Frost

I love the snowflake shapes that plaster themselves to car windows on mornings of frost.  There's something simply satisfying about it, or maybe even nostalgic.  It reminds me of cutting out snowflake shapes from white paper when I was a kid.  Now I can't help but lean in for a closer look, right before I scrape them away so I can be on time to work.
These are from a frosty morning a week or two ago.  The same frosty morning that I spotted these crazy patterns in the ice on my driveway, in fact.  Winter seems to be on its last leg, but man it sure keeps holding on.  It's weird how we can have so many mild days and then suddenly in the last month of the season it's snow, cold weather, sleet, cold weather, etc. etc.  I got out to take a walk yesterday for some 52 Forms of Fungi photos and was almost tempted to lie down and take a nap in the yard, it was so nice.
Check back on Wednesday for photos of my installation and an update about this weekend's Momentum OKC event!  I will be sharing images of my process in the near future too.

Momentum OKC Starts Tonight

 After several hours of assembly, my installation is complete and the exhibition begins this evening!  The photos in this post are some behind the scenes shots - they don't show the final product though, so I hope you can come and see it in person.  If not, I will post photos next week of the installation in full.  Thanks for the encouraging response to this news via this blog and Instagram; your support means a lot to me!

Geometric Ice

I came outside the other morning to walk the dog, and spotted this crazy pattern in the ice on my driveway.  I guess there really is something positive that can come out of having a driveway with extremely poor drainage?  What causes this, I have no idea... but I wish I could have had more time to just inspect and enjoy it while it was there.  I guess that's what a camera is good for, huh?  Now you get to enjoy it too.  :)

 

BIG THING #2 aka 52 Forms of Fungi || #4

You might recognize these little guys from my Decomposition series, Colony I and Colony II.  Well, they are making an appearance again because of the second big thing that I alluded to last week... a third installation will take place this next week at Momentum: Art Doesn't Stand Still in Oklahoma City.  This is the first time I have taken part in a juried exhibition, and I am very honored to have been selected for participation.  All of the Decomposition phases have thus far taken place in an existing natural setting, so another unique aspect of this installation is that I am recreating a natural environment to use for placement of the knitted fungi replicas.  It is challenging, but also exhilarating.  It incites the same response in myself that I seek to encourage in observers... attention to detail, awe at natural complexities, and an awareness that there is so much more going on around me than I could ever in my lifetime begin to fathom.
I learned how to use a sander today, which to my delight was actually pretty fun.  This made me happy because woodworking is a long term aspiration of mine... so at least now I know I don't hate one of the main components!  In any case, if you live around the Oklahoma City area I hope you can come out to the show, this Friday or Saturday from 8 to midnight, at 50 Penn Place (across the street from Penn Square Mall).

 

 

 

BIG THING #1 aka Off the Needles || Foundation

Remember the "big things that are happening" that I vaguely mentioned a few days ago?  Well, this is the first one.  Last year one of my very dearest friends, Emily, and her husband had a baby and I knew I needed to make something extra special to commemorate this event.  Thus, "Foundation" was born.  Little Beatriz (pictured below - how adorable is this sweet little girl?!?!) was born in mid summer, so I was obviously running a little bit behind on this project but it was way worth it.
A tree's root system is the foundation of the organism - it provides anchorage for the tree's weight, it absorbs the minerals and moisture necessary for metabolic processes, it exchanges gases that are crucial for tree survival and it stores sugars that provide energy to fuel the tree.  Without this foundation, the tree would be nothing.  This blanket that I designed symbolizes that support structure of Beatriz' family.  The growth rings in the center represent the five years her parents built their relationship before bringing her into the world.  I hope it is a piece that she will cherish for years to come, if not at least to keep around because it's a dang soft (and warm) blanket to snuggle beneath. :)
The blanket is made from Knit Picks Swish Worsted.  It incorporates a chart of 6 identical sections knitted in the round.  I plan to publish the pattern eventually, although it will require a little bit of tweaking.  I am going to adapt it with 8 sections to make the growth rings a little rounder - they turned out a little too geometric.
Regardless, it feels so good to finish this project!  I don't even know how many hours of work went into this - weekends and weekends!  Since it was knit in the round, I couldn't really see how it was progressing because it was bunched up at the needles the whole time.  I designed the chart as I went, since I could see the last several rows I had knitted the whole way through to gauge how the pattern was turning out.  Once I started to bind off, the finished product took my breath away.  I will work on trying to make this available soon!

 

Big Things Are Happening

I had hoped this morning to show you the final product of a project I have worked on for nearly a year, but I still need to do a little photo processing.... so maybe it will be up here later this week!

Another milestone is in the works and I will be able to share more about that next week sometime.  It's very exciting, slightly daunting, and it's definitely something that I'm proud of myself for following through on.  This past year has been a wild roller coaster of new things and stepping into a world that I've always only felt like an outsider of.  Here's to pushing the boundaries of your comfort zone!

 

New Growth

One of my favorite parts about gardening is watching the plants day after day as they put on a little new growth or unfurl a new little blossom.  These succulents are really starting to perk up.  I can't wait to see how much they grow over the next few months.

On My Needles || Walpole

It feels like so long since I last made one of these posts, almost to the point that you probably think I haven't been knitting anything other than fungi and heart motif hats, eh?  Well, that's not exactly the case.  I did finish another lingering project recently that I have yet to get photos of, and the rest of my time has been spent on this fingering weight beauty... Hannah Fettig's Walpole.  I've sung of my love for the Knitbot patterns before, and this time is no different.  My only complaint is how slow going the piece is because of the tiny gauge.  BUT, it's oh so soft, and the yarn looks gorgeous and I can already tell that this is another sweater I am going to love to wear.
My yarn choice for Walpole is Knit Picks Capretta, an utterly luscious merino yarn with a hint of cashmere... the first time I've made something for myself with a remotely fancy fiber such as cashmere.  I know it's only 10%, but I don't care!  It's SO soft!  Did I mention that?  SOFT.  I can't wait to finish this cardigan.  I just completed the waist decreases this week, so I'm hoping to get to some sleeves in the near future.  Have you tried out any Hannah Fettig patterns?  Which one is your favorite?

 

Free Pattern || Big Heart Beanie

Love is in the air, but truth be told that even if it wasn't hearts seem to be making a comeback in the accessories/fashion world...  At least that's what the Blogosphere tells me.
J and I aren't huge Valentine's Day people, although our 7 year anniversary of when we first fell for each other falls during this week.  We always celebrate in some way or another.  Early dating stages around Valentine's Day make for an AWKWARD "day of love"--- Do you get them a gift?  Will it seem too serious too soon?  Will they be offended if you don't give them something?  Fortunately, neither of us ever really put too much weight on the holiday, so that first Valentine's Day went pretty smoothly for us.  Now we just pick a day during the week to go out for a nice dinner (any excuse to eat great food is enough for us -- we picked sushi this year!) and chat in disbelief at how long ago we found each other.  Just about a quarter of my life ago.  Madness.  But it makes me so thankful for him.
This beanie is an homage to all of the big hearts I've seen floating around the web lately on garments and accessories.  It's a super quick knit using worsted weight yarn -- the yarns listed in the pattern are the two types I had in my stash and used to make the hat pictured.  The heart may be appropriate for the season, but it's also on trend enough that it could be worn on into spring too.  Happy Love Day!
Download the Big Heart Beanie as a PDF through my Ravelry store.

 

Moisture, Finally

We got some very much needed rain last week, finally.  When it rains my driveway doesn't really drain, which means we have some standing water for a couple of days afterward.  It was such a welcome sight to come home to this from work one day, after having a steady rain for several hours that morning.  I've missed it.  This drought scares me, let's be honest.  I read recently that all but one county in Oklahoma were declared disaster areas because the drought has gotten so bad.  This was mainly to offer assistance to farmers, but it's getting really extreme.  My fingers are crossed that it will break and maybe this summer won't be quite so hot for quite so long... but we'll see.

The red berries are from the American holly tree beside our front porch.  While they can be an annoyance sometimes (my car is nearly always covered in bird poop), they do serve for a nice moment of admiration a lot of the time too.

 

52 Forms of Fungi || #3

This form of fungi is a polypore known as Ganoderma lucidum.  Presence of these conks around the base of a tree suggest internal decay, the extent of which should be investigated further to determine degree of risk for failure.  So while they are beautiful, they're not such a great sign... However, they have been shown to have healing properties and are produced for herbal supplements.
The fruiting bodies themselves vary greatly in color and shape.  For this piece I went with the more brightly colored variation, but you will likely see more variations throughout this project.  I've been working on multiple forms of Ganoderma over the past few months, tweaking the pattern and colorwork and trying to come up with a result that I'm happy with.  This one is getting there, but I still have some work to do.
By the way, if you ever see these conks in the woods you can break them off and bring them home for decor.  The tissue is very woody and will not get smooshy or oozy or anything like that - I've got two on my fireplace mantel that I've had since 2007!

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Life in Photos || January

This is just a little bit of this past month.  We are in the process of getting some new neighbors (fingers crossed that they are tame) and we're looking forward to a quick trip to Austin in a few weeks to visit some friends.  It will be a weekend jam packed with reunions, food (one of the things I miss most about that place), margaritas, and enjoying the oddness that is Austin.  It's been over two years since we were there last, and I'm sure I'll be shocked and awed by how much it has changed.  Nonetheless, I'm excited!

On Regret...

I was thinking on this topic during my quiet early morning hours and felt compelled to share my perspective.  I know this is delving a little deeper into my philosophies than my usual posts, so if you aren't interested in reading through my musings, feel free to scroll on down.  :)

By nature, I for years have chastised myself for missteps, misgivings and really anything that I later viewed as something that could have been taken the wrong way, that could have had the slight possibility of shedding a negative light on me or that just did not turn out how I wanted it to, no matter how small and insignificant.  It took me pretty much until my adult life to convince myself that I am not the things that I do/have done.  That they do not define who I am.  Furthermore, there is no wrong decision once it's all said and done.  Yes, you can choose a path that is more fortuitous to you -- one that will make you more successful, possibly more content, and that would leave fewer people hurt in the end.  But once you are on that lower road... and you can't take any of it back, there is no benefit to despair or thoughts of "if I had done things differently..."  At that moment, it is finished.  It is sealed.  At that moment, all you can do is know that you are exactly where you are meant to be, because there is no turning back.  All you can do is be confident in that, listen to your discernment, and move forward.  It will all be okay in the end.  As long as you pursue what you are certain to be true and right, as long as you strive to fulfill your purpose and seek after the deepest desires of your heart, you will be on your right path.

And in all of this, you have to BE KIND TO YOURSELF.  (I really struggled with this one.  That is how the Mantra scarf was born).  Don't torture yourself over things you can't change.  Show yourself some grace.  This is not to say that we should not take responsibility for our actions; I am merely stating that dwelling on them does no good for anyone.  Do what you can to make it right, then forgive yourself and move on.

There is no need for regret.  It is a poison that spoils talent, potential, passions and fulfillment.  Your possibilities are limitless.  GO.

 

January in a Nutshell

Just like the holidays, January flew by in a flash.  Here's a recap of what happened around here during the first month of 2013.

New Feature: 52 Forms of Fungi

I started a new challenge for the year -- knitting a different type of fungi for every week of 2013.  Check out the ones I posted this month:

Introduction  ||  Form #1  ||  Form #2

DIY: I shared a tutorial on how to knit your own silver mushrooms (from 52 Forms of Fungi #1) and turn them into pendants for a necklace!

Finished Projects:  I finished up my cozy Big Herringbone Cowl, made with Malabrigo Worsted yarn.

Inspiration:  I posted about the Blue Trees art installation that I saw in Sacramento last fall.

Mentions:  My Decomposition series was featured on Knit Hacker!  Way cool.

Reflection:  I looked back at the many milestones of 2012 with a highlights post and a day to day photo post.

In the Works:  I shared a little bit about a new collaborative project I'm working on (involving those little succulents up there) and a little about things that make these dark, drab days of winter a little bit brighter:

One  ||  Two  ||  Three

Looking back, I'm already happy with how this year is going.  I've got my hands in a couple of other things that I can't share about just yet, also.  February is looking promising!

Raising Succulents

 Just look at these beauties!  Succulents are by far some of the most striking plants to grow at home.  When we were in the Pacific Northwest this past summer, I collected multiple little bits of succulents that we found while walking about, to bring home.  It's amazing how easy it is to grow a new succulent plant from just a little piece that fell off of another one.  There are so many varied textures and colors with these little guys - any time I go to a nursery that carries them I have to resist leaving with an armful!  Luckily for me, my friend Jo Anne from the Anthaus studio asked me to be a part of one of their group's new design ventures... so she and I went wild at a local nursery the other day and now I'm excited to be the caretaker for these babies as we develop this new art project.  I'm excited to tell you more about all of this eventually, but for now I've got to be just a little bit cryptic (sorry... but haven't I piqued your interest??)  Check back soon for more...
Anthaus is an artist collective in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma that "was founded to challenge and inspire artists, designers, and craftsmen to work together using their skills on projects with a unified theme."  They say, "we strive to not only create, but create with a sense of purpose.  Our projects involve those with the same values and are passionate to learn."

 

52 Forms of Fungi || #2

I had a question from Misti recently about whether I record the patterns for these pieces that I'm working on as I go.  The answer is YES, I write them down in case the result is something that I really like and want to duplicate.  For instance, I am already in the process of making more of the forms depicted in this post for a larger installation.  If any of the pieces have potential to be incorporated into the Decomposition series, I've gotta have some record of what I did!  In any case...

52 Forms of Fungi #2!

This polypore was inspired by some conks I saw out in a natural area recently.  The ones I looked at were white in color, but I was purchasing yarn recently and this shade of Knit Picks Palette, called "Pennyroyal", grasped my attention and I knew I had to do something with it.  A project idea came to mind and this is the first piece for that project.  I've been using the Palette yarn A LOT lately, and it's quickly becoming a favorite for these types of projects... so many great colors!

This is the first "fungi" that I've attached only temporarily to a living tree, so it was fun trying out a way to do that (which worked pretty well).  On that note, no trees were harmed during the installation of this fungi!  Although, there was a power-walker who kept circling the nearby trail and was giving me some really funny looks.  It made me giggle to myself a little bit... I can already tell that this project is going to be a lot of fun!  Are you ready for more?

View more posts about the 52 Forms of Fungi project.

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Sometimes You've Just Gotta Get Out

The winter months are hard sometimes, because the days are short and the weather isn't always so pleasant - all I really want is for it still to be daylight by the time I get home from work and to have a comfortable body temperature when I'm wearing my coat outside (it's not always the case).  The past couple of weeks have been odd, because we've had weather in the 60's one day, 40's the next day, another few days of 50's, 60's, and tomorrow it's supposed to be in the 30's again.... then back up to the 50's.  Last weekend the warmth for once stuck around for our days off, so we got outside to appease the ongoing cabin fever.  And man... I feel so much better!  Is it just me, or is anyone else ready for spring?!

Tutorial || Silver Knitted Mushroom Necklace

 Those little silver 'shrooms from last week's 52 Forms of Fungi post are too cute not to find a use for, so today I wanted to share how you can make your own and WEAR them on a chain as a cute little accessory.  Note:  You will need to know some basic knitting and crochet skills here.
Knitted mushroom stalk pattern:
cast on 20 stitches with straight needles
Row 1: knit two stitches together to end of row
Row 2: purl to end of row
Rows 3 & 4: repeat rows 1 & 2
Row 5: knit to end of row
Row 6: purl to end of row
Rows 7-10: repeat rows 5 & 6 twice
Cut yarn and place all stitches on the double pointed needle.  Set aside to start on the mushroom cap pattern.
Knitted mushroom cap pattern (front half):
cast on 20 stitches with straight needles
Rows 1-4: same as mushroom stalk pattern
Row 5: place double pointed needle behind the straight needle with the stitches on it.  The right (knit) side should be facing the same direction.  Knit the first stitch of the front needle together with the first stitch from the second needle.  Repeat until all stitches have been knitted.
Row 6: pur to end of row
Row 7: slip slip knit, knit 1, knit two stitches together
Row 8: purl 3 stitches together
cut yarn with a 6 inch tail, pull through the last stitch and tighten.
Knitted mushroom cap pattern (back half):
cast on 20 stitches with straight needles
Rows 1-4: same as mushroom cap front half pattern
Row 5: knit to end of row
Row 6: purl to end of row
Row 7 to end: same as mushroom cap front half pattern
Finishing:
Sew the right and left sides of the stalk together so that the knitted (right) side is facing out.  You now have a cylindrical stem.  Put the two mushroom cap halves back to back so the knitted (right) side is facing out.  Sew the sides together up to the top, leaving the bottom open.  Weave in all ends using a sewing needle.
Making necklace pendants out of the mushrooms:
Make a slip knot and put it on the crochet hook.  Make a single crochet stitch through the top of a mushroom and make a chain the length that you would like it to hang.  Chain an additional 6 or 7 stitches and then make a single crochet stitch back through the top of your desired length.  Cut thread and pull the end tight through the remaining stitch.  Weave in the end.  Do this with each of the mushrooms (however many you want to use) at varying lengths (or however you would like to wear them) and then thread the necklace chain through the little loop you made at the top of each crochet chain.