Saturday 23 March 2013

knitting outside the lines

this beauty is called 'landscape' and is one of my favourite pieces in the style of free form knitting ... something i was doing naturally and then after doing a little research i discovered a host of other kindred spirits who create in a similar way. (more on that later). the yarn used in this piece is a type of noro yarn which is spun with the most gorgeous colours and fibres. it is made overseas in japan; included in the mix is angora which for some may be a wee bit itchy. however, it creates a gorgeous blossoming effect, almost halo~esque. (yes i do invent my own words ... you'll see that often as i write ).

i knit without patterns for the most part and let the yarn speak to me.  i go wherever it takes me. so much fun that way and no worries about making mistakes which i'd rather call variations anyway. i love this yarn so much. i made two separate neck warmers out of the one skein. once they were finished, i wondered if they were too floppy so i joined them together, in the style of my own free hand stitching. then i decided to add other yarns and all of a sudden i realized that i was making a gorgeous landscape! as an artist who sees landscapes everywhere and in every thing, i was thrilled!! 

a dear friend is coming by tomorrow afternoon for a coffee and visit, and with an interest in seeing 'landscape' up close and personal. my friend might buy it, i'm not sure. one of the challenges as an artist, no matter what medium i'm working : how do i decide how much to charge when someone wants to buy it? 

let's see now, an original piece of art, made from one of the finest yarns i've ever worked with; the yarn itself cost around 30 dollars when all is said and done (gst). i worked on this for countless hours...i know full well that charging by the hour just wouldn't fly. my thought is to let the potential buyer know how much the yarn costs ... that's the jumping off point isn't it? and then, i wait and watch the reaction, and wait again while they realize how much time, care and expertise (can we say that about art?) okay...talent...how's that? and yet. how do you put a price on any of these things? 

truth be told, i'd love to give all of it away, especially when someone is as thrilled about a certain piece as i am. perhaps this is why artists have a hard time making a living wage. 

i'll see what the morrow brings and perhaps i'll come up with a fair price in the meantime.

well tomorrow has arrived and i've had the most wonderful conversation with my friend. we have made an agreement and i'm so happy and excited for her.

if you've had a kindness shown, pass it on.










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