Hearts on my sleeve
Saw these yesterday, but saddly was without the camera. Today I made a point to go back. I'm thinking they would make lovely valentine cards. Then again love and hearts are always a good thing.
“Schpinsch” *
Yeah Baby.. that 40th birthday came and went with a big party and a proposal from my beloved, whom, by the way, has been regarded by me as a husband for about 7 years now. But, alas, the vows will become official sometime in 2009. We are currently discussing all kinds of options to ensure that both family and friends can attend. Not an easy feat considering that all "mine kind" live across the ocean and over the sea. So there might end up being two celebrations.
Since I'm the kind of gal that can be hard to please with gifts and stuff, I was so happy that DH organized a chip-in present from friends and family. He knew that I had been coveting a spinning wheel for about 20 years and especially after taking another workshop with the talented and wonderful teacher Laura from Lettuce Knit, I had to have one. After he surprised me at the Birthday party with the funds for the wheel, I went looking and kinda knew from the beginning that I wanted to have a Louet Victoria, or an S10. I went to Lettuce Knit, where both Denny and Laura helped guide my innocence ignorant self in realizing that the Victoria would be my wheel.
Vicky has now been living with me for about 6 weeks and I have spun up all the fibre that came with the wheel. The yarn it produced, well, let's just say there are lots of pictures of beginners spinning on the web and I don't need to bore you with one of mine. I learned a whole bunch, got all (I'm not kidding with ALL) the books from the library and looked through them to pick up tips. But the best tip/trick is to just keep working on the wheel, get a feel for it and accept the resulting product. I will eventually take another workshop, but that will happen in good time. Maybe there is SOAR in the future?
At the Kitchener Waterloo Knitters Fair I picked up some wonderful Shetland fibre from Michele at Hopeful Shetlands, what a difference in spinning.
As I've mentioned in a previous entry, DH works from home and I actually set up the wheel in his office and in the evenings, I spin there while he works. We get a chance to bond and chat while we both get things done. So, yet another reason to not need TV.
*"Spinsch" swiss-german expression for something like "are you crazy" or also do you spin? "Schpinä" stands for both spinning the act and spider
Sneak Peak
For the Show "Thoughtful Intent" at The Magic Door Gallery
Snippets of paintings, laboured over with love, pain and elation.
There are also red pieces (can't go without)…
Do you like what you see?
Eve’s Temptation
I wonder how she could have only picked one, when they are all so beautiful (and darn tasty).
That's what I did anyway (actually, due to time pressure we didn't do all our own picking, but we had them picked for us, fresh and ready to go. It's 3 plus bushels of Gala, Snow, Russet, Silken Peak and Mintsu. To put up for winter, to give to my dear neighbour and my friends who don't have a car to go themselves.
Sitting on the kitchen floor is the stash. I also have about 7 liters of sauce waiting to be reheated and jarred.
It was a beautiful Thursday, we had taken a drive to see Huxley's grandparents in Brighton together with my cousin Heidi and Pesche visiting from Switzerland. The weather was going to be dreary and drizzly, but I think mother nature made it up to me for working on Thanksgiving by giving us glorious sunshine instead and beautiful glowing leafs.
We were rushed though, as we had to be back in town for a presentation by Elinor Peace Bailey at the Toronto Needlework Festival. Elinor talked in detail about our craft blogging community and how it is a strengthening factor for us all. There was a lot of show and tell, and even though that was enjoyable, I wished she would have shared more about her inspiration and the way she gets to do her creative work. She has a huge family and it would have been so interesting to hear more about her path in life and how she got to being able to find so much time to work and produce her pieces.
At the show, I stuck to my budget and only got the things I planned to get, except 14 copies of the issue of Fiberarts magazine that features my work. For client giveaways. Marketing, one can never think enough about that.
I also met with Jay and Joan of the Magic Door gallery on Sunday and they picked the works for the show. Sneak-peaks of the show will be posted next.