Sideways cowl #4

Hand knitted cowl made from Noro Taiyo, 40% Cotton, 30% Silk, 15% Wool, 15% Nylon, a soft against the skin yarn, with contrasting stitches all in merino wool, also soft as butter. I love this design, because it is so fun to knit with all the colors and changes of stitches and so easy to wear. 

This view shows the cowl lying flat and all the color changes which came from just one ball of Taiyo. Of course the dots and dashes are from bits of other yarns.

Here's the back view. This cowl is available for $45 plus shipping. Email me at fibermania at g mail dot com. 

SOLD

Pumpkin Protectors

The full moon has been so bright the last couple of nights that it inspired me to include it in this quilt. Pumpkins are appearing everywhere all of a sudden, and the cooler temps are being met with enthusiasm, as we all get ready to pull out summer plants from our gardens and replace them with autumn color. My garden didn't produce any pumpkins so I made my own!  Our field has been noisy with flocks of starlings or some other black birds, munching down whatever is out there, and I just love to watch them swarm into the air and then land again. 

This trio of kitties is on patrol, to keep the pumpkins safe from invaders intent on smashing them.

Pumpkin Protectors. Hand dyed cottons and silks, fused, hand embroidered, machine quilted, 14" square.

$100 + $7 shipping,  Email me, fibermania at gmail dot com. SOLD

Autumn has arrived!

 The weather here has changed so fast. Super windy, rainy and cooler than it has been since Spring.  I woke  up today to temps in the 50's! So why not begin showing the new knits for the season. This is a cowl made from my fave Malabrigo Rios, and several other yummy, squishy merino yarns. Lots of variety of color yet subtle and tasteful. 

I'm excited to be sharing this cowl with you, and soon the other new items I have been knitting during the summer. This cowl is washable, and as I have done, add some creme rinse to the lukewarm water to keep it soft and silky. Dry flat, of course. Available for $45+$5 shipping. Email me at fibermania at g mail dot com. SOLD

$7 Bread Revisited

 I posted this recipe back in 2017 and have just made it again, since I am feeling a bit Autumnal. For this version I've added sunflower seeds, both white and black sesame seeds, poppy seeds, oatmeal and what really makes it ...dried onion flakes. 

With each iteration, I hope to improve on the previous one, and this time I found just the right pot to bake it in, an 8 cup Cuisinart sauce pan with glass lid. It is non-stick coated and is taller and narrower than my previously used pot which resulted in too wide a loaf. The picture in my previous blog post was a fluke. It has never turned out as nice as that looked back then. ( No wonder I photographed it!)

Also new this time, I made change in the second rising. Taking a new white cotton napkin, dusted heavily with flour, I lined a colander and placed the ball of dough in it to rise. Then when it was time to place the dough in the preheated (450 degree) baking pan, it was easy to tip it in without losing any of the height of the risen dough. That pan is in the picture below.

 I've placed a gorgeous ripe pear here for size comparison, which is still misleading. This is a loaf requiring 3 cups of flour, and it definitely weighs up at over pound. I would say exactly, but it is mostly eaten already. FYI, as it baked, I made up another batch, which sits in the fridge overnight to rise slowly, developing its flavor. The longer it stays unbaked (covered, of course) the closer it gets to that fermented sourdough stage. This one night only version is not the least bit sourdough-y, but deelish anyway.

Fall Begins Next Week!

It is more than half way through September already, and we are starting to think ahead to cooler weather and items that will keep away the chill.

This a light weight merino shawl made from Willow Yarns Verbena and Malabrigo Silky Merino. It is an adaptation of the Dots and Dashes cowls I made last winter, but this time in a shawl shape.

I've been knitting along all year, even in the hot summer weather, because I wanted to try out new shapes and stitches and expand my reperatoire. As per usual I will be offering these knitted items here on the blog and on Instagram and my prices are (weirdly) based on the cost of they yarn, and not the time/labor involved. I want to be knitting and not have lots of items piling up in the closet. Where I live, in this very mild climate, there aren't many cold days, so I tend to think in terms of smaller items like cowls or scarves, but am amenable to making big wonderful cuddly shawls and ponchos upon request. Being a yarn snob, I really love to use the fancy high end merinos and blends incorporating silk. I don't like scratchy wool to knit with or wear, so I don't collect that type of yarn. 

Speaking of collections, I have moved my yarn stash (don't ask how big it is) to my studio closet, where it is kept away from doggie hair and dust and where I can pretend it is small and not taking over the house. Every imaginable color is available to me, and many are graduated colorways which offer variety in every row or stitch. This shawl is an example of that type of graduated colorway. I love using more than one yarn per item, but will agree to a single color if necessary. Like white or gray for example, where the fancy stitching really must be defined.

I don't mind making repeated items, and just this past season I made 15 Dots and Dashes Cowls and three Sideways Cowls. So if you see something you like, and it is already taken (as is this shawl above) don't be shy about asking for a version of your own. 

Ok. That about covers it, and I will be posting new and exciting items in the weeks to come, so plan on visiting here often to get a first crack at what I've made for you!

New Collages

Blue House. 

Monoprinted and stamped papers. Ink, paint pens, gel transparency, collage, colored pencils. 10" square, mounted on cradled wood panel.

Why did I name this obvious orange house, blue? I don't know. Crazy. SOLD.

Orange Tree.

Monoprinted and stamped papers. Ink, paint pens, collage, colored pencils. 10" square, mounted on painted cradled wood panel. Available for $100 plus postage. Email me. Fibermania@gmail.com

I'm really feeling good about this now.

Paper House #1

Paper House #1.

Monoprinted collaged papers, painted and stamped papers. Image is 10x10", mounted on painted wood panel, 12x12". Available for $100 plus shipping. SOLD

In order to find my way with this stuff I decided to think of these patterned papers like quilting prints. Beginning with a house quilt format, I realized that my hand dyed fabrics had that watercolor-y look and the monoprints didn't, so I had to actually paint the background and some papers to replicate my fabrics. The tree lines are an example.

So why do this in  paper when I have boatloads of fabric already? Good question. I think the drawing part is what interests me. That and making my own patterned papers. 

And of course there are those people out there that prefer materials like paper and paint over fabric...they get that stuff. 

I can't really grasp all my motivations, I just gotta try things.

 

Why I'm Posting on Instagram

Floating Ferns #1 and #2. Collaged monoprints, gel pens, ink, graphite and acrylic paint pens. 

I'm experimenting and trying to find my footing in this medium. I have waded into deep waters and my confidence is shaky. The accomplishments of other gel printers are who I have put my work up against, if you could call it that, and I'm receiving some feedback from those artists which may or may not give me the courage I need to continue. I don't think they come to my blog, so I have to be seen where they post.

In the meantime I am knitting like mad and will be posting new items for the cooler months here soon. So don't give up on me, especially if you want to get a jump on the gift giving season. Many of the items I am knitting are much more affordable than the cardigans and sweaters I've offered in the past. Cowls, shawls, scarves....hats maybe!