As the muse strikes and the world turns

The days have been full of creativity. I’ve re-fingered a Brahms Chorale prelude. Now it fits under my hands better. I’m using the version E Power Biggs came up with that has the chorale in the pedal. It sounds about the same and that means that I can share what Brahms wrote for organ more often. A worthy outcome!

I have some sketches of tatting to work up for a couple of the bells. I’m not sure when they will become the important task and get worked on, but they sit in my to-do chest.

The loom parts are installed, the warp sleyed and threaded, I’m ready to beam and then have fun creating cloth. Pictures will follow when the sun is shining. Just about every morning lately it has been foggy. The loom sits in a room of the house that is darker unless the sun is shining. Yesterday, the furnace kicked on while I was threading the headless. Really. It’s June and the furnace was running because it was cool. Like below 65 F. Really.

All this cooler weather has brought my mind to the folks who voted last week in the UK. I’ll confess I didn’t realize how emotional and incendiary the Brexit issue was. I do hope all parties will calm down, make a cuppa, and work together to make the world a better place.

Off my soapbox now. Back to shuttles, keys, and a walk on the beach.

Incoming!

Lots of “stuff” came in yesterday: 

4 boxes of bells from a couple of estate sale type finds, 

parts for the LeClerc loom, 

6 needlepoint pictures in need of a bit of TLC, 

and several ideas for tatting. 

I’ll be busy today unpacking the bells and working on the loom. Here’s a teaser of the bell collection. 

I’d love to tat something to go over a bell similar to the ornament covers. This one intrigues me with the shape and crackle effect. 

And what color thread to use?????? 

Springtime is turning to summer

I finished another pair of earrings. I’ve always gravitated to pastel colors. When this mint color showed up on the Pantone list, I found myself smiling. Then, Barb at Handy Hands offered thread in a mint color. Then life intervened and I’m just getting to playing with it.

Long Picot Earrings designed by Nina Libin

The pattern was simple once you got the thread set up. You don’t even need a shuttle; or a needle really. I tatted the first earring using just my fingers. For the second ring, I used a Single Shuttle Split Ring. That way I could hide both ends securely. The only problem with that is the space created between the rings. I found they began to twist. Then I decided that’s not really a problem. Thank you Nina Libin for creating such a simple, elegant pattern!

Organ concerts and earrings

First off, an update on the organ side of my day. I had the pleasure of hearing James Welch play the organ at St. Dunstan’s recently. It was inspiring. Mostly for the music he played. He chose wonderful music that really showed off the instrument. Also for the people who came. The concert sold out. Standing room only. The Fire Marshall would have probably had a fit. And everyone enjoyed themselves. It’s so much fun to hear good organ. It’s even more fun to see people who may not be familiar with organs to walk in and experience the King of Instruments.

Now on to tatting:

These are what I came up with from Renee Campbell’s pattern Rainbow Bright Earrings. I enjoyed tatting them, even though I used size 80 thread and no beads. The star shaped spacers I used were a find in a bead shop where I used to live. I’m not sure if they’re still available. I plan to wear these to celebrate anything having to do with being American.

Oh, and yes, I will be playing again for the St. Paul's Noon concerts soon. I'll try to remember to post about it here as soon as I have the next date. I just get distracted at the organ and forget to do tasks on the 'puter. My bad. I promise to keep the organ first, but fit this in also.

Deer sighting

It’s that time of year. The deer that snack on the roses in our neighborhood are bringing the fauns with them. 

The other evening, the white deer appeared along with another doe, a yearling buck, and 2 fauns. I couldn’t get a decent picture. The only camera that I’ve had success with didn’t have enough juice in the battery and they disappeared before I found the spare. Sigh.

I’ll admit to getting up before dawn to see a sunrise, making a trip upstairs to peak out the window to see if the deer are here, examining the roses in my yard for signs of nibbling. I’ll admit to all that because I love connecting with the outside world in this way; that and walking the hill here. I’ve met so many of the neighbors I rarely get a good workout. But the social time is priceless and I am walking, not sitting.

A/O couplers as seen by the music

Tomorrow I play the Noon time recital at St. Paul’s in Salinas. I think I’ve managed to tell most of the locals, but please come if I’ve forgotten you. (and forgive the omission) After that, I’ll be cleaning and getting back to the shuttles.

Triangle complete

First off, thank you Jennifer Williams for doing the grunt work to bring this pattern to life. Her diagram and concise explanation of the path to tat was a huge help to me. 

Frauberger fig. 64

This is the first time I've tatted a pattern starting at the edge and going towards the center with each round. I was nervous that the edges might begin to curl or ruffle. But, so far, so good!

Flag progress

I reached a milestone in this project. Another stripe finished and now on to the very long 5 remaining stripes. 

stripe 7 completed

I was drawn to tat this because I thought the pattern in the Workbasket had promise. I’d found it at the Lace Museum and wanted to see if the structure would be transferable. My hunch was correct. It will work for pipes on an organ very nicely. I’ve completed the cross stitch pattern,  mastered doubleweave pickup; now to do the designing (which is always an adventure).

So, back to the flag. I measured out the red thread just to make sure I had enough to finish. I do. Whew! Now I can relax and sleep easier. Just kidding.

From Concept to Art

Has it really been 2 weeks since the last post? Mmmm Guess I didn’t realize how little I’ve been keeping up with. Or, I have been juggling too much on the calendar. 

I cut out a good bit of tatting on 1 project, haven’t figured out yet how to finish a second, rearranged the creative “stuff” in the house, and been supporting creative folks in the community. I promise to write posts on those activities soon.

Today, I’ll be reporting on yesterday.

Who: Tatting Tuesday Study Group

What: Tatting display with examples of tatting from all over the world.

Where: Lacis in Berkeley, CA

When: Only a few short hours looking at the tatting after many long hours in the car driving there and back.

How: Thank you Joan and Zanie for helping pull off this adventure!

The display was wonderful. I’ve seen photos of many of the pieces on my computer screen. I recognized almost all of the names. So, seeing the tatting in person was just plain awesome. Plus, there were quite a few impressive vintage pieces. Not much information for the curious on who tatted with what thread from what pattern. But, the museum does their best to curate what they have; and their focus is lace which includes tatting and all things lace. If you can find a way to Adeline St., please do. They are only open from Noon to 5 PM which makes avoiding traffic a bit tough, but the journey was worth it.