It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas......

...and I am starting to panic!  Still, at least the tree is finally up and decorated, so that's one job out of the way.  I wish I was one of these organised people who have their presents bought and wrapped by about October and their tree up on the 1st December, but it never seems to happen.  Oh well, I think we'll get there, hot, sweaty and dishevelled, but Christmas will go ahead.

After waiting for the extra ball of yarn, then discovering a fatal flaw in the border pattern and having to unpick about 2 inches of knitting...then discovering I didn't need the extra ball after all (can you tell I am just a teeny bit stressed today?)..the pink shawl was finally finished last night.  It's still drying after being blocked - takes twice as long in the winter - but I can't wait to wear it, it's so pretty!  And that spare ball of yarn will not go to waste - I've already started a matching beret....

(Excuse my slipper in the corner of the picture - at least it matches!)

On Getting Back To Normal.......

As today is my umpty-umpth birthday and I'm tired, I decided to spend the afternoon doing what I wanted instead of charging around like a loon which has been the pattern of the past few weeks.  So after a nice nap and a brisk but cold dog walk across muddy fields, I started Blue Jellyfish No.9 - nine!  Never thought  I'd paint so many of these things, but they do seem popular.  This is the very beginning stage, with the jellyfish body and frills painted loosely in watercolour and salt sprinkled to get a nice lacy effect.  It felt good to play with watercolours again.....

While I wait for the yarn to finish my scarf, I have returned to the animation work.  Can you guess what this is going to be?  No, not a miniature Stonehenge (who else loved that scene in Spinal Tap?) but a miniature fireplace.  It took a whole evening to model the pieces around which to knit, using plenty of foam board and double sided tape.  Doesn't look like much now, but once the knitting is done and the decorative 'tiles' put in place, it will start to take shape.  Anyone know how to construct a knitted grate and a toasting fork?  How about knitted fire??  I'm looking forward to the challenge!

I Hate Waiting!

So.......three rows before completing this scarf, I ran out of yarn.  I was very calm about it, although the air was blue...  An extra ball is on it's way but I so hate waiting!  I want to see how it looks when it is all done and stretched out, as currently it is tightly scrunched up on the needle and I can't get an idea of what it will be like.  It's a little gift from me to me...well tomorrow is my birthday after all!

This sneak preview is of a birthday gift for someone else but although the knitting part is done, I am waiting for some little extras which need sewing on....they are coming from China, so it might take a while.

So in the meantime, I had better get on with something else - frustrating or what!

Nothing To See Here.....

I'm a bad blogger this month - nothing to show, nothing interesting to say...sigh.....
Since finishing all the pre-Christmas commissions, I have kind of switched off due to sheer exhaustion more than anything else.  I haven't done any painting - I attempted to re-kindle some enthusiasm for the peacock, but I am afraid the spark has gone and that will have to be hidden away probably never to be finished.  I want to paint, but now it's the last week of term and there is a lot going on at work as well as trying to organise our own family Christmas here.  If I could have back the time spent queuing in the post office waiting to send parcels, that would be nice........

I have been knitting, but am awaiting some little bits and pieces to arrive in the post before I can finish off a commissioned scarf.  I am currently knitting myself a rather tasty little shawl/scarf using that raspberry pink yarn, but that needs another day or so before it's done. 

So I am sorry to be so dull.....hopefully in a couple of days I will have something more interesting to show.  I'm also hoping to hold a little giveaway at some point between now and the New Year, just need to decide what it will be.

Yawn....I'm boring myself here, so time to stop!

Starting Over......

Quite a few weeks ago, before the various pieces of commissioned work, I was in the middle of painting this using my lovely set of Derwent Inktense pencils and colour blocks.  It all seems a very long time ago and I feel that I have forgotten the method of working I was using as well as losing all momentum and enthusiasm.  Recently, several people have asked me if I have more than one painting on the go at the same time - the answer is 'no' and this is the reason why.  I find it very hard to go back to a picture once the initial excitement has died down.  While I am 'in the moment' there is a certain rhythm to the work - I get to know exactly which colours and brushes I need and how to obtain the effect I am after.  After a protracted break, especially one during which other paintings using other mediums have been completed, it's hard to get back into the mindset of the abandoned work.  I will give this one a go, if only for the fact I put an awful lot of effort into getting it this far, but my heart's really not in it.

My yarn stash has remained fairly static for a long time, new yarns being bought strictly for commissioned projects rather than just because they look pretty.  However, this week I have cracked and bought some scrummy raspberry pink Louisa Harding yarn from Stash Fine Yarns sale with a view to knitting myself a lacy shawl/scarf.  The tiger striped sock yarn was for a possible commission which fell through, but I couldn't resist it's rich oranges and have a germ of an idea for a new knitted creature.  For the time being however, I have a couple more things to knit for other people, after which I can hopefully get back to knitting for my own pleasure for a while!

Proud Mum

I don't know if any of you check out the links to the right of your screen, but one of them leads to my son's blog, which if you are in to quirky art, might be right up your street.  This week he took a huge leap and went freelance after several years of working in a shop during the day and slogging through the night on his artwork.  I'm hoping that he will get plenty of  job offers as his art is of a very high standard.

So high in fact that he was asked recently to submit a painting to the New York Society of Illustrators for inclusion in an exhibition and auction in aid of the Drawing Dreams Foundation.  You can imagine the excitement in our house on that day - I nearly burst with pride!  The painting was duly painted and sent off, and both his girlfriend and I insisted that he had to go to New York to see his picture in his first major exhibition.  Tickets were booked, he leaves today....except sadly the exhibition has been put forward a month!  So he will miss his moment of glory, which is a crying shame, but at least he gets to see New York in the run up to Christmas - cold comfort, but I'm sure they will have a fantastic time.

George has also got a print for sale in aid of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, all profits going to the charity.  If you loved Back to the Future when you were growing up as he did, you will love his illustration! 

I'm so very proud of him!

Grab It While You Can!

Tomorrow (Saturday 3rd December) I shall be selling my wares at a Christmas Fair (Tavistock Infant School, Fleet, 2.30 p.m.) and as I know that the little knitted creatures usually fly off first, I'm warning anyone who has been umming and ahhing about buying something from my Etsy shop to get in quick to avoid disappointment!  I shall be shutting the Etsy shop tonight until the fair is over, which gives you most of today to think about it.

I will also have five paintings in the Fleet and District Art Society Exhibition today and tomorrow - check it out, it;s usually a good little exhibition.  Being held at the Harlington Centre, Fleet, Hampshire from Friday 2nd Dec noon until 5.30 p.m. tomorrow.

Talk about spreading yourself thin..............