Snow inpsired art

Dooley took one glance out the door this evening, then looked up at me with the most pitiful look I've ever seen. I had the urge to pick him up and hold him over the toilet so he didn't have to go out in the extremely wet snowy storm we're having right now, but I didn't think my back could take it. So I apologized and shoved him out into it. He's been properly cuddled and comforted and is now snoring peacefully next to me. (He seems to have given up licking the laptop so I'm letting him up next to me again when I use it.)

The weather here right now is really quite annoying. My windshield wiper blade froze to the glass by the time I got out of work and in its effort to free itself of the ice, riped off half the squeegee portion. So I got to watch the little black thing flop wildly all over as I drove home (half of it was still attached and I had to use it). What usually is a twenty minute drive home took me a little over an hour today. Charming.

But there is one good thing to say about this weather. And that's the fact that I hole up on the couch and work on different art projects. Toward the top of the list are my botany quilts. Mostly because I'm making three so I really need to budget time and work ahead. (Trust me, certain people will not let me live it down if I don't finish these.)

So here is the first one, still in need of assembly but its finally done building itself in my mind so now I just need to make it:



This is also the only one of the three I plan to list for sale. Mostly because one of the other quilts will be beyond time consuming and I don't think I could get a price for it I would be happy with and the third one will kind of be a franken-quilt. I'm planning to torture the original quilt I started last year into submission and its going to involve scissors, glue and some squealing on the artwork's part.

This one has those leaves that I worked on over Christmas break. I don't think I'll use all of them, mostly because my work tends to be smaller but I want to use a good variety of colors. I'm also planning on doing the little metal swirl in each one instead of veining.

I have silver wire on hand but I just don't think it pops. I saw some burnt orange and dark read that I really liked so I think I may give those an audition. I'm going to work out the size of the tree and then I'll know just how many metal doo-hickey thingies I need to make. Then I'll stitch them to the leaves with invisible thread.

And lest you think I've given up on the socks, think again my friends. I've just gone as far as I can so they are just hanging out, patiently waiting for this saturday when I'll learn how to do the gussets:


For some reason they remind me of gutted fish right now.

Here is the second pair of socks:

This is still the first sock from this pair. Me and this here sock had a talk the other day.

Me: Look you, this is the last time I am casting on for you. So you can cooperate or you can stay wound in that ball and turn into moth food.

Sock: {thoughtful silence}

Me: I mean it, last chance. You've lied about gauge, you've been uncooperative and twisted on the needles and you've made me look like a real dope by looking backwards when you really weren't.

Sock: {mocking silence}

Me: Here we go. Cooperate or I'm putting you in Dooley's toy basket.

It seems to have worked. I'm making some Opposite Socks. (This idea is completley not mine and credit must be given to Cari over at Dogs Steal Yarn. She calls them Positive Negative Socks (Feb 4 post) and I just think they are very fun. Plus they are plain stockinette and unless you have to cast on for them eight times - like someone we all know who will not be named - they go pretty quick. Plus her blog is one of my favorites. I highly recommend it for good reading.)

So these socks are progressing and in some twisted version of reality, I was thinking I could get down to the heel part by this saturday. Go ahead, giggle away....

Its not going to happen but maybe by my third sock class when I learn to do the toe I'll be there so Lynne-the-Sock-Knitting-Goddess can show me how to join in a new color so it doesn't look like I did it blindfolded. (My new color joining skills are more fudging practices at this point then skills. I need to fix that.)

Tomorrow after work I'm going to stop off and get the wire I need for my leaves so I can start coiling and stitching. Provided the garage door isn't frozen to the ground in the morning.