the emotional life of sølje

17″x22″

My Artist Statement from my 2007 Journal Quilt which is currently hanging at the International Quilt Festival this year:

A Page from My Book: Journal Quilts 2007 - Journal Quilt Project

Melissa L Devin
Bothell, Washington
USA

“One Hundred and Fifty Reasons: Results Not Typical”

Creative Quilting techniques used: Beading (pg 155); Fabric Printing (pg 158); fabric/organza overlay(pg 174)

This journal quilt project was a year in the making. It doesn’t end at this point either. This quilt represents a year in my life with the one subject that is with me nearly 24hrs a day: dieting. I created a graph.

No strip piecing took place! Approx 780 rectangles make up the graph… give or take a few. 52 columns by 15 rows. Each row is equal to 10 pounds, and of course each column represents one week out of the year. The “mountain” represents my weekly weigh-in “numbers”. I like to see my progress visually, and graphs have always been the method to see this. As I work through the year, the reality is that I ended up gaining 20lbs.

So, the journal quilt evolved. I found no less than 150 diet fads and programs that mostly involved only taking supplements or pills. Some plans are admittedly better than others which many have had great success. I printed these “methods” on organza and fused it to my mountain.

The thought came to mind: I wonder how many dollars have been tossed to these companies? I purposely did not add exercise equipment, which seemed too obvious of a weight loss method, and not “fast” enough to add to my “quick fixes”.

I ended the quilt with my snail trail blocks. The reality is now that I have finally gotten into my groove of diet and exercise, I am losing weight. It will be slow going… just like the snail. But my goal is to reach a healthy weight, and not with all the diet pills and fad diets that have been plastered to my mountain over the years. If anything, those simply added the extra pounds to my thighs.

Laying out first rectangles, deciding placement. 780-ish 3/4″ x 1.5″ rectangles. Not strip pieced.

The Plan. I decided early on to make a weight loss graph. Because I love mountains, I decided to make it appear as one (since losing weight feels like moving mountains). The sections also encompass the seasons: Starting with Spring (meadow), Summer (lake), Autumn (mountain), Winter (sky). This is to also represent a year passing by. In reality, it will take longer than one year of seasons to reach my weight loss goal.

Top finished, ready for embellishing.

I uploaded a large image of the finished quilt at my flickr site if you would like an up-close look. Just click through the image, and choose All Sizes to view in different sizes.

I am glad to say that this year I have had a 15lb weight loss. I had a bigger goal in mind, but I will take 15lbs!

Tags: Journal Quilts, Quilting, Weight Watchers by Solje
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I put aside the yarn I received for my Lenore pattern, and pulled out a crimson red from my stash. The yarn is in "Lovers Leap" colorway, and that has to be the most difficult color to photograph. My inside pics were very hot pink, and even the outside shot isn’t quite right–but it’s close enough.

I worked the medium sized Lenore first, but found it difficult to slide over my heel. So I have gone up in size to Larger Lenore, and the pic is taken at the 27th of 30 rounds. Not sure how long I will make the leg yet.

Tags: Knitting by Solje
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Daniel can usually always get a good belly laugh from Darrin, and last night was one of those times.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF2jw7RnzDU

Tags: A Family Affair by Solje
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Here is October/November’s club kit.
I am in Washington State, and just received it today (for those in the states, the mailings were to be finished on Wednesday). Someone in Ontario, Canada noted receiving theirs last week. Annoying. I refused to read the RSC blog after I saw that post since I wanted to be surprised.

I don’t know if I am as enamoured with this kit as I have seen others are. The spiders in the yarn were a little creepy, but Daniel enjoyed them

Pattern: “Lenore”
by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Superwash Merino
Colorway: “Lenore”
Dyelot: “A Golden Opportunity”

Tags: Knitting by Solje
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All finished!
Alan Dart pattern, “Yuletide Gnome”. I had to hunt high and low for this pattern, and even when I attempted to purchase it from A Bumper Book Of Knitting, I was told that it was no longer available. That was from the publisher. I know Ravelry has it listed as being available from the publisher, but I wouldn’t send in a check for it. Cute and easy pattern, but I don’t think I want to knit another.

And here is Lars and his cousins Jens, Skipp, and Alf. (from The Folklore Doll Company) Needless to say, I love trolls and gnomes… basically all things Scandie!

Tags: Knitting by Solje
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Pattern from Simply Knitting, November 2007 issue.

I have put myself on a yarn diet, so I pulled from my stash. The hat and scarf are from extra sock yarn (BlueMoon Fiber Arts color "Thistle"), and I had some Bernat Fur Out yarn. I hated knitting with it!! I don’t like the furry yarns, and this one has the "fur" extending a half inch from the core. I trimmed up the fur when the snowman was all stuffed and put together. He even has a carrot nose, that looks like anything but a carrot from this angle

If I made another (which Daniel seems to think I need to) I think I would like to use a chenille, but I don’t have "white"… and exactly how would a yellow or cream colored snowman look? "Don’t eat yellow snow" comes to mind! LOL! I am ready to try Alan Dart’s gnome now.

Tags: Knitting by Solje
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Just a question to the universe. In reading about San Francisco looking to/or in the process of banning bottled water, why is that environmentally sound? If the bottles are going in recycle when finished, what is the problem? I recycle my used water bottles. If they are banning water bottles, then I am assuming that soda bottles are also banned? Because more soda is consumed on a daily basis than water.

And, btw… after we stayed in Texas when our first son was born, I know why people in Abilene drink bottled water. The tap water was nasty.

Tags: Thinkings and Thoughts by Solje
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Yah! I am glad to be done. When I cast on this yarn, I just needed to be knitting socks, and since I had this pattern memorized, I figured I would continue with it. Not the best yarn for the pattern… but I think they are great, crazy Halloween socks

On the good side, my October socks (for my personal sock of the month challenge) are finished. I wish I could say that about my July and August socks… I haven’t decided if I want to catch up on those months yet or not.

Pattern by JC Briar, “The Solstice Slip”
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts superwash Merino, lightweight.
Colorway: “Thistle”

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We went to the pumpkin farm this morning. Darrin wasn’t overly impressed with the whole thing, but he did well. Daniel decided he needed to dress like a cowboy would… which meant he was wearing his jeans, belt (that he decided looks like one a cowboy would wear), and a button down shirt. Originally he had on some khakis, but Kevin and I talked him out of those.

Kevin has some nice pictures on his flickr page (Darrin’s photo will take you there). Along with pumpkins, I bought some heirloom tomatoes and baby carrots of varying colors (purples, whites, and of course oranges). All the colors of produce were a feast on the eyes.

Tags: A Family Affair by Solje
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Before Al Gore’s hip environmental preachings, there was John Denver. John Denver co-founded The Hunger Project, Windstar, Plant-it 2000 (now 2020). He was shunned from doing the “We Are The World” recording, even though he was doing more at the time than the recording artists who did the song. Perhaps he was born too early, or perhaps he paved the way towards knocking the walls down on how environmentalists are viewed. Nonetheless, John Denver was much more than “Thank God I’m A Country Boy”. And I know Kevin thinks I am whacked out because I have been on on a John Denver kick lately… oh well, we all have our crosses to bear! LOL!

This one is my favorite John Denver song. There is a campy-acted version put to Denver’s voice that a college kid put up a year ago that I think it good, but I just couldn’t put that up However, his version is a first choice on the right side at this video’s youtube page (reavus4983) if you want to see a kid in a tie running through fields

And reach for the heavens and hope for the future
and all that we can be, and not what we are.

Tags: Thinkings and Thoughts by Solje
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Picture one is the sock unstretched (kind of like the pattern in that one), picture two, obviously stretched out.

I finished sock one tonight in Thistle colorway. I haven’t decided yet what it reminds me of… like a calico cat, Dalmatian, or a mess? Or maybe like the flecks in tweed on drugs. When I finish sock two, I will have to take a pic in daylight, because the pictures above just does not do the green justice. We’re talking a Mr. Yuck poison green! Kind of fits in with the green border of the blog at the moment.

The bottom of the foot can be partially seen, so that’s what you get with straight SS. eh… The color sections were dyed in pretty short increments, so there wasn’t any striping happening. A little bit of elongated pooling of the poison green, but not bad.

Pattern by JC Briar, “The Solstice Slip”
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts superwash Merino, lightweight.
Colorway: “Thistle”

Tags: Knitting by Solje
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I couldn’t help it. I thumbed through my sock patterns, new ones that I have wanted to try, but nothing grabbed me. except…

Well, I wasn’t sure at first if I liked the pattern “Solstice Slip”, but after putting on and wearing the pair I just finished, I decided that in fact I really liked how they wore. So, using a skein I bought a while back from Blue Moon Fiber Arts in “Thistle”, last night I cast on for a second pair. I still think there is a lot going on with the color of the dyes along with the cables, but I do like the pattern of the cables.

Pattern by JC Briar, “The Solstice Slip”
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts superwash Merino, lightweight.
Colorway: “Thistle”

Tags: Knitting by Solje
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cheese!

These feel nice and weighty. Great for the cooler weather. I could have had these done a few days earlier, procrastination. Looking at the way the colors worked their way through the pattern reminded me of a tropical beach drink. I was humming “Marguaritaville” more than once while knitting these.

Pattern by JC Briar, “The Solstice Slip”
Rockin’ Sock Club by Blue Moon Fiber Arts
Yarn: BMFA superwash Merino, lightweight.
Colorway: “Firebird”, dye lot: “Indian”

I’ve pulled out another skein of BMFA sock yarn… this one in greens and purples. Not sure which pattern to use, or if I want to just knit up a plain old pair of socks. We’ll see what we end up with!

Tags: A Family Affair, Knitting by Solje
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In a night of sleeplessness, I finished reading “The Knitting Circle”. I understand that the author, Ann Hood, had lost her own daughter to a rare form of strep, and that the story is somewhat based on what she went through as a mother.

The story was ok, (alright not great but good) but after a while when the main character would spend time one on one with another knitting circle member (due needing to learn a new knitting technique), I knew that yet another dark, life-altering event was about to be revealed. Right now, I have lost track of how many characters are in the knitting circle. It seemed like they would be developed, and then dropped to the side so I forgot who was who.

I wasn’t even halfway through with the book last night when I started, but apparently even with the drama going on with each character wasn’t enough to make me put it down and go to sleep. It was a good book, but it became predictable with the side character dramas that surrounded the main character, Mary.

The story ABOUT Mary was what kept me reading. How she worked through her loss of her daughter, experience as a daughter with an alcoholic mother (and her big secret which doesn’t come out to the end) was intriguing to me, as I was hoping that Mary and her husband would find a way back to each other.

Anyway…. I do wish I would have waited for paperback.

Tags: Knitting by Solje
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