Google Doodles are fun!

Today’s Google doodle is right down my alley! I know this!!!

https://www.google.com/doodles/celebrating-johann-sebastian-bach

Typically, I don’t get excited about Machine Learning. Most of what I do cannot be “improved” on by using Machine Learning. And my experience when medical staff uses Machine Learning has not been good. It’s been very expensive. But this Doodle introduces Bach and harmonization in 4 parts. That I can get excited about!

I must find out who created the Doodle and thank them!

Christmas earrings

Iris Neibach pattern

Here’s the earring pattern by Iris Neibach that gave me inspiration:

Anything that appears to have a grid as its structure always reminds me of tablature or notes on a staff. I definitely need to play with this some more.

Up next: bracelet design with 5 long lines of beads and something else for the other direction.

Another milestone

Halfway through another 100 posts. Who’dathunk……

Not much to show as I’ve been cleaning up, organizing, and dreaming up another design. Soon, I promise! In the meantime, here’s my version of Jane’s TIAS 2017: 

Jane E TIAS 2017

She is worked in color Carousel. I thought these colors would be "Jane" and I think they fit nicely!

LeClerc loom sample

Nilus LeClerc F series

One of the benefits, among many, of connecting with the Carmel Craft Guild is access to resources. There is so much information and knowledge shared. Members encourage each other, hold each other accountable, and generally network for Fiber. 

Recently, I agreed to store a floor loom for the Guild. It was built by the Canadian company LeClerc Looms around the same time as the house we live in. It seemed to settle in and say, “I’m home!” 

I decided to refurbish the parts enough to use the loom for the Beginning Weaving class. Success! 

sampler from Chandler book

It’s just about impossible to get a good picture of the sample I wove, but here’s a detail of the twill sample. 

The idea was to weave plain weave with balanced, weft, and warp faced sections; then weave 2/2 twill with balanced, weft, and warp faced sections. I learned a lot, I still need to get a few more parts replaced, and I need to improve my techniques gobs.

The musicians among you probably already have seen where the 2/2 twill sections will lead. Can I weave 4/4 and then add some tatting to represent the melodies/harmonies and other details?

Of preservation and white deer

Today’s post has no pictures, as you can see, and is a recap of previous ongoing topics.

Preserver or restorer?

A good friend recently described his attitude towards things old as being a "preserver" instead of a "restorer." Well, that fits me too. I enjoy the activity of discovery of things old far more than I enjoy the activity of demolishing and rebuilding. My excuse is that I don't have confidence in my skills and the materials available will be up to snuff when compared with the worn but original item. I also think I must have some archaeology tendencies. I can't seem to demolish something when the story it tells seems important and somewhat incomplete.

I improvise on the organ a bit. It’s fun. But, I like to delve into a published composition and bring their ideas to sound. I like to tell a story I imagine, and I like to read stories other people imagine. Same with tatting patterns. I enjoy bringing a string of symbols and letters or a diagram to life in thread.

I fall in the preserver category. There’s an auction this weekend. I’ll be going not to buy a specific thing, but to see what other people have preserved or restored. Yes, I’ll be tatting there as others spend money.

The White deer is a bully.

 She is probably doing what deer Moms do. But, she’s not sharing. She chases the other smaller deer away from her favorite food source. That bothers me a bit. But, what bothers me more is the food source. Our neighbor has been feeding the deer. Throwing fruit and vegetable and scraps from their cooking over the fence. Where there’s prey, there are predators. I think about that as I hear cars parking and doors closing well after dark. There have been coyote and cougar sightings. I worry that a young person just trying to study for the PSAT or working on a robot will not make it to graduation and never get to college. Just my imagination, but I really wish the deer weren’t fed.  

So, I focus on what I can control.

Our "new" house has lots of stories to tell. I know it will disappoint, and I won't be sharing them all. I just don't have the photography skills to keep up. It will also take years to make the house our own. So, I'm off to research what style of design details I should be using as a steward of this home. 

Thinking outside the round

Perhaps it’s because music is typically printed in square or rectangular format, but I’ve always been drawn to square shapes in tatting. No, I guess that can’t be the reason. Could be I’m just all angles and points. Regardless, when a friend showed me a copy of Workbasket from the 70’s, I had to try this from the tatting page:

Tatted Scarf Square from Workbasket

I thought that the onion ring corners might turn out better than my previous attempts at onion rings. The picots joining to the chains help. I rather like the negative space with the long picots from the center ring. I have a list of possibilities to dress that area up: beads, twisting, complex chains, maybe even daisy picot style wrapping. I left the square unblocked so that I could remember the issues working through the pattern easier. The center ring was a bit difficult to keep from twisting around as I tat the DS separated by so many picots. The chains forming the onion layers tended to wander away from where they were supposed to be due to the picots joining. Overall, I do like the basic structure. I’ll be writing up my notes and practicing making diagrams with this little bit.