knitting

Art and Knitting

January 21, 2020 at 8:38 am by Claudia

Some more artwork for you today. As always, there’s a story behind everything.

This grouping is hanging above the sofa in the den. I got “Please put book back after using” from Milne Antiques a couple of years ago. Since this area of the wall is between two sections of bookshelves and since I’m a passionate reader, it seemed appropriate. It came from a library in New Hampshire. Plus, we love graphics around this house.

The large print hanging below it is one of my favorites. The frame is wood, carved in scallops. You can’t see it, but the outside edges of each scallop are a beautiful soft green. It’s very, very heavy. The story: Many years ago, I was at an auction with my friend Heidi. I spotted this piece and knew I wanted it. This particular auctioneer was slow as molasses and I waited and waited until it was close to midnight. It never came up for auction. I couldn’t believe it when he said he was going to stop for the night. The audible and negative response from the crowd made him ask if there was anything in particular anyone wanted. I raised my hand and pointed to the framed print. He asked me for a bid. I said $15.00. He said “Sold!” And that’s how I got this. A steal. Every once in a while I think of adding shelves on this section of the wall, but frankly, I would miss this print and its whimsical frame too much!

Never easy to photograph, this piece lives above the picture window in the den. It’s about 4 feet wide and mounted on wood. I spotted it in a photo on Vignette’s website several years ago. (My favorite little shop in San Diego.) I fell for it because it was so charming. It was a method of keyboard training for piano students. There are little hooks on the white keys. Lori packaged it up for me, sent it across the country, and for a long while it lived above the piano until we purchased the lithograph that lives there now. I knew that this space between the window and the ceiling would be perfect and we’ve started to collect antique keys to hang from the hooks.

There’s more in the den but we’ll get to that another day.

Some of you may have seen this on Instagram. Yesterday when I was looking for something to wear – it’s SO cold out there – I went to a basket I keep in our tiny closet and dug through it. I found this sweater that I knitted about 13 years ago. I had completely forgotten about it. Since it’s cut to be oversized and slouchy, it still fit.

It was like getting a new sweater! It’s so comfortable! I’ve not knit in a while because my frantic crocheting for the Etsy shop a few years back screwed up my wrists. The last thing I knit was about 3 years ago and it was a little project.

These bunny egg cup cozies. I adore them. They’re based on a pattern from Little Cotton Rabbits (I think that’s the name) on Etsy.

Okay. I have to go. It’s grocery shopping morning.

Happy Tuesday.

Beatrice and Barnaby

May 7, 2017 at 9:23 am by Claudia

A rainy day view of the large garden bed from our bedroom upstairs. As you can see, none of the barrels or pots have been planted. That is partly due to the endless rain, but also because for the next three nights, it’s going down to the thirties, so I don’t want to shock any new plants. As it is, I’ll have to bring in the porch plants (only a few – the ones I overwintered) each night.

What a strange spring it has been. Last night we had a big thunderstorm with pounding rain. This morning, when I woke up, it was still raining. But I think it’s stopped now. I so want to visit a nursery, but if I buy anything, I’d have to keep it inside. We don’t have a garage where we can stash the plants. But I might visit the nursery closest to us today.

Just to look.

Cough.

There’s a new member of the family at Mockingbird Hill Cottage:

Say hello to Barnaby. Yes, I know that I named the other bunny egg cozy Barnaby but when you see the two of them together, you will understand, as I did, that the other bunny is female.

Beatrice and Barnaby. Mother and son.

You will now get different views because, like all little magical animals, their expressions seem to change depending on the angle. A case in point: Monty the Cow.

Barnaby likes to hold his mother’s hand.

Will I make another? As of last night…no. As of this morning…maybe. I made little mistakes in the sewing up that I’d like to correct, though I’m getting better at it. We’ll see.

A good way to occupy my time while it rained and rained and rained.

Happy Sunday.

Keeping the Egg Cozy

April 19, 2017 at 9:18 am by Claudia

After nearly throwing in the towel yesterday, I finished the egg cozy. There was a period where I thought I had done something wrong when I was knitting the head, but I knew I had followed the instructions exactly. I stuffed it with polyfill. Then I’d pull out some of the polyfill. Then I’d try and shape it. It was driving me nuts.

Finally, this morning, I stared at it again and thought: What the heck? See what happens.

And here we are.

His eyes remind me of Monty the Cow’s eyes. Sort of wide-eyed and innocent.

I really have no egg cups that are a solid color, at least none that would fit this cozy, so I turned one of the Prague egg cups around. That works.

The Brits talk about “wadding” – whether it’s to stuff a little animal like this or a layer in a quilt. I used polyfill, which proved to be frustrating because it automatically fills the space and doesn’t allow for a lot of shaping. I think I would like to try something different next time. British readers: what do you recommend?

As it was, I pulled some of the polyfill out this morning and did my best to shape the head like the one in the pattern. But it’s different.

I choose to think of it as ‘unique.’

When I finished it, I immediately had the thought: That’s that. I’ve done it. No more.

But upon reflection, the second time would be easier, right? So I may try it again – this time with a striped sweater. Since I had done absolutely no knitting for at least 8 or 9 years, I thought I’d go with a solid color on my first try.

Name? Because you know I have to name everything. Suggestions are welcome. Also, I keep saying ‘he’ because that’s my immediate reaction. But is he a ‘he?’

I went shoe shopping yesterday. Don’t ask. Very frustrating. I need very comfortable shoes and I need to try them out on site. That eliminates ordering on the internet. I need arch support. One foot is slightly larger than the other. And on and on. I do have some shoes on hand, but I wanted something a bit more elegant. I’ll go out again – maybe tomorrow. But if I don’t find something tomorrow, I will go with what I have.

The state of the coffee table. This was taken just after I had finished a piece of apple pie. By the way, the magazine you see – Living the Country Life? Expensive, for one. And after I had read at least two articles that featured country folk who kill their livestock; in these cases, lambs and cows, I tossed it.

No can do.

The photography is beautiful and it’s nicely done…but I can’t go there.

Today? Maybe a bit more yard work. Maybe a bit more mowing. And recycling, because I didn’t do it last week as I had promised.

Toss out any suggestions you have as to a name for the bunny.

Oh, just learned this bit of news: My friend, who is the Artistic Director of a regional theater on the West Coast and is of Asian descent just said that someone called the box office and asked if he was a U.S. citizen. What have we become?

For the record he was born and raised in West Virginia.

Happy Wednesday.

Art and Knitting

Beatrice and Barnaby

Keeping the Egg Cozy

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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