Forget-Me-Nots

It's spring, thankfully. I'll take this opportunity to share some felted wool Forget-Me-Nots. They are all made from my typical fiber of choice - felted wool made by repeatedly washing, and shrinking, wool sweaters. Stitched with Persian wool thread and adorned with vintage and antique buttons.

Forget-Me-Nots Nine-Patch 2002, 13" x 13" plus framing (frame not shown)

This one is more colorful than the others, even though the background squares are grey. The tweedy ones are from a coat that belonged to my mother. This piece was purchased by someone whose house ended up being featured in a magazine. I was so excited to see if it would show up in one of the photos. Well, it did. If you look real close, and if you know exactly what you're looking for, and if you use a magnifying glass, you will see a part of it, behind a lamp, at the edge of the picture.


Detail



Pinkeep, about 2.5" across

I love making pinkeeps - this one unfolds into two attached wool circles for keeping pins and needles. I just had to "steal" one of the forget-me-not circles to make it into a pinkeep.

Forget-Me-Nots 2004, 20.5" x 23.5" (27" x 29.5" framed).

I worked on this one for years. It went through many changes before I felt satisfied with it. In addition to wool from sweaters, this one also contains some felt that my daughter and I made from fleece (the yellow pieces). Lots of the blues are from an old blanket, given to me by a friend. The blanket had originally been a paper-maker's felt, used in his grandfather's business. When it wore out, it was cut down and made into blankets which were used by the family. I am particularly pleased with the colors in the background squares and the way they change. There is a nice flow to it, which I worked very hard to achieve.


Lost and Found




I've been wondering if I'd ever see this "jingle belt" again. I bought it in 1980, in Los Gatos, California, where we lived at the time. I recall it was a big decision, because it wasn't inexpensive, but Doug encouraged me to go ahead and buy it. I used to love wearing it, draped just below my waist. Now I'd love to have a waist.

Family Portrait


UPDATE: I should make note of the fact that this gorgeous work of art is Five Feet across!!! Big!

Fifth grade art project by Adeline. Left to right, front row: Cupcake, Beezer, Emma, Hammy (the little striped hamster, partially hidden by lampshade), Sadie. Back row: Doug, Adeline, Morna. I am posting this because some of my cyber friends wonder why I never post a picture of myself. So, now you have a picture of me. :)

Playing with wire

After seeing the Anatsui and Calder shows at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I just had to get my hands on some metal. I was also motivated by the fact that I joined a blog challenge called PedalToTheMettle and, so far, I've been terribly non-participatory.

For a long time, I have thought about trying to make I-cord with wire. I-cord, for those of you who do not knit, is a piece of tubular knitting. It is very easy to make, thus the name which stands for Idiot-cord. Perhaps as a child, you had a "Knitting Nancy" - a little round wooden thingy, often red and painted to look like a girl, with nails stuck around the top. It was used to make I-cord. I have something similar; it's just way bigger, and heavier (made of some sort of steel), and it is operated with a crank. I use it to make the I-cord that often frames my fiber work.

So, I tried using my I-cord maker with wire. At first things went swimmingly, and I did get a nice length of tubular knitted wire. I assume it must be similar to Viking knit. Soon enough, things got sticky and I ended up with a wire mess. I like the cord I have, so I'll probably experiment some more. I know that I can pull this wire through a draw board (I think that's what it is called) and it will get better and better. I've already done some pulling and it has improved considerably, as well as gotten longer. A draw board is just a board with holes in it -- of different sizes. You pull the item through, progressing to smaller and smaller holes.

So, there you have it: my experiment with metal. Now, back to the green and yellow bracelet I was working on, except I think I'm going to make it into a necklace instead.

Oh - if you're are interested in playing with metal, using fiber techniques, then go visit Karen Cole's blog, as well as Deryn Mentock's jewelry challenge, which is based on Mary Hettmansperger's fabulous book Wrap, Stitch, Fold and Rivet.