Tuesday….brought to you by the letter “P”

Painting

Still experimenting with ink on paper.

 

Prototyping

Experimenting with another “knit in the round” project with naturally dyed yarns. The yarn above has been dyed in logwood, marigold and pomegranate.

 

Proofing

It has been a busy few weeks for Hunter Photographics.

 

Packaging

Updating the packaging with the new website www.debra-hunter.com .

 

I wonder what tomorrow will bring? Perhaps some gardening or dyeing. Maybe some work on www.handmade-canada.com .

 

 

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Earth Hour and Handmade – www.handmade-canada.com

Handmade in Canada

Spinning during Earth Hour

Yesterday we celebrated Earth Hour. The lights may have been turned off but that didn’t stop us from working on creative projects.

I spent the hour spinning recycled yarn scraps on the Turkish spindle. It seemed to make sense to work on a handmade project involving recycling while observing Earth Hour.

Thank you for visiting “Handmade in Canada”. Our site is in its infancy, however we invite you to take a look at what we feel will become an amazing project and an amazing community of Canadian makers.

Welcome to“Handmade in Canada”, a community of independent makers and growers providing a great range of items made right here in Canada.

Our site allows our visitors to discover a whole range of Canadian produced products on one site. This makes buying Canadian, buying local, and supporting local economies easy and convenient.

On this site…

View original post 113 more words

What’s Happening Thursday

Seeing as I’ve been foot powered for four weeks I’ve been tackling quite a few projects. Here is what is happening today:

Weaving in ends and blocking knit and crocheted pieces.

Prepping cotton pieces and yarn to be scoured, mordanted and dyed.

Reworking a crocheted prototype…different hook size and measurements. Sometimes you just “know” you can make an item more functional and better.

Working beads into crocheted pieces.

Breaking down yarn scraps to spin……

….and spinning them. The ball of yarn is growing. Quite frightening to think these scraps would normally just go to the landfill.

I have also started another stitched piece. Smaller. Experimental. Naturally dyed (as usual). Maybe it will work, maybe it won’t, we’ll just see where it goes.

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Crafted by Debra Hunter
www.debra-hunter.com

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Interested in the new project I’m building? Check out Handmade in Canada.

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My New Project – Handmade in Canada

Over the last few months I have been sharing art, photography and knitting , but one thing I have yet to share is the new project I have been working on in the background. The project is a website called Handmade in Canada. It is a website designed to profile Canadian artists, artisans, writers, musicians and growers. After months of work, the site went live this evening on the internet. Now I get to grow and nurture the concept, and I think it is a pretty exciting project.

The whole project came about through my hand knit items. Prior to the knitting and art portion of my creative endeavors, my main business was photography. Photography was easy to market; yellow pages ads, websites and local advertising all worked for promoting photography. Knitting and art were a whole different ball game. They weren’t the type of services and products  that a customer would look for in the “yellow pages”. Markets were a possibility but the season is short and the weather often not predictable. Approaching individual local shops I enjoy (and will continue to do so), but I felt as a person working in a handmade industry I wanted to also reach further.

For months I mulled over the scenario of the handmade industry. I also talked to people (and listened) and realized the scenario was the same for almost all artists, artisans, writers, musicians and growers. We were all the same industry with the same challenges. We all had great products that we need to promote. We all have websites floating out there in an internet of millions or billions of websites. We also needed to get Canadians buying Canadian products.

I started to think about the situation more and more and realized if we could present ourselves as a collective, on one site, we would have more presence. Also by presenting ourselves together we would create cross-over business; a person buying a book, may also buy a handmade art card and purchase some home-grown honey. A site with everything together would make buying handmade and Canadian easy.

With all this in mind I created the site Handmade in Canada.

I invite everyone to take a look at the site, and pass it on to any artists, artisans, craftspeople, writers, musicians, growers and edible producers you know.

I want to make this site a great success, and in turn help handmakers across Canada promote themselves and sell to broader markets. I know this could be fantastic for us all.

(Please remember the site is in its infancy!)

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Black and Blue – a work-in-progress post

It’s been a while since I did a work in progress post so I thought I would share a play-by-play on an ink drawing/painting (you decide) from the other evening. I thought another “feel good” post was in order.

We start with the basic setup as captured on my iPhone. Ink, palette, heavy watercolor paper taped to a piece of panel, brush, water and the obligatory cup of tea. The iPad mini holds my all-in-one stash of images for art inspiration, plus Tune In Radio so I can listen to BBC 4 (I’ve mostly given up on CBC).

I start with very light blue ink to block in the distant horizon and the rocks in the foreground. This gives me a starting place.

Then come the trees. I resist getting caught up in the details and instead put down the basic shape.

I start to add some depth with a medium blue ink. It’s an interesting process working at this stage where the image is in monochrome, but it isn’t black and white.

From a medium blue to a full intensity blue the drawing/painting starts to come to life. It is a bit too Delft for my liking so I decide to work into the piece with some black.

The final image completed ( and photographed in the studio rather than with my phone). I think the blue and black work well together.

More details about this piece can be found on my other blog by clicking HERE.

If you are interested in seeing the location that inspired this piece, it can be viewed by clicking HERE.

Artwork by Debra Hunter
www.debra-hunter.com
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Tiny and Purple

I thought it would be a nice change to blog about something “nice”.

Last week a mom at my children’s school had a baby girl. I was lucky enough to see the sweet little baby at the grand age of two days old and thought wouldn’t it be fun to crochet a baby hat. As the gift has been delivered I can now post the project.

I  had some purple commercial yarn left in the (shrinking) stash,  a hook handy, and quickly with a search of the internet I had a pattern. Things went swimmingly until I reached the end of the project according to the instructions, looked at the hat and it appeared that the depth from crown to brim was way too short.

My next step was to go through our daughters’ bedroom trying to find a newborn sized doll. I found one, tried on the hat, and it was at least two inches too short. I then decided to search online to get a range of newborn hat measurements, only to find the circumference was fine, the depth was way off. I crocheted a couple more inches and then it looked right. Strangely, as I was finishing the hat one of my daughter’s baby hats appeared (I am guessing it had been in the doll clothes bin), so I was also able to measure the hat against a hat that I knew fit; that gave me confidence that it was the right size.

I could not believe  how quickly this hat was completed. The bulk of it was done while waiting to shoot a session and then while downloading files. I am thinking of making a bigger version for my girls, maybe even a naturally dyed cotton version.

Crocheting was a nice break from knitting up prototypes.

Now it is back to prototypes and samples……eight more to go before Easter break when I hope to take them out to the coast to show.

Crocheting and knitting by Debra Hunter

www.debra-hunter.com

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“What do we ultimately want?” – 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan Problems

“What do we ultimately want?”

This is what the service department just asked my husband, so I am going to share my answer here:

” If I were to answer this question honestly, I think what needs to happen is to have this van shipped down east to the head plant and have them go through it to find out what is causing the defects. The thing is, the potential for this to be happening in every 2014 Grand Caravan is there. I don’t want our family killed, but I also don’t want any other family killed. Yes, we can move on to another vehicle, but in the interest of public safety the fault still needs to be found. In my opinion, and I tend to be a “big picture thinker”, Chrysler Canada needs to find the fault so that this doesn’t happen to any family.”

We are afraid if we trade the van in some other family will be killed. The van is dangerous.

(Check out my “Dodge Chrysler problem” section for the full story.)

Share, share, share….Dodge Problems

Some of you may have remembered this image from late last night,

and the blog post that accompanied it.

Well today my husband took a glossy 8×10 of the cartoon to work with him. He is using it as an ice breaker with customers. He is getting to tell the story and share the blog….and make great customer connections at the same time.

Best thing ever.

Grassroots.

Sharing is good.

And now I would like to share even more blog posts about our faulty 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan (A.K.A. the death trap!):

https://htheblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/03/we-need-to-replicate-the-problem-dont-buy-dodge-it-will-potentially-kill-you/

https://htheblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/03/why-i-blog-issues-plus-a-letter-to-transport-canada-regarding-dodge-safety/

https://htheblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/14/dodge-less-in-red-deer/

https://htheblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/17/dodge-intends-to-release-unsafe-vehicle-onto-road/

https://htheblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/17/execution-by-a-2014-dodge-grand-caravan/

https://htheblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/18/avoiding-problems-nothing-new-for-chrysler-dodge-problems/

https://htheblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/18/what-do-chrysler-and-an-a-have-in-common-my-daughters-take-on-dodge-problems/

https://woodleaneighbours.wordpress.com/2015/03/18/walking/

 

****Remember….. the 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan loses power while driving , save your life, take the bus.

What do Chrysler and an a$$ have in common? – My daughter’s take on Dodge problems

Out of the mouths of babes…..even they know our van is faulty and dangerous.

Want to read more about Dodge problems? Check this out!!!!!!

https://htheblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/03/we-need-to-replicate-the-problem-dont-buy-dodge-it-will-potentially-kill-you/

https://htheblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/03/why-i-blog-issues-plus-a-letter-to-transport-canada-regarding-dodge-safety/

https://htheblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/14/dodge-less-in-red-deer/

https://htheblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/17/dodge-intends-to-release-unsafe-vehicle-onto-road/

https://htheblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/17/execution-by-a-2014-dodge-grand-caravan/

(and the list keeps growing!)

Stay tuned……….more fun to come!

Avoiding Problems Nothing New for Chrysler – Dodge Problems

I came across this link today which verifies how the car industry, or shall I say Chrysler, works.

This is the portion that caught my eye:

“In the 24 consumer complaints the agency included in its investigation, motorists describe harrowing situations, including immovable steering wheels, loss of all power and difficulty braking. Dealers were generally unwilling to do repairs because no recall was in place, they said.
“When it stalls, the steering wheel is extremely hard to move,” wrote the owner of a 2009 Grand Caravan. “I have three small children in the car when it stalls on main roads. It is very frightening and dangerous trying to control the car.” “

This is exactly what we are facing. Here in the article it is a documented fact that Chrysler has a policy of NOT DOING REPAIRS until a recall is in place. Chrysler would rather have you die in an unsafe vehicle than spend a couple of bucks to fix the faulty vehicles they throw out on the market.

Here is what we are facing with a faulty 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan. I encourage others to start sharing their stories on line, companies like this need to be held accountable.

https://htheblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/03/we-need-to-replicate-the-problem-dont-buy-dodge-it-will-potentially-kill-you/

https://htheblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/03/why-i-blog-issues-plus-a-letter-to-transport-canada-regarding-dodge-safety/

https://htheblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/14/dodge-less-in-red-deer/

https://htheblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/17/dodge-intends-to-release-unsafe-vehicle-onto-road/

https://htheblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/17/execution-by-a-2014-dodge-grand-caravan/

 

The full Bloomberg story can be read here:

 

(Bloomberg) — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV is doing a second recall of 703,000 minivans and SUVs with a defective ignition switch that can rotate out of position, similar to the faulty General Motors Co. part tied to dozens of deaths.
The action covers the 2008-2010 Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Journey, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a document posted on its website Friday.
The company previously tried to fix the switch defect, which can lead vehicles to stall, lose power and disable their air bags, in recalls announced in 2011 and 2014.
GM’s ignition-switch defect, now linked to 57 deaths in crashes, led to the recall of 2.59 million small cars. Disclosures about the company’s delays in announcing a recall spurred four congressional hearings and a then-record $35 million fine.
Chrysler in the earlier recall tried adding a trim ring to prevent inadvertent key rotation. A NHTSA investigation begun last year concluded that repair wasn’t working. The wireless ignition module will now be replaced in all recalled vehicles.
No fatalities have been reported in the Chrysler or Dodge vehicles. The defect has been tied to one crash, which didn’t involve injuries.
Chrysler Probe
NHTSA’s probe into the Chrysler vehicles began after the GM ignition-switch disclosures last year. The agency contacted all major automakers about whether vehicle stalls might affect air-bag performance. Chrysler determined that these three vehicles’ air bags function for two-tenths of a second if the ignition switch moves to the accessory or off position.
Fiat Chrysler spokesman Eric Mayne said the latest campaign doesn’t involve any vehicles that weren’t covered by the previous recalls. The company advised NHTSA that there’s a new remedy and repairs have been accelerated, he said.
Until the recall repairs are complete, vehicle owners are being advised to remove all items except the ignition key from their key rings.
In the 24 consumer complaints the agency included in its investigation, motorists describe harrowing situations, including immovable steering wheels, loss of all power and difficulty braking. Dealers were generally unwilling to do repairs because no recall was in place, they said.
“When it stalls, the steering wheel is extremely hard to move,” wrote the owner of a 2009 Grand Caravan. “I have three small children in the car when it stalls on main roads. It is very frightening and dangerous trying to control the car.”
Numerous consumers said their driving experience sounded similar to the situations described in the GM ignition-switch recalls.
Added another 2009 Caravan owner: “This is a clear and present danger to both my family and other drivers on the road.”
The Associated Press earlier reported the recall.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jeff Plungis in Washington at jplungis@bloomberg.net