Knit-In with Karen Jelenfy

 Nest for Katie's Sister

Don't forget to join me this Saturday, April 3rd, At the Clifford Gallery, Waterfall Arts, Belfast, Maine 10 am - Noon.  I'll be sharing my methods of basic 3-D knitting and talking about how I moved from painting to knitting over the last four years.  I'd love to listen to YOUR stories too!  Bring whatever you're working on or come empty handed - we'll get you started.  There will be camaraderie and interesting yarn - bring your own sticks!

Free & open to all ages.  See you there!

Waterfall Arts
256 High St
Belfast, ME
207-338-2222

Up at last!

Here's a glimpse of the completed installation of Swifts & Swallows by Katie Wolfrum & Karen Jelenfy.

Katie getting started...


Karen overcomes her fear of ladders....AGAIN








DONE! See you at the opening! 5-8 pm tonight! Exhibit runs through April 23rd.

Watch for posting of a public knit-in event in the gallery during the run of the show.

Last Push!

Katie & I met for our last work session at good ol' Zoot this past Tuesday. The large waterfall painting was finished (have to go to the show to see it) and only two nests remain to be knitted. All of the artists will hang the show next Wednesday & Thursday in the Clifford Gallery at Waterfall Arts in Belfast. Until then, Katie and I have a concept, but no SOLID idea what Swifts & Swallows will actually look like! Just part of the thrill of doing installation art!

Come be surprised with us next Friday, March 5th, when the exhibit opens, from 6-9 pm. I'm planning on selling the individual nests for $4.00 apiece as a donation to support Waterfall's great "Branching Out" program.
Hope to see you there!

Now I'm off to "help out" at the NETA Knit, Spin & Spa this weekend in Freeport. I'll be travelling with Kathy of Knitting Out Loud. Really looking forward to this & hope to see some of you there! Check out NETA's site for details.

Goats & Birds

MY GIRLS: Lucy & Winnie

Cashmere combing has commenced. Lucy is the main producer so far. Neither of them thinks it's a lot of fun - but a handful of grain helps. Yvonne Taylor of Black Locust Farm is helping with advice. In March we'll go over to her place & help comb.

Bird-wise, Katie & I flapped on yesterday in a pretty crowded Zoot, painting & knitting respectively. There are now 15 "nests", one finished drawing/watercolor and another large watercolor well on its way.
The opening reception at Waterfall Arts is Friday, March 5th, 5-8 pm. The Taking Wing exhibit will be on view until April 23rd.

Bird Struggles!!!

This "nest" is knit in the round then sewn to a discarded & torn lobster bait bag. Seems like something a bird might pick up as building material.

A sketch of a cliff swallow in its early stages. This bird don't want to appear!!! Color may help....

THERE!

Katie in my Studio/House

Yesterday I brought Katie out to my house

to see the studio and Village Books
and to meet the goats. Eventually we got to work. You'll have to wait a little longer for the paintings - yesterday we put a wash on the Arches paper and did some preliminary sketching. You can see Katie working away in the photos. I drew a bit and knitted too. The nests (see above) are increasing in numbers & complexity as I get drawn further & further into the process of knitting them.

Thanks, everyone, for all the comments! By next week there will be paintings to show!

Working at Zoot

Here's Katie this past Saturday, working on a prototype for our "Taking Wing" project. We both came up with imaginary landscapes in watercolor pencil. I knitted a bit. Caffeine was ingested.

Later we went over to Rockport Blueprint and bought luscious Arches paper on which to do the final paintings.

Today we met at my studio and began to paint. I was knitting too, of course...

OTE (overtaken by events)

Yep, that's me. But, lots of knitting & knitters were included in the events that overtook me. I've been lost in a cowl fetish - fast to knit, as beautiful as jewelry, and the perfect Maine winter-wear. Many thanks to Ballantine, who shared a favorite pattern with me.

Right now I'm using up a lot of scratchy odds and ends of wool & other fibers to make "bird houses". These will be part of an installation I'm doing with my 12 year old partner, Katie, over at Waterfall Arts in Belfast, Maine in March. Katie & I are studying cliff swallows and chimney swifts, birds that are in danger in the area's watershed. My contribution is a bunch of hand knit "nests" in all kinds of colors & textures to hang in front of a sunset backdrop painted by Katie.

Pictures to follow!!! I promise! And more about knitters WHO ARE NOT ME...

Karen