busy day

It's Jake's birthday. My youngest chick is 24 today and treating himself to a day off from work but chances are real good you'll find him in this selfsame pose, his favorite place to be, under the hood of something greasy that needs a master's touch. There are spice cupcakes to be baked,

new cloth to be ironed and photographed for sale at

Fiber Fandango and more in the process all while the cupcakes are baking.(you should see me juggle!!)

I've also taken another cheapskates flying leap at an online art venue here. Any input regarding my choices of work posted would be welcome. It seems like I can't bring myself to commit to more than $25 for any sort of entry fee on spec these days. and the pool is open and needs daily tending which is my personal physical and mental therapy. I am always cheered on by the lifeguards hard at their posts.

Spellbound by

This is what happens. They breed! Even though I had any color I wanted at hand, these are the ones that were called for at the moment. Boston beanpots for elves? I've answered my own question. The making/doing is just what's needed at the moment, no more or less. Thank goodness the moment will shift or pass in time.

small obsessions

Why does making a thing become obsessive? Why do people fall into patterns of focusing too intently on making or doing something that seems to have no point or purpose? Although it took only a few innings to crochet, I spent most of the morning dyeing and painting it. Once it was nearly dry I treated it with acrylic medium so now it's stiff. If you click on the picture you can see the metallic powder that was mixed into the glaze. Maybe I should take up pottery. You can't see it over the edge but there's a penny in there with maybe room for three more to cover the bottom of this vessel. But there's nothing like some freshly hatched color to bring me to my senses.

too early for doldrums

Anyone who knits or crochets probably has a favorite combination of yarn and needle(s) and a simple stitch. Something that just flows from your fingertips without any effort and little thought. That's how I feel about this cotton string and now I need more of it. This little basket has a square bottom and I left the tail on it on purpose. Baskets with tails. Legs and teeth. I didn't care for the pale colors so this has been stuck in a jar with one of these. Since I have to leave for work soon, they will get what's an extended batching around here, my house of impatience and rush.

more Keepers

Speaking of Keepers, I just keep cranking out these cotton things between phone calls. The pink one is fresh from a very satisfactory dye test. The white one I made around my new cell phone last night in about 3 innings of baseball. For the moment, the shapes and sizes are all cute and utilitarian ( and will all be up for sale after they all get some color) but I can feel creatures wanting to take shape as I crochet. Working with this 100% cotton is like carving butter, effortless and fun. Time for a new cone soon. I'm still thinking and researching better ways to make a template for my batik experiments. Using one template and then picking it up and repositioning it again is not the answer.