The Assembly

What this blurry photograph doesn't show, besides just about everything, is that the group who came for my artist talk was really great.  You can kind of get an idea of that by the number of blurry figures who are blurrily crocheting.  They listened politely and they asked great questions, added interesting comments and generally made me feel like it is ok to give an artist talk that is just honest and not about trying to be anything or do anything special.  

What with all that talking and questioning and commenting, we only had a short time for the workshop and a small group of dedicated people who participated.  And that was just exactly right.  They made their own version of Indra's Net using their interactions from the previous 24 hours.  We wove them all together.  

One (of the many) extra bonuses of being part of A Handmade Assembly is that I have been able to take two of the offered workshops.  On Thursday, I did a bookbinding workshop using recycled materials with Sarah Evans.  As I said to Lucy that evening, why don't we do bookbinding more?  It is so fun!  And then - you have a book!   Or, in this case, four books.

On Friday, I did a rug hooking workshop with Alicia Steeves.  Alicia's understated superpowers convinced me that I do, in fact, like rug hooking.  I really like it. 

 And THEN...as if giving a talk, leading a workshop, and participating in a workshop wasn't enough, I was very generously invited to have supper with one of the other artists involved with the Assembly, Anna Torma.  She lives about 1/2 hr. from Sackville.  It was a gorgeous evening and really nice to have the opportunity to see some of New Brunswick beyond the Trans-Canada Highway.  It was even nicer to spend time with Anna and her husband, Ishvan Zsako, who also is an artist.  

How could you add any more to such an experience?  Well...today there is the Heart and Pocket Revue, which is a craft sale.  For me, the highlight is to see the very dear Rilla Marshall.  Rilla used to live in Corner Brook, which is where we met, but she has moved back to her home province of PEI.  She makes the most beautiful weavings and is just a beautiful person all around.  Check out her blog here.

And alright already, I did buy a little hand-dyed yarn.  It was on sale!  Sheesh.

I Love Thee, Sackville

We shall not speak of how I arrived in Sackville, New Brunswick.  Suffice to say, I arrived.  And a lovely drive it was too.

I arrived to attend and participate in A Handmade Assembly, the event for which I was the online Artist in Residence this past month.  You can read all about it over here.

Sackville is home to Mt. Allison University and to Struts Gallery and Artist-run Centre.  Struts is the presenter of the Assembly and my AiR host.  I had the good fortune to be invited to be part of the inaugural Assembly back in 2011.  That year, we dashed in and dashed out but this time I am soaking up all that is on offer.  

Most of the events are being held in the Sackville Royal Canadian Legion Hall.  It is wonderful on so many levels.  From the outside signage...

...to the paneled staircase...

...to the regalia...

...to the picture of Her Majesty (one of two).

Then, there is the minimalist settings at Mel's Tea Room for supper.  I don't need no stinkin' knife.  Or spoon.  Or napkin.  C'mon, man up!

And, also this sign seen in the entryway of Jack's Pizza.

Thanks for your understanding.

PS.  I will be giving an artist talk tomorrow morning at 10 am and leading a workshop/project at 11 am at the aforementioned Legion Hall, so please come if you can!  On Saturday, I will be selling some yarn along side many wonderful artists and craftspeople at the Heart and Pocket Revue.  Please stop by, especially if your drive is less than 12 hours.

World Domination, One Spinner at a Time

Rhinebeck was...well...Rhinebeck.  As always, my attention was directed towards the sheep.  Yeah, yeah, I may have purchased a small amount of Icelandic fleece from my favourite Icelandic fleece seller but shopping isn't really my thing - it is a bit too much of a feeding frenzy for my taste.  Communing with our wooly friends, however, is.  There was the sweetest little, black Shetland who was content to have her face scratched all day and I was content to do it.  No photo of her, but here are a few others...

Awwww.

Sheep in jackets.

There also were goats.

The fabulous sheep shearing guy.

Possibly the most beautiful Rambouillet fleece ever.  I coveted it but it was a display fleece so my covetous ways were not fulfilled.

Not sure if it was being around all those sheep that did it, but I suddenly have found myself plunged into fleecy goodness since returning home.  I received an order for some carded batts to sell at St. John's newest yarn store (hooray!! not sure if they have a website yet but I will link if/when they do).  I wasn't totally sure when I might get a moment to make them up before heading to Sackville, but some how, some way, I managed to make a bunch (quite nice too, if you ask me), package them up and - here's the real kicker - mail them off in less than 24 hours.  My sense of self-righteous glory marches forward unchecked.

But wait!  There's more!

Today, while I wasn't mailing packages to St. John's, I was teaching a spinning workshop to a group of homeschoolers, ages 5 to 13.  An awesome group!  Maybe it is because my kids' eyes glaze over as soon as the words "spinning workshop" are mentioned that it was so thrilling to be around a group of kids who are jazzed about wool and spinning.  I started the workshop by asking if anyone was wearing clothes (I like them to think about how much effort goes into making a set of clothes by hand - they usually have a new appreciation by the end of the workshop after they have given the spindle a go).  In this case, everyone raised their hand but they did it in total sincerity.  Could there be anything more beautifully heart breaking?  Me, miss!  I am!  Hooray - we were ALL wearing clothes!  And in our clothes, we all learned to spin.  I think I converted at least three of them.

It is a slow way to world domination, but it's a way nonetheless.

Interlude or Maybe Not

Life isn't all relationship, relationship, relationship.

Well, yes, actually it is.  But blogging about it doesn't have to be, right?  On Rhinebeck Eve (as someone coined it), let's talk a little about yarn.

This is some recycled silk made into yarn that was given to me by the blogless Janine on a recent visit.  Have I ever mentioned how she also travels - by plane - from Wisconsin with three dozen eggs from her hens?  And never an accident (yet).  This time, however, the airport security person made a joke about the rule against carrying "shells" in her luggage.  Gotta love a TSA person with a sense of humour.  Anyway, this is the silk yarn she also carried with her.  I immediately put it in a jar of my marigold dye and let it stay there for two weeks.  It is a little pale because I didn't mordant it first but I kind of like it.  I might pop it in an indigo pot for a light green...yummy.

This also came from Wisconsin and Janine.  Her friend raised the sheep, sheared the sheep, processed the wool, dyed the wool and carded the batt.  Whew!  I spun it up into a thin single and chain plied it.   Gorgeous!  Janine knows that I love blue so mine were the right hands to put it in.  It is such a precious skein - so much love in that little guy.

Alright, so maybe this post also is all about relationship too.  But, you know, this time with yarn.

An Online Artist in Residence Exists Where Exactly?

In case you are not so tempted to see what is happening at the "A Handmade Assembly" blog, perhaps I can lure you there with a couple of photographs of the piece.

My biggest realization is so far that been that I (possibly) communicate with people way too much.

If you want to see more, then click, click click!

Inter/Intra/Indra's Net

For the next month, I will be blogging over here.

I am very excited to be the second-ever virtual Artist in Residence at Struts Artist-Run Centre in Sackville, NB.  This project coincides with the lead-up to their most awesome event, A Handmade Assembly.  It was a great pleasure to participate in their inaugural Assembly back in 2011 and it is possibly an even greater pleasure to dig in to it even more with this opportunity.

My project, which will exist online in the form of photos and my commentary, also is happening in my studio.  The project, titled, Inter/Intra/Indra's Net, is an exploration of relationships and how they are manifested in this time that is so marked by our online interactions.  I like that the project mimics the residency in that it is looking closely at how the real and the virtual interact (or if they do) all the while being both real and virtual.  Whoa, my head is exploding!

Anyway, while I pick up pieces of my brain, go on over and check it out!  All is explained in great detail (did you doubt it?).

See ya there!

Welcome To My Life

Look what I came home with!  My time at the Monastery wasn't just about realizing the true nature of things; it also was dedicated to sewing two sets of altar cloths for the main altar.  Due to a miscommunication (thankfully not directly involving me!), they went out and purchased this (gulp) Bernina.  As you can see, it is a demo model so it was steeply discounted but still, it's a Bernina.  Berninas are famous for their unmatched quality and for costing a much as the GNP of some small nations.  The person who found it online and purchased it knew that she was getting a great deal but it was still a bit rich for the blood of the Monastery.  

On the second morning of my sewing endeavours, the abbott and the training coordinator came by and pulled me aside.  The abbott said, "Did you talk to her yet?"

Training coordinator, "Not yet."  Then, looking at me, "Nothing's wrong - don't worry."

Are there any words in the English language that would cause one to worry more?

But, as it turned out, they simply wanted to know if I wanted to buy the machine from them.  Oh yes!  Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!

O glorious machine!  You are so Swiss and perfect.  Welcome to my life.

Then, two days ago, this arrived.  In a move sure to baffle any and all MBA's, Ani of Widdershin Woolworks sent a gift roving to each of the people who participated in her team of the Tour de Fleece.  This is one of the overdyed grey Shetland rovings that she has made even more beautiful.  Thank you Ani!  And to you, beautiful roving, I say (wait for it):

Welcome to my life!

BTW, I have been in discussion with Ani about coming to Newfoundland next summer to lead a dyeing workshop and she is willing.  We haven't settled on dates yet but if you think you would like to attend (and what better excuse to come to Newfoundland), please let me know!

Gratifying

Back down from the mountain, events have not paused to allow me to catch my breath.   Or finish the laundry and properly unpack.  But more on that later.  For now, my preference is to share some of the more mild items of note.

In the shadow of the kitty kat....

I finished the shawl from the handspun Portuguese Merino and I do love it so.  It isn't quite as soft as the original, which Zabeth made from Rambouillet yarn, but it wins prizes for simply being beautiful.  And it was 100% pleasure to spin and knit.  So there you have it - a physical manifestation of happiness.

I actually finished it while on the ferry from Newfoundland to Cape Breton, NS, but couldn't block it until I got back from the Monastery.  Delayed gratification - this term has been all over my life these days.

Meanwhile, some might return from two weeks at a monastery with enlightenment experiences, I returned with two huge bags of marigolds.  Not the worst deal, if you ask me.  It helps to have friends in high places, in this instance, the head gardener.  He was so excited at the idea that his beautiful and gigantic marigolds would continue to offer themselves up after their blooms had begun to fade that he picked pounds and pounds of them.  I will use them to make dye for wool, in case you were wondering.  And, in case you were wondering, that's a whole lotta dye right there.

What About You?

Hides Nothing, 2013, ink, watercolour and crayon on paper.  One of five drawings on paper and fabric on view at bkbx, 543 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY, until the end of the month.

Random Sample

Please join me on Sunday, September 15th, from 6 - 9 p.m. at bkbx (Brooklyn Box), a new artist collaborative, for the opening of our first exhibition, Random Sample.  bkbx is at 543 Union Street in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn.

bkbx [Brooklyn Box] is an exhibition space located in the former National Packing Box Factory on the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, NY. An independent Project-in-Residence at Proteus Gowanus, bkbx was founded by eleven artists who came together through their association with Proteus Gowanus. bkbx artists come from a wide variety of stylistic and conceptual practices, but share a dedication to forming a meaningful alternative model to today’s art environment. In the bkbx community, creativity is experienced as a form of generosity.

Random Sample will feature work by:

Diane Bertolo
Sasha ChavchavadzeCarrie CooperiderNick DeFriezRobert GouldRobyn LoveAnne-Marie McIntyreEva MelasLado PochkhuaTani TakagiKit Warren

Same But Different

We're here!  We're here!

Another ferry crossing (my 28th, but who's counting?).  Another drive through Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Maine, a sliver of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and, at last, New York.  A quick dash into our house (rented until mid-September) and away again.

The children are with their dad, enjoying togetherness.  I am at the Temple in Brooklyn, then upstate to Zen Mountain Monastery for two weeks enjoying a different kind of togetherness.  Diving into practice, being back with my sangha, soaking up what it has to offer after months away.

I won't be posting until after my return, but please stay tuned!  The fall, winter, and dare I say it, spring, are loaded with projects and activities and ideas.  A rich season is ahead of us, so it is extra wonderful to take this moment to sit in stillness, and deliberately set an intention, then act on it.  Really, that's never a bad idea.

Enjoy the end of summer and coming of fall!  This one will never come again.

Because These Bags Ain't Packing Themselves

We didn't pack or clean or do anything towards our leaving in just a little less than 48 hours.  Instead, we drove out to central Newfoundland to try to find a beach that had been recommended to us as a beach combing delight.  Top secret location!  Except for the new signage helpfully posted by the local municipality!

Grammie pushed the rock climbing envelope, once again proving that 86 yo does not have to be sedentary.

Lucy and her friend managed to get as far away from us as possible without completely disappearing, once again proving that 14 yo's do not like to listen to the conversation of their elders for longer than 2 hours without making an escape.

The place is called Glassy Beach.  I wonder why?

Can there be anything more romantic than ceramic shards worn down by surf and tide?  I suspect not.  Each one makes me want to cry - so beautiful, so melancholy.

Late August

We had the first frost warning last night so that can mean only one thing - time to pack up and return to the Big, Bad City.  Between cleaning, packing, getting the house ready to stand empty for the winter and teaching my last yoga classes, naturally I have been diligently ignoring all that and working on my shawl project.

I can't put it down!  The simpleminded glee that results from the colour changes in the yarn are enough to keep me knitting and knitting.  The pattern has been total fun-ness, the yarn, a never-ending delight, and now...

Is there anything that can make one feel more like a freaking genius than knitting a very clever lace edging?

To be sure it is a bittersweet thing, this saying good-bye to the place (and people) (and cats) that we love so much.  It is good to have a little something to soften the blow.

- - - - - - - - - - -

In case you are not a regular reader of Lucy's blog, may I direct you there now?  No one can pen a haiku about kale the way she can.

Drum Carder Madness!

Yarn.  I like yarn.  It's pretty.

This one started out as Yuck for me but, with each passing day, it is becoming Yum.

This is the yarn from the batts that Lucy Workers Unite! Love carded.  Too bad I couldn't exploit her just a little bit more.  She has good taste for a member of the proletariat.

I think I have made this skein of yarn about six times before and, each time, sold it in my etsy shop.  This time, however, I am keeping it for myself.  Land and sea as made manifest in wool.

This one is like a cantaloupe, only, you know, less damp.

Here is my gorgeous Portuguese Merino, balled into a cake and the beginnings of a scarf with just enough lace (don't worry - it's coming) to make it a challenge but not so much to make it intimidating.  I am already in love.

Goose Arm

As part of my run-in with the M-words, I did an inspection of my fleece stash in the basement.  It appears (fingers crossed) to be untouched by any wool-eating insects.  During that inspection, however, I also was able to determine that I have a sh*tload of fleece.  

Something needs to be done!

My solution has been to card up as much of it as I can.  The majority of it is yet undyed so I pulled out all the dyed fleece and set to work.  Then, when I tired of carding, I offered to pay Lucy to card.  She did three batts, got paid, and immediately claimed that she had been exploited.  Guess that means I can't count on her assistance in the future.

Today, as I prepared for another day at the drum carder, a friend called.  Would I be interested in taking a boat tour to Goose Arm?  Um..?  Yes!

In the eleven years that I have been here, I have never once been out on boat on Middle Arm (our bay is one of three: Humber Arm.  Middle Arm is, well, in the middle and North Arm is the furthest north). Middle Arm breaks off into two other Arms:  Goose Arm and Penguin Arm.  We saw them both today!

We left from Cox's Cove, down by the fish plant.  Wasn't much happening there today because there is supposed to be a big storm tomorrow and, apparently, the fish know this and get prepared in some way that makes catching them impossible.

But catching them the old fashioned way, with rods and jigs, was still ok.  Although truth be told, no one really caught much.  I think this had to do with the fact that we saw an amazing school of porpoise in front of us - including one that did a full-body leap out of the water.  It was brilliant and stunning and made one feel happy to alive in a world where such things also lived.  But I suspect those brilliant animals chased all the fish away.  Just as well (perhaps).

The place is magical no matter what.

We even saw two bald eagles (that's one above there, captured as best I could with my phone camera) with their chicks.  And by "chicks", I mean six weeks old eagles that already have about a five-foot wing span.

Yes, magical.

 The drum carder will still work tomorrow....

The M-Words

The first M-word?  Merino!  Here it is, my wonderful Portuguese Merino, which feels more like BFL for those who care about those sorts of things.  Personally, I found it more fun to spin than other Merino and I love the feel of it now as a...shall we say....fingering weight two-ply yarn.  

The colour!  The colour!  Just shy of 600 yds, but beautiful, every inch of it.  I may have to gird my loins (so to speak) and actually knit some lace myself with this one.  The time has come!

As for the other M-word?  I am sad? horrified? disgusted? to admit that it is the most dreaded of all M-words...moths.  We got 'em.  Truth be told, Lucy sent me a text when I was almost home from Saskatoon telling me that she saw moths in one of my knitting baskets.  What?  Don't you have more than one?  Anyway, I did a search of it and didn't find much evidence so I did a rather cursory freeze/thaw routine of its contents and assumed all was well.  I made this assumption even as I was seeing little, fluttery creatures shimmering around the house each evening.  

Oh, they could be anything!  

Why in the world was I being so casual about the possibility of wool moths in a house filled with wool?  Even I can't answer that.  I finally realized that I needed to take serious action - NOW - after I actually saw the moths leaving a small pile of handspun.   As I tossed the contents of all my knitting baskets into plastic bags headed for the freezer, I was shouting, "I have probably a thousand dollars worth of wool in this house!"  Lucy was just laughing - who in their right mind has a thousand dollars worth of wool in their house?  

Your own mother, my dear.  Now, help me pack this stuff up!

I am fairly certain that the infestation (how it pains me to write that) is limited to my yarn baskets and does not include my fleece stash in the basement.  Ever the optimist!