BlackSheepMade by Alyssarhaye

Absolute treat!!! to see Routed West: Twentieth-Century African American Quilts in California and Lee ShinJa: Drawing with Thread all in the same day. Thanks for a beautiful day of inspiration@bampfa ✨ finished with ramen and the best conversations with @mario69montespozo and @imara.osorno 🧡

I felt like an artist this weekend ykwim ✨ I spent the last two months working on bringing my knitting career into my current arts practice. I really enjoyed the process of felting portraits of my parent’s baby photos. More felting to come!! Be sure to check out the Edge of Softness at @workssanjose featuring myself alongside Cynthia Gonzalez, Lydia Rae Black, Mary Morse, and Mario Montes Pozo now through 12/7! In celebrating the quiet, the porous, and the tender, this exhibition reimagines power as something that grows through care rather than control.

🎉¡¡FREE COMMUNITY WORKSHOP REVEAL!!🎉 To everyone who has joined us in the Gallery so far, whether for Opening Reception, the 1st Artist Talk (next and final 1 is next Thursday - be there!!), or outside of these special events to experience the Exhibition on your own, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING!!!! We are now THRILLED to invite you, whether you’ve been to the Gallery before or not, to attend a weaving workshop taught by none other than Alyssarhaye Graciano @alyssarhaye of BlackSheepMade @blacksheepmade next Saturday afternoon. That’s ONE WEEK FROM TOMORROW!! In this free workshop, open to the community: Explore the basics of weaving using a mix of natural and acrylic fibers to create your own 6x6” tapestry. With a rich assortment of colors and textures, participants learn how to form organic shapes that express their personal story through fiber art. Save your spot now! Register here /genartssvee2025 or at the link in bio:) Learn more about Alyssarhaye Graciano and the 5th Annual Experimental Exhibition in the pinned comments! 🧑‍🎨  Graphics related to the 5th Annual Experimental Exhibition are designed by @nancyestrella.visual Massive shoutout and gratitude to Nancy. 🎨  genARTS’ 5th Annual Experimental Exhibition “Interwoven: The Threads That Bind (US)” is presented in partnership with Local Color and Noble Workshop and Gallery, supported in part by a take pART grant from the City of San José. @‌sjculture  @localcolorsj   @noble.dtsj #genartssv #ExperimentalExhibition #interwoven #ArtisticExploration #BoundariesAtNUMU #southbay #santaclaracounty #artopencall #bayareaartists #localcolorsj #genarts

Knit the #nanaimocardigan by @good_night_day 💜🍆🦄👾🍇 — I started knitting it on a train ride up to the city then brought it along with me to free concerts, more train rides, and breaks at work. I modified the sleeves to have longer ribbed cuffs after wearing it out once and found I wanted more coverage. Plus it helps hide my dye lot mishap, which I’ve leaned into! Wabi sabi like @yu.taikocat said. This was my second sweater during the #imakesweaterskal, a challenged by @kolinamakes + @whatmarielmade to start a sweater on the summer equinox and finish it by the autumn equinox. Next time, I think I’ll add German short rows for a longer back and add stripes. Yarn: @malabrigoyarn Rasta in pearl 069 from @theimagiknit

I enjoy playing with my yarn, experimenting what I can do with the material outside of my usual knitting, crochet, macrame, or weaving. I’m largely inspired by Huichol peoples and their yarn paintings—pressing yarn into beeswax—to share stories and myths. My work at @foxtalefermentationproject , To Be Felt, allowed me to play with my materials in a similar way, working through some feelings and processing all that 2025 has been so far, both personally and globally. Hope you can join us on Friday to eat some delicious food and GENTLY touch some of the work 🙂 deets on the last slide. Yarn: @lovefestfibers #toughloveyarn and @woolandthegang #feelinggoodyarn

WIP Wednesday! I talk about my two active WIPS: an upcoming solo show at @foxtalefermentationproject (using a bunch of @lovefestfibers #toughloveyarn ) and a test knit for @ranti.studio using @retrosariarosapomar vovó yarn.

WIP Wednesday part two bc part one was incredibly long but you should still give it a listen. #WoodblockTee by @emilygreeneknits using @brooklyntweed Peerie in Tincture

Gooood morning from my studio. I suggest letting this play like an ultra short mini podcast and looking up when needed. Happy WIP Wednesday to all who celebrate. Too long; didn’t watch— • I have an upcoming solo show at @foxtalefermentationproject on 9/12, wait til the end to see a sneak peek of pieces. • I uncover a bag of 20+ WIPs that I plan to sort through but in this video I pick two at random and decide if I will keep knitting or frog the project (aka scrap it and move on). • #RumbleRaglan pattern by @whatlydiamade in Isager mohair • #IntarsiaTilesScarf pattern by @anna_husemann in various scrap yarn What are you working on?

And for my next trick, maybe I’ll learn how to edit videos. I’ve been watching a lot of knitting vlogs lately (hi @whatsmilimaking !!) and I was inspired to whip (lol) something together. In the future I’d like to make some cute lil blogs but for now I just wanted to get something up to track my progress on my two active WIPs. Key word “active” bc we all know there’s about 183819 other WIPs just dying to be finished. One day ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ maybe. First WIP — Pattern: #nanaimocardigan by @good_night_day Yarn: @malabrigoyarn #malabrigorasta in Pearl Ten purchased at @theimagiknit in the city Second WIP — Pattern: #crossandrasweatermini by @nash.knits Yarn: @misha_and_puff merino wool in Dusty Rose Confetti purchased at @apricotyarn in San Diego Maybe I keep doing this, maybe I don’t. Enjoy 🙃 #imakesweaterskal

BRB: knitting in Costa Rica at an artist residency 🌞 Working on the #crossandrasweatermini by @nash.knits for my soon-to-be niece! It’s been the perfect travel project for the #imakesweaterskal with @kolinamakes and @whatmarielmade Was going to lay a song over the video but the birds and breeze are much better singers.

Made a fun little piece for the @foxtalefermentationproject 3 year anniversary! Swipe for details if you wanna swing by this delicious restaurant and catch some amazing work my local artists. Christmas Cactus, 2025, Felted wool, 3ply cotton rope, and watercolor on wood. This piece started as a painting in May 2024. I really wanted to learn how to use gouache at the time. This year, I decided to use my fiber collection to finish it up. 1- finished piece in my studio 2- @foxtalefermentationproject flier 3- wip shot 4- actual Christmas cactus 5- recently acquired fiddle leaf fig and spinning wheel in the studio 6,7- wip shots from July ‘24 8- silly video of me pretending to paint as I test out my neck camera

A fraction of the fun and the people at @knitterdinnerclub no. 2 last night! Big hugs to @kolinamakes for organizing a farm tour around @hiddenvilla followed up with a carding and spinning demonstration, and then a farm to table meal ✨ @knitterdinnerclub @terca.necia @whatmarielmade @sofe.ring @creativestitch.co @connieknits @fromthelamb @christinaemmett.creates @arynak and so many more!