Doing what I love

I am a fortunate person.  I love working with fiber with all the beautiful fibers, yarn, spinning and knitting tools...but I did not start out doing those things.  I began as a studio artist, which I thoroughly enjoy.  Recently an opportunity arose for me to draw and paint again.  I confess that it was not easy to pick up and begin, but soon I felt comfortable and now it is flowing easily...I have missed this for some time.  It is easy to allow other things to monopolize time and as much as I love knitting, it was beginning to feel more like a chore than a passion.  It is still important to me, however, it is time for a change and a return to the studio.

Some of the paintings for an upcoming event in keeping with the furry theme.  The painting on the left is a grisaille I did for some black and white prints.  The center painting is an underpainting I started this afternoon.  I preferred the sheep in the photo on the iPad and the landscape from the photo I took before this on the same day.  The photo is from our drive around the Connemara loop on Valentine's Day.  It was a great place for a photo opportunity and a sheep encounter.  As I walked closer, one of the sheep looked up and posed nicely for me.  Thank you sheep.  The angora rabbit was visiting Anoka Fiber Works  and was a perfect model atop a pillow.  

Fortune smiled on me when I had my recent post-surgery check up with Dr. Parke.  Dealing with my dwindling vision from the eye surgery last May (Memorial Day weekend) has been a challenge.  A cataract formed quickly since the surgery and the doctor referred me to Dr. Conrad, a cataract surgeon.  The timing was perfect, as Dr. Conrad had a cancellation and I was able to go directly from one appointment to another.  Timing is indeed everything and surgery was scheduled.  That brings me to some happy news.  Last week I had cataract surgery on my left eye and now my vision is restored and even better than before.  None of my glasses--new or old are usable and I ordered a pair of non-prescription glasses to wear when I do not need "cheaters."  I do not mind wearing glasses and like the protection of glasses.  In four weeks I will have an eye exam for a new prescription.  I have a variety of frame from which to choose!

Indian Summer

This has been quite an unusual week with temperatures in the 70s and now 80s!  The breeze is nice and the skies are clear blue, which makes for a nice background for the fall colors.

Yesterday we had a lovely day of "museuming."  My brother and sister-in-law are visiting from Texas, and we loaded Mom and her wheelchair into the car and visited two museums--theMuseum of Russian Art and the MIA.  I'd not taken the time to go to the MORA and it was wonderful to see such a gem!  The current exhibit features paintings by Vasili Nechitailo.  He's a master of capturing light and his expressive brushwork add dimension to his paintings.  Downstairs there was a textile room and on display were beautiful distaffs and peasant clothing and lovely embroidered linens.  A visual feast!  The shop was very nice and I bought a few pins to brighten up my sweaters. 

Today (Saturday) I spent the day spinning at the shop.  It was just like the old days in Texas.  It was fun to sit outside, spin, visit, and laugh!  I finished a small skein of pencil roving and it will be a perfect addition of color to a plain cap.  I have lots of plain wool spun into yarn and it's always nice to have some color added.  MiniD and Jojo kept us company.  Earlier in the week, I got a call that Jody would not be able to teach the beginning spinning class.  I will now be the teacher and I am so excited for the opportunity to teach spinning in addition to knitting. 

Ready--steady--GO! Oh dear, it's almost JULY!

16.06.10  For us summer is off and running this week.  Gery was a big hit when Jim took him down to camp.  The first Grey Wolf course is coming up, and then I have to make 90 bean bags for Wood Badge by Thursday.  I have the muslin ready.  Jim picked up pebbles (I say rocks)--much cheaper than beads or pellets.  Beans and such won't work because if/when they get wet they get nasty.  I'll be helping with the Friday feasts for five weeks.  Right now we have temps in the 70s with rain and naturally for the weekend it's supposed to be 85 and sunny.  Sunny is good, 85 not so good!
17.06.10  I had a nice surprise yesterday.  Jim went down to the MIA with me to pick up my painting.  The line was long, but the wait was fairly short.  We didn't have time to visit Hortense (Degas' painting on the third floor).  Jim took me out to lunch at a little Chinese restaurant close to REI in Roseville.  I had an egg roll salad with rice noodles and it was good.
I'm looking outside and it's windy and the sky is a gorgeous blue.  Eevee and I will have to go walkies later.  It looks like a nice day to sit outside and knit--after I clean out the cupboard with all Ben's old school supplies.  When the new countertop is installed, the counter will be cleared off!  That cupboard has a lot of storage room.
21.06.10  I can hear the workers outside today.  Our neighborhood roads are in the process of being repaved.  Messy business.  I'm glad we took walkies this morning.
Good news/bad news...the good news is that I started Wood Badge ticket #3 over the weekend.  It was fun to be at camp for the day and then spend the night.  One of the adult QM staffers roasted a 187-lb pig for the feast.  It was really good, although, I made sure to be at the other end for pulling off the meat.
28.06.10  Happy birthday, Tishie.  I miss you.
This is getting to be a long post.  I can't seem to finish before I go off to the next thing!  Ben surprised me with a visit for a couple of days last week.  I started work on the early Boy Scout shirt.  The pockets are on, next is the collar.  I altered a German jacket pattern and those are the toughest changes I made to the pattern.  Once I get the collar on, the rest should be easy (famous last words).
It was an eventful week good and bad.  The only bad I'll go into is that I'm going to teach my last pick a project class today.  Business has been slow and I will be laid off.  They are hoping business picks up in the fall, but in this economy that may be wishful thinking.  I have a spinning class in July, which I hope will go.  I have much to think about.  Maybe I'll get those last 4 nights of camping in after all to finish  ticket #4!
The rain just came down in buckets for the Friday Feast at camp.  It didn't drown our spirits.  We served the meal under the dining flies and the boys were very appreciative.  Phyllis and I stayed up until 2:30 am finishing dishes and mopping the QM so the guys could have a break in the morning.  Such a nice group of kids and adults.
29.06.10 What a gorgeous summery day!  Mom and I went up to Anoka and enjoyed lunch outside on the patio at Billy's.  We walked around town and then stopped at the Dessert Cafe for a treat.  We split a piece of carrot cake in honor of Tishie's birthday (yesterday).  We miss her so much, but we enjoyed the lovely day she sent us!

30.06.10  Today after an appointment I went to Half Price Books.  It's always fun to look for treasures and today I got lucky.  It's from 1991 and has lovely, classic projects in it.  I really love the British designers.  When I picked up the needles again in 1983, little did I know that we would be going back to Germany.  Many European and American designers were just getting started and the available yarns and patterns were amazing!  I was in the right place at the right time.
Other photos:  pretty flowers (I switch out my paintings with the seasons), my summer cardigan (mindless knitting), a busy little spider (that reminds me--the Tour de Fleece will begin soon!), I'm re-newing and re-using old furniture (this is for Ben's books) with a coat of paint.

Foot in the Door 4

Yesterday Ben and I went to the MIA to see the Foot in the Door 4 exhibit.  It was great fun to see all the art work on display.  There are 4,700 works by Minnesota artists on exhibit until June.  We took time to walk around and see our favorite paintings.  

We've been having rain and now it's foggy.  Ben and I ran an errand in Elk River to pick up flint and steel for Grey Wolf.  Of course, we had to poke around the antique shop in town and then ducked into the bakery to get some rhubarb fritter bread, peasant bread, and two cranberry white chocolate scones.  Om-nom-nom...as Ben would say.  I picked up a little vase at the antique shop.  I look for sheepy/spinning/or  knitting.  This was a bargain at under $3 and in perfect condition.  I think the little nest looks very spring-y for now.  I have to get the Easter decorations out this weekend.
Knitting...I'm working on the first sleeve of the Taiyo top.  I love the Noro cotton blend yarn.  I know it will be nicer when it's blocked, but I tried it on and it fits great.  I want to check the large cowl against Roxanne's shop sample.  I liked the way hers fit and don't know if she altered it.  I have to get busy on the Stone Walls vest because I want to wear that on Wednesday!  It won't be difficult to finish, I just need to dig in tonight after pizza and during Ghost Whisperer and Medium. 

It's beginning to look...

A tour around the tree:

The artists have lots to see from their vantage point, the camping section has some bears in camp (Ben made the tipi for Jim, and the canoe is from a long-ago trip to Algonquin with my family), the dogs are near the bottom for Eevee to enjoy, the shepherd watches his sheep on the European side of the tree.

I finally got the tree decorated, Christmas Vacation was on last night. "Play ball!" There's a light dusting of snow on the ground, and it's cold. The tree is larger than usual...we had to snip off a bit at the top, but it's pretty and I hung the extra ornaments on it this year. The lights were a bit of a challenge, as we didn't use the little fairy lights last year. Jim is in charge of the lights and I don't know where he put all the new ones. I was checking the old ones and only had to replace a few bulbs. Because the tree is bigger, I place the ornaments in sections--the front is from our travels, I have the American side, etc.

Now that the cardigan is almost done, I've been searching for the perfect buttons. It's very frustrating to go to Joann's and Hancock because they sell buttons by the card--four here, six there...I need nine! Time to dig through the stash. I doubt I have nine of any. Checking online wasn't any better. I still have time because when I finish the sleeve today the sweater still has to be blocked.
Later that day...I did my errands today. It was one of those days where I accomplished a lot, but it didn't seem as though I got anything done! I did some online shopping, gift card buying, banking, grocery shopping, ordering necessaries for Mom, Dutch oven baking for Round Table tonight (monkey bread--the boys call it monkey brains), and the night is young! By the way, it was really good and it was almost gone!
I was taking photos the other day and thought I'd include some gems I have. The little teapot is from the same shop I found the church. When I sit by the fire and knit, I'll have to make some spinning wheel tea. In my office are some paintings I did some years ago. The teddy bear and Raggety Ann are from my childhood. Little Sister was a Christmas gift and my favorite bear. She's well-worn and very well-loved. Raggety Ann was the doll I chose when Mom took me downtown to the doll shop to pick out any doll for my success at ending thumb-sucking. I remember it very clearly. It was a wondrous place and I can remember the sales lady smiling down at me (I was not able to see over the counter) and she seemed so tall! I looked at all the dolls, but fell in love with Raggety Ann. Her hair has been re-attached, and like Little Sister she's been well-loved. Dicky bear modeled for me as part of a painting demonstration in Arizona. I chose items in primary and secondary colors, as it was for Art Night at Ben's school. Artists, sculptors, musicians, docents from the museum in Phoenix, vocalists, and performers took part and it was amazing! The halls and classrooms were filled with demos, hands-on projects, and performances. It was fun and the painting is a nice memory from the event.

Autum art

I thought I'd take a break from photographing knitting and show photos of some of my paintings. I switch certain ones around with the seasons. The single leaf was done with a painting knife. That was fun to do and I like the texture. The Weinturm (wine tower) is in Bad Windsheim, Germany near our old apartment. It was November and very chilly the day I hid behind a hay bale to paint. The other two landscapes are from a trip to Ireland years ago. One is of the Slieve League cliffs and the cottages are in Glencolumbkille, county Donnegal. I loved that area and hope to return someday. It's chilly and sunny out today. I was surprised it wasn't warmer. (I just noticed the afternoon sun made the colors appear too warm in the Ireland paintings--I'll have to redo the photos.)
I'm on row 71 of 112 for St. B.'s sleeves. Sigh, I hope to be done soon. Ugh! I tripped up on chart A--the easiest knit/purl combination--a four stitch, four row repeat. Good grief. I'm on the right track, now. I had to get new cable needles because I must have dropped the one I was using and I lost my box of small, flat stitch markers over the weekend!! Jeez-Louise! Enough whining, I still love making the sweater and will be able to wear it soon enough--it will be done when it's done!