My Fair Isle

Asheville = Good

2012-02-15T12:03:00.003-03:30

We bid our dear kitties good-bye and hit the road. Note to would-be burglars: Our house is filled with more people than usual so you will be disappointed.

Our first real stop is Asheville, NC. Everyone who I told that we would be stopping there said that I would love Asheville. Normally, when that happens I automatically think that I will, therefore, hate it. I knew why people said it. They said it because Asheville has a high hippie quotient and, it is, as Finnian said, like a smaller Portland, Oregon. (Like a good teenager, he said that with a bit of a sneer in his voice).

Dang it, but I do love Asheville! Sometimes it is hard to be someplace where I see all my favorite things out on parade - it reminds me that I am such a cliche. But then again, how can I really hate a place like that? As I walked home from my morning yoga class, the answer was definitely no, I can not.

Plus, we met up with my friend, the artist, Patrick Glover. He lives in Charlotte, NC, but is desperately trying to save money to move to Asheville, where there is more of a community for him. It was great to hang out and have some supper...

...at the Mellow Mushroom. Hippie pizza - gotta love it!

For Uncle David - Hoagies? Really? We also have seen many signs for "subs". No sign of grinders anywhere. Just FYI.

Yes. Asheville = good. We will wander about more today and enjoy a potluck lunch over at Phil Mechanic Studios, a most groovy place that is doing what so many of us dream of doing - creating a space for artists of all kinds that is welcoming and affordable and fun. And they process and sell biodiesel fuel.

Yes, Asheville = good.

Our Home and Native Land, sort of

2012-02-04T10:08:00.001-03:30

Oh dear God, not another cat picture...

This missive comes from high atop Mt. Webster.

Here is what I have learned lately:

The men at the service desk at Queensboro Toyota love Canadians. Having spent the past two Fridays there, I have noticed a trend. The first time, the guy told me Canadians are smarter than Americans because they figured out how to have decent health care "like Europe". I was impressed to be having a conversation about single-payer health care with the service desk guy at Toyota. The second time (and different guy), I learned that he loved Canadians "because they are very relaxed". He also said he wanted to go to Toronto one day. I said, "You live in New York! Why do you need to go to Toronto?" (sorry, Toronto) He said, "I've heard it's nice there. Plus, New York isn't all it's cracked up to be." You heard it here first. My fellow Canadians, should you ever feel unloved and unwanted, head over to Queensboro Toyota on Northern Boulevard and 62nd Street in Woodside. A warm welcome awaits.
We have a Canadian car, which is how these conversations got started.
In case you were wondering.

I think that is all the bullet points I can conjure up today. I may not have learned much but I am damn proud to be (semi)Canadian.

Shocked and Stunned and Stunning

2012-02-03T15:46:00.000-03:30

What's this? Some new yarns for my etsy shop? (Link on the left hand side over there.) Well knock me over with a feather.

A red hot one just right for Valentine's Day.

Merino and corriedale, 124 yds

And a sunny one just right for this non-winter we are having here in NYC. This one includes some groovy strips of raw silk spun into the wool.

Merino, tussah silk, raw silk fabric, 130 yds.

A Turkey in Every Pot

2012-02-02T09:14:00.000-03:30

It seems Mitt has finally admitted that he doesn't care about poor people. It is possibly the only honest thing that has come out of his mouth this whole campaign. Reading a bit of transcript from the morning talk show on which he made this bold statement manages to be stunning in an age when it is pretty darn difficult to be stunned by the shite that comes of out the mouths of politicians. The link above offers you a chance to watch the video clip - if you have the stomach for it.

I much prefer this video:

Bid High

2012-02-01T16:35:00.001-03:30

Breathe, 2012. Crochet cotton, gesso, masonite, 23 x 13 cm.

One should not forget to breathe. This is very important when giving birth to another human being, when doing drop backs and, in general, as an ordinary, daily thing. Please try to do it for as long as you can. I also highly recommend just noticing your breathe every now and then. It is there for you, so give it a little attention. You might be glad you did.

In case you need a reminder to breathe, you can bid on this artwork as part of The Sweetest Little Thing fundraiser for Struts Artist-run Centre in Sackville, New Brunswick. Struts is a lively place filled with art-making and artist-supporting. They hosted the conference, A Handmade Assembly, last year (where I was invited to participate on a panel and give a talk, so it must have been good). I will be going back this fall for some good workshop fun....but only if they get lots of funding. Which they need. And deserve.

Breathe is not up on their website yet, so you can not actually bid on it today. But soon! At the moment, however, you can bid on a piece by Barb Hunt. Really, you can't lose.

Happy bidding!

Art, Art, I want you.

2012-01-31T13:18:00.001-03:30

Recently, I was reading an article in the New York Times about photographer Zoe Strauss, who is having an exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. There are all sorts of things one could say about her work, which I think is provocative in a good way and pushing some boundaries that I, personally, enjoy seeing pushed. But one thing in the the Times article really stopped me in my tracks. The author made mention of the fact that she keeps a blog about her working process and labelled that activity as "an amateur tic". To give some context, the author was noting that Strauss herself does not avoid the label "amateur", indeed sometimes embraces it.

I know other artists - famous and not-so famous - who keep blogs but I have to say that they mostly all keep strictly to posting about their work and/or ideas that relate directly to their work. It isn't so hard to then make a leap and ask myself what, exactly, I am doing with this space.

This isn't a knitting blog. It isn't a spinning blog. It isn't a yoga blog (although that has been hard to tell lately). It isn't a Buddhist blog. It isn't a homeschooling blog.

It is my art blog. Welcome to it.

What are we fighting for?

2012-01-30T14:37:00.000-03:30

This morning, in mysore practice, when one of my teachers was giving me an adjustment and she said, "if the practice were fighting, you would be a professional."

Another teacher, this one of the Zen persuasion, recently said to me (after I had finally "figured something out" with the something being something that he had been telling me for years over and over but I had only just got it as if he had never before bothered to mention it), "Well, sometimes when a student is done arguing...."

Wait. What?

There seems to be a theme developing here. But I am not an argumentative person. I hate fighting. And I actively seek out the goals of these practices. So what I am fighting for?

There's a good question.

Meanwhile, today I had two new asana added to my mysore practice as well as the dreaded drop backs. You can be sure I fought my way mightily through them.

Here is Kino MacGregor giving some good instruction on dropping back and standing back up. Let's just say, I am not quite there yet.

Tough but Fair

2012-01-28T22:11:00.000-03:30

Scene: The interior of an Earth-friendly hybrid car heading onto the BQE. A minivan, seen ahead on the road, behaves erratically and nearly causes a dangerous situation.

F: What do you expect. They are driving a minivan.

R: Driving a minivan makes you drive poorly?

F: They are already dead. They have nothing left to lose.

R: Huh?

F: Get married. Have kids. Be boring. Get a minivan. They are already dead.

R: I was married. I have kids. Am I boring?

L: (from backseat) Yes! Duh.

R: Well, you are my kids. One could say that you are the cause of me being boring.

L: You were just making the best of a bad situation.

Look Homeward Angel

2012-01-27T12:51:00.001-03:30

Chance--the hinge of the world, and a grain of dust; the stone that starts an avalanche, the pebble whose concentric circles widen across the seas.

Thomas Wolfe, Look Homeward Angel

This spinning wheel belongs to my wonderful friend Martie in Taos, New Mexico. We will be visiting her very soon and she wondered if I might carry this wheel away with me. You see, this beautiful antique wheel was made in Canada - the east coast of Canada - and Martie hopes to return it there. It functions perfectly but Martie has never really used it so she is hoping to find it a new home, or rather, send it back to its original home.

Alas, as I drive an Earth-friendly hybrid car, I can not fit this wheel in my vehicle. But Martie is willing to ship! If you live on the east coast of North America (I think borders, in this instance, are not that important) and are interested in learning more about the wheel and possible ownership of it, please email Martie at taossunflower (at) gmail (dot) com. Just replace the you-know-whats with you-know-whats.

'Tis a beauty. It needs your love.

One Thing Leads to Another

2012-01-26T14:42:00.000-03:30

A friend sent me a link to an early Jim Henson short film - before he created the Muppets. You can see it here. I am sure I am not the first to describe Henson as a man ahead of his time.

In the way of the internets, one thing led to another and I found this excerpt from another of his early films.

Love it!

The Avenue of Trees

2012-01-24T20:48:00.003-03:30

Shared here with deep gratitude to all those who contributed to this project. Thank you! And I hope you like it.....

ETA: Did I leave off your name at the end? Please let me know and I will correct it.

Public Art and Community Engagement

2012-01-20T12:28:00.002-03:30

On Monday evening, I will be participating in a panel discussion hosted by the New England Foundation for the Arts about public art and strategies for community engagement. Among the people presenting, I will be there with Michele Cohen, who was the curator at the Trustman Gallery at Simmons College when I did my project, Unconditional Yes, there. Click here for all the details.

The panel starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Hibernian Hall in Roxbury. There will be some time for refreshments and informal talk, as well as question and answer time during the panel. Please stop by and say hello!

Teaser

2012-01-18T20:32:00.002-03:30

What does my work and contemporary burlesque have in common?

I am asking myself that same question. But who cares really! Why does everything have to "make sense" all the time anyway?

If you share my laissez faire attitude about art, then come on over to Brooklyn this Sunday and check out The Holdouts, an exhibition curated by Brett Rollins and featuring work by six artists.

Yes, there will be burlesque.

There also will be crocheted and knit squares. Hundreds of them.

The Corridor Gallery, 334 Grand Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. Reception from 4 − 6 p.m.

Studio Visit

2012-01-16T19:18:00.000-03:30

One of my goals for the new year is to spend more time working in my studio. When I had younger children, it was impossible to get to the studio to work so I sublet it for years and years. Finally, when it seemed more possible, I took back the space. But my work had evolved to suit my life with young children. It had become so collaborative and so well-suited to being worked on while sitting on the living room couch. Did I even need a studio anymore? Why was I paying rent on a space that I hardly ever used?

These questions continue to come up, even as more time becomes available to me as Finnian and Lucy gain independence in their daily activities. Yet, I have kept the studio, now with a studio mate (who I love, btw) to help pay the rent. There is always something about having a space where I can be alone and shut the door. Virginia Woolf was right - a room of one's own, even if you share it with another artist sometimes, is essential to an artist. For me, going back into my studio also is to become reacquainted with older work that was more studio-based i.e. more suited to hanging on a white wall than on a tree on a highway in Korea. These works are more intimate and personal in nature and recall, for me, very specific times in my history.

For example,

Obviously I didn't have children when I started this one! But then they must have come along shortly thereafter because it was never finished.

Yes, I was making a beaded pair of lumberjack underwear, why do you ask?

Maybe I do need to finish that one.

On Friday, however, I was there to prep some things for a visit from a curator putting together a show at a space in Brooklyn. I managed to get two boxes of squares into the studio with assistance from Finnian, who was delighted to help as you can imagine.

The squares are very, very dirty. Here is the very first one I made last summer in Newfoundland:

It used to be pink.

The plan for the show is to stack them, like the photo above, around the perimeter of the gallery with an aim to get all 700 in the space. I think it is possible. Note to self: bring some soap.

Kukku for Kukkutasana

2012-01-14T08:00:00.000-03:30

It is the middle of January and I know the thing top-most on your mind is how my kukkutasana is coming along. Two weeks into the new year and I am happy to report that one of my teachers gave me a golden piece of advice. So golden that I thought it worth boring you with yet another yoga post in the hope that someone reading this also finds this asana to be a challenge and could benefit from this nugget of wisdom.

It is thus: after garbha pindasana - after rocking around in a circle - let your arms come out of their position between your legs in padmasana a little. For garbha pindasana, arms should be tucked through to above the elbows. Now pull them out to below the elbows.

After only one week of trying this, I was able to get up and stay for five breaths. Amazing!

But looking at this photo of none other than BKS "Light on Yoga" Iyengar himself, I see that he is below his elbows too.

I feel even more brilliant today!

PS. Today also is my most brilliant son's birthday (although I don't think he can do kukkutasana). Out of respect for his privacy I will only make this mention of it. Happy birthday Finnian!

Two Films

2012-01-13T10:59:00.003-03:30

First, a short film about John Daido Loori Roshi by Rachel Loori Romero. I can't embed it here so please click this link to view it on youtube. Lots of beautiful images about a remarkable man.

Second, I had the enormous pleasure of seeing this film yesterday evening. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Hooked on You

2012-01-12T09:57:00.002-03:30

As much as I would love to spend all day watching the kitties watch the raindrops roll down the window panes - they watch with such eagerness, ready to "get" them - the truth is that I have rather a massive job of work ahead of me.

On Tuesday, I came home from my early morning mysore practice to find four Korean gentlemen waiting at my door. Their message to me was clear, "You must take these boxes for they belong to you."

Exhibit A

Sure, in the slanting mid-winter light (is it really winter? It has been hard to tell), they look almost romantic. But do not be fooled! Within them, they contain the hard work of a summertime and early autumn. Not just my hard work, but the hard work of many, many hands. Perhaps your's, dear reader? Do not be further fooled! While the boxes say "no hook" on them, I can assure you that many, many hooks were used. Needles also.

Exhibit B

My goal today is to get the contents of at least two of the boxes to my studio, where they will be shown to a curator who is putting together a group show at a space in Brooklyn. I am not sure he will want or be able to show all of the 700 squares, but it would be pretty amazing if he could. The boxes themselves are so heavy that I can not lift them singlehandedly, so I don't exactly know how I will get them to my 3rd floor studio. Given that this project even exists, I think finding a way to get them upstairs is but a minor issue.

Details on the Brooklyn exhibition are forthcoming. Stay tuned.

Whole Life is Practice

2012-01-10T07:54:00.002-03:30

Joe, I hardly knew ye

2012-01-09T12:30:00.000-03:30

Against all stereotypes, South Korea was not a land of tea and honey. It was a place of milk and coffee. On nearly every street corner in both Cheongju and Seoul there stands a coffee shop/cafe. From Dunkin Donuts (I kid you not) to my favourite, called Angel in Us, the preferred drink was, by far, coffee. So much so that I started drinking it again out of sheer desperation for my morning caffeine. About five years ago, I quit coffee after having one too many cases of the jitters and have been a dedicated, not to mention smug, black tea drinker ever since.

But then I went to Korea.

But then I read that Sharath says "coffee is prana."

But then I did the Rohatsu sesshin and got about twelve hours of sleep during the entire week, cumulatively.

See, I must be an intellectual. I drink coffee and isn't that the New York Times open to...the op-ed page?

It feels good to be back.

Familial Love

2012-01-07T10:57:00.000-03:30

Well, there it is! A stunning slice of history, isn't it? Leaves you kind of breathless. Wait, what? You fail to see the significance of a graffiti-covered cement wall on Staten Island? Pull up a chair, my child, while I tell you a little story. It is the story of a family that has great pride in its Irish heritage and will stop at nothing to find connections to the good, bad and ugly events that make up Irish history in the late 19th/early 20th Century.

It is here, dear friends, at 194 Richmond Terrace in Staten Island, that Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa, beloved patriot to the Irish Republican movement and murderous criminal to the British, once lived. Here is a rare photo of the famed Uncle David, who has his own personal connection to Staten Island and to JO'DR, looking pleased as punch about finding the site of the late hero and supposed ancestor's home.

Here is the view that JO'DR would have had from his home, minus the SUVs and tall buildings in lower Manhattan. This is a real slice of history, kids!

Um? Kids? I guess Finnian wasn't that interested in his own family history and preferred to read Tintin in the backseat of the car while the more adventurous among us took in deep draughts of the past made alive in this very moment. Sheesh. With a name like Finnian, you'd think he would have a little respect for his cultural heritage. Apparently not.

While we were there, UD treated us to a tour of Staten Island, including a quick visit to the campus of Snug Harbor Cultural Center. We visited the Connie Gretz Secret Garden, which was very sweet even in its January state of being. Although, as Finnian said, how secret can it be if there is a big sign over the door? The kid is sharp on some points.

We followed this with a driving tour of some other highlights of the island and then had a fantastic lunch at one of the several Sri Lankan restaurants that dot the St. George neighborhood. Staten Island is an oddball kind of a place but well worth a visit (speaking as someone who lives in two oddball places that are well worth visits).

And by popular demand...

...some better photographs of the afghan my mother knit us for Christmas. It is a beauty and worthy of more attention than my quick mention of it allowed. She knit it in three panels and then stitched them together.

We love it more than words can say.

Entering

2012-01-02T18:10:00.000-03:30

Enter 2012.

One of my favourite ways to welcome in a new year would be....

...with a lovely skein of lace weight handspun made from BFL/silk combo hand painted by Widdershin Woolworks. Rumour has it that this particular fleece was purchased after my vow to not buy any more fleece until a good percentage of my current stash, I mean, inventory is used up. Well, rumours are ugly things so don't you believe it. Instead, delight in its beauty and soft sheen. This little baby will be in my etsy shop either today or tomorrow. It would make a stunning shawl, if you are of the shawl making persuasion. There may be a slight whiff of dishonesty that hovers over this particular skein but I assure you that any suffering that may result in consequence will be all mine to bear. To you, it will be pure heaven.

Despite all signs that the apocalypse is upon us, I feel quite optimistic for this year. We have our upcoming trip to New Mexico where we will finally meet the wonderful Carol, Martie, Monty and Ani. I will begin an advanced yoga teacher training program (in the Desikachar tradition for those who need to know such things) starting in March. Also in March, I am attending a workshop with Kino MacGregor, one of ashtanga yoga's best known teachers and center of the now-famous short-shorts controversy.

(Warning: more yoga talk ahead!)

Speaking of ashtanga yoga, it is time once again to set my goals for improving one or two asana in the primary series that I find particularly challenging. Those with 365-day long memories might recall that the 2011 asana were bhuja pindasana and sirsasana. How did it go? Well, my bhuja pindasana is much improved. In Janaury 2011, I was still very scared to actually get my head to the floor and getting back up was more fantasy than reality. (I wasn't even thinking about jumping into the pose from ardho mukha/downward facing dog- 365 days isn't that long!) Today, I easily get my head to the floor. Getting back up remains a challenge on many days but I am slowly improving my control so that I don't land on my bottom. Or face. Moving into bakasana is still nearly impossible but partly because I have never actually done bakasana successfully on its own let alone coming out of an asana that leaves me slightly stunned. As for my dear, dear sirsasana, we have become good friends in the way that friends know all your joys and sorrows, highs and lows, noble intentions and base faults. In December, 2011, I even tried it in the center of the room. And it only took me two years to get to this place! Sirsasana and I, we go way back.

For 2012, I am sticking with sirsasana. We are too close now to abandon each other. And I will focus on kukkutasana. My goal is to simply to be able to lift my lead bottom off the mat, even if by a millimeter. Who will measure that millimeter remains to be seen.

So there you have it.

Enter 2012. Welcome!

One More Thing (and on and on...)

2011-12-24T11:13:00.002-03:30

But wait! There's more!

This program sounds really wonderful: The Studio Museum of Harlem will kick-off a series of community quilting workshops during Target Free Sundays. Join quilt and fiber artist Ife Felix in conversation with Faith Ringgold as they explore the history and significance of quilting as a collaborative activity. In celebration of the Kwanzaa principal Kuumba, which means creativity. You are invited to participate in the creation of a community quilt. December 29, 2011 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Studio Museum of Harlem, 144 West 125th Street, btw Lenox Ave. and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.

My neighbor in McIvers, the artist extraordinaire, Colette Urban, is selling 2012 calendars featuring images from her new work Limited Possessions. She has carefully crafted her website so that I can't steal an image from it, but it is really fantastic and funny and will make every month of 2012 fabulous for you, guaranteed. That is quite a bargain for $20 + shipping, so click here and order a year of fabulousness immediately! ETA: Wait - I found an image I could steal! Enjoy.

Call it my legacy or perhaps my rightful inheritance, but while some are born with silver spoons in their mouths, I was born with silver knitting needles in my hands. Or something like that. All I know is that this is my Christmas present from my mom:

A gorgeous, wool, hand knit afghan. In a feat of stamina that belies her 84 years, she is making one for each of her children in the colour of their choosing. Alas, not only do I have to fight over it with Finn and Lucy, but the kittens have tried to stake their claim on it too. I try to maintain a generous, open heart with most things but I feel the cold clamp down of possessiveness when it comes to sharing the warm woolies. Maybe I need to make a 2013 calendar of my limited possessions?

Finally, I have been spinning and I do plan to stock up my etsy shop first thing in the new year. In keeping with my tradition of never having a full shop over the busy shopping season, I will break out the goods just in time for the post-holiday slump. It is all part of my very successful strategy of "How Not to Succeed in Business". I will be recording seminars on this topic for interested viewers, available on VHS and Beta. Audio available on cassette tape.

Happy New Year one and all! 1987 is going to be great!

Christmas - Now with Canadian Content

2011-12-23T10:10:00.000-03:30

The holiday itself is fast approaching. As a foot soldier (doughboy?) in the War on Christmas, I will be removing Christ completely and spending the day up at the Monastery. We will plunge into Rohatsu sesshin immediately afterwards, which will take us to New Year's day when we will silently ring in 2012. I have heard the tradition is to sit until midnight on December 31st, and then have a celebratory breakfast, presumably with the sesshin precautions lifted i.e. it is ok to speak and make eye contact again. Considering that I am usually running for my dear, sweet beddy-bye promptly at 9 p.m. each night of sesshin (I usually rise at about 3 a.m.), it should be interesting to see what happens.

In case you were wondering, the children will be surrounded by love and good cheer, not to mention oodles of cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. I get a little tightness in my throat and chest when I realize that I will be missing that festivity this year, but it seemed like the right thing to do. One thing that cheers me is the knowledge that, next year at this time, everything will completely different. I have no doubt that I will be much more certain about the correct path for this time of year in twelve months time. The beauty of impermanence is that the shitty things change too.

But I do not want to end on a down note, because really I do not feel down. I am filled with optimism for 2012. There are so many exciting things on the horizon both large and small: some potentially crazy big or just plain crazy and some small but very exciting nonetheless, and some will be, no doubt, even more life-changing than the wild stuff that happened in the mind-boggling mess that was 2011.

In the spirit of that optimism, I offer you these two videos to bring a little Canadian content into your holidays. The first, a lovely version of an old favourite (gotta use the proper spelling here):

And second, in case things are feeling a wee bit too cheery, a good dose of Newfoundland style holiday. 'Tis like a cold gust of wind blowing over the Blomidons, across the bay and right into your front door.

May the light of the season shine through the darkness for you!

If it doesn't fit, you must acquit

2011-12-19T12:22:00.002-03:30

First the spaug update - my foot is doing great and I am getting back to my normal activities. The only uncomfortable time is when I have to wear my shoes. The one that was soaked in blood last Wednesday seems to have shrunk or stiffened up, not unlike OJ's glove. But as I am sure OJ discovered, if you just keep wearing it, the thing will soften up again.

Good thing too because it is a busy time of year. With doorbells ringin' and packages arrivin', it is tough to be laid up. Today, a package arrived that contained a great present (to myself) that isn't actually related to the holidays at all. Back when I was a rich, married woman, I asked my friend Patrick Glover if I could buy one of his amazingly beautiful paintings that always brings me back to being a child, sitting in the backseat of our family car and being driven around the north shore of Massachusetts on a rainy day by my mother. After some back and forth, Patrick said he would paint a new picture, just for me.

I was a little nervous after I was no longer a rich, married woman about whether I could really afford to buy a painting from Patrick. As it turned out, the answer to that was a resounding yes.**

And voilà:

This photograph is but a poor representation of the painting, which is luminous and textural and contains the multitudes.

Unlike OJ's glove or my shoe, this painting fits perfectly. Thank you, Patrick!

** I think everyone should buy real, live art from real, live artists. For one thing, most artists really need your money. For another thing, real, live art is a wonderful thing to have living your house because it is alive. That's the idea. If you can pay for a monthly cellphone subscription or for cable television, then you can afford a modestly sized artwork by a contemporary artist. You won't regret it, I promise.

Keep Calm and...Did I Remember to Turn the Oven Off Before I Left?

2011-12-17T09:19:00.001-03:30

Thank you for your well wishes for my bloody foot. It is healing nicely. I can't seem to get Finn and Lucy to look directly at my wound yet, no matter how many times I stick it directly in their line of vision. Finn refused to smell it as well. Kids these days!

Alas, I must venture back out into the world today. But before I go, I want to share this brilliant piece of cinema with you.

Citta Vrtti Nirodah. That's what it is all about!

Enforced Relaxation

2011-12-15T12:12:00.001-03:30

Yesterday, I had my second surgery on my foot. My health scare was about skin cancer - the bad one that begins with a M. It is a topic that I suspect will never be too far away given my overall paleness and reckless history of sunburns. In any case, this time, instead of being overly freaked out, I was, perhaps, overly nonchalant. A sizable piece of flesh was removed and I headed home via subway with my heel bandaged and taped, stopping at the bank and the drug store for some errands. Upon arrival home, I discovered that my sock was soaked through with blood (hand knit socks, too!) and my shoe was quickly filling up. To a chorus of "eeeewww"s from Finn and Lucy, I raced upstairs to rinse off and apply some pressure, leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind.

Boy, this story is getting gory.

Lucy suggested I photograph my wound and post it on Facebook. I wonder how many "unfriends" I would get if I did that? I did photograph it and I could post a photo here....shall I?

Nah. It is red and juicy. You get the picture. This morning, more blood in the kitchen after I attempted to walk normally. So it is that I am home with my foot up, missing Finn and Lucy's special presentations at their homeschool Waldorf program. To comfort me, Lucy told me that it was ok, she would just tell the instructor that I didn't love them. She's such a dear.

On the bright side, it means I have all day to just sit around trying not to bleed. Shall I fix my website? Rewrite my artist's statement?

Or perhaps, begin that sweater I have planned and for which I recently purchased this yarn?

Anzula "Squishy" (merino, cashmere and nylon) - purchased with a gift certificate from my dear friend Jennifer from Newfoundland at Purl Soho with my dear friend Anne from Newfoundland. Must knit this sweater and wear it to Newfoundland!

Or should I spin, having had three requests for yarn in the last two weeks? Hmm...how will treadling be in this current condition? "Blood on the Spinning Wheel: The Robyn Love Story" (A possible title for my autobiography.)

Or maybe I will just read a book and snuggle with these two cutie pies.

So many delicious choices on this day of enforced relaxation.

New York City Secrets

2011-12-11T08:30:00.001-03:30

In the fall of 1983, I moved to New York City to attend art school. While there have been interruptions, some have been a couple of years even, mostly it has been my home (until Newfoundland entered the picture, but that is another story).

Almost 30 years of living in New York and there are still things to discover. For example, this:

It is a statue representing Asia on the northeastern corner of the old Customs House in lower Manhattan. Look who is sitting in her lap. It is Buddha at the moment of his enlightenment, when he touched the ground. A little research indicates that most of the other symbols surrounding the seated woman are rather paternalistic and come from an imperialist mindset, but I can appreciate Buddha looking northward, surrounded by the heavy duty karmic forces at play in the financial district. Maybe he needs to be just a little bigger, actually.

And then, this:

It is Stone Street, also in lower Manhattan. I was amazed to discover this street that I had never seen nor heard of before. It is in the shadow of Goldman Sachs building at 85 Broad Street. Past history and history being made at this very moment. It is all there at the tip of this little island off the northeast coast of the United States.

Clueless

2011-12-09T09:34:00.001-03:30

H/T to Mr. Picky for pointing this out.

Finishing Touches

2011-12-08T09:23:00.001-03:30

My holiday plans are not terribly ambitious this year. Or maybe they are extremely ambitious but just don't include lots of merry-making and gift giving and receiving. In any case, I am nearly finished with the making end of things.

It is so fun, I almost wish I had more to make. I guess it wouldn't be hard to find someone else who needs a funky hat or scarf.

Meanwhile, if you are in town, check out the exhibition of photographs of artists working in their Long Island City studios by Orestes Gonzalez at Long Island City Market.

Orestes came by my studio a couple of months ago and I tried to look productive and artful. Not sure I succeeded but it was great fun to meet him and see his work. It is a lovely exhibition that makes clear that LIC is chock-a-block full of creative talent. Stop by if you can!

Crescit Eundo -- It Grows as it Goes

2011-12-05T09:13:00.001-03:30

Ah, those days of unfettered racism and environmental destruction.

From all that I have been hearing and despite our best efforts, it seems that we haven't managed to kill the magic of New Mexico yet.

Get out the atlas, honey! We have ourselves a road trip!

Comfort Seeking Missives

2011-12-03T17:14:00.000-03:30

When things get a bit dicey, we all have something that we reach for as a way of getting through the tricky bits. There are healthy choices and less healthy choices. I guess it depends on how much you want to numb and/or distract yourself. Last Sunday, I downed two glasses of wine, which definitely numbed things in a rather pleasant way. Until it didn't anymore. Everything came barreling back ten times stronger than before. So much for that option.

What I really wanted was the simple comfort of just knowing what to do: knowing what comes next and not having to worry through anything.

In difficult times, I reach for my drum carder. Rivers of colour blending together: matte and glossy, primary and tertiary, complimentary and jarring. It never gets old.

Some might remember that two people won skeins of Wee Ball Yarns as part of the give-aways for The Avenue of Trees project. One person claimed her yarn from an already existing supply, so that was easy. Perhaps too easy - I kind of, sort of, forgot about the other one. But then I remembered! The recipient told me she liked colourful yarn but not pink, so I aimed for lots of colour but no pink. It was harder than I thought it would be to resist tossing a little pink in there. In fact, I might have added just a little. You know, as an accent.

Then, more recently, I was matched up with a very wonderful, special person to be her secret Santa. She is an interesting combination of large personality and dedication to simplicity and service.

A bit of pink is ok for her, I suspect, but not any wimpy pinks. She needs strong, powerful pinks. I wanted to make a yarn that was mostly neutrals but with little explosions of colour. This will become a hat.

Yes, comfort and joy. 'Tis the season, after all.

Wanted: A Real Vacation

2011-12-01T20:28:00.001-03:30

Last winter, I went with a friend to a woman who reads Tarot cards in Corner Brook. Many people had sung her praises and my friend is pretty devoted to her so I thought it would be something of a hoot to have a reading. I can't say that I put a lot of store in the whole enterprise, but I was definitely intrigued and I am game to do just about anything at least once.

The woman herself was not particularly impressive - just a slightly past middle aged woman in a housecoat. No burning incense, no crystal balls, in fact, nothing fortune teller-esque about her or her home at all. After she and my friend chatted about this and that, and we discovered that we had both lived in Jamaica Plains, Massachusetts, we got down to business. Other than this little tidbit about my time in JP, this woman knew exactly nothing about me.

To say she totally rocked my world would not be overstating the case. I will spare you the details but it was almost a little embarrassing the amount of rather intimate details she went into in front of my friend (who I adore but I hadn't - yet - really bared my soul to). In among the life-altering revelations and odd radio announcer coincidences, she suddenly turned to me and said, "You need a vacation."

I could have cried right there and then. Because, dear friends, I most sincerely do need a vacation. I have not taken time away that wasn't related to work or Zen practice, which contrary to what my mother claims is not relaxing, for so many years that I can not actually remember the last time. Perhaps it was being at my parent's cottage on Cape Cod in the summer of 1997?

After a rather tough week of dealing with a potential health-related crisis and having not one but two total meltdowns (sorry, Dan), I vowed that, should said crisis be averted and I was not going to be involved in various unpleasant treatments, I would plan a real vacation. Thankfully, the verdict, while slightly mixed, is mostly positive on the health front. So, I am ready to plan!

Part of me wants to find a quiet place to just sit and read and knit and do yoga and completely enjoy doing nothing. Side note: when I said all that to Finn, he replied that it sounded like I would be doing an awful lot of something for someone doing nothing. Then, part of me wants to travel just for the fun of it. Lucy wants to go back to Texas and the most excellent South Indian food ever at the Taj Chat House in Irving. Finn suggested Berlin or Tokyo, which I nixed immediately. My only rule that is whatever we do, it can not add to the overall stress level, which has been peaking on a too regular basis for too many months. So, airplanes are out (however good they may be for character-building).

Driving to Texas and on to New Mexico (hint, hint Martie!) is a possibility. Maybe go through Asheville, NC? Going back to Montreal also seems quite appealing except that we need to do this before March 2012 when I begin an advanced yoga teacher training program in ernest. I have driven from NYC to Peterborough, ON, in January and it was not exactly stress-free so I am not sure heading north makes a lot of sense.

Ideas? Suggestions? Recommendations? Finn and Lucy are ok with some car time especially if there is some pay-off (read: masala dosa) at the end. We are thinking of taking perhaps two or three weeks in total time away.

I eagerly await your replies.

When This Becomes That

2011-11-29T10:45:00.001-03:30

Two-ply, lace weight, merino/silk. I have not counted the yardage yet, but I think it is up there. Handpainted fleece from Widdershin Woolworks (who else?).

On the Hunt

2011-11-28T10:13:00.001-03:30

May I divert your attention to one of my new favorite blogs, Be the BQE. The creative force behind it, the mysterious Yariski, has started a new series Who Killed Cardvark? Daring to engage in a topic that others have scorned, or perhaps simply overlooked as unimportant, Yariski delves into the sudden and complete disappearance of one of the MTA's stupidest attempts at making a public relations campaign.

If you read only one blog about a New York City roadway that also devotes its energies to other, slightly absurd topics, let it be this one!

Age Appropriate

2011-11-26T10:35:00.000-03:30

What have we here? Some kind of New York Times-based medical waste? The collection of an overeager early morning dog walker?

No!

Looks like Mom finally made her kids some play dough.**

Although Finn claims to remember that I made play dough at least once before, what I suspect he is remembering were gifts of homemade play dough given to us from more enterprising mothers. For me, the recipe always got a little too bogged down when it came to needing cream of tartar, which is neither cream nor tartar (discuss). Now that I am of a natural dyeing persuasion, I have a big bag of the stuff but at that time, it was a mystery to me.

As I was making the play dough, Finn and Lucy couldn't resist joining in and we had ourselves a great time, so there may be benefits to waiting until your kids are teens to make play dough. We were laughing and reminiscing, when Lucy recalled Roz Chast's cartoon, Bad Mom Trading Cards.

Click to make larger so you can read it.

Deborah Z. and I have lots to talk about.

** Truth be told, I wasn't making it for Finn and Lucy. But I promised to bring back whatever was left over. The other nice thing about waiting until your children are teens to make play dough is that they can actually understand that explanation and will wait patiently for it to happen. Why does anyone ever make play dough for little kids?? It clearly makes the most sense to wait until they are good and ready.***

*** Note to self: homemade play dough may be a good going-away present when they leave for college.

Reclaiming Humanity

2011-11-25T11:35:00.001-03:30

Those in the know, know that today is Buy Nothing Day. A day created in response to the Black Friday phenomena where people run out and shop the day after Thanksgiving. Not being the shop-til-you-drop kind of person, it never really captured my imagination any day of the year, let alone this particular Friday. Plus, one of life's greatest pleasures is making things. Making things with my own hands.

Let's do that, shall we?

A top secret project using some handspun yarn from Widdershin Woolworks.

Lucy's own top secret project using some Koigu that she scored out of my stash.

We are people. We are very, very clever. So go on and make your damn presents already!

Two Kinds of Pie

2011-11-23T17:31:00.001-03:30

Headed for the interior of pie #1

Although it has been something of a wild ride of a year, I find myself feeling extra grateful this year as we enter into Gratitude Season. It was tempting to create some kind of a list but when I tried, I found myself getting rather bogged down in various explanations. No need for such things really. And I am sure you are feeling a bit of gratitude for that right there!

There is one thing that I do want to acknowledge, in part because I think it might be useful for others to know if simply as an example of what is possible.

I feel grateful that Dan and I had the guts to do what needed to be done, and then to do it in a way that didn't include lawyers but does include having Thanksgiving dinner together with Finn and Lucy at Dan's new place this year. By paying rather scrupulous attention to our intentions and goals for how we want to move forward, we managed to create our separation agreement with, well, agreement. Breaking up may be hard to do but it doesn't have to mean that you have to hate each other before its over.

It hasn't been a cakewalk and there have been some pretty low moments but, looking back over the past seven months, I can say for certain that I do not regret a single time when I chose to feel my sadness over my anger, to aim at long-term forgiveness over a moment of revenge.

As a family we are all still getting used to our new relationship with each other. I think this will continue, perhaps less dramatically or drastically, for the foreseeable future. Isn't this true no matter what the case?

I believe that none of us would be in this place of general good cheer were it not for the support that I have received from my friends, family and my teacher. Actually, my many teachers, not the least being Dan, himself.

Thank you to everyone - and if you think I might be speaking directly to you, it is because I am.

PS. The second kind of pie is less picturesque, coming as it does, from a can. But it is still pretty darn yummy. Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends!

Shop Local

2011-11-21T22:04:00.001-03:30

When I left you last week, you had kitten shots but no flower shots. My apologies for the oversight. To rectify that situation...

It happens that we find ourselves in the tiny scrap of what used to be Manhattan's flower district each Monday. There are still a few remaining wholesalers of fresh flowers; a handful will sell retail too. Far too many of the small number of shops sell silk flowers, which miss the point entirely if you ask me. They must pay the rent better than fresh ones because about half are dedicated to only silk these days.

The first time I went into one of the fresh flower retail shops, I was picking up irises for the ikebana workshop that sparked my new passion. I was happily surprised to discover that, for once, Manhattan was cheaper than the outer boroughs. Fresh cut flowers are significantly less expensive in the flower district than at my local corner shop with an outdoor flower seller. And fresher and have a much better variety.

I realized it would be the work of an instant to pop in each week and buy the flowers for the Temple in Brooklyn and thereby save them some money. How I do love a bargain. Plus there is the added benefit that I can pick up a few stems for myself to make an ikebana arrangement.

It is all so completely and utterly pointless, if you don't count the pure pleasure of every single aspect of it. But I do.

NSFW - Way Too Cute!

2011-11-14T09:29:00.001-03:30

Look! Liberated from the Hungry Ghost realm - the lace cowl is finished. There remains one place where I made a mistake but I am counting on people not noticing. Can you see it?

Ok, before you try too hard, I will tell you that you can't see it because it is on the other side that I didn't photograph.

When I finished up that one, I immediately cast on for another one. This time I used a bulky cashmere yarn that I bought on a cone ages ago at School Products. This one will be a gift. I soaked it for a good long while in hot water to get rid of the coating that was put on it so it would work on a knitting machine (all coned yarns have this) but it still isn't giving me the cashmere love I know it has in its power. Any suggestions? Will wear cause it to fluff up more?

Meanwhile, I will be back in a week - I am off to sesshin up at ZMM.

Here is a cute kittie picture to soften the blow.

Awwwww......

And another one:

Look at Olive's belly! I'm melting....

On Being Zen

2011-11-12T10:47:00.001-03:30

Recently, photographer Viviana Peretti came to the Zen Center of New York City to shoot some pictures as part of a larger series she is creating about religious life in New York. Over the course of several days, she discreetly captured the life of the Temple, including a jukai ceremony (when a student receives the precepts and the teacher gives them a "dharma name").

I think of that place as so full of life, so I was a little surprised to see that everyone looks quite dour in a lot of the photographs. But then I remembered that the inwardness and silence during sitting and service are what makes the liveliness of the rest of the time possible.

Here is it: On Being Zen by Viviana Peretti. I invite you to have a look at her other series as well - it is very strong.

A Love Letter

2011-11-11T09:21:00.001-03:30

In stillness, mind and object merge in realization and go beyond enlightenment. Nevertheless, in the state of receptive samadhi, without disturbing its quality or moving a single particle you engage the vast buddha activity, the extremely profound and subtle buddha transformation.

Eihei Dogen, Bendowa (The Wholehearted Way), 1231AD

Stories of Leaving

2011-11-10T09:43:00.003-03:30

Artist, Tara Bursey, has a new project. It is called Newfoundland Stories of Leaving. Check it out and ask her about how you can contribute.

I snagged this photo from her site - it is her father and a friend c.1970s in Clarenville, Newfoundland.

Go take a look.

Perfectly 13

2011-11-08T09:21:00.002-03:30

Last week. Lucy received her very own cellphone. It seemed to make sense that she have her own phone since she and Finn (they had been sharing one) now are frequently off doing their own thing separately. She was very happy about it. At one point, she had a kitten in one hand and her cellphone in the other and she said, "I have two kittens AND my very own cellphone! Now I have everything I have ever wanted!"

And she meant it.

A Slippery Slope

2011-11-02T23:01:00.000-02:30

In my Mysore practice, the instructors recently added garbha pindasana. It comes after supta kurmasana and is considered one of the core poses to the Ashtanga primary series. I had been doing a modified version for a couple of years when I do my home practice. In the modified version, instead of putting your arms through padmasana, you reach around, bind your hands and just hold your legs. Same with the roll backs. Instead of kukkutasana at the end, you do utpluthi. It is easier but still challenging enough (or so I thought).

As I said, I have done this quite happily for a couple of years but the Mysore instructors will have none of that. It is arms through or nothing at all. Yesterday morning, I was really struggling, thinking to myself, "I've pushed babies out easier than getting my arms through here!" Finally, when one of the instructors looked over at my mess, I asked, "what, exactly, is the benefit of this asana?"

She took another look at me and said, "it is very humbling."

Touche!

I was excited to stumble across this video which gives an great tip for getting the arms through in a way that doesn't cause flashbacks to the second stage of labour.

Enjoy and may your arms slip through with ease!

Brace Yourself

2011-11-02T14:29:00.001-02:30

Too cool to smile for the camera.

Unless I sing a silly song...

Frightful

2011-11-01T09:13:00.002-02:30

All Hallow's Eve was as spooky as it has ever been, despite my best efforts to ignore it completely.

Webster and the neighboring cat had a tense stand-off. They stared at each other for a good twenty minutes.

Finn created his annual "dead trick or treater" in our front yard. He has become so accomplished at this that many small children were too scared to come up and ring our bell. Then Finn got angry about why everyone was just walking past without stopping. Um, dude? Could it be the bloody corpse in the way?

And finally after much drama and completely trashing my closet in her search for a costume, Lucy came up with Lady MacBeth. You see, Lucy and Finn (but especially Lucy) have something of a local reputation for very imaginative costumes and there are neighbors who specifically wait to see what they will be each year. Such pressure can be a bit paralyzing, if you know what I mean. She was quite pleased in the end. Finn, who seems to be nearing the end of his trick or treating days, dithered for weeks, right up to the last minute. He finally took the easy way out: zombie.

Now the scariest part of all - what to do with all that disgusting candy that they collected.

Occupy Wall Sheep

2011-10-31T09:27:00.001-02:30

My copy of Knit Real Shetland arrived! I took advantage of the offer of free shipping from the UK and it only took about a week to appear on my doorstep. The patterns are really strong - I can easily imagine knitting more than half of them, which I think is a pretty good ratio for any knitting book.

My only criticism is with the colour choices of the samples in the book. All the patterns are gorgeous but the colours...not so much, in my humble opinion.

Am I being too cranky to imagine that this design might be even more stunning in a more harmonious colour scheme?

Ach, everybody's a critic.

Fortunately I can easily imagine them in other colours and if there is one thing that Jamieson and Smith are good at, it is offering a lot of options in that department. In fact, part of why I purchased this book was because I once, in a fit of enthusiasm, bought their entire colour sampler kit - one skein of each of the colours they sell. It was very exciting when it arrived but then I was left wondering what exactly I would do with one skein of each colour of their yarn. Problem solved! This book has lots of great ideas that require no or only a small amount of supplementing.

The book also contains an interesting introductory essay by Kate Davies about the history of Jamieson and Smith and Shetland knitting in general.

Shetland wool is unique and Shetland knitting reflects this. I was recently speaking with a man from New Zealand who was telling me that the wool industry there was in trouble - people just aren't wearing real wool anymore. As someone who spends a great deal of money on wool, I had a moment of disbelief that this could possibly be true, but I am sure it is. I have heard similar stories about the Falkland Islands. And here is Kate Davies again on how products are being marketed as made of wool when, in fact, they have little or no wool content.

In the grand scheme of things, this sounds like it is a very small issue. But look a little closer. If we lose traditional industries like the Shetland and Falkland wool industries, we lose a lot more than a handful of jobs and livelihoods on a couple of tiny, ocean-swept islands. We lose entire cultures, and by that, I mean lose them forever. So while I may have a small quibble about someone's taste in colour, the truth is that I gladly spent my money on this book, and I will spend more to buy yarn to make the patterns in it.

It isn't Occupy Wall Street but it is a small gesture to keep this tiny world of ours just a little more interesting for just a little while longer.

And that's why I love snow

2011-10-29T15:51:00.000-02:30

The west coast of Newfoundland had its first snowfall earlier this week, but for once, New York is not so far behind.

After an early morning odyssey of four trains to get to a yoga class (usually one train and 20 minutes - thanks MTA!), I was a bit grumpy about the prospect of three trains to get back home. Yet, when we emerged from underground to head into Queensboro Plaza on the N train, everyone in the car gasped simultaneously.

What had started as rain in Manhattan had turned to snow. It was one of those brief moments in the city when everyone is laughing and smiling and talking with strangers in delight about what is happening.

Imagine that! One moment, everyone is glumly riding along, thinking their thoughts, planning their day, ignoring those around them....and then it snows.

Bring Out Your Dead

2011-10-28T11:33:00.000-02:30

In honour of Halloween, and despite of being the Ebenezer Scrooge of said holiday, I have been resurrecting dead projects. These were my hungry ghosts - looming in the background, wanting to be finished but unable to fit into my schedule or my current interest.

This one got put aside because I made a mistake somewhere along the way. I forgot how fun this pattern is but now that I am back in the groove, I am cooking along. I highly recommend it as a beginner's lace pattern. Here is a link to the free ravelry download. It will end too soon!

This project dates from 2006, I believe. Again, I made a mistake that required a bit of ripping back so I put it in a bag and hid it in a dark corner. But dang it, that was a lot of colourwork to just abandon. The actual knitting requires a fair amount of concentration so it is not for casual, pick-up work, thus it is still sitting by the couch. The intention is there, however.

Perhaps my hungry ghosts are ready to be reborn into another realm. I will let you know.

Meanwhile, please enjoy:

The Felt Cervix Project

2011-10-27T10:25:00.000-02:30

Artist Sonya Philip has a new project and she is looking for contributions. The Felt Cervix Project "aims to highlight the importance of sexual and reproductive familiarity, education and empowerment." The result will be a large-scale sculptural installation. Sonya has a blog to keep you up to date on all things happening in the world of felt cervixes (is that the correct way to make cervix plural?). And you can get the pattern off the website or download it via ravelry.

While I completely appreciate her goal for this project, I think it is just plain old fun to make a felt cervix. And can you say "homeschool sex ed lesson"?

Go on! Make a felt cervix. You know you wanna.

PS. If you want to make your knit, then felted, cervix in the company of others, then head on down to Zucotti Park and Occupy Wall Street. There will be a knit-in there this Sunday at noon.

Kittens and Flowers

2011-10-25T10:58:00.000-02:30

This morning I thought I would write a post in response to two of Shawn's recent posts over at islandsweet. She has been mourning the passing of autumn into winter in Newfoundland, even going as far as to suggest that all the colour is quickly leaving and that she will have to find her inspiration from her collection of sketchbooks rather than the natural world. I wanted to assure Shawn that winter is full of colour albeit in a minimal palette, but the colour is there if you look. For me, it is the season that is most inspirational.

Alas, I also have a friend who was born and raised in Houston, TX, who believes that 90F/32C and 90% humidity is the best kind of weather. This friend actually thinks that sweating makes you feel fresh and invigorated.

Fresh and invigorating is a good Arctic wind and recent snowfall. But we shall have to agree to disagree.

Just look at the consequences when you take the other route:

Note Webster's jaws locking on Olive's head. No, we don't need more of that in the world.

Peace, love and understanding (and glowing toenail polish) is what we need.

Also ikebana. After a long (too long!) respite, ikebana is back! Yep, it's gonna be all kittens and flowers from now on.

A Vow (with apologies to the wool industry)

2011-10-22T17:06:00.000-02:30

The Kitty Cat Sniffle Update is positive - both cats seem to be back to good health. We shall not speak of how I administered a topical antibiotic to Olive orally by mistake and spent some tense hours believing that I had killed the cat we had just adopted. Both of us lived to tell the tale, which is all that needs to be said. There is no knowing if said action contributed to the fact that Olive has been much slower to feel comfortable and trust us, but really, what do you think? At least they are snoozing on top of the bed instead of under it now. This seems to be their daylight hours position. Nighttime is spent racing up and down the stairs, wrestling with each other and knocking things off of shelves. Good and proper kitten behavior.

For myself, I too race up and down stairs and knock things off of shelves regularly but I am a little light on the wrestling. All for the best, no doubt.

After cleaning out my fibre closet in the basement, which had spilled out of its boundaries in a rather alarming way, I finally got my spinning mojo back. It had taken a little siesta not unlike the above kittens. But it is back, and not a moment too soon because my clean-up revealed a shocking amount of raw fleece. Where did it all come from? Somebody needs to put girlfriend's paypal account on lockdown.

Consider it done. I hereby vow that no fleece shall enter this house until the supply that exists here and now is well used up. A public declaration! Hold me to it, people.

There is More

2011-10-20T09:44:00.000-02:30

Accomplishment! Not only did I purchase a $1.50 adapter for my camera charger, but I finished the socks knit from Zauerball yarn. I started them in the spring, was sidetracked by, oh, 700 crocheted and knit squares, and finished them a couple of days ago. They are the best fitting socks I have made to date. They are nice and snug, which made me realize that I usually knit socks too loosely. There is a good amount of yarn left over so I think my next sock project (they are the perfect subway knitting) will be a combination of leftovers to make a pair for Lucy, who complained that I "never" make her anything.

I will add that to the list of how I "refused" to allow her and Finn to learn Japanese and how I "never" let her take up a musical instrument.

Webster thinks otherwise.

A Simpleton and A Dullard

2011-10-17T10:20:00.000-02:30

Once I mentioned at the dinner table that I suspected that someone who I had recently met thought of me as a simpleton. Lucy said, "what's a simpleton?" And Finn responded with, "Ummm...Lucy.....?"

Today I must confess to being a dullard. My camera still isn't charged so I have no new photos to share and, frankly, no new nothing to share. I am spending all my time getting the house in order, keeping Finn and Lucy on track with their activities so that they do not become simpletons, and administering antibiotics to kittens. It is not exactly juicy blog fodder.

My apologies.

As an offering to you in the hopes that you won't give up on me (I will get that adapter so I can charge the camera battery!), here are a few blog posts from others that I have recently enjoyed:

First, from the ever-wonderful Kate Davies, a post about new book about Shetland knitting that she had a hand in making. It is put out by Jamieson & Smith in Shetland. At the moment, you get free shipping from the UK, so take advantage!

Second, from Joanne Mattera, a post about how artists can fundraise for projects with integrity and ingenuity. It is chock-full of great ideas and sound advice.

Finally, if you already aren't a follower of Shawn over islandsweet, may I recommend you head over there and read about her experiences teaching dyeing and spinning in Jackson's Arm, Newfoundland. The town, which is slowly dying, is trying to tap into the remarkable talents of its women to create a new economy. Shawn is helping them develop some new skills as part of that process. It is a fascinating project and Shawn tells it with beautiful photographs.

Have fun and I promise to return with more sparkling, witty posts soon.

A Banner Day

2011-10-14T14:19:00.001-02:30

It is my most wonderful daughter's birthday today, marking the day when we officially have two teenagers at home. What can I say? Lucy is great: she is funny, smart, and a fast knitter, and she has one of the most generous natures of anyone I have ever met. Happy birthday Lucy!

To celebrate, and to celebrate the arrival of our two new kittens, I want to turn your attention to this film festival happening this very weekend here in NYC.

Yes, it is a film festival of cute cat videos! You've spent hours watching them on youtube, now come see them at the Anthology Film Archives. The program actually seems to go beyond Maru and his boxes into some interesting territory.

I would post some cute cat photos of my own except that my *brand* *new* *Korean* camera's battery has run down and the charger has a European style plug on it so I need to get an adapter for North American use. Also, the kitties have been mostly hiding in dark places and sneezing. Unfortunately, they picked up head colds at the shelter so I spend most of my time with them trying to corner them and force antibiotics in their mouths with a syringe. I am sure it is some kind of bonding ritual, but is it the good kind?

That's the kitty sniffle update...have a great weekend!

Everything I Know I Learned From Frog and Toad

2011-10-10T11:23:00.001-02:30

At our Zen center yesterday, there was a dharma encounter (sometimes also called dharma combat) instead of the usual discourse. It happens as part of the fall intensive training period, called ango. In dharma encounter, the teacher sits up front and presents a topic. Ango participants (one does not have to be a formal student to participate in ango) line up and, one by one, come forward and ask a question or make a comment in response to the topic. It is like a public dokusan (or face-to-face interview with the teacher, which is normally held privately). There is only a certain amount of space for people to line up, so when the teacher invites people up, there is usually a scramble as people race to get a space on the line and many are sent back to their seats.

My feelings about the whole thing have mostly been along the lines of "not me! no thanks!" Or perhaps, "why must every single thing about Zen practice be such exquisite torture?" In other words, I have been very content to sit on my zafu and watch the proceedings from a safe distance. From my passive position, I have learned so much from dharma encounters, yet I have had a growing sense that sitting back and watching others was both ungenerous and failed to take advantage of all the teacher is offering me.

So yesterday I took my place in the line - not without a bit of jostling, I might add. Perhaps this explains why there are always so many more men participating....another reason to get my ass on line.

An illustration of my state of mind during dharma encounter.

My heart was pounding so hard that I seriously wondered if I would survive. I feel sore in my heart today, just like when I overwork my hamstrings. I pulled a heart muscle.

To be honest, I have almost no memory of what I said except to know that it barely made any sense in reference to the topic. If it was dharma combat, then I was the dog that rolls over and exposes their belly in acquiescence. I do not know why this kind of thing sends me off the deep end but it surely does.

Later, I was meeting with some others to plan for the next Zen Kids meeting next weekend. We were looking at a Frog and Toad story about bravery. At several points in the story, Frog and Toad are under attack (by a snake, a hawk, etc.) and they run away, but at the same time they are shouting, "I am not afraid!"

From "Dragons and Giants" in Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel, 1972.

Sounds very familiar.

Irrational Exuberance

2011-10-08T12:01:00.000-02:30

Since Dan moved out, there has been a lot of cat talk around here. No, we don't go around meowing and purring (most of the time), but there was a growing realization that, with the primary allergy sufferer gone, we could have the long-desired cat. In many ways, it makes no sense whatsoever unless said cat learns to travel in a car to Newfoundland on a regular basis. This isn't completely impossible but it is a little far fetched.

Yet once the furry topic was raised, there was no putting it down (so to speak). We began to make rationalizations about how it would be possible. Then we decided that "it wouldn't hurt" to go to the North Shore Animal League - the world's largest no-kill shelter, btw - and just have a little look around.

Please meet Olive. She is about six months old and very sweet. What you don't see in this picture is her brother, Webster, who was hiding under my bed. In for a penny, in for a pound, I suppose.

Finn came up with Webster's name based on a story in the Mr. Mulliner series by P.G. Wodehouse. In it, there is a cat named Webster who seems to exude a kind of moral uprightness that forces the slightly debauched P.G. Wodehouse character to give up his drinking and carousing. Each time he would reach for the bottle, he would look over at Webster and see that "Webster thinks otherwise." Finn managed to find a kitten that had that "Webster thinks otherwise" air about him. Guess my party days are over.

Some Miscellaneous Scratch

2011-10-04T10:03:00.002-02:30

It's fall! The best season to be in New York, as anyone will tell you.

It feels great to be able to enjoy this season with no deadlines or massive projects to complete. Instead, I have lots of small projects that I can now attend to and enjoy, including making that kimono and fixing up the house to feel new and refreshed. I got out the Benjamin Moore colour card set (yes, a friend who knows my love of painting the living room gave me the complete set) and Lucy and I have been deep in discussion about what the next incarnation should be. Occasionally we get side tracked by the names of the colours. Lucy created a quiz game where she read off the names and I had to guess what the colour was - if you think "Stoney Iron" is a rust colour, then you would be wrong (it is a deep blue).

The one downer has been that, in my absence, we developed an infestation of pantry moths. Considering that the kitchen had not really been used as a going concern for almost a year, I guess we were lucky it was nothing worse. Still, it was slightly alarming to find a dozen little caterpillars on the ceiling in the morning. As a public service, I offer you my three-pronged strategy for getting rid of the infestation: 1. Kill every visible moth and caterpillar mercilessly. 2. Clean out all the cupboards and throw away anything that isn't sealed in metal. This was tough from both an environmental and economic perspective but again, I had to be merciless. And there were some scary items at the back of some of the below-the-counter cupboards. We shall not speak of the container of black rice from 2009. 3. Scatter bay leaves liberally on the shelves. Apparently your man the pantry moth hates the smell with a passion and will pack his bags immediately upon getting a good whiff of it. I read that on the internets and I can't say that it is true for sure, but I do know that three days of this strategy seems to have eliminated the problem. Go bay leaves!

If you too are lucky enough to be enjoying autumn in New York, may I make a suggestion for an evening out this week? Consider attending the short-film festival "Made from Scratch", which is billed as a celebration of New Yorkers who "create products and companies from the raw materials of the city itself and themselves. My project, Spindle 7, was entered by the person who edited the video about it, Susan Forste, and it is a finalist! A screening and reception will be held on October 6th at 287 Spring Street beginning at 8pm. Hope to see you there!

Fear and One's Thoughts and Opinions About That Fear Are Not The Same Thing

2011-10-02T08:39:00.000-02:30

Humble Mind

2011-09-30T04:29:00.003-02:30

Sitting in Incheon Airport, where they still do not have a service that knocks you out and loads you on the plane only to have you awaken upon landing, so I guess I have to awaken all by myself. And is there really a direct flight to Detroit? And who is on that flight? My flight has not even made it to the big board yet, so I have plenty of time to contemplate the randomness of life and death and the Motor City while sizing up the crew members of Korean Air. I do this only because my most wonderful host, Ji-young, is at a preliminary interview with Korean Air today that consists entirely of them determining that she is pretty and thin enough to be one of their flight attendants.

I think she is, by far, but then again, I stand at a distinctly unlady-like 5'9" so what do I know? I do know that I am going to miss Korea a lot. While here, I read a history of North Korea, which is kind of the same as reading a history of South Korea too since their histories are intertwined. I was completely surprised by what I learned. I had learned none of it in school and I suspect most Americans have no idea of their role in why Korea is what it is today.

If people had wanted to throw stones at me, I would not have blamed them. At the Contemporary Art Museum, I saw photographs from the early 1960s where Seoul is mainly some low buildings and mud. Although I am hardly a fan of new construction and development in most instances, I think what Korea is today is remarkable and hugely impressive. That no one threw stones at me but instead treated me as a valued guest, well, it brings tears to my eyes. I am sorry for what Americans did in Korea but I am even more sorry that this story simply is not told as part of our history education.

When I was at Myogaksa, we did 108 prostrations, counting our bows with beads as we made a mala. The nun leading the program told us it would help cultivate our "humble mind". That notion of a humble mind came up for me again and again thereafter. I would think about it when I was crossing the street and a car would want to cut me off - the New Yorker in me would scowl with a bit of "oh yeah, you wanna fight about it?" attitude and suddenly I would think, "humble mind!" especially after I saw others bowing to the driver who had tried to cut them off.

Humble mind. I am pretty sure that one could do a lot worse in life than to fully cultivate one. Now I humbly put my faith in the thin and pretty crew of Korean Air and their flying machine that will take me back to New York. Hope to see you there!

Two Videos from Seoul

2011-09-29T02:47:00.001-02:30

Special Hats and Special Socks

2011-09-28T08:10:00.001-02:30

Back to tourist shots...

Yesterday I spent part of the day in the far southern reaches of Seoul at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, which is located in a huge park - the aptly named Grand Park. The park also contains a theme park called Seoul Land (giggle), a zoo, a sky tram and a hobby museum. Then I got back on the most wonderful subway system in the world (so clean! so efficient! so cheap!) and went to the northern reaches of the city where I spent hours at the Gyeongbokgung Palace. It is impossible to take an ugly photograph there, I tell you. I posted oodles of them on Facebook, so go on over there and friend me so you can see them!

Within the palace city limits, there also is the National Folk Museum of Korea, which I dearly wanted to see but it was closed yesterday. I went back today, dodging school groups and the thick ranks of tourists, because I had heard that there was a very good display about Korean millinery. I had not been misled.

Beautiful, special hats - nearly all for men.

Those great black ones are actually woven from split reeds and blackened. I highly recommend all the small videos that are in many of the exhibition vitrines which show people demonstrating the techniques for making the items in the display. I only wish they had been larger so I could really see what was happening.

Awesome display of shoes and boots.

One of the little videos showed how women processed flax and wove linen. Again, I wish the screen had been larger - it was so fascinating because it did not (seem to) include any spinning of any kind beyond a bit of finger rolling. As I stood watching, I became aware of someone else also watching. It turned out to be an elderly woman who used hand gestures to indicate that she did this process when she was a child. Achk! About the millionth time I wished I could speak Korean! Instead all I could do was make amazed noises and give her a very wide-eyed look that said (as best I could manage), Oh my goodness! That's amazing! It is such a complicated, time consuming process. You must be an incredible person...or that is what I tried to convey with my eyebrows.

Are these not beautiful? They were a prince's clothes. As I walked around the palace, I tried to imagine it as a going concern rather than a tourist site. What would have it been like to actually live and work within the walls of the compound? I never imagined myself as royalty but I could imagine myself as someone who would have made clothes like these. The care and attention to the stitches and cloth...so inspiring.

After I thoroughly exhausted all the possibilities of the Gyeongbokgung Palace and related institutions, I went over to Insadong district, which I had heard had some good paper and antique stores. It really was a tourist trap with tiny pockets of interesting things, like this shop that sold calligraphy supplies. I didn't spend much time there because it was too much a scene for my taste. However, there was a yarn store on the 3rd floor at the head of the street.

That store, I went in.

More Avenue of Trees photos

2011-09-27T20:56:00.002-02:30

A selection of the photographs taken by Park, Chongsuk, who drove me up and down the avenue repeatedly over many days. He took these photographs while also driving the car (!) and he described the project as being like Hansel and Gretel. I really like that description but I hope that visitors following the squares find their way to the Biennale instead of a witches stew pot.

To Market

2011-09-26T22:17:00.000-02:30

Can you stand some more tourist shots of Seoul? I swear, more project pictures will come. I will be back in Cheongju for one more round of documentation before I return to NYC. The person who took the still photos just sent me some of his images but I haven't sorted through them yet, so perhaps tomorrow...

First - please let me assure Helen and anyone else that I also believe that sex is normal and natural and nothing to be ashamed of, even if it means I have to listen to others engaging in normal and natural exclamations in the process of participating in this un-shameful behavior at 2 am. My "walk of shame" has more to do with the fact that the street the hotel is on looks like this:

And the fact that I already stand out like a sore thumb being rather more tall and redheaded than just about everyone else in Korea. So, if it isn't exactly a walk of shame, then it is a walk of feeling rather uncomfortable, with the discomfort being an invention of my own mind and ego.

Just to clarify.

Yesterday I felt that I experienced the many faces of Seoul. After said walk of ego-driven discomfort, this is what I saw:

Not sure what you call this structure - a pavilion perhaps? It is the gateway to a huge park that includes many of the facilities that were constructed for the 1988 Olympics. Everything in this neighborhood is very broad and spread out and (relatively) newly constructed.

After the art fair, which was just ok (although it was fun to flash my VIP card around), I went to the Dongdaemun Market where I had heard there were yarn and fabric stores. I wasn't quite prepared for what I encountered, which was five floors of utter madness. Perhaps it was because it seemed that everyone else there had a great, urgent purpose and I had none, but I felt like I was in the way no matter where I moved. That kind of thing is very fun but also exhausting.

I did see examples of the offending yarn for sale, along with sample baby hats made with it.

Mama, don't let your babies grow up with this yarn on their heads. It is asking for trouble.

There were row after row of stores that looked like this, often with groups of people knitting and crocheting in them. Yarn is sold mainly by the pack - I saw a good selection of wool along with lots of novelty yarn and crochet thread.

These are my favourite shops. They sell bedding. I think I love them so much because the first time I saw one, I was still very jet lagged and the temptation to just dive in and wallow in the soft, comfortable quilts was very strong.

A man carrying rolls of fabric on his back with a wooden shelf-like contraption. Hint: do not get in his way.

Dongdaemun Market is in the older part of the city, where there are many markets everywhere. This one was completely devoted to shoes.

After the chaos of the older city, I went back to Olympic Park and sat by the stream to watch two herons quietly fish for their dinner. Children were playing and the sun was setting - a lovely end to a full day.

What's Love Got To Do With It?

2011-09-25T20:57:00.000-02:30

The project is up, the media promotion is over, and I have come to Seoul for a few days to be a tourist. First stop was the Myogaksa Temple. That is actually like saying ATM machine - "sa" in Korean means temple. In any case, they have a two-day program for people to stay and experience life in a Korean Buddhist temple, so I did that. The temple is right in the middle of the older part of Seoul. It is a little oasis of quiet and beauty.

Kimchee fermenting on the rooftop.

Bell ringing at dawn.

The program is geared to people who have never encountered Buddhism so a lot of it was review for me, but it was from a distinctly Korean perspective that was very interesting. The nun who runs the program is very lively and funny so it was as "fun and happy" as she kept telling us it would be. The program also was in English, although about half the group was Korean. I recommend it, especially if you are looking for an introduction to Buddhist philosophy put into action (but in a fairly gentle way).

From that little oasis, I moved on to a hotel near the big Olympic Park in the newer part of the city. May I say right here and now that I am very grateful to the Seoul subway system for including English everywhere - it makes getting around so easy and makes the entire city feel accessible.

Well, sort of. Once I was out of the subway, things got confusing fast. People don't really use street names as ways of giving their address. My host in Cheongju explained that this was a relatively new invention that most people have not adopted. So, if you ask where such-and-such street is, most people will have no idea. You need the name of the people or place where you are headed.

So I wandered around looking for my hotel while my bag that got heavier by the hour, for yes, it was more than an hour that I wandered. I did ask for help but please see the above paragraph. Finally someone looked up the phone number of the hotel and I was able to ask someone else to call them and they sent out an emissary to find me and bring me there.

Once here, I realized that I had made the choice I tried very hard not to make when booking my hotel online. I had booked myself into a "love hotel" aka a hotel that caters to the hourly crowd. It is very common in Seoul apparently and, after four days of searching online for a room without success, I booked this one with a bit of apprehension. But it is ok. The location is good, the room is very clean, and I think they are trying not to put less long-term guests in rooms near my room so it is actually quite quiet.

Mr. Pringles is very sexy.

The only way I would know that this isn't a tourist hotel is the lack of a bureau for clothes, the condom and the sex toy thing in the little courtesy pack in the room.

Also the "walk of shame," as I have dubbed it. The hotel is on a street with other hotels of the same purpose. Every single one has a screen of sorts that allows cars to drive up to the door without people being able to see who is getting out of the car from the street. As a pedestrian, everyone walking by can see. I feel like holding up a sign saying, "I really didn't mean to book my stay here! I am only a misguided tourist!" But whatever. I can manage for a couple of days in my love hideaway.

A rather scant breakfast after a long night of illicit love, don't you think?

Today, once I finish my walk of shame to the main road, I have VIP tickets (gift of the Biennale director) to the Korean International Art Fair. I will hold my head high.

Alert!

2011-09-23T21:49:00.000-02:30

Please check out the short interview about the Avenue of Trees project conducted by artist, Tara Bursey, for Toronto Craft Alert. And then check out Tara's work...I think you will like it.

Media Darling

2011-09-23T08:22:00.001-02:30

Now this is a vending machine!

We did another documentation run today and it worked out a lot better. I made a much better video and someone else took still shots. I should have copies of the photos to share soon. I will have to wait until I am back in NYC to work on the video.

After we did the whole run - a trip that takes a good 20 minutes with stop lights - we went back to the end of the Avenue (and beginning of the piece) to meet up with another TV producer. It was my third appearance on Korean television: this time for a morning program. I have quickly learned to stand silently aside while everyone else works out the details and wait for someone to tell me what to say. Usually they only want one sentence or thought, as long as it can be said in "15 seconds". No wordy preambles here. It is actually incredibly simple because I don't have to come up with any kind of insight about the project - I just say exactly what they tell me to say and then it is over.

Today was a little more complicated. They wanted me to be "knitting" (I was really crocheting) and then look up, notice the camera man, wave him over and then say, "I will make a square for Good Morning Tahemingo" I am not sure about that last word but that's what it sounded like to me and that is what I said and no one laughed or made me do it over, so it must be at least slightly correct.

We did a bunch of other shots where I pretended to adjust a square and say things like, "I want to warmly welcome the people of Cheongju to the Craft Biennale!" And then, we found a square that was vaguely the same colour as the yarn I had been crocheting and I offered it to the camera and to "Good Morning Tahemingo and the Cheongju Craft Biennale! I wish you every success!"

And now, the terrible confession.....the square I offered up, the one I supposedly had just finished from my previous crochet shot, was actually knit.

I know, I know! I am part of the problem, not the solution.

Wednesday

2011-09-22T06:34:00.000-02:30

Wednesday was the opening ceremony day for the Biennale. Before it started I added a little colour to some pigs, who I had heard were unpopular around these parts. Poor little piggies just needed some lovin'. Oddly enough, once I did my bit, the poor little piggies became quite the focus of attention, with people taking their picture next to them. See what a little knitwear (or in this case, crochet wear) will do.

This was done at the request of the Biennale artistic director and I swear on a stack of Bibles, or maybe Heart Sutras, that it is the first time I have ever deliberately yarnbombed anything. Dang it! It was actually kind of fun.

The opening was full of spectacle - traditional dancing, rock music, speeches from dignitaries and then there was this machine. It was part car, part musical instrument and part swing set. A group of young men and women played it and danced around it. I mostly watched the dignitaries in their black suits as they attempted to jive with music. The Al Gore School of Dance for Politicians is alive and well in South Korea.

At the end of the ceremony, they released these balloon-like bird forms. They were very beautiful in the air, swooping and diving the air currents. I tried not to think wet blanket thoughts about plastic and litter.

Then we were allowed in to see the exhibitions in the Biennale. It is truly incredible - an amazing assembly of masterworks of craft. And some fun things too. I took this photo for Finn and Lucy, who love these figures. They are some invention coming out of hip hop culture. People paint and decorate them and, in this case, they are beaded.

This is the installation of my piece, Memorials/The Doughboy. I knit the cape-like piece for a WWI statue in Woodside, Queens. The statue is a memorial to the men from Woodside who were killed in that war and is represents the foot soldiers who were also known as doughboys. I have photographs of the statue without my piece and with my piece next to it. That is Maegan Black from the Canadian Craft Federation in the photo. It was very fun to connect with her here in Cheongju!

In the afternoon, we went out the Avenue of Trees to attempt to document the piece. It was my first time experiencing it and I was very, very pleasantly surprised to see that it actually does what I had hoped, which is that the squares create a colour-changing sequence that is visible in the long distance and in one's peripheral vision. At the same time, each square does actually have its moment.

The only problem is that it is incredibly difficult to document because the traffic is unrelenting. I took some very fast pictures and some probably useless video before the light started to fade.

I will try again tomorrow. So, with apologies I have to ask you, for the time being, to believe me when I say that it works! It is beautiful and impressive and I hope it is entrancing and mystifying the drivers of Cheongju even as I am writing this.

Tuesday

2011-09-21T08:45:00.000-02:30

On Tuesday, it didn't rain and I had five people assisting me. We also had two trucks to help carry the squares and (occasionally) block traffic.

We rocked it, people! We covered every single tree along the whole center line of the avenue and we had enough left over to do a section of the street where the Biennale venue is located. That's right! We did all five kms and more.

It was a hard day but a good day.

Monday

2011-09-19T22:03:00.003-02:30

Korean Broadcasting System is making a feature about the project. They will return on Wednesday to shoot the whole Avenue in its completed glory. Soon took this shot. My role in the whole thing was actually quite minimal (thank goodness!) because they really can't have me blathering on in English that no one will understand. I like that you get a glimpse of one of the many, many t-shirts will seemingly random English words printed on it. (His t-shirt, not mine. I am wearing an official 2011 Cheongju International Craft Biennale t-shirt.)

The shoot continued out at the Avenue of Trees. Did I mention that the Avenue of Trees is basically a four-lane highway? Because it is. At first, we cowered on the median strip, somewhat taken aback by the speed with which cars and buses roared past, but in our good human way, we quickly adapted and soon the tons of steel barreling past were but background noise to our task at hand.

The task was a formidable one. We had four big boxes of squares, organized so that we needed to simply take the one on top at each tree to install. Of course, it wasn't quite that simple. For one thing, the boxes all had to be moved along with us. That task fell to the gentleman in the red shirt who spent hours carting the boxes down the strip. Then Soon would add ties to the squares that needed them (ahem..that would be all the ones that I organized). And I would install them.

We breaked for lunch and more help arrived. Also, it started to rain a bit. We found a little gazebo to take shelter in and have our meal.

One could not complain about the scenery. And the sense of peacefulness that came from not being on a highway median strip.

We donned our raincoats and went back to work. With more helpers and a truck that delivered the squares to each tree, things moved much more quickly and we managed to install about half our total. It seems that we are covering much more ground than we originally thought - possible three kms or more. I only saw snippets of it as I would walk up and down, so I can't say whether it looks good or not, but the snippets I saw looked pretty great....I am really looking forward to driving down the road and seeing it completed.

It was so lovely to handle each square and especially to encounter one made by someone I know. A connection, a little piece of handmade love shared with me and with everyone.

Beautiful Things

2011-09-18T21:27:00.000-02:30

Just about to run out for the first day of installing the squares! But before I do, I know you all have been asking yourselves...so, Robyn, have you changed your opinion about dotorimuk (jellied acorn paste)?

The answer is YES!

My host family was a little surprised, and I suspect a little dismayed, to learn that I am a vegetarian because much of Korean food includes a meat component. I knew this, and being a vegetarian who does not like to impose on anyone offering me food, my plan was to eat whatever I was given. But then, someone asked me...and word was out. The solution was dotorimuk!

We went to a restaurant that specializes in it and it was totally different from my first experience of it.

Here it is as squares.

Flattened and cooked (?) like a pancake. This one was extra yummy.

And finally, as noodles with lots of sprouts and veggies and, I think, peanuts. Mixed with hot sauce. Oh yes. Sorry chipmunks, I take it back. I wants your acorns after all.

Enough with the acorns already. Here are all 700+ or - squares organized by colour.

And five hours later, organized by how I plan on installing them (minus two boxes I packed up). I left these out because a television crew will be there this morning to tape some footage about the project and they need some visuals. I pulled a few squares out that seemed to have special stories attached, including one made from 40 grocery bags and two from the blogless Janine who made her squares from wool from her very own sheep that she sheared, scoured, carded, spun and then knit.

But if one thing became clear to me yesterday as I handled and considered each square, it was that there are not really any "special" ones. Every single one represents care and time and energy that someone gave freely to this project. I was really feeling that generosity coming off of every single square - it was a beautiful thing.

I hope you feel my love in return....

Music: Meaning and Matching

2011-09-17T04:38:00.000-02:30

From the get-go, one idea I have had about The Avenue of Trees project is that the colour patterning would have some relationship to music. I did not want to just hang up the squares in a rainbow transitioning pattern, although that is actually a lot harder to avoid that you might think. So, I set to looking for (and listening to) music that might be an inspiration. Not so much like red squares = a C note, but more in creating a sense of flow that might be inspiring to colour pattern.

People who know me will know this is like me saying one day that I wish to fly and heading over to the nearest cliff to try my luck. It is just about as likely that I will fly as I will be able to work directly with music. That is to say, I am an amusical person. I think I may have just invented that word but to me it is like being asexual....I just ain't got it in either direction. Those places in the brain where music happens...well, they dried up ages ago. It is a very quiet place in that corner of the old noggin for me.

What better idea, then, to take up music in a very public way, not to mention a way that is highly abstract and complicated. Hey - if you are gonna play, play.

Not surprisingly I found myself coming up blank when I imagined what possible music I could use. It isn't like I have a repetoire or even a CD collection to draw upon. Plus, it felt like I needed to have a connection to this place, specifically. If I know little or nothing about music from a North American perspective, then my knowledge of Korean music is even less. Yet, total ignorance has never stopped me before.

Off the cliff I plunged!

Here are some of the notes I took as I did some research:

Eric Satie....too sad and slow.Shall We Dance? (The official title of my project is The Avenue of Trees/Shall We Art?, which was decided upon by the organizing committee for the Biennale). NO!Korean classical music: Shin Kwe Dong, Chung Mori. Classical fusion - Byul Ma Ru. Sinawi - ritual music that originated in Cheongju.

Now we were getting somewhere! Traditional music that had its roots in this very place. Even better, there is an Australian drummer named Simon Barker, who has embraced traditional Korean music and brought it to international audiences. The video above is his version of Sinawi. Music that is specifically from Cheongju but with a twist by someone from away.

Yes. I like it.

And now for something...

2011-09-16T10:40:00.000-02:30

Spent all day waiting to hear about my packages, but alas, they did not arrive. They will definitely be in tomorrow afternoon, so the work begins in ernest then.

In the meantime, I want to share this lovely video with you. Some of my favourite people on this great earth are in it!

Uniforms: Zen Buddhist Monk from StyleLikeU on Vimeo.

So Far (In Pictures, Some Words)

2011-09-15T21:19:00.000-02:30

Duksoon's interpretation of the project. It does rather sum it up nicely (but I think we will go further than only one km).

Each of the 400 squares collected locally had a form stapled to it. A form stapled with heavy duty staples such as you might stretch a canvas with or, perhaps, erect a house.

I would like to have a little conversation with Buddy and his staple gun.

Yesterday a trend emerged. A whole group of squares with colourful flowers attached, each clearly made from a different hand. Somebody started something!

This square melted my heart. It has all sorts of things happening - strange ties and knots, odd bumps and row changes and even a bit of crochet around only two sides. I don't know who made this one but let's just say, I can relate.

A number of the squares have been made in this acrylic faux fur yarn. And when I say acrylic here, I mean just short of straight up plastic. I can not imagine what it felt like to crochet it but my sympathies go out to those who used it. It can not have been fun.

A closer look....shudder.

Here is our collection so far - about 500. We have almost 200 more coming today (fingers crossed).

Another trend - people made fancy ties on each corner.

Such an amazing amount of work on display here. It is impossible not to be moved by it.

It is shaping up.

PS. Inside joke for Dan....

....just as well we never took over the little hotdog shack on Rte. 2 in Pawcatuck. Looks like someone else got hold of that idea and ran with it.

Busy, Like Beaver

2011-09-13T18:16:00.002-02:30

Yesterday morning I received an email from my contact at the Biennale that I should come right over because tomorrow they will be busy unpacking 1000 works to be installed over the next few days. It was sink or swim time! I grabbed my map that Ji-young drew up and made my way to the bus stop - something that was surprisingly complicated because I realized that, for me, the result of jet lag is to lose my ability to retain any new information so that I could barely recognize the streets that we had walked only two days before. After a bit of confused wandering, I asked a young man who was very helpful and with his additional directions, suddenly everything came back to me. Now, I am not one to turn my nose up at a bit of confused wandering, but suddenly I had a purpose, a direction, a place to be.

And so I went.

This is Duksoon Chung, who has been my email contact for these many months. It felt like greeting an old friend. She did not get to eat bibimbap and see Planet of the Apes yesterday. She was working. Hard. She is here holding one of 300 squares she collected from local residents. Yes, it is true - they made about 400 squares in a very, very short amount of time (another 100 are coming, perhaps today). I have now touched most of them and they are real.

We sorted the squares into piles based very generally on color. The squares shipped from New York have not yet arrived, although I am hoping they do soon because the boxes also contain yarn with which I could be making more squares. Also yarn that I don't really want to ship back to New York.

Our goal this morning is to visit The Avenue of Trees with the director of the textiles component and make some decisions about the installation. It appears that I will be installing this all by my lonesome....which should be interesting. I knew I should have brought along Finn and Lucy!

The Chipmunks Have It!

2011-09-12T21:22:00.001-02:30

The plane did not go down over the water (or land for that matter). Instead, it landed like a gentle giant at Incheon Airport and I found my way to the bus to Cheongju, where the bus delivered me and my host family collected me. The bus went down the Avenue of Trees to get to the bus station so I got a quick glimpse of it right off the bat, even if it was a dark and rainy night. Hint: The Avenue of Trees is a busy road and the median strip is very narrow in places. I like an art project with a little danger....

But my dangerous liason with some sycamore trees will have to wait just a bit. I arrived just in time for Chusuk, one of the biggest holidays in Korea and sort of the equivalent to Thanksgiving. Everything is shut down while families gather to eat. And eat and eat.

I have the great privilege to be staying with a family in Cheongju who have volunteered to put me up (and put up with me) while I am here. They have been very generous and open, so I was able to experience the holiday in the best way possible.

Here is the view of Cheongju from their apartment. Green roofing has come to Korea?

After a very large breakfast (which is basically the same as every other meal - rice, kimchee, etc..), we went to the family's temple on a hillside in Cheongju. Absolutely gorgeous.

My host family were very curious about my religion, especially when I said I was a student of Zen. When I told them that I had been to my temple in Brooklyn the morning I left for Korea, they asked if it looked like this one. Um....not exactly.

Here I am with Ji-young, who is an English major at University and very lovely young lady. She has already patiently translated numerous signs, cultural differences and political positions for me. The fact that I am almost as old as her mother has not made her uncomfortable or formal around me so I feel more like a friend of her generation than someone of her parents' generation. Or perhaps I am just really immature, which is a realization that continued to dawn on me as the day went on and I saw how responsible and mature Ji-young's parents are in their daily life.

Setting aside frivolity, lunch for Chusuk was bibimbap and dotorimuk. Bibimbap is very famous but dotorimuk is less common. It is a jelly paste made from ground acorns. Ji-young assured me that, yes, it was acorns from oak trees when I questioned if the word was correct. "Like the chipmunks like to eat!" she said. It wasn't the flavour so much as the texture that caused a slight wrinkle to my brow. Let the chipmunks keep their acorns, I say.

But where is the art? It is coming...tomorrow. Chusuk is a three-day holiday so there is nothing to be done (except continue to make granny squares and eat heavily) until tomorrow, when I must brave the Cheongju bus system without my translator.

More pictures to follow.

Packing and Prana

2011-09-08T22:27:00.000-02:30

Nearly 200 squares (and another art project titled Memorials/The Doughboy that will be part of another exhibition at the Biennale titled Here and Now) were packed up and taken away on Tuesday. The photo above was my attempt to do a bit of pre-sorting of colours.

My contact person in Korea sent me a note today saying that she will collect 300 squares locally tomorrow. How is this even possible? We have been working (pretty hard, I might add!) for weeks to produce the nearly 250 squares that we produced and they have managed to create 300 in a matter of a week or so? These are people I have to meet!

Apparently it will be the beginning of a Thanksgiving-like holiday when I arrive so I will have a couple of days to adjust before diving into work. I have some ideas about how the squares will be laid out and installed but nothing that can be confirmed until I am actually standing there among the trees.

Amazingly, I am almost all packed and I think I have tied up most of the loose ends regarding Finn and Lucy's fall schedule, my project for the Stitch 'n Pitch, and the other 10,000 things that need to be attended to before setting off. There almost was a disaster when I discovered this afternoon that my flight reservation had been canceled by the internet service that booked it (long, boring story of miscommunication). After a brief moment where I thought it might be a message from the universe that I was not meant to go after all, everything was quickly arranged and I was re-booked on the same flights back and forth.

Did you know that air travel is, statistically, the safest way to travel? That you would have to fly everyday for 19,000 years to die in a plane crash? That the chances of dying a plane crash are something like one in 13 million? Also, that deep breathing exercises are helpful when calming fears? If only I knew of some strategies for minding the breath and uniting the mind and body through breathing techniques like pranayama!

Oh...wait...

See you in Cheongju!

Thoughts Three Days Out From Boarding A Plane to Seoul

2011-09-06T09:33:00.000-02:30

Four large boxes stand ready to be picked up later today - in the end, the pile numbered over 175 squares strong. An amazing effort! I packed several skeins of yarn in with the squares so I should have plenty of material to work with during the two weeks before the opening day.

What will the citizens of Cheongju think of the freakishly tall, foreign woman attaching knitwear to their trees on a median strip? We shall find out!

Now that the squares are all packed up and the Mets project is just about finished, I turn my attention to everything else that needs doing before the plane takes off on Friday.

Oh my - my hands started sweating just writing those words: it will be fourteen hours on the plane to Seoul. It seems unimaginable but somehow I will do it.

Many times my teacher has said, "No one is going to save you."

Not Jesus. Not your soon-to-be ex-husband. Not your neighbor's cat.

No one is going to save me.

If no one is going to save me, then I will just have to do it myself. Really, it is a lovely, optimistic thought.

Fourteen hours of breathing in and out.

I can do this.

168

2011-09-04T17:01:00.001-02:30

My Cup Runneth Over

2011-09-03T14:08:00.001-02:30

Here is what Dan brought over from his office this morning. I have to say, it makes me want to cry with gratitude. Ok, I am crying, not just wanting to cry. Why do people so generously give of their time, talent and yarn stash for a project halfway across the world that is, as Helen has said, really just for the sake of beauty? I don't know why! Yet, you do it. I offer you my deep bows of gratitude.

See those two big boxes? Those are from Patti. She and Gillian were matching each other, double crochet for double crochet. I know Patti has suffered from crochet-induced carpal tunnel syndrome, so I was more than a little worried that I would be responsible for further injury. She hasn't mentioned it, so I am sighing a little sigh of relief now that she had stopped. I would like to be able to look her in the eye in the future.

Since arriving in NYC, I have received packages from Molli, Michelle, Martie, Melaine, Amy, Sonya, Lynnett, Ruth, Patti, Karen, Pauline, Rosemarie, Barbara and Janine. I think that is everyone...if you don't see your name here and you sent a package to either my house or Dan's office address, please leave a comment and I will double check. I am keeping a list of everyone who has contributed and I would hate to leave anyone off!

So, that's the scene in our living room. For about two seconds after we arrived back, it was tidy. But to me, it is a beautiful mess. The best kind of mess. I love this mess.

Stacked

2011-09-02T10:42:00.001-02:30

Let's see, where were we?Ah yes - the package was sent and a quick look at the tracking says that it is currently in the hands of Korean customs. I hope they don't think it is some crazy kind of crochet terrorism. Although, it kind of is if you think about it.

Despite sending off that box, I still had a nice, hefty stack of squares in Gillams. It was increased by some arrivals through the mail, via the bus from St. John's, and at our last knit night. A huge thank you to everyone, with a special shout-out to Gillian who must have topped 50 in her total contribution. Awe-inspiring, I think that is the only word to describe her efforts. Here we see Minky as she realizes the full potential of a stack of granny squares.

Those squares were safely stowed in the backseat of our car, along with a small amount of personal belongings and a large amount of Vanna's Choice. When we arrived at the ferry, we had to have our car inspected for agricultural products that aren't allowed to leave the island. As bags of Vanna's smiling face slipped out the back when we opened the door, the inspector said in what must be the understatement of the year, "I see you likes your wool."
Lucy added three squares to the stack during the trip and my mom made two more. It was a gratifying sight to return from Tim Hortons with life sustaining cups of tea and find the two of them working away in the car. The family that crochets together, stays together.Later, my mom gave me 16 more squares that she urged out of her knitting friends, and so the pile has risen each step of the way. I will dispatch this one on Tuesday after the holiday weekend. And now to finish up that Mets project...I know I packed it somewhere.

Exhale and Then....

2011-08-29T09:12:00.002-02:30

Here is my box of squares ready to go. A guesstimated 20 pounds of crochet and knitting. I actually had to leave out about 18 squares because the box was too small. It isn't worth creating a second box because, according to the Canada Post website, a box weighing six pounds costs the same to ship as one weighing 20. Go figure. The extra squares (and those skeins of yarn) will enjoy the ferry ride and a delightful trip across two provinces and four states to NYC before taking an airplane to Korea. They will be world travelers but they don't seem at all impressed.

For now, however, I have to return the remaining inherited yarn to Barb, who will share it with her students this year (she teaches all her students to knit, bless her heart). May they use it well.

Each item gets ticked off the list of things to do before we leave, once again, for the mainland. This year I truly have no idea how things will be when we return next year. I have truly no idea when we will return, for that matter. There is a broad openness ahead.

As someone recently said to me, every moment, every breath is a new beginning. So, let's begin!

That Kind of Day

2011-08-28T09:48:00.002-02:30

New Yorkers braced for Hurricane Irene, but in mellow, sultry Newfoundland things were different.

Maybe they should call this place The Big Easy but I heard that it was taken.

Fresh air and sunshine, that's what we're all about.

Viewing the beauty of the day from the front porch, I made a new design for crochet, screwed it up massively and had to rip out my second day's work.

To my dear crochet loving friends,

I may have to do something far less impressive on the crochet side, not out of disrespect for your fine craft but because the truth may have to be told: I suck at crochet.

Sincerely,

Robyn

Impossible

2011-08-27T09:08:00.002-02:30

When the organizers of the Biennale put up the page about The Avenue of Trees project, I was amused and only slightly alarmed to notice that they had upped the number of squares from 1500 to 2000. Such an easy thing to type, isn't it?

The piles are getting higher, but I am not so sure I could nonchalantly add 500 squares to the projected total at this point. These squares are soon to be boxed up and send off with fingers crossed for swift efficiency from Canada Post. Did I hear a derisive snort and see some eye rolling? Now, now, have a positive attitude. I am sure Canada Post won't let me down. And if I just keep saying that...

Here is all of my progress from yesterday on the Stitch 'n Pitch project. Yup, all wound back onto the skein - an entire day's work. Today's a new day, dawning bright. And if I just keep saying that...

Speaking of doing the impossible, here is a photograph of some telephone wires. It also is a photograph of a boat pulling a shed down the bay from McIvers to Meadows. Apparently it took six hours to get the shed about ten kilometers. But they did it! So, if a couple of guys with a boat can move a shed across a large body of water, I can crochet a three-colour Mets logo and whip up 500 extra squares.

A positive attitude, I tell you.

Shall We Check Out A New Blog?

2011-08-24T09:42:00.003-02:30

Here is where I sit making granny squares while Lucy practices her crawl and breaststroke.

I am thrilled to be able to link to a blog for the Avenue of Trees project. Check it out. The project is titled "Shall We Art" in Korean, so don't be alarmed.

Enjoy!

Keeping the Options Open

2011-08-23T08:06:00.002-02:30

Lucy and her friend, Jamie, hosted Knit Night at our house last night. They each baked up something delicious: Lucy made the world's best chocolate cake and Jamie made something called Butterscotch Tea Buns, which are essentially cinnamon buns - really good cinnamon buns. Then, together, they made chocolate fudge. They were going to make chocolate chip cookies too but decided to go swimming instead. Wise choice, girls!

After a quick supper, they cleaned up the kitchen and set out their delicacies.

I even broke out my super fabulous pink crocheted table cloth, purchased for a pittance in Bonavista a fews back. That time, I did lecture that young woman behind the counter about underselling handwork. Heaven help me, I am such a bore! In any case, the pink crocheted table cloth is only used on the most special of special occasions, and this was clearly that.

Once their table was set and the knitters began to arrive, the girls decided their hosting duties were over and went off to swim again. It strikes me that, once again, their wisdom goes beyond their years. I was deputized "co-host" and left to fulfill my duties solo.

In life, as in all things, ice cream is optional.

Accomplishment 'n Progress

2011-08-20T08:08:00.005-02:30

Well, this feels like an accomplishment but of what kind, I can't really say.

There was a dark moment when I realized, two-hours of knitting in, that I had been knitting the pattern backwards. This would be perfect as long as the Stitch 'n Pitch goodie bags include mirrors! Alas, not the case, I had to tear it out, do an hour of yoga, have a cup of tea, eat a biscuit, read a chapter of book, and then start again.

This was, by far, the trickiest part so now I can just have fun with stripes 'n stuff (in the spirit of the event, I am trying to include lots of 'n kind of phrases). I need to make a seat cover in crochet as well but I am not sure my skills are up to doing this pattern in crochet. Is it even possible to do this kind of colour work with crochet?

Maybe just some giant granny squares in Mets colours? I'm serious!

Check out those monster floats! When designing for inanimate objects, it is possible to throw technique to the wind...

Do Not Stand Between A Woman and Her Dream

2011-08-19T10:00:00.003-02:30

A glorious day yesterday. Sunny, very windy, not too warm, not too cold. We headed to Gros Morne with some friends who also homeschool (a rare thing in these parts so we delight in the very fact that we even know each other).

The kids had a great time picnicking and playing on the beach. The mom, Jennifer, has four. I am down to one.

This wicked cool shelter was discovered on the beach and was the source of hours of fun.

As moms are want to do, we sat on the sidelines and chatted, doling out snacks and soothing the inevitable boo-boo's that come from the combination of kids and rocks. But it wasn't all apple slices and tips on reading, writing and arithmetic. Jennifer is a woman of vision. As such, when said vision appears, she can not be stopped.

She recently took up spinning and, discovering a natural talent for it, she has enthusiastically embraced it. She also is an accomplished competitive athlete and outdoors person. Her vision involved hiking to a scenic spot and spinning, surrounded by beautiful landscape.

We told her that the name for that was "spindle" but her vision did not involve a spindle.

Please, do not stand in the way of a woman and her dream for you will find it a useless waste of energy.

A vision realized.

We Have A Winnah!

2011-08-16T09:38:00.002-02:30

Over at the ravelry group for The Avenue of Trees project, I ran a contest for everyone who is making squares - a teeny, tiny attempt to say thank you for such generosity of time, energy and talent (not to mention, yarn).

For every photograph of a square posted to the group, I put the maker's name in a basket.

Some people had one name entered. One person had 21!

And the winner is....Gillian!

Congratulations Gillian! She wins a skein of Wee Ball Yarns handspun in the colour of her choice, to be spun in October.

Truly, the biggest winner is me. I am deeply grateful for the way that people have taken up my request for help. Gillian is the person who has made 21 squares - almost as many as I have made. Additionally, she has organized a table at the Art Marathon at the Eastern Edge Gallery in St. John's this weekend. She will be there, crocheting squares and recruiting others to do the same. If you are in St. John's, why not wander over and say hello to Gillian, congratulate her on her win, and then pick up a hook and some yarn and make a square!

PS. There is another contest for another skein of WBY beginning today and ending at midnight on August 29th. Join us, post your pictures and win, win, win!

Lucy is Awesome

2011-08-14T08:37:00.005-02:30

Yesterday, Lucy woke up and said, "I think we should spin today." As it was rainy and cold and as I am not one to deny my children anything reasonable, especially when that reasonable thing is to spin on a rainy day, I said yes.

I finished the square I was working on (but of course) and moved on to my Wee Gem, where I had the half-finished remains of my first ever handpainted fleece on the bobbin. Remember it?

As I began to spin, I started to wonder if I had made the newbie mistake of wanting it all. While we were dyeing, every colour was so lovely and rich that I wanted to put all of them on my fleece. Now, I feared that the result would be a kind of muddy rainbow look, which isn't really a look I am interested in achieving.

After making a thin single, I chain plied and the results are not so bad.

I did go back to the squares, btw. Even in the ecstasy of spinning, I didn't lose sight of The Goal.

But what of dear Lucy? She had her own Goal.

She decided to make some felted shoelaces a la Pluckyfuff's book, Intertwined. And so she did. She carded the colours she wanted, spun them up, and felted the yarn. Here she is pulling apart the felted yarn, which tends to felt to itself in the process.

The sun even came out so the yarn dried quickly and, voila, super cute felted shoelaces.

Lucy is awesome.

To celebrate daughters who wake up and want to spin, here are some happy flowers in sunlight.

A Trip to Bountiful

2011-08-13T09:03:00.005-02:30

Leaving the cold, wet city of St. John's, I made my way back to the slightly more sunshine-y and warm west coast. I brought with me a nice haul, if I do say so myself.

Here is the inventory at present. What is the total count. I don't know. I am not like that. Over at the ravelry group (which you should join pronto), one person started a running tally of squares. For me, I like the vague optimism of not knowing. It looks like a nice big pile, right?

While in St. John's, I realized that I had underpacked for the weather. I was cold! So I ventured out to Value Village (a chain of second hand stores in Canada) to see if I could find either a rain jacket or heavy sweater. No luck on the clothing front, but I did find two bags of yarn scaps. Here is one.

Here is the second. How could I resist? All this potential granny square magic for under $10.

Speaking of granny square magic, I also found a bag of half-started granny squares. I almost whooped for joy right there in Value Village. Before you say, "But they aren't one colour!" let me assure you that I did notice that fact. But c'mon - a big bag of granny squares for $3? Would you leave it behind? I didn't think so. I will just ignore those center colours and work outward in a single colour.

Flexibility, people. It is all about the flexibility.

Yet, here is one place where I am completely inflexible. I think this colourway is called "Yarn Manufacturer's Delusion". Who, in the name of all that is good and pure about yarn, would think that this is an acceptable colour scheme? No. Not even for so-called Christmas items. Not allowed. Ever.

For all that I love, nay, worship at the feet of yarn, even at times, acrylic yarn...for all of that, I took this yarn and threw it away. And you know what? I believe the world is better for it.

PS. I did find an amazing Dale of Norway-esque, 100% wool with pewter clasps sweater for $5 at the Salvation Army shop down the road. Toasty warm too - just right for August in St. John's.

Squares With Benefits

2011-08-11T09:01:00.004-02:30

Yesterday I collected over 25 squares.

Two contributers, Paula and Gillian, who have embraced this project in a way that boggles my mind and warms my heart. Here is Gillian looking clear and Paula looking blurry.

And now the reverse.

There was wild talk about sending another package of squares via the daily bus that runs from St. John's to Corner Brook. They can't be stopped! Apparently stash-busting granny squares are just the ticket as they make room for new yarn purchases.

See? This project is actually a great benefit to participants.

Ok St. John's...it may be freaking freezing in the middle of August, and the sun may not have been seen since February, and I still might not have forgiven you for not shoveling your sidewalks like good citizens, but I do loves ya.

Be There or Be A Square

2011-08-10T08:04:00.005-02:30

We are headed to St. John's today. We will make the 8 hour journey across the island for several reasons.

The first is that I am teaching a drop spindle workshop at A Good Yarn tomorrow evening. Rumour has it that it is nearly full, so check in with Jenny if you are interested in attending.

The second is that Finn will be leaving us - heading back to NYC. How you gonna keep'em down on the farm when they have seen Sunnyside? Apparently, you can't, so we are taking advantage of the amazing fact that there is a direct flight from St. John's to Newark every single day of the week. Why isn't the island overrun with pale people wearing black and complaining? I really don't know. It remains a mystery to me.

The third is that I will be collecting a massive amount of squares that have been knit and crocheted by the wonderful knitters and crocheters of St. John's. Wednesday night is Knit Night at The Rooms...be there or be a SQUARE!!!

Here are some recent pictures to send you or me off with - pictures that include sunlight, which St. John's has had even less of than us here on the west coast.

Foggy cool drizzle - here we come!

A Day of Rest

2011-08-08T15:08:00.004-02:30

Because you can not live by granny squares alone...

(But I did finish a square while we were waiting for the fleece to steam set the dye.)

Romance and Reality

2011-08-06T10:37:00.003-02:30

Gros Morne is a national park that is about 1.5 hours drive from our house. It also is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its unique geology. It is truly a stunning place and it is an amazing thing to live so close to it. It also has several towns in it or next to it, including Woody Point, where Molly White runs her shop Molly Made, which was our destination yesterday.

Did all that stunning natural beauty stop Finn and Lucy from fighting and complaining the whole way up, the entire time we were there, and the whole way back?

No.

Although I wasn't much in the mood to fulfill promises after their shocking display of teenaged behavior, I did stop to pick up some strawberries at a roadside stand on the way home. Sounds romantic, right?

Local farmer sells delicious produce directly to the person who will consume it. It is what everyone is striving for these days, or so it seems. But this isn't Jamie Oliver in Sicily. This is Route 430 between Deer Lake and Wiltondale. This is a farmer with a pack a day habit, a farm stand that smells like it and a voice that sounds like it. This isn't romance. This is just getting by.

Fortunately, the cigarette smell did wash off the berries. They are lovely, aren't they.

My second promise was that we could stop at a craft store in Deer Lake where we have found some treasures in the past. Once we found a little hand turned bowl with a lid that we use as a salt cellar. On the bottom of the bowl, there was a tag put there by the maker whose name is G. Gordon. Forever after, we call our salt cellar G. Gordon Liddy.

Ouch.

But Mr. Liddy or Gordon has never produced another perfect salt cellar like that one. We have looked. Yesterday, however, other treasures awaited us.

This is a child's toy.

His companion. A little sunnier, don't you think?

When I saw them, I pounced. The shop was empty save for the two teenaged girls at the counter who were wearing what looked like prom dresses for reasons that could not be explained. Competition for the goods was not stiff so I probably didn't need to pounce. Anyhoo, before I looked at the price tag, I tried to imagine what my upper price limit would be...it was a tough call. At first glance, I thought the tag said $35. A bit steep for my budget but....clearly these were works of great integrity. A battle raged in my head for a moment as I tried to justify the price, "just one!..it's handmade....think of the time....who made this??...you must have it!..." and on and on in a split second while I blinked and held the tag just a wee bit further away to get a better look at it (it goes like that these days).

Not $35. $3.50

Three fifty!!! Each.

At once wonderful and horrible. Wonderful: these two gentlemen (or whatever they are) were coming home with me. Horrible: how in the world could they charge so little? Someone was being taken advantage of here.

I thought about lecturing the two teenaged girls in the prom dresses about how handwork has value and should be priced accordingly and how it brings everyone down when things are sold for well under their worth. They were already looking at me as if I was totally insane and like they couldn't wait for me to leave so they could update their facebook status: "OMG!!! Crazy tourist lady just bought ugliest items! ROFL! LMAO!".

No. No lecture. I just paid my seven dollars + HST and we headed back for the car, clutching our little men or bears or whatever they are. Despite the complaining, despite the cigarette-smelling strawberries, despite the teenaged girls in prom dresses, all seemed right with the world.

Mock-Up

2011-08-05T17:50:00.002-02:30

Stretching my photoshop skills to their limits, I created this image as a kind of simulation of what it might sort of look like if Cheongju were in Newfoundland and the sycamore trees were poplars.

Other than that, it is spot on.

North, to the Future

2011-08-04T07:54:00.002-02:30

The fireweed is blooming.

For some it might mean the beginning of the end of summer. For others, it is another way to get a yellow dye. Perhaps others see it as a beautiful pink blanket across the hillsides.

For me, however, when I see fireweed, I can only think of this:

What is Time? I Haven't Got Time to Tell You.

2011-08-03T09:23:00.003-02:30

The danged clock and calendar seem to be working in tandem against me. They keep racing forward and I keep begging them to please slow down.

No dice.

It always was a losing battle but I now officially admit defeat. Hey Time - you win! I give up! Battle over. I will simply proceed forward: laundry will be done, meals will be prepared, the garden will be tended, children will be listened to, and yes, squares will be made. The squares will be made at rate that seems pathetically slow but, I have discovered, it is my rate.

Here is my wee stack of squares. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to make more than two per day, tops. I will not be the first to say that 20 inches/50 cm is a sight bigger than it first seems.

All this would feel rather despairing except for the fact that I know I am in great company. The ravelry group now has sixty members and I have been contacted by a good number of people via email. The Korean end of things is just heating up now so I am hopeful that once the Biennale begins to promote the project, then it will generate a lot of local interest.

A couple of other thoughts....

Thought #1. As I have considered the very real possibility of not making my goal (1500) squares, I have been re-arranging things in my head. Of course all of this is without ever having been on-site, so it might all need to change once I actually see it in person. But think about this: you are driving along this lovely avenue and notice the colours on the trees. How surprising! How lovely! And it goes on...for a kilometer. Fantastic! Now two kilometers. Great, but I gotta drive here....and you see that perhaps 5 km might turn the project from impressive to boring or, at least, no longer noticed. Call it rationalizing, but I think 5 km might be too long for most people's attention span. Just a thought.

Thought #2. I have started a contest on the ravelry group. Anyone who posts a picture of their square is eligible to win a skein of Wee Ball Yarn art yarn in a colour of their choice. If you post two squares, you are entered twice. Three squares, three chances, and so on. I will have one contest from now until August 15th and another one from the 16th to the 30th. So join up and post some pictures! Delicious yarn hangs in the balance.

Thought #2a. The organizers may be offering to make a donation to the Korean flood relief efforts in the name of each participant. When I have more details, I will share them. If you have been on the fence about participating, perhaps this is the nudge you needed. It isn't just for art but for a more easily understood greater good. If you needed one, here is another incentive to make squares...your work will be doing double duty.

Now let us all get off the computer and start using time wisely!

Cheongju - Now on Ravelry!

2011-08-01T10:04:00.003-02:30

One of the generous people making squares for The Avenue of Trees sent me a note nudging me to create a group on Ravelry about the project (if by nudge, you mean she told me exactly what to do and how to do it). It was a great idea!

Here is a link to the group (you must be a member of Ravelry to get there).

Example of how I used varying shades of one colour within one square.

Please join us - you don't have to make squares to be part of the group or the fun. It was exciting to see so many people accept my invitation to join and how people are just finding it on their own. Within a few hours, there were already almost 40 members! People have started posting photos of their squares and telling stories about the yarn they are choosing and their connection to Korea or art or whatever.

It all reminds me why I love this kind of project. Sure, the piece stands to be impressive for all sorts of reasons but what I love most is how this process of making brings out stories and helps to remind us that we are all in this together. I am very interested to see how this experience plays out in Korea, where we are just starting the process of getting the word out about the project.

I plan to host a couple of contests for participants with the super-duper prize of a skein of Wee Ball Yarns. Said yarn will need to be made after the project ends, however.

Here is some variegated yarn that still gives an overall sense of being pink.

Now can you see how a certain despair began to set in?

So, post some pix! Win some yarn! Let's do this thing!

I Just Can't Quit You

2011-07-30T09:25:00.003-02:30

A box arrived yesterday. When I opened it, one face was smiling up at me.

Not just one face - many faces but all the same face. Vanna. I just can't shake our love, baby. Just when I think it's finally over for good, you come on back to me.

It all feels so familiar somehow.

And yet, brand new.