Side-tracked by leftover handspun

 I don't really know why, but whilst working on Stuart's jumper, I decided to stop and wait until I can measure it against him. I think it's way too big, but he is big and I might be underestimating his size. It's been awhile since I knit the last jumper.

Anyway, I decided I would do some more stash busting, this time with all those leftover bits of handspun that I can't bear to throw away.

I decided to do mitred squares as they're easy to do, can take small amounts of yarn and look pretty effective. My squares are 20 sts sides (work on 40sts) on 4mm needles and measure 9.5cm square.

There are all sorts of different yarns and even though some are a bit fine and a bit thick, it seems to be working ok.

I did sort them into colours: broadly blue, purple, red, orange, yellow and green. I think if I did it again, I would be much more random. The effect gets better as it gets larger. I'm aiming for a Queen size blanket for the spare bedroom. Just right for our Western Australian guests who feel the cold!

I've still got the green to go, then I've got all the natural coloured yarn and then I'll probably have to wait for more yarn. I'm thinking of edging it in cream with half size mitres.

Weaving on cardboard

 I'm booked in for my Artists' Residency at the Ivanhoe Arts and Cultural Hub. I am so excited! Though, at the moment, it's not necessarily sure, as we're currently in lockdown. I can't see that changing till sometime in September, which will change how much I can do during the residency. And it means, that the residency is by no means certain as there are those that have missed out on their residencies. We'll see....

As part of the residency, there needs to be 'community engagement' which, for me will take the form of simple weaving workshops. Cutting out cards to weave something very simple like a coaster or a little more complex like a mobile phone cover.

These are really very simple, and all it takes is cardboard and yarn. I drew around my objects, cut slits at a distance I thought suitable and warped.

Very simple and reasonably quick. I've used three yarns together for the weft and it gives a nice feel. First the coaster.

The second piece, I tried to warp both sides and create a pocket. Worked reasonably well for a phone cover.

There are more options I might play with:

- using two pieces of cardboard to make a flap

- trying to attach a strap down the side, while weaving.

It's interesting to go back to something so simple, but which is very effective and useful.

A house warming present

It's nearly finished. All I have to do is wash and block it.

 It's called a Safe at Home blanket by Margaret Holzman (2020) and I purchased it off Ravelry. (Ravelry.com) The design is done in Tunisian crochet and all the yarn used was from my stash! 

(For a nice tutorial on Tunisian crochet see: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/tunisian-crochet-stitches-979408)

I have only one hint. Pick your colours and then put each colour in a labelled bag. It's makes the colour you want easy to find, lessens tangles and you can easily add more yarn by just adding to the appropriate bag. This made life a lot easier!

It's a gift to some young friends of ours who have just purchased their first home. They're in Architecture and Heritage and it should be suitably appropriate. I started back in July and here I am in the middle of August and it's finished. 

And, in case, anyone is wondering, I'm going to start trying to blog more regularly. The reason I wanted to do this blog, originally, was to just write. For some reason I've always liked the idea of writing, but I'm not a good writer and I thought a blog might be the way to do it. 

I was inspired by a podcast I listen to. It's the 'Creative Pep Talk' by Andy J. Pizza. He's a little over the top but has alot of ideas and loves to share them. Episode 328 was 'If you only listen to One Episode of this show Make it This One'. In it he talked about the idea of creating a habit. Just do it, don't worry about how good it is, just get in the habit. So that's what I'm doing.

We'll see if it lasts!

Tree Hugger

 With the possibility of a solo exhibition and how the fill a gallery space, I've been thinking about themes. It seems that 'Everything is Plastic' is looming as a distinct possibility. So far, there's 'Water', then I'll do something to do with home, but I'm focusing on having another large piece and I think it should be trees.

Trees...I do love trees. There's something older and wiser about trees, a solidity. 

I've a small collection of books about trees, either with the emphasis on the native trees of Australia or a growing wisdom around the connectedness and intelligence of trees.

'The Hidden Life of Trees' by Peter Wohlleben. 

'The Life & Love of Trees' by Lewis Blackwell

'Wise Trees' by Diane Cook and Len Jenshel

'Eucalypts: a celebration' by John Wrigley and Murray Fagg

Old Growth: Australia's Remaining Ancient Forests' by Peter McConchie

Beautiful pictures of trees and their lives. Already I'm thinking about the possibilities. 

From my Window - BCC Window Installation project - the start

 I'm embarking on an exciting new project for the month of October. Banyule City Council put a call out to artists to create work for windows of businesses all over the city of Banyule. They wanted to reflect the business and also use materials from the business, right up my alley. I put in a proposal for one window.

I was asked to do two, and then when another artist pulled out, I was asked to do more. So I went from one window to three! I am a little alarmed and hope I can finish all three windows to a good level. The three businesses I have are:

1. Eastern Vitality in Heidelberg where I'm going to focus on their plants and add flowers, phoenix and a background weaving.

2. Rosanna Heating and Cooling in Rosanna where I'm using their ducting to do some off-loom weaving and some origami houses and furniture. It's should be shiny and fun, I haven't done this sort of off-loom weaving for quite some time.

3. The Dish Cafe in Eaglemont was my third business and when I met them I was determined to use some coffee cups in their work. It was a sad story of good intentions unfulfilled, so I sort of feel that I'm mending them. I'll also do a weaving for next to their door incorporating no longer used plastic utensils.

These are all my first successful trials and I'm sure that they will develop further. I also have yet to do enough weaving for photos. There is a warp on the loom, though. The end of October is my nominal deadline with some leeway after that. Should be a busy month.

Liminal//A Shared Distance - the videos

Two videos were made for the exhibition. The first was a trial but I liked it so much that I asked if I could include it as well and they agreed. 

I think they're a little boring, but happily reflect the stillness of my art practice and the way I work.

 

Liminal // A Shared Distance - the works

Way back in February, the Banyule Artists group put out an expression of interest for the last exhbition to be held at the Hatch Contemporary Arts Space. I really wanted to be part of this as I'd been involved with Hatch since the start of the Ivanhoe Makers Market, a long time ago, so I responded.

As Covid-19 changed their exhibition and also changed the works I was going to produce. As part of the experience we were required to produce a video. Armed with my camera and discovering how it worked in regards to video I managed to do this.

I did produce three works. I couldn't narrow my focus so these reflect various aspects of Climate Change, the Covid-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests.

1. Safe (2020) 

        Are we safe in our own homes, reflections on the effect of Climate change and the pandemic and how we might view the safety that our homes give us and how deceptive that might be.

2. June, 29 of 423 (2020)

        A difficult topic to try and respond to was the Black Lives Matter protests and how they were reflected here. The Guardian have an excellent website documenting some of the indigenous lives that have been lost in custody, a total of 423 since the Royal Commission in 1990. Each day of the year someone mourns a loss, 29 in June.

3. Global (2020)

        Global warming or the pandemic, these are my places of shelter around the globe.