Some New Knits

 These are my two recently finished knits.

This is not totally my work. I was gifted this from a friend. The yarn is hand spun and dyed by her. I have extensively reworked the garment. The original version had a large collar, sleeves that were approximately fifteen centimetres longer and much wider and the body length twenty five centimetres longer. The first step was to unpick the centre front bands, then remove the collar and reduce the length. My next step was to reknit the neckline and increase the depth using German short rows. Once these alterations were completed I reknit the centre front bands and hem edge. The sleeves were unpicked back to the elbow and then reknit to a shorter length and a more tapered silhouette. I then had a hunt in my button stash and luckily found enough of the same button to use.

This cardigan is another stash buster. I had two or three skeins of each colour and not enough of any of them for a garment. A striped garment was the obvious solution. The cardigan pattern is the Jane cardigan from jessicamknits with stripes knitted into the pattern. The yarn is the rustic Dk (alpaca, silk, linen) from the Camels Yarn.

Portfolio and Multiples

 I am just back from the Geelong Fibre Forum. It has been a few years since I attended this event, however, as a veteran of these events it felt a bit like ‘coming home’. The class was Portfolio and Multiples, expertly tutored by Avril Makula.  The week long class was devoted to the construction of a portfolio box and the creation of artwork to go inside the box. The idea was that participants would create a A5 box and a multiple of  A5 artworks and then we would all swap so that our portfolio would then contain a collection.

Over the week I managed to make three portfolio boxes of different sizes and two very sturdy lidded boxes.

This was a class that required very accurate measuring and cutting.

The first box with a two ribbon fastening and collage piece on top.

The box opens out and contains multiple flaps to contain or enclose and protect the contents.

The exchange of multiple, one piece from each participant.

Another portfolio box, this one larger and with an inlay on the lid.

Flight Path, my exchange,  I made a multiple of eight, each piece very similar but not identical. The original background collage was A3 which I then tore into eight pieces. A line of red machine stitching was used to indicate the flight path of the bee. 

 For the instructor, a card made with selvedges of book cloth and machine stitch.

No visit to this event is complete for me without checking out the grounds. This event is held at Geelong Grammar and started in the year 2000. I have watched the growth of the Clivea beds around the beautiful old red brick buildings and  they are always in full bloom at this time of the year.

Avril has produced a book with fabulous imagery 

Good advice!  As an avid baker it resonated with me

Avril is also a book binder and had many lovely books and journals on display

Embroidered Flowers

 Recently, I had the opportunity to to do a workshop with Jennie -Maree Tempest a textile artist that specialises in machine embroidered flowers.

The sculptural forms are created in pieces and then assembled. Jenni - maree carefully examines and  pulls apart the real flowers to create lifelike creations,

Lots of sampling to learn the basics

My first attempts. Daisy, Flannel Flower, Lavender and a Calistemon or Bottle Brush flower. 

A great workshop and I will be making more of these flowers.

The Knits So Far

 It has been a year of challenges and changing priorities, however, my knitting has remained a constant. I had been reading various accounts of how other knitters, for a variety of reasons, often had multiple projects on the go at any one time. My normal practice is to knit one garment at a time, so this year I decided to try working on more than one thing at a time. I like some mindless knitting for those times in the car or social situations when juggling charts can be problematic but I also like the challenge of new techniques or complex cables and colour work.

The first project started was the last to be finished. This pattern popped up on my Instagram feed.  I am not really a shawl person but the colourwork caught my eye. It is the Artus shawl by @moonstruckknits and I also purchased a yarn kit from @tribeyarnslife  

When I got the pattern I discovered that this section was worked using mosaic knitting, a new technique to me. This part was easy enough but I needed to follow a graph/chart and not the best for social knitting or in the car.

This section was the easy and good for the car and social knitting.

Next up  The Do Ewe Yolk 2 knit along from @zaneteknits.  Knit in Shetland yarn from my stash. A vey challenging knit and definitely not for the car. It took quite awhile to complete this but really enjoyed the challenge of making this and will think about doing the next Do Ewe Yolk 3  KAL in 2026.

My third knit, the Daingean sweater from @feller.carol  using Darnie yarn that I purchased from Stolen Stitches. It was the first project in the Sweater Club from Stolen Stiches. I have knit many patterns designed by Carol Feller and would recommend them.

This is the car / social knit, a simple design cardigan knit in stocking stitch that is easily managed .

This is the yarn for my next project, hopefully it will be on the needles very soon. In the process of winding the skeins into balls and swatching. It will be a an Aran style knit with cables and lots of textured stitches. It may be a bit late into Winter to start this but there is a back up plan.

The back up plan

The Tonnach cardigan by Kate Davies. A lighter weight yarn and a lace pattern, I haven’t knit lace patterns so this would be something new. Perfect for Spring.

Still deciding which colour  combination I like best.

Abstract Mixed Media on Synthetic Paper

Just over a week ago I returned home from Summer Brushes, a week long artist retreat held at Longerenong Agricultural College near Horsham in northern Victoria. My class, Abstract Mixed Media on Synthetic Paper was taken by Gaye Nieiwenhof. Gaye is an exceptional tutor and I knew that if I signed up her class it would great. I was not disappointed. This was a fantastic event, there is something really special when you have some one hundred and fifty participants living together on site and undertaking an intensive program spread across fifteen classes. The grounds around the buildings were beautifully landscaped and shaded by big trees.

Despite some initial misgivings about heading to Horsham in the middle of an  hot Australian summer I was so pleased with the event. Great accomodation and food, air conditioned rooms and a fantastic class. 

We spent the week experimenting with selection of the synthetic papers, watercolours, inks, pens, pastels, paints and any mark making materials that we had. This is a taste of some of the papers that I made, we were encouraged to experiment with many different techniques and materials and often times to try colours that we might not usually work with.

 

As is often the case I tend to turn my sample pieces into books. A simple concertina fold book is a perfect way to showcase the work

Sometimes I convert the papers into simple vessels

The evolution of a sheet of paper with layering

Layers can be added and removed. The sheet was then cut up and made into smaller pieces which were made into a book.