Iwannaknit: Garden of Design Sample Finished
Since the last post, I embroidered long grass stems, knitted background foliage, stitched a background flowers and greenery, and sewed buttons in place. Three-year-old Ella is upset that I “stole” buttons from our button jar, particularly the pink ones, which she feels belong to the Pinky Bug.
The photo shows yellow and blue flowers in the background. They are so small, they don’t show up in the 72 dpi scan posted on May 6, 2006. Our bead box yielded these plastic faceted beads to represent the flowers, and it took a lot of convincing on my part and on 10-year-old Eva’s part, to persuade Ella to let me use them.
Eva said that the yellow beads threw the whole picture into perspective for her. “Now it really looks like there’s distance,” she said. Thank you, Eva!
Iwannaknit: Garden of Design Background Done
One way to knit a natural-looking scene is to work with several similar shades of each color, but only one or two rows of one color at one time, which is what we will do in the Garden of Design workshop at this year’s Iwannaknit ReTreat. This method makes for lots of ends and long floats up the side of the knitting, as you can see in this photo of my class sample background in progress.
Luckily, the edges of this piece will be bound like the edges of a quilt. All those ends and long floats will be trimmed away or hidden inside the binding.
Knitting one row of a particular yarn means that it often hangs on the other end of the row, when you need it. Ultimate Sweater Machine users simply pick up the carriage and move it to the other side to pick up the thread.
Hand-knitters use double-pointed or circular needles to take care of this problemâ€if the yarn you want is at the other end of the row, just knit from the needle closest to the yarn.
I like to use the purl side of stockinette stitch as the right side in a picture. The colors blend better. I think it looks more natural.
The next step is to stabilize and quilt this background piece, and I hope to report back to you no later than Tuesday evening, with this step finished. Then it will be time to knit some foreground elements, like clumps of greenery and close-up flowers.
Remember the four yards of perfectly matching pink yarn I wrote about yesterday? My daughter came to the rescue. She had a partial skein of the very same yarn in her stash. There’s a good reason for teaching one’s children how to knit and crochet. In case you are wondering, it was her yarn to begin with. Wonder how those four yards came to be in my box of pink yarn?
Iwannaknit: Garden of Design Class Sample
Rome City, Indiana, is the site of this year’s Iwannaknit ReTreat (June 2-4). This is a new venue for the gathering, and this year, Lea-Ann offers a number of classes for hand-knitters.
My workshop, “A Garden of Color, Design, and Shaping Techniques,” is for hand- and machine-knitters. The difference will be in the size of the finished pieces. As promised, I am going to document the construction of my class sample here.
The photo I chose is one I took last year of the Indian and prairie paintbrushes near our home. You can choose any garden or flower photo: one of your own or from a magazine or book. The fun part about a class like this is finding a way to interpret the photo in knitting. In the process, you do learn valuable design lessons.
My yarn collection is divided into color families, so I placed the photo on top of my green yarns. The best color matches sort of popped out at me.
Then it was on to the pink collection. I found lots of pinks that were pretty good for the flowers in the background. Those brilliant pink ones in the foreground were a problem, but I finally found the perfect color—all four yards of it! I have some ideas for working with this limited amount. We’ll see how they work in practice.
I rounded out the colors with a surprising (to me) choice. I assumed the grasses in the foreground were a light brown. But no, they are really a yellowish gray.
The Ultimate Sweater Machine is out and ready to go, so check back tomorrow to see the knitted background.
I am also teaching “Color Composure,” for people who would like to learn more about color, but would rather not hear about theory. Find information on this workshop here for knitters, and here for crocheters.
A Garden of Color, Design, and Shaping Techniques
Class Description
Choose a picture of a flower garden, and we will interpret the picture in knitting. In the process you will learn to compose with color, knit shapes, and solve design challenges, taking into account the limitations and opportunities of knitting. Go home with a lovely flower garden wall hanging (12″ square for machine knitters, 6″ x 8″ for hand knitters). In a gently encouraging way, Suzann will show you how to think through a design idea, adapt common knitting techniques to make stems, leaves, rocks, and flowers, compose your flower garden, and embellish it. The skills you learn will improve your confidence and ability in all kinds of knitting. You’ll start with a discussion of inspiration for our flowery scene (photos, postcards, magazine pictures—bring your own if possible!). Knit the background for the wall hanging, and begin knitting plants, rocks. Continue on with composition, embellishment, and finishing. Put the knitted pieces together and knit more if necessary. Then mount the knitting onto batting and backing, and bind it. Add finishing touches of beads, buttons, seashells, and trims.
SUPPLIES FOR GARDEN OF DESIGN CLASS
- Paper and pencil
- Photograph of flowers or a garden or flower scene
- Yarn in colors and textures from the photograph (bring yarn leftovers, any weight)
- Tapestry needle
- Sewing needle, pins, scissors
- A 12 x 12 inch piece of quilt batting (OR you can buy this from Suzann for $1.00)
- 1/4 yard of cotton cloth that looks nice with your chosen yarns
- Optional: buttons, beads, trims, other bits and pieces to enhance your picture
Spring Sprang
Before you report me to the grammar police, consider that ‘sprang’ is a textile technique. Oh, yes. It is a method of crossing threads to make netting. Sprang is ideal for making hammocks. Hammocks are a spring sprang thang!
But this isn’t about hammocks, it’s about birds and flowers, so maybe you had better report me anyway. Here’s an early sunflower. Hmmm. It has buttons for seeds. If I planted them, would they grow more buttons? Bachelor buttons, maybe?
This is one of my favorite flowers from way back: Antelope Horns milkweed. They are so strange and wonderful. Monarch butterflies love them.
We have barn swallows nesting under our carport (babies have been seen), mockingbirds in the mulberry (eggshells under the tree), big old pigeons in the juniper trees, and a wren under the lid of our propane tank. When we had the tank filled the other day, I took some pics. My husband has seen the grown-up bird fly in and out since then, so we are expecting baby birds any day now.
My DFW Fiber Fest Classes Did Good Work
It’s always good to be in at the beginning of an event like the DFW Fiber Fest. The people who come are willing to try something new. The vendors were willing to give the show a chance. The crowds are small. This all makes for a very pleasant atmosphere.
I enjoyed my own workshops thoroughly. The participants were eager to learn about the topics. The classes were mostly small, so we had time to discuss fine points of technique, tricks, and pros and cons of doing things one way or another. It was fun!
And now, student work!
Sue and Karen of that fabulous yarn shop, The Woolie Ewe, joined the Crochet Flowers and Leaves class. We made serrated leaves and Irish Crochet roses, along with a few other leaves, flowers, and tendrils. “You are teaching just what we want to know, they said, a teacher’s dream compliment.
I feel certain that next year’s polymer button class will be larger, because Greta, Jory, and Sandi showed off their finished buttons to everyone in sight. And well they should, because look how beautifully the buttons turned out!
The last day, I taught Intarsia from Beginning to End, which was my largest class. We covered proper color change technique, how many bobbins or butterflies to wind, and why one should look at the big picture (or the finished sweater), before obsessing about one stitch. They knitted samples with hearts, and here are a couple:
I heard many compliments on the other classes, too. See? You need to sign up for next year! DFW Fiber Fest, April 12-15, 2007. Mark it on your calendar. Tell your friends!
One More Day of Fiber Fun
If you’re within 50 miles of north Dallas, jump in your car and come on over to the DFW FiberFest at the Addison Convention Center (in the background, behind these cute fish sculptures). This is the first DFW FiberFest ever; the next FiberFest is already planned for mid-April 2007. There are six vendors here this weekend, as you’ll see below. They’ll be here from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday (tomorrow).
We have some great instructors here, including Beth Brown-Reinsel for the knitters and Darla Fanton for the crocheters. I’m among some pretty incredible regional talent. The crochet I have seen here does my heart good. Crocheters to watch: Jerry Rigdon, Jan Scogin, Cher Mueller. Imaginative, ingenious, and incredible work!
Now, to the shopping. I’ve already done mine, but there is plenty left for everyone else. Fire Ant Ranch has spindles, carded wool and mohair, handspun, and some of my stuff.
Jojoland International’s owner, Lijuan Jing, is here with her wool and cashmere yarns from China. The prices range from around $7.50 a ball for wool through $12.50 a ball for merino/cashmere blends (oh, so soft), to $25.00 a hank for cashmere (oh, so softer). Lijuan has lovely samples, too, and she has only been knitting since last September.
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This is what I bought. Love that pink cashmere. Lijuan asked me, “Are you buying those to knit together? No, I just wanted to try out the yarn and experiment. She was relieved.
Pearl’s Knitwits designer, Angela Thompson, adds some fun with her knitter cartoons. One is, “You’re a knitwit if a trip to the mall becomes a chorus of I can make that!’ Find the picture at her website. I bought Eva a bumper sticker for her notebook, and myself a clock.
Diane Piwko brought great stuff from her new yarn shop, Fiber Circle, in Farmersville, TX. I finally succumbed to recycled silk, and also Mango Moon’s new recycled viscose.
Here’s Diane’s display. That little shrug in the foreground is made of recycled silk. The lavender crocheted shrug at the left will be in a future issue of Crochet Fantasy.
This Marble yarn is very pretty, and I feel good about having an article in each and every one of the INKnitters displayed here.
See? You gotta come!
DFW Fiber Fest Coming Up Soon
The DFW Fiber Fest begins this coming Friday, in Addison, Texas (near Dallas). The market promises to be very good, and the workshops, too. I’m looking forward to both. The Fashion Show on Friday night should be fun. I’m still trying to decide what to show.
I have been gathering class samples and putting finishing touches on my handouts. This little sample turned out great. It’s a cable done in intarsia for my intarsia workshop. Here’s my class schedule. You can probably still sign up if you are going to be near Dallas at the time:
- Friday morning, April 28: Crochet Flowers and Leaves
- Saturday afternoon, April 29: Polymer Clay Button-Making
- Sunday morning, April 30: Intarsia from Beginning to End
Color changes on the cable-turning row are a challenge, but worth it, I think. Still, I wouldn’t want to do this sort of work if I had to do cable turns every other row. But I know better than to say “never.” Sometimes you just have to do the work to get the look you want. Can you tell I like to dip into my yarn collection?
In other workshop news, there’s still time to sign up for workshops at the Iwannaknit ReTreat, June 2-4, in Indiana. This is a relaxing and creative event for hand- and hobby machine-knitters. There’s plenty of time to shop at Lea-Ann McGregor’s shop, Knitting Today.
Button Class was Fun
Today was perfect for a button class outside at Joy’s Fabrics, which is in the shaded alcove of a shopping center. Seventeen ladies arrived around 10 o’clock, and we started by making pretend-lapis buttons. They are ultramarine blue with flecks of gold. Tiny amounts of white and translucent make them look startlingly natural. They are very easy to make. The secret to success is to grate the clay.
Our second project was a swirl button, my favorite button to teach. For one thing, the style is easy to make and most people are extremely pleased with the results. Participants pick two or three main colors, and one accent color for their buttons. One lady commented, “You can almost guess whose buttons are whose, looking at the clothes they are wearing.”
But people often pick colors I would never think to put together. Among others, I loved Sandy’s denim blue, orange, white and sparkle-clay. Another lady used green with the orange, white, and sparkle, which had a completely different and pleasing look.
When I see them swirled together and made into buttons, I am pleasantly surprised at how good they look together. The people who take my workshops help me look at color from a different perspective.
While we waited for the last batches of buttons to bake, we walked a couple of doors down the way, to Just Burgers, and ordered lunch. The burgers were just like homemade, with thick meat patties and fresh vegetables. Joy tempted us with a cake that her mother won at a cake walk. What a good way to wind up the class.
The group, called the Busy Bees, usually meets the third Saturday of each month at Joy’s Fabrics (Washington Street, across from HEB, in Stephenville, TX), 10 a.m. to noon. Most meetings have a show and share, and a certain project that the group discusses. Making purses will be the topic for the next couple of meetings. The Busy Bees don’t collect dues, but people often bring treats to share at meetings.
Yellow Samples
Here are some of the samples for my article about yellow, which will show yellow knitted into several different color combinations. The samples are pinned out and ready for blocking. They double as my Project Spectrum project for April.
Yes, I know. They are wrong side up. I cackle gleefully, rub my hands together, and say, “If you want to see from the right side, you’ll just have to buy the next issue of INKnitters.” A pretty strong incentive, don’t you think?
Hmmm…some of these look pretty good from the wrong side.
INKnitters magazine ceased publication before my article about yellow was published. I posted it here on the blog, in four parts.
Retro Project Spectrum
Yellow is on my mind these days, because Project Spectrum’s April colors are yellow and orange, and also because I’ve been working on an article about yellow for INKnitters off and on for months.
In the Project Spectrum spirit, I want to show you some yellow projects from my long needlework history. How long? I started knitting almost forty years ago. Yes, I do have a three-year-old daughter. Go figure.
Two little jumpers I designed for toddler girls were on the cover of Country Handcrafts in the Summer of 1994. My mom knitted the yellow one, and I did the blue one. The stitch pattern is “Mock Pleat,” probably from one of Barbara G. Walker’s knitting pattern treasuries. I’ll see if I can find the original magazine cover and post it here later.
For some reason related to our last move nearly three years ago, the yellow jumper was out on a pile of clothes I needed to put in storage. Then Ella, the three-year-old daughter I mentioned earlier, found it. She put it on. She loved it. It is too short to be a dress for her, but it makes the cutest top ever!
She wears it whenever it’s clean, with leggings or shorts. Very cute! And when it’s dirty, I pop it in the washer and dryer, because it is knitted of Red Heart acrylic. Great stuff. The article was “Sunny Knit Jumpers,” Country Handcrafts, pp. 6 ff., Summer 1994.
A beautiful magazine called American Handcrafts was published for a few years in the late 1970s. This top, embroidered in shades of blue, was on the cover of one issue. I loved it and made the blue version for my mom. I made the orange and yellow version for myself.
The designer planned the embroidery design to fit on the pieces of a blouse from a commercial sewing pattern available to sewists at the time. The embroidery was done first, and then the pieces sewn into a blouse. I still have the mag, so will post the designer’s name whenever I find it. (All my old magazines are stored away.)
