The Socks Saga Continues

Socks knit with self-striping yarn.  Plain foot, ribbed leg, no pattern.

Since my one and only post about knitting last April, I've continued on my sock adventure.  I've finished the socks shown here, plus three more pairs that I don't have good photos of.  I don't even wear socks very often. I could be spending all this time quilting. Yes, but I really do enjoy knitting.  It's my relaxation time, so I continue. Socks are small projects that can be completed relatively quickly in knitting-time, are easy to transport, and are relatively inexpensive. I have 5 pairs in various stages at this moment.  Yikes!  All of the socks shown here were knit two at a time, toe up, on two circular needles.

Rosebud socks from Toe-Up Socks for Every Body by Wendy Johnson. 

Laurel socks from Toe-Up Socks for Every Body by Wendy Johnson.

This is Wendy Johnston's Rivulets pattern, free on her website.

This is Origami, from Knitted Socks East and West by Judy Sumner.

First Quilts Bound for Guatemala!

Great news!  Four friends who are going to Guatemala various dates in January and February have volunteered to take the first batch of quilts to the orphanage!  Two quilts arrived in Guatemala last Saturday.  There will be 11 quilts in the first group to be delivered. It's becoming a reality!

In the meantime, two of my book group buddies have been binding quilts like crazy.  Here are those quilts that have been finished recently.  The first two are from Pat in Massachusetts.  They are such a cute eclectic mix of fabrics!

Pat's Quetzals

Calypso

This Japanese Blocks top was made by Marta in Palm Desert.

My friend Pat from Alaska and I sewed these Chinese Coins strips together when she was visiting last year.  They didn't work in with the project we were working on.  But during Pat's last visit we used them for this quilt, Mosaic.

And, here are quite a few more block and lattice quilts.  This is a great way to use fat quarters or smaller pieces of yardage!

Collage 2

Here are the four collage studies I did during the week last week.  The two below are so much like those I did in Liz Axford's class - that's what prompted me to dig the old ones out.  I seem to be stuck on the same shapes and compositions that I was using 15 years ago!  Some things I just can't get over.

Here is one of my newest quilts, Canopy.  See any similarities?

Canopy (70" w x 70" h)

Photo by Mark Frey

Collage

I'm taking an Aqueous Media painting class from Susan Cowan this quarter at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington.  Our first class was last Monday.  We did quick collages from torn magazine pages.  I had fun!  I did these top three collages in about 30 minutes.  (Sorry about the glare in the photos.) They are not meant to be anything but studies.  We were supposed to paint over these compositions or add some type of painted embellishment.  I didn't get that far.  But I think this may be a good exercise for me to continue.  It gives me ideas for quilt composition and for color palettes for the Fabric Club.

When I got home, I dug out some collages I did in a Liz Axford's "Attention to Detail" class in Anchorage in 1999.  I was surprised that I was able to find them easily.  The first one was an abstraction of a photo of a ferris wheel at February's Fur Rendezvous in Anchorage.  I remember how cold it was that day taking photos.  I had to keep my manual, pre-digital camera inside my coat to keep the film and the camera mechanisms from freezing!  It's fun to look at these collages below which I did in 1999, and the ones above which I did this week.  I think it's easy to tell that they're all mine. Something about the composition and design sense makes them mine, although I can't quite put a finger on what that essence is.  I seem to be drawn toward color, texture, and composition more than images.  I did another four collages during the week.  I'll post those as soon as I photograph them.  Now off to painting class.  We'll see what's in store.

Log Cabins

The last of the four log cabins by the Vancouver group is done.  I thought it would be fun to see the four of them together.  Here's the latest.  Chris made this top on her own:

I made this one:

And the group made these two tops:

Click here for information on how we made blocks for these group quilts.

New Exhibitions Page

Happy New Year to All!

I'm working on my New Year's resolution - to get organized!  And I've taken the first step by adding a new page to this blog - Current Exhibitions.  Click on the page link under the header above.  Since I haven't been very good at keeping my website updated, I'm going to try this approach.  I have a few more shows to add once I verify dates and information.  I hope some of you have the opportunity to visit an exhibit and see my work. I'd love to hear what you think.  It's been a good year for me for exposure.  Hope it keeps up in the new year!

Here's wishing you a healthy and creative year!
Bonnie
Handwerk Textiles