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!

Resurrection Shawl

When I received the diagnosis that I had Ulcerative Colitis, and the medicines that were intended to put it into remission, I had such hope of recovery! I wanted to make something through the recovery period that would be a part of  my healing and then represent God’s faithfulness to me as I wrapped it around me.  The above drawing is what I sketched out as I envisioned this shawl. I was also asking my Father that I might be well enough to wear it on Easter Sunday. I drew this in mid March.

As events played out, I was unable to wear this Easter Sunday. I had my colon removal surgery on Good Friday and was in the hospital on Easter. I couldn’t knit during the three weeks I was there, too many pic lines and iv’s going in and out to make it a comfortable endeavor. But when I got home, I began, very slowly to continue work on what I was calling my Resurrection Shawl.  Here are some pics of different views of it. I have been so pleased with how it turned out. Crocheted flowers appliquéd onto a loosely knitted simple shawl. I used all kinds of things to knit with: lace, ribbon, and all sorts of colors and textures of yarn. A few things changed from the original sketch. It was so fun to see it come to life.

And this past Sunday, I felt well enough to go to church and sit with my church family to worship. I wore my Resurrection Shawl as a testimony to my Heavenly Father’s faithfulness to carry me through a rather horrendous ordeal. He is still carrying me…knitting me together one day at a time.

 

**I am beginning the process of combining my three blogs into one. It may take a while, but you will start to see some changes here at Drawn2Life as other Pages are added, and blog posts are slurped in.  I’m very excited to have all my creative loves under one roof! Like the tagline I recently changed at the top: “Drawing, Knitting, Illustration, Crochet…it’s all Life, it’s all Good!”

The Call of the Bins

“Out of sight, out of mind” doesn’t really work for me. I ‘spose for a bit of time after I’ve packed something away, I don’t think about it much. But pretty soon, I start hearing things.

You’ll doubtless think me crazy, but my studio/sunroom has undergone a few overhauls in content over the last several years. Years ago, I switched out much of my drawing and painting supplies to make way for yarn on the shelving in my studio. The color-sorted wire trays on each shelf were so cheerful and made the yarn very accessible. A couple of years later, all that yarn was put into clear tupperware bins and stowed on top of a high shelf in our upstairs bedroom. Painting and drawing supplies filled the studio shelving which I desperately have more need of these days!! Being a creative person comes with loads of “stuff”, which I’ve tried to wrangle into a manageable chaos time and time again.

I need not go into all the other places where yarn is stowed in my house. But I start hearing things coming from the bags, boxes, cabinets, and of course these two bins, all of which is cleverly stashed (or NOT so cleverly) upstairs. I hear things like, “Knit me!” “Crochet me!” “Make this blanket!” “Finish this sweater!” They aren’t yelling. It’s this sweet melodic call, almost like music, that tickles my ears. It doesn’t stop (sometimes growing louder and louder) until I take a bin down and begin rummaging, pulling out something to knit or crochet.

Does this happen to you? Maybe you have your drawing and painting supplies in bins? Maybe it’s scrapbook stuff. Or fabric, or bits of glass and ceramic for mosaics….whatever. There’s something about packing it up with the thought that this is gonna go on a way back burner, that makes things start happening. Is it just me?

Anyway, I’ve been pulling these bins down quite often of late. I thought about (only briefly) trying to find a way to have it displayed or at least put in a more accessible spot. And then I thought: No! I like hearing things! I like the music I hear! Drawing and painting is like breathing for me. It is essential. But it’s kinda fun to have a hobby that tugs at you from time to time.

If you’re interested in seeing some of the things I’ve been making in response to my hearing things, pop over to my knitting blog. And if you’ve ever wanted to learn to knit and just never have, try learning from my tutorials there. And, of course, let me know what you think!

A Knitting Ditty

For all who are seized with thoughts of yarn and needles clicking together and wools to wear and gifts to give and designs to try and stitches to learn. You are not alone.

Do you knit?

(To the tune of “Do your ears hang low?”)

Do you knit and purl?
Do you give it all a whirl?
Do you continental knit? Like the Europeans do?
Do you throw it o’er your needle, like Americans will do?
Do you knit and purl?

If you knit and purl
You can make anything in the world…
You can bobble, you can seed
You can cable, lace, and swirl.
You can make a vest to wear
Or a headband for your hair…
If you knit and purl.

Would you knit and purl
If you knew it would unfurl
All the knots in your life?
All the tangles of your world?

If you knew it would bring joy
and cause your heart to skip and twirl?
Would you knit and purl?

-jpe

**Pssst…and did you know I have a secret blog called Drawn2Knit? Well, it’s not really a secret. But it’s for beginners…any who might like to learn some basics of knitting!   Check it out here! 

Knitting Brown

To the yarn currently on my needles:

I do not know why I chose you. I’m sorry to say it! Brown? Really? Brown yarn has never been something I gravitated to in the midst of luscious raspberry hanks, purpley-hued skeins, vibrant lime balls, sumptuously variegated twists of wool or cotton hanging in a glittering yarn shop.  But here you are sitting in my lap, being woven ever so cheerfully (for now) with two sticks.

Perhaps it was the rich chocolatey nature of your brown.  Definitely NOT the mousy browns I sometimes see and cannot abide. Maybe you caught me off guard with the ever so subtle flecks of red here and there, or the halo effect of wisps of wool that peek out of the stockinette. Still, you are dark.  I do not knit with dark.

Maybe it was the vision I had of you all worked up into the wonderful original sweater creation I have teeming in my head? Oh wait, no. Two years ago, when I bought you, I had something else in mind for you.  And through the last 24 months, that vision has changed numerous times to land here and now with what I feel is your destiny. Hmmm…why indeed did you find your way into my stash?

Was it the incredible deal of getting 478 yds of wool in ONE hank? And then only needing two hanks to make whatever I had envisioned then? The very thought of knitting a sweater for only $28 would’ve been enough to draw peels of glee from any knitter! Add to that the fact that I could use size 10 needles with you, thus allowing for a quicker knit and more immediate results.  But I failed to take into account this one thing:

No, two things: aging eyes and my lack of stick-to-it-iveness.  I did not take into account that my eyes were losing their ability to see clearly up close. And now that I have these new-fangled, totally awesome glasses which allow me to see my knitting better whilst also viewing a movie, I nevertheless have more issues with constantly looking at dark. And dark you are!  Perhaps a few cones aren’t firing anymore in my middle-aged eyes. The delightful little v-shaped stitches that are so fun to watch being made, are not as easy to see in the dark chocolatey brown.

I fear you may wind up being set aside. Or worse, stuffed in the back of my closet with so many other UFOs! My inner knitter is far to easily enamored with other yarns and projects that lie in wait in my stash of wools and cottons.  You need not fear being replaced by newly bought yarn, as I have severely curtailed my visits to any yarn selling establishment! But I do have enough yarn to tickle my fancy for at least a year, maybe two.  My stick-to-it-iveness wilts in the face of a new vision of yarn creation goodness.

Yet, I am resolving this day, even though I can’t figure out why you are here, to continue on this journey of bringing into reality the vision I have in my head. And to that end, I have drawn this vision and have posted it prominently in my home so as to remind myself of the goal before me.  I will endeavor to wear my blinders to all other delicious colored yarns and the possibilities they pose!  I will push through the sameness of brown for 956 yds. of knitting!  The real fun will be in the embellishments I have planned for you! Just you wait.

Please ignore all the mutterings and grumblings I may utter under my breath as I knit.  Please be patient with me. I know you did not want to wind up in the hands of a begrudging knitter.  If you will keep on alluring me with your red-flecked chocolatey goodness, I will keep on clicking those needles. And one day, you will be enjoyed on my shoulders for colder days.

Deal?

Deal!

With all due respect for your Yarnliness,

Jennifer

I Love Yarn!

Did you know that I love yarn?? Did you also know that today is “I Love Yarn Day“? Woo! Hoo!!!!

I haven’t shared much of my yarn goings on these days…so TODAY is the day!! I finished a vest that is waiting to be blocked and buttons added.  I need to do this as the weather is just about right for it! I’ll show you when it’s all done!  And with what I had leftover from the vest, I’m knitting a simple lace scarf.

Can you see why I love yarn??  Color, color, COLORRRR!!!! And Noro yarns are some of my all-time favorites!! If you’re interested, you can read about my love of yarn here and here and here.

Did you also know that I like to design my own knitted and crocheted things?  Check out my new page for the FREE patterns you can download!

And check out my Etsy Shoppe for many other patterns you can purchase! Here’s a little gallery for you of some of those patterns: (i can’t seem to get the first three images OUT of the gallery. Oh well. Just look at the other 9!)

I hope you have a wonderful I Love Yarn Day!

Maybe you can knit or crochet a bit! And then perhaps you can draw what you’re knitting! Even better!

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!

Baby Steps #3-8: Happy Day Birthday Boxes

Birthdays as a kid were always a celebration…as they are and have been in my own family.  Sometimes we refer to our Birthday Month since the celebrating often gets sprinkled throughout the person’s birth-month.  My idea for these Birthday Boxes was to offer something to be sent to loved ones in the mail…a celebration in a box in their mail box!  I send it directly to them, with your message hand-written on the card enclosed.  A cupcake that never disappears into one’s tummy; nor does it show up on one’s hips!!

Each cupcake is a different color combination…check out all six of ‘em here!