Burnley Colors

I'm thinking that these two colors come closest to the home colors of the Burnley Football Club.
Claret: (A)    or perhaps (B) ?

Blue:


These are based on the colors shown on Wikipedia:

"Extended Fan" Scarf

Notice how the sequins glitter but are not overdone?

Closeup of the sequins on the Schmaltz yarn

I really like this one.like this scarf and the pattern used. Same yarns as before. Also about 6 feet in length. I used a sweater pattern and made about 15 fans. Circled around and repeated it all on the other side of the foundation chain.

Snaky Scarf

As promised, here's the first scarf, using the yarns mentioned in my previous post: Schmaltz and Caracara.

This scarf is based on the "Lacy Lapghan" pattern created by Sandi Marshall at About Crochet (http://crochet.about.com/library/weekly/aa062098.htm). When I saw it, it struck me that it would look very nice in a much airier pattern. I held a strand of each yarn together and used an enormous  (N) hook. Because of the scarf's narrowness, it worked up very quickly -- 20 rows to the end. I added a final row of 2dc, sk 2 st, 6 dc, sk 2 st (twice), 2 dc to make it fan out a bit. Turned it around and repeated the scarf from the other end of the foundation chain. When blocked, it stretched out quite nicely and has loads of drape. Not much stitch definition, but an overall pleasing pattern. Now, who's going to get this scarf?

Close-up of one end. See the bling?

Over six feet!

Hooked Again

I've been frantically crocheting scarves that will be Christmas presents this year; will post pix shortly. I discovered that the store Tuesday Morning sells discounted yarn, so have done quite a bit of shopping there in the last month or so. I found the most delightful yarn, Knitting Fever Schmaltz Yarn (http://www.paradisefibers.com/knitting-fever-schmaltz-yarn.html) that is nearly 300 yards of polyester with sequins. (Delightful in one sense -- lots of bling; terrible to work with, though, as it's so slippery that it slides off the surface. I couldn't find an interior end to pull so have ended up with many knots and tangles. I eventually found a way to tame it, and it's definitely worth using, but needs lots of patience to work with.)


Schmaltz knits up very nicely with other yarns that I'm using--Queensland Caracara (http://www.yarn.com/product/queensland-collection-caracara-yarn/) that's a very fine blend of acrylic, nylon, and mohair.

Purple bowls?

A colleague likes purple, so I made these "bowls" for her. Needless to say, I started them some time ago (at least it was this year!), and finished them up last night. I used a pretty basic pattern for the base and sides.  The relative sizes show up much better in the top photo; the purple bowl is really not as big as it looks in the bottom photo.

To make the big bowl a bit sturdier (and also to link all three together), I crocheted the sides using both light and dark purple yarns together. I like! I hope she does, too. 

My clapochet -- just in time for fall

I can't believe that it's already nearly mid-November. Where has the time gone? I finally finished this clapochet last night, having begun it in (ahem) December 2011!! It feels and looks really nice. I'll post information on Ravelry eventually, but here are some key facts: Yarn: Paton's lace "Midas" (85g, 498 yards, and I used almost the entire skein); Hook: Boye F (5 mm), crocheted very loosely; pattern from Crochet Kitten at http://crochetkitten.blogspot.com/2009/02/clapochet.html . I made a few changes and corrections to the pattern, but otherwise went with the treble crochet on the diagonal. I love this!

Displaying my art at work

A colleague suggested an art show at work where interested people could display up to three examples of their work. Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity to think about what art, in its many forms, means to me. Unfortunately, readers of this blog won't be able to see the entire gallery since it's on our institutional wiki site, but my work and my statements aren't copyrighted, so here they are.

About the Artist 

Like most other people, I took art classes in school, but for several years my main interest was photography (I loved my old Pentax K1000). Although nowadays I explore the creativity possible with digital photography and software, I find myself increasingly using my shots as reference photos for other forms of two-dimensional art. My foray into other forms of art began many years ago with pastels, followed by watercolor, which was my main interest for about 15 years. In 2008, a class in watercolor pencil led to a growing interest in this medium, and ultimately explorations in colored pencil. While I miss the looseness, fluidity, and unpredictability of watercolor, I enjoy and benefit from the precision and tightness possible with pencils (watercolor, dry, or graphite) and find them a valuable balance for other elements in my life.

Quite by chance, I picked up a crochet needle in 2007 for the first time in umpteen years, and now often relax with the soothing and rhythmic process of making "things". What I especially love about it is the ease with which I can modify a pattern, or simply experiment with a needle and yarn. I have been "hooked" on Tunisian crochet since about the same time as well, fascinated by the way that crochet stitches can create a variety of looks; I am currently exploring ways to "weave" and blend colors. This is probably the only medium in which I create abstract objects.

My introduction to book arts came in 1997 when I worked at Whitman College, with a week-long class taught by Gary Frost, and I haven't looked at a book in the same way since. What a marvellous technology the simple codex is! I was fortunate enough to take a workshop on Coptic bindings with Lisa Heller, created many books for friends, and ended up teaching the Coptic-binding section of the book arts Spring semester course during my last three years at Whitman. I use primarily one needle but intend eventually to develop expertise using two needles.

Dee's works on display

Coptic sewing -- a model

This was a model that I used when teaching to demonstrate how easy it is to add interest to a binding.

Materials used: Linen weave paper (resume), Davey board, Italian paper for cover and endpapers, embroidery floss.

Sun, grass, sea

Here is an example of what I call the "woven" technique in Tunisian crochet. This began as an experiment to create a subtle rainbow, but like so much else, it evolved into something quite different, hence the haiku. Although it is unusual to flatten yarn behind glass, I believe that this enhances it by reducing its three-dimensional nature.

Planet Earth Haiku

Brightly burning sun

Grass that is lush, green, and long

Cool waters below

Materials used: Embroidery floss.

Boats by moonlight

This colored-pencil painting on colored paper is based on a photograph that I took a few years ago in Barbados. The watercolorist in me is still amazed at the idea of adding rather than saving the white.

Materials used: Colored paper, colored pencils.