Sample experiments evolve...

After nearly a year of trying, I've finally got a knitting machine that does what I want it to do - fair isle!

Oh how I love it so much.

It didn't really take me that long to figure it out, but it did take that long to get a teacher, realise that the machine I was given wasn't capable of it, find another one, service it, work, go away for work and have a baby....

This is where I thought I'd be in March, starting experiments, making fabrics. I did feel a bit thwarted at every turn for a while, but now all is good.

These were fair isle samples that I turned into stuffed fishie creatures for the babies in my bump club. They've got a magnet in them so they can stick to things (my sewing table for example) or later on, they can go fishing for them with a magnet on a string (I loved those magnetic fish games..)

They are suggestive of fish, I think the last one looks like a speedy dog fish, and the second one looks like a fat slow whale fish. It's the only one with a stuffed tail, and I'm not sure about it. They're prototypes and are whatever shape I made the rectangular piece, but they're for babies, so I'm sure they won't mind that they are a bit wonky.

I used cotton from cones that I'd had stored somewhere, and I thought I'd give them a quick wash before wrapping, and since today was a stinking 39 C, I thought they'd dry quick as a flash, but unbeknownst to me, outside it was becoming muggy, and now it's kinda raining. Hence the fish on the fan.

The textured tails felt quite nice wet, and I was thinking they could be a bath sponge toy maybe. (if I did the whole thing in a tuck stitch). not sure...

What Happened To November?

I guess this did.....

Setting up the show in Sydney, traveling with the bub for the first time (three flights, no crying, fingers crossed for the next ones) meeting 20 relatives (the Sydney and Canberra mob).

Hanging out at the gallery, trying to occupy himself.

Here's a view of the show, Moore Is More, from the mezzanine. It's the same set up as the JamFactory show in February, with some different pieces, and less ponds and more roads.

I don't know what we were thinking when we believed that we could install that kind of exhibition with a 13 week old baby. We did it, but we didn't emerge that triumphant, more like shell shocked. Babysitters will definitely be invited next time!