On Thursday I went and took some photos and preliminary measurements of our projected car (or one from the fleet).

I just crunched those numbers to come up with a different number:
678, which is the current estimate on how many squares we will need to cover the body portions of the car. Now, that number is a little high because I didn't subtract the area that would be covered by logos and not squares.

Another number:
1, the number of intarsia-knit logos that will go onto the car that are currently completed (see photo below). There will be 3 or 4 total.

Another number:
88, the number of squares I currently have on hand. Most of those I made but I did collect some at my knitting group last Friday, and I know there are many more in the pipeline.

Yet another number:
12, the number of days before the actual event in which we cover a car with knitted squares.

I don't think I'm panicking. I'm pretty sure I'm not panicking. Am I even spelling "panicking" right? Yes. I just looked it up.

I should probably go to bed.

Geek Squad accepted the proposed design today and we are on! For more information, click the "What If . . . Festival" 2011 link to your left.

In my 10 years as an artist I have met others in my profession who feel the need to be very hush-hush about their working process. There's a fear that possesses them, sometimes not without good cause, that someone else will start producing work in "their" style, thus stealing the living they might be making with their work.

I learned much of what I know through conversations (in print, online, and in person) with other artists so my work and teaching style is very open. My feeling is that, if someone is stealing my "style", I just need to keep evolving and come up with a new one.

So, a few months back (during the Acacia Park "Tree Cozy" project), I emailed an internationally known yarn bomb artist (KnittaPlease) to gush over how lovely I thought a specific project of hers was and to ask a few questions that related to that project and our trees. One of her staff members graciously answered my questions and alleviated a lot of the worry I was taking on myself.

Now with this new project, I emailed again. This time, however, I was sure that the information I wanted would probably be proprietary to their process. Apparently they don't feel that it is and again, many of my worries have been quenched. Not all of them yet, but since they invited me to ask any other questions I might have, I did.

I'm breathing much easier this morning. Thanks Karen!

The design concepts for the "What If Festival" project have been submitted to Geek Squad and I'm waiting on approval or redirection. The plan is to have something we can start with agreed upon by Thursday (8/18) so that I can put out the call for help.

I must admit this is one difficult part of the process for me. (There are other difficult parts. I'll write about them as they come up—if I get time.) I want to jump in and get started but have to hold myself back. If I start work on a design that ends up being scrapped, I feel that I've wasted time and materials. So instead, I'm occupying myself by working on pieces the size I will need if the design is approved as is but can be utilized in another project in the works if the direction changes.

Oh the difficulties of staying busy and sane at the same time.

Less than 4 full weeks until the "What If . . . Festival" on Sept. 10. I (and anyone else who wants to help in any capacity) have been tapped to yarn bomb a VW Bug for the Geek Squad. Here's the deal as far as I understand it: They provide the car and our entry fee, we provide the yarn, work, and gorgeousness to cover the car with knit/crochet stuff. 

I've kinda got the design worked out, which dictates the work needs, but I'm waiting to see if I need to get the design approved by a Geek Squad contact, which I have yet to get. Once I know we're good to go I can put out a call for help, get photos of one of the cars in the fleet, take measurements, and fine-tune the design sketches.