439155944_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/2677489761_1439155944_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3125/2678306516_9e3d6752fd_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3125/2678306516_9e3d6752fd_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3002/2678306340_f9b57298a6_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3002/2678306340_f9b57298a6_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Inside the place where they were holding the canning and honey competitions they had a wall devoted to pictures of moonshiners:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3039/2678307116_7f28cc1a0b_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3039/2678307116_7f28cc1a0b_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Farther down in the main exhibit hall, I came across this gorgeous Linotype printing press:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3104/2677518053_a2274b6b69_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3104/2677518053_a2274b6b69_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3145/2678334094_bbac6d5ec5_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3145/2678334094_bbac6d5ec5_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3032/2677518361_6aa9a80b80_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3032/2677518361_6aa9a80b80_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />And here are all the little letter blocks:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3065/2678307274_ff767b9d21_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3065/2678307274_ff767b9d21_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I now want a Linotype printing press of my very own. Or at least the letter blocks. Definitely want the letter blocks.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I also rode more fair rides than I ever have...probably since I was little. Possibly even <span style="font-style: italic;">more</span> than when I was little.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Apparently I am in one of these barrels. You can't see me, so just use your imagination:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3175/2677519545_8b5a358c74_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3175/2677519545_8b5a358c74_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">Next post: the flower show! I took tons of pictures of that; I figured I'd end up overwhelming the average person if I posted them along with the all the other pictures I've just put up.<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />The Bloated Ewe<br /></div></div></div></div>The Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106622040220864494.post-21855323814638036512008-07-14T17:43:00.000-07:002008-07-14T18:01:50.588-07:00Finishing with my Drop Spindle and Second Sock Syndrome to the Enth Degree.<div>Well, I seem to have both good news and not-so-good news to share today.<br /><br />To start of with the not-so-good....<br /><br />Second Sock Syndrome has been forced upon me. Okay, so I bought a lovely skein of Colinette Jitterbug sock yarn in "Popsicle" a gorgeous colorway. 100 grams, typical sock yardage. Should definitely be enough for a typical sock pattern.<br /><br />This is where I made a grave error.<br /><br />Just because sock yarn <em>weighs </em>a certain amount doesn't mean it will give you average sock yardage.<br /><br />Now I'm left with one whole sock and one almost whole sock without the tip of its toe.<br /><br />Now the yarn was about 22 dollars. I'm not sure whether I should a) just suck it up and buy another skein, b) beg the LYS owner if I there might be any scrap yarn in the same colourway that's left over from one of her sock classes, or c) substitute the toe with some of my (not at all similar) regia sock yarn I have left over from the socks I made for my father.<br /><br />I really don't feel like going with option c. So I'll probably try options a and b, starting with b first, despite its pathetic lameness.<br /><br />Onto the good news: I'm finished with the navy and fuchsia I was spindling! It's a pretty nice-sized ball, definitely would be enough for a pair of handwarmers if knit as a single. </div><div><br /> </div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3264/2654542114_f235b8883b_o.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />Though I still definitely want to ply it with my spindle...I think.<br /><br />Ah. Decisions, decisions.<br /><br />-CatThe Bloated Ewehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17239630229050087056noreply@blogger.com0