Posted in knitting, weaving

December Holiday in Review

First of all, I want to say that the Christmas To-Do list posted on the wall was a big hit with family members who visited us this year.

Of the twenty items on the list, all but four were completed – with great enthusiasm, for the most part. We made a few changes: no one was interested in making wreaths, but the fly fishermen among us wanted to tie some flies. So there was that substitution. And since the cars took up the whole driveway, we played sports in the backyard. Many times. The weather was remarkably warm and sunny, hence No Fire in the Fireplace.

I received two fibery gifts. The first was a pair of sock yarns, originating in Wisconsin.

I have worked with Ewetopia sock yarn once before and found it very pleasant – it is round, tightly twisted and produces a sturdy fabric. The swatch of the dark plum gave a deep tonal, slightly shaded fabric. The yellow green color, named Caterpillar, gave a stripey fabric characterized by short repeats.

My second gift was a handful of woven linen swatches, made decades ago by my son in law’s grandmother.

After studying them for a while, I was able to work out which direction were warps and which were wefts. Some of these brocades must have been devilishly difficult to construct. I want to preserve them, but I also want to use them in some way. At the moment, I am considering working the swatches into a stretched canvas piece.

It was a busy and tiring week at chez LauraKate. While I intend to write about my body of work made in 2020, that discourse must wait for tomorrow. Today will be dedicated to tidying the craft room, folding the laundry and roasting a chicken.

Posted in painting

What’s up in the Art Room? (December) — In The Art Room

Meet Jenell. She is an inspired art teacher who is now teaching her students virtually. Perhaps some of your young artists will give these projects a try. – Laura Kate.

Check out some of our current projects happening in the art room and how they’re made! Though there’s not been as many in person classes this month, there’s still a lot going on! Check out some of the happenings below! Virtual Paint Alongs! Although we haven’t been able to do any in person paint nights…

What’s up in the Art Room? (December) — In The Art Room
Posted in knitting

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

It seems that I located the biggest Post-It note in the world on which to write this to-do list. Please notice the first word for each item on the list. My English teacher would describe these as verbs. Some call them action words. The emphasis is on action – All are things that require active engagement by the doers. I am expecting at least four of those folks to help me check off the items on this list.

I haven’t blogged this past week because I’ve been very busy with Christmas preparations. That includes Christmas knitting. I finished up the arm warmers for daughter – no picture here, I don’t want to spoil the surprise. The half-finished sock you see is intended for my son-in-law. Hey, I’ve got at least four more days to finish this one and knit another. It’s still possible to finish them by Christmas morning.

Here’s my wish for you at holiday time: May you enjoy celebrating with loved ones, or at least in proximity to loved ones. And may your celebrations bring peace and love to warm your heart.

Posted in painting

Final Images – Watercolor 21 Day Practice

Today I painted the last of the twenty-one exercises in Kateri Ewing’s book “Watercolor is for Everyone.” The proposition was to paint for at least 15 minutes everyday without a reference photo. The goal was to experience painting as a process and to have no expectations about the final results.

Here are some of my paintings. I worked on 4 x 6 pieces of watercolor paper using a natural fiber Sumi brush, a small round synthetic brush and a pencil. The pigments were an assortment of artist grade water colors and some metallic paints.

What I learned:

  • Working on a small piece of paper helped me let go of expectations on my results. I could fill the space with some very basic shapes and colors easily within 15 minutes.
  • Allowing the pigments to flow together taught me to be more free in my brush strokes.
  • Pausing to watch what happens as the paint settled and dried slowed down my brain and kept my body still. I learned what to expect from the different types of pigments – earthy, staining, and metallic – by watching how they reacted together.
  • Simplicity is more satisfying than complexity.

I’m a little bit sad that the lessons are finished. From now on, it will be up to me to think of new daily exercises.

To learn more about this practice, visit Kateri Ewing’s site.

Home | Kateri Ewing

Posted in quilting

Yesterday’s Work

In this post, I am continuing work on the Animal Friends quilt project. Yesterday afternoon was occupied with sewing together many strips that I have cut. They were sewn into two groups:

Three Across
Four Across

I also made another block. This one features a cat sitting in the hayloft of a barn.

For the weekend, I will continue making blocks by grabbing an animal square and a strip set randomly, then doing my best to make blocks that amuse me.

I think this will be a good activity for what may be a cold and (possibly) snowy weekend.