Knit Wit - Part 1

Recently I received some donations of yarn and some other crafting supplies from a fellow artist.  She had been coming through my area for a funeral and received some leftover supplies from a relative who no longer had use for them.  The bulk of her donation was a lot of yarn - most of it not too much but ranging from half a skein to full skeins.  I made a collage (as she requested pictures of all the yarn) and posted it on my store's Facebook profile.  But as I went through the mass of yarn I came across a curious set of objects that I at first couldn't identify.  They were various squares and circles with a post sticking out from the middle on one side and a small top that turned.  When turned small metal pins spiraled out from the circle or square.  Not one to throw anything away I set the first aside and discovered more as I went along.  By the time I had finished sorting and winding yarn I had accumulated 3 square ones and 2 circle ones, as well as instructions (thankfully).

While I haven't tried it out yet it's on my to do list of projects.  There were a number of projects included with the instructions and I'm sure with a bit of practice I can get the hang of this odd object!

...sew many things, sew little thyme for ewe and eye...

Tradition VS Innovation...

As an artist I recognize the desire to innovate, to create something new and "never before seen" or at the very least unique.
For me while this is perfectly acceptable there is also an "issue" with it.  When an artist or other craftsperson does not take the time to understand the original art & technique and chooses to go their own way without regard for why something is done a certain way.  To me there is a reason why the technique is performed in a certain fashion and that should be honored and understood before one goes and "tears it all apart".  I feel that disregarding this is a bit of disrespect to the artform itself as well as those who brought it to be and various other people who may have contributed to the artform.
Am I 100% against paving a new way?  No, but I don't believe is disregarding something just because it's the way it's always been done.  This came out in a conversation with another artist while I was (much like now) working with a particular medium.  She commented on how she "never does things that way".  My reply was that that was, "how it's supposed to be done".  "Well I rarely do things like that, and I didn't learn that way."  So because you had incorrect instruction you choose to refuse to learn the correct way?  That seems like a bit of a copout to me and just plain lazy.
So if you innovate, good for you - but hear this artist's plea and take the time to educate yourself properly and see how things are done.  And if you always stick to "the way it's done" jump out of the box and experiment.
Thanks for tuning in!
...sew many things, sew little thyme for ewe and eye...

What's up in May???

We decided some time ago that for our store we'd post a blog update every first of the month.  This would allow us to recap the previous month and lay out some things to come for the new month.  With this new blog we're opting to do something similar but directed at the main expression of this blog - all things *not* business...
Afterall, what's the purpose of a blog if no one reads it???
We've made a few posts here and there, but mostly this blog focuses on thoughts that occur to us spur of the moment without any real planning.  While we like it that way we will share with you some of the regular goings on with the artist.
As we mentioned in the other blog we've instituted a new schedule.  It is comprised of everything we have to do in a day (getting ready, chores, and other household duties).  While that particular schedule isn't too cluttered, we only have seven hours (from the hour of six am to midnight) to do any "work".  As we have two businesses we opted to separate the two time frames (which are separated by our "Afternoon Routine") between the two so we're not stuck working on one thing/genre allllll day.  So far so good!
We're proud to say that yesterday we *finally* got to the local yarn store to pick up the remainder of what we needed for two orders, and even got a little something just for us (you can check out the "Spring Me Armwarmers" post for more details)
Currently in our queue are...

• Butterfly Mosaic Shawl (another just for us - made using Malabrigo's Merino Worsted):  it's been in our queue for awhile, but as a business owner it's our tendency to work on things we're getting paid for, or will be, first rather than "fun" or "personal" stuff.  We also lost the schematic we drew up for the LONGEST time and thankfully in some Spring cleaning last month found it.
• "Itchystitches' " Photography Website:  While we aren't sharing the link we will tell you all about our photography friend.  She expressed an interest in photography which has grown into an "I want to do this for a living" endeavor and we've been doing our best to support another artist.  (Plus we really love her stuff anyhow!)  In an effort to assist her in networking we introduced her to LinkedIn and are helping her set up a free website to get her started and showcase more of her work.
• Spring Me Armwarmers:  While these are for us, we're hoping that the sheer awesomeness of the design (thank you Coty) and the changes we're making will get some orders for these.  We even went so far as to prepare some color cards for the yarn we used (loads of fun there .... pffft).

While quite honestly there is more going on than those handful of projects we're also trying to keep an eye on our time and "not over do it" otherwise that lovely schedule we set up is useless now isn't it?

So here's to May and many things done!  See you soon, if not in June! :p

...sew many things, sew little thyme for ewe and eye...

Something Nice for Me!

As an artist and crafter it's rare I make anything for myself.  Even when I begin to I usually mark it for sale in case someone else wants to buy it...generally that means I really will sell it if someone wants it (versus making another one), but I have had a piece of art or two that I couldn't part with when I later thought about it.  Thankfully this is rare, but not uncommon among artists.
This project is a variation of something I just recently made (and sold) - our Super Bright Orange Armwarmers.  Having completed them once we "get" the idea behind the pattern and are now ready to improvise and change them around.  Really make the pattern "ours".  Should this be successful (and we're determined for it to be) this will help us in designing another set of arm warmers we were trying to before (based on a lace panel pattern) we've made before.  Conceptually speaking making things in the round is our preference as it allows for a "cleaner" look we think and takes out a step in th finishing process.

...sew many things, sew little thyme for ewe and eye...

Mirror for Amaterasu - Part 2

I've finally progressed more on this piece having put it off for some time at this point.  Having recently opted to implement a schedule I put this on my list of things to do for today and taped all of the pieces to prepare them for  mounting on the mirror (which I haven't chosen yet).  I'm very close to do with this piece which is great since I am looking forward to showing off my handiwork!
(I'm also wanting to design a piece of art or devotional work for each goddess as we go through the workshop I'm in!)

...sew many things, sew little thyme for ewe and eye...

An Artist's Gripe...

Frankly I've had it happen to me a number of times, but it irritates me each time nonetheless.  I do what I would like to think of at least as good, if not exemplary (or great at least) work, so please don't bitch, complain, or moan about my work if you can't or won't do it yourself.
If I tell you that something cannot be done, it means I can't do it.  While that may change, and while I could be wrong, it's in your best interest to trust me as the professional that I know what I'm talking about because chances are you don't have a clue.
And yet...even as the professional, I've had to deal with this a number of times...woo sah....*twitch*
...sew many things, sew little thyme for ewe and eye...

Updates for April...

Since we put up an "update" post for the store's "official" blog, we might as well do something similar for it's "unofficial" one right?
As you've heard from me a few times during March some of my recent pieces have been rather frustrating, with several of them requiring me to start from scratch or be otherwise annoyed with my progress or lack thereof...
While I generally almost always have several pieces going on at once at the current moment I've got just under 20 in queue.  Some are for profit, others may be later, and a few here and there are not.
For the sake of not being repetitive I won't list my queue here again, but will recap some of our latest and greatest frustrations...
Been struggling with a shirt, altar cloth, and cross stitch logo.  The first dealt with major pattern/direction confusion, the second with things just not working out based on gauge (finally gave up and opted to just go with what I had), and the last revolves around the lengthiness of which such work takes and a little bit of design issues (trying to decide whether to experiment or not and having to take apart and re do a number of things...)  For the most part all of the issues have been resolved so things should all flow a bit smoother now.  We shall see though.
So happy crafting to you all out there, we'll see you soon!
...sew many things, sew little thyme for ewe and eye...