Antique book - Child's History of Animals

This is a bit off my usual topic but while reading a Blog Post by Seth Godin  today, I got a little sad. He has expounded on this topic a number of times in his Blog or at The Domino Project and it always makes me think. The death of bookstores is my real heart-break. I have spent many an hour sitting on a dusty floor at the foot of a towering book shelf in one book store or another perusing books about art, philosophy, sci-fi, photography, cooking, knitting, fantasy, yoga, manga, etcetera. I have consumed an unhealthy number of lattes sitting at bookstore coffee tables flipping through and deciding which magazine is worth shelf space at home. I love to hold, and look, and read books. I miss those hours of leisure spent there.

Antique Book - Cinderella

It’s true I have a B&N close (only an hour drive!) where I can still revel in all that. But, and it’s a big but, my leisure time is less than it was a few years ago and my book shelves are overflowing. Trust me, Border’s demise in not my fault! However, B&N’s may be. Is it because I don’t like the store? No, I love it (but I still won’t PAY for a loyalty card). Is it because I’m not reading as much anymore? No, I’m probably reading a lot more (books, blogs, pdf’s). The real reason is that I use an e-reader for most of my new books now. I miss the feel of a book but for convenience you can’t beat them. I bought a Kindle before the Nook was worth a serious look. I also have an iPad so a Nook will probably never make it in my future. But I have a Nook App and can read their books. And there are several good e-reader Apps available now for us tablet people. I’ve even taken to getting a couple of my favorite magazines on my e-reader.

Convenient and shelf-space friendly.

Well worn book - Alice In Wonderland

But most of us don’t only shop for e-books at a book store, we shop online. Convenience, it’s just too hard to go to a store to see books for only ONE reader, especially if we have several. So, are bookstores really going the way of the Edsel and the 8-track? I honestly don’t think so. I think we are having growing pains and it will all shake out in the end.

Jules Verne

When I look into the future (I can do that in MY world), I see bookstores popping up all over again. They will be small in size. They will have a coffee shop and tables and couches to relax. They will have banks of iPad sized, full color e-readers instead of book shelves and you will be able to use their free WiFi, or just plug-in your USB cable and download on the spot (for a percentage to the store). You could even e-mail your purchase to your home computer. You can read sample chapters of the books that interest you, flip through the glossy and eye-popping pictures, and read reader reviews. Some of your books will sing and dance (Yellow Submarine), or be interactive (Alice in Wonderland). You can search for books by author, genre or any number of other criteria. And they will all be downloadable in any and all e-reader formats because (again, this is MY world) the publishers and book chains and Amazon will have stopped squabbling over who might get the biggest piece of the pie and realized that there is no shortage of readers and we can all play together nice. There will be a Print-On-Demand machine that can print any book (that doesn’t sing & dance) out in paperback right there on the spot for you if you just have to have real pages to flip and turn down. They will have special edition hard back copies, signed by the authors (at outrageous prices in a locked case) for the collectors. A few coffee table art books will still be on a shelf to one side (let’s face it, they make great gifts for our artsy friends), along with a multitude of blank journals, cards and exotic writing tools. Books are not going away, just changing format. Kind of like the Edsel and 8-track. People are not reading less, just fewer printed books. Publishers and bookstores need to evolve and we readers need to help them see how to do it.

Antique Book - Tattine

At the same time, we can only hope that Amazon will continue to set the good example when it comes to authors and teach the big publishing companies that squeezing their authors is not a good business model (but that’s a topic for another day). Yes, in my world everybody wins!

Sigh, I hope I live long enough for my future bookstore to come into fruition (in the real world).

Deb H

The Francoise Sweater by Debbie Bliss

And started swatching.

Swatching Frenzy caused by Simply Crochet by Debbie Bliss

I cannot believe I got excited about a crochet pattern but, there you have it. I’m learning to wield the wild hook just for this adorable little top. I have to admit that it’s not as difficult as I thought it would be. The fact that I’m a Continental knitter probably has helped a lot. The thought of making some 8 trillion of these little squares is a bit daunting but if I can knit socks on size zero needles I guess I can do a formidable number of granny squares. It could be worse, it could be an afghan (not bloody likely)!

silk swatch for Francoise sweater

The winner of the swatch frenzy? Using C/2.50 mm, D/3.00 mm, and E/3.500 mm sized hooks on each I made granny squares in a sport weight cotton, a 3/2 mercerized cotton (fingering weight, pretty much), a sport weight cotton and linen blend, and a 100% silk noil that’s about the same as a 3/2 cotton (maybe a bit finer). The silk on a size D3.00 mm hook won out (gee, what a surprise). I think this will be ideal for the top with it’s pale honey color, slight sheen and occasional slub.

It’s in the queue and ready to start – wonder when that will be?

Deb H

kaleidoscope by H. Pellikka

Melodrama aside, it did make some concepts that I’d been slowly realizing suddenly become clear. The big question posed to Lyric by another artist was “how do you keep the passion to create going when you have so many “life” commitments?” A good question and she actually discussed it twice here http://lyrickinard.blogspot.com/2011/03/art-247-and-finding-balance.html and here http://lyrickinard.blogspot.com/2011/03/passion-to-create.html with great ideas.

I’ve been struggling with this one for quite some time, at least a year it seems. But my take on this subject is a whole lot different.

My routines are what save me when it comes to keeping the household and life’s mundane chores in check (thank you FlyLady).

But, I’ve traveled more this past year and a half then the last ten put together, so much so my routines have utterly self destructed. My good eating and exercise routines have completely bitten the dust and I’ve let myself wallow in overwhelm a little (OK, a lot). What is the cause of this efficiency collapse? Not that I was ever very efficient, full disclosure here: efficiency is not my natural state.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse, Galloping Gurdy

Is the cause of efficiency collapse too much freedom to do as I want?

???? How can that be a bad thing???

Turns out structure and commitments are a good thing. Solid deadlines keep me moving forward. A structured schedule of when to do what (Monday is light laundry and fiber day, Tuesday is dark laundry and computer day). My structure makes sure it all gets done – eventually. Without that structure I flounder with “what should I be doing?” syndrome. Then the daily chores of “life’s commitments” often become just busy work. I do things that I know need to be done because I can see the dog hair on the floor and the plants need water and one thing leads to another and I’m sooo busy and overwhelmed until it all becomes (drum roll) Avoidance Behavior.

There, I said it. I’m avoiding the work that matters.

Avoiding Walk by Life of Riley

So, my question to everyone who struggles with finding time for art when mundane life gets in the way is “what do you/I fear?” Do you really need to vacuum the living room again or can it wait – or even better, be done by someone else? Are you volunteering to help with the food drive because there is no one else that can do it or because it’s easier than facing the unknown in the studio. Do you have so much inspiration and so many ideas that you can’t decide on which one to focus on? Are you secretly afraid that you can’t do justice to any of them so you spend an entire day perfecting the way you fold sheets instead? Is your inner critic the real culprit, not the number of commitments you have?

In my case… I’m pretty sure it’s a huge percent.

They say (whomever they are) that if you really want to do something you will find time for it. I believe that. I also believe that if there is something about what you want to do that scares you or confuses you, you will find you have no time for it.

So, my challenge for me is to look at the things I want to do and ferret out the avoidance causes. One of the avoidance behaviors I exhibit is not sticking to my incredibly well thought out routines/schedule.

• Is it indecision? I simply don’t know what to do next? Knowing that Monday is fiber day doesn’t help if I don’t know what my fiber project needs to move forward. Find out!
• Is it doubt? I doubt I can do it justice and have it look like it does in my head? Then learn to be flexible and embrace serendipity.
• Is it fear of failure? If I fail I have wasted time, money and materials. If I fail, people will point and jeer. Reality check; if I fail in my studio, nobody has to see it or know – I am the only one who will point and jeer – be nicer to myself! The wasted time, money and materials become raw materials for another project. I once cut up an ugly quilt and got a lot of really great ATCs.
• And the really hidden fear; is it fear of success? If this goes really well and I sell a lot of them will I become a slave to the “biz”? Will my life change to something unknown or different from what it is? This fear is vague, think about the worst case scenario until you know what exactly it is – it’s usually not as scary as you thought it might be.

Fear Skeletor by Brendan Mruk

I also think that doing something new or different in one part of my life (a new job or responsibility) that can have attached fears of it’s own can, and often, leaks fear into other areas. Suddenly, that project that I was humming along on at a confident clip gets bogged down with doubts because I’m not yet comfortable in my new position as President of the Soap Bubble Club and it’s leaking discomfort all over my other endeavors. This is really dumb and the leaks need to be found and plugged.

Like most challenges, there is probably no one cause or easy fix. As in real life, it’s always a complicated combination of many little causes.

Now that I have this draft written, if it actually gets posted you will know that I’m consciously working on my corrections. Let’s face it, if it actually gets posted I have been brave (exposed myself to the world). Maybe that courage will leak into my studio time and work.

Deb H

PS – All images in today’s post are from Wikimedia - an incredibly great source for copyright free and Creative Commons images, enjoy!

Camp Chaos

Lynn Krawczyk, of Fibra Artysta, has instigated a messy work table reveal [on our Blogs] day and this is it. As one of the participants I have been shamed into posting a photo of the studio (because I don’t have one of just my work table), and blushing furiously I post it here. Groan.

Fist, I must confess that this is an older photo. I don’t have a current one on my ‘puter and am not at home at the moment to take a fresh photo. Not much has changed though. As Lynn says, it’s a cyclic process of mess it up, tidy it up, mess it up, tidy it up…

Add to the creative process, which is probably the ultimate messy pass time, that I have so many different mediums I work in.

[My name is Deborah and I am a multipotentialite.]

My artist style is going through a style crisis. I feel a new direction birthing. Birth can be slow and messy – let the disaster  begin  ;o)

Deb H

I am delighted to report that Pinterest has shown an impressive willingness to address the concerns of Pinterest users and Artists in  quickly responding with a change in their Terms Of Service and working on some programming changes that will help with the copyright issues that were making some of us so nervous. Kudos to Pinterest and thanks for your quick response. I look forward to seeing the improvements implemented in your programming soon. Meanwhile, all Pinterest users can make sure that the community is kept healthy and vibrant by abiding by some simple Pinning etiquette; Get permission for pinning from an artist’s web site (hint, if they have a Pinterest Pin button on their site it’s a pretty safe bet it’s OK). Make sure that the URL for the Pin’s source is attached to the Pin in an obvious way. And lastly, never Re-Pin but go to the source to Pin something you like.

Making these simple steps a habit will make the Pinterest community a win-win for everyone.   Thanks for a great site Pinterest!

Dear Pinterest

The whole controversy over Pinterest and the rampant copyright violations that are happening have made me feel soooo guilty about what happens to something I pin after the fact. Repinning makes it almost impossible for the link to the source and the creator’s credit to remained attached to the pin. So, after a few sleepless nights, I have responded with the “Pin” above.

How has this controversy effected you?

Deb H

Sample card of cotton yarns

Since this was the first weaving on the new loom and I’d never used a R/H before and would be learning on this warp, I was being cautious with my materials. After all, if the first project was to be an epic failure, let’s not break the bank at the same time ;o)

Gifted with a yarn sample card with generous 10 yard samples of each Color of Berroco’s Cotton Twist (old colors) I thought that it would be the perfect warp to try out my new little loom.

Direct Warping on a R/H loom

Warping the Rigid Heddle for the first time – I’ve got to say, direct warping is nice, it’s amazing how handy the backs of two chairs can be.

Threading the heddle

I even enjoyed threading the heddle, easy and fast. I used the 12.5 dent reed and threaded it about 6 1/2″ wide.

Let the weaving commence

Beamed and ready to weave with a warp that’s about 52″ long.

Decision time - which color?

Sampling the weft colors to see what I like – I used a black 3/2 mercerized cotton and a grey cotton (mill end?) that was a bit heavier than the 3/2. The browns, navy and white I tried were gacky.

1st project finished!

Since I liked the grey and the black both I ended up weaving 1/2 the length in one and the other half in the other. It’s a sampler, right? I wonder what this little cloth (5 1/2″ x 47″ after washing) will grow up to be…

Deb H

I became quite enamored of the design of this bridge!

Not only is the bridge quite cool to look at – the Charleston Bay is a joy to sail around in! And while there, I collected some inspiration for  color and design.

Aglow with brilliant color!

And to make sure I still got my fiber fix while traveling about, my DH got me a wonderful little Rigid Heddle loom. So, I’ve even done some weaving.

Planning a scarf with cotton yarn samples!

And I even fit in a couple of trips to Seattle to visit my awesome daughter! She took me to a park just off Pioneer Square where someone had wrapped the trees in knitting.

Tree Hugging in Seattle

Kind of gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, huh?

Deb H

It was messy, it was cold on the hands, it was totally new and I loved it! It’s a short meeting so I only got twelve pieces done but I can’t wait to glaze them.

Clay Stoneware Pendants

The best part? We get to do more next month!

It’s so cool having a middle school art teacher in your group  :o)

Deb H

Ta-da!

Dragon Paws - knitting pattern for ruffled hand warmers

Published by and (soon) available to shops through Heritage Fiber Publications. Also available at my Etsy Shop, at Heritage Spinning & Weaving in Lake Orion, and coming soon to Patternfish and Ravelry (I’ll post links when they are up).

Meanwhile I have a page full of details and sample photos for knitters to explore.

Cheers to frilly and warm hands!

Deb H

Will I be better at blogging this year? I hope so, only time will tell. I do miss it, and the longer you are away from it the harder it is to get back to it. Little stupid thoughts start stalking you like “nobody wants to see that” or “who cares about that?” or “that’s just too stupid to put out there”.

Yea, stupid, now you know I can be too. So, my solution is to blog anyway, since I’m not running for President I can get away with a little stupid. Blogging helps me realize I am making progress, without it there is little measurability. So…  blog on!

I have been quite busy over the last year. I’ll give you glimpses of my recent history in the next few posts – just ignore the obvious point of my seriously lacking focus  ;)

Loom Trap detail

This post is for Clara who wanted to see the “trap” modification to my little table loom. Hubby created a tray that attaches to the front of my small loom to hold my shuttles for me (called a trap). It turned out fabulous and does the job admirably.

Loom Trap

Weaving is much nicer when you don’t have to keep jumping up to retrieve your shuttle off the floor – again.

I’ve finished spinning the yarn I gave an in-progress report on here and it turned out lovely!

Grey & pink handspun

I haven’t made anything with it yet, I’m letting it “age” like a fine wine!

So now I’m carding up some dog hair to spin.

Carding dog hair, 70% Husky/30% Merino

When you have a husky that sheds at the speed of light, it’s a survival skill.

Deb H