“You can give a man a fish and he will be fed for a day, or you can teach a man to fish and he will be fed for a lifetime.” -Leo Tolstoy
So, Lady-Kate is pleased with her dollhouse rug. So much so that she wants another one for her kitchen. Time to teach her to fish…
I have completed my first and, without a doubt most important, weaving commission, a rug as requested by Lady Katherine herself, I am honoured to say.
The Patroness: The Lady-Otherwise-Known-As-Daughter-Kate
The Colours: Indigo Blue and Moss Green
The Dimensions: 6×9 (inches)
The Intended Use: To carpet the floor of her dollhouse (but you’d already guessed that, of course)
The Payment: The currency of our household…hugs and kisses…and lots of ‘em, I hope
The Finished Project:
This is good.
This is better.
This is best.
Now that I’ve found the cuppa that completes the ‘Ahhhh…’ moment at the end of my day, what will be its perfect companion? The yang to its yin? The Omega to its Alpha? The Hardy to its Laurel? Chocolate, of course, but what kind? I may not have the most discriminating tastes, but gotta get this sorted.
I’m not too fussy. Fairly simple tastes. But at a minimum I’d say:
It must be plain or dark chocolate. None of this milk stuff. Too sugary…
It must be tasty. Or why bother?
It must be reasonably priced. Daily ritual. Can’t break the bank…not even for chocolate.
Option No. 1: Green & Black’s Organic
Going contrary to worldwide-ecologically-minded-chocolate-eaters, I must confess that G&B’s is too bitter. Reminds me of why I, unlike the rest of civilisation, don’t drink coffee at Starbuck’s. So, like the proverbial salmon-going-against-the-flow, the first option is out.
Option No. 2: Cadbury’s
Soooo many options. Nutty? Crunchy? Toffee? Fruity? Sleepy? Sneezy? Dopey? I just want plain, dark chocolate.
Option No. 3: Ghirardelli
Very nice, regrettably doesn’t fit into the ‘reasonably priced’ category. Ah well…
So, Cadbury’s is good. Ghirardelli is better. But, would you believe (and please don’t be horrified) Tesco is best….for me!
‘The best laid plans of mice and men go oft astray.’
Warning: Communications Diversion to Follow
Actually, if you were to look up that quote (as I had to do) you would find that Quotelady says this is a mis-quote and that the original says, ‘The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft a-gley.’ (Robert Burns in “To a Mouse”). What, pray tell, does that mean? A-gley? So, I’m sticking with the mis-quote…
Okay, all quoting aside…once Kiddie-Daughter and Kiddie-Son were out the door for summer camp, I had intended to sit down to the newly warped loom and begin tossin’ the shuttle. Lovely! First, though, the treasured summer morning ritual of cappuccino making, as there usually isn’t time during school mornings to indulge in this luxury. Next, do a quick check of email and…
Oh…….flippin’………no…….
What to my wondering eyes did appear? 93 emails. No, I did not become instantaneously popular overnight. What was looking me straight in the face was notification that my blog had just become the recipient of:
As a lunch meat it’s rather tasteless. As an unwanted intruder to my blog it’s downright disgusting.
And so, because I am that kind of person, I have spent the last who-knows-how-long going into each post and deleting these anonymous-computer-generated-flippancies.
I feel so violated.
I am so naive.
I had erroneously thought that my simple little blog would attract no unwanted attention. Boy, was I wrong! Well, not to remain a victim for long, I have made the necessary changes. I still value your legitimate input and welcome it. But, I’ll have to:
a) trouble you to type in the ‘looks-like-they’ve-lived-in-the-70s’ word verification letters.
b) let you know that anyone who logs in as ‘Anonymous’ without signing his-and-or-her name at the end of their comments will be deleted. A better option is to log in as ‘Other’ and put in your name. If you don’t have a webpage, no big deal.
Okay, the morning’s diversion is done. Now, to the loom…
Barring any unforseen calamity, act of God or act of war, today is the day to weave!
Weekend loom maintenance and repairs: Done!
Children off to summer day camp: Check!
Fortifying cappuccino made: Yes, sir!
Battle Plan Highlights
…yes, Betty. Like all good ships and planes, my machine, too, has been christened, with the exception of smashing the bottle of champagne on her side. A good sturdy name for a good sturdy girl.
Military metaphor done…chow-time…over and out.
A ‘while-we’re-on-the-topic-of-weaving’ postscript
In the spirit of tidying, I finally took the time over the weekend to finish knotting the fringe of a couple of scarves woven a few months ago. We can now move these beginning efforts from the ‘in’ to the ‘out’ basket.
It’s spelled r-a-t-i-o-n-a-l-i-s-a-t-i-o-n.
“I’d love to learn to knit…”
“I think I’d like to take a few weaving lessons.”
“Of course I ought to get a loom!”
“My knitting buddies all seem to have blogs…”
“Why not join a web ring?”
“Blog button…what’s that?”
The irony has not totally escaped me that my blog is called ‘a simple yarn’ and yet here I am fashioning one of the latest ‘bells and whistles’ in blogs. Buttons. You see… (and here’s where the rationalisation begins…) I couldn’t help it. They’re just so……cute! Advertising billboards shrunken into miniature. Little itty bitty calling cards! Admittedly, a bit of fluff, but I like to think of it like embroidery on the cushion, beads on the bag…blog embellishment, as it were.
And so, how to go about getting one? Searching….searching….searching….nothing.
It seemed a fairly complicated process. Surely it’s not the equivalent of brain surgery or microbiology, is it? I mean, others have overcome the obstacle…
Actually, I have to confess that I have Joni to thank (or blame) for this. After she volunteered to take over the administration of the Fiber Arts Bloggers web ring, she, through a brief volley of emails, had my sidebar Fiber Arts Blogger button all fixed and connected to its new home. Hmmmm…maybe this button stuff isn’t as difficult as I thought…let’s see what the Mac will do.
Get a picture from iPhoto
Drop it into Mac’s publishing programme, Keynote
Add the words
Export as a JPEG
Back into iPhoto to crop out any surrounding dead space
Export it and make it small (95×63)
Upload pic to Blogger
Copy picture html code from Joni and replace with my info
There you have it….blog button.
Addicted? Nope, I can stop any time I want…
I confess, memories of childhood are not always accurate…
…or rather I should say MY memories of MY childhood are not always accurate. The Saturdays of my youth are recalled by only two distinct activities…watching cartoons (yeah!) and cleaning house (ugh!). Mind you, my mom would not give it just a ‘lick-and-a-promise’ type of cleaning, but the full blown ‘dirt-wouldn’t-dare-enter-here’ treatment!
Well, I haven’t truly inherited the total influence of that genetic wiring…..but, I am my mother’s daughter and I have to tidy up a couple of things before moving on, even in my journaling. Besides, truth be told, I guess I ought to practice what I say to my children 542 times each day, right? So, to tie up a few loose ends…
Mystery Solved
I’d like to say that the answer would have never come to us had I not posted the mystery piece of the loom. But later that same evening Son-Of-A-Farmer-And-Right-Good-Handyman-Husband-Will saw the solution.
It turns out that the mystery piece (as confirmed by the Kessenich Loom people) is a type of tension brake that applies a little pressure on the back roller. So, when the back brake is released, the warp doesn’t fly into abject chaos. A good thing to have I’m thinking…
Cutie Cakes
I’ve been not-so-patiently waiting for the recently dyed wool to dry so I could wind it into cute yarn cakes. The effect was so different than seeing it in skein form! Not so sure I’m a sherbet-flavoured yarn owner, and don’t really know what finished product will be made from these, but hey, I’m so pleased that they aren’t mucky-gray or some other colour mistake!
DIY (Do-It-Youself otherwise known as Delegate-It-to-YerMan)
After a whirlwind run through B&Q…European equivalent to Home Depot, orange colour and all…we have now amassed the supplies needed to construct the last few bits & pieces for my own weaving kit. Lumber and doweling for warping board…lumber and tape measure for raddle…sand paper and varnish for loom touch-ups. I hope Handyman-Husband-Will isn’t busy this weekend…
Please note: This post title is not a mistaken reference to American-icon-Homer-Simpson, but rather an Irish-influenced ‘part 2′ of my Wonderful-Wednesday-of-Spontaneous-Fun.
After my play date with Holly, she kindly took my two kiddies, along with her two kiddies to her house for a sleepover. What? No hungry mouths to feed? No children to bathe? No child minder to pay? Oh yes, my feet are doing the happy dance! What shall Husband-Will and I do with this child-free evening?
Option 1: Go to the theatre. Want to see The Importance of Being Earnest at the Abbey. Never read the play. Liked the movie. Want to see a performance. All-male cast. Hmmm…. H-Will is in the city anyway. Stops by theatre for tickets. Gets laughed out of box office as he’s told it’s opening night and what was he thinking?
Option 2: Go to cinema. Normally a good idea, but….not tonight. Want to do something different.
Option 3: Hey, Riverdance is in town for the summer. On a lark we check internet bookings. Yes, seats are available and we can get tickets. It’s 6pm and the performance starts at 8. Seats aren’t the greatest but, hey, it’s a world-famous-Irish-phenomenon and we’ve never seen it in person. So, a quick change of clothes. A hop on the bus. A take away cappuccino. Life is good.
So, can you tell we were in the front row? Seats 3 & 4. Oh my. Had to dodge beads of sweat flinging past our heads! Couldn’t always see their feet, but I’m tellin’ ya, it felt as if we were right there among ‘em!
And I have to say, it was a cool experience to be in Dublin watching this Irish show that is said to have contributed to the now-famous Celtic Tiger and the start of ‘it’s-cool-to-be-Irish’ trend. How many years has it been in existence? How many times has it been done? And you would have thought, by watching the performers, that it was their first time by the excitement (real or not) on their collective face. And could it be any good without Michael Flatley? Without his fame in the way, it certainly was easier to appreciate the individual talent of every member of the troupe.
So, let me do a recap of this middle-of-the-week summer’s day…learned to spin…dyed bundles of virgin white wool…had my kids well-watched and cared for…had spontaneous date with himself…saw way-cool Irish show in Ireland no less. I’d say it was a nearly perfect day.
School has officially been closed for 12 days. In reality, my kids have been ’school-less’ for 14 days…7 of which we were on holiday. Also took them to cinema for latest kiddie film. They have had extended time to play with Bunny-Fern and neighbourhood children. And yet, my kids are BORED! So, it was with a great sigh of relief when Fibre-Friend-And-Recent-Blog-Owner-Holly rang up and suggested a play date. Little did I know she meant us!
Warning: the following is a photo-intensive post cuz it was a busy, busy, busy day!
Once again, the Kiddies-Four had the run of the house while Holly and I played. In exchange for a small dose of blog help, I received my first spinning lesson. Not as easy as it looks when Ma Ingalls does it. What’s the pattern? Ease the wool, slide the fingers, feed it in, pedal slowly, add some more. To me it was more like walk, chew gum, pat stomach, balance revolving plates….you get my drift…
And as if this wasn’t enough, after lunch became Fibre-Reactive-Highly-Acidic-With-Not-A-Natural-Plant-In-Sight dyeing time! Had the recently-purchased-at-Woolfest Procion dyes on hand. Also had some recently carded batts in house. Had a DVD to entertain the Kiddies. Ready, steady, go…
Okay, you may think that the title of this post is a nod to the ever-increasing hoopla of the latest pirate craze in movies. Well…maybe it reflects a subliminal desire to see Johnny Depp. Who knows? Ah well…argh matey and full-steam ahead!
I was just sending an email to my knitting buddies lamenting my prolonged wait for the arrival of my loom when the doorbell rang. Yippee! It’s the UPS man and he has a really big, albeit rather battered, box in his van. Hit ’send’ and answer the door! Yep, it’s the long-awaited second-hand loom. A very exciting moment I must say. Rather like Christmas in July.
Remember what it looked like prior to shipping?
Well, I have to confess that it took a few hits along the way. The blending of 150 pounds of wood and metal parts tossed around like waves on the sea does not make for a good combination admittedly. But, the logical part of me knew that everyone involved in getting it to me (In-Laws-David-and-Phyllis and Husband-Will) took every precautionary step possible to get it here unscathed. But stuff happens and I will make UPS the pirate of this tale!
As 9-Year-Old-Soon-To-Be-Philosophy-Student-Daughter-Kate said, ‘But Mama, you like antiques and they need to have some marks on them to make them that way.’ Too true and so we’ll make the few minor repairs. Truth be told, the overall-put-together-version wasn’t nearly as traumatic as the sitting-in-a-million-individual-pieces one. Nothing a little sand paper and varnish can’t remedy. It’s still a nifty little loom and I can’t wait to get started!
I just have one more little puzzle to solve though. As with all put-it-together puzzles, it’s not a good thing to end up with extra parts and I’ve got just one little thingey left over. Hmmm….what could it be? Looks important doesn’t it? Any ideas? Back to the photos for a game of I-Spy. Shiver me timbers!
This is a sample entry of a new journaling programme that Husband-Will surprised me with while he was away in the US. Just taking it for a spin tonight to see how she runs. Frankly, it won’t look very different to you on the blog, but it’s a handy tool on my Mac. You can link to Journlr if you’re interested.
Posting photos is a bit awkward cuz they need to be uploaded to Blogger first, but still it’s nice to have a backup record on my computer. Handy little shareware indeed!
I like folk art. It’s simple. It’s unfussy. It’s how I’d like to be if I were art.
Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate more complex, thought provoking works of art, in my own simple way. But, there’s something so utterly friendly about folk art. Why, even the name ‘folk’ connotes a welcome familiarity. Nothing lofty about that!
It’s expressed in ordinary, everyday items:
It’s represented in painted portraits:
‘Art originating among the common people of a nation or region and usually reflecting their traditional culture, especially everyday or festive items produced or decorated by unschooled artists.’
(As stated in the American Heritage Dictionary…Oxford Online didn’t have it. Hmmm…too common? Oops, I digress…)
Common people? Traditional culture? Everyday items? Unschooled artists? Why, that’s me!
I am a commoner! I like the expression of traditional culture! I love to make things that are practical to use! I am definitely unschooled! Folks, I am a folk artist!
And here is the latest practical object from my common, unschooled hands to celebrate the folk art tradition…a knitted version of the log cabin quilt pattern.