Saturday, May 2, 2009

Artist Journals, Knitting, Flowers


Robinsunne and I are collaborating on an Artist Journal mini-course at the library, which you may remember. The quick recap is that Artist Journals can be anything, narrative or not, personal or not, for a purpose or just to explore techniques...you get the idea. They are any and everything. This seemed like a logical next step to try with our intrepid library artists! So we plastify the children's room and cram in there and make art together. It's fabulous.
Here is what I have done so far...and let me say that Jonas and I are collaborating on a book together.
If you're wondering, yes, that is a domino,
and it's affixed with some seriously strong
Acrylic Gel Medium.
Perhaps you also remember the travel journal I made for Jonas last summer (you can read about it here and here).

I finished the Simple Yet Effective Shawl and was unprepared for its smallness. It was disappointing that it was not the vision I had for it, but oh well. I am wearing it here as a kerchief, because the ends of it, when worn in typical shawl fashion, are not even close to meeting. I am not busty, or large, so I don't know what's up with that. Perhaps I will ultimately gift it to a midget or a small child.
Also, sneakily, the pattern photos have way wider swaths of pattern repeat...I followed the directions and my result is different (and I wouldn't have had enough yarn to have wider swaths either!). So, it is a good basis for a pattern, but I was underwhelmed and even annoyed, ultimately. If I buy a pattern, I expect it to perform like the photo or I feel tricked.
And if you are wondering about my absence this week, I made a really quick trip to the BIG big city, Boston, for a fancy event, wearing these shoes. So as a result, the flow of things around here is pretty compressed, as my graduation and end of semester wind up next week. I have lots of loose ends to tie up and am praying that everyone stays well and healthy and goes to school next week as they are supposed to so I can do what needs doing (and what didn't get done this week!). Schoolwork, then housecleaning.

There were lovely blooming flowers
and two very un-shy little sparrows, mating brazenly just off the side-walk from us, something I had never seen in wild birds. Sorry, no pictures, that just felt like too much of a violation since I am not a bird pornographer.

6 comments:

  1. Hi, I have been sewing a LOT lately and it has been a great time to let my lovely dial-up connection load while I stitch. Re: your post, AJ, like that: read this: http://ingriddijkers.blogspot.com/2009/03/acrobat-journal-pages.html Oh! Yum!
    R

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  2. those shoes are so adorable.

    meep about your shawl. could be good for arthritic shoulders when you get older though.

    lovely spring photos. I could show you some of drizzly cold grey days.

    ornithopornography? I'm sure there's someone, somewhere who's into it.

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  3. sometimes with bird pornography a few words say more than a photo ever could

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  4. I love your sense of humor, one of the many wonderful things about you. And CONGRATS on graduation and the end of semester. Exciting, magical Spring days!

    XO,
    Ana

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  5. I. love. those. shoes.
    And frankly I'm disgusted at the lewd behaviour shown by birds these days. I'm sure they didn't do that when I was a lass in pigtails.

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  6. Bummer about the shawl! I feel your pain...

    Bston is sooo pretty this time of year... I hope you had a nice trip!

    XO,

    Rhea

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