I’m not sure if that title is talking to you, my dear wonderful crazy-as-I-am readers, or I’m talking to me. I’m not sure it matters. To clarify a few things: I am smart enough to know that if people are talking about you, in whatever venue, that’s a GOOD thing. They may be hating on you or loving on you or whatever – they have an opinion. The worst thing for an artist, or writer, or blogger, or person in general is INDIFFERENCE. It’s when people AREN’T talking that I’m really going to worry. Also, I don’t feel guilty about the squares or blogging about the squares, I feel guilty that they’ve truly taken over my life. My husband is a GENEROUS soul and he gets some kind of thrill out of seeing me in the middle of an all consuming project. He’s seen that look in my eye whether I’m writing or shooting or knitting – he gives me glorious space to do my thing. But sometimes I feel guilty. He goes to work every single day so that I can have this joyful life and while I know that I take care of him well, sometimes I don’t feel like I take care of the house well. And I feel some kind of Ozzie and Harriet guilt about that. Like I’m not pulling my weight. Although back a million years ago when we were dating I did tell him I was crazy and he should get out while he can – and he decided to stay – so really. It’s his own fault. 😉 And my last point for now is that I blogged about boring you all because it was something I started to worry about all on my own – before I read about it. I worry about you. I know there are a lot of you and I’m so grateful to you all and the truth is, is that I do feel an obligation to you all. To keep you entertained. It’s not something that really affects what I have to say or knit or write – but it is there. I’d like to think you influence me way more than I influence you. If not – I don’t think I would’ve kept up with the blog or love it as much as I do.
Enough with the metablabber. Eh.
Square #13
Square #14
Square #15
Square #16
I was in sort of a blue mood this weekend. I hadn’t used much blue at all. Oh and as much I still enjoying knitting the squares, photographing them is getting really tedious. The colors are hit or miss and I just don’t care anymore. Even the focus is off on some of the above pictures.
I started a new square last night and in the THERE ARE NO NEW IDEAS department, I was shocked to see it in the New York Times this morning. (No. I haven’t started hallucinating.) A little background. I need to use some yellow – real yellow in the blanket and generally I’m a few squares ahead of the knitting. I keep little groupings of color out and most of them are ready to go but sometimes I throw them aside. So yesterday I had a group of purples and greens with a yellow background and it was all Eastery and I didn’t really love it. I was finishing up square 16 and all of my TCC was laid out on the floor grouped by color and there were some greens close to the oranges and also a turquoise pretty close by and I figured out the new yellow square:
This morning, while I was scanning the front page I saw this picture:
Sorry for the photograph of the paper.
I couldn’t find the painting online and my scanner won’t work.
It accompanied the announcement of the death of Sol Le Witt, an important Modern American artist (who, incidentally, I’ve never heard of – I’m more a Renaissance kind of girl.) How crazy is that? Guess I’m doing something right.
Tomorrow – squares, again, but in a whole new light. 😉
Thank you all so much.
L, C
So do you have your favorite squares?
Hurray!! More squares! I’m going to cast on the first square for my blanket today (yay spring break).
Hooray! Just as I was lamenting the lack of color-explosive miter photos, you post this! I love square 15. It just jumps right out at me with it’s bright & cheery colors. Happy happy Miter Monday!
Gorgeous! I’m still loving the squares!! I’m learning about color right along with you Cara!
I love square #16! That blue background color is fabulous.
Seriously, who could tire of looking at your gorgeous blocks?
You have such an incredible eye for color! It always amazes me when someone puts together colors that I’d never think of putting togther and the look so stunning. I’m very envious of that ability.
Cara, I’m loving your miters and the photos of them. I have absolutely no eye for color, so I’m fascinated by your choices and groupings. I wish I could be half as creative as you in this department!
At church yesterday I was thinking about how many times I have had to “figure out” the Easter message and present it in a “fresh” way (years and years worth!)… when you think about knitting…every project is just a “fresh way” to present the “cast on, knit, purl and cast off”. Your work inspires me, your efforts invigorate me, your colorwork is prophetic…and I found a new way to present Easter…one more time.
Thanks for your presence in my life (eventhough we’ve never “met”)
I’m diggin’ the squares! I was privileged to go see the Yarn Harlot last Thurs. and met and sat next to a coupla cool woman – Amber and Kristina. Kristina was inspired by your miter-y blogs to start her own miters. They are gorgeous! (Her blog is Krisitnaknits.blogspot.com) (Mine is 5elementknitr.blogspot.com). Anyway, btw you and Kristina…. I’m getting very tempted!
Well, you’re doing something right if you like Sol LeWitt :). Only kidding — I never heard of the man myself, but then I lead a sheltered life. Song quote (by this time you are probably wondering if I have an original bone in my body): when love’s so strong, there is no right or wrong.
I think we all worry about the pulling-our-weight thing. I sure do.
I love square number 14. It is my favorite, so far.
Hooray, the squares continue! I too, love number 14.
I can imagine it must be difficult to keep coming up with different color combinations, and I love how you are finding inspiration in unlikely places!
Love the squares and the colors! I would never have thought of doing them the way you are, and it’s wonderful!
You have me contemplating squares of my own (like I need another project!) but in wool. Cotton is just so hard on my hands…
If you were boring we wouldn’t keep coming back to look at whatever you’re knitting – squares or sweaters or log cabins.
Maybe G needs a tandem hobby. My husband paints small scale soldiers while I knit and we listen to audio books together. It’s great. We both do what we love but we’re still together. Of course our dishes go unwashed for days too sometimes.
A couple weeks ago you mentioned a lack of red shades in the Tahki CC spectrum. Have you ever considered dying your own?
I’m with the above posters: number fourteen is beautiful! But I like the boldness of the other squares, too. I can’t wait to see how the squares look in the finished blanket, but it’s one of those nice kinds of suspense.
What I want to know is if you are listening to Huey Lewis “Hip to be Square” on the ol’ IPod??!!
(oh and for the record, you are never a boring dude!)
Now you’ve got me thinking. I carry this horrible guilt about the house, laundry, dishes, etc… never being 100% put together and caught up. Somehow feeding clothing counseling and chauffering five children (2 in diapers) around the world every day does nothing to relieve me of this guilt. I stay home. I should be 100% perfect at my “job”, right? Ugh. I seriously knit and spin for the therapeutic effect. But I can easily say to you “Don’t worry about it Cara, G loves you and loves to see you in the middle of the floor pulling your hair out about miter squares. That’s all that really matters.” 🙂
I’m not a miter person myself, but I enjoy looking at the progression of your squares and the wonderful variations you devise. It gives me a sense of visual ownership (without making me feel as though I need to take up the miter mantle). No. 15 is also a particular favorite of mine.
Delurking to say, I LIKE reading about the squares. And I think #14’s colors are particularly nice.
Love the burgandy-ish with the khaki-ish. And I’m afraid I tend to agree that there are, indeed, no new ideas. Only new kick-ass people to put their own twist on them — as you are doing. Cheers, sister!
I love the squares and wish I had the energy to knit at your pace. I’m also doing the mitered blanket and your colors are an inspiration to me. I check to see what you’ve done and then I go and look at my yarn choices before knitting more miters. You are inspiring me and that’s all I care about!
I really don’t think you should worry about being boring. It’s your knitting, it’s your blog and I think that people become regular readers of your blog because they are genuinely interested in you and what you’re up to, regardless of what it is, and because you write well.
It’s fantastic because you’re not just tossing in some pictures and writing a paragraph consisting of, “yo i made some squares. they’re neat.” You write it all out and I always come away feeling like I have as much of a personal relationship with this blanket as you do.
I am TOTALLY invested in the miter project. I love it, and part of the reason I love it is for your enthusiasm for it. This is your blog and your life. Live it the way you need to live it. We are just along for the ride!
I love Sq.#14! And thanks for all the miter blogging. There is nothing more knitastic (don’t know why I just typed it) than watching colors come together.
Thanks for posting the pics. I feel all empowered, I requested that you post pictures this AM and now they are there. My favorite today is 13 with 16 coming in at a close 2nd.
Delurking to let you know that I stopped reading your blog several months ago (nothing personal, just didn’t have time for knitting or blog reading for a while) and have started again BECAUSE of the squares. They are really appealing to me and I find your choice of colors, etc. really interesting.
Oooh, #15 makes me happy, happy, happy.
Personally, I’m very fond of your squares. I like that certain uniqueness you have in your color choices. I bet you could blog about squares for the next 6 months and not repeat the same color pattern. Yay for miters!
Ooooo…I love 13 and 16! Great combinations. It’s going to be so fun to see the squares come together with other squares.
That’s better.
Cara, I love the blues! All are so vibrant! Thanks for sharing.
Square #16 just JUMPED out at me! Thank you for the pictures. :o) I know what you mean about blog obligations. I’m trying to decide whether to spend this Saturday with DH or go to a sheep to shawl with my guild. The sheep to shawl will be good blog fodder. DH..welllll…I find him entertaining, but he’s not exactly fiber!
my computer satellite was down over the weekend so I’ve been catching up – WOW – so many color combos – how could anyone be bored!?!? And, ya know it is YOUR blog, if we were bored we’d wander away BUT I can just about guarantee that anyone who does will wander back eventually – it’s an addiction (albeit a soft one). We all sometimes wonder about pulling our own weight (unless we’re like Bree from DespHousewives) but I am SOooo lucky – my three labs have a doggy door! hahaha
I love the squares and I love being privy to your process.
Hey Cara! Just wanted to say that I am loving the squares. As in so many art forms I love what I am NOT good at. 🙂 For instance, I’m an abstract landscape painter and I love the work of Albrecht Durer! 🙂 What I love is scrolling through your photographs and having the occasional gasp when I see something that really strikes me. I’d love to teach a colour theory class using your mitered squares. Thanks so much!!
Really love the color combo in square 14.
yum, Cara! I will never grow bored of your pictures and your content. 😉
So not bored!
I feel the same way sometimes. My husband works long hours every week and I get much more time to knit, spin, sew etc. than he gets for watching sports or playing xbox.
I read your blog every time. The main reason, I love your photography. We do belong to different generations and therefore I do not always agree with your way of saying things or the language you use. But that does not keep me away. I can read through you and know that you do care about people and kids and things. So go ahead! knit 1 million squares if you want while you can and enjoy it. I still wonder if and when they are going to be put together, but we’ll see. Good enough reason to keep comming back. Thanks for an ocasional laugh or maybe more than ocasional!
Miters? Boring? Oh, please. So NOT boring.
Your words bring to my mind a recent post on another blog entitled “this edited life.” Which blog was it? Different knitter, different blog, different post, different kind of wonderful.
Our differences make life interesting. And better. And that’s why I enjoy reading your blog. And others.
“The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne.” Hmmmm, on what blog did I read that? LOL.
Miter on. It’s all knitting, so it’s all good.
I don’t find your miter posts boring at all. As a matter of fact your blog is one of the first I check (out of the 304 feeds in my Bloglines) every day. I actually became obsessed with checking your blog when you were making log cabin squares. I love the photography and the writing, and I think most of your many, many readers can identify with your so-called “madness” and that is why we read.
I can completely identify with neglecting the housework! People always say they would never have time to knit as much as I do. This is only because they actually do dishes and laundry and vaccuming and all of those other things that people are “supposed” to do. I’d rather knit. And read knitting blogs (see 304 blog feed subscriptions above).
Mitres (I’m Canadian) are NOT boring. And I love your colour discussions and choices. Like looking at the sock colourways in my stash, and combining them into sweaters for the orphans’ teddy bears. That was a great idea. Now, I’ll have to look at the colourways (still Canadian) in my favourite works of art too.
Instead of using the word influence, I think I’d say inspire. You have definitely inspired me!
Cara, Although I truly enjoy reading your blog, and have found information that is helpful to me and my family…I really love looking at your photos. The color ideas in your miters are beautiful. Keep up the color!!
Hmmm…. Today I like #14 the best.
Cara, please keep being you! That’s what I love about your blog–you are real, authentic, and you don’t mind sharing it with all of us. Heck, I would read your blog even if you had no knitting content whatsoever. And I am lucky enough to have some crazy happening in my own head and a man who didn’t want to leave, so guess it all works out! Oh, and the squares rule! awesome colours.
Oooh, square #16 is totally ringing my bell.
I love the way you are using all these colors. You have great vision.
I just realized why I like your mitres better than what I’ve seen out there. Yours are striped and far more appealing color-wise. Mitre on!
I love square 14 and the madness 🙂
Lol keep the squares coming, I’m not even bored of them yet!
Cara, I read your blog religiously and I have enjoyed the squares tremendously. They are a great color study; just like the ones we had to do in art school just more interesting because of the limit of your palette. I think that your sense of color is masterful and I have drawn both inspiration and comfort from your “obsession”…Please keep on sharing your so called madness, it feeds our spirit!!!
Block #14? I am instantly in love… who could complain about the color inspirations you are providing. Art theory in the real world.
Love it.
One reason for my spring bloglines cleaning was to bring you right near the top of the list!
I am a lurker on your site, and I don’t usually comment on it. But I love your projects and thank you for sharing your interests and your life with us.
I am not only loving the pictures of the miters, but also the description of the process involved in choosing the colors. The artistic process in full flower is fascinating. Your “obsession” is a full blown creative exploration of your artistic interests – go for it girl!! You are lucky to be in a place that you CAN become fully involved.
Beautiful, thank you!
Speaking about colors and artists, do you know Friedensreich Hundertwasser? If not, I think you will like his work with colors. I wish I could knit some of his paintings,,,
What is it they say about great minds? Of course you’re on the right track!
Holy Crap! I went away for a couple of days and I can’t believe the number of squares you’ve finished! They are beautiful and I love tha color combinations. I can’t wait to see it all sewn together. You may have enough to make your bed covering AND a little lap blanket for the sofa!
Ha! I told my husband that I was crazy on our second date. He said, “You know, I heard something once. Someone told me that all women were crazy, you just had to find one crazy in a way that you find cute.”
I love your blog, whether it talk of crazy or mitered squares.
Holy Miter Squares, that’s quite some staid repetition! Your blanket is going to be gaw-geous.
13, 15 and 16 stunning.
absolutely stunning.
I’m sitting here with tears in my eyes. Seriously. It’s actually an honor to watch such creative energy in motion.
Bravo!
Cara I love all the miters, and I am about to fall down that miter-hole with you
Annette
Oooh, I am loving the blues! Especially #15, but they’re all gorgeous.
Boring? No way. I’ve found it really interesting seeing all your color combos and chuckling over your “madness.”
I read every post you make – miters or not and enjoy everyone of them even though I don’t always comment. Love your pics.
Sometimes we just go off on a tangent, and that’s where we stay for awhile. It’s OK! 🙂 You’re in a mitered mood right now. I’m betting that the precision involved and the very ordered squareness of them gives you some sense of control over things, and after some of the stuff you and G have been through recently, it’s quite OK to need that.
The synchronicity between your yellow and turquoise square and the Sol LeWitt photo is bizarre!
It’s nice to know that you worry about *us*. This weird blogging connection/relationship can often feel so one-sided. (I’m not trying to revive the comments discussion! I’m just saying that I don’t often take the time to comment on all the blogs I read. Ha! But look at this epic comment! End of aside.) There’s an I-know-all-about-you-but-you-have-no-idea-who-I-am kinda voyeuristic quality to it that makes me stop and question whether my blogging habit is in any way good for me. It is good. What would I do without the opportunity to step outside of my laundry room and experience an explosion of color and creativity from other knitters? I’m not going to think about the answer to that question. Anyway…LOVE THE MITERS.
God, you oughta name this Sol, after the artist, his work is as bold as your miters. I think everyone has the blahs this time of year, just remember, someone is prayin’ for you.
Well. I, solo, seule, alone, for one, am LOVING every single square I’ve seen and cannot wait to see it all put together. I’m intrigued to think of how you’ll arrange them. Hm…
Your color groupings are beautiful and intuitive, and they go against everything I would do if I had 94 (!!!) colors to play with. But that’s the beauty of art, isn’t it? You get to see what gorgeousness some other eye/mine/hand can produce and marvel at the differences when they used the same materials and the same techniques as you. It’s like knitting DNA, no?
To the naysayers: SUCK IT. If they’re out entertainment: go turn on the tv. If they’re out to snark about someone behind her back: grow a pair. If they want to watch another crafter create art: log on.
That is all. =) Ashley
Take this with a grain of salt, as I have an apathetic (and also teensy) readership.
Perhaps if I were to post more than bi-monthly? Hmm…
Love the new miters… finished my own mitered blanket today and it’s up on the site. It’s a little different take on it, but I was just loving the experimenting!
Saw 13 – loved it, thought must post to say so. then 15 and 16 – not sure which I like better but both JUMP out at me deliciously.
thanks for the caffeine free buzz!
Who ever said 13 was unlucky? I am completely in love with these colors.
How could all these lovely color combos be boring? Out of this batch, I’m loving #15. As soon as I saw it I said, “Ohhhhh…..that one’s good.” Funny how certain colors and combos speak to us….and from the comments it is obvious that each of us is different in that area. Cool.
I quit my job in September and I haven’t been happier in my life than I am right now. I’ve been married to a very generous man for nine years, who goes to work at a very physically demanding and mentally exhausting job everyday while I sit here on my arse knitting. I too feel guilty because I’ve lost most of my drive to create and maintain a clean house. I can relate. I could have written the post you wrote. I write, I take pictures, I knit. Yep. I worked the first nine years we were married, and the previous six years before we were married and I was tired. And I had no life. And I had no energy to make and maintain friendships. So I was lonely. Man, I had no idea what I was missing out on before!! May this sabbatical never end!!!
I thought square #15 was my favorite, then I scrolled down and saw #16. I am so envious of this project!