Riley's Hannah Montana Scarf

For the last week, I've been working on a scarf for my niece, Riley. Next month, she's turning ten and she's a BIG Hannah Montana fan. So, while I had another ball of tri-coloured yarn left over from Winter, I thought I'd get into a third scarf. As you can see, it's Moss Stitch again and it's going well. I'm hoping to have hot pink, long tassels hanging off the ends so she can throw it over her shoulder next winter and be in fashion; matching the colours of her idol.

And what lovely colours they are for a young lady to grow into! And she need not just use the scarf as a Hannah Montana scarf. Once she's grown out of Hannah Montana, this scarf can be used to just throw on to keep the brief winter chills that visit us here in Australia.

19th, September, 2009 - I finished this gorgeous scarf last night; adding the last touches of the tassels. And it's absolutely gorgeous too! Just look at the sparkle they add. I had to hunt around for that particular pink which would have any 10-year-old feeling as glamorous as Hannah Montana herself! I really do hope my niece does like this one.

If you'd like the pattern for this scarf, it's on Ravelry.com. The link to the site is on the sidebar. Anyway, until my next project - whatever it may be - keep knitting and keep creating.

A New Art Project!

I've been trying my hand at recycled materials for a while now without much success. However, whenever I get my hands on old wooden chairs, boxes or anything that can be pulled apart and sanded down, I love it. So, I've begun looking along the footpaths around the time of the Council Pick-ups to scavenge for any such items that may be useful enough where I can give them a second life.

Like this chair I'm currently working on. It's an old dining chair and I've taken it apart, left the steel frame out in the garden and taken a piece of sanding paper to the wooden seat until I've found a shape I'm happy with; then I've put a background colour (white) on it and took some designs from my old paintings from about a year or so ago and drew the design on. And now look at it... beautiful isn't it? And it's only half finished. I've still got some second coats to do and a spray of varnish and - voila! - it'll be ready to use on the hot days where I'll be out in the carport with the table from 'The Reject Store' at Sunnybank I painted in much the same way and this chair to read a book. Not a bad rescue if you ask me!

Stay tuned for more projects like this one and my knitting and other art works too that I get into. Otherwise, keep knitting and keep creating.

A Birthday Scarf For All To Make

In the last few months, I've been taking it easy due to the weird weather. In one instance we don't know if it's going to rain or if it's going to be a stinker of a day. So, I've been sticking around the house to catch up with writing, reading and practicing the piano (check out my other blog 'The Book Craze - Not Just About Books!'); I've also been finishing up all my extra yarn and knitting some flat work.

Here is my Mum's birthday present of a long thin scarf. It's been fun to get it all done before her big day in September. And I've also gotten some people I know on a bookswapping site to pitch in too to help celebrate Mum's big day.
I have knitted another scarf very much like this one; however it's wider and shorter. But this one is a lot thinner and longer with massive tassels. So, if you'd like the patterns for either the wider or thinner one you see here, go to the ravelry.com site and you'll be able to find it on my projects pile. I use the same screen name as here.
And what do you know... I've begun yet another one! This time it's got earthy colours. I'll be showing you guys that one when I've finished it; and I'll let you know what I'll be doing with it as well. Until my next post, keep creating and keep knitting.

Who's the Vandal? Nature or Human?

Okay, I knew art wouldn't be an easy thing to get out into the public arena. However, vandalism is just low. But really, you have to ask who the vandal is. Would it be some idiot kid who didn't like the look of my work or a bird that needed my knitted stitches for its hollow in the tree in the next park? It's a little off-putting when you go and check up on your work that you've lovingly applied to the outdoors and have found that it's either vanished or been stretched so bad you've had to remove it.
This is what I had to do with one of mine last Saturday outside the Logan Art Gallery. It doesn't bother me so much that the tags are stolen on the same day I installed the art work. What bothers me is that I had to remove my work because I couldn't repair it.

It doesn't bother me so much that a bird wants to line its nest with the knitting that I had put out there. I'm just grateful that the other pieces of work haven't been attacked... yet. I'll have to check on them. Until my next post, keep creating and keep knitting.

I've been shopping!

Yes! You read right; I went out today and shopped for more than just the anchors at the Riot Art Shop at Garden City... I also thought it would be beneficial to purchase an art apron. I know, I know; after all these years of painting and working up a paint-spattered wardrobe just for the use of it, I go out and buy an apron for my hobby. However, I think it's best to do it anyway just to keep everything else I love - like my favourite miniskirt and the odd pair of good shorts - clean from the paint I like to cover all my other older clothes in.

Anyway, I'll be out and about attaching my art to trees again before you know it. However, I'm also working on the recycled chair right now and I've done up a wicked design in the tradition of my three-panel works you can find on my photos on myspace.com... it in the public photo albums (http://www.myspace.com/mozette1791) for all to see of my work.

Well, a short post today... there'll be longer ones in the future. And I'll take the opportunity to say welcome to my new followers here as I've noticed them as signed in today. Thanks for joining up and I hope you enjoy my art work and the sites I've also advertised on the sidebar for further investigation. Otherwise until, next time I post, keep creating and keep knitting!

A Birthday Idea

Well, seeing I haven't been out and about doing a much of my art in the trees lately, I thought to do something a little more constructive with the wool I have still laying about in balls. On another site that I'm a member of, I have a Birthday Buddy; and her birthday's in October. And so, I thought that in amongst my reading, writing and gardening, I'd get in and start on her birthday gift. Last week, I thought to knit a scarf for her.
It's a gorgeous one that I've decided to do in Moss Stitch with around 33 - 35 stitches cast on. And I've decided to use up the rest of one of the balls of wool I've become tired of using; and it doesn't match any other wool because I've run out of the red and yellow balls. So, the tassels on the ends are going to be short, but the same colours as the scarf. It's not yet finished, however, I'm hoping to finish it either tonight or tomorrow afternoon and then I'll take some photos and post them here. It ought to look lovely. Along with the scarf, I'll be adding in some other little bits and pieces. I'll get in a book or two and some other things I'm sure she'll love.

I've also picked up an old chair from out the front on the footpath that somebody thought to toss out. I've taken it apart and I've sanded it down to paint it up and give it a new life as my seat to use in the carport during Summer. I'll paint it the same colour as the little folding table I did up from 'The Reject Store' at Sunnybank.

And while I'm here, I've found some anchors at an art shop. They measure two metres long and are around $3.00 a bag. So, I'll be out there in the fresh Spring air before you know it, putting up more beautiful knits as the weather warms up. Until my next post, keep creating and keep knitting!

No Anchors - Looking Out For New Ones.

Okay, I haven't installed many pieces of late and the reason why is really basic. I've gotten down to my last two bootlaces and my supplier has decided to charge me for them. Not a problem; I offered to pay in the first place when I asked about them. However, I haven't heard back from them since our phone conversation a few weeks ago. So, it looks like I'll have to look around for another supplier.

Art Stores: here I come! I may pay through the nose, but it's going to be absolutely worth it! I need to get those swatches out on to the trees and the tags anchored in a permanent way somehow. And tying them on with cotton just doesn't work. So, for the next few weeks, I'll be looking at Bunnings and other art stores to see if I can get my hands on some other leather bootlace for a good price - not vinyl. It wears too easily; and people can just cut it off too easily as well.

So, here it is: my notice to say that things may slow down a little until I get my hands on some either bootlace offcuts at another supplier or some thin strips of leather from art stores that are long enough to be used for what I'm doing. Wish me luck - I know there's a supply out there waiting for me to get my hands on it!

Until my next post - which I hope will be soon - keep creating and keep knitting!

Strawberries & Cream

I find that whenever I install my work at any time of year, I sweat a lot! It may be because I'm worried about people picking on me and laughing, kids laughing at me (and believe me, kids can be pretty cruel!) or me trying to explain exactly what my art work is. However, once my work is up on the tree with the tag attached, I loved to get out the camera and get in a few shots. And I had to really walk a long way to find this tree. It's on Audrey Street in Slacks Creek; around the back of the old Argonaut Skate Centre. It's the skate centre where I learnt to roller skate when I was young and I got all my cloth badges; however now, I'm not sure what it is. The last I heard, it was converted into a church.
Anyway, I was going to try to get some of my work onto Reserve Road, but there were no trees on the footpaths; so I tried my luck on the first side street but found that some of those trees were either too young or needed a prune badly. So, I kept walking and found the pretty and quiet cul-de-sac of Audrey Street.
While kids played their version of State of Origin, I stitched this pretty double-8ply and double coloured creation to the tree. And isn't it beautiful? I thought it would be nice and eye-catching right on the footpath too. The best thing was that I felt I didn't need to hurry as there was no traffic, no people in a hurry walking past and nobody popped their heads over the fence and asked me questions of what I was doing there. So, besides the weather looking rather ominous, I was going well.
However, I did forget my pen, so I took a nice photo of street sign which I thought to include in this post. Until my next installation... keep creating and keep knitting!

Knitting fast - but slow installations

Last month, I only put out one installation and had a limited amount of leather bootlace to go around. At the moment, I'm knitting like no tomorrow and so there's not a lot of the swatches to go around - more than enough. However, there's only three bootlaces left hanging off my easel out the back; so I have to wait until Triple B have more off cuts for me.

However, the weather has been cold enough for me to be making larger pieces to put on the trees; and so they have been on bigger needles and appear as though they are supposed to go around the trunk; instead of the branch! But I'm thinking of working on thicker branches with the bolder colours out there; seeing that I've seen larger balls of wool in the shops now.
So, don't worry, I haven't forgotten this part of the blogs. It's just that the bootlaces are a little low - that's all. I'm still creating and knitting up a storm at night in front of the television while watching 'Two and a Half Men' and 'The Big Bang Theory' (and I love the latter show for the quick wit and humour!). There's still more stitches to learn in my little book of knitting too!

Until next time, keep knitting and keep creating!

And The Weather Begins to Clear!

I woke up this morning and found the sun shining and a chill in the air... however I still wanted to get out and make it a day of attaching my knitting to trees. It sounded perfect; however I still needed to get some housework done first. And so after the laundry was put on, washing up was on its second load and I read some of the paper I wanted to, I prepared myself to get out into the Winter sunshine.

First thing I did was replace the tag in front of the Logan Water on Smith Road. Then, I found I didn't have enough supplies to keep going; and so had to come back home and collect another bootlace and more wool to get it all up and attached to a tree. I took enough for any of the works I had with me. I walked up to Harris Fields School and found the trees were wonderful, but they were far too big. So, I walked across the road and found a few smaller, perfect trees for my work and got to it.

Since it began raining a few weeks ago - off and on - I haven't had the time to get out and do my art. So, I've had time to sit at home and work on other things. There's been my other blogs and more swatches at night in front of the television set when there's not much else to do. So, when today cleared up enough for some work, I didn't hesitate.

Unfortunately, today, I noticed that I'm running low on bootlace leather. So, it's going to be a morning of excursions tomorrow. First, I'll go to the post office, then and send off a few things, then I'll walk to Miller Road and collect a few more bootlace offcuts; more than I asked for last time, to keep me going. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the photos and tune in next time for my next installation.

Until then, keep creating and keep knitting.