Six swans flying

What Joy Is This?

2010-01-04T06:55:00.001-07:00

Life is good. My babies are growing up so quickly. The New Year has started. I had time to spin and knit while off from work the week between Christmas and New Years--and (more importantly) the energy to do it!

Here's Hannah on Christmas morning.

Here's Sarah--smiley girl--happily cooing while Hannah and I made gingerbread men on Christmas Eve.

In our very urban neighborhood as we arrived home from Christmas Eve services late at night, we saw two red foxes paused on an embankment covered with snow--it was pure magic.

Welcome Sarah Helen Moore

2009-10-02T19:43:00.000-07:00

I keep thinking I'm going to have time to write this post--and here it is a week after Sarah was born and it is still sitting in the draft folder. Sorry for the delay--but you know--new baby=no sleep and choices like, should I eat or shower today? Today I chose eating instead of showering. It was a good decision.

So! Sarah! She's beautiful. She was born at 8:55 am on Friday September 25th via C-section. I had to have a C-section because of multiple previous surgeries--the doctors feared I'd have a lot of scar tissue that would cause problems. When they got in there they discovered that it was fine, in fact there was very minimal scaring. They did joke about installing a zipper, though.

I'd like to avoid any more surgeries if I can--this one was eventful because the spinal didn't take properly and when they started to cut me open, I could feel it--it was very strange. It wasn't like the last time, where I could feel my body moving, but really couldn't feel any sensations below my chest. This time, while it wasn't painful, I could feel instruments moving against my skin, my skin relaxing as it fell open, and things being moved around inside. It was very, very uncomfortable. They decided that they had to put me under completely. I was very sad because it meant that I couldn't see Sarah right away--but there was nothing to be done about it. I was tensing my abdominal muscles and it was making it hard for the surgeon to do her work. They said it went very smoothly once they put me under.

Sarah weighed 8 lbs, 6 oz at birth, measured 20 1/2 inches long and has a 14-inch head. She has a head of dark hair (that her sister Hannah can't stop touching), and blue eyes that will most likely change to hazel like Hannah's when she's a bit older. She has a powerful cry--at times I worry about our ear drums. Fortunately, she doesn't cry much.

We have had an issue with weight loss this week--sadly hers, not mine. She's lost 16% of her birth weight (she got as low as 7 lbs, and is now back up to 7lbs, 3 oz) and that is cause for concern. She looks healthy--so one theory is that she gained superficial weight right before the surgery because they loaded me up with fluids (3 bags full). But we still need to work on getting her body weight up. My milk is slow coming in--so I'm working closely with a lactation nurse at the hospital (she's absolutely wonderful) who is helping me increase my milk supply and also we're supplementing with formula until I'm producing enough milk to feed Sarah adequately. It is hard work--this mommy business!

I've decided not to attend SOAR this year because of the risk of traveling with a very small baby during such a bad flu season. I'm very sorry and will very much miss seeing everyone. I'll look forward to hearing the stories and seeing photos.

I'll post more photos and stories soon.

This is it!

2009-09-25T03:48:00.003-07:00

We're headed to the hospital today for a C-section at 7:30 am. Can't wait to set eyes on our little baby Sarah!
Here's a photo of me and Hannah in the girl's newly redecorated room. The Raggedy Ann Curtains are from my childhood--my mom made them for the room my sister and I shared in Ann Arbor, Michigan when we lived in married student housing while my parents went to school at the University of Michigan. We're standing right next to where the built in desk used to be. It was a good decision to remove the desk--there is a lot more room in the room and more flexibility for arranging all the furniture.

I finished the blanket for Lindsay--but haven't taken photos of it. I'll do that and get them posted.
Okay--gotta go! I'll let you know how it all goes.

Nose, roof, and deconstruction, oh my!

2009-09-05T06:44:00.005-07:00

Hannah's nose is all better (here she is a few days after the accident, and here she is two weeks later)--in fact we found out later it didn't actually break--only because her nose hasn't fully matured yet--so there really aren't bones to break. I'm still having dreams about Hannah getting hurt, though. Last night I dreamed that we were hanging pictures and a really big framed painting fell down and grazed her nose. I thank our lucky stars that this is our biggest trauma since she was born (that was traumatic).

We have a new roof since the July 21st hailstorm. My garden is still a pale shade of what it was before the storm, but it will be fine next year and I'll actually be able to bend down and do work in it--which I'm not able to do right now.

And now we're deconstructing Hannah's room--well, Kelly is, that is. Here he is taking out the built in desk that was taking up too much room and not allowing for enough flexibility in the room.

We're getting the room ready for Hannah's sister--due September 27th. Here's her pudgy, little face. I'm looking forward to meeting her.
That's what's going on with us right now. I'm working on finishing the blanket for my sister's baby--it is nearly done and I haven't been able to do much beading this summer because the pregnancy has been difficult and I've had to spend a lot more time than I like lying down. I suppose that's to be expected when you're forty(!) and having a baby! Anyway--there will be plenty of time for beading later and I'm so looking forward to welcoming little Sarah to our family.

Hannah's broken nose

2009-08-04T11:47:00.003-07:00

We had an exciting night last night—and not the kind you want. Hannah and I did our normal nighttime routine, pjs, brush teeth, and read two books in bed with me and we both fell asleep. Kelly usually comes up a little bit later and takes Hannah back to her bed. At about 10 pm, Hannah who was asleep in the middle of the bed next to me, suddenly turned and pitched off the bed face first in an acrobatic move we can only imagine. She landed face first on the hardwood floor. I can’t remember how I got by her side, but I woke up pretty quickly and even saw her feet going over the side of the bed. Kelly came rushing upstairs to see what the commotion was, almost falling himself in his hurry and stocking feet. I lifted Hannah off the floor—she was crying instantly-- and I saw that both her lips were bleeding, right after that her nose started bleeding.

Kelly took her to the bathroom while I went to get ice. By the time I got back upstairs, it was clear that her nose was probably broken (it was swollen to twice its normal size and an odd shape). Kelly called the doctor, I tried to get ice on her nose (we were never successful with the ice or icepacks, though eventually we were able to put a wet wash cloth on her nose)—and held her while we waited for the on-call service at the doctor’s office to call us back. It seemed like an eternity, but it was only ten minutes, and they told us to take her to the ER.

Hannah did a good job of calming down (our brave little girl) as much as possible (as did I and Kelly—we both had our moments of needing to pull it together). She cried the whole time, but was not hysterical.

At the ER, the thing that she did not like the most was when they tried to take her pulse and oxygen with the little thing that goes on your finger. She did like the bracelet they put on her arm for identification (and didn’t want to take it off when we got home). After that, she did a good job of letting them look at her lips and throat and nose, and in her eyes to make sure she didn’t have concussion. We had the option for a CAT scan, but they said it would only be if we wanted to do cosmetic surgery in the future and wouldn’t change her care for the night—and it would expose her to a lot of radiation—so we opted out of the CAT scan.

They gave her Tylenol with codeine and Motrin to help her sleep and reduce the swelling. We got home a little after midnight. On the drive home, she was a bit loopy from the medication and talking and talking about all the strange things she was seeing driving home at midnight. She slept well. Both Kelly and I got up several times to check on her and I had nightmares all night about Hannah getting injured.

She woke up cheerful and ready to tell everyone the story of the adventure from the night before. She helped me get the blood out of her pjs with hydrogen peroxide this morning. The swelling has gone down but, I expect she’ll have two black eyes soon. We’ll see how her nose heals—the doctor at the ER said that we’d have to wait for the swelling to go down to determine if it was broken (he thought it would be three days or so). Little kids don’t have a lot of cartilage in their noses, so with luck, it’ll be fine.

We'll revise our bed time routine--even though I think this was a freak accident as she's never fallen out of bed before and mostly sleeps in one spot all night long--I don't want to take the chance of it happening again.

Shredded garden

2009-07-21T06:31:00.003-07:00

Last night we had an intense hail storm. So, here are the before photos of my garden shot on July 10th.

And here are photos from 6:30 am this morning--several hours after the 11 pm storm last night.

I'm sure some of the garden will bounce back--but there is a lot that won't be back this season. I held Hannah during the storm--it was so intense and I worried that the hail was going to break our windows, it was blasting our house so hard. The power was out for two hours, but everything else seems to be okay--no big branches in the yard or power lines down as far as I can tell. After it was over she told me that she never wanted it to hail like that again. We have leaves plastered to the second story window, and the trees are stripped of their leaves. I have a feeling it is not going to be so nice and cool in our house for the rest of the summer. I'm sad to see my garden so decimated, but I know that it will bounce back eventually.

I'm still here--really

2009-06-22T06:19:00.006-07:00

I didn't mean to disappear on you like that--sorry! This spring just got so busy--too busy to post updates. Thanks to nearly daily rain for what seems like months--my garden is glorious--the iris are just finishing up and the lilies are starting in (none are blooming yet, but they promise to, soon). Daily rain--that's just not a phrase we utter much in Colorado--and certainly not with the words months. I guess it is further evidence of global warming--disturbing as that is--it sure has been nice.

For those of you who participated in my brother's auction to raise money for his film, Id and Emma--thank you! The editing is going well--here is a trailer.

Hannah turned four--can you believe it? I can't. On her birthday, I went into her room to wake her up and she was still groggy, but said, "Momma! I've got a surprise for you!" And I said, "Oh! What is it?" And she stuck her feet out from under her covers and said, "Look, my foots is bigger!"

Art auction

2009-03-09T10:08:00.009-07:00

My brother Ben and his friend D.W. Alexander are working on raising money for their next film production, Id and Emma, which they will begin shooting in April. They have asked artists that they know to donate artwork for the auction and we’ve listed them on ebay (see the links below).

They are also donating 20% of the money raised from the auction for the Colorado Sickle Cell Foundation to honor a friend who is fighting the disease.

In this photo, D.W. is filming from the tower at East High School in Denver, Colorado, which will be a location in Id and Emma.

Please take a look at these items for auction, bid on ones you like, and forward this link to your friends and family. We really appreciate your support!

Updated 04-14-09--thanks everyone! So far, Ben and D.W. have earned $220.00 as well as $60 for the Colorado Sickle Cell Foundation.

These paintings are still available and have been relisted on eBay:

El Pueblo by Patricia Barr Clarke.

Rainbow Shell #8 by Tanya L. Hayes.

The Reading Room by Benjamin Sherif Clarke

Figure Study by Benjamin Sherif Clarke

Not Just One or the Other by Laura Brady

Stirling Castle by Noell Custer

Books by Mark A. Clarke, Barbara Dobson, and Sandra Silberstein

One copy of the 5th edition of
Reader's Choice

Choice Readings

Books by Mark A. Clarke

A Place to Stand

Common Ground, Contested Territory

Too big, too small...what about just right?

2009-01-26T06:50:00.006-07:00

I decided to full the hat--it is still a bit big, but wearable. Here it is before and after fulling.

I also started one for Hannah. The first one I cast on, I over compensated and made it too small, so I had to frog it and start over. The second one fits her pretty well--though it doesn't cover her ears completely. I'd show you a photo on her, but I'm not quick enough to photograph it before she whips it off her head. She does say she likes it and will wear it when it is cold out . . . we'll see. We got some lovely snow last night, so we'll have an opportunity this morning to try out our new hats in cold weather.

This is what I get for feeling so clever

2009-01-19T07:30:00.007-07:00

As a reward for finally finishing my dad's sweater, I'm making myself a hat. I chose this one. I read on Ravelry that some versions were coming out a little bigger than expected--so I followed the gauge for a smaller hat. I do have a head that measures on the larger side of things. Yep, 22 1/2 inches--this is usually the last size on hat charts for women.

I spun one singles from this lovely Bluefaced Leicester from Dragonfibers on etsy and the other singles from Bonkers Handmade Originals Tencel/Merino that I bought at the Estes Park Wool Market this summer.

I was feeling clever because I had not only figured out how to do entrelac, but I was also knitting backwards to make it go faster. All weekend I was wishing that someone who knew a thing or two about knitting would stop by and notice that I was knitting backwards. But sadly, no one noticed. And even when I pointed it out, they didn't seem too impressed.
And, since I was knitting from singles, I had devised a portable lazy kate to hold a single bobbin. This is apparently too much cleverness for one person.

So this is what I get for feeling so clever.

Options at this point:
1. Start over.
2. Keep going and finish, then full it until it is the right size.
3. Make it into a bag.

Project completed!

2009-01-13T06:46:00.003-07:00

Yes, it is true. This is a photo of my dad wearing his sweater, started in November of 1996, completed this weekend and delivered to my dad on Sunday. He and my mom are taking turns reading books to Hannah, doted-upon-grandchild-that-she-is.

Dad asked to have me holding the knitting needles in the photo--I've already cast-on a hat for myself as a "you-did-it!" reward.

I was worried that the sweater was going to be too large, but it turned out to be the kind of sweater that looked good on several people of different body types who tried it on and it fits my dad perfectly. He said he's never going to take it off now that he has it. We're a bit prone to exaggeration in my family--but I like that he liked it so much to say something like that. I wonder if I could, like, fit the word like into that sentence one more time. Like, that would be really funny.

Seaming the 10- (ahem 12-) year cardigan

2009-01-08T07:34:00.003-07:00

I'm nearly done seaming my Dad's sweater. I really shouldn't be talking about it until it is blocked and on his back as every time it seems like I'm close to finishing I discover things--like that the back was 2-inches longer than the fronts, or that I had run out of yarn (fortunately, remedied when I frogged the back!). I guess there are reasons why it is a 12-year sweater.

More ornaments

2009-01-04T08:00:00.006-07:00

First off--Happy New Year everyone!
I'm still in an ornament making frenzy. My Aunt Lise gave us the cutest Christmas tree wall hanging a few years ago with a little pocket for each day of December until Christmas--to count off the days. It came with candy--one candy in each pocket, one piece of candy for each day until Christmas. That's a lot of candy for a baby (or anyone for that matter)--so this year I placed a small ornament in each pocket and Hannah and I had great fun counting the days and putting an ornament on the tree each day.

But I had an idea--and for next year I'm making 25 ornaments (well, now I have 30+), each with a photo of our family and friends on a star shaped ornament (I used a toy cookie cutter)--and we'll decorate the tree with their wonderful faces.

This idea meant that I needed to buy more polymer clay.

Hannah made ornaments, too. They are portraits--the yellow one is Hannah, the green one is of me.

Make your own gift bags

2008-12-22T08:17:00.013-07:00

My 3 1/2 year old daughter often comes home from day care with lots of paintings--they are great and I love each one--but they are starting to pile up. I had an idea for a way to use them so that we could share them with family and friends. We're making them into gift bags this holiday season!

The bonus is that this is an easy project to do with small children--just make sure they are safe with the scissors and not eating the glue. When I was making these with Hannah, I did the folding and she did the gluing.

Materials:
Paper to recycle (the larger the paper, the larger the gift bags--so 11x17 inches and up is nice if it is available)
Glue stick
Scissors
Paper craft rope

Rim

Start by creating the top edge of the bag along the long side of the paper. Fold in 1/2 inch and glue closed.

Next turn paper so that the rim is on the left edge and start folding the sides--the first side will be about 4 inches wide, then the face of the bag (about 6 inches wide), then another 4-inch wide side, followed by a 6-inch wide back.

If your paper has a lot of paint on it, it might tear when it is being folded--simply glue a patch to the inside of the bag with a piece of extra paper.

Last fold 1/2 inch overlap flap and cut off the excess paper. Save the excess paper for glueing in the paper rope handles later.

Glue the paper flap around the corner of the first side that you folded. Now you have a rectangular tube.

Bottom of the bag
Create the bottom of the bag, by cutting along the folds of the bag on the bottom about two inches in.

Fold in the flaps, then apply glue to the two long flaps and fold them in and secure the flaps.

Trace around the bottom of the bag on a piece of the extra paper and cut it to size. Apply glue to the underside and place it inside the bag on the bottom.

Handles
Make a paper flap to hold down the handles with the excess paper. Cut 2 3 x6 inch strips and fold in the two edges as pictured and glue down the folded edges. Apply glue to the back.

Cut two 6-inch pieces of paper rope and bend to a rounded, handle shape.

Glue to the insides of the bag with the paper flap, pressing firmly around the paper rope so that it stays in place.

Allow to dry, then fill your bag with goodies to give to your friends.

Making things

2008-12-15T07:43:00.007-07:00

This is the time of year that I really, really get an urge to make things. The thing is that I have this urge constantly throughout the year--it is just intensified when the snow begins to fall.

This weekend I gave into those urges and had fun with Hannah as well. We played with polymer clay and made ornaments for our very tiny Christmas tree. It is so easy and fun, I thought I'd share the how-to part with you.

Roll out shapes of polymer clay (we used Sculpey) for your ornaments. We used a little rolling pin (one of Hannah's) to make them flat--but they also sell special rolling pins for polymer clay.

I had some metal bails that I stuck into the clay to make pendant--but poking a hole works, too.

I cut out photographs and stuck them on the ornaments and baked them (it worked!) following the directions on the polymer clay package in the oven for 15 minutes at 275 degrees F.
After they had cooled, I painted them with Sculpey Glaze and let them dry. I applied 2 coats to the front and one to the back.

After the ornaments dried, I strung a piece of ribbon through the hole and then added a little wire hook made with my wire working tools and hung the ornaments on our little tree.

waves I'm still here

2008-11-12T06:06:00.004-07:00

Betcha thought I fell off the face of the earth. Sorry about that. Two things going on. First is that I just didn't have time to post. Second is that, well, I just don't have witty, pithy, clever, fun things to post about. I mean, sure, interesting things are going on in my life, but I imagine they are just interesting to me--why would you want to read about them? Like the chair that got attacked by the squirrel on the back porch, I did finally replace the seat. Very exciting for me, probably not so exciting for you. And it only took me four months to replace it.

I finished Hannah's Autumn sweater--only to realize that it didn't fit well (see how far down the neckline goes? And it was falling off her shoulders), so I've ripped it out (well, just the collar and button band) and am reworking it (oh, and I had to spin more yarn for it). I have about an inch of beading left to do on the Godiva piece, but no, I haven't finished it yet. And my Dad's sweater? Yep, I'm still working on it.

In my work life I have accomplished a lot--went to press with Felt in mid-July, then Fall 2008 Spin-Off at the beginning of August, then edited a book project August-September while getting as far ahead on the Winter 2008 Spin-Off as I could and getting ready for SOAR. At the beginning of October I helped host SOAR in the Poconos in Pennsylvania, then came back to go to press with the Winter issue two weeks later, and now I'm trying to get caught up with everything and get the Spring 2009 issue underway.

I did take a little time off (a long weekend) and went to visit a friend who just had her third baby and got lots of snugly baby time. We drove through Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Nevada to get there--gorgeous scenery. Hannah was a real trooper and traveled so well that it was a fun trip. She was telling Granddad all about the snow we saw--snow on the mountains, snow in the sky, snow on the roads. She kept asking if it was winter time.

But for me, the biggest news is that I'm so happy as a result of the elections, that I'm actually skipping around--walking on air. I haven't felt this happy about the results of an election since Jimmy Carter was elected, and I was in the third or fourth grade when that happened.

Bye-bye July

2008-08-02T05:11:00.004-07:00

Okay--so I totally missed July--in terms of blogging, that is. Sorry about that. It was a good month--just very full. Not a lot of time left to sit down and ponder it all.
Events in July:
Two races.
Two birthdays.
Two beaded pieces.

(I finished Hannah in Helen's Hands and picked up Lady Godiva again after setting it aside for several months to work on HiH.) I tried to get Lady Godiva done for an exhibit, but didn't succeed. I shipped them two pieces that were already completed, though.

One exhibit.
Two magazines (well, technically--the second one doesn't go to press until Wednesday, but the bulk of the work was done in July).
Two days in the mountains.
Many trips to the playground, the zoo, the swingset in the back yard, making mudpies, reading books.
One new school for Hannah.
Two Books--The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan and Austenland by Shannon Hale--both really good.
I worked on yarn--yarn that ended up being too thin or to thick--and finally was just right. Whew!

Here's my favorite chair to sit on the back porch with a little fiber to pat while watching the sun come up.

Something inexplicable happened to it yesterday while I was working at home. In the early morning I took a photo of yarn on the table next to it and it was fine--and this is what it looked that evening. I think an animal attacked it. At first I thought a cat fight happened in it (quite a few neighborhood cats like to roam through our yard)--but there was no extra cat hair around it (no more than usual)--and it wasn't moved from it's normal spot. Maybe a rabid squirrel decided it had had quite enough of canvas? I don't know. I'm off to the fabric store to buy canvas to replace the seat.

Gardening, Spinning, Beading, and Estes

2008-06-25T05:49:00.001-07:00

A little bit about my garden:

Same bed in the back yard--2006,2007 and 2008. This bed is a challenge because it is in a very shady spot in the back yard. Ground covers work best in it.

2008 Iris--in the bed in the back yard and on the north side of the house.

I'm a flower gardener (ie--I don't grow a vegetable garden)--We moved into this house 3 years ago (literally a day before Hannah was born--not on purpose, mind you--anyway--that's another long story). So the first summer we were here we didn't work on the yard at all, in fact it wasn't until later in the summer that we discovered that we had a huge thistle plantation on the side of the house that we hadn't noticed at all. They went to seed. We're still digging up thistles on that side of the house--though they are under control now.
I'm working on putting in drought tolerant plants (this is Colorado, after all) that bloom at different times of the summer so that there is always something blooming. The great thing about my garden this year is that it is pretty much taking care of itself. I can't tell you how much I adore Iris. And my Iris this year were spectacular. Now the lilies are getting ready to bloom. Last year the first blossom opened on my birthday--we'll see if that happens again!

Hannah's sweater
I'm working on Hannah's sweater with the hope of finishing it this Autumn. I had spun up more yarn, but it is too thin . I tried knitting it up and it would distort the sweater eventually--not right away--but by the time I made enough squares the top half of the sweater would be shorter, way shorter. So I purchased more BFL dyed top from Chameleon Colorworks (though they didn't have the same colorway (!)--originally I had purchased Autumn, but now they stock October--it has less acid green in it and more pink. I think that I'll be able to make it work. I still have some of the original Autumn left so I can transition to the new colorway.

Here are two bumps of October over the portion of the sweater that is knitted with Autumn. Next to it all the bumps I have--the one on top is a silk/Merino blend in the Autumn colorway--which I wasn't planning on using for this project because it is a different fiber content.
Then the bump on the right is the Autumn, the bumps in the center and on the left are October. The ball of yarn in the top left hand corner is the too thin yarn that I'll have to use for something else.
Beading

I'm nearly done with Hannah in Helen's Hands. I think it will happen this week. It is headed to a good home. I've enjoyed the time I've spent with it. It is hard for me to put into words what it means--I guess that's why it is visual. This photo that my sister took captures the essence of amazing strength in people who appear fragile, the powerful connection between generations, the cycles of life.

Estes Park Wool Market
Hannah and I went together--she was great.

I love the mountain setting combined with sheep, llamas, alpacas, goats, rabbits, and mountains of fiber! We had a great time.

I've been tagged

2008-05-22T05:46:00.004-07:00

Clearly--this is intended to get me to post. It has been a while. Sorry! Things have been happening--just at too fast a pace for me to post about them.

Progress is being made on Hannah in Helen's Hands as I'm now calling the piece (what do you think of the title, Mary?) I've actually made more progress since this photo was taken over a week ago and think that I might be able to finish it this holiday weekend while camping in the mountains with six other family members. We'll see!

Spring has sprung full force--my tulips are almost all done, the iris are blooming! It seems so early for Iris--but maybe that is because I'm in shock that it is May at all, and not only that--but the end of May.

I did a bunch of silk spinning in April--to work on the Printed Silk Cardigan from the Spring 2008 issue of Knits by Connie Chang. It is still in progress. And I'm still working on my Dad's cardigan (which I also plan on working on while tootling around in the mountains this weekend).

I attended the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival May 2-5--very fun, of course. I came home with wool. Wool, wonderful wool! But haven't had a chance to spin much. I'm planning on taking my spinning wheel and fiber with me camping this weekend.

Okay--the meme tag. I've never done one of these before. Diane tagged me. Of course, hers is entirely captivating--what with her past history studying Old German and Old Norse--who knew?

1. What was I doing ten years ago?
Ten years ago was 1998--I had been working at Interweave Press as an Editorial Assistant for nearly 9 months. I lived in a small apartment in Fort Collins, Colorado just 1/2 block north of the Public Library and around the corner from Joe Coca's photo studio. I was recovering from the Fort Collins flood. I drove down to Denver nearly every weekend to spend time with my family and stay with my Grandma Helen. I went with her on her morning walks around City Park. I lived on a modest budget--$10 a week for groceries. It was that spring that I embarked on a bead embroidery project for Beadwork magazine that changed the course of my art work. Soon, I'd receive news that I was going to be an Aunt--also a life altering event.

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):

1. Shower.
2. Get Hannah ready for Miss Tina's.
3. Take Hannah to Miss Tina's.
4. Arrive at Interweave and figure out how I'm going to attend two meetings that occur at the same time.
5. Work on author payments, comp copy notes, read 35 essays, edit the spinner's connection, figure out Felt photography, select items for handspun gallery.

3. Snacks I enjoy:
Mmmm. Snacks. I love shortbread, but I have to exercise extreme willpower to stay away from sugar in most forms--drat. It's for my own good. Really.

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

This one really isn't fair. It is a trick question. First of all, I don't really want to be a billionaire. While it would be nice not to have to worry about money--I think it would come with a lot of additional stress. Stress that I can't even imagine (that's what I'm telling myself anyway). I would put the majority of the money in trust funds that would fund several charities that would truly help people in meaningful ways--alleviate hunger, sickness, right wrongs, provide education, fund artisans and writers who wouldn't otherwise have a chance to share their gifts. I would give each of my family members enough money so that they could pay off their mortgage and travel as they wished. I would make sure my nieces and nephews had enough socked away so that they could all go to college if they wished. I would pay off our mortgage and do a bit of remodeling (put in a hot tub, build Kelly the garage of his dreams). I would become a full time mom and a part time artist. I would travel occasionally. I might start an artist community like the one in Balboa Park in San Diego--but within walking distance of my house. Learn lampworking. Garden. Take my daughter and nieces and nephews swimming.

5. Places I have lived:

Boulder, Colorado.

Cairo, Egypt.

Rastanura, Saudi Arabia.

Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Denver, Colorado.

Mt. Vernon, Iowa.

San Jose, Costa Rica.

Boruca, Costa Rica.

Fort Collins, Colorado.

Loveland, Colorado.

Lakewood, Colorado.

5. People I want to know more about:

Mary and Jenny.

Yarn Harlot in Denver, again!

2008-04-09T06:09:00.001-07:00

I was way in the way back (#211 or some such). I could barely see Stephanie over the crowd, but it didn't matter--I had a great time. Hannah and Kelly came, too. I didn't get to participate in the line that formed hours before she arrived this time--we had too much to do and had to take our chances getting seats.

Can't tell it is Stephanie? Here--I've zoomed in.

Stephanie's talk was just perfect--she knows how to take universal truths (they don't have to be about knitting, but that they are makes them resonate with me even more) and frame them in a way that is both funny and poignant. She has great timing and an amazing wit. Her books are really good, too. I'm savoring this one. I've just read the jacket cover and the first page.
Sadly, Kelly didn't get to hear Stephanie talk because Hannah was too squirmy (sorry everyone around us). The Tattered Cover in Highlands Ranch was prepared (mostly) for the crowd--but I liked it better last year in the Lodo location because we had a room to ourselves (remember how we stomped when she came in last year--that was great). This year there were lots of people in the store milling around who weren't there to listen to Stephanie. I wanted to shush them, but that would have been rich coming from the woman with the rambunctious toddler and the obnoxiously loud laugh.

Someone in my comments asked about the sweater Hannah was wearing. Here she is in it (this is a photo from last year--I think she likes this sweater so much, she's trying to eat it). Carol Rhoades made her this sweater before Hannah was born. This is what Carol says about the sweater:
I am glad Hannah can still wear the sweater. It was an easy one to knit. I mostly followed the pattern in Elsebeth Lavold’s Designer’s Choice Book Six: The Take Five Collection. It should still available at yarn stores or KFI. I also used Elsebeth’s Silky Wool yarn which is a wonderful yarn.

Stepping into a book

2008-03-29T06:55:00.003-07:00

Having read the Harry Potter series continuously since each book came out in a constant revolving cycle (such as finish the series, start over)--so many times that I've lost count, I've started to think about the little modifications I'd make to my personal possessions if I could do a little bit of magic. I'm very enamored with the concept of the undetectable extension charm that Hermione puts on her small beaded handbag. With the charm, her small purse is able to hold a cargo of supplies--a tent with its own undetectable extension charm on it, clothing, books, a large painting.
This concept could be applied to my crafting supplies in such a way that I could have everything at my fingertips and never have to sort through bins in the basement again. Or maybe a trunk like the one Mad-eye Moody has with the seven locks that are lined up--each time you insert the key into one of the lock and open the lid a different inside is revealed. I would apply this idea to a room--each room would contain different things--my knitting/spinning supplies, my beading supplies, my art making supplies... the list goes on and on.
And then there is the room of requirement. Wouldn't that be handy. It could be a play room one instant, and then later a reading room, or a large dining room to accommodate my whole family easily, and maybe it could contain the prefect's bathroom with that amazing pool size tub and seven faucets each with a different bubble bath. Hannah would love that. Gosh--with a room of requirement, you'd only need a small house.
And I'd love to learn all the household charms--like how to make the dishes wash themselves, and the laundry fold itself, and get the vegetables chopping and cooking. But I'd still do my knitting and spinning by hand.

Here's a bit of spinning--Tencel and Merino from Bonkers Handmade Originals, spun 2-ply on my Lendrum DT--for baby booties, I think.

I'm starting to feel better after the car accident--more myself. I'll start shopping for a new (old) car soon. The tulips that Hannah and I planted in the fall are starting to come up and in the back yard by the compost we have grape hyacinths that are blooming! Amazing. Of course, we'll get more snow this weekend (this is Colorado, after all)--but still--it is spring!

I call it my exciting morning

2008-03-16T14:12:00.005-07:00

Exciting in a not good way. I was headed to the second half of the Spin-Off photo shoot for the Summer issue Thursday morning. I had awoken at 4:30 am and edited three articles before I even showered. I was feeling productive and organized. My Dad came over to watch Hannah and then take her to Miss Tina's once she woke up. We had a good chat of shoes and ships and ceiling wax and cabbages and kings while I made my lunch and organized Hannah's things. I was on the road by 7:30 am--plenty of time to make it to the photo shoot by 9 am in Fort Collins.
Then, just 5 minutes from my house as I was headed north on Wadsworth, a truck came out of no where and was suddenly in my path. There was no time to stop, no room to stop, actually. I think I had time to put my foot on the break and try to stop, but that's it. I was in the right lane, the left lane was backed up and I guess someone in the left lane waved this guy across. The police officer called it the wave of death. We were fortunate that in this case it wasn't the cause of death, but I could see how it could be. I never even saw him in the south bound lane waiting to turn across traffic--there were too many cars blocking the view. I assume he didn't see me or he wouldn't have turned.
My car plowed into his truck between the wheels and Kelly estimates that the force of the crash moved both vehicles about 8 feet. The driver of the truck didn't seemed to be injured. He was polite and concerned about me. My little blue Subaru was smashed up so badly on the right side that the bumper (or where the bumper used to be) is nearly in contact with the right wheel. My injuries are from the airbag--but I'm glad it was there. My neck looks like I rode down a gravel path on it. Feels like it, too. The firefighters on the scene were concerned about where the airbag hit me--the angle (because of my short stature, I think)--so they wanted to err on the side of caution and have me checked out in the ER. I hurt enough to agree with them--so I had a little trip to the ER in an ambulance with a neck brace and on the back board. All the internal stuff checked out okay and I was released a few hours later. I called Kelly as soon as I found my phone and he got there as they were taking me away in the ambulance. He retrieved my things out of the car (including the wheel that I was taking to the photo shoot to loan to Stefanie) and my Harry Potter CDs. He went home to tell my Dad what was going on. Dad took Hannah to Miss Tina's and then joined us at the hospital, where we ran into the surgeon who had performed my appendectomy nearly 3 years ago. Small world. Needless to say, I didn't make it to the photo shoot. I took Friday off, too, and slept.
I'm feeling better. I felt well enough to dye with indigo this weekend. I did some beading, some spinning, some knitting.

Hannah was concerned when she first saw me. "You have an accident, mama? Dat's a bummer. You need a band aid? I go get my doctor's kit. You feel better?" She gave me numerous shots and took my temperature until she was satisfied that I was okay.

I'm thankful that Hannah wasn't with me, I'm thankful for seat belts, for having both hands on the wheel, for airbags. I'm thankful for police officers, EMT, and firefighters who were on the scene with in seconds. I'm thankful for professional and cheerful ER staff who were attentive and thorough. I'm thankful for Kelly who was by my side as quickly as he could be. I'm thankful for my family who called and came to see for themselves that I was okay. I'm thankful for friends expressed concern and who offered to help out. Nothing like an exciting day to help illustrate how lucky I am.

Mobiles and a book party

2008-03-07T07:18:00.003-07:00

I received a note from my friend Jan Carson asking me to help her spread the word about an event going on at her studio in Fort Collins, Colorado at the end of March. The press release is below. Jan and I shared an art studio at Colorado State University as we were each working on our MFA in Fibers. After graduation, Jan started an amazing business of handmade paper mobiles. I have one hanging over Hannah's changing table (a wedding gift from another friend who worked for Jan for a bit)--it delights us all. Here's a small image copied from Jan's website to give you an idea of what they look like.

ARTISTS GAIN VALUABLE CAREER ADVICE AT BOOK PARTY

FORT COLLINS GALLERY HOSTS AUTHOR

Fort Collins, Colorado, March 1, 2008—Author Alyson B. Stanfield, an internationally recognized art-marketing consultant, will kick off her nationwide studio tour and book signing for I’d Rather Be in the Studio! The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion in Fort Collins, Colorado, at Moon-Lily Art Studio & Gift Gallery, 4032 S. College Avenue, Suite 7, on Wednesday, March 26^th, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Ms. Stanfield has helped thousands of artists develop their careers through her online classes, publications, workshops, and free weekly Art Marketing Action newsletter—all available at ArtBizCoach.com. She used the self-promotion tools she describes in the book to launch her art-marketing consulting business and Web site in 2002. Prior to that, she counseled artists informally throughout her ten years as an art museum curator and educator in the Midwest.

I’d Rather Be in the Studio! teaches any artist—sculptor, painter, metalsmith, glass artist, fiber artist, or woodworker--how to take advantage of traditional self-promotion techniques, as well as how to expand their reach into Internet marketing. For each book sold at this event, Ms. Stanfield has pledged to give ten dollars to Fort Collin’s community arts organization, Arts Alive.

Moon-Lily Art Studio & Gift Gallery is owned by artist Jan R. Carson. Her wholesale production art studio, established in 1999, expanded in August 2007 to include a retail gallery of fine craft artwork by Ms. Carson and others. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. More information is available at http://www.moonlilymobiles.com

For more information on the author and the book, please visit http://www.idratherbeinthestudio.com/mediaroom

Tiny steps

2008-02-27T06:00:00.006-07:00

Here's a bit of beauty to start off the day. The amaryllis our wonderful neighbors gave us is blooming. Here it has two blossoms, but now it has six. It is in the living room by my spinning area. I love sitting here in the afternoon (on my lunch break on days when I work at home) in the sun, spinning and listening to the news on NPR. Right now, I'm spinning more for a second attempt on the scarf for Kelly. The good news is that the first attempt can become an-already-ready Christmas scarf for someone petite. Whoo hoo!

Beading is happening. Slowly, but surely. Hannah and I can play and spin, play and weave, play and cook, play and fold laundry, play and wash dishes, play and wrap presents, but playing and beading doesn't seem to work. She just wants to take little pinches of beads and spread them around the house--and she's not satisfied with just one little pinch--no. She wants to take pinches of beads for the duration of the time that I have my beads out. It just isn't working very well. I know it is just a phase. So for now, beading must occur while Hannah is asleep. I have had some long meetings at work where I was able to get in a couple consecutive hours of beading--so that has helped. But, I don't think I'm going to meet my March 1st deadline (sorry Mary!).

Debbie at work received this beautiful(!) Australian Merino handdyed fiber (100 g) about 10 years ago from an appreciative customer and finally decided that she wasn't going to learn how to spin it. So she let me spin it for her--oh--it was fun. Mmmm. Like butter. I spun a thick and thin yarn for texture.
Now I have to take it to work and give it to her. I've been delaying. ...

Valentine's Day Scarf

2008-02-21T07:24:00.004-07:00

I finished Kelly's scarf before Valentine's Day. It just took a weekend to weave. The weaving was really fun--I loved watching the colors transform from spun thread into woven cloth. The only problem is that it seems a little short--what do you think? I have enough fiber to spin more, so I may do that and try again.
I mis-measured. I was about 10 inches off. I had to go back and go through my motions again to see how I did it, but it is clear that I did it. At first I thought the yarn was so stretchy that it lost 10 inches when I pulled it off the warping board, but no--it was me.