Beanbag bomba

Paper storage facilities also work for textiles!

Something I have started to run with recently is freeform crochet. I haven't done much research into freeform crocheting artists yet, but what I have seen I have really liked.



 

I wouldn't say you were making it up as you go along but...

I think that to freeform you have to be coming from a place of intermediate to advanced crochet knowledge, as you have to have an understanding of a variety of stitches and their effects, as well as the effect increasing and decreasing stitches will have, needle sizes, and plys. At least, you should have this to really be able to run with it, to foresee events and plan your stitches to pre-empt any issues.

 

 

....I also would. You have something in mind, and you make it up as you go along because you are boss at crochet.

What are these issues? Bubbling, sagging, too tight in places, too small in general. Too large. No longer machine washable. Tension too tight when changing needles. Tension too loose. Ugly ripples. The curse of the Dreaded Flutter. Button holes are sucky. Buttons don't fit. Sagging button holes (heh).

There's a few.

A tip is to go mad with colour, but not too mad. If you're gonna contrast, contrast, and if you want to compliment, compliment but don't compliment AND contrast colours nimbly-bimbly throughout the work. Hold the next planned wool against the completed piece. Does the colour work? Does it not work in an interesting way? How much should be used before it overpowers all the other colours?

Lastly, say NO to browns, ochres, mauves, mustards, khakis, beiges, greys, off-whites, taupes, ivories or creams.

Textures are good provided you can work with the wool (I'm looking at you, Flutter).

Two-thirds done.

 

At the start I had crocheted an opening for the beanbag to be removed from (machine washable, delicate cycle). This meant that at some point I had to stuff the beanbag into the opening and crochet around it, reducing the stitches to make sure everything fit snugly. Next beanbag, I may try it another way. Freeform! There's no rules here but the ones you have to follow.

 

Finally, that happy moment of completion:



 



As this was the 'top' of the bag, I went texture-happy. Lots of soft fluffy ones.

Then we take the glamour shots:

Top.

Sides.

..bottom? Beanbags are so undefined.

This was a really good project for using up those last few metres of wools. It's also kind of cool to look at it sometimes from the perspective of uniqueness. Only one with exactly this design on the planet, although this is not the only one ever made.

I took this to a festival recently and so many people were nostalgic of the similar thing they created in the seventies (and only that decade, for some reason) and I love that forty years is not long enough to forget a handmade thing.

Where are they all now?

Leading up to the woolbombing

On Wednesday last week I began the afternoon sessions leading up to International Yarn Bombing Day. Things have started off slowly, for everyone else. Currently making a lot of everything, as fast as I can! Lots of little flags, cuffs, wraps and 1/3rd of a beanbag chair.

Picnic on the gallery floor

Crochet party of one

 

Thursday and Friday generated a bit of interest and I also got to hog the table on those two days, which isn't a given - the space at theGRID is really well used, at any time in the MARS gallery there's homework doing, grant writing, networking, relaxing etc. all going on in different areas of the room.

Beanbag chair - ambitious project of the week (beanbag bombing)

Kirsty, knitting

Tools, table, Kirsty working on pompom

What's this?

NeedlesHooksPins the blog had a birthday over the weekend. Unfortunately, it appears I celebrate these milestones like I celebrate my own: remember a few days before, run out of time, do nothing until well after the fact. Hopefully this  'celebration' of sorts will occur during this week. Until then, I've been taking a break from theGRID prep to do something completely different;

Artificial colours

So as you may know, I have not hidden the fact I just don't "get" woolbombing. 

Should I waste my time creating something ultimately at the mercy of all elements (and destined to lose?) 

Should I waste my skills on creating an object that will likely not be fully appreciated, as any basic understanding of what I do is almost guaranteed to not be there?

Should I really waste my wool knitting something for an inanimate object, when there are plenty of people in my immediate vicinity that will go cold this winter? 

I have been noticing through out the week it has moved down (understandable), and up (more mysterious) the pole.  

Well, I put my money where my mouth is and made one. I think I get it now. I am interacting, in ephemeral ways, with my environment. And using these ephemeral ways, other people are interacting with their environment in unusual ways - such as the mysery person who keeps pulling the piece up the parking meter when it is flying at half-mast. This has been up for approximately one week and I think it's a good test for other ones - assuming there are other ones, of course.

 

Teapots

Oh wait, there are. I don't think I have entirely got it; for example, I saw a dog cock it's leg against a post yesterday and my blood went cold. Forget drunks, I can't believe I was worried about disrespectful drunks. Dogs. How did I forget dogs?

Cupcakes

Don't worry, I have a plan.

At the end of February; update on theGRID

Bit later than I was expecting, a quick post about the supplies I have generated going into March. Currently, theGRID is projected to be finished midway through this month, and I will simply keep going. I don't think it is possible to have too many supplies for this project.

Felting/felt supplies

All the felt, crochet and knitting

There was also some very amazing and hoped-for news on the funding front;



Which is just wonderful. Full steam ahead!







Finding out what else I can do.

A night's folding and drawing, fooling around with 'artsy' shots

Unofficially, I have set myself a challenge of getting out of my comfort zone this year. With uni behind me (for now) I am willing to set myself a lot more goals and due dates in relation to my art. So, as I have probably mentioned in a previous post, two new things I am trying, zines and stickers - are progressing. There's no pressure but my own; but a lot of influence from people I am close to getting out and doing it all, having it all, being part of it all. (Or so it seems).

A how-to on creating a pincushion. Pg 1, 2.

3, 4.

5,6.

Back cover, contact details.

Kits for Brown Owls 19th Feb.

Sticker planning.

Broken printer = hand-drawn stickers. Final design. Simple, hopefully effective.

Kits post-Brown Owls (a bit more polished, at least, that is the aim.)

So far, I have been able to do this around preparations for theGRID. The completion date for the building has again been pushed back another fortnight, and I have been fortunate to be alotted more wriggle room incrementally over the last few months. More time for experiments in paper! With one exception. It's the last day of summer, and I might hold off on making paper 'til the end of the cold season.

Crafternoon Feb 11th; Lantern decoupage

The very cool and switched on Alison Mooney from MARS invited me to go dumpster diving recently. Look what I found! 

Today I do something new.

Just what I've always wanted, one of those things. But in decoupage. So, I went to some sites to find out how to decoupage. 

Because there's nothing I like better than putting the cart before the horse, I had earlier in the week purchased some unappealing dress patterns from an opshop (est. price: $1) in preparation for my imminent decoupage.

Ingredients (clockwise); PVA glue, patterns, pattern sleeve, scissors, brush, some kind of lamp. 

Wet, extremely fragile, hollow sphere of paper and PVA - should have hung it up before starting.

The first couple of panels. At this point, I am still trying to find my way with the medium, and maybe you can tell.

 

First layer, getting the hang of it now.

Sewing break! Added another tick.

After using up one WHOLE pattern already

The second pattern has many new pictures - mostly arrows and cutting scissors

Don't follow the suggestions of the cutting scissors! All finished with an extra layer of PVA glue to make it tight as a drum.

Relax, have some tea.

At the end of this, I'm not sure if I've just done a decoupage. The Decoupage Guild Australia site has things that are so much more... polished and other sites featuring how-to's are doing... things that are different, I just don't know if I'm doing it right. Is there a difference between decoupage and collage, or is it all just glueing shit to other shit?

I think the sphere will look very nice in my designated space for theGRID anyway. It'll be in a hybrid arts collective (when it opens, in _____________), so I think that will fit right in.

Worlds colliding

So, it was probably bound to happen. I like tying knots, and fibres, and string, and rope is just pretty much big string, right? And, a lot of the knots are like macrame knots, right?

And I don't create in a vacuum and I am not an island...

I just wish my torso wasn't so grubby... and was a real life, very patient person...

The always effervescent Puzzletits.

So... shibari, that ancient Japanese art of tying people up, with different kinds of restraint and ties based on social status, sex, disability and likelihood of escape. There's more, but, well, it is currently just body macrame to me. The aspects of healing, meditation and tantric sex that shibari can also be used for are still beyond me. 

And here's why: This is my third attempt at it. Ever! The first two attempts have been by myself, on myself, and the going is s-l-o-o-o-o-w when attempting intricacies behind your back. Not that I wasn't successful, mind; I'm pretty boss. And I always have my safety scissors!

My felting process

Newly complete pieces. Afterbirth, wet cats, throw up...You don't even need to think it. I know.

You'll note I've titled this post My felting process. It is a pretty rough n' ready process, and I am not creating a finished product that is designed to be worn, machine-washed or subjected to any physical stress. What is it for? It's both a screen and a background. I will be doing things to it that increase the strength of the felt, but please don't follow this process intending to felt something sturdy like a hat or a handbag.

Fluffy balls of fibre, ready to be subdued.

Do you know who can help you with that? The Toowoomba Spinners Weavers and Dyers group. With 80+ members and the median age of these members being approx. 58 years, if there's a textile-based craft they can't help you with, it's maybe not worth knowing.

The equipment, all laid out. It's kind of hard to see, so here's the list:

• Fibres
• Plastic dropsheet
• 2 sheets of bubblewrap - one as big as half a towel (bottom piece) and one tea-towel sized (top piece).
• Soap flakes
• Freshly boiled water
• Bottle with holes in the lid so that the hot water can sprinkle out, not pour.
• A ratty old towel for across the knees and afterwards

Step one: make yourself a cup of tea in flagrant disregard for OHS processes.

Lay the separated fibres all in one direction, overlapping hanks as you go. Make several layers, you should not be able to see the bubblewrap through the fibres when compressing them (make sure you check).

When complete, sprinkle hot water evenly over fibres. They need to be throughly damp, not saturated.  All the fibres should stick to the body of the felt piece. If there are any dry spots, sprinkle a bit more over the area.

This is the shape this felt piece will take now...

Press, press with the bubble wrap to ensure an adequate soaking.

Now the fibres are thoroughly saturated, add soap flakes. You are aiming for an even sprinkling of soap flakes across the whole piece.

Not many more flakes than this for a piece this size.

Press, press with the soap flakes to work them into the fibres.

After sprinkling soap flakes, place top piece of bubblewrap over the fibres (bubbles down), and with dry hands rub and rub the back of the bubblewrap until you see foam appear. The trick is to agitate the soap into the fibres, which act as a binding agent. You are also agitating the fibres, so that the layers bond. I think it's a bit like making dredlocks. Product, then matting. Check to see if it looks right (i.e. no thin spots) and keep matting.

Hmmm, does that look right? Needs more agitation.

After more agitation, (and some more tea) I have flipped the piece over.

Now we agitate the back. You are looking for the soap to foam up into the spaces around the bubblewrap's bubbles.

So, I am now happy with the matting that has occured to my wool fibres, and it appears I have made a piece of felt. After I have ensured both sides are felting up successfully, I squish out the excess water/soap liquid.

Now here's the medium tricky part. Using the top piece of bubblewrap, place it over a far edge of your felted fabric and roll it up into the plastic.

Starting the roll.

Halfway through.

Nearly done.

Now what, idiot?

You'll note those little white bits of crap in the last photo? That is excess soap. Hold your felt/bubblewrap wad perpendicular to your work area to let some excess drain out. Use this down time to pick out any bits of soap. Alternatively, you can not care about the soap flakes as they will disappear eventually. Take your newly matted felt to a drying rack, place the bubblewrap face down and roll it, unrolling your felt onto the drying rack with as little disturbance as possible.

Last note: Felting is a fair-weather adventure. It's not a good idea to attempt when rain has settled in over your district for the better part of a fortnight, as you will have sodden lumps of felt and wet towels hanging around for much longer then you would like.