Exactly Handmade
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Yarnwork
  • Gallery
  • Furniture
  • Contact

Geometric Squares Coffee Sleeve

3/28/2015

 
Picture

After modifying my geometric squares pattern, I was finally able to get these to stack squarely on top of each other. With a small stitch adjustment, I was able to make this quick variation. I added a border row to the top and bottom of the sleeve as well to add a little bit of girth and keep the geometic pettern consistent.

"Tulip Sun"

3/26/2015

 
Picture
I've definitely been inspired by spring lately! With the mild winter in Minnesota, I've been doing a lot of spring concept sketches, conservatory and park trips, and walks through the neighborhood. In all my sketches (many of my concepts are shown on my Instagram) and reminiscing about my youth, I landed on these tulips.

While it's no secret that I'm not the biggest fan of yellows, the subject brightness of these tulips is such a bright ray on the cooler days.

I used a lot of simple techniques, but I started doing more wet mixes in the subects than in glazing mediums as is normal for me. The wet mix with the deep backdrop created such a punch of color that the bright edge emphasizes the contrasts.

Lotus Coffee Sleeve

3/24/2015

 

My lotus coffee sleeve is another variant pattern from my reaching sleeve and my campfire sleeve. The petals reaching up don't have the split in the stitch that the reaching or campfire sleeves have. This makes the stitches seem stout and tight around the coffee cup.

Picture
Picture

"Look Up North"

3/21/2015

 
One of my latest, and best, paintings has to be this tryptic that I've named "Look Up North."  The upward perspective is something that I've been thinking about playing with for a long time, and I love the look of birch trees as these change throughout the fall.  I really wanted to capture the seasonal change while embracing the flavor of what we call "Up North" here in Minnesota.  

I definitely tried to focus on working with colors and embracing the different layers needed both in the paint colors and in different techniques.  I really tried to capture the warm glow of the fall leaves against the bright blue sky.

I used a lot of different techniques and a few different mediums to get the look I wanted in this piece.  I really focused on adding many paint layers with acrylic paints and glazes, but to keep the brightness in the leaves, I also added in some detail work with soft pastels.  The biggest challenge for me was the several layers of paint to create the dimension in each of the tree trunks.

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
For more on my paintings, check out the gallery section, and for purchasing originals or prints, don't forget to look in my Etsy shop!

Red, White, & Blue Infinity Scarf

3/19/2015

 

This was another quick knit that was definitely back to basics. I did it with a garter stitch in the round on a loop needle. The color pattern was a simple nod to the red, white and blue patriotic theme.

Picture
Picture

"Lean"

3/13/2015

 
Picture

This little guy is one of my newer creations. I really wanted to experiment with a couple different things on this one. My main goal was to continue to work with color.

I really focused my background on creating a gradient that would feel out of focus with the main subject. I used a variety of color glazes to make this work with the gradation from brown to green. When my subject work was done, I added some additional glazing to make the reeds appear to fade out of focus.

The chameleon was the biggest challenge with this piece. I had to focus on creating a subject that had very little color variation, but a lot of texture. Capturing te texture of the skin is something I really struggled with, and I look forward to trying more with it in the future.

Brick Squares Coffee Sleeve

3/6/2015

 
Picture

This coffee sleeve was designed using one of my favorite repeat patterns with crochet. I love the way these squares stack upon eachother and the unique way each frames the negative space.

It's a simple three stitch pattern, and the slight off-kilter layout of the squares adds some movement among the squares. I just never tire of this pattern. It's so much fun to do and play with.

I do want to play with the layout of the stitches on this pattern, as it is designed to be crocheted across and not in the round. My next goal with this one is to try crocheting the squares stacked in a linear grid.

Picture

Rib Cable Knit Mittens

3/2/2015

 

These mittens were made in conjunction with my Rib Cable Knit Hat, and while these have the similar details, these were a lot more difficult in construction. Hats and mittens aren't a hard thing for me, but figuring out the pattern placement for the cabling was a definite challenge on this pair. To be honest, I'm not 100% sure I have it completely right, but I'm always making adjustments, and I think I know what to do with future incarnations.

As is typical, I started with the bottom of the mitten and used my extremely stretchy (and extremely easy) cast on. From there, I did a simple 1x1 rib cuffs.

Picture
Picture

Once into the hand, I started adding the cable rib detail, and I started sneaking in additional thumb gussets in the palm of the hand as an extra detail experiment. I then pulled out a section of the gusset stitches for the thumb. After closing the thumb and finishing the palm, I closed the top by testing a cast off.

The last piece of each mitten was the finger flaps. I added these by using an integrated tunisian crochet cast on to hide the pattern interuption between the main part of the hand and the fingers. After several more rows with the cabling, I closed the top similarly to the coordinating hat, and finished it off.

Overall, I love these. This is definitely a style that I want to continue to experiment with and refine.

Picture

    ETSY

    Original Artwork and
    ​Coffee Sleeves
    ​

    Society6

    Prints and Accessories

    Archives

    November 2017
    March 2017
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011

    Categories

    All
    Furniture
    Interiors
    Paintings
    Tutorials
    Yarnwork

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.