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.

I can see the path...

All I have to do now is follow it. I should not have attempted this on a day when I have to leave for work. All the lost definition on this piece is due to not keeping the soy wax hot enough to penetrate the fabric. Every single step was rushed. I'll try again on Saturday when I can give the whole day to whatever it takes. The table mopper below came out almost more interesting.

farming, suburban style

Here's part of what sucked up my day yesterday, although my only part was getting the plants into the ground. Within minutes of finishing, the skies opened up. This weather has been a farmer's dream. Now we'll see if a few rows of marigolds will repel invaders at I've heard they will. We also finished filling the pool and just now, getting the pump up and running. I can't believe I deleted the process photos that preceded this one! The foam templates worked just fine with the hot soy wax. No issues from the heat but after two applications I have to take a minute to flex off the wax buildup so the lines will remain crisp. I had to use the positive of this design because I neglected to connect the cut out hearts and ovals this time. Painting around the shape with a fat brush and hot wax took about an hour for a yard. Now it's stretched out on the worktable outside sprayed with dye + soda ash. I wish it were warmer and sunnier outside but this wonderful farmer's weather is supposed to stick around until the weekend.