red shoe bird

PICT0007, originally uploaded by kat coyle.

I took my knitting with me to the park but decided to enjoy the lake instead. Funny, but my knitting bag was packed with yarn to make birds. In the car on the way over I wasn’t feeling any bird vibes, but now, I have some inspiration for making birds with personality; as well as some fashion ideas. Maybe red shoes and a yellow hat will remind me of this duck when ever I need to remember a very good day.


Happy Weekend!

smiles

Hey do you feel like smiling? Then take a look at this book! Sock Monkey is page after page of sock monkey portraits. Guaranteed to make you smile!

felting, and super heroes

I’m happy to report that fulling the potholders was the right thing to do. Since, I don’t have a washing machine it was easy to not over do the felting process. It’s pretty tiring to mimic the agitation of a washing machine with your own two arms. As you can see the stitch definition is still there but what you might not be able to see is that the fabric is considerably more dense and substantial.
All I did was fill a small tub with hot tap water and some dish soap. Put the potholders in and sloshed the mix with a spatula. Every few minutes I would add more water since most of the water splashed all over the countertop. When I needed a rest I’d empty the tub and fill it with cold tap water. I repeated the hot, cold bath a few times until the knitting started to look dense.
I wrapped them in a towel and then pinned them to dry.


This funny blue elephant, Oliphaunt, is from a free pattern, on Cristina Shiffman’s blog phila * craft!

Felix loves him and named him Helli.



A couple of nights ago he had a dream about a super hero named Super Kitty. Super Kitty is orange and has a green light hand and a red light hand so he can help direct traffic. His hands also change into a broom and a mop so he can help keep the streets clean.
Felix wants me to make a Super Kitty. We’re going to work on that today but in the mean time, I made a wrist band which I thought would be a great first project for the kids learn to knit class.



This is what I found this morning, Felix wearing his super hero wristband. Could it help him dream super hero dreams?

garter stitch and inspiration

I'm knitting simple garter stitch projects for the kids learn to knit class I'm going to teach. These will be hand felted but I haven't gotten to it yet. There's a part of me reluctant to felt knitting!


Garter stitch and short rows make a circle shape; and garter stitch worked straight for twice as many rows as stitches for a square shape.



The pot holders and lot's of project ideas are in this amazing, delightful knitting book, Invisible Threads by Annemor Sundbo available from Schoolhouse Press. If you love knitting, love to read about knitting, and knitting history you will love this book. It's definitely a favorite of mine, with the author's personal style of relating history through knitting and traditional craft.


When I'm working I always gather piles and piles of reference material for inspiration. I thought it would be grand to gather lots of exciting imagery for the kids to enjoy.

Endless inspiration is to be found in The Quilts of Gee's Bend.



And a new book that I'm really enjoying is Vera Textiles Add Color To Everyday Fashion. Indeed! Loads of beautiful color combinations and diverse pattern design on every page.

magical tree of everything

-click the photo for bigger magic trees!

Here are a few of the paintings that were done in the Magical Tree of Everything class.

edited to add: teacher abira ali's flickr set with all the paintings from her wonderful class.

favorite color

All the yarn looks so cute in a big pile!
Thanks to Mary Jane for suggesting to full the pot holder. I'm going to make one tonight.

I asked Felix what was his favorite color. I knew he would go for the dark pink. It's the most vibrant in the bunch.

winding

I'm not mad just tired. I finished my knitting marathon and mailed off a couple of projects that I'm really happy with. The serious look, is all about my aching hands and how much I want to start knitting something new. Next month I'm going to teach a kids learn to knit class, so I started preparing by winding small bits of yarn so that the kids can easily use lots of colors. I'm thinking of all kinds of fun projects but most probably we'll start with the basics: a striped garter stitch scarf.

Here's a question, does anyone use WOOL HAND KNIT POT HOLDERS?
I like the size, and how they are a good way to learn how to miter and practice short rows and stitch patterns, but I'm wondering if they are useful.


There are Nineteen colors here but Still I think maybe we could use some more bright ones.


Bright like Pink! and Orange!
meow >''<

family photo

Egad! We took over fifty of these crazy photos.

It was a good break in a day full of knitting. I stayed up past two in the morning knitting and listening to The Age of Innocence read by Brenda Dayne. She has a really beautiful voice. I had to force myself to turn it off.

I want to show you what I've been knitting but it will have to wait. I have other designs that have been published that I never showed on the blog, the spring and summer stuff and now it's already fall! Okay, it's not quite fall but soon!

painting together

painting together, originally uploaded by kat coyle.

Felix and I have been painting together. We’re taking a class called "the magical tree of everything" and last Wednesday we painted trees that were very different yet looked so harmonious and connected. I was inspired and Felix said he had a lot of fun. This morning he wanted to paint together. It’s so hot outside I was grateful to stay inside.

doll design sketch

doll design sketch, originally uploaded by kat coyle.

Happy Sunday everyone! This drawing is for one of my fantasy dolls that I've yet to make. I thought she could be made with hand knit pieces and fancy fabrics dotted with embroidery.

Mexican candleholder

mexican candle holder, originally uploaded by kat coyle.

I'm still not knitting. This morning, I did this painting of a candleholder that decorates my desk. Afterwards, I realized she had no hands, but flowers and then flames where hands might be.

wedding socks

wedding socks, originally uploaded by kat coyle.

Due to sore wrists and a numb thumb! I’ve taken to drawing socks instead of knitting them. Enjoy.
For inspiration I drew these from a pamphlet printed in 1931 from the Hispanic Society of America.

poof

poof, originally uploaded by kat coyle.

"Now where was I?"