generation A

Aster gave me permission to post these photos she took of herself. She is extremely artistic, has a great eye for interesting composition and is really good at drawing. She is taking private drawing lessons for the next couple of weeks and I am excited for her to be challenged and to discover what drawing on a regular schedule can do.

Julie & Julia

After three glasses of pinot noir and a fun night out, I will attempt to write about the wonderfully fun and uplifting movie I just saw...

Julie & Julia.

Simply put, I just smiled and laughed the entire movie. Too cute for description are both Meryl Streep and Amy Adams, as they were both fabulous. I had two glasses of wine and wonderful conversation with friends at Black and Blue and the last of a bottle at home watching the electrical storm on the deck with my family. 

I can't wait to rent the actual French Chef soon and enjoy every minute.

I hope you had the chance to read a delightful article in the NY Times that the photo above is from...

   Below - I couldn't quite capture the unbelievably entrancing lightning with the digital camera but here is a blurry pic of me and Gage enjoying the show and one of the rain falling towards the camera.

and a few more to show the eerie night... Not at all a depiction of the light heart that I feel at present but possibly an appropriate portrait of the summer as a whole. A bit of a blur and not very colorful, a little allusive, but certainly extraordinary, to say the least...  As my (almost 15 year old (gasp!)) son said tonight, "This is my Storm."

Friday Fun!

Friday at Crocus Clay Works was great fun. The energy was high and the visitors, friends old and new, were all charming and generous with their compliments. All enjoyed the show and the night I believe. I sold quite a bit so I have to get back to work... although all I can think about is this coming Tuesday and how and what I shall make at torch time. 

That copper green glass is such an odd fellow. Sometimes it chooses to become turquoise - sometimes this red shows up. I wish I actually had three of these beads, but those pics above are three views of the same bead.

This one is pretty great, huh? I began with khaki, added tons of pink frit and silver wire and then the copper green on the sides which pushed the silver and pink (now dark red or just gone) to the center then I added the dark ivory to the top and bottom and tah da!

Lucinda gave me a couple of pieces of silver foil - which ended up in this long bead that had a dark ivory base with copper green at the top and bottom - I believe I cooked it much and it became quite mottled but I still like the look a lot and can't wait to order and use more foil.

treats & torch time

Come on Friday and you can enjoy this sweet treat I made for my opening at Crocus Clay Works! It has almonds, dried cranberries and dried apricots embedded in white chocolate.

The beads below are my Tuesday torch time accomplishments.

I was determined to get to know Moretti's dark ivory glass, and it turned out to be a complicated friend. The caramel colored beads are just dark ivory, and then that first one on the right was just dark ivory with a tiny dot of copper green. What did the copper green do to make the dark ivory grumpy? Or did I upset the dark ivory by torching it too long? I know that the copper green likes when the dark ivory comes to it... I guess the only way to know them both better is to go at it again. And the two below that are destined to become earrings are dark ivory and ora rubino. Donna shared a rod of the ora rubino and it made this lovely deep irradiated blue on the dark ivory. Thanks Donna, and everyone over at More Fire who is so generous of their knowledge, time and materials.

Friday at Crocus

I have been invited to be the guest artist at Crocus Clay Works. Please come see my work on Friday 5-9.

This show will focus on felted objects. I am selling felted bags, felt jewelry, felt and hand knit fingerless gloves and mittens and some lovely little stuffed animals that I call Foundlings. I will also have January Boxes on exhibit. 

Friday August 7, 5 -9 Crocus Clay works          

http://www.crocusclayworks.com

1115 East Main Street  

The Hungerford building

Rochester, New York 14609 

Door #2, Suite 225 

Felt flower pin

I started making a bunch of these flower pins from small bits of left over sweater pieces. I put some sterling silver pins in the center. All I seem interested in is hand sewing lately. I hope I get over it soon, my fingers hurt.

August

I have been trying to capture a picture of a bee at the Giant Thistle for days now. Finally today he did not fly away... and I was lucky enough to catch two at the same flower.

more fire

Above is Aster's heart pendant. She is incredibly patient and skilled at this glass bead  making business. 

I now truly understand the meaning of the word obsession. I cannot stop thinking about what beads I will make next. I cannot stop kicking myself for screwing up the precious torch time I misused and abused on Tuesday. I will return to More Fire tomorrow for hopeful success. But I have doubts. I do not think this is something I am cut out for. Although I do feel I conquered the sewing machine this summer, so anything is possible!

Hello

Kitty! When my daughter and I were in Pennsylvania we stopped by the King of Prussia Mall (a couple of times) and we spent a great deal of time and money in the Sanrio store. I loved Hello Kitty when I was little too.

more needle felting

I just love this one, and someone else did too! It sold right away an Etsy. It has a torched glass heart that my daughter made as a zipper pull.

goodbye

We had new windows installed this week. They look fabulous and work well too! I said goodbye to the peeling paint and the moaning rattling windows with no regrets. 

new work

I am getting ready for my show and sale at Crocus Clay Works (Friday August 7). Sewing and felting like crazy, I am really enjoying needle felting images of birds. I feel it is still difficult for me to create a personal image  of a bird. They are so unique, each one of them, and I want to honor their individuality. We have a bird feeder and recently the mama birds have been feeding their young one's right in front of us. I have to try to make an image of that.For the red bag pictured above, I knit this awful red mohair I have knitting in intarsia the pink dots with a pink wool yarn and then fulled it in the wash. Then I embroidered the black outline around the pink and needle felted the black raven, crow, bird (?) The zipper is red and I attached two beads for the zipper pull. One is a hand made lamp worked glass bead and the other is felted wool. It has a cotton polka-dot fabric for the lining. It is for sale in my Second Seed in Stitches shop for $30.00.

This bag is made form a repurposed blue wool sweater that I purchased at the Salvation Army. I needle felted this little chickadee on a branch. I like the expression on his face. This bag has a lovely zipper pull that is two beads too. One bead is a messy brown, black and white hand made lamp worked glass bead and the other is a little brown pearl.

flowers

Poppy Pod

Giant Thistle 

Cone Flower about to blossom.

The Story of a Life

I have been away for a few days. I went to the Philadelphia area to attend the funeral of the mother of one of my best friends. It was a funeral for Mrs. Larson (to me) (Katherine D. Larson to most), she was 80 when she died. She was born in Albany N.Y. daughter of the late William E. and Anna Murray Drislane. She was a graduate of Manhattanville College in New York City and when she graduated she worked for the CIA in Washington D.C. She raised nine children (not counting me) and she had eight brothers and sisters herself so I guess she had some experience with large families. My friend Susie was the youngest in the family. Susie and I were the only girls our age in a pretty rural area. We had way too much fun together in her pool, in the woods, giggling, playing board games and watching TV. Susie's house was my other house (I still remember the phone number). Her mom was my other mom. In the 1950's Mrs. Larson was Kaddy English, a widow with four children and then she met Ed Larson who was also widowed and also had four children.

They married each other and had Susie (to have nine children all together). Those nine are: 

David Larson,  John English, Tom Larson, Anne English Barneby, Lori Larson Barrett, Steve English, Mary Larson Walker, Erin English Wisler, and Susie Larson Fleming.

Susie Larson Fleming

Susie's girls, Katie and Caroline

  I never heard the word step or half ever, never ever. As a child, I did not really know the situation, it was just one really big family to me and to them.  Kaddy and Ed made certain that each one of them received their bachelor's degree with no loans and they are all extraordinary, wonderful people, nurses, doctors and lawyers and not a screw up among them. All together they have produced 27 grandchildren for Kaddy and Ed, from 2 - 22  years old (even older I think and 25 of them attended the funeral). The two that couldn't be there were busy in Medical School and in the Peace Corps. 

Kaddy was born on the day of Mary's Assumption and it is an fitting metaphor for her life. Mrs. Larson was an amazing wife, mother and friend. I can only imagine what she and my mother talked about by the pool as they sipped cocktails and watched Susie and me swim. Mrs. Larson taught me to put my dishes in the dishwasher (at her house any way) not to take the name of the Lord in vain (at her house anyway) and to only use plastic dishes by the pool (always). I believe Susie's brothers put together my swing set for my sixth or seventh birthday and carried it all the way from their house to our house (about 1/2 mile down hill) so I would be surprised. Mrs. Larson also hosted my bridal shower and came to our wedding (for which Susie was a bridesmaid).

I have only wonderful memories of the Larson family and of my many days and nights at their house. I slept over quite a bit... and once we were awake in the morning we were not allowed upstairs again, and certainly never allowed in the parent's bedroom. The kitchen closed everyday from 1:00 to 2:00 to be mopped and cleaned (by Kaddy). Mr. Larson (Ed) fixed up a picnic table to be the kitchen table (as five people could squeeze on to each bench). Mr. Larson owned a number of Arby's Restaurants and I always got extra cheese on my beef and cheese and they served roast beef at their house all time. The Larsons also had all the Arby's give away character glasses. They even had a cement outdoor table from the Arby's by their pool, where we played hearts a lot. At different times of my childhood there were different adults and/or grandchilren living at the Larson's home due to different circumstances. Everyone was welcome, everyone fit, especially me.

I am grateful for a very wonderful friend, her amazing mother and father and the home they created that was open, loving and welcoming to so many. ( I will find more pictures).

Hot Glass Beads

My daughter and I took a weekend class at More Fire Studio to learn how to make torch beads. Here are pics of the best of my completed beads. I can't even begin to explain the learning and working experience, but I will say that working with molten glass is the most exciting, exhausting and focused art work I have done in a long time. We will return tomorrow for our first independent session at open studio. I have so many questions and I have been digging around for tools and ideas. I hope this does not become an obsession for me, I really do not need another obsession. 

chives

These chives have long past. I took this picture back in May I think. Next to the chives are some giant thistle that is just about ready to bloom. If it is nice and sunny tomorrow afternoon I will try to get a pic of thistle shadows.

Another Foundling

New Shop

I have a new shop on Etsy. It is called Second Seed in Stitches and it is a shop for all my hand sewn, needle felted, vintage sewing findings and fabrics. I have listed some Foundlings (as I have named these strange animals) and am beginning to get the felted bags/pouches/cases posted. I am sewing like crazy this summer and having fun looking at my fabric stash and fulling Goodwill wool and cashmere sweaters in the wash.

14 days

Fourteen Fucking Days in the hospital. My hubby is now home and trying to get used to what he can and cannot accomplish on his own. I finally had two glasses of wine with out the worry of having to drive to the hospital. 

Tuesday Treasury

I am miserable. But this treasury with my collage of Pisa made me smile. My husband is on morphine for the post op pain and he is a little bit annoying when he is on morphine.

new stuff

I have made more of these little guys. I just adore them.

I use sweaters from the Goodwill that I full in the wash and other found and new fabrics.

There is a ton of hand sewing involved, which I can really enjoy, but sometimes I am bored by it. I have also been knitting a lot, and have a couple of felted bags to show off soon.

Something new

So, I have not posted in over 11 days. That is odd for me. I am a little tired of looking at that priest image so I decided I had better get something new up...

I have been working a lot on different things and I have had to spend some time at the hospital as my husband has a lower bowel blockage that is not life threatening, just extremely uncomfortable and annoying. The docs are trying to avoid surgery but it is a slow go at waiting to see what of two possible scenarios will happen. Scenario 1- the blockage will go away on its own . Scenario 2- docs need to make it go away with a laser. It has been 5 days now of waiting...

But for a little enjoyment here is the image I just put together to advertise a show I will be having at Crocus Clay Works (opening Friday August 7th).

Duane Michals

"Trust that little voice in your head that says "Wouldn't it be interesting if..."
And then do it..."

Duane Michals

Duane Michals' work is a hodgepodge of the brilliant, metaphysical and playful, and has changed the face of photography. For four decades he has asked questions with photography rather than give answers.

Felted Striped

Here is the bag I mentioned earlier that I knit up alot of the itchy wool yarn I have that is just no good for sweaters or mittens. I have a few more skeins of the periwinke and it becomes a very soft material when fulled. So I have begun another bag using that yarn. 144 sts. per side on 9s! I know it seems that might as well make a sweater, but I have such difficulty following patterns. The bags are easy because I just knit stockinette for a very long time. And the yarn was paid for a very long time ago. The bag pictured was 104 sts on 9s (two pieces sewn tog as I dislikes circulars), worsted weight itchy wool yarns and it shrunk up to a perfect 10 x 12 inch bag.

wool education

According to wool expert Clara Parkes, more than 200 distinct sheep breeds exist today, each with their own traits and their own stories. In The Knitter’s Book of Wool, Clara translates the vast world of sheep and their wool into the language and context of knitting.

I know very little about any of those 200 varieties of sheep. And now that I am getting into spinning more and more it seems that it kind of matters...I guess I need to get this book.

The publishers have a quiz you can take and find out which ewe you are...I am a Rambouillet. A fine wool. Pretty nice huh? I think it is a sort of sexy sheep.

I can't figure out how to link the picture of my Rambouillet with the quiz page so you can go to Warmth in the North (a blogger with substantially better blogging skills than me) and click on her medium wool Finn and take the quiz if you so desire.

FO and on the needles

I actually finished something - the silky light blue shawl/wrap (unknown yarn). Although I am seriously thinking about putting sleeves on it and making it into a sweater. I just love the yarn and I know that I hardly ever "throw" on a wrap, as I own quite a few and never wear them.
Oh, who am I kidding, I need to complete the thing and move onto the long list of the things I have on the needles.

List of all the things I have already started:

1. I have been knitting all my itchy awful wool yarns into a striped bag/purse to be fulled (as fulled is the correct term for when you wash a knitted wool object in order to felt it).
2. I started a baby sweater using the off white hand spun cotton I got at the Guild Auction.
3. I have a bubble gum pink cotton Aran baby sweater that I started possibly fifteen years ago.
4. I have to finish that horrible stripey cardigan. I still have to knit the sleeves and I just hate knitting on small circulars. I also have to knit the piping - so maybe I can get motivated to do that soon.
5. I started a beautiful intargia sweater years ago that is using various yarns for which I do not know the yardage. It is, so far, a brassy copper, dark chocoalate and raspberry. I have yet to find one more perfect complimentary yarn to make sure it will work. I have knit one side of the front and half of the back- hard to believe, isn't it? I really have to frog the front side piece and just can find the heart to do it.
6. I have fingerless gloves going (always).
7. A second bag to be fulled, made of an awful dirty snow colored mohair with sparkles. The sparkles get all over me when I work on it.
8. And today I am casting on for a lavender bag, the yarn is a great color, but itchy, itchy, itchy!

I think that's it.

art

Found this artist book at Treasuring.
It is only $14.50 and it comes with a CD of songs bythte same artist. I am trying hard not to buy everything I want lately - partially because our washing machine busted and the $600 for th e new (crappy) one was a little bit tof a shock to the bank account! I hate losing old appliances because I am never as happy with the new low quality replacement. But I will get this book someday soon.