Creative Projects of August: Knitting, Ink Painting Class and Pen Show prep

Posted on by Julia

Here it is another month already! That means it’s time for a Creative Project Progress Report. I’ll update progress on my July projects and talk about what I am working on for August.

The Big Finish: Na Craga Cabled Sweater

I had one great big finish in July: my “Na Craga” sweater, designed by Alice Starmore and knit in West Yorkshire Spinners Fleece yarn has been fully knit, washed and blocked, seamed together and ends woven in. Whew! It turned out great and I am going to love wearing it. If you’d like a deeper dive on my experience making this piece, I’ve got a 16 minute wrap-up video over on my YouTube channel:

In Progress and Extra Credit

The Patchwork pillow cases are still in progress. I finished the embroidery on them, and now they are waiting for me to finish the sewing together part. They may be waiting for a while more, if I am being honest.

Coming up in little over a week as I write this is the SF Pen Show! I will be teaching my Inkwash Workshop and Method to Madness classes again, and this means prepping and painting and posting. I had two Plein Air (outdoor)  painting days with my art group, and I am happy with the pieces I made. They have a lightness to them that I don’t always get when I use opaque media.

Patch work printed fabric with images of birds, bees, plants and flowers, with some details picked out in floss embroidery.
Two unfinished pillow cases that will “Bee” a delight to have on my sofa!
Watercolor and tinted ink painting of a pond with ducks in a residential neighborhood. The main focal point are two trees on the shoreline, with large clumps of reeds.
Watercolor and tinted sumi ink portrait of trees on the Westlake pond shore. Ducks and coots in the scene as well!
Sumi ink wash painting of boats in the harbor. Details of water reflection and movement are shown as well as eucalyptus leaves in the foreground.
Boats in the harbor, sumi ink painting with vermilion pencil layout sketch visible.

New Projects

Well, really it’s just one new project, which is that I am knitting a pair of black lace socks (I know) to complete my “me made” choir concert outfit! Yes, I am using special lighting to see the stitches.

For this pair, I decided to use my favorite toe-up heel flap ‘n’ gusset recipe, and adapted a lace stitch called “Ears of Grass” to fit in my stitch count. I am all set to finish before the pen show, which is my big summer Milestone Event.

Black lace sock foot in progress, top view of instep.
Sock foot in progress with “ears of grass” lace pattern emerging.

 

Summary and Conclusion

So that’s what I’ve got for August creative projects! What are you working on?