Got Scarves?

I love this little drawing I made a few years ago. She’s  a precursor to Genevieve, with her little red shoes and blue coat. She loves yarn and making scarves. She loves wearing them too!

A friend of mine who travels to France a bunch, once told me that French women wear scarves a lot, no matter the season. I tend to be a cold weather scarf wearer. I need to expand my scarf collection to lighter, smaller silk scarves for spring and summer use.

All three of the scarves I’ve knitted and am offering in my Etsy Shoppe, are definitely for cooler temperatures. But it’s never too early to think of what you’ll need come fall, or for gift giving to a special friend. And actually, I may need one of these the next time I go to Harris Teeter…brrrrr, it’s cold in there!

Here are the three…two of my own design, the pink lace one designed by Laura Harding from her book, Knitted Little Luxuries.

This scarf is embellished on both ends AND on both sides! That way, you don’t have a right or wrong side…any way you wear it, something whimsical shows. Click here to see other views of this scarf in the Shoppe.

This scarf is designed by Laura Harding, whose book, Knitted Little Luxuries, is full of lovely lacy knits! The pin can be worn to anchor the scarf, or not. It is made of a luscious cashmere/cotton blend. Again, to see more views of this, click here.

And this scarf is a melange of stitches, fibers, and colors. I loved every minute of knitting this thing…just randomly selecting what I wanted to go next. Click here for other views.

Though none of these are red, I could see any of them on the little girl in the sketch above! Or, on an older girl like me!

Knitterly Notes

 

Have I ever told you I love to knit?  

And so I have…here and here and here. The only thing better than knitting, is to draw or paint what I’m knitting or crocheting. I loved making this little painting of my hands knitting a scarf. Mind you, this lace scarf was begun several years ago…but I have finished it! And I’ll give you a proper reveal soon!

So here’s the photograph I worked from to create the above painting. I thought you might like to see the reference photo and how it gets translated into line and watercolor. I also thought you might like to see some of the projects I’ve been happily working on of late.

 

I knitted this little cupcake hat for my niece’s one year birthday back at the beginning of March, the early days of my U.C. diagnosis. That’s my beautiful sister with her fifth child, Brynley.

Then I finished this pair of socks, which I wore and wore through the chilly days. For some reason, I kept messing up on grafting the toe together. I’ve done the kitchener stitch successfully many times before, but a brain glitch prevented me from getting it right on both of these socks. Of course, I made it work somehow so the socks hold together without being uncomfortable.

So, on THIS sock, finished just recently, I was delighted to work the Kitchener stitch correctly! Yay! Maybe my recent surgery re-worked my brain as well!

And I love the colors in this yarn!!!!!

This is a random photo of the basket of yarns I used for my Resurrection Shawl. 

And this is the beginning of another multi-yarned confection, all in creams and whites! I have quite a vision of this shawl in its finished state…we’ll see how it all turns out.:)

And a photo of me knitting on our front stoop. This was taken prior to being in the hospital, hoping and praying that the medications I was on would put the U.C. into remission. There’s something about this photo I like… 1. I love knitting outdoors, even if it means wearing a coat and knitted hand mitts. 2. Knitting became synonymous with “hope” during my recent illness. Knitting and Hope…I like that.

Well, that’s enough for now…I’ll share more “knitterly notes” with you soon. I’ll be stocking the Shoppe with some new items soon…more on that coming up!

**Thank you so much for visiting me here on Drawn2Life!! I can’t thank you enough for sharing in these creative ventures with me!

***And…if you ever wanted to take up knitting, try my little photo tutorial HERE. I haven’t yet transferred it over from Drawn2Knit. It will happen someday. For now, check there for free patterns and tutorials.

****ANNDDD….if you’d like to try your hand at drawing/sketching OR need a little boost or encouragement to get back into it…check out my Drawing Your Life Mini Lessons. These were offered last year and still receive a lot of traffic.  I hope it’s helpful to you all!

*Di-Vine Yoga/Dance Socks!

Knitting and Yoga have a lot in common:

*Both are meditative practices.

*Both employ repetition to create something beautiful.

*Both require an “over-the-long-haul” mindset.  Though they are both enjoyable to participate in on a one-time basis, you really don’t see results until you’ve practiced it over and over for a long time.

So I thought it fitting to design some knitted socks for wearing while you practice yoga or take a dance class. Actually, I had just finished a pair of yoga socks that tooooookkkkkk mmmmeeeeeeee fffoooooorrrrrrreeeeeeevvvvvvveeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrr to finish, and I wanted something that could be made quickly, yet still be warm, comfortable, and pretty.  I made sure that the foot area wasn’t too long, so your feet can still grab your yoga mat in Down Dog and other poses.

Tree pose is one of my favorite poses in yoga. This gave me the idea for the vine…a picture of something wonderful growing out of your knitting and/or yoga practice.  I hope you enjoy the pattern.  Using double pointed needles, you simply knit, purl, cast on, bind off.  And of course, a little chain stitch to add the leafy vine!  My pattern includes a drawing of the vine for you to follow, or you can do your own thing!

Namaste!

**Please visit  my Etsy shop to purchase this pattern!

*Happy New Year Sale!!!

In celebration of the start of 2013, a New Year for knitting and crocheting, I’m offering a sale on all my knit and crochet patterns on Etsy!  Choose ANY THREE patterns and pay only $10! That’s like buying two and getting a third one for FREE!  The sale will go until January 15th, so choose your favorites now!

Pass this along on Facebook, Twitter, or any way you can share with the knitters or crocheters you may know! There are share buttons at the bottom of this post to make it easy for you.

Thanks so much for a wonderful year in 2012! Here’s to 2013! New designs and patterns to be unveiled here in the New Year! Hope to see you  again soon!

Birds & Bunnies

In putting away Christmas, the bright, festive table decorations had to go as well. To bring in the New Year, I wanted something pared down and wintry looking. I have a nice little collection of Dedham pottery my mom has given me, a piece at a time over the years.

I’ve always loved the pattern and I tend to use it in winter through to Easter.  This year, the bowl I placed in the center seemed to beg to be made into a bird’s nest! So I filled it with yarn, added a couple of my Nesting Birds, and a bit of holly around.

To crochet these sweet little birds and their nests, click here for the pattern. Birds in winter are such a sight of hope…bright spots in an otherwise bleak landscape. Happy New Year to you all!!

“Hope” is the thing with feathers

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“Hope” is the thing with feathers—
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all—

And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—
And sore must be the storm—
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm—

I’ve heard it in the chillest land—
And on the strangest Sea—
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb—of Me.

-Emily Dickinson

A Bale of Words

Available in My Etsy Shoppe

Another “sitting” out in my favorite field just after the baling. This time with my pastels in My Little Black Book.

Available in My Etsy Shoppe

And a different sort of “bale” here…words bundled together in a little poem I wrote several years ago:

**************************

I like you standing there…

Your presence brings comfort amid the recently ravaged landscape.

I walk beside my favorite field,

once filled with waves of grass and weed,

fern and vine, wildflower and morning glory.

I wince at the shearing—

too much is exposed.

But soon you are there.

All that I loved so is bound up in you.

Your solid cylinder a testimony to the weightiness of glory.

Your firm shadows welcome on the sun-blanched scalp.

I hope that you will remain,

that I might gain

some sense of solidity when I next pass by.

But alas, I hope in vain.

Another will come and lead you away to wait in shelter as fodder for animals.

I grieve the cycle, knowing it will begin again,

wondering if there will be an alternate end for me.

-jpe

upon her walk 9/23/08

A Few of My Favorite Things…

Available in My Etsy Shoppe

Favorite Thing #1:  Nothing gets better than sitting IN MY FIELD painting.  A few of weeks ago I got to spend an afternoon painting a couple of views of the freshly baled hay in Mr. Whicker’s field.  I keep calling it “my” field, and it really isn’t.  But I call it that because it is a favorite place to be, to walk by, to listen in, and to paint and draw.

Available in My Etsy Shoppe

Favorite Thing #2:  Getting to be there long enough for TWO paintings.  And then the very next day, the tractors came through gathering them for the barn.  I was so glad I had gotten out there and captured their loveliness while I could.  Hay bales, for some odd reason, are so beautiful to me! I like to think of them as all the colors of the field wrapped up in a bundle.

Favorite Thing #3:  Offering these little spots of beauty from my life to yours.  Please check out my Etsy Shop called Drawn2Shoppe.  There are a few other original works for sale there. More will be added to the original paintings and drawings, as well as more knit and crochet patterns.  There’s a special spot for commissioned portrait vignettes, which I’m very excited to offer!

Maybe these are a few of YOUR favorite things too!

Drawn2Zine!

A Zine…what is such a thing? From Wikipedia here’s a definition:

“A zine ( /ˈziːn/ ZEEN; an abbreviation of fanzine, or magazine) is most commonly a small circulation publication of original or appropriated texts and images. More broadly, the term encompasses any self-published work of minority interest usually reproduced via photocopier.

A popular definition includes that circulation must be 5,000 or less, although in practice the significant majority are produced in editions of less than 1,000, and profit is not the primary intent of publication.”

The only Zines I had seen (hm, no rhyme intended:) were those of Andrea Joseph and Dan Price.  I own two of Andrea’s Zines and they are terrific!!! You should treat yourself sometime to one of her zines…her mad drawing skills will delight you to no end!  Though I do not own one of his zines, I have read one of his books, How to Make a Journal of your Life, and can imagine the zines being just as wonderful.

I have no idea why Andrea or Dan create Zines, but I just thought it would be fun!  Fun to create, fun to offer, fun to see a bit of my blog stuff in a little booklet.  I thought my kids might like them one day to add to all the paintings and sketchbooks they will eventually have dumped on them!

But the other reason, was just for myself.  When I started this blog, I really didn’t know the specific direction it would go.  I just wanted to share drawings, paintings and other things I like to do creatively.  Now that a few years have gone by, I am able to see some overarching themes that pop up fairly often.  A Zine was the perfect way to highlight just one aspect of what gets covered here in Drawn2Life and in my other blogs.  So there are plans for more Zines on different topics, of course with artwork!

Thank you to those of you who have ordered one of my Zines thus far! You’ve really made my day! And that’s the icing on the cake: when something that I enjoy, is in turn enjoyed by others.  I know there are many of you who enjoy visiting my blog…and I am so grateful for each of your visits! Drawn2Life is getting close to having 100 followers! Can you believe that?  When it hits 100 followers, I plan on having a little giveaway! No, maybe a BIG giveaway of several goodies made by me!  Keep popping by to see when that will happen so you can add your name in the hat!  If you’d like to subscribe to my blog, please do so! It’s always free!!!

Baby Step #10: A Zine of My Own

Oh my goodness, I am just tickled pink to offer this little booklet to you! It’s my first “zine” which I’m calling an Art Zine since it’s a compilation of my drawings, paintings, and writings, some of which is from my blogs, Drawn2Life and Drawn2Be! and some of which has never been seen on either blog.

I’ve titled this Zine: Thoughts on Drawing & Life.  Here are some of the topics you will read about:
*Why do I draw?
*My favorite ways to draw.
*Why I draw the way I do.
*How drawing speaks to my everyday life.
*Things I learn from the act of drawing.
*A poem about Drawing.

And, of course, each topic is “illustrated” by sketches, drawings, and paintings by Jennifer Edwards (me:). All totalled, there are 20 images of these drawings, paintings, etc. with a couple of “excerpts” from other artwork.

The Zine has 20 pages, printed professionally on Premium paper. The Zine measures 8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″.

If you’d like one, you can order it through my Etsy shop, and I’ll send it to you in a 3-ring page protector. This ensures against any water damage AND will allow you to add my future Zines to your collection in a mini-3-ring-binder. I will then place it in a cardboard mailer to ensure further protection from bending.

I’m also signing and numbering each Zine!

**AND..for the first 10 of you who order a Zine, I will include a Genevieve bookmark and a small piece of Origami, folded by me:)!

I really do hope you will enjoy this…they would also make a lovely gift to someone.

***To THOSE OF YOU WHO LIVE NEAR ME, please send me a message either in the comment here, or through Etsy, or just call me if you’d like to pick it up from me.  No need to pay the shipping and handling costs if we see each other on a regular basis!!

****MY NEXT POST:  Why I’m Drawn2Zine!  Y’all come back now, ya here?

Baby Step #9: Pyramid Gift Box Pattern

How an idea comes to life…

1.  A shape pops into my head.  Pyramid!

2.  A question follows on its heels.  How can I make that shape in knitting?

3.  Paper & folding ensues.  Ahh…so that’s how!

4.  Another question pops up.  What can the shape be used for other than a sachet?

5.  Leaving shape open on one side.  Yeah, righto.  A gift box!

6.  Yet another question.  How can I make it festive?

7.  Jar of leftover bits of yarn, ribbons, and raffia says “Use Me!”  Oooh, yes!

8.  Button bin starts yelling too!  Even brads work pretty well for a gift box! (Lime green polka dots are brads!)

9. Et Voila!

To view and/or purchase this knitted pattern...CLICK HERE!!

**A Note on Baby Steps:  It needs to be said that each Baby Step I’ve posted here, actually has SEVERAL baby steps imbedded in the making of each one!!  So, for instance, in creating a pattern for others to use, you have Step One: Idea.  Step Two: Working out the idea ( in pen & paper, yarn & needles, etc.)  Step Three: Sitting with the completed “prototype” to see if you are satisfied with it, or whether it needs something else.  Step Four:  Typing up the pattern in humanly readable terms rather than the chicken scrawl you have on a throwaway piece of paper.  Step Five:  Photographing the finished project.  Step Six: Adding photo and EDITING the pattern for mistakes. Step Seven: Downloading pattern to Yarnworks site, Etsy, Ravelry, etc.  Whew!!

The KEY to creating by the Baby Step method:  DO NOT let yourself look ahead to all the zillions of steps you need to make.  JUST BE PRESENT IN THE ONE STEP YOU NEED TO MAKE NOW!!!  This helps me so so much!  I get too overwhelmed by all the ideas swirling in my head and all the steps necessary to make the idea a reality.  I have to HAVE PATIENCE and MOMENT PRESENTNESS.  Not easy for me.  But it is so rewarding to see the idea come to life and to share it with others!