about compromising and feeling shy

While I am standing on the platform at the busy train station in the heart of London, dispatching trains and do costumer service, my head and mind is somewhere else. That is a safety risk maybe, would my supervisor and manager say! And do I care...
I am thinking about pictures, patterns, colours and ideas. I am looking at the knitted cardigan passing, carried by a commuter, considers the colourful dresses that asian and african people bear when they pass by on their way to somewhere. I see some combination of colours on a body, that give me ideas.
There is no hesitation nor doubt what so ever that I have no love for my job, as a train dispatch staff. But I must admit that I do get a lot of interesting experience and I see a lot of the London life, and I have colleagues from all parts of the world. It is something that make me happy and that enrich my life.

Well I have a family too, and it seems that it take years to get used to that, to be a mother and responsible for one and two children. I do love them most of everything, because I have carried them and fed them from the first day. But there is days when I just want to be me, alone and by myself, in my studio with my art and craft.
Because it is honestly something I can not live without. I did kept the art & craft work on the shelf for like almost three years until now and it affect me, I feel really unhappy and empty.
But it is so complicated to find a way to survive, I can not take the risk of not having money coming in every month, to feed us and pay bills. To give my children a good and safe life
That is the hard thing, making choices and taking decisions, compromise to get all of it.
But today I feel that there is a way to do it, slowly working and producing, carefully plan and build a business, that can become prolific one day.
And for me it is all about creating interesting, different, funny and beautiful objects!

9780486210131: Traditional Knitting Patterns: From Scandinavia, the British Isles, France, Italy and Other European Countries | New, Second-hand, Rare | Alibris UK

I bought a book today
9780486210131: Traditional Knitting Patterns: From Scandinavia, the British Isles, France, Italy and Other European Countries | New, Second-hand, Rare | Alibris UK
and some more yarn, in my favorite shop, I Knit London!
www.iknitlondon.com

not only knitting

This is another side of me and what I do.

Fancy yarn is something else

While I am waiting for more silk/wool yarn to be delivered to the small "fishbone pattern" cardigan (see earlier post) I am working on, there was a space to start another one. This time and it is maybe the first time, I am using synthesized yarn, 50% polyester 50% acrylic. I normally prefer natural fibres, like cotton, silk, linen, wool etc, because it is a more pleasant material.
But I found these skeins in the charity shop at Woolwich market and I just liked them so much. The colour and the shiny look.

two cardigans!

Like I have said, I am working most with knitting at the moment, it is lovely and I can take it with me everywhere I go.
These are two cardigans for children:

This one is made with Wool from Gotland, Sweden

made with Silk & wool (from SouthAmerica) and this model is made in one piece, start from front right side and end front left side.

Ok then!

Sunday morning, I have been working seven nights at the train station, and feel a bit exhausted now. Seven days with not enough sleep and two children requesting my presence. No studio time this week, but more of thinking time.
What is the different between a jewellery and a small sculpture?
How do the perfect cardigan look like?

I need to make a strategy for the working in the studio and I need to go deeper into my ideas and work towards a goal or two...
But most important to start with, I need to believe in myself and what I do!

I can not forget to mention my caps,

crochet in cotton or linnen, with or without beads.

Can be made to order, if you want one!

sarakristina: Open Studio weekeend!

http://www.secondfloor.moonfruit.com/

update on my knitting!

Just started the arms for the small cardigan with fishbone pattern.

And have finally made up my mind about what to do with the norwegian wool I have. It is going to be a small top for woman with a free pattern and mix of lots of different techniques... follow the work...

time & inspiration

I am working nights this week, four done three left. It is really hard and I am tired. To have any time or get any inspiration to go to my studio, can I just forget this week.
It just show how important it is for me to find the way to stop this "bread" job.
I am slowly working towards it and feel quite positive...

eyes and hands!

I have started to work on some small objects again, it can be brooch or sculpture...

Open Studio weekeend!

Thursday, saturday and sunday were open studios at Second floor studios & art SFSA were I have my studio! I had the good opportunity to meet the other studiomembers and to se their work. It is a lot of interesting things going on. And I feel very lucky to be a part of this...

I also had some people coming to my studio interested in my things, it is time to work and work hard now and get some things done. I feel very positive and the good responses I got on sunday pep me!

collect 2011

I went to Collect 2011, the International Art Fair for Contemporary Objects today, at Saatchi gallery. It was really inspirational, especially the jewelries. Made with all kinds of materials, from paper to diamonds. So small very well-done beautiful objects. It really pep me!

http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/collect/ 

"Until death do us apart"

I started this life long crochet project in 2006, just after I have taken my bachelor exam in Bergen, Norway. I call it "until death do us apart" and I am using sewing tread (very thin) and crochet. I started it because at that time I had just survived after loosing someone very close, just by working with my hands, head and my art. Life was very strange and scary and I could relax a bit by working on something that takes time and are beautiful to look at very close, but will grove huge by time. Like a relationship with some other person for example.
The idea is that you get deep involved in someone or something that can suddenly one day just disappear, get destroyed and die away from you, just like that. And nothing is left but silence and questions. With no sorry or explanation.
This piece is gonna follow me and I will make it bigger and bigger, carefully build it up with the thin wire and small needle, something that seems so fragile and strong in the same time.

Do not mind my english!

I just want to say that I am aware of my sometimes deficient english spelling and sentence composing, but I am trying to do my best. Lexikon.se is a good help and my man of course. Just have patience with me!

Here I am!

I am quite busy at the moment, working full time dispatching train on one of europe's busiest stations, taking care of two lovely girls, a man who have his head deep into his law books and law studies and all that cooking, washing and cleaning. It is maybe not so strange then, that I am a bit frustrated and have to dream a lot about my studio and my ongoing projects, instead of realise them. Well, you can see that I at  the moment do not get enough time or space to be creative and complete fantastic art pieces. That is why I value my knitting and crochet so much, I put all my love to create into the small things I can do.
Any free time I have I bring out my craftwork, in the night when everyone sleep, early mornings with a coffeecup in the kitchen and my absolutely favourite time, on the train to work. It takes me 30minutes and they are holy reserved for knitting or crochet, and every time I enter that public transport I pray that it will be delayed and stuck behind a signal somewhere on the way, so I get more time...
I know the time and peace to think will be for me one day, but not now, I am trying hard sometime to coop with the truth.