Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Christmas Stocking Project
I knitted seven Christmas stockings many years ago and now it is time to knit some more. However, in the meantime I lost the original pattern book, so I made up a new pattern. It is better because it does not have a seam up the back and because the stockings are not as big. In addition I decided to make them from a wool/acrilyc blend yarn. My knitting style has also changed over the years.
I also have been frustrated by knitting patterns in general. Specifically because they are written in a knitting abbreviations. There is no place to check off rows as you go and it is easy to get mixed up. I designed a knitting worksheet that specifies exactly what is happening in each row and there is a place to check off each row. I might try this for other patterns as well. It makes sense, really.
In the end I have a book that has my new pattern, the alphabet patterns, the design patterns for these stockings and a few extra resources.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
100 White Things
I am currently working from Mary Todd Beam's book Celebrate your Creative Self: More than 25 Exercises to Unleash the Artist Within.
On page 15 she recommends: "Take your notebook and search for subjects that feature whites or lights. Spotting these subjects can be a challenging game and a means of training the artistic eye. When you find such a subject, consider it a sacred object not to be sullied by paint. Try sketching it to remember the patterns of positive and negative shapes."
For fun I just spent ten minutes around the house to list 100 white things
100 White Things Around My House
1. Envelope (open and torn along top edge)
2. Folded paper towel with list of lab values scrawled on it.
3. Two pieces of bread, toasted and ready for a sandwich
4. Linear reflections of window light along knife
5. Rolled up latex band secured with white elastic band
6. Wii
7. Grey Poupon lid
8. Notebook
9. Used and wadded socks
10. Strip of light through window on table top
11. Mortar and pestle
12. Wad of mayonnaise on my bread before I spread it
13. Paper plate with sandwich on it
14. Hundreds of words on labels
15. Multiple cups of varied shapes
16. Plastic bag . . .wadded with objects within
17. Pill bottle lid
18. Lamp
19. Newpaper folded with photograph and text
20. Book pages
21. Stripes in tablecloth
22. Donkey Kong eye whites
23. Background in a child's drawing
24. Appliance control labels
25. Hand sanitizer pump lid
26. Stripe on blown glass glass
27. Marble bowl
28. Reflected light on vents of microwave
29. Reflected light on edge of dishwasher
30. Mayonnaise jar
31. Watch band
32. Switch plate
33. T-shirt draped over arm of couch
34. Vase
35. Peep hole in door
36. Pizza box in recyling pile
37. Spaghetti picker upper utinsel
38. Rectangular serving dish
39. Spray can
40. Paper towel roll
41. Corn shaped spoon rest
42. Egg carton
43. Eggs
44. Shapes in wadded up aluminum foil
45. Mat in picture frame
46. Curtain rod
47. Picture frame around kids from beach
48. More bowls
49. Candle
50. Trim around outside windows, roof lines, doors, and corners
51. Clouds
52. Bathroom scale
53. Toilet
54. Toilet paper
55. Toilet bowl cleaner
56. Kleenex poking out of box
57. Sink
58. Doors
59. Closet door knobs
60. Bowl of small white rocks
61. Lamps with half round base and half round head
62. Porch cement
63. Square of light on stairsteps
64. Athletic shoes in closet
65. Teeth
66. Terry pillow covers in laundry basket
67. Messed up sheets on bed
68. Book
69. Iron
70. Ironing board
71. Shell
72. Deoderant
73. Soaps of several sizes and states of use
74. Nail brush
75. Bathtub
76. Garbage pail
77. Clear 1 cup jar of white bath salts
78. Grout between floor tiles and bath tiles
79. Light under bathroom door
80. Blouse hanging in closet
81. Hangers
82. Packing boxes
83. Papers
84. Sewing machine
85. Light bulb
86. Electrical cord
87. Folded flannel fabric with amusing animal print
88. Palettes
89. Timer
90. Artist tape rolls
91. Salt in a dish
92. Big rock outside
93. Truck outside
94. Covers on patio furniture
95. Ladder
96. Parking lines on street
97. Paint tubes
98. Postal scale
99. Plug-in strip
100. Air filter
101. Washer
102. Dryer
103. Bra
104. Jewelry boxes
105. ***Ah Ha*** -> Anything . . . given the correct pigment, lighting, and/or value differential
106. Pillow
107. Funnel
108. Popcorn
109. Corn husks
110. Sugar cubes
On page 15 she recommends: "Take your notebook and search for subjects that feature whites or lights. Spotting these subjects can be a challenging game and a means of training the artistic eye. When you find such a subject, consider it a sacred object not to be sullied by paint. Try sketching it to remember the patterns of positive and negative shapes."
For fun I just spent ten minutes around the house to list 100 white things
100 White Things Around My House
1. Envelope (open and torn along top edge)
2. Folded paper towel with list of lab values scrawled on it.
3. Two pieces of bread, toasted and ready for a sandwich
4. Linear reflections of window light along knife
5. Rolled up latex band secured with white elastic band
6. Wii
7. Grey Poupon lid
8. Notebook
9. Used and wadded socks
10. Strip of light through window on table top
11. Mortar and pestle
12. Wad of mayonnaise on my bread before I spread it
13. Paper plate with sandwich on it
14. Hundreds of words on labels
15. Multiple cups of varied shapes
16. Plastic bag . . .wadded with objects within
17. Pill bottle lid
18. Lamp
19. Newpaper folded with photograph and text
20. Book pages
21. Stripes in tablecloth
22. Donkey Kong eye whites
23. Background in a child's drawing
24. Appliance control labels
25. Hand sanitizer pump lid
26. Stripe on blown glass glass
27. Marble bowl
28. Reflected light on vents of microwave
29. Reflected light on edge of dishwasher
30. Mayonnaise jar
31. Watch band
32. Switch plate
33. T-shirt draped over arm of couch
34. Vase
35. Peep hole in door
36. Pizza box in recyling pile
37. Spaghetti picker upper utinsel
38. Rectangular serving dish
39. Spray can
40. Paper towel roll
41. Corn shaped spoon rest
42. Egg carton
43. Eggs
44. Shapes in wadded up aluminum foil
45. Mat in picture frame
46. Curtain rod
47. Picture frame around kids from beach
48. More bowls
49. Candle
50. Trim around outside windows, roof lines, doors, and corners
51. Clouds
52. Bathroom scale
53. Toilet
54. Toilet paper
55. Toilet bowl cleaner
56. Kleenex poking out of box
57. Sink
58. Doors
59. Closet door knobs
60. Bowl of small white rocks
61. Lamps with half round base and half round head
62. Porch cement
63. Square of light on stairsteps
64. Athletic shoes in closet
65. Teeth
66. Terry pillow covers in laundry basket
67. Messed up sheets on bed
68. Book
69. Iron
70. Ironing board
71. Shell
72. Deoderant
73. Soaps of several sizes and states of use
74. Nail brush
75. Bathtub
76. Garbage pail
77. Clear 1 cup jar of white bath salts
78. Grout between floor tiles and bath tiles
79. Light under bathroom door
80. Blouse hanging in closet
81. Hangers
82. Packing boxes
83. Papers
84. Sewing machine
85. Light bulb
86. Electrical cord
87. Folded flannel fabric with amusing animal print
88. Palettes
89. Timer
90. Artist tape rolls
91. Salt in a dish
92. Big rock outside
93. Truck outside
94. Covers on patio furniture
95. Ladder
96. Parking lines on street
97. Paint tubes
98. Postal scale
99. Plug-in strip
100. Air filter
101. Washer
102. Dryer
103. Bra
104. Jewelry boxes
105. ***Ah Ha*** -> Anything . . . given the correct pigment, lighting, and/or value differential
106. Pillow
107. Funnel
108. Popcorn
109. Corn husks
110. Sugar cubes
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Trail of Roses
I finished the drawing portion of this project. After completing 80 drawings of roses I decided that my goals had been met. I made tremendous progress in this period and learned to see much more clearly as a result. I will publish the rest of the drawings in later posts. In addition I spent some time journaling. I had the idea to make letters for the project from the journal pages. I used the journaled words to provide the texture and value for the letters of the title as you see it above. Each page is actually about 15 pages of journaling written over and over itself and erased as needed.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Friday, June 6, 2008
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