Accepted? YES!

Three of the Spirit Weaving series were accepted to the ArtsIlliana Fall Exhibit.
 Good for my soul, I haven't made any submission deadlines for a long time.

Finally, finally figured a way in to the novelty yarn challenge I wrote about in my last post - and I would even wear what I'm making! Energy has shifted from repulsion for the yarn to tolerance to acceptance to...well, I won't go so far as to say I love this yarn now - but I'm loving the whole of which it is now part, so it has achieved some redemption.  Will be able to post photos once the challenge winners are announced.

Right now I'm working with a wonderful supportive group of women in a Magical Sabbatical, offered by Athena Perrakis, Sage Goddess. Among other things, we're doing a lot of work around crystals and stones. I was inspired to make this pendant yesterday:

Balance on the Heartbridge, blue kyanite, green kyanite, copper wire, recycled silk ribbon

And all is well. Blessed be.

)O(

Novelty Nightmare

My LYS, RiverWools, offered a contest in the early summer, a novelty yarn challenge.

After paying a $20 entry fee, I got to randomly select a stapled brown paper bag which contained 2 balls of novelty yarn which had been randomly thrown into the bag.

 We were given a generous amount of time (a little over 3 months) and generous parameters, and told to go forth and create something amazing and ingenious, something novel with this yarn and our mad skills in knitting, crochet, weaving, felting, etc.  We were allowed to add other yarns to the project- we just had to make use of the novelty yarns in some way in the project.

Sounds great...fun, right? 

Well, I'm sure it would have been fun had I gotten any two yarns but these:

That is Zen ribbon yarn on the left, which I have a great fondness for, especially in a more vibrant palette. The stuff on the right? OMGoddess. I have misplaced the ball band, but I'm certain it was called Barbie Pink Muppet Barf.  And trying to get these two to work together????

Oh, I could make something lovely pairing the Zen with these.....but add in the BPMB and:

It's the stark white that seems to be giving me the most trouble. I think I could deal with the chewed-looking pink froth (I kind of like how the color looks against that golden sari ribbon), but that white just leaps from anything else I put it with. 

And I have tried many, many things.

All summer long these yarns have been sitting in a basket in my studio - every so often, I'd look at them, shudder,  and add yarns to the basket or take some away. Occasionally, I'd braid or knit or crochet to see if any of that might help.

Frankly, I hate that pink/white mess so much that it has been truly painful to deal with it. With about two weeks to the contest deadline I've been SO tempted to let this go.

Life is too short to play with ugly yarn.

But there is something in me that wants to redeem it, to test my creative muscle and see if I can figure out some way to make something I would actually use or wear. 
So I am not giving up.

Yet.

)O(