When is your best creative time?

I love sleeping in on Saturday mornings.   Between dreaming about creating things, in my half asleep and half waking up mode I sometime can come up with some interesting design or technique ideas.  Somehow that time of the day my mind is relaxed enough and its quiet enough that all kinds of creative ideas just stream by my minds eye at top speed.  I select something that somehow sticks out more than another and concentrate on it and see if I did that design or technique could/would it really work.  Its fun to explore those ideas once I am fully awake.  Sometimes I can’t believe I though that this or that would actually work and its put on the throw away list.  But sometimes it’s something that really works.  Either which way its nicer than waking up to an alarm clock!

Working for Scraps

Yes it is true.  I am working on a project and the payment is scraps of yarn and fabric.  A sales person  came into work the other day and when she saw my quilted wall hanging with the knitted and crocheted scrumbles on it, she asked if I would make her one.  She said she quilted and also knitted and could provide me with the scaps.  So I agreed.  There is a certain amount of fun and excitement working with others’ materials.  Her fabric was bright colors, but not exactly like the ones I have.  Also several were flannel.  I never work with flannel.  Her yarns were interesting as well.  So I have an opportunity to work with some fabrics I usually don’t use and will have fun with the project.  I get to keep the left over scraps too!   I can’t wait to get started.

Northland Art League

I was elected to the position of 1st Vice President, Program Chair at the Northland Art League meeting tonight.  My position starts January 1.  It was a landslide….I was the only one running for that position!  Should be fun.

New Place to See My Work

I will be selling some of my smaller pieces of art at the Art Flea KC on November 20.  The location is ArtsTech Center, 1522 Holmes, KCMO  64108.  Come by and buy!

Color + Coture

My son takes pictures every year for the Color + Coture fund raiser.  This year he asked me if I could help Tracey who works with him, sew part of her runway outfit.  I was estatic to be able to participate in this.  Every year a different medium is chosen.  In the past they have had to use carpeting for example.  This year involved wall coverings.  So I got to sew a sleeveless jacket with full detail lapels out of vinyl wall covering.  It was a challenge, but fun.  See attached picture of the outfit I helped to sew.

Young Minds

I spent the weekend with my niece and her family.  When we get together like this, I have always brought a project for her kids to do.  Well one is old enough he doesn’t even join us and the other is a freshman in high school.  Her name is Kelsey and she is so creative and I do believe that part of her brain is a sponge and just soaks up everything that you tell her.  On the other hand, her brain is also capable of not only soaking it up but also sorting, assimilating it and then applying it.  She knows how to crochet and has been crocheting some things with her grandma.  I showed her how to take what she knows and just make free form stitches and patterns (scrumbles).  So we played around with some stitches for about an hour and that was it.  So when I check my phone this morning, she had sent me a message that she used what I had shown her and went home yesterday and made a mitten!  If only I had her energy and her brain…the world would be mine!!!!!

I am working on my Ravelry profile and listing my projects.  Ravelry is really an interesting place to go.  You can set up your profile and include projects, their status, what kind of yarn pattern, notes and even pictures.  It has a place to record your stash, groups you belong to and on and on.  It is really great if you do any amount of knitting or crocheting.  Check my profile at http://www.ravelry.com/people/Joy2dot

Don’t go fishing in a beaded blouse.

The beautiful cool fall weather was calling me to the lake to go fishing.  The smell of autumn was in the air and I had to go.  I stopped by the house after work, gathered up the fishing gear and went to Smithville Lake just north of Kansas City.  It was jeans day at work so I didn’t bother to change clothes.  Now I know a cold front was due to come into the area the next day, but I hoped it was far enough away that the fishing would still be good.  Well….it was either the front coming through or the beaded blouse that kept the fish away.  Yes, there is no crying in baseball and there is no beaded blouses allowed in fishing!

As I walked back up the hill to the car, a flock of geese flew low overhead.  Their honking and beautiful flying pattern soon changed as they got closer to me.  They seemed to part and go on either side and then land on the lake.  Did they think I shouldn’t be out at the lake in a beaded blouse also?

I tried to forget the traumatic evening and relax on the drive home with the windows down and that wonderful autumn air coming in the window.  The smell of fire places burning and fresh mown grass and even some good bar-b-que mingled into the best smells of fall.  The cool air and the aromas of fall meant relief from the hot summer was finally here, but it was also the harbinger of winter on the way.  But I will enjoy the cool crisp fall air for now and never wear a beaded blouse again when I go fishing.

Scrumbling

Making scrumbles is a lot of fun.  It’s basically making a small test piece of any variety that you like.  See a new knitting or crochet pattern you like?  Try making a sample first.  Try out the part that you think may be the hardest.  Make as much or as little as you like.  Make it in any size yarn or  neeedle  you like.  It’s great for testing your gauge.  Now keep that sample and add other samples to it.  It’s gets very addictive after a while.

Welcome to my blog!

I am going to be blogging about fiber art of all kinds.  I enjoy knitting, crocheting and quilting and sometimes combining all three.  To start with I will be talking about scrumbles.  These are bits and pieces of knitting and/or crocheting that are connected together.  I like to add my scrumbles to a quilted background.  I feel the scrumbles add a lot of texture and color and the quilted background can help show off the interesting knitting and crocheting.  Please take a look at my example of a scrumble.

Scrumble example