As of January 2012, I have been working on a new body of artwork: the Knitted Journeys. Knitting is traditionally seen as a craft to make things, particularly wearable items. It has certain connotations. My aim is to take knitting to new levels, whether it's fine art, conceptual, political or documentary. I have decided to use the concept of the journey in my work. Journeys take place in many forms. A few of the many types of journeys that I am encompassing in my work are travel, my emotional state of mind, sleep and dreams and the daily weather/climate. I am working on many projects at once and am knitting one row or section each day. My daily knitting projects include documenting the color of the sky each day, the temperature outside represented in different colors, my state of mind, my dreams and the appearance of my tree outside my window.
I'm also working on geographical knitting projects: knitting one panel for every state in the USA and every country in the world. These help me focus on one state and country per day, learn about that place and become completely involved in representing that place in knitting. Every country and state has something different to contribute and I am making colorful tapestries documenting the many cultural and geographic variations. Future project ideas include knitting the many different towns and attractions in the country of Iceland and all of Canada's 13 provinces and territories, among others.
I am closely documenting these various projects with daily writing. I write about the geographical knitting projects and my dreams primarily. I feel the other projects are more self-evident in the knitting alone. But I want to write what inspires me to create each section for the geographical projects, as well as document my dreams.
Additionally, I am knitting pieces that are based on my travels. On my 2-week trip to Florida, Georgia and South Carolina in 2012, I knit a visual diary of what I saw and experienced each day. The knitted diary is full of different landscapes, architecture, culture and personal experiences. It even contains some seashells that I found on the beach to add to the experience. I just finished another one on my brief trip to Chicago in February of 2012. I am now working on a knitted piece about one particular beach that I visited on my recent trip: St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. I am interested in knitting more landscapes, focusing on the subtleties of the various textures, colors and forms and interpreting them into knitting.

Labels: art, conceptual, journey, knitting, textiles, travel, yarn

I have recently added a new line to my Etsy shop, Coolclimates, the Upcycled and Eco Friendly yarn line! These are made from yarns from unraveled sweaters, accessories and second hand yarns. Since most of the components in these yarns are on their second (or more) lives, there may be some slight curl and/or knots. I pick my own combinations of different yarns to spin together into unique compound yarns.

Be sure to keep up with the latest news by following my Twitter account, @Coolclimates! I also have a second one at @Fibereasta. Frequent updates on both!

When I was in Portland in February 2011, I started on a new body of work. I'm currently working on a series of collages using mainly paper (but also some fabric and stickers). I have collected many beautiful papers and am cutting them into various shapes to make these creations. I'm also stamping on to blank paper to create my own patterns and am then cutting them up.

I had the pleasure of staying in Portland, Oregon during the month of February 2011. During this time, I made many connections with the artistic community, visited numerous art and craft venues, got aquainted with the layout of the city, the public transportation and many distinct neighborhoods. I also created some new artwork (pictures coming soon) and worked on some more items for my Etsy shops. This was a great opportunity for me and I'm hoping to return again soon.

I have started offering several new lines of yarns in my Coolclimates Etsy store. These include component yarns, Coolclimates yarn samplers and most lately, fabric ribbon yarns.

Component yarns:
A unique line of Coolclimates yarns, the component yarns are deeply textured and colorful skeins made from many strands of different yarns tied together, often 3 at a time. Most of the yarns are commercial, although some are also handspun. The yarns are often those left over from projects (you know those small amounts of yarn you don't know what to do with?). They are all different kinds of fibers, textures and weights, although uniformly the weight tends to be bulky.

Coolclimates yarn samplers:
small samples of several yarns in one order. These often have underlying themes in color, etc.

Fabric ribbon yarns:
These are made from vintage fabrics that have been ripped into strips and knotted. Some are vintage fabrics. They are mainly cotton (but other fiber blends as well). The strips are approximately 1/2 inch or 1 centimeter wide. The many knots add an organic look with lots of interesting texture.

Labels: new coolclimates handspun yarns

On January 14, 2010, I opened a second Etsy shop Coollight. This shop specializes in materials for fiber artists (fiber batts, fabric grab bags, stitch markers, etc), handmade jewelry and home decor. Essentially, I carry everything else besides handspun yarn, which is for sale in my Coolclimates shop.
Please visit my new shop and take a look! Frequent updates.