yarNZ4knitters

Hi all, if I have any readers still checking in that is!

I have had a very "unexpected journey" the past 3 years. I have been very fortunate in working for Peter Jackson in the costume department on "The Hobbit"

I cannot share the details as bound by contract but hope one day to be able to share some. It was a dream job, I mean sit and knit all day! and get paid for it! It was very challenging but I loved every minute. The hours were long which meant that the rest of life, including blogging had to take a back seat.

Since finishing in costume I have now signed to do dressing on set. That is also long hours but very interesting. I think what has impressed me the most is the passion everyone shows for their job. Imagine working in a commune of artists all working on the same project. All with the same passion and a drive to give of their best. Peter seems to achieve this and draw the best out.

I have the past few months been getting back to some sort of "normal". I have managed to get part time work at last which will help pay the bills while continuing with my Hand Knit design city and guilds studies. I am up to working on my first "piece" so full steam ahead. I have also been catching up on gardening , emails and housework.

My other interest "jewellery making" has also taken on momentum. I produced 150+ pieces or sets of which I managed to sell 85 sets at the Hobbit Artisan market. So very successful. I have now got a possible contract to produce a range for a company selling to winerys in NZ. So busy working on that as well.

I think that working as an artist is great but can be harder work than a "normal" 9-5 job!

Anyway I hope to get back to more regular posting with pictures .

Thanks for reading

Cheers

Beverley

Labels: Dwarf, Hobbit, jewelery, knitting, Unexpected journey

"God never puts any man in a space too small to grow in"

Some times I think I will just start using numbers, you know post 125 etc! As for space being too small sometimes it feels much too big.... "as in I have all this to do, what first?"

I am so enjoying my design work.. and yes as per last post have made the last paymemt on my credit card so can hopefully in a week or so start having a day off every so often to catch up on art work.

Perhaps if I made a list... hm lets see now...

1. Module 3 of City and Guilds hand knitting. I have done my edgings and am now working on bias and modular samples. I have looked out my yarns and pics for colour sources and can start tonight.

2. Have 3 exhibitions next year to work towards. Our Council gallery runs an exhibition for staff to enter so will, hopefully enter some jewellrey for this. I am been sourcing a piece of NZ Jade for a present and every shop I went into loved the items I was wearing.."Oh where did you get... etc" So really must make an effort to make some.

These are some pieces I have cut and hammered. Sorry about the awful pic had a lot of trouble getting one with out the flash reflecting.

These are the same pieces once I have used the blow torch to put patina on them. DP has now put up a light for me over my work bench in the garage and I have a new bench top vise to hammer on. Just need to fold, stitch and add found objects and I will have 5 items to sell.

I am also still working on my first piece for our exhibition in Sept, Oct next year. I am up to the edging and am busy designing the next to start. It will either be the copper wire cobweb or tin leaves. No pics yet, next time if you are lucky.

The third exhibition is our National society one. I normally enter every year and next years is in Timaru. I may try and enter some copper jewelery as it is woven and stitched. Would certainly be easier than trying for any knitting with the time restraints I am under.

3. Next weekend I am doing another course of box and book making. This time it is local and involves a covered box with an insert piece in the top. The piece needed to be 6 inches square and was I suppose really meant to be embroidery or weaving. I decided to knit my piece and after a couple of weeks work and unpicking and redoing 3 times am happy with it. Here is is blocking....

I want my box to contain "sea treasures" so made a piece to look like waves, ripples in the sea and sand. Thought it also came in with "chevron's and bias" knitting in my course. Not so happy with the colour as I wanted it to look sea like but the range of pearl cottons is only so big and it had to go with the dark blue linen I will be using to cover the box with. The "white" is silk and I have done some french knots to make it look a bit like the foam at the sea's edge.

The narrow piece I am hoping to use on the book cover. We are going to make a book to go in the box. So hope I can use this. I have also looked out some shells to sew on the top and am working on some poetry to put in the book with some pics transferred to silk.

4. Gardening.... we have been enjoying a good crop of cauliflowers and cabbage and broccoli. But really must get it dug over to plant the summer veges. Just as well they are not in yet. We had a cold snap last week. I mean snow in November!!! At least it was fine yesterday for our general election. A good turn out even if I don't agree with the result! 3 years of National now at least..sigh hope they don't do as much damage as last time.

5. I have had the urge to try felting again. I am playing with needle felting on knitting and also making rolls of colour and then cutting them into flat beads.... a sample I tried....The "cigar" on the right once cut makes the beads on the left. I need to get some better colours to try. Thought I may incorporate them with the copper but the colours need to be better.

We have been taking advantage of the warmer weather and have been enjoying sea walks again. This one was on one of our more rugged coasts.. where lots of driftwood is washed up. [ I had another motive as I was looking for pieces to include in my jewelery.]

Some one had gone to a lot of trouble and made a little house on the beach.....

This pic shows how rough it was. Believe it or not the main highway hugs this coast line you can just see the railway overhead wires in the distance around the point. The road is between the sea and railway. Stunning views.

The last two pics today are just things I thought some one in the "ether" may find interesting. The first is a hawk I spotted out of our bedroom window. Excuse the awful pic... I sneaked the camera around past the curtain and the flash of course has "bounced" off the window. But when I tried to go out side to get a better shot he flew away. [ Of course it must have been a "he"!] It wasn't until the next day I realised why he was only feet from our window on the neighbours roof. Just below the peak on the roof the neighbour has a rabbit cage with a lovely white bunny... he must have thought free dinner! Thank goodness the cage is strong.

This pic I couldn't believe.... I mean to get here the driver must have hit a light pole, spun around hit another with the back of the car then down the bank and into the drink...the motorway is up the hill behind the bush in the back. The two light poles ended up in the lagoon as well. This was just down the road from home. Must have happen in the early morning... some one had a bad start to their workday.