....But.....

I am a Geek……But…..

I love tools……But…..

I love using my hands…..But….

It’s music whether it’s on the piano or organ.

It’s lace whether it’s tatted with needle or shuttle.

It’s salad whether you slice or tear.

[sigh]

Let’s just enjoy creating! Ok?

[rant finished]

I’ll be turning in my application to help raise funds for Carmel Bach Festival with a piece of tatting in their Art Raffle. I already have ideas. I must finish the bun holder before I finalize what thread and color and if there will be bling or beads or……

So, I’m off to the beach to exercise with a walk while listening to the fugue just one more time!

Oh, and Geeks Rule!!!!!!!!!!!

Another wonderful organ day!

I spent a wonderful afternoon at the Lee Conklin ReedOrgan Museum. Last Sunday, we drove to the middle of your palm area of Michigan. It was in the Heartland of America. A pleasant drive to rural life. There, we visited a room full of reed organs!

                                                                          I still have to retrieve my photos I snapped, but in the meantime, enjoy the pictures on their website. Yes, I did play several. The one with the faux pipes against the wall was fun! I wish I had the time to play them all! I did not spot any Woods organs. My husband was able to play “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” on a barrel organ. So much fun!!!

In an attempt to burn off the pounds I gained eating with the Italian side of our family, I went walking at the beach. I did catch a poor picture of the dolphins that were out that day:

As for tatting, I finished another Joy bookmark and worked almost all of Round 7 of Wiosna 2017. The lanyard for the nametag is coming along nicely. I didn’t get asked once in the airport or on the plane what I was doing. I take that as an indication that more people have discovered tatting. Either that or everyone was too tired. I’d rather believe the first reason!

Now to unpack and reorganize……

Sighting in Carmel

Normally that phrase is followed by a description of some celebrity, rare automobile, or something haute…(couture, cuisine, etc.) that costs a bunch of cash.

 My sighting yesterday was free. I saw a pod of dolphins just off the shore while walking on Carmel Beach. There was a whale off the point also. This year, the sightings have become quite common. Whale watching in a boat is thrilling. Kayakers report close encounters all the time. 

Yesterday was the first time I personally have been in the right place at the right time. I knew better than to try to capture anything in a photograph with my phone. So, no picture here. You’ll just have to come for a visit. (grin!)

Jelly time

mass of jellies by dock

I’m so easily distracted by the sea! Here’s what I saw at the Coast Guard pier:

Blue strip jelly

Brown top jelly and seastar

sitting and watching us...

so many!

I promise I’ll get to work!

Found objects and treasures

I slipped away to the beach last week for a walk. Here’s what I found:

 I think some of these I will use the Ice Drop method. Some I may use the Button method. Some may just be pretty inspiration!

Our house continues to tell us stories. We’ll find evidence of past damage and repair, past remodel and additions, and see how the structure fits it to our lives. A hi-phalootin’ way to say, “This appeared on a post.”

This is what happens when the sun shines through the peep hole in the front door and hits a white surface. I couldn’t get the peep hole completely clean, too much pollen kicked up by the wind. If I closed the glass door between the front door and the post, the rainbow disappeared. Mmmmm Science rules!

With inspiration like this, you’d think I could turn out more desi….squirrel!

Which of the 4?

I enjoy tatting complicated patterns. I try to have a simple pattern going in my bag. Simple is better to show people what tatting is. So, I usually have multiple patterns going. Right now, there are 4. This is one of them:

Winosa 2017 Round 1

If you visit the website, you’ll see the complete doily. I know it will get complicated. I decided to add beads to round 2. Perhaps that will appear next week.

But…..

There’s still storm damage to take care of. I’m playing this weekend at the Mission. The foyer is drying out nicely, so the priming and painting will rise to the top of a long, long list. Oh, and the usual: grocery shopping, laundry, vacuuming, and all the rest.

Thank God there’s creative activities and walks on the beach.

Needing a walk on the beach

TIAS 2017 Day 8

Well, the design thoughts are coming fast and furious! 

I’ve not got much to show, just sketches on scraps of paper and several trials in thread that got binned fast. I’m hoping a walk on the beach will help focus me.

In the meantime, here’s my version of Day 8 TIAS 2017: 

Inspiration rolled in

I took a walk the other day on the beach. Rather than struggle learning a new scanner program, correcting mistakes in a new pattern, or playing with swollen sore hands, I found these beauties:

sea glass and piece of shell

Just like the waves rolling in, ideas started crowding in. No, I didn’t turn my back on the ocean! Especially in winter that’s a really dangerous idea! And before I allowed myself to become really absorbed, I strolled up past high tide mark. I wanted to keep my leather shoes nicer. ;)

wings from Mark Myers angel pattern

Back home, I’m having more success with the scanner. Lots to learn though!

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.

Time for a walk

Yesterday I spent a lovely half hour walking on the beach. It was a reward to myself for actually getting a large project mostly finished.

Progress has been slow on the large projects. There’s been a reason. There are several, count ‘em…..5, large projects in the works. A wise mentor many years ago wouldn’t let me report on project progress until I knew how many hours I’d spent on the projects AND how many hours I estimated would finish the project. Wise advice. 

You see, I will happily create new stuff rather than keep focused. I dislike filing and putting away. The ironing will pile up until it will literally take hours to get the clothes hanging in the closet ready to wear. I will shift around boxes from one space to another until the contents are so old it doesn’t matter anyway. I will also happily create on projects of lesser importance rather than keeping focused on larger impact projects. Don’t get me wrong, some of the best creativity happens when you’re just “puttering” with ideas. But, half-finished stuff doesn’t have much value. Half-baked ideas don’t keep one’s attention. It’s time to assess all those large projects and get things organized so that I can get the most important things done.

Right after a walk through the woods……