My corner

This is my little corner of the universe. The neat corner. I've got lots of other corners. My family would probably say "too many"... full of yarn, looms, spindles etc. I was sitting there this morning thinking how much I love my little corner. I think one of the best things about it is that some of my pictures are there. They sit on the shelves next to me and I put my morning coffee there and my warping hook there, while I weave in the mornings.

This is my favorite picture in the whole world. This was taken in the hospital when Che was born. Bridget is looking at her new sister. I look at this every morning and it really helps me get through my days and reminds me of how blessed I am.

Went to the beach yesterday. It was so incredibly hot! I practically ran to the water and got in right away before I combusted. Waves were small but I managed to do a little bodysurfing. It felt sort of like swimming in your own saliva, it was so hot. But it was better than nothing.

Later on got a call from my mom. My oldest brother in Texas had a heart attack. He is not doing too good. I feel awful about it. I will pray for him.

On the loom

Latest piece on the loom. The yarn on the shuttle is a cotton / silk blend. I love the colors. I was originally going to use it in a shawl, but it would have cost a fortune in materials. So a scarf. The warp is Lion Woolease in mushroom. For some reason the scarf reminds me of Toll House cookies. But what doesn't.

Going up to Fort Pierce inlet tomorrow. Went last Saturday and the waves were small but fun and glassy. Hope it's good tomorrow!

Cameras and frogs

Cameras and computers can be the biggest pain in the butt. I'm not a photographer. I know nothing about cameras. But I do know frogs and this one was a cutie. The first picture I took of him he was sitting in his little bird house, elbow propped on the sill, happy as a little frog can be. I ran for my camera. The first picture came out bad, because my camera always thinks it's in a dungeon, so the flash always goes off, no matter what. When I went back to take this picture, the poor little guy was cowering in his house, blind and confused. So I took advantage of his blurred state and got this picture. Ran in the house and went to upload the pictures and the cable was fried. So, ran to Target. I wasn't even sure what was wrong or what I needed. Luckily, the nice guy was there and he gave me this little thingy that looks like a jump drive that you can put your picture card into and upload without using the cable.

My new fun thing to play with is the potholder loom...yes, like the ones we all played with as kids with those loopy things. But I used yarn instead of the loopy things and they came out really cool. I didn't even realize it was like 12:30 in the morning; I was getting so into it. I learned about this from the Weavolution (http://www.weavolution.com/) group, the magic of potholder looms. Noreen Crone-Findlay's website tells you how to use these looms with yarn (http://www.blisstree.com/hankeringforyarn/how-to-weave-with-yarn-on-potholder-loom/)
I think I'll make a bunch of these little guys and turn them into a bath mat.

Memorial Day rain

Oh yeah....another rainy Memorial Day weekend. That's how you know it's summer in Florida. The monsoon begins exactly at May 20, plus or minus a day, and goes on for a week or two. Then come the mosquitoes. Have to work today which sucks. No three day weekend for me. But can't complain. I'm taking 4 days off at the end of the week.

Finished this piece this morning before work. I am so happy with the way the colors came out. This will be a bag by tomorrow night. Hopefully I'll be able to stop at JoAnn's on the way home for thread and a nice braid for the handle.

Got a very cool book from the library on freeform weaving. So I'm all set for rainy old Memorial Day. Of course sunny with perfect 3-4' glass would have been cool too....

Italian yarn

I bought this yarn at my little yarn store in the Everglades. That's where I work...the Everglades. Third alligator on the right. Anyway, I saw this yarn and the first thing that attracted me was the color. It's a beautiful green (though that might not be evident in the picture). Then the funkyness of it with the various textures, blew me away. It's an Italian yarn and pretty much, the Italians make yarn as well as they cook because this stuff is gorgeous.

I immediately thought "decorative scarf" and started to crochet. I tried 3 or 4 different types of stitches and found that straight single crochet was the way to go. I wasn't getting the full "funk" effect with fancy lace like stitches. And yes, I realize I've started another project again.

Sunshine Nebula

This was a total experiment. I started crocheting some crazy little thing, not really thinking much about what it was going to be. I like the yarn so much I didn't care. It's a silk yarn really beautiful colors. Anywho, I got the idea to put it in glue and water and stiffen it and mount it on a canvas. The frame was bought at a thrift store and I painted it black and then gold on top of that. I wish I had just put one coat of gold though and let the black show through a little. I tried to sand it and that didn't work well. So next time. This piece is 10x14. The canvas was originally 11x14, but I had to trim an inch off to fit it in the frame. This is an acrylic and oil on canvas board.

Hooked rugs

Reading "American Hooked and Sewn Rugs: Folk Art Underfoot". In 18th cen. America, people couldn't afford rugs unless they were rich, and even then rugs were reserved for only the best rooms. People would spread sand on their floors to absorb and hold the grease and dirt. They would sweep the sand into different designs, sort of like a Zen garden, but for decoration not spiritual purposes. Textiles were a very expensive commodity in the 18th and early 19th century. The book also says that rugs were used to cover beds and furniture and not to put on the floor prior to 1820.

The picture of the bed rug is from the Met's website www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/need/ho_33.122.htm