Wabi Sabi Threads

A Flickr Group

We are having a lots of mails dealing with the Quilt and I hope to get some blocks soon.

I have created a flickr Group to share pics of the quilt. It's not needed to be a member but I have tought that it's an easy way to share pics.

If you don't want to become a flickr member but would like to share your creation email a picture and I'll post it

Christmas gifts

I forgot that I never showed pics of the throws that I made as Christmas Gifts.

The reason is that the pictures that I have don't show the gorgeous silk and velvet fabrics, and the ensemble looks fluffy and seems uneven.

But I wanted to show the whole piece, and made some pics from the other side of the street.

The brownish stripes are velvet and the rectangles are silk, embroidered, striped or plain fabric. The blue-brown thrown is much prettier in real life that the reddish one, but the reddish one is more photogenic .

I have to take pics of them and the velma bag

It's working!!!

Well...the quilt is growing in the net as well as in real life.

In real life Esther and myself have joined efforts, now she is the writer, PR and strength of the group.

You will not believe the amount of things she is doing to make this bigger and bigger.

We will be updating the site over the weekend.

And around the web you can already see some blocks:

1. Mimi Kirchner's
2. Tania's
3. Sharon Boggon's

I have also been receiving a lot of mail about it, and some blocks are on the mail NOW, this is so exciting...I hope that we can build a wonderful quilt together.

So please give it a try. Don't let the deadline worry you. We will work it out. Just let me know that you are making a block.

Are you lacking inspiration? I have found a quilt block that I think that could be inspiring. It's on the last page of this .pdf It will help you get out of the squareness os the square block. It's from Threads Magazine and there are also some nice articles about embellishments. I'm sure that you'll like to try some of these techniques:

• Stenciling Workshop
• Lush, Embossed Velvet
• Creative Surface Design: Stamping
• Dyeing with Bleach
• Knotted Fabric Buttons and Beads

All these techniques could be used on your block, but I'm sure that you can use them in many, many other places.

Knitting Meetup

Yesterday we hold an extra knitting meetup. I come back home really late and a bit dizzy. It's amazing the amount of things that I ignore about knitting. I finally found out the differences among fair isle and intarsia and got to meet another knitter in Madrid.

As a group project we are trying to develop a blog about knitting in Spanish. I had to add my Moebius Scarf Step by Step Tutorial... and of course a lot of work needs to be done regarding the Tsunami Quilt!!!

Moebius Scarf 2 and a hat.

I have been knitting a lot this weekend. All the projects come from "The joy of knitting".

The red scarf was my first Moebius and I have posted about it before. The orange one is my second try. I really enjoyed knitting it. At the center of the scarf you can see the cast stitches  that are tighter than the rest of the knit. Altough this is a beginer mistake I think that it doesn't look that bad with the pattern.

I have also adapted the hat pattern that appears on the book to suit a thicker yarn.

When I try something I want to see results fast so I used a thicker yarn to get results faster. Anyway the results have been good enough. My sister has asked for it, my dad also wants one, and my husband "needs one" in a thinner yarn.

I have never knit on circular needles before, but it's so addictive I guess that I will be making hats as crazy in the following weeks!!!

Other spare time has been used washing by hand my handmade pullovers, another of the things that should know about knitting before getting hooked, that and the price of some of the yarns, yarn doesn't like washing machines.

Tomorrow we have an extra Knitting Meetup, and I would carry all my new stuff to the Meeting.

Big Oops!!!

My first post ever included a definition about Wabi Sabi that I took from the book Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets; Philosophers by Leonard Koren. I never gave him credit because I intended to review this book on my second post. But I thought that first I should introduce myself, and then show some of my work, and then... inexcusably I never gave him credit. I wish that I could say that I have just remeber about it, but shame for myself, memory and justice come in form of a comment to my post. Leonard Koren himself has found this injustice. I have given him credit on the post, but trying to make up for it I'll like to review this wonderful book.

The book already has been praised by people that is interested on japanese simple aesthetic (read reviews at Amazon.com or your online bookstore), but I have to say that everything that have been said it's true. A quick book to read you may think that it's not that much, but you'll find yourself coming back ever and ever for inspiration and focus. I think of it as my inspirational muse. Whenever it seems to myself that I'm not following a correct path in my crafts, or that I'm without inspiration I open this book. For myself that is much better that browsing colourful magazines or books, because in such state I'm only able to copy-copy or to say no-no that's not it. But reading the book has inspiring and evoking powers. Even when I need to make a change at home I read or browse the book before trying to think about what to buy or fix, and it just works...What's it the secret of this book? It explains easily this complex aesthetic concept, and as it's title says it's written to be used by creative people, so it step backs and lets you think and create. This is not a do this, don't do that sort of book, I think that's also why you keep readindg it over and over.

It has also gave me the tools to love my imperfect crafts, but before thinking that this magic book it's the solution to all your creative wrongs I must say that this book altough  very interesting  and enjoyable for everyone would not be that inspiring to everybody. You must be one of those persons that enjoys the beauty of dry mud, stone with moss and cracked pottery . If you are that kind of person then the book works it's magic.

Visit leonardkoren.com site to know more about the author. I have just found out that he has more books that I will have to put on my wish list.

A few links of participants

The project has been very well received by  a number of quilters, here are some links of their pages.

In first place is All things creative . Esther is a creative artist with greek origins that has been greatly encouraging. And I absolutely love her Creative ways to spend new years eve.

At loosetooth.com's Gallery of Quilts you can enjoy  Brandy Agerbeck's masterpiece. I like veruy much her use of colour and her free and fresh approach to the ancient art of quilting.

And last but not least are the awesome mixed media pieces by Susan Sorrell. Please see them at Creative Chick

Thanks for participating!!

Moebius Scarf

I have just started reading "The Joy of Knitting" by Lisa R. Myers. So far I like it very much.

When I arrived to the end of chapter two (named: A Feminist History of Knitting", I just love it) I found the Möbius Scarf. A project that after reading a couple of times I still couldn't figure it out in my head. But I tought that the instructions would work once I put my hands on it. I didn't own circular needles, so at coffe break I went to a Yarn store that it's close to my workplace and bought the needles and a skein of Polar (Valeria di Roma)

I have enjoyed very much knitting with my circular on this project. I found it quite relaxing.

The picture is quite wierd. One reason for this is that  it's a direct Scan... I'm at work. The other thing is that the scarf is still on the needles, not finished yet so it looks stiff. Other reason for the siffness can be that in that store the yarnlady always sells bulky yarn and very thin needles. I don't know why, but I never walked out of that store with a couple of needles that teamed the yarn, that it's why I stopped going to the store, well and also because it's a crazy store with bags piling on the floor, it's even hard to enter. I know that she has nice wool but it's like a treasure hunt. And well the third reason for the stiffness look is that I was so eager to try the method that I just started with a hundred of stitches, instead of the 200 of the project. So It's as little as I could manage with this yarns and this needles. I think that it will fit a toddler, so I can give it to my niece.

I liked the experience so much that I will like to try one for myself. And I highly recommend people that doesn't have tried circular needles to do it..

There are some free patterns on the net for this easy (once you get to manage those needles) and fun project.  Planet Shoup has three knitting patterns for a Moebius Scarf. The first one is the closer to the method that I have tried. Other pattern with plain needles is at twinwillowsfarm.com.I have even found a group that discuuses knitting a Moebius Scarf as Soulwork:

"The process of creating the scarf, and the twisted surface of the finished möbius itself, symbolize the precarious balance of our inner and outer selves - how our inner beliefs affect our outward actions (and vice versa), and how it is important to be mindful in both areas of our spiritual path."

Altough I don't know if I have been so enlighted I found it very relaxing and would recommend it for meditation knitting.

A quilt project

I would like to invite you to join this collaborative project. The objective is to create a hanging quilt that will be auctioned on ebay on behalf of the Tsunami Victims. I would like that we could create a inspiring quilt that will assemble different fabric arts and crafts, and send a message of hope to those who have lost everything. So please create one or more squares and send them to me to be assembled. I'll post pictures as soon as you send them.

This is an project open to everyone.

To participate please create a 15 x 15 cm square (aprox. 6 inches square) out of a textile medium and embellish your contribution.

The square can be of fabric, wool, felt or something else that you can figure out. Beads, threads, fabric manipulation, collage, quilt, transfer, paints... all mediums are welcomed

***Do you think it is a good idea to embroider your place of origin on their squares? Envisioning an international quilt?.

When you are done please send your contribution in an envelope to:

Marta Santiago Jimenez
c/General Alvarez de Castro 16 1A
Madrid 28010
Spain

All squares will be assembled in a quilt. that will be sold at ebay. All proceeds will be donated to UNICEF to provide relief from the Sumatra earthquake.

***If any of you have any PR (Public Relations) experience and is willing to help find more upmarket auctions, please contact me

Please send your address in the envelope to include a complete list of participants.

Deadline: 02/15/2005

Please email any questions. 

And feel free to link to the project homepage: http://kukulla.tripod.com/tsunami/tsunami.html

***Updated January 5th, thanks to the help of All things creative

Happy New Year!!!

I'm back from spending New Year at Portugal, at the countryside near the Spanish border.

I wish I could really wish you a happy new year, but my thoughts are with the people that suffered the Tsunami. It has been a really sad year or just another sad year for the world?

My state of mind is very similar to the one I had after the 11-M, the start of the Irak War, and 11-S. I feel that we have the responsability to live our lives making the most of it. Not complaining about silly things, and not arguing about stupid facts.

I was working on my new year resolution list (things like doing more exercise, lossing weight...), but I just burnt the list. I'll try to incorporate those changes in my life but will not focus on not having done them. I'll try to make the best of every moment instead of thinking what could it be.

Although most of us don't have the job we like, the house we dream of, and many of us are dealing with sickness an other major problems I think that we still have lots of good things happening around and we still can hope of changing those things we don't like and even making a better world.

I like to focus on small things that make my life better, the beauty of a cloud, the flower that grows amidst the paving of a street, the unknown person that smiles you in the street. The discover of a new artist that inspires yourself. Life is full of beauty, my yarns and my stash make me smile.

One of the things that really make my life better is communicating to people via my/their blogs. For the bloglife updating is very important. So I'll try to update daily.

Ok this is a bunch of NYResolutions popping. But not in the way I have intended before. Sorry for this preacher post. If you can please consider making a donation to the Tsunami Relief efforts. Oxfam International is my choice, but there are many others agencies helping.