the purple carrots are a disappointment...

but i will try and use the little that is there to overdye some silk pieces.

purple carrots and 2 unknown pods from the garden

my first pair of socks turned out well and fit perfectly. i've started the second pair trying a different type toe and heel this time.

i'm becoming more comfortable with the dp needles

i've also done a bit more on the piece i started in Karen Ruane's Ledger Class. a couple of more additions and then i'll start embellishing with stitch.

i go through periods of hating and liking this piece but am determined to finish it.

and finally, i've started a Fabric Journal. i'm just adding bits of fabric from projects i'm working on. haven't decided yet how i will do the labeling. i always love looking through Jude's threadcrumbs on her blog so that was the inspiration.

i really want to go out and plant seeds for a fall garden but it is just too hot. hope you're all staying cool.

it's a sock...

it's been a struggle and i ripped out the heel 3 times until i got it right but i've learned so much from this 'toe-up class' on craftsy.com. this is my first sock ever and this is not exactly a beginner's class but i think i'm going to make it work.
who would have thought that this...

the gauge swatch and the beginning of the toe

would actually start looking like a sock...

just a few more inches to go

and then, of course, i have to knit the second sock but that will be easy now.

i've also added several borders to the busy looking piece i started in Karen's Ledger Class.

not sure how big it will get and then there will be embroidery embellishments

i need to move along quickly because my to do list is growing daily.

moving along...

i have finished 2 hats using circular needles and next i will tackle socks with the help of the class i signed up for on craftsy.com. i am quite comfortable using the circular needle now and think i can move along on my own.

just finished the white Rosie hat and it has just been blocked

i've done some more work on my ledger pages...

cloth, photoshopped images, watercolors, inktense pencils

stitching on watercolor paper and embroidered centers

playing with a bit of color over the stitching

and this started out as a ledger page but will be expanded into a cloth using some of my hand dyed and shibori cloth

Karen Ruane's 'An Embroiderer's Ledger' class has ended but she plans on offering it again sometime soon. I highly recommend it for lots of new inspirational ideas. Karen has also moved her blog over to typepad. So check out her new blog here and you can read all about her online classes, read her latest newsletter, check her shop and lots of other interesting things.

thinking ouside the box...

i always try to be thinking outside the box, but Karen Ruane's Ledger class has really encouraged me to do that even more. it took me a while to get into this but i'm really enjoying working on these pages and i can see so many possibilities developing for moving forward in my stitching. here are a few more ledger pages i've been working on. click on the images for a close-up view.

stitchery added on the right of this page i posted last week. this was a thrift store find linen hanky. i did some free motion stitching and then appliqued circles of the embroidery over the stitching.

this started out with the paisley shaped image from a Dover design book from the 1960s. i pulled some elements from the design and created open circles backed with scrim, leaving parts of the cut out area intact.

this page started out with a sashiko design on paper and eventually was stitched on cloth.

close-up of the sashiko stitched design

the paper design is tacked onto the back of the stitching.

it's hard leaving my familiar comfort zone and venturing out of the box but it sure is fun seeing things and combinations of things in a new light and being inspired to create something different. it's the only way to really move forward. i found this article had some interesting hints for thinking out of the box. check it out and let me know what you think.