Blooms at Easter

Can't get much sweeter.  The crazy heat wave a couple of weeks ago brought out the early spring flowering bulbs sooner than ever before. Chionodoxa luciliae is so fresh and bright with white eyes, one of my favourites and it naturalizes readily.

Chionodoxa luciliae in chickie egg cups. 

A mini daffodil 'Tete a Tete', Puschkinia libanotica, and Chionodoxa luciliae with a sprig of tiny white flowers (?) from the market.

Spring flowers.

Fresh linens for spring

The longer and brighter days have been so welcome!  Even though it's been a super mild winter I love how the light changes towards the end of February and everybody's spirit starts to improve. 

Here's the latest bunch of linen hand towels that went off to the Guild Shop last week. Coming soon — I'll be stocking my shop at valerieknappdesign.etsy.com. I'll provide the link as soon as I get work in there. It's been so busy.  

Batch of relief printed 100% linen hand towels. Various prints. 

Revisiting Crochet

What a fun project to crochet a bonnet for our neighbour's precious baby girl Camilla.  Winter evenings are perfect for handwork. As I worked on this dreamy pink number I tripped into memories of making crochet hats for my kids.

Crochet bonnet. Soft cotton blend yarn from France. Fun pointy crown detail.

Flat view showing shell stitch all along the edge.

 Camilla, age 1, 2012. 

Oh did I get sentimental so I had to find a photo of my daughter Maxine in hers. A range of multi-coloured wool and cotton yarns were worked in a variety of stitches and a dotty green grosgrain ribbon was woven in along the edge. There is a big pom pom hanging from the crown but alas no photo showing it.

Here are the girls ...

Maxine Bell, age 2, 1991.

Boxed Embroidery at David Kaye Gallery

Dream #4.  Hand embroidery on cotton 

sheeting. Vintage Ryrie-Birks ring box.

Boxed Embroidery Series ©

David Kaye Gallery has a few pieces from my ongoing Boxed Embroidery Series including Dream #4, Four Seeds and Party Dress. The tiny sleeping children I love to make are worked on cotton bed sheeting. This one is nestled in a beautiful vintage box that was a special gift from Lily Yung.

So innocent, these dreamers.

In Party Dress, the relief print Memory Dress appears printed and stitched on the palest pink vintage silk crepe de chine that I used to make party dresses out of back in the day.

Party Dress.  Silk crepe de chine and DMC thread. 

John Diggin's Jewellry box. Boxed Embroidery Series ©

And seeds ... optimistic, emblematic of the new, a fresh start. 

Four Seeds.  Embroidery on silk. Leather Ganeshi Lal & Son bracelet box. Boxed Embroidery Series ©

Pretty Pink Petals of Pelargonium

Inspired by a friend's post Seed Starting Update I snapped a photo of a Pelargonium (unidentified) blooming in my kitchen. A gift in winter, on a gray rainy day...

Pretty pink petals of Pelargonium in January.

Great to be back in the studio

A nice project to ease back into work, this pair of pillows for a stylish client. Mostly linen, pieced with glints of my relief prints and other vintage bits. Reversible, although not intentional. I like to have detail on the back, one always enjoys a surprize. I had fun photographing them ...

Twins...

but not identical.

Stacked...

 the backs.                                                                                   Happy New Year 

Published in Surface Design Journal - Canadian Perspectives

David Kaye of David Kaye Gallery in Toronto was interviewed in the Fall issue of the American Surface Design Journal titled 'Canadian Perspectives', an issue devoted to a wide range of Canadian textile art and artists.

An image of one of my Handkerchief Series works, Woman with a Heart is featured in the interview as well as the work of William Hodge, Dorothy Caldwell, Sylvia Ptak, Susan Warner Keene, Lizz Aston and Judith Dingle.

To read the article please CLICK HERE!

Woman with a Heart  Valerie Knapp Mixed media: releif print, embroidery, vintage handkerchief, 12.5" x 12.5", 2008