Ho Ho Xmas

wishing everyone a very merry snowy xmas and productive new year! thank you all for the wonderful comments you have left over the past year too they are really appreciated.

I am a Scavenger - Sketchbook Project

at last i have finished my sketchbook! the title i chose was 'i am a scavenger' which i thought was quite suitable for me as i'm always scavenging and collecting things. the idea behind the book was to see what i could scavenge from the pavement on my usual route to work from home on a few random days. the idea being that the objects have a past history and now a future. after much deliberation i took all the pages out of the sketchbook as the paper was!!!!!! i will use it for something else. so the first page is a map of my route. i then enlarged the route into a fold out map numbering my finds. i wanted to actually include the objects in the book rather than photographing or drawing them they are enclosed in windows so you can see both sides
all the pages have been scavenged from other things. as well as scavenging objects i also scavenged 'sound graffiti' along the way which i have added to the pages. so here are the pages




i now seem to see glass lenses a lot!



the final entry was collected outside the registry office near my place of work. i hope it was a happy occasion! when and if the sketchbook is borrowed i would like people to add their comments to the pages!!

and yet more! Resolved knitting

resolved knitted piece with clear perspex rods inserted.
i was recently given the above frames as a present from my very considerate husband, who i think wants to try them out himself! we had seen them in the Argos catalogue not realising when he got them that the largest was 27cm across!!! an ideal excuse to do something large.
so for my resolved knitted piece i chose to work from the above photograph of an obscured shop window but if you look closely you can still see various reflections. i thought the brush strokes lent themselves well to rows of knitting and french knitting in particular.
i chose a basic range of 3 colours, white, black and pink. the 'white' is fishing line in two weights (8lb and 17lb), black was coated wire and a textured cotton yarn and the pink more fishing line (17lb). details were worked with sequins, small rubber rings (row counters) and strips of metal coke can. finally selected areas were dipped in paper pulp. i used the largest frame but fishing line relaxes and doesn't stay put which is why i like using it (it has a life of its own)! the piece measures 23cm long. i found this extremely difficult to photograph and i have to apologise for the erratic numbering system!
#5 shows the tube sitting upright
#2 looking from the top down
#3,6 and 4 are all details. above also looking through the centre
#6 shows the pulp, wire, fishing line and the black cotton
#4 shows the 'tangled' end. i am not 100% sure about this piece although i am very pleased with the technique and materials i used. at the end i inserted some perspex rods to 'tie' it all together although i was wondering what else i could have added like bits of glass or mirror but perhaps that would be too much. will wait and hear!!!

More knitting!

continuing on from the last post these are the less conventional pieces! #11 was knitted silver wire, knitted plastic bag, the two fused together with a hot iron then cut up and free machined together with water soluble fabric(11cm x 8cm). not sure about the colour; the plastic bag was a beautiful purple/pink but white on the inside.
#12 in true graffiti style i thought of yarn bombing! and french knitting lends itself very well to this. the piece in the middle has been pulled over a twirly whirly drinking straw (22cm long). i've been french knitting with fishing line for a long time mainly for jewelry pieces but the two pieces on the left are experiments, top using paper pulp and the lower adding pieces of cut up metal cans made into 'sequins'. the piece on the right i started as a double sided fabric but gave up as it was rather difficult with the fishing line, so i pulled it off the needles and left it and i love it just as it is!
#13 more paper and shaping. the lower section in home made newspaper yarn and the top in flat paper yarn (9cm x 5cm).
#14 worked on size 20mm needles and worked with a handful of machine threads as one in a large braid with the needle woven through the gaps.
#15 i discovered some stretchy fishing line the other day which i knitted in a 'lace faggot chain' from Mary Thomas and then pinned out. it has potential but is very strong! perhaps stretch elastic might be better but the fluorescent orange caught my eye.
#16 tried some felted knitting with cut out shapes and more melted knitted plastic bag fused onto the reverse. didn't quite turn out as expected although i think it could be thought about further. the colours are good though.
#17 when i was doing my certificate we were each given an item from a charity shop to 'turn into something else' mine was a shirt but that's another story! so i thought it would be interesting to try this idea with a knitted item, cut it up and re knit it. hence the M&S tie above. it had a few moth holes in it so i didn't mind cutting it.
#18 this is what i have so far but probably won't take it any further. its interesting to see how it is retaining the shape of the tie but obviously it can't be used any more!!
thought i would include dear Marilyn even though i knitted her more years ago than i would like to admit! so she's not really part of this chapter but somewhat graffiti like! she's about 47cm high. and so now onwards to the resolved knitted piece which i am working on now.

Chapter 6 'I love Knitting'

i've decided to split this chapter into a few blogs as i have so many samples i thought i would be a) here all day and b) everyone would be bored rigid or turned to another blog! so here goes installment 1. Chapter 6 is all about construction either knitted or woven. i chose as you can see knitting! the first samples in #1 are quite straightforward. the two on the right using twisted newspaper strips threaded through and paint details added. going clockwise the blue sample has been worked with random holes through which a knitted metal thread 'braid' has been randomly threaded. extra embroidery has been added to the braid. the last sample is knitted paper thread (home made and very therapeutic to do)with paper and threads stuck to the surface.samples all approx 11cm x 9cm.
i have included some detail shots as i am not sure the larger ones are good enough.

#4 top sample based on paint drips and working with double layered fabric (instructions in Ruth Lee's book 'Contemporary knitting for textile artists') the crocheted edge is worked with metal wire so the drips can be manipulated (14cm x 8cm). the lower two have been 'shiboried'. the right one knitted with a pull ring tied in place and sample felted then 'swiss darning' worked only on top where pull ring was. the idea behind the orange sample was to use the shibori technique (with coke bottle top) and then boil it to death which worked wonderfully on something else a while ago where the fibres became slimey and rock solid when dried. but after a couple of hours boiling this one it was still very sound! i think i need some soda crystals. so i just added a led light in the void instead.
#5 these two samples based on slipped stitches reminded me of brick walls. top one worked with paper tape yarn and rolled up dried PVA threaded through the slipped stitches. the lower one has strips of coloured newsprint threaded through (13cm x 9cm).
i love the idea of enclosing things between semi transparent layers so these two samples are based on this with double layered knitting. top one just worked to make tubes and the lower one worked in enclosed pockets.
#7 reverse of pockets.
i love knitting with wire. two of the above with 'swiss darning' worked afterwards. the skirted sample worked to shape and undulate. i have twisted some of the threads to tighten the shaped area. the sample on the lower left is not knitted but just twisted wire interlinked.
#9 detail of twisted wire.
#10 i was trying to think of things to link in to 'graffiti' and thought bead knitting would lend itself very well. these two samples are very tiny (larger one 8cm x 6cm), knitted on size 1 3/4mm needles. i worked out a pattern from my sketchbook on graph paper. the thing to remember with bead knitting is to thread the beads on in the right order otherwise it will be a horrible mess!
apart from Ruth Lee's book i used Mary Thomas's Book of Knitting patterns. more to follow.

I am here honest I am!!!! Stitching away!

Chapter 5 stitched braids. i have been beavering away but what with visitors, birthday and colds i decided to take a day off work and concentrate on braids. i am determined not to take a year on this module! As usual i have used more paper than textile. the braids in #1 are my 'straight' braids. Using newsprint for the top four, sprayed and masked, the top two and fourth before i worked them and the third one after. the decoration on the fourth one are gun caps courtesy of my son, they look much better for decorative use than the noise they produce from the gun! they have been used as a mask on the top one. fifth one down worked with printed calico and the lower one with tufts of paper and textile on cellophane. All measure approx. 20cm long.
#2 detail
#3 still straight braids. as i have been knitting at the same time i worked the top braid in metal wire and then threaded hand embroidered paper through the links. the next two are worked on thin strips of beer can. the first with twisted wire giving edge decoration and fibres (taken from organza used in braid from # 7). the plainer one has been wrapped with paper and more twisted wire. the final one and the close up in #4 is worked using parcel cords (i am sure they have a name).
the central braid was made with lots of fluorescent fibres stitched onto organdie. the 3 braids have been anchored together to make a thicker braid but it could be continued for a whole fabric!
#5 instead of using water soluble fabric i used layers of tissue and other leftover pieces.
#6 based on graffiti lettering and worked through used baking parchment and newsprint.
#7 wrapped frame braids. i made a frame from cardboard and cut the end off to remove them. top one not stitched but stapled! newsprint with fine ribbon and fibres. second one worked with printed organza that has been frayed and various coloured bits secured with machine stitching. last one wire, cut up crisp packet and cellophane. could make a whole load for Christmas!
#8 i then moved onto shapes linked by braid. top one self explanatory? last one is upside down but uses the letters Q, R and S believe it or not on a simple french knitted braid (worked in Gutterman thread).
# 8.1 using 'A's. think i would like to work a whole word or sentence but it is quite difficult devising alphabets with a 'loop' in every letter but i am thinking.
#9,9.1 and 10 all show some of the braids presented on the backgrounds i made in the last chapter.

i did wonder as i was making these whether some would be better in the chapter to come on edges but i quite like non-uniform structures! Chapter 6 to follow soon