And the winner is.....

No first place finishes at the California State Fair this year. Can hardly wait to see who my competition was this time. I had 5 - 2nd place finishes and an Honorable Mention. I was also told that a couple didn't make the final cut. Live and learn. Here are the entries and the results:



Mini Mystery A, design by Martina Weber of Chatelaine Designs. 2nd Place.



Red Jewels from a kit that I can't find the label for at the moment - not selected. (Honestly, do they understand how difficult it is to knit I-cord with beads? I think not.)



Needle Nick, a kit from Lizzie*Kate. My most awesome finishing job to date. The judges were full of praise - 2nd Place.



Be Mine, a kit by Twisted Threads. 2nd Place



Norwegian Star, a traditional kit from Norway. 2nd Place



Playing Tour Guide - not selected.



Pansy Scissor Fob, a kit from The Heart's Content. Honorable Mention.



Mystic Light Shawl by Anna Dalvi - Comments from the judge: “Lovely. So many elements working together. Great finishing, blocking. Try a more complicated pattern to place higher. You can do it!” Try a more complicated pattern? I wonder what she considers complicated. 2nd Place

If a few of my comments sounded snarky, well, I guess I'm feeling a little snarky. Five second place finishes?!? Seriously? Fair opens in a few weeks. Need to do some scouting for next year. I want that damn bear! (Best in Show gets a Golden Bear Trophy.)

It's a beautiful day at the Fair

I decided to do something different this year, and submit some of my needlework to the Fair. Originally, I was going to submit them to the Alameda County Fair, but my "paperwork wasn't received". The USPS said it was, so they must be lying. Ever one to make a negative into a positive, I decided to submit them to the State Fair instead.

Today I received the news. My one regret now is that I don't have pictures of the pieces framed, but these shots will have to do. At least you can see what I did. When I go up to Sacramento next month, I'll take pictures of them - with their ribbons!!!!

Ladies and gentleman, may I present my 1st Place finish..



This is Mini Love from the Caron Collection. A tiny thing stitched over one measuring like 2.5" x 3", I framed it with purple and pumpkin matting and a dark purple frame. It is SO COOL. And it won 1st place for it's category. Whooppeee!!!

My 2nd Place finish is....



Bent Creek's original Snapperville Series. I've started another one. Maybe I'll submit it next year!

My 3rd Place piece is.....



A Gathering of Hearts which was a kit from The Trilogy. This in many ways became a memorial piece for my Dad. He passed away in 2002. The big heart in the middle represents him. The scattered green hearts are my mom and the centered purple hearts are me. Dad truly was the heart of our little family and he kept the peace between mom and I for many years. The fact it placed meant more to me than the others.

I also received a 5th place for a piece called Circle of Hearts by Rosalyn Watnemo. For the life of me, I can't find a bloody picture anywhere on the hard drive - and I have over 14,000 pictures lovingly and painstakingly categorized with tags, categories and in chronological order. Yes, I am anal when it comes to organizing. When I find the picture, I'll post that one too.

I would like to thank Jan at Urban Forest in Alameda for the wonderful framing work she did. The judges were complementary on that as well, and Jan did a hell of a good job. She's the first one I've allowed to handle my work in 20 years, so that says a lot in itself. She is awesome.

Well, at least now Kevin can't say that I was robbed, or the judging was fixed. For the first time in over 10 years I have a first place ribbon. I can't tell you how happy that makes me. I have spent a lifetime perfecting my technique, and expanding my base of knowledge. I've always considered myself more a needle worker than a knitter, not to diminish knitting at all. It's just the delicate work of needle and thread - taking a blank canvas and bringing it to life - there's a different level of satisfaction at the end. It is a purely visual medium, rarely having a true purposeful functionality. Unlike knitting, it's laborious to take with you, is very expensive (one 6 yard skein of silk is over $3.00 - and that's not over dyed), takes forever to finish, doesn't keep you warm or protect you from the elements. But it is poetry in motion and puts your stamp on life.

I love knitting and I love needlework. I love scrap booking too. And photography. And crochet. And beading. And whatever else snags me and drags me in. I am blessed that I have the ability and acumen to do so many wonderful things.

Thanks for stopping by.

Summertime, and the living is easy.....

I love that song - great blues song. Find it on iTunes. You won't regret it

Summer has struck, all the signs are there. The temperature is rising. Racks of congratulatory cakes are out at Sam's Club. My allergies are still annoying. Plums not grown in South America are in the produce section. I'm not the only one wearing flip-flops. Children have that happy, "summer-break" look on their face. Parents have that "the kids are home for summer" look on their face. The surrounding hillsides are brown and looking ready to spontaneously combust. Oh, and we broke out the box fans.

As the end of the this month I celebrate yet another birthday, and the anniversary of something very special. I got my iPod last year for my birthday. Yes - my husband is amazing, and no - he has no brothers. What has changed in my life since this momentous occasion? Well, for one, I'm reading fewer books. I used to finish a book, on average, every 10 days. I think I have read 3-4 since last summer. Bad, very bad. Pod casts have replaced reading. Something else that has changed - I have been possessed by knitting and I have the stash to show for it. Who do I blame for this particular phenomenon? The sock yarn is the fault of Lime N Violet, aka, my crack dealers. These sirens of socky goodness turned me on to Liza Souza, The Loopy Ewe and Etsy to name just a few. There is the patron saint of knitting, Ms. Brenda Danye, that reestablished my faith is the rightness of knitting. Then there are the other pod casters out there that feed my knitting hunger. Thank you all. But, there is a dark side to this. My needlework has languished, hidden away and ignored like a red-headed step child. My scrap booking has had more attention, and that's not saying much.

In all things, a balance must be struck. I'll work on that. Soon.

So, this week wasn't a blow out. I didn't get that much done. I still am working on two pairs of socks, and I have another snuggle blanket in the works. I did finish three things though.

No. 1 - a seed stitch pillow cover which I have to sew up and stuff and no I don't have a picture of that yet since it really isn't done. (Now that is a bad sentence.) I used Lion Wool Ease in the color Wood. With the leftover's, I did No. 2.

No. 2 - a watchman's cap for the Ship's Project.



The pattern used was "Ellen's Knit Hat", which is a free pattern from Lion's website.

No. 3 - a square for Warm Up America



I am using Paton's Canadian for squares and snuggle blankets. I have way too much of this yarn, and figured this would be a good use for it. I am half way through another snuggle blanket and another square.

Last, but not least...

No. 4 - snuggle blanket for ARF.



Made with one skein Red Heart Baby Soft in the color Key West. The finished size was 19.5" x 19.5" and was knit on size 6US needles ( I was nuts - it took for-ev-er). My charity basket is overflowing, and I need to ship stuff out this month.

I joined another blog this week - Save Cash! Use Your Stash! It's pretty cool. You calculate how much money you save by using your own stash to make something, instead of going out and buying more. The yarn I used for my completed projects this week came to $9.19. Not much, but it's a start.

I gave some attention to my Chevron scarf, which will need major blocking when it's done. I was 3/4ths of the way finished when I ripped it ALL out and started over with size 8US needles, instead of the recommended 5US. But, that's a story for when I am done. I am hoping this week.

I guess that's all for now. I'll talk with you soon!

Twisted Thread - America

Twisted Thread - America
Originally uploaded by solslett.

See - my "crafting time" is not completely absorbed by knitting.

I have been stitching longer than I have been knitting, and it has been a prolific passion. I have finished hundreds of stitching projects, as noted in the 4 project completion binders I have. These volumes go back to the '70's with project details, picture and pattern whenever possible. Yes, I have included non-stitching projects, such as crochet and knitting, but they constitute maybe 10% of the top loading pages in these 3", 3-ring binders. Separated by year, it is a wonderful history of my progress as a fiber artist.

Due to some persistent problems with my right hand, I haven't done much stitching this year. Numbness in two fingers, and general pain, kept me from doing fine needlework, which is I enjoy most. I really think the time spent knitting has helped me overcome these issues. I have not suffered any numbness for an extended period of time, and thought it was time to try my hand at stitching again. Of course, I had to do something challenging.

This project is by Twisted Thread, a favorite of mine. I bought this little kit when we were in Las Vegas last year. There is a wonderful store by the name of Stitcher's Paradise that I visit every time we are in town. I like pieces with houses in them (it has nothing to do with the fact I'm in Real Estate), and I like alphabet samplers. I have a lot of patterns "waiting in the wings" that bear out that fact. But this was one of the smallest pieces I have done on linen with these two themes.

This is an "over-one" project, meaning, it is stitched with one strand of floss over one linen thread of cloth. The finished size is 1 3/8" x 3 1/4". As I get older, this is a much more challenging type of stitching to do since, to be honest, my eyes aren't what they used to be. Just a few years ago, I could see just fine with only the aid of my contact lenses. I found about 3 years ago, that wearing my glasses instead was more conducive to fine needlework. 2 years ago, I got a pair of reading glasses. For this one, I spent two nights "listening" to the TV, and stitched with no visual aids. For the first time since I was 12, I stitched with naked eyes. I've got to say, I did a damn fine job.

This is the first piece of needlework that I have worked on since January. The one thing that surprised me is that I am more apt to put down my knitting and go do something else. When I am stitching, it's like I'm in a race to get it done. It is isn't so much "one more row", it's "finish this section" or " finish this color". The other thing that surprised me is that stitching isn't as relaxing to me as knitting.

I'm not being boastful when I say I am very accomplished at needlework. 30 years of consistent effort and critical review should have some positive impact. I am not close to that level of confidence with my knitting, and maybe that's why I have thrown myself into it. I can see by the fit and overall construction of the socks that I have been knitting, that I have improved tremendously over two year. Whoopee!! However, I still have a long way to go.

When I want to feel superior, I will stitch. When I want to feel humble, I will knit. I guess I've been wanting to feel humble a lot lately!