Knitting

Little Stories are posts where I share odds and ends from my life and my atelier. Since I missed making posts in October and November, I will share two Little Stories back to back. While I am working on large projects, I like to keep a few small projects handy. When I need a break, I switch over to the small ones. Specially when I am stuck on a project, taking a break and going back to it after a while helps me see it from a new perspective. Before we continue with the adventures of The Girl And Her Cat, let me share a few small finishes with you.

A “little” decision

I have a small announcement to make. Last month, I have officially closed my Etsy shop. With all the recent seller policy changes over at Etsy, I felt like I was losing my identity as an artist there.

Ever since I opened my shop here at the website in 2020, you gave me the confidence to make this decision with your continuing support and purchases from my shop here.

Most importantly, I can keep in touch with you more directly. I always enjoy the interaction that I have with you here.

So, from now on, this is the only place where I will sell my quilt patterns, cards, prints and journals. Thank you so much for continuing to purchase from my shop here. It means a lot to me.

A little warmth

I really like Thea Colman’s knitting patterns at Ravelry. They are beautiful and very well written. This one looks intricate but it is an extremely easy cable pattern to follow. I made this one with extra long ribbing, so my husband’s ears will be covered completely and keep him warm when we travel to cold places in winter months, which is something we do often.

The yarn came from Shropshire. We were meandering around the small villages there when I happened to spot a small yarn shop. I was looking for some English wool. The lady at the shop was so helpful. With her help I got three skeins of this 100% Bluefaced Leicester wool, reared, sheared and spun in Yorkshire. The yarn is wonderful to knit with and softened as I knitted with it.

The combination of the pattern and the yarn made for such an enjoyable knit, and the smile on my husband’s face made it extra special.

A little drawing

Last December, we were visiting one of my favourite places in the Sierra mountains. I wasn’t in much of a mood for gallivanting around the mountainside this time. I saw a tree outside the cabin window with its wild-looking trunk and branches. It was so peaceful to sit by the window-side and a warm fire, sipping hot chocolate and drawing the time away.

I probably will paint this one day as part of a landscape, but for now it is a finished drawing in my sketchbook.

Little bookmarks

Specially since I started book making, the amount of scrap paper I have lying about has increased. They are too small for any significant project, but not small enough that I can toss them in the recycling bin without feeling guilty. I use them for playing with colours. Recently I started making little 1″ x 4″ mini bookmarks out of them. The four botanical ones went to their new homes. I have the flying birds at home now. They are all painted using Van Gogh watercolour on leftover papers from the pocket journals available in my shop.

A little Girl and Her Cat

I have of course also been painting in my little 3″ x 4″ blue books. Here are some more of the adventures of The Girl And Her Cat from the Wandering Pages book. Please click on the image thumbnails to see the pictures and read about their wanderings –

Wandering Pages has all the paintings that I have shared from this little book so far.

Do you also work on small projects alongside large ones? Or are you a one-project-at-a-time kind of person?

Until next time,
-Soma

I am linking up with the linky parties on my Events And Links page. Please pay a visit to some of them.

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Today I have quite a list of things to share with you. New finishes and projects. The revival of a linky party and news of an upcoming giveaway. Also, there’s a new place in the shop for The Girl And Her Cat. I called the very first post of this year Little Stories. It is a blend of the many things I worked on during the long winter break. I miss sharing the little things that I come across now and then and I almost always have a little story or an anecdote to go with my work. I thought I’d make Little Stories a series. So, without further ado, let me show you around.

After The Storm

Twitter Art Exhibit is an event where artists send their works to be sold for different charities each year. This year, all proceeds will go to the L_I_N_C, supporting leukaemia and other blood cancer patients and their families.

Last year I injured my right hand very badly. For a while I couldn’t even hold a pencil, let alone draw and carve for a relief print. Thankfully, they extended the deadline and I was able to finish this print. I am happy to say that it got sold within the first day of the online shop opening. That made me incredibly happy.

My hand has also mended enough for me to knit again. The background in the photo is a cardigan that I finished knitting, now waiting for a zipper. The front is a hat that I am currently knitting using wool that I purchased on our travels. Hopefully I will be able to share the finishes here soon, along with pattern links and review.

We decided not to travel this year. Since I really miss travel photography, I thought I would take this chance to go through old travel photos and share them here. Wandering Camera linky party is coming back. It not only motivates me to work on my photos, I also love seeing yours. If you follow me via email, you will get a reminder.

Even though I miss the excitement and wonder of visiting a new country, I am content with wandering in my painting books for now.

Paintings From The Lost Pages Book

Here are the last few paintings from the Lost Pages book. Please Click on the image thumbnails to see the photos and read the captions.

I finished this book on my birthday. Since I am squarely a winter girl, I thought it would be apt if The Girl And Her Cat were enjoying the aurora during an Arctic dawn.

This one is really special to me. I painted this bow and arrow imbued in dragon magic for protection and strength for an old friend who was going in for cancer surgery the next day. The Girl And Her cat brought him to safe harbour though the storm.

Lost Pages Paintings

You can see all the paintings from the Lost Pages book together at the above link. Each page of this book tells a little story.

Here is the latest stack of books I have made for painting since December of 2020. They are all named and at least one of them is an illustrated story. Most of them are about The Girl And Her Cat.

A Thank You

I really want to thank each one of you for visiting me and leaving such wonderful encouraging words, not to mention continuing to purchase from my shop. Each sale is very special to me, whether it is a quilt pattern or a an art print. The sales enable me to make donations to my favourite shelters and humane societies. I will have a special Thank You giveaway next month. Stay tuned!