Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning. Gloria Steinem
I really enjoyed my July stitching, but again I am feeling that the stitching is not “done”, but maybe that is the way of summer months. They are never quite done as they move on to the next. Things are still growing and changing and so, perhaps an unfinished feel to stitching is appropriate.
And now a new month lays before me and the excitement I feel as I look at the fabric that will be transformed over the days of August is palpable. The blues of summer will hopefully be captured in my stitching!
The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success. – Bruce Feirstein
The knitting continues, despite not making my “goal” yesterday. I wanted to be done with the body and ready to pick up stitches this morning however, I did get to the ribbing. Twenty-one rows to binding off, seems like a manageable number, doesn’t it?
Today I would like to sit under the pergola but the rain will keep me (and Sherman) in the house. I do have Pat Conroy’s South of Broad to keep me company. And, perhaps indoor knitting will offer fewer distractions than the pergola.
I do have a Brown Wren update! My persistent little wren won over a mate! She finished feathering the nest and now I think there are eggs in the nest! Mr. Wren’s songs are even more ebullient, if that is at all possible!
Also…I saw my first hummingbird on Wednesday! Yep, there she was sitting on the “deer-proof” netting on the garden. And, speaking of the garden…baby tomatoes are popping up all over and it looks like we will have a bumper crop this year!
Now, how about a few links?
First up we have all manner of shawl-y things!! Starting with Avian Melody which is just gorgeous!
To satisfy your inner super hero, you just might need a Wonder Woman Wrap (or perhaps we all do!!)
Sari, not Sari… too cute. And what is not to love about anything knit with Hedgehog yarns?
I have read through my Alabama Chanin book three times now and I think I am ready to give a tee-shirt a whirl. I think my first “go” will be from a couple of Steve’s old shirts. I hope to stop at Jo-Ann’s this weekend to get some craft thread and get started.
Beyond that, I have this pile of clothing which all no longer fits. I have been pondering how to “re-sew” all of it into wearable items. However, the thought of ripping out all these seams and removing all the neck binding and pockets is a bit daunting. Really? That is lots of ripping!
This leads me to wonder if there is an easier way to do this, but if there is I cannot figure it out. So, my question to any sewists out there – is there an easy way? They are all too big in the shoulders and the bodies of the garments. However, perhaps if they fit better in the shoulder, the garment would not look so large? I am not certain at all and my garment alteration skills are limited to hemming pants and skirts!
It is days like this that I wish my Nana was still here, because she would certainly have a plethora of ideas on how to accomplish this!
Figuring out a solution would certainly give a boost to my summer wardrobe!
Oh, the snow… Yep, s-n-o-w. Crazy how that white contrasts so intensely with the new greens.
However, I immortalized my fragile lilac buds in my stitching yesterday because I fear after today they will be gone. It makes me so sad but I am hoping that it does not get as cold as they are predicting (or, frankly, that we get WAY MORE snow to insulate the tender buds so that they won’t just be a memory stitched into April.)
Stitching has become an obsession for me – I am stitching for my #The100DaysProject but, beyond that it is that thing that rattles most frequently around in my brain. I wake up at night with ideas and inspiration to stitch. It has expanded (??) or perhaps unleashed my creativity and I am eager to get to my stitching every day. With three months of work complete – it has gone from habit to passion. I also love the slowness of the process – a little bit each day and each day builds upon the last. I do not map out anything at all for the month. No drawing, planning, plotting, nothing – just pure inspiration. Somedays, I am really uncomfortable with that days stitiching, but I leave it and come back the next day and build on it. By the end of the month, I am surprised by this: that which made me most uncomfortable is what I like best about the piece. I am learning so much from this process which is always a very good thing!
Now, how about some links?
First up, PAKnitwit shared this gem with me and I simply had to share with you all. I had never heard Carole King sing this, but I love it!
Mary Lou Egan has a new baby sweater from sock yarn! (P.S. She writes excellent patterns!!)
Speaking of sweater – Tegan is the perfect weekend friend. (and more fingering… sorry about that!)
Finally, Calliopsis is Bonnie Sennott’s latest cowl – and she is having a sale on cowls through Sunday. (Who is up for a KAL with this one? It would be the perfect summer cowl!! I think Mary has already started….)
That is all I have for today! Have a great weekend and I will see you back here on Monday!!
“You must do the thing which you think you cannot do. – Eleanor Roosevelt
Last year I had high hopes of creating these incredible stitching projects – yet when it came right down to it, I was my own worst enemy. I did not like what I was creating. I had high expectations and, sadly, my own critique was just as high. I spent more time removing the previous days stitching and my internal criticism soon shut down any creativity and the stitching went in its box and was not opened again.
Enter 2017.
This year I decided on a new approach – I am giving myself permission to fail. Seems simple, but trust me it has not been. There have been many days that my stitching did not seem right. But, I ignored that voice and left the stitching in the piece. Sometimes the next day, the previous day’s stitches seemed a bit better to me, and sometimes they did not – but over the course of days and after adding more stitches something incredible began to happen. This awkward stitches now seem to fit. Or maybe that small quiet voice of creativity is gaining confidence and my “creative eye” is figuring out how to – well, be creative!
I have gotten many questions on Instagram about how I am doing this and what am I using. It is a challenge to give all the information there, so I thought it would be nice to share it here. I am not accomplished in stitchery – I have done some counted cross-stitch, and some quilting – neither of which were ever “free form.”
My inspiration came from Bonnie Sennott – who stitched last year and shared via Instagram. She is stitching again this year, but now is only sharing via a Patreon account if you want access to see her work. I was also greatly inspired by the Slow Stitch book by Claire Wellesley-Smith – and really, reading this book was the GREATEST inspiration. It has been out a while now – and I would check with your local library, but I recommend this book as an excellent addition to your library!
So, what am I using to my stitch work – really, the simplest of things. I got my fabric from Joann’s – it is linen (I got a remnant which I washed in the washing machine and then air dried) I divided this remnant into three sections – I will get more linen when I need it.
I have several embroidery hoops, but the one I like best for my daily stitching is a small 5″ hoop. The goal is to not stitch all day, but rather spend a few minutes each day and this small hoop keeps me mindful of that.
Now, let’s talk about thread – could you use embroidery floss? Yes, you absolutely can – you can use whatever you’d like! I am using DMC Perle Cotton size 12 – which I also got at Joann’s. The color choices are extremely limited in stores, but they have good basic colors – white, ecru, black, red, darker red, and navy. I had in my “stash” some Valdani threads – I do not remember where I got them but, as Mary shared with me, Amazon has a good selection and at very good prices! The Loopy Ewe is also carrying some Perle Cotton in size 8 and Valdani threads as well. As the season’s change, I will be adding in more colors.
I have a local stitching shop – but they are mainly focused on needlepoint and cross-stitch, however I have picked up a few bits of thread from them – they range in sizes from slightly smaller to slightly larger diameter than the Perle Cotton but I like that diversity in the stitching.
Needles – I am using DMC Chenille needles in size 22 and 24 depending on the thread I am using. I find a needle threader extremely useful as well.
Stitching has become something I look forward to each day and I will be sharing my journey as the year progresses.
I hope you find this helpful – here is to a year of un-stifled creativity!
