31.7.10
25.7.10
24.7.10
23.7.10
22.7.10
19.7.10
wild angora
so much going on, and so little.
my pop's been in the hospital - in and out a few times in fact. he's stable right now but has been having "episodes" where he can't move. no-one knows what's going on yet, including the docs. they are running tests. so i'll be going down there to visit and to see wassup.
i am sick as ever. reflux is a bitch, as is health care in the US. insurance won't pay for my meds until mid-august. so yah, my tummy is cranky, and so am i.
as per usual, i'm holing up and taking comfort in fiber. i've been wondering if anyone else is doing funky spins with angora. with tdf, i've been trying to get through my bunny stash and i've only barely made a dent. i love to spin it with the guard hairs poking out, like in the first pic. sometimes when i have short hairs i'll thread ply, or do coils or granny stacks, like in the other pic. it helps keep the angora from shedding and lets me use all those in-between summer cuts when it's just too hot to let their hair grow out to a full coat. with the skinny plying, it almost reminds me of chenille. i love it!
i am psyched to have won a tdf prize (through team lai grai on ravelry)! today i traded in my points for a huge batt from sara of lushmommy. i've long admired her spinning style, but had never treated myself to her fiber. it's so interesting how different spinners have clear and unique, recognizable styles - maybe especially art yarn spinners. there is their choices of colors and textures of course, but even more than that. i need a better vocab to describe the differences. lushmommy stuff is aptly named - her yarns are decadent and over-the-top, but somehow never overdone. perfect elements, perfectly executed.
which brings me to my other problem - i seem to have lost most of my words. mathyld says that is part of the the aftershock of grad school, she's seen it happen to others. i finally got my official leave-of-absence from school all finalized, and the MA paperwork too, so i can put all that behind me for now. well, until the 2nd week of august when i'm settling down to work on a paper with a friend and scholar, but that promises to bring closure as well. i hope i recover my voice one day. until then, or maybe always, i express myself most easily in fiber and photos.
xox
dru
**btw please call me dru or cilla or drucilla! there's no reason anyone should have to go by one name only their entire life. i was called "baby" for most of my childhood until i put my foot down. for this phase of life, at least, drucilla feels right. i think i'll be maurice in my old age. anyhoo i'll start signing my bloggy to remind you.**
my pop's been in the hospital - in and out a few times in fact. he's stable right now but has been having "episodes" where he can't move. no-one knows what's going on yet, including the docs. they are running tests. so i'll be going down there to visit and to see wassup.
i am sick as ever. reflux is a bitch, as is health care in the US. insurance won't pay for my meds until mid-august. so yah, my tummy is cranky, and so am i.
as per usual, i'm holing up and taking comfort in fiber. i've been wondering if anyone else is doing funky spins with angora. with tdf, i've been trying to get through my bunny stash and i've only barely made a dent. i love to spin it with the guard hairs poking out, like in the first pic. sometimes when i have short hairs i'll thread ply, or do coils or granny stacks, like in the other pic. it helps keep the angora from shedding and lets me use all those in-between summer cuts when it's just too hot to let their hair grow out to a full coat. with the skinny plying, it almost reminds me of chenille. i love it!
i am psyched to have won a tdf prize (through team lai grai on ravelry)! today i traded in my points for a huge batt from sara of lushmommy. i've long admired her spinning style, but had never treated myself to her fiber. it's so interesting how different spinners have clear and unique, recognizable styles - maybe especially art yarn spinners. there is their choices of colors and textures of course, but even more than that. i need a better vocab to describe the differences. lushmommy stuff is aptly named - her yarns are decadent and over-the-top, but somehow never overdone. perfect elements, perfectly executed.
which brings me to my other problem - i seem to have lost most of my words. mathyld says that is part of the the aftershock of grad school, she's seen it happen to others. i finally got my official leave-of-absence from school all finalized, and the MA paperwork too, so i can put all that behind me for now. well, until the 2nd week of august when i'm settling down to work on a paper with a friend and scholar, but that promises to bring closure as well. i hope i recover my voice one day. until then, or maybe always, i express myself most easily in fiber and photos.
xox
dru
**btw please call me dru or cilla or drucilla! there's no reason anyone should have to go by one name only their entire life. i was called "baby" for most of my childhood until i put my foot down. for this phase of life, at least, drucilla feels right. i think i'll be maurice in my old age. anyhoo i'll start signing my bloggy to remind you.**
16.7.10
14.7.10
had a relaxed weekend spinning with bunnies out of doors. the storms have been awful this week though, and i've not been able to be online much in the evenings. still, my shop is finally coming along! i think i'm getting the hang of taking pics and listing. it's so much fun.
10.7.10
cross-stitch vs embroidery! and other news..
i am getting bored with cross-stitch. it's a large piece, so that's part of it, and i do love always having something to stitch on. still, it's very different from embroidery, which i can do a bit more free-form and experiment along the way. i usually have a loose plan, but still always mess with the stitches and colors and that's very satisfying. i can't imagine doing that with cross-stitch - it seems to need to be planned out at the beginning, so that the creative process is all on the front end. then the stitching is just stitching. does anyone else experience it differently??
*it's funny too that cross-stitch seems to get such a bad rap! i've already had a few people moan when i mentioned it! i am finding myself groaning just a little when i think of doing the second piece i had planned... i haven't noticed that with embroidery...
x - x - x
i had a wonderful visit yesterday when jeana came through town! she is even more beautiful and sincere in person as on her blog, and her daughters are precious! i just wanted to squeeze them and get them to talk more in those adorable aussie accents. i know we'll be even better friends now that we've met in person. i wish we had remembered to take some pics of us together!! thanks so much for coming, jeana!!
x - x - x
then i rearranged all my studio stuff into the front room at the hotel, next to kristy. i had resisted since i love the upstairs space so much (i'll still use it for photographs) but the heat finally kicked my ass. this will be much less private since it's downstairs and a storefront, so i will have company, but so far it felt much more comfy, less scattered.
x - x - x
and i decided to sell my majacraft wheel, having completely converted to spinolution... not as beautiful, but more comfortable for me (which seems to be a theme in my life these days!)
oh fantine, i'll miss you, but we will find you the perfect home!
*it's funny too that cross-stitch seems to get such a bad rap! i've already had a few people moan when i mentioned it! i am finding myself groaning just a little when i think of doing the second piece i had planned... i haven't noticed that with embroidery...
x - x - x
i had a wonderful visit yesterday when jeana came through town! she is even more beautiful and sincere in person as on her blog, and her daughters are precious! i just wanted to squeeze them and get them to talk more in those adorable aussie accents. i know we'll be even better friends now that we've met in person. i wish we had remembered to take some pics of us together!! thanks so much for coming, jeana!!
x - x - x
then i rearranged all my studio stuff into the front room at the hotel, next to kristy. i had resisted since i love the upstairs space so much (i'll still use it for photographs) but the heat finally kicked my ass. this will be much less private since it's downstairs and a storefront, so i will have company, but so far it felt much more comfy, less scattered.
x - x - x
and i decided to sell my majacraft wheel, having completely converted to spinolution... not as beautiful, but more comfortable for me (which seems to be a theme in my life these days!)
oh fantine, i'll miss you, but we will find you the perfect home!
8.7.10
5.7.10
re-working spaces
so ya know, everything's been going along cool and the gang. but i am having some major consternation.
the main prob is my lack of organization. between the hotel/studio and home, i am working in about five different places. i am not centralized or set up anywhere. and this weekend, i haven't wanted to leave my new sofa (the $5 thrift score i tweeted about - yes! cute *and* comfy and thus a major lifestyle change). i love the hotel and having a studio that is not at home, but i don't have the space working for me ... yet.
so i think i need to separate out my activities, and then set up craft areas in specific locations so that i can get my shit organized. here goes..
1. stitching
2. knit and crochet
3. spinning
4. computer work - drawing, photoshopping, scanning, printing
5. [catch all for stuff i like to do but not as much, like machine stitching for softies, carding, and some other new ideas i'm playing with]
i like to sit stitching, knitting and spinning late, late into the night. at home with hub, not at the studio at 3am. so my studio time is more planning out numbers 1-3, which is basically activity no. 4. i suppose i could just work on computer stuff at the studio during the afternoons, and then do the down and dirty late at night. but surely it would be easier if i had all this stuff together in one place. still, it was *not* easier to find my supplies when it was all here at home because then it was shoved into every nook and not easy to find or access.
plus, all these stitchy activities are just a part of what i need to be doing. sarah was talking the other day about a model she's using where her activities are separated into creative, business, personal, and chores. creative work also means experimenting, reading, thinking, researching. so is it possible that the hotel venture is more about being part of this collective, and spending a few days a week there on creative and business work, rather than doing my stitching there all the time? and being part of the hotel also means creative conversations, renting out spaces, having shows and such... all good things, inspiring and full of possibilities.
i wonder how studio artists manage their creative schedules and supplies... doesn't it drive you nuts when you want to work from home, but don't have something you need? or you don't even know what you need because you can't see your materials? i would love to know more specifics about how you work in your spaces. where do you work? where and how do you keep your stuff? please share your tips and tricks for staying organized and productive! what else have you tried and what works best for you?
the main prob is my lack of organization. between the hotel/studio and home, i am working in about five different places. i am not centralized or set up anywhere. and this weekend, i haven't wanted to leave my new sofa (the $5 thrift score i tweeted about - yes! cute *and* comfy and thus a major lifestyle change). i love the hotel and having a studio that is not at home, but i don't have the space working for me ... yet.
so i think i need to separate out my activities, and then set up craft areas in specific locations so that i can get my shit organized. here goes..
1. stitching
2. knit and crochet
3. spinning
4. computer work - drawing, photoshopping, scanning, printing
5. [catch all for stuff i like to do but not as much, like machine stitching for softies, carding, and some other new ideas i'm playing with]
i like to sit stitching, knitting and spinning late, late into the night. at home with hub, not at the studio at 3am. so my studio time is more planning out numbers 1-3, which is basically activity no. 4. i suppose i could just work on computer stuff at the studio during the afternoons, and then do the down and dirty late at night. but surely it would be easier if i had all this stuff together in one place. still, it was *not* easier to find my supplies when it was all here at home because then it was shoved into every nook and not easy to find or access.
plus, all these stitchy activities are just a part of what i need to be doing. sarah was talking the other day about a model she's using where her activities are separated into creative, business, personal, and chores. creative work also means experimenting, reading, thinking, researching. so is it possible that the hotel venture is more about being part of this collective, and spending a few days a week there on creative and business work, rather than doing my stitching there all the time? and being part of the hotel also means creative conversations, renting out spaces, having shows and such... all good things, inspiring and full of possibilities.
i wonder how studio artists manage their creative schedules and supplies... doesn't it drive you nuts when you want to work from home, but don't have something you need? or you don't even know what you need because you can't see your materials? i would love to know more specifics about how you work in your spaces. where do you work? where and how do you keep your stuff? please share your tips and tricks for staying organized and productive! what else have you tried and what works best for you?
4.7.10
3.7.10
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