Ebb and Flow

Our house has been abuzz with art making. Finnian has been working on creating a portfolio of 10-15 works that he can show to the two high schools where he is interested in applying. Although he has many drawings and part of a graphic novel he started, they want to see a diversity of media as well as examples of working from life and from imagination.

We have added watercolour and acrylic painting to our repertoire. Everyone has been getting in on the act.


It has been very fun to talk with Finnian (and Lucy) about ideas and techniques in art making. And fascinating to see how he absorbs what he hears and looks at and analyzes. Unfortunately, I may have botched up his chance to find out if he really wants to go to high school by missing an important deadline. We may be able to work around it and I do hope we can. As I mentioned, I am not especially interested in Finnian going to high school but I am especially interested in him making that choice himself. My lack of awareness of bureaucratic deadlines is definitely NOT a good reason to keep homeschooling.

So we proceed as if all is going ahead as we might wish it.

Say, with this, for example.


This is the icelandic lamb/baby alpaca fleece I purchased at Rhinebeck. A subtle, beautiful skein that is actually quite soft. I spun it two-ply, mostly lace weight.


See? (I always wanted to include one of these look-at-how-thin-I-can-spin shots.) This might be a gift but I need to do a little more inquiring of the recipient to be sure it will be a useful gift and not a pointless gift.

And there is this:


Lucy's sweater, such as I was able to knit on two subway rides yesterday. The pattern calls for 4" of ribbing. Seriously? I am a great proponent of Elizabeth Zimmerman's rule of knitting ribbing for as long as you can stand it. Four inches is about 1.5" longer than I can stand it. I have 3" here. I may have to look at the photographs again and see if it will look too weird to stop here. I mean, c'mon.

And this:


A hat in progress, made with more islandsweet yarn. I am so in love with this yarn that I am sharing out the knitting like it was candy.

And I want to remind you that I will be teaching a three-week workshop on natural dyeing and spindle spinning at Wave Hill beginning next Friday, November 5th. It will run for three consecutive Fridays from 10 am to 1 pm. The cost is $130 for the three weeks, all materials provided, including a top whorl spindle that you will be able to keep as your very own.

Join me! Because when I am not screwing up my children's future, I do love sharing the wonders of dyeing and spinning with others.