Getting ready to leave for India...

I'm leaving for India on February 4th from Calgary, arriving in Delhi via Heathrow early Saturday morning. I'm travelling with my knitting buddy Wendy...she's been doing lots of research about what we'll see and do, while I've been organizing the accommodation and transportation. So far, it's been a great partnership! We just slid back into our old roles that we developed from years of planning knitting retreats. I plan to use this blog to communicate to friends and family--check in here regularly (or click on the "subscribe to posts" at the bottom of the page to receive updates) to see what we've been up to.

I'm not sure if I'll be posting images...that'll depend on the computer I have to use, whether that's in a cafe or at our guest house.

We will be spending the first couple of days in Delhi with Yvonne, a friend from Vernon who broached the idea of this trip in the first place...and then we leave for Agra and the Taj Mahal for two days. (We have booked a car and driver...he's been described as part driver, part guide and part nursemaid...perfect for us!) Then on towards Jaipur staying a few nights at historic guest houses along the way, meeting up with Yvonne again, and finally in Jaipur itself for a couple of days. On February 14th Wendy, Yvonne and I fly to Ahmedabad where we meet our host, Vicky, for the next two weeks as she leads us on a "magical mystery textile tour" of Gujarat and Rajasthan. We finish up at her farm near Kota http://colsudhirfarm.com/index.html before flying out of Delhi early March 3. I'll be stopping off in England until March 12th while Wendy carries on home to Canada. I'll be staying with old friends on their farm just south of Carlisle. See http://www.highheadsculpturevalley.co.uk/ We've hatched plans for a reunion of the staff of the restaurant we worked at in the Lake District over 35 years ago to celebrate our old boss' 70th birthday. Whew! A full 5 weeks!

Meanwhile I have a few piles of things to sort and pack. I'm planning to take a minimum of clothes--just a change of tops and bottoms--and a small mound of first aid supplies to be prepared for practically anything. So, the back pack will be about half full thus plenty of room for the precious textiles I might accummulate along the way! This is NOT a shopping trip--I have no desire to add to my already large fabric and fibre collection, however I realize there will be some pieces that I won't be able to pass up. I am looking forward to the novelty of having some clothes made for me--possibly Indian clothing that will be comfortable to wear while travelling.

Meanwhile I thought I'd post pictures of my latest completed project. This is a cardigan knit in the mitred module technique from silk and wool. It's been a long time coming...I started it about 4 1/2 years ago, knitting it in fits and starts. The delays have been handy because I've used it in workshops to demonstrate various options and how to construct a garment with the mitred module technique. At Christmas I pulled it out with the goal of finishing and wearing it. Here it is...

Letting go...

Anne asked for a photo of me wearing the stole. Here are some we took this morning on our front porch. And just for fun, I took a photo looking down at all the beads!



























I'll be mailing the stole to Anne tomorrow (Monday) and it will arrive in time to be worn for the Winter Solstice service at Edmonton City Hall, 7 PM, December 21st. Wish I could be there!



Always at the end of a big project like this when I have experienced the ebb and flow (highs and lows) of the creative process, there is a period of "letting go"...a separation time. I'm lucky to have all these experiences!

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The stole is finished!

Here it is...the completed stole. I decided not to embellish with trees afterall. The image became quite abstract--almost as tho' the materials dictated the outcome! I decided that adding trees would be an attempt to make this a more realistic portrayal rather than the abstract image that it has become.





The piping is made from some sparkling green organza, and the lining comprises several scarves plus a pashmina shawl. One scarf was a souvenir from the Edmonton Folk Festival which I laid over the pashmina in the neck and shoulder area for reinforcement. Amongst the ties and scarves sent to me was a charming little Chinese embroidery, and I had the bright idea this morning of converting this into a pocket on the lower inside lining. On the other side is another pocket made from two scarves with musical notes. Anne can use these for a kleenex, key, card...?

I did create an image of the full moon on the back using a little lame and organza--this is one of the few decisions made at the outset that I kept!



I spent a pleasant hour this afternoon drinking tea and chatting with a friend while she was knitting, and I sewed on a multitude of beads to add a little more sparkle. It was a delightful way to finish off the stole.

To continue...

It was high time I put the two halves of the stole up on the design wall to have a good look at it vertically. Here's an image of the stole from a distance and up close.

Now to decide on the embellishment...beads have been suggested for some sparkle...the piping might have some sparkle too. I've pretty much decided against using any organza overlays as I did in the sample. I'm happy with the way the yellows and greens glow...

Thanks for all your comments whether made publically on this blog or privately to me in person or by e-mail. All remarks are welcome and grist for the mill. It's encouraging to know I have interested readers!

Ah....it's coming together!

I've had a great start. Amazing what energy I felt in my tidy studio...all the appropriate materials sorted and ready to use. Above are three images of the stole in progress. You can see that I started by laying down a narrow strip of yellow, and on the right moved into reds, blues and greens. On the left moved into greens and blues. I think I'm making peace with the theme, and am comfortable with not trying to depict northern lights realistically. Whether I use organza overlays as I did in the samples I posted yesterday remains to be seen. For now, I'll let this rest while I go to the opening of the Artsolutely show tonight...and will be back at this project with renewed energy tomorrow and Sunday.

Tidied up...

Ah, much better! My materials are organized and I can think straight again.

Getting to work!

I thought I'd start by showing you some images of my studio at the moment...what a mess! I woke up at 4:30 AM today thinking I need to tidy up before doing anything more.

In the background on the wall you can see the samples I've done so far. I started by sorting the materials (ties and scarves) into colour groups of reds, yellows, greens, and blues. Then I cut a narrow bias strip from each and used my favourite bias strip piecing technique on a cotton foundation.
Each sample has overlays of organzas.