what can you do out and about?

portable crafting projects completed

Maybe some inspiration for what can be created with just wire, a crochet hook and some pliers?

crafting still going portable

batch of cute promo buttons and charms for the Handmade Nation premier

It's nearly the end of the school year and crafting has gone well and truly portable. I've been rustling up a batch of promo goodies for the film premier on July 9th. They're quick and easy to make and don't require much kit to finish off.

portable project kit;
wire and cotton yarn
rings and hoops (various from my stash)
clips
crochet hook
pliers and cutters

... and that's all

This weekend's inventory check was most encouraging and no frantic crafting is needed to build up stock for the Main Street car-free Vancouver festival this Sunday (I'll be between W20th and 21st Avenues on Main).

So, this week's portable crafting projects are a little more leisurely and introspective.

• silver wire beads (they went down a storm at the last craft fair so I'm making them again for this Sunday
• trying out a freebie knit pattern for a shrug, using some scrap yarn from my stash. front is on the circulare needles for portability while the back is on straight pins for at-home moments
  
• sleeveless cable waistcoat pattern from the Sublime aran knits pattern book (knitting up an absolute dream) - on circular needles = extreme portability

I also found out that nearly all my little felted bowls have sold so I can justify whipping out the crochet hook for these portable charmers too. Might just settle down to making some on Main Street this Sunday.

inspiration!

wire crochet ring in gold artistic wire

Waiting for out-of-school activities to end can be a real drag, however I do enjoy hanging out at Place des Arts in Coquitlam where the Wee Guy goes for his art classes. I get to sit around in the gallery (where the incredible Tripolar exhibition by the Freemantle siblings is currently on view) and either contemplate on life as I sip my coffee and view the art, or can spend an entire hour crafting without distractions.
This was a recent result - I was asked at a recent craft fair if I made wire crochet rings.
Well I do now!

...... and who says crafting has to be "old lady"?
Readers - may I introduce one of my new portable crafting holdalls? Behold, a genuine Italian leather handbag snaffled from a local consignment store for a mere 10CAD! It has three roomy pockets and easily holds an entire ball of wool, circular needle and the pattern, plus my usual day-to-day 'stuff'.

New thrift store shoes too, just to make crafting al fresco a little more stylish.

Voila!

raccoon mums and more ....

It occurs to me that portable crafting might just be the way forward.
I've been musing over the Globe and Mail article I blogged yesterday about raccoon mums (or moms). Although I'm not quite sure why 'raccoons' (is it the nocturnal nature of a the solo time a la the little bandit, or is it the dark circles round the eyes following so little sleep I wonder?), I do think that making your sanity saver more mobile is one way that a few more hours of shut eye can be reclaimed.
Instead of crafting away into the wee small hours uninterrupted why not pack up your goodies and 'interrupt' kiddo's playtime with a few rows of knitting? They can quietly haemorrhage after a fall while you calmly finish another inch of pattern I'm sure.*

So my ideal portable raccoon-saving kit would contain;
1. a craft project with all trimmings
2. one of those super small wireless enabled notebooks
3. chocolate
4. a camera
What would your ideal portable sanity saver be?
No, there aren't any prizes.

*Yes, I was joking. Read my previous posts for tips on quick pack up of portable projects.

disposable art?

detail from flower initial embroidery panel by ebbandflo

A couple of summers ago Germaine Greer published a piece in The Guardian newspaper which had fibre arts bloggers up in arms. Her review of an exhibition of patchwork by artist Edrica Huws, drew fire because she commented at how pointless an exercise working with fabric was since all works created in this way will decay swiftly. With descriptions like "heroic pointlessness" and "an exercise in futility" Ms. Greer drew fire from many angered women artists. (I'll let you read the article itself to draw your own conclusions as to whether the author does women artists/textile art a disservice).
For what it's worth, I do disagree with some of the points raised, about women frittering their time away on these purposeless endeavours which cannot be 'used'. Doesn't that sum up most works of art anyway? Most pieces cannot be 'used', merely gazed upon and appreciated, and in anways, their useability comes from stimulating the senses/spirit. Go and see the current exhibition of Kirsten Chursinoff's sumptuous quilted and embroidered landscapes at Place des Arts for an example.
What I feel Greer does miss however, is how much more fibre/textile art fits into a woman's daily life than more 'rigid' forms of expression e.g painting, sculpture, metalcasting and so on. What does a woman do all day? She works, whether at home with children or out 'in real life'. Packing a canvas and full set of paints, brushes, saw, soldering kit, sheet metal etc. is never a realistic option. What packs away better into a diaper bag or briefcase but some good old fibre art? Readers of my blog will know that I usually have an ongoing craft project in my bag when out and about. Usually it's knitting or crochet (wire and yarn) but I have taken finished metalwork to file and polish, a sketchbook for designs, embroidery or other sewing.
Fibre and textile work can usually be compressed thus rendering it appropriate for life on the go. I don't have to wait for a layer of paint to dry before I can pack away my portable crafting project and run to my child's latest emergency. If I'm careful I won't even drop a stitch or lose a bead.
In my opinion Ms Greer misses the point in condemning fibre art as pointless women's art - it might decay, it might rot and not be as durable as oil masterpieces, but in terms of the day to day, they make a much bigger difference in the life of many women and may represent the only creative outlet sneaked into a busy day for many.

portable knitto whizz gadget thingy

I come from a family of gadget-lovers, so this nifty little package has my portable knit brain drooling with delight. I first saw it on The Twist Collective's blog (yes, home of The Sylvi coat which I will be attempting sometime before I die after I've located a stash of Thick and Quick woolease large and cheap enough).
It measures approximately 5 inches by 3 and a half inches, and contains tape measure, stitch markers, crochet hook and scissors. It is allegedly airline compliant ...... but I'm not sure I would risk it.
I am falling for it, it would make a great addition to my portable crafting kit but somehow it's just not as pretty as my MeringueShop wristlet that I currently tote all the contents listed above around in!

Maybe I'll just ask for it for a birthday!
Available on pre-order here or badger your local yarn shop.

chasing jump rings

Chainmailling is of course portable IMO. As long as I have a clear idea of the weave I'm attempting and have somewhere flattish for jumprings I'm usually happy chainmailling al fresco.
It's usually best, if you are supposed to be minding a child, to have a set up that is easy to put down as soon as the first wail for assistance comes thru. For this reason, always identify the start of your weave with a paperclip and be ready to scoop everything into a bag when you resume motherhood.

orbital weave and serpentine choker available here