furry

This was a stash busting project.
I had 5 skeins of Rowan Big Wool Tuft
and I knit until I ran out of yarn.
The pattern is "Kay's Tess D’Urbervilles Shawl"
but meant for a much finer gauge yarn.
I used size US 19 needles,
which if you haven't seen them before are enormous.

tawashi

i have been making tawashi lately.
they're dish washing scrubbies.
later i'll post others that i've made.
there are lots of Japanese crochet books dedicated to making tawashi.
Here's an example of one of the books.
You can thumb through the pages of the book at Tezukuritown
(one of my favorite sources for Japanese patterns).
this tawashi is stuffed with nylon tulle.
i also used the cording handle from a store's shopping bag.
these little projects are fun since they are finished quickly
and can make nice little gifts.
i used Daiso antibacterial acrylic yarn.

watercolor

Here's a watercolor that I painted a few weeks ago.
I'm so fortunate to get together with a great group of friends that like to paint.
This one isn't finished.
The vase floats right now and needs to settle in on some sort of surface.
Isn't springtime great?!
All I want to do is paint flowers all day long.

Finished

Yarn: Simply Shetland, Colours of Scotland, Silk Lambswool
Color: Culzean #.036
Pattern from:

Hand-knitting: Spring/Summer (てあみニット)

by Nihon Vogue (日本ヴォーグ社)
I lengthened the sleeves.
At first the yoke was too tight using the specified hook size so I ripped the entire yoke and started over again with a hook 2 sizes larger and now it fits perfectly.
I'm happy with how it turned out.
While working on this sweater I was very frustrated with the yarn since it has lots of bits of scratchy plant materials spun into the yarn. But the worst part was that the first ball had dozens of breaks in the yarn so I have loads of ends to weave in.
I do like the scallopy edging.
This pattern is in Japanese so it was a fun puzzle to try to figure out how to make it.
It definitely flexed some brain muscles.

less toxic

Here's a website that I have come across called the Environmental Working Group where they have a healthy home checklist. I have become more proactive in the last few years to eliminate objects that I had regularly used in the past such as non-stick pans and plastic food containers which are some of the recommendations from the checklist.

Here's a great article along similar lines about eliminating endocrine disruptors by NYTimes columnist Nicolas Kristof. While I'm sure I'll be fine after my sonogram breast exam next month I am trying my best to eliminate unnecessary toxins in my home to make for healthier bodies around here.

Liberty Redo 2

I revised my Liberty of London skirt again. The first version can be seen here. I felt that the previous version was too dowdy and I likely wouldn't wear it. I love the latest version and will wear it often.

happy easter

copy

i copied an image of a painting from a magazine
that has been displayed above my studio table for many years.
all of a sudden i just had to paint it.
it's a view of coit tower
from russian hill in san francisco.
i wish i knew who the original artist
was so i could give credit
but i didn't keep that info with the little image.
do you know who the artist is? i'd really like to know.
i took the photo right after i finished painting
so the shine of wet paint makes it look unlike the original.
also the colors are much more vivid in real life.
i love oil paints!
this was fun.

Liberty Redo

I sliced up a Liberty of London for Target
girls dress and made it into a skirt.
That's a lot of Liberty fabric for $16.
I've gone a little crazy
over all the Liberty offerings at Target.
It's a dream come true for a rabid Liberty fan.

I love this movie
Valentino: The Last Emperor
For anyone who has ever created their own clothing,
especially of one's own design,
you will appreciate peeking into the world
of a one of the finest designers ever.
I loved seeing the design process
and production of his iconic dresses.
Not to mention gorgeous chateau, gardens,
Puccini, Roma, Venezia,
and plenty of beautiful people.
It is a gem of a film.

now available

"Bice Light"
original oil painting
by me
now available at my Etsy shop

cake

i followed the recipe exactly,
including using the correct pan size,
yet the batter cascaded all over the oven floor.
what a mess!
it was quite a job prying the layers
out of their pans once they had cooled
since they had mushroomed over the brim.
after some surgery the cake was salvaged.
recipe from Fanny at Chez Panisse.
Happy Birthday baby.

Hummer Check-in

I just visited Phoebe, the Channel Island Anna hummingbird, again to see how things were going for her and saw that she has laid a new clutch of eggs since the last time I checked in on her. Watch for a while if she's on the nest and eventually she will fly off for a bit and you'll be able to see her eggs. When she returns to the nest she rotates the eggs and repairs the nest. It's really a beautiful thing to witness so closely.

Have I ever endorsed a product on birdieopolis before? Nope, yet GoodBelly has dramatically changed my belly health. As an IBS sufferer I've been researching the benefits of probiotics and prebiotics lately. Up popped GoodBelly, hence a happy tummy ever since drinking it up. Friends that have used it have also sung its praises in loud choruses.
Thanks NextFoods for making such a sensational product.

In Love!

I am in love with this hummingbird nest cam! The chick has grown so much since I first started checking in on it a couple of weeks ago. I just love watching it! If you love birds too you'll have to take a look.

kitty loves sleeping on the mohair blanket in the sun.
life is good!

mohair from belgium.
no pattern.

noh8

i was really impressed that Cindy McCain
would step out in support of the noh8 campaign!
i agree with Cindy that anyone should be
free to marry whomever you chose
to love for the rest of your life.
i made this felt bag to hold my latest knitting project.
looks like closing arguments are underway in CA
at this moment in the noh8 case.
what will the outcome be?
will it open freedom for all nationwide?
or will things remain as is
until a new enlightenment period emerges in the future?

bag pattern from isbn 9784579111152.
sweater is a debbie bliss pattern.

mini

recent crochet work from Japanese patterns

new shade

here's the latest version of the shade for the dining table.

the wood leaves have been buried deep in a drawer for years

and when i came upon them the other day

i had an immediate desire to make this.

the leaves are from IKEA.

Happy New Year!

While waiting for my pathology results I was pretty consumed by thoughts about the future of my boob. I have been a regular contributor to the Postcards from the Edge AIDS fundraiser in NYC yet this year's entry was a bit different than usual. My fiberworks have never included naked bods before, but this year there wasn't another subject that I was interested in creating. At the time I felt that whatever was to happen following the pathology results that I was going to be a victor and not a victim. And so the gal on my postcard is holding a laurel wreath. It's not on her head yet, but she is ready to put it on her head, soon. The laurel wreath is on my head now that I know that the pathology results from my surgery were even better than the original biopsy findings. Before my doctor told me the pathology results the nurse tested my blood pressure and it was the highest level it has ever been. I usually have very low blood pressure, especially since I run all the time, and I told the nurse that I was sure that the reading was due to being very anxious to hear the results of the pathology. She was quite understanding since she must see this all the time in her daily work. My heart was pounding out of my chest too. Then the doctor came into the exam room and said, "I know you would like to have more surgery, but you won't need any more!" What a roundabout way to say that I was okey-dokey. An enormous weight had in that instant been lifted off of me. It had been two months of mammos, biopsies, wire localization, surgery and hives to get to this point of not having a constant cloud over my existence. The only other times in my life when I have been as happy were when I got married and gave birth to my babies. I wanted to jump up in the air and do that sideways heel click move but I'm not coordinated enough to do it as well as I imagine it should be done. Joy filled me so completely I could not stop smiling. I am a lucky one. It must be horrible when the oncologist has to tell his patient that their worst fear is realized. For me however I imagine a wonderful new year full of cheer and optimism. My life turned on a positive or negative result on a glass plate under a microscope. I am blessed to have a favorable outcome, and to be lucky enough to have a surgeon that was superbly skilled.

I wonder if my postcard sold this weekend in NYC.

Happy New Year to all!!!!! Be healthy!