Buttons galore

It's a cold wintry day and I've been out with my umbrella and scarf to my local wool shop to buy more buttons for the fingerless mittens I've been knitting. It puts me in a reflective mood about buttons, and how many of us love to collect buttons.

We almost always have permission to collect buttons..."they'll always come in handy", and, they do. My collection resides in a tin box and there is something very satisfying about poking about through the button box, jar, or, even better, someone elses.

Op shops have wonderful collections, saying as much about the source - the dressmaker, the former shop owner - as well as the people who come to find their own treasures. Some colours can be strangely scarce and finding really large buttons a challenge.

There is also the current trend of lots of young designers using buttons, I'm thinking particularly of the jewellery that is appearing at markets and places like In.cube8tr. I love their creative use of such a simple thing.

I've just remembered this article in an old copy of the magazine 'Piecework', (Nov/Dec 2006). Wouldn't you like these, there is a pattern to make one.

And that reminds me of one of my favourite shops: Buttonmania in the Nicholas Building in the city.

The only drawback with my buttons, is now I have to sew some on!

Teapots

The Biggest Morning Tea at the guild was a great success with the 'Sea of Scarves', the teacosy exhibition, lots of homemade things to eat, lots of people wearing wonderful things they had made and plenty of conversation.

I did manage to score a teapot at the auction. It's quite beautiful and will fit my collection well. I do like to collect handmade teapots. It's always been one of those things 'I'd like to try one-day', though I suspect that that is definitely in the future. The only experience I had of trying to combine textiles and pottery was a very dear friend...I still have the Kaffe Fassett cardigan she made biggest baby when he was born....who was a dedicated knitter and potter, however, never seemed able to combine them at the same time!

I must photograph my teapots, I have some beautiful ones.

Business needs looking at

I delivered my two wrist warmers to In.cube8tr, including this beautiful pair. I'm enjoying making these and I hope they're successful.

Unfortunately, there have been no sales and I need to examine what might be happening. So I've come up with the following:

1. I'm competing with beautifully packaged items, especially the jewellery. Good packaging can encourage gift giving as well as highlighting the product.

2. I need to look at what has actually sold well. The silk scarves keep moving, the tri-scarf has sold quickly, the wrist warmers, despite few sales, have moved well. They're new and I've made only a few.

3. My art weaving needs to find its own home.

Obviously more thinking is required, but I'll work on that for the next change at In.cube8tr.

More wrist warmers

More wristies....these use a technique that I've just learnt (thanks Catherine) of casting on then casting off, which gives the little, or long, dangly thing a cute little twist.

It is all in the twist, as I keep telling people at the moment. Twist holds fibres together, makes them soft or strong and gives them purpose.

One interesting aspect of twist is whether, as you knit, you twist or untwist the yarn. This can be important. For instance, you probably want more twist in the cast-on, cast-off edge, as it will be stronger.

My investigations, so far, have also shown that twisting at the edges makes them neater. I don't know how much this depends on your knitting style. I knit continental, but even that I think I knit oddly. One thing I do know is that if I do a knit stitch, I twist a 'S' plyed yarn.

See, it's all in the twist.

Ceres Community Environment Park

Yesterday was the 3D5S trip to Ceres Community Environment Park. (http://www.ceres.org.au/) What a wonderful place.

There was sculpture all through the gardens, chooks, kids at the African display making bricks and obviously had been playing the drums. There was a mosaic sculpture workshop in progress. A lovely coffee shop and even on the cold wet weekend, plenty of people looking, working, participating in the community that is obviously here.

It made me think quite alot about what I want to do. A workshop in this environment would be, at the least, stimulating with a community of youthful enthusiasm and people searching for new ways of doing things and valuing difference. There are all sorts of groups here from LETS to a Sweat Lodge.

I think I will make more trips here to learn more about what they do, maybe look at their gardens more, the seedsaver group, all sorts.

Flora and Fauna

I have finally got around to sampling for the 3D5S project for the Australian Sheep and Wool Show. I've tried to get a real frilly effect. I've used crochet as you can build a shape as you go, though knitting would have worked now I think about it. Anyway the centre is not quite right.

I'm going to do another, working on that centre piece, making it more uneven both as a whole and at the edges. I still have spikes to try.

Last night I attended the Banyule Council volunteer awards night. Held in the great hall in Heidelberg, which is a fabulous art deco building. The 9"x5" Steering Committee had been nominated for a group award. We sat at a table, listened to Con the Fruiterer (comedian), and applauded the winners, who were an amazing group of volunteers. We talked, planned had lovely wine and food. It's nice to be appreciated.

Inspired by students

After changing over at Incube8tr, still no sales, I took myself off to the Ian Potter Centre (www.ngv.vic.gov.au/ngvaustralia) to see what was showing. The current blockbuster is the Sidney Nolan exhibition, as that cost to go in, I decided that the other exhibitions were more in line with my 'penniless' mood. What a treat!

The first exhibition was about Black in fashion. It was a very small exhibition and not quite as groundbreaking as you might have thought. The older mourning dresses were wonderful as anything made by hand for the wealthy always has a wealth of detail, but the modern pieces were interesting, but surely there is more, especially Punk.

I then decided to head to the Top Arts exhibition. I must admit, I do always like these exhibitions. Seeing students work in an exhibition setting always highlights what it means to have enthusiasm and energy. The works are always of a high standard, with some being able to fit into any 'professional' exhibition.

My favourites were:

1. three panels where the artist had spread gesso with their hands, let it dry and then did fine line work on top. Initially this looked random, but after reading their artists' statement, there could be found some personal references. I loved this, as you could look at it for ages, it was a really interesting idea and it just looked good as a piece of work.

2. printed paper was cut up and woven. Couldn't go past this one!

3. there was a ceramic work in the exhibition, but, for me, more interestingly, they had the workbook for the artist. It was wonderful, full of ideas, materials, technical details. A work of art on it's own.

Over coffee, I decided that for my newspaper, totem pole, eyes work that I'm about to embark on, I'll keep a detailed workbook and make regular contributions and hopefully create a number of works.

I've also decided that I need to 'package' my work. It makes it easier to buy for gifts and hopefully looks better. Will have to have a play.

I did manage to finish a small scarf. This goes with the hat and the wrist warmers. I like playing with two yarns at one time, trying to make them do different things. (Sorry about the colour, I can't photograph red)