Knit Flix

HMF

It's Stay-At-Home Hand Made Friday! What hand made pieces did you wear today? AQI is over 170 today, so I'm back to wearing 2 masks when going out. The top mask is a hand made fabric mask and the bottom mask is a N95 mask from Vogmask.

Stay safe and wear your mask(s)!

Labels: California, hand made Friday, sewing

HMF

It's Stay-At-Home Hand Made Friday! What hand made pieces did you wear today? The air quality is terrible here. We have smoke and ash raining down on us from fires in CA and OR so when I went out, I had to wear 2 masks. The top mask is a hand made fabric mask and the bottom mask is a N95 mask from Vogmask.

Labels: California, hand made Friday, sewing

HMF

It's Stay-At-Home, California-Is-On-Fire, Terrible-Air-Quality, Heat Wave, Hand Made Friday. What hand made pieces are you wearing today?

Labels: Beadlemania, California, hand made Friday, necklace, stamped metal

HMF

It's Stay-At-Home Hand Made Friday! What hand made pieces are you wearing today?

This is my favorite mask pattern, the Hybrid Cloth Mask from Iris Luckhaus. It is similar to another mask pattern that I like a lot, the 3 Piece Mask from Shannie Makes, but it's much easier to make. Outfitted with a metal nosepiece, this mask stays put and doesn't slip down when you talk.

Labels: California, hand made Friday, sewing

HMF

Patience was at a premium today. Just going to the grocery store to buy a few things and then to Starbucks to pick up a free drink took over an hour.

This is how I looked while I waited (and waited) in a hand made mask and knitted brow.

But on the bright side, we took a walk this morning to see the view from Mission Peak Trail.

Labels: California, hand made Friday, sewing

Stay-At-Home HMF

We're on the 11th day of the Stay-At-Home* Order. It hasn't even been 2 weeks but it seems like 2 months.

I'm working full time from home which was challenging in the beginning, but it's fine now. We're adjusting to being at home and only going out for essentials. In the beginning I was worried about feeling cooped up. But just yesterday I had to go to the pharmacy and the grocery store and being out in the world was very stressful. I had a N95 mask firmly in place and slathered hand sanitizer on when I got back in my car, but my mind kept telling me to go home, go home.

My Hand Made Friday is a fabric mask I made using this pattern. There is a nationwide movement to make masks because there is a shortage of the N95 masks that are needed to protect against the virus. Many of the N95 masks are meant to be used once and then discarded. Unfortunately, the shortage is forcing people to use their mask--if they are fortunate enough to have a mask--multiple times which puts them at risk. The washable fabric masks are not rated N95 and therefore are not as protective against the virus, but some people are wearing these over their N95 masks to extend the life of their masks, or are choosing to wear them by themselves with the thought that any type of barrier is better than nothing. What is most important is the wearer must understand and recognize the limitations of a fabric mask.

Oh, and I'm also wearing Jasper Herringbone earrings.

Be well.

* The Shelter-In-Place order was changed to a Stay-At-Home order because Shelter-In-Place is what they teach kids to do when there's an active shooter. What a world we live in, huh?

Labels: Beadlemania, beads, California, copper, coronavirus, earrings, hand made Friday, jewelry, sewing

HMF

It's another stressful Friday--this week we're dealing with the worst air quality on the planet due to wildfires. No doubt that link will be broken in the near future, so here's an excerpt:

The air quality index in Sacramento is currently at 316. That’s hazardous. Breathing in that air for a day is roughly equivalent to smoking 14 cigarettes.

A much greater swath of Northern California has “unhealthy” or “very unhealthy” air, meaning everyone in the air may feel some effects of pollution. This area includes the densely populated San Francisco Bay region.

Even with that, we're the fortunate ones because we haven't lost our lives, our loved ones, our homes, or our belongings. It's heartbreaking. Meanwhile we're staying inside as much as possible and wearing face masks if we need to go outside. A shift in wind direction and/or rain can't come soon enough.

Labels: Beadlemania, California, hand made Friday, necklace, pendant, stamped metal

Ready, Set, Knit!

An amazing thing happened last week--I was interviewed by Kathy Elkins on the Ready, Set, Knit podcast!

How did this happen? When I received the state fair results, I dropped Kathy a line to let her know that both pieces were done in the WEBS brand, Valley Yarns. That's when she asked if I could come on the podcast. Eek. Scary. I was excited, flattered, and apprehensive. But I could do it, I could talk about knitting, right?

Lady's Circular Cape in shell pattern, Victorian Lace Today, Jane Sowerby

2017 1st Place & Best in Division
Project Details on Ravelry

2017 4th Place
Project Details on Ravelry

We agreed on a date and then I did some homework--on myself. That might sound strange, but I've been sending entries to Sacramento for years and I've been knitting since I was quite young. There are over 200 projects on my Ravelry page so I thought it would be best if I reviewed my knitting history.

I rediscovered the other Valley Yarns projects that placed at the fair in 2014:

Mixed Tide Shawl - original design

Mixed Tide shawl
Project Details on Ravelry

Honorable Mention, Division: Knitting,
Class: Knitted Wearing Apparel
Judge's Comments: Good color choice for a "tide" pattern. Better blocking would "show off" pattern more clearly. Well done for a challenging technique.

Crackle Sac

Crackle Sac
Project Details on Ravelry

2nd Place, Division: Other Fiber Art,
Class: Any Other Fiber Art
Workmanship: 20
Level of Difficulty: 19
Design: 19
Appropriate Pattern or Technique: 19
Creative use of materials or fabric: 18
Judge's Comments: Very good job! Weaving, making bag, matching pattern on seams! Well done.

When recording day came, I found a quiet spot in the house with the best cell reception, which can be iffy at best. Thankfully the phone showed 2 bars that morning. The call from Kathy came, she reviewed the process, and then I listened to her and Steve talk for a few minutes before my segment. I want to say that I waited patiently, but "patiently" doesn't describe the mass of butterflies that I swallowed with my morning coffee. Maybe I shouldn't have had so much caffeine, huh? Ya think?

Then it was my turn. [Deep breath] I did my best to slow down, listen, and think about what I was going to say before words started spewing forth. I was super nervous, but Kathy was a champ and guided me through the interview like the pro she is. Now when I listen to the podcast, I wish I didn't say "um" so many times. I wasn't even aware of it. Oh and there was the slip when I said I started the shawl in 2006 instead of 2016. Thankfully Kathy corrected that. Nerves. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with the end product.

I still can't believe that I was a guest on RSK!

Here's a link to the web site where you can hear "Ready, Set, Knit! Show 491: Kathy Talks With Janice Kang"

Ready, Set, Knit! Show 491: Kathy Talks With Janice Kang

Labels: California, California State Fair, friends, podcast, shawl, Stitch 'n Bitch, weaving

State Fair Results

Happy Dance!

The Lady's Circular Cape in Shell Pattern got 1st Place and Best of Division!! The division is "Knitting", so yeah, it was judged best of all knitted things. :D

Judges comments:

Wow! This is a beautiful shawl, and knitted beautifully. Well done.

You might remember the story about this project, it's the one where I played yarn-chicken and won.

Here it is modeled by Diana and styled by Rick at this year's Stitches West. The yarn is Valley Yarns Colrain Lace from WEBS.

The Must Have Cardigan got 4th place, so it will be shown as well. Hey, it's in Valley Yarns Northampton from WEBS. How about that?

Judges comments:

Beautiful soft sweater. Perfect ribbing - nice touch with different buttons.

They'll be on display next month.

July 14-30
California State Fair
1600 Exposition Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95815

I'M BACK, BABY!!

Labels: cables, California, California State Fair, cardigan, lace, Merino, shawl, sweater, Tencel, wool

It's Stitches West 2017!

Stitches West starts today and I'm just now printing out the market map. Yeah, I'm not ready for this. Usually by now I have the map marked with the vendors I need to see and have a list of must-buys. Not so this year. I have a few plans--working registration on Friday and Barry Klein's "It's a Swing Thing" class on Saturday--but other than that I'm going for the fun of it.

Here are links to Erin's map to help you navigate the market floor and a discount coupon:

Erin's Stitches West Market Map - 2 page version for printing
Erin's Stitches West Market Map -Single page for tablets
Stitches West 2017 Discount Coupon, $3 off Market Admission

Stitches West
Santa Clara Convention Center
Hyatt Regency Hotel
Santa Clara, CA
Feb 23-26, 2017

Labels: California, class, Stitches West, yarn

HKF

It's Hand Knit Friday! What hand knits are you wearing today?

Pincha says it all, "Woo hoo, Go Warriors!"

Labels: Blue Moon Fiber Arts, California, hand knit Friday, Knitty, scarf, shawl, Socks That Rock, Stitches West, wool

Actual knitting content! FO: Cal Pincha

Knock me over with a feather, this is an actual post about knitting! As you can probably tell, I haven't been knitting much because other activities--like making and selling jewelry--have divided my interest. I find that it's difficult for me to do more than one thing at a time, so if I'm making jewelry, I'm not knitting, and visa versa.

But then I saw Knitty Spring/Summer 2016 and I knew I had to dust off the needles. I have a few hanks of Socks That Rock yarn languishing in the stash and I thought Pincha would be a great pattern for those variegated colorways. I unearthed the hank of "Heavy Metal" that I bought oh so long ago because it's Cal colors. Go Bears!

I dove in and made Pincha in 6 days, then it took another 6 days for me to block it. lol

Cal Pincha

Day 3

It's finished and I wore it last weekend and it's my April entry in the Stitches West KAL. I'm back in the saddle again.

Labels: Blue Moon Fiber Arts, California, FO, KAL, Knitty, scarf, shawl, Socks That Rock, Stitches West, wool

The Best Day Ever: Part 4: Leather, Fabric, Glass, and more

At the California State Fair, there are many types of pieces that are displayed in the California Crafts exhibit hall. There are sewn garments, toys & dolls, scale models, jewelry, blown glass, leather items, embroidery, and straw art to name a few. Perhaps my favorite piece in the "not fiber arts" categories is this one called "Fused Glass Quilts":

22 - Association of Clay & Glass Artists - Glass, 04 - Most Creative Award, 1st Place, 150 - Other Handcraft, 07 - Glass
Susan McGarry
Fused Glass Quilts

How creative is that? Colorful glass quilts hanging on a clothes line, and a quilt draped in a glass laundry basket. This one was really lovely.

22 - Association of Clay & Glass Artists - Glass, 04 - Most Creative Award, 1st Place, 150 - Other Handcraft, 07 - Glass
Susan McGarry
Fused Glass Quilts

Here are the rest of the photos I took in the California Crafts exhibit. In the next blog post I'll show you some pieces from the Fine Art exhibit, animals (Llama!!), and other fair treats.

Best of Show, Best of Division, 1st Place, 170 - Wearing and Designer Apparel, 02 - Costumes and Formal Wear
Sherry Werum

2nd Place, 170 - Wearing and Designer Apparel, 02 - Costumes and Formal Wear
Dyana Martin Byberg
1875 Silk Wedding Dress

1st Place, 150 - Other Handcraft, 04 - Leather
Deanna Owen
Leather Cuckoo Clock

3rd Place, 150 - Other Handcraft, 04 - Leather
Deanna Owen
Set of Two, Rose Bag & Wallet

1st Place, 140 - Wood Art, 02 - Wood Turning
Clair Daugherty
3D Salad Bowl

13 - Tandy Leather Factory Award, Honorable Mention, 150 - Other Handcraft, 04 - Leather
J. J. Jackson
Embossed Leather Purse

3rd Place, 150 - Other Handcraft, 05 - Scale Models
Bill Reese
Dayton Washington Train Depot

1st Place, 150 - Other Handcraft, 02 - Dolls & Toys
Nancy Husted
Ms Haight~AshBEARy

2nd Place, 170 - Wearing and Designer Apparel, 03 - Wearable Art
Tonja McCarthy

2nd Place, 180 - Embroidery & Counted Cross Stitch, 03 - Cross Stitch, framed
Gail Moore
Andrea Pilkay Graduation

3rd Place, 170 - Wearing and Designer Apparel, 02 - Costumes and Formal Wear
Wendy Frazier

1st Place, 150 - Other Handcraft, 05 - Scale Models
Matthew Mason
Full Working Steam Locomotive

2nd Place, 150 - Other Handcraft, 05 - Scale Models
Bradley Stewart
Uptown: The walkable high-rise

1st Place, 110 - Straw Art, 04 - Any Other Type of Straw Art
Christine Swanson
Cabernet Cluster

2nd Place, 223 - Special Contest Upcycle Fashion, 01 - Garments
Kathy Orsburn
Kiss the Cook Apron

1st Place, 150 - Other Handcraft, 06 - Porcelain Painting
Marna Parks
Anticipation

2nd Place, 180 - Embroidery & Counted Cross Stitch, 01 - Traditional Embroidery, framed
Lori Love
Jacobean Crewel

1st Place, 223 - Special Contest Upcycle Fashion
Dakota Sedger
Nike Triple B Skate/Snow Shirt

Honorable Mention, 105 - Jewelry & Bead Art, 03 - Bead Weaving
Gabrielle Acevedo
Witch Tapestry

Best of Division, 1st Place, 185 - Needlepoint and Other Counted Techniques, 01 - Needlepoint, framed or unframed
Michelle Rey
Blue Moon Kimono

Labels: art, California, California State Fair, sewing

The Best Day Ever - Part 3: Quilts

There are beautiful quilts shown at the California State Fair every year. They're hanging everywhere in the exhibit hall, and some are closer to the observers' eyes than others.

Many of the quilts look like what you'd expect in pieced or appliqued quilts. However, there was one piece that my brain wasn't able to figure out, even after getting as close as I could and really trying to understand it from a fabric and thread perspective. It is called Threads of Time.

1st Place, 195 - Small Quilts, 03 - Other or Special Technique Quilts
Lori Wisheropp
Threads of Time

The rings are machine stitched, but the cracks still baffle me. What a wonderful piece of work. Click on the image to see a larger version.

1st Place, 195 - Small Quilts, 03 - Other or Special Technique Quilts
Lori Wisheropp
Threads of Time

Here are the rest of the beautiful quilts that I captured this year.