The Meagre Monday – Sewing yarn-ends for wip challenge and life of a whiny artist
I was so full of hope and optimism, I really thought I would get it done. Motivated by @jonalyn2020's amazing crochet skirt or @blezyn's granny square top, @monica-ene's dresses or @clearartista doll and all the other amazing wips, I picked up my stripped sweater with the clear intent to sew in all yarn-ends. All of them. But no, it did not happen. I fear I am the world slowest yarn-end sewista.
And that is what happened
Last week, sadly as the week before was again under the headache moon (is there a headache moon? I am not sure) The week started ok, I got one bigger painting done – The drone-sharks – for my next exhibition.
You can see on the photos, how I mixed „real“ painting with digital painting. I started with a super rough sketch with oil pastels, proceeded with pencil sketches and then made a first real painting with gouache. I quite liked how the hybrid creature of a plane-drone and a shark turned out, especially the teeth. To have more composition options I transferred the paintings to procreate and added background and more drone-sharks….
Done with the work I had a bit of free time in the evening which I wanted to devote to the wip challenge. My first project was the hexagon crochet cardigan… Yes, you are hearing right. I am writing about the cardigan which I presented as „finished“. But – dear needleworkmonday community – I am completely unreliable and not to be trusted: I lied to you. I only finished the crocheting, but I did not sew in the yarn ends. Which I did now. And oh wonder I even got it done.
The next days were less successful filled with research for the exhibition; I work about the topic of social credit systems. I lost myself in books and websites. The only capacities I had open I used to knit on the second sleeve of my lavender cardigan (the yarn 😱…. Now I am on the last ball, and I still have not found replacement/ supplement).
And then nearing the weekend they were back, the !§%&** (insert the ugliest swearword you know please) headaches. Work delayed, homework delayed, free time with friends delayed and I transformed into a grumble monster. Thankfully the headaches were not as bad as last week, so I had some time outside the bed. And this time I used to start sewing in the billions of yarn-ends on my striped sweater. My thoughts went like this „I am already feeling like sh**, so my mood cannot get worse when I sew in these yarn-ends…which I hate“. Fortified with this optimistic mindset (irony) I sewed and sewed and sewed… and only got the first side seam done!!!!! Honestly, I have no clue why I am so slow in this hand-sewing business. Perhaps I am too careful with the yarn-ends? Do I make to many knots?
This is how I sew in yarn-ends - perhaps you have some ideas?
I always tackle two yarn-ends at once. Normally I sew some longer diagonal seams with the yarn end, but this time I only sewed like two stitches because the yarn-ends are already knitted in while I changed the yarn during the knitting process (like in stranded knitting). Then I make one knot with the single yarn-end and then I knot both yarn-ends together… three times…. Hmm while reading this sounds like a lot of knots. I photographed it but am not sure if you can see what I did. And I needed hours for this. Sooooo slooooowwwww.
Ok, now you: how do you secure the yarn-ends?
(I remember you @crosheille glued them together, I would love this, but am afraid that the glue will not survive washing… or did I dream this?)
Thank you @crosheille for initiating and @marblely and @kattycrochet for hosting the #needleworkmonday and the community builder team @lauramica and @romeskie I am so glad to be part of. If you want to see more beautiful projects with yarn, fabric, and most of all needles, follow @needleworkmonday. Or even better grab your needles and keyboard and join the #needleworkmonday community.
Ohhh, if you don't have a hive account and want to comment then visit my Wordpressblog Bliss and Blisters and write me there.
Read more about my art und upcoming exhibitions on neumannsalva or buy some of my digital artworks on NFT showroom.
Last but not least: if my post coaxed a smile on your face you could support me on Ko-fi
Those sharks look very real and scary.
That's a great job you have dome mixing digital and real life painting.
I wish you all round goodness in the exhibition and the theme behind painting sharks.
Wether lie or not, now the hexagon sweater can be put to some good use 🤓
The lavender cardigan is breathtaking and I can only wish that a magic be performed for that yarn to be just enough to fill the other arm.
Thank you for your wishes... I need to speed up with the painting and creating :-D Next exhibition is in September...
I also hope the hexagon sweater will get a lot of wear, but first we need cooler weather. Its hot right now (and not enough rain).
Well its yhe opposite here, very cold and though not rainy too
Whoa those sharks 😮!! They look awesome and scary all at once. The idea of a shark drone is so creative. Looks like you’re having fun getting ready for your next exhibition.
Oh gosh. When I saw the photos of the yarn ends I wanted to take a nap for you 😄. That is a lot of ends. Yes, I used to hot glue the ends in when I was selling an item but nowadays I find it easier to sew them in as I go if possible. If I can’t do that I just tie them in a knot and cut them as low as possible.
I think we need to find a yarn end expert and bring them to the community to help us. 😩😂
The perfect AI project!
😍
Hahaha for sure!! 😍😃😄
I went and bought a hot glue gun after reading about one on your blog.
I found it yesterday 😍
Cool!! 😍
When I want something to look really neat (especially if at anytime the ends will be visible) I use it to help things look more tidy. Lately since I’ve just been crocheting for my family I haven’t used it. My kids could careless about seeing the ends anyway which is fine with me. 😂😅
You’ll have to let me know how you like using it! 😃
Happy you like - ahem - find the drones scary. To be honest the real ones are even more frightening (for me) the kind of look like planes but without windows or anything on the surface. This emptiness and the rounded forms combined looked really alien to me (I have not see them before).
And with the yarn ends... how can people do colorwork? How???? So many yarn-ends, it feels as if they are doubling during my sewing. I think I also need to knot ant cut instead of the sewing before. It really take stop much time.
(And yes, an expert or AI will take them both happily)
Ooohhh wow, I don’t know if I could handle seeing the even more scary looking ones. 👀😰😄
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I felt your energy when you asked that. Hahaha such a good question. Colorwork ends are the WORST. I really try to sew as I go if I’m doing colorwork.
Yes to be honest knotting and cutting is the easiest way.
I’ll be looking for both to join e community. 😂
Hrmph! Well, it has taken me two months to knit the cuffs on my latest pair of socks and now I am held up because I want to do a tubular cast off. I was wondering whether I have the cheek to do a wip post about a pair of socks that need a single cast off row done on them. 😂
I'm sorry your headaches are so troublesome, that is wearisome, although I think doing a horrible job when you are feeling horrible is quite a good idea. I think someone may have offered that as a time saving tip to the Saturday Savers Club last year. It was so novel, I hadn't come across it before.
I have just started a month's holiday, the whole of August. I am starting it with an early night as I have to get up very early tomorrow to put out unwanted furniture for collection by the council.
A wip is a wip in my view. And you clearly are describing very unruly and resistant last row on your socks. In my view this could be celebrated (if done) in a post.
And with the headaches... sigh, it was so bad that I stumbled into a research rabbit hole about medication and diet... and I am back out again no wiser than before as most studies contradict themselves or are not doable because of long time effects. I will think about it a bit more perhaps.
ANd the "combine horrible with horrible" was a natural for my grumpy self :-DDDD I never would have guessed this is used by other people too. But good to know I am not alone in this (I would wish you joy with this technique, but honestly it really does not spark joy 🤣)
OHHHH and holiday sounds so good!!!! I hope by know you are not sleep deprived (because of furniture) and already planning lovely things, like reading, painting, sewing etc….
I plan to also take some time of, kind of hive holiday, because I have two exhibitions in September and am behind because I have so many days on which I cannot work consistently - but this is no complain, because the second exhibition in Septmeber is amazing: I applied for an exhibition about the topic „art and myth“ and my Halien/Covid crime board/painting installation from last year got accepted. The exhibition will be in townmuseum Düsseldorf which is veryveryvery nice for me.
Asin you are a real genius i love what am seeing nice neating
Thank you for your lovely words.
Very nice color of the sweater. I loved it.
THank youuuu, I like the color combination too. I really hope I will get it done soon, so that I can wear it when the weather gets colder.
greetings friend, many blessings.
Thank youuuu and blessings to you <3
The sharks look great, and frightening @neumannsalva..
I am so sorry you still couldn't find the same exact color with the lavender yarn you used for the cardigan and so sorry i couldn't give any suggestions to secure the yarn ends, but i think you are right, we couldn't glue it for regular washing things like this stripped sweater..
A wonderful post as ever, dearest @neumannsalva !! :-) I love your cardigan project, and it inspires me to - one day, probably in midwinter - get into knitting/ crocheting again: haven't done anything since I knitted my wee sister a tiny blue cardigan for her birth :-D She's now in her mid-30s ;-D
Your work is beautiful.... Thank you for sharing.
That's quite a few loose threads over there, haha. When I knitted the tapestry bag (I plan to knit another one), I was hiding the remaining threads as I knitted and at the end I just had to cut them and that was it... I don't know if it's different to crochet with sticks or two needles, because it would be a great help. I also do that with amigurumi clothes, I hide the beginnings and ends of the yarns as I knit. I hope it helps.
Your creativity is all over the place, those paintings are looking attractive and original. Many successes in the exhibition.
The threads are our greatest joy, but when the time comes to finish a work they are our downfall, they bring out the bad in us.
Now, I tell you, to avoid this chaos I hide them by cutting them as I go along, that makes the trauma less.
I have always thought that there must be a better and more practical way to hide the threads. I have been doing some research in this regard and can share in this community the result of my research.
On the other hand, your cardigans are beautiful, I love the hexagon one, how nice you finished it!
Keep in touch.
I'm crossing my fingers that you can finish the lavender because I like it so much 🤞🤞🤞
As for the threads, I hide the strands by the side seam, but you can also try the invisible knot technique, it is a sailor-type knot that allows you to cut the excess strands to the root.
I like your work it looks great.