Waltzing Knitilda

Crocheted metallica

People regularly ask me, "So, what kind of art do you do?" A small sample follows.

Abstract. Wire. Floating in space or pinned to the wall, where shadows then also become part of the work. Like this one. Which is small. Only a few inches across.  Entitled It Doesn't Matter Where You've Been.

Crocheted.

And my painting's abstract too.

Here's a link to some images.

These are some of the pieces in the exhibition last year at Haven Arts Center.

This is a very large painting. The title is Though Nothing Can Bring Back the Hour. All you English majors will know where the title came from.

The photo is quite a bit bluer than the real thing, but you can get the sense of it anyway. In real life it has less of a magenta tone, a bit more of a grey tone, but a clear blue all the same. It's about 5 feet by 5 feet.

Actually the paintings came first. Then I wanted the strands in the paintings to pop out. In a supreme duh moment, I realized I could just lose the background and crochet and twist and form wire.

And that led to the rest. Though I did this painting after I began with the wire sculptures.  It works for me to go back and forth sometimes.

AWOL

Another week, another funeral.  Out of town. This time my best friend's mother.  Sigh. All I'm going to say about it is the best quote I heard all week was, "Guns don't kill people, religion does."  Sums it up.

And... yesterday was my blogiversary.  So happy bday to this blog.  Lots o' visitors, more than I would have expected (nearly 30,000!).  About 156 posts. Not bad. It's been really fun. Nana is probably smiling about it.

More of what I've been up to later this week.  With pix.

So, thanks guys for sharing the ride with me.  Clink. Looking forward to another year.

And, Syl, we'll miss you.  So have fun wherever you are. You raised a great daughter and I'll never forget how much fun we all had around the kitchen over holidays. Thanks.

Parlez-vous Phildar?

Tout le monde tricotant connais a les laines Phildar. Et maintenant, tous nous qui aiment les fils Phildar du nord Amerique peuvent acheter les en ligne.  En fin. Cliquez ici. C'est beaucoup moins cher que voyager a France ou Belgique pour y acheter.  Mais, peut-etre on peut trouver un autre raison pour visiter la belle France. Et Belgique bien sur. Ce n'est pas dificile je crois.

Todo el mundo, pues el mundo que sabe de tejer con dos agujas por lo menos, conoce a las lanas de Phildar.  Mira.  Ya se los puede comprar directamente de su sitio de web.  Aqui'.  Para nosotros norteamericanos es buenas noticias, porque hasta ahora casi la unica manera de comprarlas era de viajar a Francia o Belgia.  Ahora tenemos que buscar otra razon para visitar a Francia y Belgia.  No va a ser tan dificil.

Everyone knows Phildar, at least those of us obsessed with knitting.  We in North America have had a tough time getting their yarns unless we flew over to France or Belgium and hit their stores. Finally finally finally you can buy their yarns and magazines online direct from them.  Here.  I think their yarns are good value as well as having some fun colors that are hard to find in other lines.  When they're on sale they're a really good deal.  And I do like their pattern books.  The site is in French so if you've forgotten what you learned in high school make use of one of those online translators like yahoo or google. In the meantime you'll have to find another reason to visit France. And Belgium. Yah. That'll be tough.

Crochet a Chair? Silla en ganchillo?

Furreal.  Here it is. 

This clever UK designer has come up with a crocheted chair.  He even made a little film about how he did it.

Cool, huh?

Esta silla es hecho de ganchillo.  Por un disen~ador ingles.  Aqui' se puede ver mas sobre la silla, incluyendo una pelicula sobre como lo hice.

Mono, no?

Don't Feel Like It... No Siento Como Para...

I still don't feel like writing here.  Obviously.  This is weird.  It's the effect of funerals, services and anticipated funerals and services. 

So, instead I'll give you a mini-roundup of some useful links.

Wanna know how to make nupps without cussing and breaking your needles?

Here.  Steph had a contest, and she got a winner of a painless way to make nupps or bobbles.  I will use this method fersure.

Urraca in Madrid has set up this great site.  It is the new online site for Tertulia Madrilen~a de Punto, which is the Madrid knitters' group.  I love them.  Lerve them.  The site will be sort of a one-stop shopping for Spanish-speaking knitters.  They also have a forum, so you can pick up tips and tricks for your knitting and practice your Spanish all in one go.  Urraca rocks.

And lookee here.  Eva Maria Torres's blog has some nifty Spanish stitch patterns.  She's charted them as well, so you don't need to know Spanish to play with them.

Till the next time...Ciao.

Es claro que no siento como para escribir ahora.  Muchas misas para los muertos, bien tristes estan algunos de nuestros amigos.

Pero mientrastanto, aqui' esta'n unos sitios para entretener tejedores.

Steph de Canada tuvo un concurso para encontrar la mejor manera para hacer esas bolitas que en ingle's se llama "nupps" o "bobbles".  Alguien le mando' una manera muy sencilla y elegante.  Se hace un punto como normal, pero despue's se lo mete otra vez en la aguja izquierda.  Escoge el punto siguiente, y paselo arriba del punto que ya tejiste.  Si quieres una bolita espesa, sigue pasando lazadas sobre el primer punto, por ejemplo como 3. Por la ultima etapa, haga un punto otra vez en el primer punto, y sigue tejiendo. Hala un poco al estambre para que la bolita quede mas como bolita. Se puede hacer al frente o al reves.  Para las instrucciones completas en ingles, haga un clic aqui'.

Si todavi'a no has visitado al nuevo sitio de la Tertulia madrilen~a de punto, pues, ya es tiempo para ir.  Iberica de Punto. Urraca ha hecho un sitio que va desarrollando y va a ser tremendo para encontrar patrones y trucos y mas.  Tambien hay un foro para el intercambio de preguntas, ideas y proyectos.  Brava y bravisima a Urraca.  Que trabajo bien hecho.

Finalmente, este blog de Eva Maria Torres tiene patrones de puntos espan~oles.  A mi me encanta encontrar nuevas puntadas como estas.  Tan divertido a experimentar y hacer muestras para descubrir que va a salir.

Hasta mas tarde... ciao.

Hurt... Dan~o

This Christmas my brother and sister-in-law got me one of my favorite gifts ever -- the last CDs Johnny Cash made. The American Recordings series, along with the Christmas album. I have always liked him, really ever since I was a kid and we used to watch him and June Carter Cash and the Carter family singing on their weekly variety show.  We didn't know that it was country, or any other label, and that maybe it would be surprising to anyone that a Latino family in the Chicago area would be so attached to this show.  All we knew was that it was compelling.  I can listen to some of his songs over and over again, marveling at his skill as a songwriter at narratives, at his expression of a song.

This is a long way of saying that I keep listening to the American Recordings IV album, which in my gut I think was his way of saying goodbye to his wife after her death, and perhaps saying goodbye to his own life as it was ending.  When I wondered why I felt drawn to keep listening to it, I realized it's because so many of my dearest friends in the last 2 months have lost the people closest to them.  Everyone from a son, a father, a best friend, and imminently, a mother.  There is nothing I can say to any of my friends to ease the pain.  Just nothing.  I can listen, I can feel for them.  I can even pray. But I can't tell them their loved one is at peace now, is in some better place.  It feels like a cheat, a sop to distract them and deny that they hurt and will never get over such deep loss. Especially when 2 of the people gone are my age.  Words fail.  So I am a witness.

When I am not listening to the album, it's a line in the song Hurt that I hear all the same.  The one that says, "Everyone I know goes away in the end."

I've always known it to be true.  Intellectually.  But that's different from that andiron that is pulling down on my heart and my throat.

Come to think of it, I suppose those words don't fail, but honor the loss.

Dear friends how I wish I could do more for you.

We Have a, er, Winner.... Tenemos Una Ganadora... Pues Si' es Ganadora

We have a winner.

Drum roll.

And the lucky winner of the Lorna's Laces skeins is:

The Lassoing Santa.

Ride 'em cowboy.

I would like to congratulate Ms. T (you know who you are) for this winning entry.

I especially like the decorated cacti.  And the cowboy boots.  An extra special touch is how the rope gets up into the yoke in that graceful sinuous way, enhanced by the lights, and unifying the entire picture plane with that skillful use of the diagonal line.

The Ugliest Xmas Sweater 2005.

May the Lorna's Laces yarn work their magic on you, oh lucky winner.

And a very big thanks to all who entered.  Your photos were inspiring.  Truly. Awe. Full.

Mostly, a very happy new year to all.  Now that we're back I'll catch you up over the next few entries.

Aqui' tenemos El Santa Cowboy sueter.  Este gano' el Ma's Feo Sueter de Navidad por el An~o 2005.  La ganadora, Ms. T, merece bien el premio de la lana de Lorna's Laces.

Es impresionante, no?  A mi' me gusto los cactus todo con decoraciones, y las botas.  Tambien me gusto' como el lazo llego hasta arriba, y el diagonal unifico' visualmente el sueter.  Y ese lazo con luces.  Pero como alguien llego' a inventar este, y a hacerlo, pues, es impresionante.

Mil gracias a todos que mandaron sus fotos.  Eran feisimas buenisimas.

Ahora que regresamos, puedo poner mas noticias en las proximas entradas.  Ojala' que todos pasaron sus celebraciones de Navidad y el an~o nuevo de lo mas bien.

Y mas que nada, deseo que Uds. tendra'n un an~o nuevo lleno de salud, amor y pesetas  dinero.  Como deci'an mis padres y abuelos.

'sta luego.

What I gave for Xmas

At last I can show you my short for me gathering of handknit presents for this holiday season.  I consciously decided not to go crazy with production mode this year.  These ones cracked through the resolution.

First off, I present the scribble lace stole/shawl.  I'm happy and hope my newest sister-in-law likes it too.  She lives in Florida, so I couldn't make her anything really warm or else she'd never wear it.  At her wedding to DH's brother last year, I sneakily asked her what her favorite colors are.  She told me teals and greens. 

She and BIL are on the ocean a lot, and run an aquatic landscaping and design company to boot.  So I wanted to make something with the colors of the Gulf and Caribbean.  DH said it looked like coral under the water, which is just the effect I wanted.  Here it is draped fetchingly over our piano.  It'll look better on her I think.

Next up, we have....

drumroll....

The Irish Hiking wristwarmers.  Free pattern here. These went to my SIL up in Nova Scotia, who runs a fledgling organic and vegan soup company.  She has to stand outdoors at the farmer's market, so I thought something that gave her warmth without interfering with her fingers would be good for her.

Here's a better shot of the yarn.  It is Fleece Artist, fittingly for her also from Nova Scotia.  100% wool, off a cone I bought from there a bit ago.  It was oily and a bit hard to work with, but that was just the spinning oil.  I knew it would bloom beautifully once I washed it.

And did it ever.  Fun pattern, fun yarn.

Final drumroll...

In honor of....

Little Juju.

I know I said I wouldn't make it, but she exerted her pull over me and I was powerless.

It's for a friend to give another friend who is in a particularly nasty courtfight.

She's a glamorous lil juju.  Note the gold lame' touches. I must have twitched when I was sewing up the mouth, because there she is with a sly little grin.

Pattern's from the Anticraft webzine.  Good clear pattern.  It actually was a good way to start thinking about making some gloves, which is something I've thought about doing for awhile but haven't.  Now I won't be put off by them.

May it bring giver and recipient lots of good juju.

And here's hoping your Chanuzaamasstice is grand.

Erp. That's the lechon from last night.

And...

Don't forget -- you can still send your photo of the Ugliest Xmas Sweater to

Knitilda AT verizon DOT net.

Won't that Lorna's Laces feel heavenly around your cold little wintry feetsies?

Enjoy the day.

By the time you read this

By the time you read this I will be in Florida.  South Florida to be exact.

I always find it surreal to see Santa perched amongst the palm trees.  It's the Northerner in me.

We celebrate Christmas.  I am not about to get into religion, except to say that I majored in history and have a profound appreciation for the many wars that have been fought in its name under any number of banners. 

The way we celebrate it is, well, a little religious (mostly for my parents' sakes at this point, and some for the kids).  This means we all schlep over to church with all the other annual attendees on the Big Day.  That's the little.

It's really about food.  Wait, that's supposed to be Thanksgiving, you might say.

When 1/2 of your family is Cuban, it's always about food.  When the other 1/2 of your family is Spanish, it's always about food.  And religion. But food.

So, we will eat a lechon, a roast piglet, prepared in Calle Ocho's Cuban area.  Here's a recipe in English from the BBC of all places that actually looks about right.  Lots of other denizens of former Spanish colonies make it, like the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico and Argentina, as well as the Phillippines. A lot of Cubans use a caja china to make it, though in the country you'd also just roast it on a spit over a fire. If it has a crispy skin you know the cook knows what they're doing.  We order in.

This is served with congri', or black beans and rice cooked together.  And yuca, which I hate because to me it tastes like oily stringy wax so I won't touch the stuff. 

And platanos, which I could eat every day in massive quantities and not tire of.  That's the sweet starchy vegetable that looks like a banana but then you (usually) fry it.  If they're not ripe, they're tostones, and they're a thicker version of those plantain chips you can find in most grocery stores in major urban areas.  If they're sweet, they're even more heavenly, and taste like honey but better.

This is all for Noche Buena, or Christmas Eve, which is the primary evening of gorging celebration.  The next day you go to mass.  And eat leftovers.  After opening the presents.

Dessert?  Courtesy of my English sister-in-law it will be plum pudding.  Yum.

A very happy Chanuzaamasstice to all.  May whatever holiday you celebrate be warm and merry.

And don't forget to send in your snaps of Christmas sweater ugliness for a chance at that Lorna's Laces yarn.  Deadline: December 27.

More uglies for Xmas... Mas cosas feas para Navidad

This is NOT an entry for my Ugliest Xmas Sweater Contest.

However, it won the Chicago Sun-Times contest.

My hometown paper.  Cracks me up.

That's a tree.  With working lights. And real kiddie train cars.

She so deserves the gift certificate to Marshall Field's.

See other entries here by scrolling down and clicking.

Oh yeah.  Her FRIENDS made her this.  Yow.

Mira.  Esta no es una entrada para mi concurso.  Pero ella gano' el concurso del Chicago Sun-Times, el periodico de mi ciudad, adonde yo me crie'.

Ella si' merece el regalo de dinero de la tienda Marshall Field's.

Y eran sus amigas que hicieron este jersey y quien lo dieron.

Si', eso es un arbol. Con luces que funcionan.  Y un tren.

Imaginete.