Weaving Completed

She's off the loom and looking for a tall spot from which to hang with her mate from last semester. I'm linking up today with Linda in South Africa's blog Natural Suburbia and her weekly regular feature Creative Friday. There are lots of lovely blogs there with a wide range of cool "finishes". Click your way around a bit, you may find a great new blog, or six, that just fall into your interest range and onto your blogroll !~! You never know until you click. (Oops- I see that top piece of driftwood leaned. I must tie it into place.)

Weavings from 2013 classes at Richmond Art Center with Stacy Speyer.

Hanging past the curtain rod and draping over the couch lasted only until Burp got here the next morning and decided that they looked like Fun Toys !~! Yikes, as KarenT would say. Meet Karen, blog readers; she's appeared in these pages before and today takes us with her to swim next to a dolphin during a cruise to the south Caribbean. 

Who is kissing her ?~! Karen meets a dolphin up close.

Karen and I have been soulmates since the late 70s when we met in Key West. At that time Key West was a small artist colony and shrimping port with Treasure Salvors diving for the Atocha and Fantasy Fest just getting underway. We could roll a bowling ball down Duval Street in June and never hit a soul in those days. However, the drinking and drugging atmosphere pervaded; there was so much cocaine money in the Keys in those days that the high school kids had to peel thru the hundred dollar bills looking for something small enough to buy a $3 cheese steak sandwich for lunch.

Between weekends working in the ER at the local hospital and the rest of the time a partying fool, I stayed busy altho not out of trouble. Driving while blacked out under the influence was a near-nightly occurrence and it is only by sheer luck that I am here to tell the stories I don't recall. I should, by all rights, be either dead or in jail for behaving that way. Honored to report that I have been clean and sober for nearly thirty years. 

It was on a flight from here in the Bay Area back to Key West in Feb of 1984, while trying again to remember what I had done the night before that I decided to quit drinking. The steward had already sold me a bottle of vodka and a can of grapefruit juice when it occurred to me that if I didn't do something quickly I may not have a future worth thinking about. Motioning to the same steward who had sold me the untouched bottle, I asked him to take it back. His response: that he was unable to refund my two bucks. The least of my worries at that instant in time. I drank my can of grapefruit juice, silently and solidly waved good-bye to alcohol and began an entire new lifestyle.

Best decision of my life-bar none. I slept thru a lot of my off time in the next few years and continue to use sleep as the therapeutic it is meant to be as well as the escape from situations that would have been riotous in my past. When I am feeling overwhelmed, anxious or tending to out-of-control I find that a nap restores my balances: physical, emotional and psychological better than any other form of treatment. Exercise has its place too and I try to get enough to keep myself limber and toned but I have been blessed with a physique that does not require hours a day of maintenance or long runs in the parks to keep functioning. Yoga has been a life saver for me and the Littles. We practice together and learn how to calm ourselves from the inside outward.

One of the mainstays of my sobriety has been Karen (with that dolphin up there). Never a drinker herself she stood by me thru my recovery and into the decades since. Living on opposite sides of this large continent presents its own problems, but with all the accoutrements of modern living we keep in touch quite closely. Trekking back and forth over the years since I moved here in 2000, we have each seen the Grand Canyon, high desert, Las Vegas, the mighty Mississippi River, Rockie Mountains, wheat and soybean fields, and oil derricks by the thousands over Texas and Oklahoma: much more of the country by air than we will ever be able to see by road in this lifetime. My friend, my sister, my soulmate; I am incredibly fortunate to have a soulmate and a husband-such a rare and wonderful situation.

My Heart Reaches to New York

My sweet friend, Lizzy, is burying her father today. Words are inadequate to express what I feel; so I will borrow: All who go, go too soon. Saying good-bye to fifteen of my friends and family in the last half dozen years has shown me the truth in that statement so clearly. I hold you up, Lizzy, to the Universal Healing Power and hope that time will soothe what reason fails to explain.

 Namaste, father of my friend.

October Cools Off and We Settle Into the Routine

Baby Boy shows off his Kickstarter campaign Nikola Tesla onesie.
He's nearly walking, standing unassisted and crawling SO fast it's unbelievable.
His teeth are giving him fits some days-six in with two more tops trying to push thru.

Ormond bought himself a Honda Reflex scooter to get around in style.

I crocheted in some hand-dyed (with food coloring) roving for a bit of interest in the cowl.

My weaving project is almost finished. I have used silk/bamboo for the warp and more of that with variegated silk for weft. It's looking so cool; the colors delight me over and over as I send the shuttle back and forth.

The Month Slid By...

I have some pictures to share !~!

Piper (L) and Ginger model blanket fashions
and discuss strategy for their next imagination-rich game.

Sequoia twigs held with white linen thread decorated with cotton yarns
brought to me from Holland with Erica, my sister of another mother.

Nearly there with a four-block by four-block 'Diamonds in Corners' knock-off.

Working out a corner diamond. 

My newest cowl in progress using the August mailing of hand-dyed merino wool
from Chandi at Expressions Fiber Arts.

Yummy, what was it? he seems to ask when we feed him from our plates.

Here are two of his current crop of six teeth. The other four are on top.

Savasana at the end of a three-hour run of continuous activity.

Head to toe, bone to skin, my beloved yogi, Ronnie Dubinsky,
 used to say as we rested, feeling every cell buzz.

Wyatt grows so fast and gains new skills each week: cruising while holding the furniture or my pant leg, drinking from a water bottle and a cup, climbing down the doorstep and off the couch without clonking his head nearly as much as a few weeks ago. He uses his budding language skills to get what he needs even tho understandable words are still a bit in the offing. He can crawl nearly as fast as I can walk comfortably which makes evading him harder and harder-not that I resist his pleas, please, to be picked up and loved on. He grabs my face and comes at me with his drooly mouth wide open looking for Kisses; is there anything sweeter in the world than a baby's freely given kiss ?~!

I think not too.

Happiest Autumn and October.

May each step we take lead the way to Peace.

September Breaks Summer Rhythm, Brings Summer Weather

September dawns and the pace of our lives changes to a much more structured one. Start earlier, end later; include weaving classes, ripening fruit, shortening light hours, warmer days and evenings. All these re-orderings combine to remind me that winter will soon arrive.

But first we get thru Summer here in the Bay Area. September and October are actually the warmest months of our year. My favorite months actually altho I wouldn't want it to be this hot for longer than a couple weeks at a time without a break of 65 degrees for several days in between hot spells.

Wyatt grew so much over the summer that he's a new boy-crawling very rapidly, pulling up on everything, climbing whatever he can, eating real food with his incoming teeth, napping less, wanting more, gnawing on all that he handles. He loves to empty cabinets, drawers and shelves...

Clearing the Shelf Under My Desk and 

Playing with Found Shoes and Purses

Climbing Pooh Couch & Toy Drawers
Developing Coordination of the Best Kind

Ormond adds his socked appendage as a stable perch for W's left foot.

See that right foot looking for a toehold ?~!

Up the toy chest to see what's atop.

Eating Fresh Produce out of Hand is so Good for Him

Peel a washed apple fresh off the tree or a lemon cucumber from the vine in the garden out back and he'll gnaw it all day long trying to help his teeth come through the gums and satisfying his need to feed himself. He has no problem with hand to mouth coordination.

Weaving Class Begins Tuesday

I am excited to begin a new semester at Richmond Art Center with Stacy Speyer using yarn that I received in the Expression Fiber Arts monthly club August mailing. It's gorgeous and will be the Silk weft to the Silk/Bamboo warp in three colors (Black, purple, aqua).

Materials for the scarf I plan to make in semester two with Stacy.

The silk/bamboo on the warp board.

I hope your September can be a time of renewal and making plans,
creating and generating good will.

May each step we take lead the way to Peace.

Changes are Afoot

A New School Year Begins

Ramping up for the beginning of full-time Burp; school starts Monday. He crawls all over the place.

Food-you betcha. Burp will taste it all-not really eating grown people food yet but definitely putting it in his mighty maw which has two very bright white bottom teeth. Sharp and painful when used on one's fingers. I bought a "feeding necklace" to wear while I give him a bottle trying to encourage him to keep his fingers out of my mouth while he eats. He's really really mouth-oriented right now. Your mouth, my mouth, the dog's mouth, his own mouth... He loves baby food and will put down a jar in short order. So far he has rejected nothing.

Sitting firmly, able to address another object and keep his seat.

He scrambles to get out of my lap and down and takes off across the kitchen floor like he's being chased, crawls back me and climbs my leg to be picked up only to clamber to get down moments later. I LOVE IT; more than ever.

Crawling out of the frame; someone needs a faster camera.

What a face, the wrinkly brow just cracks me up. 

Bye bye baby, come back soon, write when you get admitted to a good university !~! He babbles and yaks it up and plays with his toys all over the house. He has a dog and cat at home so enjoys CatCat and the pug across the yard that we walk at lunchtime every day.

Zinn loves fresh tomatoes and knows where to find them
in the garden behind the house...

Weaving 

I completed my summer session at 'Richmond Art Center' where I wove a six foot long wall hanging that has a shiny green warp (the up and down threads) that I let show its beauty in several places. Two pieces of Yosemite's Merced River driftwood found there way into the piece; fabric strips also came to play and it turned out really cool. You have to see it to appreciate it but it was so fun to make that I have already warped my yarn for the Fall session and am going to put it on the loom when session starts on Sept 10th. I have fallen hard for weaving: bought a Lap Loom and have made a few pieces on it since class ended. Picture, anyone ?~!

The top two-thirds of the piece with driftwood in place-still finishing work to do at this stage-you can see loose ends that needs weaving in and the like.

It hangs on my bedroom door and delights me every time I walk by it-which in my teeny house is regularly thruout the day-on my way to bath, into bedroom, to closet for jacket... I see it a lot and am pleased with it considering it is my first ever try on a loom bigger than I am !~! What do you think of it? 

Smaller lap loom pieces:   

This piece is made from kimono silk remnants in various shades and patterns of my second favorite color: Green.

Still on the lap loom.

The Celtic Knot pin adds interest.

* * * 

This piece is another off my small lap loom that I warped with two different materials: purple cotton fabric strip about half an inch wide and pale lavender yarn that Erica brought me from Holland a couple years ago that I have used judiciously. I added some unspun silk in the color range, an earring and a chain of jasper and silver beads. I am very pleased with how it resolved as I went in with a little idea and a lot of desire !~!

The purple piece really had no plan other than the dual warp. From there it went...

Birthday Girls Love Their New Quilts

Ginger celebrated her birthday and adores the quilts I made for her. Her big quilt got an immediate workout as she sprawled on the couch wrapped in it to watch a movie.

Warm and colorful-two requirements for a blanket in this climate.
She thinks it fits both categories so I am happy too.

The doll quilt tucked under the pillow created a hit too. I dig that she so appreciates handmade. Her grandma quilts and sews and creates too and so Ginger receives exposure to homemade love from lots of her people.

* * * 

May your Labor Day be safe and memorable. If you're going to the playa, be careful with that gloriously warm and bright sun,
and have a great time. 

I'll be watching on webcams.

Bye-bye Summer !~!

Summer Apple Wrap-up

Summer wanes, apples ripen, the tomatoes taste so sweet and rich warmed by the morning sun. The squash, zookies and kale never really took off. I've had a dozen or more lemon cukes and the apples couldn't taste better and still be legal !~! I've made a delicious crisp that we devoured in a day or two-we'll do that again once a week or so until the bounty expires. The out-of-handedness of fresh apples defies defining with mere words. I need symbols and loud noises and bright lights and skywriting with Sanskrit.

How many apples does it take to change a lightbulb ? 

Three dozen Galas walk into a bar...

There once was an apple from Kent,

Whose core seeds he never lent.

Until late one day,

Along his cobbled way

Came a pear; looked like it had a dent...

Yummy Gala apples have ripened to the best tasting in years. I am typing one-handed since the left is full of freshly-picked apple after apple that I cannot stop eating. Lucky us. We have so enjoyed the bounty of these trees.
Thank you Martha, Luigi, Lulu and Frankie-noodle.

Ormond helps with cutting and peeling-he's the Best Husband ever, Sorry all you unmarried seekers-I have taken the perfect mate off the market and you'll have to settle for what's left.

One of the three huge bowls of cooked apples now freezing for use later in the winter and spring while the trees ramp up for next harvest.

Off the Loom...

Oh my Stars... (fiftieth post too-wow!)

I have pulled my first-ever woven piece off the loom and am finishing, slowly, the ends, with fringe, another new skill I have never tried !~!

Fabric strips woven into the bottom-last pieces before cutting off the loom-
Scary moment, that one with the sharp scissors !~!

The scary part-detaching it from the mother loom !~!

Fringe practice... the white weft is waste string put in to allow me room to make fringe without having to undo actual good yarn or fabric strips. Not sure what I will do as the final fringe-at this stage, it's still learning time.

Piper Celebrates Her Fifth Birthday with Us

She loves her birthday quilt and has spent some time wrapped in it. Thrilled to be the maker, I watch from afar as she drags it from pillar to post. I hope she adores it so much that it needs repairs twice a year for her entire childhood.

Happy Birthday, my precious young lady, may you continue to grow in the direction you are headed.

Happy Oma arrival too. SO glad she is here for a while from Holland to visit with us.

What a peaceful expression-I love this little one with all my heart. Photo taken by her mom with love in her heart that beams thru the picture.Thank you, Nicole.

Little Ones Share Food !~! One of my Favorite Sights

"Sandwich, hmmm. I can eat sandwich. I'm over eight months old and I have TWO teeth with which to chew that ham sandwich. Please, Piper, will you share..."

"Mmmmm, another bite of that, please !~!
Thanks, my friend, Piper.
Someday I will be big enough to share my sandwich with you and I will..."

May each step we take lead the way to Peace.

Weaving is Going Great...

Driftwood from Merced River Makes its Appearance

Tonight I wove two pieces of driftwood from Yosemite National Park's Merced River into my piece and I love it. Wove in also a dozen of my favorite fabric strips from my rack. Those two additions made it a much better piece. Feels more organic, more original, more Lynda-like in every way.

Wood #1

Wood #2

My bench and my Bowl that I made a couple weeks ago-fabric covered clothesline, glue-gunned into shape. One handle wrapped with pink embroidery thread. Graham crackers, scissors and a multitude of shuttles rest atop the pattern book which I never even opened.

Fabric strips woven directly into the warp.

Got lots done tonight; I was feeling very creative when I chose the fabric strips.

The treadles of my loom-they raise the heddles to create the shed
 where the shuttle goes thru.

The heddles and the rest of the warp.
I'm nearly finished with this part of the process !~!

Littles have been Everywhere these Last Couple Weeks

Not a weekday has gone by that we have not had a Little here, or two some days. They're delightful to have around; they brighten the place immeasurably and keep us young in spirit and limber in body. I love them every one.

Piper and Ginger spent Sunday with us. We had so many adventures: Playground, swinging, picnicking, creating fabric art, eating, watching She-Ra Princess of Power, reading, talking about school and upcoming birthdays.

Piper models her fabric sculpture proclaiming it a Wig, for now !~!

Everyone loves fabric strips, don't they ?~!

Who is this She-Ra character with a brother whose abs make me swoon ?~!

Wyatt sits firmly now and can get himself in and out of most positions unassisted.

Not quite crawling but it's Locomotion and he's getting places !~!

He snuggles and rubs his face on my cashmere; I love a baby with taste. He wants to be involved in everything and gets around this hard wood floor so quickly that come late August when he returns full-time we will be hopping. Remember when all he did was lay in my arms and smile and barf ? Those days are gone...