New Baby Cardigan

Sun came out yesterday and the color of the world was all of a sudden totally different. 

I have been pushing through snow every day in this grey color palette and yesterday, when the dogs decided that it was time to go, sun was out. What a change! 

Few years ago I promised myself to stop complaining about the weather because when I got up in the morning and looked out of the window, the weather sort of set the tone to my day and let's face it, the weather up here is not that great - I am not complaining, this is a fact! ;-) - so, I thought that it would be wise to let go off that topic. I have been able to keep my decision - mostly - but there have been times (like this long very cold front) when it has been quite difficult to keep that promise...  But walking in the bright sun light was pure bliss!

Sometimes I am sort of embarrassed to show you what I have been doing, not because I think that I would be bad or good in it, but because I am embarrassed to let you all see just how many hours I spend doing these various things and once in a while I get a comment from even very close friends that I should get a life. I know, I know, I don't do much else but I do have a life, it is just inside my head, so it is very difficult to see. But then I know I am in good company here since I am quite sure that very many of you reading this, feel the same. Most of my time I spend with the knitting: thinking of it, planning something new, reading of it or just doing the actual knitting, but I do make a point of doing something else, usually I take two days in a week when I draw or sew or do something else than knit or crochet. And I do this because it rattles the brain just a little and arranges the blocks little differently.

When I was reading the comments (thank you again for reading!), few of you were quite determined not to get started on a new craft... so I just have to share with you the foreword of "How to make polymer clay beads?" by CarolBlackburn: "When visiting a bead fair looking for interesting buttons and beads for my knitwear, I stumbled across the British Polymer Clay Guild stand and was awestruck by the clay techniques being demonstrated by the guild members. I bought a necklace, and booked a class. I was hooked." 

Then yesterday I followed a link from Polymer Clay Daily, I found these just adorable bunnies in Three Wings Studio (scroll further down). 

This new baby cardigan, I thought that I would not show it to you before the pattern is ready, but really I cannot help myself. So here it is. Almost all of it. Almost.

(There in the back ground is a mini quilt (in the works) that was inspired by SusanCleveland's work when she was on the Quilt Show few weeks ago.)

I think this is all I have for you today.

Wool with you,

Lene

Buttons

Snow, lots of new snow, way too much already! The temperature is mild, the walking is good, except for the snow. There is so much on the roofs that I am afraid something has to be done with it. And as I write there is more coming, and more is predicted for tomorrow. The length of the day is 8 hours and 40 minutes (0803-1643/0443pm).

I have worked on a new (old) little cardigan and I am loving it, it is on the last stretch. Just one sleeve left before it is off the needles. I made the first one long time ago and then was not sure of one little detail, so I let it rest for a few months and I think I have got it sorted now.

The color of it is this pale greenish blue, clear, clean and fresh and the cardigan has two contrast colors. These contrast colors were difficult to pick....there were not that many to choose from and then the button-question rose up... 

Last week while I made a quick trip to town, I visited my local craft store and while there I walked around trying to see everything on the shelves and stopped at Cernit (one brand of polymer clay) rack and there I spotted the same color as the little cardigan. I bought it with several other colors as well thinking that I could make the buttons. Easier said than done. When home I started to search for instructions. There is plenty online.   

Polymer Daily is a good place to start. There are online classes that you can buy and watch right away.

There are plenty of books to choose from.

This material is not all new to me, I have tried it several times so I knew my challenges. I have two books in my book shelf and there are three new ones on the way. Because of trying the material before with not so good results, I was prepared to read before getting started, and there were my answers in the print.

My main concern was that the buttons I was about to make would come from the oven with my finger prints on them (uneven surface). I could live with the fact that they would not be perfect in size and shape but the texture would have to be even and the buttons would need to look finished. What I did not know (remember?) that after the clay is baked one can sand it and then buff it, and it was the answer I was looking for.

  I tried several sizes and several forms but settled into these square shaped ones.

 backing buttons

After looking at all the beautiful and breathtaking sculpture and beads in the books and on the web, I know where I stand, but still I am quite pleased with the buttons.  And I know that there is more to come.

Wool with you,

Lene

PS. About the blog header, I did not do anything special, scanned the image and then the blogger's template took care of the rest.The Bunny picture was done using rough watercolor paper, basic layer again with watercolor washes, then Derwent inktense pencils and ink.