Month: March 2016

Fighting to Edit Pictures

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I’ve been finishing some of my WIP’s so it is time to contribute to my husband’s art…I have the “job” of taking pictures of his finished art and editing them to make prints and smaller magnet sized prints. So I have been doing my best to transform pictures of canvases into a likeness that will fit a 3.5″x2″ magnet!

Ahhh! Frustration! And I’m the one that came up with this idea! Several of the canvases are 24″x8″….not the right ratio to easily reduce to the size I need.  So I am fighting to get the best reproduction that I can, to have a more inexpensive way to offer samples of his work to people that may want to collect it, but don’t have either the means or the space for a full-sized original. I’ll show you a low-pixel example of what I’ve managed to achieve so far.

small views of Edwin's paintings

magnets from original paintings

Any editing wizards reading that can offer me suggestions??? Please?  (I’ve been editing in frames to fill the white space that was left around the painting, but not sure I’m happy with that effect either)

I will return before too long with more of my regularly scheduled projects to share 🙂 Thanks for reading my self-caused rant!

Playing Catch-up

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Yes, this week was as busy as the last one, so I’m going to attempt to catch you up on things I’ve been doing.

Finished projects; knitting

The green hat is finished and ready to felt!

Green and gray wool hat to felt

ready to felt!

The white mohair cowl is also finished, doesn’t seem to need blocking, is fuzzy and light but very comfortable and warm. Have been debating adding some dye to it, in hopes that the pattern would show up better. What do you think? I’m leaning toward leaving it white, to go with anything?

mohair cowl

You can still see my table through two layers! That’s airy.

I also discovered a new shawl pattern, Maluka. Decided to try it, since sorting through some of my stash I had found some lovely sock yarn that I know I will never turn into socks. And one skein should be enough, so another choice to make! Of course I chose the one that had red in it. Wound into a ball it looked even prettier. On the third start on the pattern, it’s beginning to take shape. Not the fault of the pattern, but the user! This is my first time knitting from a chart for anything but color changes, so 12-14 rows in each time I realized my mistake and had to frog! At least it was a different mistake each time 🙂

skeins of sock yarn.

which to pick?

 

wish I had dyed this!
colorful ball

 

Need 33 repeats of those points!

Yesterday was a family day, involving a lot of driving, time outside (in 30 degree weather) to watch a parade, some shopping, some visiting, another long drive home with some more shopping on the way (my husband found the perfect easel for his summer sketching and our son added to his collection of charms for wire wrapping) Last night I was too tired to even partake of Jacqueline’s wonderful Brunch Party, but that is still going on today so be sure to pop by and meet some interesting bloggers and enjoy her great food and music!

Last night my eyes were too tired, from driving with the bright sun in my eyes, to read blogs or even knit so I pulled out some roving that I’d obtained from a friend last summer and started spinning. Once started it went so quickly that I finished the first ball of roving and decided to  ply it with some of the mohair that I’d used for the cowl. I wound that skein off this morning (130yds) and should soon have another the same size. The mohair added a nice bloom and softness to the colors.  Now to decide, is it to keep, to sell, or to knit into something to sell ?

wool roving

red, white, and blue roving

2+ oz. of spun wool yarn

one ball spun

Thinking I was tired enough to spin a lumpy type art yarn, training kicked in and it is an almost balanced knitting worsted size 🙂 I guess I have to work harder on making lumpy yarn!

Plied yarn on nitty-noddy.
130yds of soft.

 

I’ve been making magnet prints of some of husband’s canvases and still have the regular sized prints to make (in my spare time)

Stay productive everyone and if you have a moment leave a comment about what has been keeping you busy.

A Busy Week!

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A week ago tonight we were setting up for our first craft show of 2016! It was a garden seminar and the vendors were mainly busy during the student’s breaks. It was a well organized show, but it seemed strange not to have the full assortment that we usually set up. We were limited to needle felting, soy candles, and wood burning, to avoid having  content similar to that of other vendors.  Please excuse the darkness of the pictures. It wasn’t quite that dark in reality.

key chains and art doll
needle felting
art dolls and ornaments in silhouette.
felted bracelets and art doll in progress
earrings

 

soy candles
more wood burning
wood burning

 

Saturday, after the show, I finished the magenta hat from last week’s start. It’s now waiting for another one to be finished so both can be felted.

knitted magenta hat

knitting finished, felting next.

Last week a vendor friend and I were lucky enough to make it to an estate sale of a talented fiber artist who passed away last year. With lots of equipment, beautiful finished product, roving, yarns and even a loom, there was lots to look at and still plenty left. The sale will be continuing on Sat’s and by appointment for a while yet. Of course my vehicle was partially loaded for the show, but we squeezed in her purchases and some of mine. HE HAD GRID WALL!  So I had to buy it and make arrangements to pick it up this week. With the pegs and hat hooks I can hardly wait to see the displays we will be able to do this year! Took my husband and son for the man power to load it all on the second (hour plus) trip, but it was worth it. My husband has been painting more canvases so he will now have a wall to display them on, instead of just easels. And we each found a few more goodies as well. And I picked up the sewing machine and another display for my friend (she forgot to get the machine when we were there before) Big cones of yarn for weaving followed me home. One is mohair so I started a knitted cowl, just to see how it would work up, it’s so soft! Can’t wait to do some weaving next!

fluffy mohair

fluffy mohair, almost invisible, but warm.

The rest of the week has been busy with family stuff, getting a leak fixed by my gas tank, printing some prints of finished paintings, and of course more knitting 🙂

kelly green for knitting hat

start of next hat

Have a great week-end everyone. And please let me know what your next projects are? Are you like me and have more than one going at a time?

Start of Knitted Hat

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I’ve gotten a start on knitting the yarn that I showed you in the last post. The garter stitch brim is finished.

colors are pooling nicely

The brim is finished.

And I’ve started to add the fuzzy for the band.

start of a hat to felt

Brim with beginning of band.

Now is the hard part…I want to wait to have it to work on between customers at the Sat. craft show. (The show is at a seminar so most of our shoppers will be in waves during their breaks.) The way the colors in the yarn are coming together and as soft as the fuzzy yarn is I just want to keep knitting. Guess it’s time to did out a different project!