Handknit Capelet

Capelets are fun to wear as a quick coverup to keep warm or an elegant addition to evening wear.

This is one of my latest capelets, handknit on circular needles, making it seamless. There is a crocheted rosette to add a pop of red!

This would look nice to wear on New Year's Eve too! Please visit my Etsy Shop http://pafiberartist.etsy.com to see the capelet and my other knits.

Thanksgiving

Dear All,

I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Best,
Susan

Free Knitted Cuff Pattern

Cuffs and wrist warmers are in style right now, so I decided to design and knit a few pairs.

This yarn is wool and acrylic made in Spain. It has verigations of wines and browns, with nubbies of orange, purple, and green. It's hard to believe that this pair came from the same yarn and dye lot!

Here's a pair from a verigated yarn made in Italy. It's wool and acrylic and reminds me of the colors of a mountain lake.

This yarn is Merino wool and very soft and warm. There is a crocheted purple edging and matching decorative button. These totally remind me of Marie Antoinette!

Free pattern:

Needles: (4) size 10 double pointed needles

Yarn: Worsted or chunky yarn - it's up to you

Cast on 8 stitches on each of the 3 needles = 24 stitches total

Knit 24 to 26 rows - or to whatever length you prefer

(Note: You can knit other stitches like the moss or seed stitch or add a cable, etc.)

When you reach desired length, bind off loosely

Decorative top:

Crochet 2 rows. (I crocheted one row of single, then one row of double crochet.)

Add embellishments - buttons or beads

You are done!

If you are not a knitter and would like to purchase a pair, please visit my Etsy Shop - http://pafiberartist.etsy.com

Au Revoir!

Swedish Cuff Pattern

Fingerless gloves are very popular right now! They are very convenient to wear while blogging too! It's great to be able to wear gloves and type!



The cuff pattern is a warm olive green yarn knit with taupe and mocha brown yarn. The stripe design is from a Swedish mitten book from the 1850s!



Fingerless gloves are quicker to knit than regular mittens. They are perfect to make when you want to use up your stash of yarns too!



Here are some freshly made earrings, with peach color faceted briolettes and copper findings.

The background in the photos match the earrings. It is from a greeting card my sister (Karen Harvey Cox) made. The colors of the papers and the earrings match perfectly!

When you think you can't create, keep creating!

Abiding

I am abiding in God today. He is my Rock. He is my Fortress. I will sit under His Wings today and rest. I will drink in His Love and Grace. I do not need to worry when I am alone, for He is with me all of the time. My thoughts are continually Praising Him. He shows me the way through all that I encounter.I am abiding this day so that I will not fail. God will strengthen me to get through all that concerns me this day. He will allow me to grow and be creative this day. He is sufficient. I will abide in His Branches.

John 15:5: I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. (KJV)

Earthy Neckwarmer Capelet

Capelets are fun to knit, crochet and wear. Here's my latest.

This yarn has so many colors in it - rootbeers, coffees, browns, steel gray, black, and maroon. It will probably match many coats and jackets.

The neck part is handknit and the capelet part is crocheted. It fits comfortably on the shoulders and will definitely block the wind from getting into your coat!

You can see the verigations in this yarn - there are so many colors! It reminds me of Paris or NYC!

Please visit my Etsy Shop - PA Fiberartist to see more of my handknits!

Merci!

I Love Turquoise!

Turquoise is everywhere in the Western U.S. It's so organic and feels good to the touch.

I made some earrings for my Etsy jewelry shop - Boutique de Bijou.

Here are some closeup photos. These are hand made with copper rings and ear wires.

Thank you for looking!

Nunofelting Again

This scarf is called Monet's Garden. It's made with silk chiffon and dyed merino sheep fleece.

Here's a mocha, cocoa, creme brulee, toffee with hints of root beer silk wide scarf with similar merino fleece pieces felted into the silk threads.

This is a mauve sheer silk chiffon scarf with aubergine and moss green fleece meandering throughout. It's light and warm!

I will be posting other pieces from my collection very soon.

Please stop by again.

Au Revoir!

Creativity Prayer

Dear Lord,

Today, I want to create through You, Please inspire me to create something that pleases You, I give my creative talents over to You, Lord. Bless me that I may be a blessing back unto You. Thank You, Lord, for giving me creative talents. Help me to get in touch with my creativity. Help me to uncover my artist within. Help me to make art for You and dedicated to You. Inspire me to inspire others, Lord.

Thank you, Jesus. Amen.

Fall Knits - Lots of Purple!

You've probably noticed that purple is totally in-style for this Fall's fashion!



Here's my latest design - a capelet handknit with super bulky, soft, warm, purple yarn. The knitted stitch throughout the capelet is called the Brioche Stitch.

It's fun to design a pattern as you knit. This one is easy to wear and very warm, without being too bulky and heavy.

You can see it listed in my Etsy Shop - PAfiberartist.

Start knitting! It's life transforming!

Au revoir!

Purple Cone Flowers - provide beauty and health!

God certainly is a great Artist!

These purple cone flowers are not only pretty to look at, but they also have medicinal healing properties in their roots. God certainly created them as a "win-win" flower - with beauty and healing attributes!

Also called Echinacea, which is the dried root of this plant. It's a natural remedy for colds.

The following was excerpted from the Safe Alternative Medicine website in the UK:

Fighting Infection

When taken orally, echinacea enhances the movement of white blood cells into areas of infection to destroy foreign particles, bacteria, viruses, and other micro-organisms. Echinacea can raise white blood cell activity when necessary to fight infection and lower it when the body's condition has improved. It also inhibits the growth of bacteria such as staph (Staphylococcus aureus) and increases general immune system function.

Soothing Skin

Used topically, echinacea speeds up wound healing and also prevents dry skin. It has also been sown to be effective in the treatment of psoriasis, eczema and inflammatory skin conditions. In one study of 4500 patients with inflammatory skin conditions, including psoriasis, 85% were cured with topical applications of echinacea salve.

The colors are very fibrant!

These flowers always remind me of badminton birdies!

Looks like a sea urchin! Amazing what God has created!

The Gold Finches love to eat the tiny seeds in the center.

Thank you for looking.

I uploaded two new items to PAfiberartist, my Etsy shop. One is a neckwarmer and the other a nunofelted scarf. I hope you like them!

Click here to see it --> Youtube .

Thank you for looking!

God and Wool

Working with wool helps me to feel connected to God. When you wash sheep fleece for spinning yarn - it turns pure white as soon as you dip it in the warm soapy water. When I would prepare the fleece for spinning, it would make me think about the profoundness of God's Word in Psalm 51:7 - because the fleece would turn whiter than snow!

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me,

and I shall be whiter than snow."

It's not only one of the most perfect fibers to work with too, but it's also warm and protects us from the elements - just like God! When you work with the wool, it brings a sense of connectedness to Him. Working with wool can also help to bring you toward healing and wholeness. My friend had cancer and she started needle felting and working with fleece at that time. She mentioned that it was therapeutic for her to work with the wool and made her feel connected to Him.

Blind people can learn to spin yarn. Isn't this profound? Maybe not having to see as the yarn is spun can teach us something about faith!

Working with wool also gives you a sense of accomplishment, that you made something that has a purpose. Maybe God wants us to realize that He created us with a purpose too.

As a knitter, I feel it is a privilege to work with wool and I thank God that I learned how to knit, especially since it is the reason why I quit smoking cigarettes just about 25 years ago!

Stay Inspired! Don't be stressed; be blessed!

Purple Mountains Majesty

God's beauty is shown in His mountains.

This is a 10" x 7" watercolor done with a glazing technique and ink.

It looks good diplayed on this metal easel. It would like nice in a mat or framed between glass.

It shows a reflection of the mountains too. When I am worried, the mountains seem to give me a sense of security and protection.

Whenever you feel worried or upset, just look at this painting and remember that God is in charge! Go to higher ground!

Thank you for looking!

Point of View

Here are some of my paintings, altered photos, and collage quilts I thought I would share.

These altered photos are of flowers called Indian Blankets:



This watercolor is one of my favorites - from a photo I took on a rainy day in Paris.

Watercolor of One of the many Names of God:

Oil painting - one of my sunflowers I grew a few years ago.

Acrylic done from a photo I took at the beach in Cape May, NJ

My favorite Pepper Painting watercolor:

Oil painting: 2 pears and a pepper

Pansy quilt collage:

Majestic Glory - another one of the many names of God. This is embroidered and quilted:

Fulled Purse - knitted and then felted:

Take a peek at the following link: "From the High North." This is Eline's nice blog from Oslo, Norway. I learned how to knit from a Norwegian woman years ago and her blog reminds me of her. They are great knitters!

Thank you for looking at my favorite art and be sure to visit my Etsy Shop - PA Fiber Artist!

Au revoir!

PA Fiber Artist Favorites

Here are some of my favorite books and music. Yes, they are linked to Amazon, but you will get the best price and it's a very convenient way to shop.

Darlene Zschech is from Australia and you have probably heard her famous song "Shout to the Lord." She usually sings at the Hillsong Church during their worship services. She has been part of the Hillsong Music series for a long time and she also sings at some of the Joyce Meyer Conventions.

Darlene wrote a book/CD combination - Kiss of Heaven. Here are two other CD favorites featuring her music: Extravagant Worship and Change Your World.

My Favorite Devotional!

My sister gave me my first Hearing God in 1988. Lory Basham Jones is married to Dean Jones (Babyboomers - you probably remember him from the Disney Movies in the 1960s and 1970s). He was in the "original" Luv Bug movie (Sorry Lindsay Lohan #:-0 )

Anyway - his wife - Lory - wrote this amazing devotional. A MUST HAVE and a GREAT GIFT!

Organic Garden Update

Here's an update on Stone Wall Organic Garden:

There are a million tomatoes and I've been blanching and freezing just about everything. I feel like I am playing "Twister" while I pick the tomatoes. We have 70 tomato plants - my new name is "Farmer Girl!"

We also bought a "FoodSaver" - see link on side bar for more information. It takes the air out of the bag as your food is sealed. That way your food can last much, much longer in your freezer. Years even!

We have some mega zucchinis like this one:

The cucumbers are excellent! Here's one:

Wax beans are like bananas - look how big!

This is oregano. The watermelon is spreading, however, so I had to put bricks around the oregano to protect it. It's very mild oregano and tastes good in salads too! Drying it will bring out the true oregano flavor for seasoning.

Here's one of the baby watermelons starting. This was last week (7/26/09), but as of today -8/5/09 - it's the size of a bowling ball!

Oy vey! - we are going to have many watermelons!

Here's a turnip - I blanched, cut and froze most of the turnips using the FoodSaver.

Here's some beets - I boiled them, cooled them off (following the Barefoot Contessa's recipe), removed the skins (wearing rubber gloves of course - or else I would have purple hands!), cut them into small sections, marinated them in Julia Child's vinegrette recipe, and sliced fresh onion like my Grandmother used to do. Very good food!

Here are some carrots. I will have a separate post showing more photos. I also made a video of the carrots and will post it on YouTube. They are rainbow carrots and we harvested about 50 lbs!

The broccoli is starting - not too bad for the first planting.

This tomato looks like a turtle with a smile:

Here's our basil. I am going to make pesto, providing I can find REAL pine nuts that are NOT FROM CHINA! Do you believe it? I am going to look in an Italian market for pine nuts FROM ITALY!

Here are some onions and leeks:

The parsley is holding up and it's very flavorful:

Every time I look at the cabbages, I am reminded of Peter Rabbit:

The potatoes are almost ready too. We've harvested some. There are red potatoes and Yukon gold.

That's it for now.

Au revoir!

On Higher Ground Original Water Color

Painting again! I usually go through dormant stages, but eventually end up picking up the brushes and getting out the paints!

This painting is from a recurring "mountain image" in my mind from all of the years that I lived in Vermont. I grew up on Long Island, but loved to ski - not very well, mind you! I decided to be a ski bum one season in Vermont, but didn't realize -- back then -- that I would stay there for the next 17 years!

"Ah - Yup," as they say.

Vermont is where I learned most of my fiber arts like knitting, felting, and spinning yarn. It was there that I learned how to paint watercolors as well.

There is a Christian worship song, with the chorus: "Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I." This chorus became engrained in my mind, from listening to it over and over when I went running. For this painting, I decided to add this chorus for encouragement and inspiration. There are many people who need encouragement right now.

The painting measures 10" x 7" on Windsor & Newton "Cotman," 140 1b watercolor paper.

Please visit my Etsy Shop for more details --> PAfiberartist.etsy.com

"...Lead me to the rock that is higher than I."

(Psalm 61:2).

Le Petit Chat

Here is Le Petit Chat - he's a small plush toy that I just completed. He measures approximately 8" tall by 3" wide. He has an embroidered eyes, nose, and mouth, and is wearing a sky blue crushed velvet ribbon as a cat collar.

The crushed velvet ribbon was purchased in NYC at a shop in the Garment District called: "The Store Across the Street." The Store Across the Street was originally launched by Tinsel Trading Company years ago (formerly called The French Tinsel Company). However, due to the economic crunch, The Store Across The Street has merged with The Tinsel Trading Company. If you are ever in NYC, please be sure to visit them! You'll feel like a kid in a candy store!



Le Petit Chat is stuffed with toy stuffing and his soft fabric body is made from polyester soft fleece fabric.



I will be posting him in my Esty stop soon. Please stop by: (PA Fiber Artist).




Merci Beaucoup!
Au revoir!

Organic Garlic Collage

This is a collage of the organic garlic that we grew for the first time last Fall. They were harvested in June and my husband dried them. We will have fresh garlic until the end of the year!

Bon Appetit!