I think I’ve arrived

This is probably just an megalomanic trip that will be cut down the next time I burn dinner or something, but at this moment, I feel like a real actual artist. Credit is due for Tal for pitching the idea of making my first knit portrait one of Johnny Cash, and of helping me make my choices. It is very important however to state that I Made This. I picked out a picture, I spent an hour or two charting it, I knit every single stitch. I ripped out my mistakes. That bit really hurt. I played his “American Recordings” for hours and hours on end while making this.
My Mom was so proud of the WIP that as I was working on it at her place over the weekend, she asked me to show it to anyone and everyone who came by, including the gardener who completely floored me by asking if I had attended Bezalel, assuming not only that I am a professional artist with academic training but also that I got it at Israel’s leading school of art and design…
That led Tal to ask if I would like to go there. Cute idea, but at the moment I don’t think I could handle devoting so much of my life to a single thing.
Back to Johnny, I am going to have a hard time parting with him, but the designated recipient, my mom’s man, is sure to love it dearly and treat it with the necessary respect.
Besides, I’ve already got my next victim lined up…

For those of you interested in the technical details, I got the very tight stitches by knitting worsted weight acrylic on US 4 / 3.5 mm needles. I alternated stranded colorwork with intarsia as a matter of convenience, because the back isn’t showing. The gauge was 23 sts x 28 rows for a 4″ square, but that doesn’t really matter because I’m not going to be publishing the chart. I’d like to keep this pattern to myself and I’m sure if you want Johnny damning your eyes, you’ll be resourceful enough to chart him yourself… besides the chart has gone through many forms of torture at the hands of the kids and myself, and I think that if I remove it from the plastic sleeve for any purpose whatsoever, it will crumble into dust. Oh, and I added edging of seed stitch – 8 rows each at the top and the bottom, and every first and last 5 stitches of each row, just to help keep it flat though I will be mounting it on a piece of felt for extra strength.