11.22.2012

11.20.2012

sheldonisms

as i watch the big bang theory, i can truthfully say that i find myself using the phrases "sticky wicket", "bazinga", and randomly humming "soft kitty, warm kitty...". i love this show; the last two episodes have been incredibly, deliciously, funny.

11.19.2012

a stitch in time saves nine

i've begun to notice some nesting tendencies which have developed since i started living on my own; an increased awareness of kitchenware, dishes in particular, the idea of having a tray to arrange multiple dishes dividing up a meal and to bring pizzaz to eating alone, accessorizing said dishes with coasters, trivets and linens.


thus far, i've sewn a coaster for my teapot, as well as one for my teamug, sewn a patchwork trivet to tie together the colors of my teamug with my japanese blue and white pottery, and am currently considering my options with place mats. with the tray preoccupation, i've set my eyes on a linen rectangular one from fog linen work; it would go lovely with the linen bits i worked into the trivet.

without the aid of ones trusty sewing machine, hand sewing becomes the norm. it's meditative in it's way, similar to spinning, and knitting a simple pattern. i see the need for my sewing skills to become more refined, but at the same time i am reluctant to try for machine precision.


some of the fabric used in this piece i've been saving for awhile. the large indigo swatch and the variegated swatch were ones i hand dyed using natural dyestuff. the indigo one is a bit funny (and personal) for me because i had decided to experiment with an old fashioned and rudimentary way of making an indigo fermentation vat, and this along with the indigo coaster were some of the results (they definitely have not a drop of scent left from their making). some of the other fabrics were sitting in my hoard, waiting for their moment, and of course, i was able to use my favorite bits of linen which have grown smaller and smaller with every project. the loop to hang it was some recycled jean fluff which jean sent me, spun and plied with blue cotton, then crocheted into a chain. on the backside is some shibori i made at a fiber studio open house.

11.07.2012

soft kitty, warm kitty...

i've been doing a little bit of spinning; some cashmere at the moment. it's spinning up fine and soft as a single. i'll definitely ply it; i should have faith in the strength of singles, but i don't really. as well, the plied yarn should be loftier. hopefully i'll be able to fit the entire ounce onto the spindle; but if not, i'll do it in two half ounce skeins.


yesterday i rearranged the furniture in my room, and this morning i hung up one of the jennifer davis paintings. i choose that spot in particular to cover up a cable cord that was coming out of the wall; luckily it's a narrow wall, only about 2.5 feet, so it looks nice there. as this area of the country is prone to earthquakes, i'm a little leery of hanging anything around my bed. but, this morning i was thinking that if i hung something soft, like a woven piece, or a soft stuffed 3-dimensional artwork, it would be okay if it fell on me while i slept (and so would i).