Around the house are [problems] that desperately call for my attention. But day after day (after month, after year) I callously ignore them. There is the ugly linoleum floor in the bathroom that longs to be replaced, not to mention the glaring lack of baseboard ever since I pulled out the old one five years ago. Here is the dishwasher that broke down three years ago and has been demoted to dish drying rack. There are the carpeted stairs that grow fur just as quickly as the pets shed theirs. These are the choices one can make – or not make – when one is single, when there is no spouse to say, “We need to get this fixed.”
It’s not that I like things this way. I do notice the flooring situation in the bathroom and think about it almost daily. It’s just that I don’t terribly mind it. There are more interesting things on my plate. My hands want to knit yarn into a scarf on a 100 degree day. I want to read about the history of Mexico. I need to drive Willow to her ballet class and embroider a Zapotecan shirt while I wait for her.
Thank goodness the bathroom floor is patient. It will get done. Eventually.
Maybe today I will begin.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Pleasant diversions
Was it a week ago already that Emily had her singing recital? A day here, a day there, to claim as my own. I feel time slipping through my fingers and try not to look at the calendar, not wanting this summer space to come to a close. I want it to stretch endlessly into infinity so that life's other distractions (work) will not interfere with the pleasure of family and art.
My Emily surprised everyone with her beautiful soprano voice as she sang from various Italian, German, and French arias, plus a few pieces from more contemporary musicals like Oklahoma and Phantom of the Opera. Here she is singing her encore, "I Enjoy Being a Girl," from The Flower Drum Song. The audience cheered as she hammed it up and hit that final high note.
(with her proud mom)
Although Mom's stay at the hospital last week had us worried for several days, it was also a sweet time of family togetherness. This was a message from my niece Chloe to my mom. It was good to get a wake up call to remind me how precious my siblings and their families are.
The first night and day of my stay by Mom's side at the hospital, I worked on this journal page. I just finished it this morning, with a happy message scrawled across the page.
I also worked off and on adding appliqué and embroidery to my Oaxaca quilt while at the hospital. (Portable arts and crafts are a very good thing!)
I started this art felt right after Sock Summit. It will be a scarf. Maybe. Someday. If I ever get back to it.
I've had quite a craving for textile arts ever since Sock Summit, as you can tell. Last night with the Kilkenny clan "cousin" Natalie* and I connected over knitting. (*"cousin" - she's the wife of my former husband's cousin. Is there some other relational word for that?) Natalie's the most dedicated knitter that I personally know, who ALWAYS has her knitting bag by her side and is not shy to work on one or two projects at any gathering, anywhere. She told me about Ravelry, an online group for knitters and crocheters. I signed up this morning, and have already learned something new: how to cast on Continental style. Woo hoo! As I watched the video I practiced with this super soft angora mix yarn. If I'd had enough of this yarn I would haved loved making mitts like these from it, but as you can see I only have a tiny ball of it left, and it looks like there's not even enough to do a tiny collar with it. Sadly, no chance of finding more of it as I bought it, oh, maybe 25 years ago...
I've also been itching to weave a krokbragd rug again. What's krokbradg, you ask? It's a Norwegian twill weave, and if memory serves, krokbragd means "crooked path." (Janne's Norwegian, so she can correct me if I've got it wrong. You can google krokbragd and see more traditional ways of weaving it. I like to go crazy on it, finding as many different pattern combinations as possible. Below is a krokbragd rug I made a long, long time ago.
My Emily surprised everyone with her beautiful soprano voice as she sang from various Italian, German, and French arias, plus a few pieces from more contemporary musicals like Oklahoma and Phantom of the Opera. Here she is singing her encore, "I Enjoy Being a Girl," from The Flower Drum Song. The audience cheered as she hammed it up and hit that final high note.
(with her proud mom)Although Mom's stay at the hospital last week had us worried for several days, it was also a sweet time of family togetherness. This was a message from my niece Chloe to my mom. It was good to get a wake up call to remind me how precious my siblings and their families are.
The first night and day of my stay by Mom's side at the hospital, I worked on this journal page. I just finished it this morning, with a happy message scrawled across the page.
I also worked off and on adding appliqué and embroidery to my Oaxaca quilt while at the hospital. (Portable arts and crafts are a very good thing!)
I started this art felt right after Sock Summit. It will be a scarf. Maybe. Someday. If I ever get back to it.
I've had quite a craving for textile arts ever since Sock Summit, as you can tell. Last night with the Kilkenny clan "cousin" Natalie* and I connected over knitting. (*"cousin" - she's the wife of my former husband's cousin. Is there some other relational word for that?) Natalie's the most dedicated knitter that I personally know, who ALWAYS has her knitting bag by her side and is not shy to work on one or two projects at any gathering, anywhere. She told me about Ravelry, an online group for knitters and crocheters. I signed up this morning, and have already learned something new: how to cast on Continental style. Woo hoo! As I watched the video I practiced with this super soft angora mix yarn. If I'd had enough of this yarn I would haved loved making mitts like these from it, but as you can see I only have a tiny ball of it left, and it looks like there's not even enough to do a tiny collar with it. Sadly, no chance of finding more of it as I bought it, oh, maybe 25 years ago...
I've also been itching to weave a krokbragd rug again. What's krokbradg, you ask? It's a Norwegian twill weave, and if memory serves, krokbragd means "crooked path." (Janne's Norwegian, so she can correct me if I've got it wrong. You can google krokbragd and see more traditional ways of weaving it. I like to go crazy on it, finding as many different pattern combinations as possible. Below is a krokbragd rug I made a long, long time ago.
Waiting in the wings: more bottle dolls, cloth and clay dolls, soldered pendants, paintings and journal pages. I need my own version of an endless summer!
Highly recommended Netflix pic: God Grew Tired of Us. This documentary follows the journey of three young men from Sudan, refugees from the civil war there who were chosen to come to the United States. Incredibly insightful perspectives about their culture, our culture, and having a meaningful purpose in life. (The story of John Bul Dau is beyond inspiring.)
Highly recommended Netflix pic: God Grew Tired of Us. This documentary follows the journey of three young men from Sudan, refugees from the civil war there who were chosen to come to the United States. Incredibly insightful perspectives about their culture, our culture, and having a meaningful purpose in life. (The story of John Bul Dau is beyond inspiring.)
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Thank You xoxox !!!
Thank you for all your good thoughts and prayers - they DO work wonders! Mom was able to sleep through the whole night last night (not at all the night before!) and when she woke up she knew where she was and what day it was - an amazing turn-around from her complete confusion. Oh my goodness - the places the mind can go when one is sick - she gave us quite a scare. She'll have an angiogram tomorrow to check out her heart and arteries, but for now it is just so wonderful to have her mental presence back with us! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
xoxoxoxoxoxo lulu
xoxoxoxoxoxo lulu
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Prayer request
Please say a prayer for my mom. This was all very sudden the past two days. She fought off breast cancer like a champ a couple of years ago and last year cancer of the uterus. And now this, a heart attack and a stroke, the doctors think. Her memory suddenly gone, and they don't know if it will come back. I am just finding all this out an hour before we go off to set up for Emily's singing recital. I have to put on a brave face.
Sock Summit 2009
My friend Andrea mentioned Sock Summit in her Facebook last week, and I thought, "What? Crazy socks?! I wanna go!" It turned out that Sock Summit is a giant knitting convention with the most amazing vendor show. We went on Saturday. I'm glad Andrea is a patient person, because I went nuts looking at and TOUCHING all the beautiful yarn and roving! It was truly a yarn junkie's nirvana.
This is Reenie's booth. She is the genius behind Material Whirled - luscious hand dyed yarns and funky handspuns. Reenie is the one who made my fabulous Esmeralda scarf (which you can see at the top of this post). On the left and right of Reenie are friend Jackie and Reenie's sweet hubby. (Paul? Yeesh, I have a bad memory for names these days!)
Look at all the amazing socks people can make! I drooled over them and dreamt of being able to make some one day. I dreamt so hard that I even bought patterns for them!
Red hot chile pepper socks... ¡Orale! Bought this pattern, too!
These are so me it's not even funny. I wanted to buy the kit so badly, but...$$$!!!
These knit boxers were hilarious! (Oh no! I think I accidentally deleted my photo of the fly front!)
Among Reenie's fabulous items for sale were some very funny buttons for knitters, with slogans like "Yarn is cheaper than therapy," to which I am obliged to reply, "Uh, no it's not." Knitting and weaving are expensive endeavors if you want good yarn, and I saw a LOT of exquisite yarn at Sock Summit! And I was unable to contain myself, as you can see by this pic of the stash I walked away with, (and this pic doesn't even show the stuff I bought to do artfelt with!). The seams of my storage bins stretch with every foray into the materials world I make - there is always so much to do, another technique to try, more materials to explore. I want to try it all! It's madd, I tell you, simply MADD (materials attention deficit disorder). Bwa ha ha!
This is Reenie's booth. She is the genius behind Material Whirled - luscious hand dyed yarns and funky handspuns. Reenie is the one who made my fabulous Esmeralda scarf (which you can see at the top of this post). On the left and right of Reenie are friend Jackie and Reenie's sweet hubby. (Paul? Yeesh, I have a bad memory for names these days!)
Look at all the amazing socks people can make! I drooled over them and dreamt of being able to make some one day. I dreamt so hard that I even bought patterns for them! Red hot chile pepper socks... ¡Orale! Bought this pattern, too!
These are so me it's not even funny. I wanted to buy the kit so badly, but...$$$!!! These knit boxers were hilarious! (Oh no! I think I accidentally deleted my photo of the fly front!)Among Reenie's fabulous items for sale were some very funny buttons for knitters, with slogans like "Yarn is cheaper than therapy," to which I am obliged to reply, "Uh, no it's not." Knitting and weaving are expensive endeavors if you want good yarn, and I saw a LOT of exquisite yarn at Sock Summit! And I was unable to contain myself, as you can see by this pic of the stash I walked away with, (and this pic doesn't even show the stuff I bought to do artfelt with!). The seams of my storage bins stretch with every foray into the materials world I make - there is always so much to do, another technique to try, more materials to explore. I want to try it all! It's madd, I tell you, simply MADD (materials attention deficit disorder). Bwa ha ha!Tuesday, August 4, 2009
in the moment
A sense of urgency overtook me...
Texture, color, form, symbolism.
Journal page.
What does it mean, the egg? on the verge of life, what is inside, fears, questions, vulnerability, fragile protection, the future, the unknown, potential? What does it mean to you?
Quick! Slap down some texture!
Do some finger painting.
Texture, color, form, symbolism.
Journal page.
What does it mean, the egg? on the verge of life, what is inside, fears, questions, vulnerability, fragile protection, the future, the unknown, potential? What does it mean to you?
Sunday, August 2, 2009
What'cha been up to?
This weekend I've been...
stitching
(I finished my quilt block for the Pink Artists Block Party 2009. This is a portrait of one of my summer school students, and her life's ambition.)finding treasures
(from the community garage sale - just what I was hoping to find!)reading
excited
(Artfest 2010 class schedule is up!) exercising
(finally!)
dollmaking
(I'm finishing my Girls of summer Doll Swap doll, but I can't reveal any more of her so as not to spoil the surprise of my swap partner!)I hope your weekend's been good, too!
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