The destiny of lost work ...

I am sad to report that once again my work has taken an illusive turn and been lost forever. Im happy to say that it isnt current work which Im referring to, but my A-Level work.
It seems written in my destiny to never keep the fruits of my labour. Last year my A2 Textiles Kimono sketchbook (which was complete and full) became 'missing' under very questionable circumstances, meaning that the book I was most proud of (and had impressed my University at my interview) would never see the light of day again. Maybe you will see it on eBay in 20 years time?
In a much more tragic set of events, my old colleges art block burned to the ground one tuesday morning, taking a huge amount of my A2 work with it. An entire year of Art and photography work, a large set of hundreds of life drawings, numerous sculptures and at least 8 sketch books are now dust in the wind. Luckily my Textiles work was safe elsewhere and prompted by recent events I returned to ensure the work was safe in my hands, and to see the incredible devastation caused by the fire.
Lets just hope this isnt another sign that I am doomed never to keep any of my work.

Anyway, on a lighter note! Here are some things that were not lost!:

My A2 Textiles exam piece:

Snow on Snow, Snow on Snow ...

Here are my Nine completed knit samples based on 'In the Bleak Midwinter ...' I experimented with different materials as yarns such as dental floss, ribbon and organza, as well as more conventional yarns. The photos are predominantly close ups and arty shots because the samples have not yet been mounted, but I do still think that you can get the overall feel of my work. All of these samples will contribute towards my final garment section, at this stage im leaning towards making a sleeve. Further photographs will follow when my samples are mounted and ready for display.

Sample One:






Sample Two:





Sample Three:






Sample Four:






Sample Five:







Sample Six:










Sample Seven:








Sample Eight:



Sample Nine:

Snow had fallen, Snow on Snow …

With ‘In the Bleak Midwinter …’ progressing nicely I began translating my designs and work into knit samples.

As I had chosen to study ‘Trees and Hedgerows’ within the project and how they are affected by snow I concentrated largely on texture within my sample development. Thinking about the textures of trees and bark and how these appear when covered in snow. I considered the rough bumpy texture of bark and began to consider a colour scheme that related to the snow, ice and frost which covered the trees. I also thought about trickling water and ice in cracks and how they all affect and change trees. This all became a basis for my design work. A line from the Christina Rossetti poem from which the project arose echoed regularly in my mind ‘Snow on Snow.’ Leading to the idea of layers and giving the visual impact of snow upon snow upon texture.

Here are a few very early scraps developing my ideas, choosing my yarns, colour schemes and preferred techniques etc:

Below: Random FairIsle pattern created using my grey/blue wool and a cream and blue acrylic mix, then felted. Knot created by hooking back on the machine after casting off.



Below: Created using a tuck stitch pattern, hooking up and ladders.


Below: Tuck stitch with Ribbon knitted in.

Earth stood hard as Iron, Water like a stone …

Having hundreds of photographs available to work from I began to fill my sketchbook with studies in various different media. Here are some photos of my sketch book thus far (for want of a good, A3 scanner):

Frosty wind made moan …

As part of my project I was once again able to put my photography skills to use as I was required to capture the bleak midwinter in all its glory.
Canon in hand I braved the cold snap to get some primary resources to work from. Initially I took photographs in my garden, predominantly close ups, as I evidently required some inspiration to work from. Here are just some of the resulting images:









I next photographed copious amounts of snow when visiting my boyfriend in Shropshire. Most of these images are landscapes and focus far more around my chosen sub-category of Trees and Hedgerows:









And when can I ever resist a few close ups while I'm on?: