something old, something new & some other things

 

Here is a little rag bench rug from the sauna, that I packed with a kitchen fork when I wove it years and years ago, that's still a favorite of mine.  Today I started a fresh scarf on the 22" Norwood loom.  Amy Arnold's summer kids look cute hanging out in the store.  When I cross the creek I stop to dip up water in that red plastic bucket  to pour on the nasturtiums in the flower pots and the gingko tree.  

Today an Amish man with a long gray beard walked in to the store and said he'd been looking around the neighborhood for some hay they could cut, since it's been so droughty. Could they cut in our field?

We haven't cut hay off that old field in years and years, I said. 

It is what it is, he said. 

It kills me when an old white bearded Amish guy says something like, It is what it is.

hello, Cornelia!

I was waiting impatiently to see the selection of cards I ordered from Cornelia O'Donovan, a favorite artist, from the UK.  At last, the package was here, by Royal Mail.  It felt hefty, in the good way a box of stationery feels.

I was so pleased to see what she'd sent  me.

Her designs are modern, graphic, images that offer small surprises at every turn. I love her drawing. They are a perfect card for many occasions when a card is desired.
Looking for a Valentine?

Down the Rosepath Again

 

Rows of X and O motifs in gaily colored Rosepath (sigh!) against a  background of black and gray prison stripes, suggest some of the complexities of romance, and seems Valentines-appropriate. (Or, that I'll never escape Rosepath).  Wearable cuff, sentimental, handwoven, closed with vintage Mississippi pearl buttons, and hand crocheted button loops, lined with dupioni silk,  I call them Hard Times for Valentines.

Heat Wave

It's warm enough today to feel good wearing just a sweater on a walk.  I went to look for some snow or ice, and the best I could find was a little along the banks of the West Fork.  A pleasant swan lit up in a front yard. I like swans, and especially like swan representations in plastic.  It must be the curve of the neck.  All around the hills are curves against the sky. The West Fork stream banks are scalloped.  I've always looked for roads that wind, and meandering streams.  This might explain why  I've always preferred a curvy selvedge!

I picked a new stack of rags to weave with, and considered working in some vintage rags from
an old rag ball.  Oh, the plaids!

Nighttime Storekeeping

I'm working late. I like how it looks in here, and how it smells. My favorite pair of plastic light-up polar bears glowing in the windows, and the tiniest Christmas tree I've ever had.  It's beginning to feel a little bit like Christmas.  Now I'm hoping for a soft, fat, flaky snowfall.

Old Summer

Fresh camera, new cotton towels from Sofia Arnold,  Flying Duck Chinese Kite, paper flower weaving, and a new We're Not Out of the Woods Yet  rosepath scarf.  Mr. Pike, puffing smoke from his bee-smoker to sedate the swarming bees,  has harvested honey from all the bee boxes.  A cricket chirps in my work room--good luck!  Summer's almost done.

Cat Pause

On the verge of despair over the presently unfolding political catastrophe of the Debt Ceiling games, I'm focusing on my new kitten. I brought him home because of his poly-dactylism (paws with more than the usual number of toes) but have also discovered his charming personality. I knew I'd like him. To play with a kitten doesn't mean I'm no longer a Feminist, Marxist, Cultural Socialist, it just means I'm going to give it a rest.

The little cat was here in the store on Saturday, until I remembered the folly of allowing a  kitten in a weaving workshop.

My new rosepath scarf warp in 16/2 softest Swedish cotton, charcoal gray and the color of a luna moth,  was clawed and tangled even more as I tried to extract him, and the 36 claws he might possess.
(I haven't been able to get a good count of the toes yet, but there may be as many as 9 on each paw).

Meanwhile, customers arrived, children, parents, grandparents, campers from the campground across the street, two of my cat-craziest customer-neighbors (you know who you are).  The air was conditioned (very cool) and the kitten was frisky. No one was in a hurry to leave.

Since he isn't named yet, I soon had a list of kitten name suggestions, and people advocating for their favorite.  Jasper, Chester, Felix, Smoky, Hector, Goober, Tootsie, Thumper, Killer, and Stanley.  Several people strongly favored Tootsie.  I like Iko, not sure why.  But so far it seems to come down to Big Foot, the obvious name.  Kitten enjoyed all the attention, and I felt my ominous black-cloud thoughts lifting, refreshed in the company of good-hearted people.

Chinese Kites!

New in the store this week are these beautiful, hand painted silk traditional Chinese kites. I'm infatuated! There are butterflies, owls, dragonflies and swans. Each one comes in a cloth covered box with ribbon ties, and cord handles.  The kites assemble easily in a few minutes, and just as easily come undone, to go back in their boxes.  They have bamboo frames, and each of many joints is tied with string wraps and glue. They are rather sturdy.

The plastic reel winder, with orange nylon flying line, screws, nuts, and satisfying tick-tick-tick sound while winding, is an old school toy all on its own.  I can imagine my own boy once upon a time standing on the bridge with something tied to the string letting it go downstream, until he wound it back.

Paint It Black

 

The store is painted dark now.  It smells painty.  The hooks are rehung, and the yellow cabinet by the front door again.  A new set of shelves are still in the works.  I'm starting to put merchandise on display.  I'm so pleased that the space is already easier to work with, and dedicated to textiles from now on.  The new wall color makes me feel very clear about what I want to see here. 

I made the pieced cloth lamp after seeing a beautiful collection of pieced shades made by Dutch artist Maartje Vandennoort  Like piecing a quilt for a room, why not cover  a lamp in soft patterns? 

The New Black

Very dark, very warm gray on the walls.  I'm working toward the stairs today.  This is good, so far.
Something else good, Annie Larson's feature yesterday on Urban Outfitters' blog.

Storekeeping

I'm painting a room in my store a dark, charcoal gray, so I've moved furniture around.  The sun comes in at a low angle lighting new corners.  Many spider webs come to light.   Outside it's cold,  and very bright.

I do prefer January to August. It must be my Arctic Circle genetic pool.