Picnic Park Pictures

Day 54: After a long hiatus, I thought I might like to do some more art creating. Today has been a long day already and it's only 2:17 in the afternoon. Some lil' punk got up SUPER early and everything's been slightly wonky ever since.

We finally made it to a local park that, because it is on the opposite side of the county from our home, we rarely enjoy. I could have taken the easy way out and gone to the dam area that's only 5.5 miles from our house but I opted for the cross-county trek, replete with gas station, grocery store and Starbucks stops. All I have to say is, thank goodness for Maps on the iPhone! I've always been good at navigating but with my level of frustration already near hyper-boiling, the app was a handy dandy thing to have. 

Now that I'm properly fed and caffeinated, I'm happy to report that this was a lovely place to picnic and give the boys a chance to pitch rocks in the lake while I photographed the scenery. Ét voilà, here are the results.

Yarn-errific!

Day 53 - Spindle creation and spinning my own yarn.

You may have noticed a conspicuous absence of posts. Or not. But I was stuck mid-point on a project. I suppose I could have posted the steps as I went along but I really was just frustrated and working through the process silently.

I can now report that I have not only made my very own top whorl drop spindle (utilizing a free PDF from Spinning Daily), but I've also spun my very first skein of yarn from pre-dyed wool roving! I'm so geeked out by my own do-it-yourselfedness that I think I strained my neck patting myself on the back!

Total investment of less than $25 (less than the cost of one skein of handspun yarn and which included purchasing a $6.50 hacksaw) has given me the resources to make FOUR spindles (top or bottom whorl, my choice) and many yards of yarn (quantity dependent on weight of yarn I choose to make).

Projects don't get much more "successful" than this!

Nostalgia

Day 51 - Our favorite childhood toys.

My husband is working on a business idea that will drawn on the enjoyable experiences he had as a child of trading Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars. This morning he had me do a couple test shots with my phone because he likes some of the pictures I've posted here and on Facebook of very ordinary objects.

I thought they turned out rather cool!

Fuzzhead Hat

Day 50 - Stress-relief Crocheting

When a toddler transitions from crib to "big boy bed", there are certain challenges inherent to the process. The biggest of which is that they can get up out of it anytime they choose. Which leads to an up-down-up-down dance between said toddler and parents who are ready to have some blissfully child-free time at the end of their day.

After a parent has engaged in the above process on the order of 10+ iterations of the up-down cycle, a certain amount of frustration ensues. When the parent in question happens to be a crocheter with a sizable fiber stash as well as random hooks hiding in her master bedroom closet, after the final "down", you might find the crocheter in the closet working out her grumpiness with the first couple random yarns she encounters. About an hour later, she might emerge with something resembling a very fro-ish football helmet. Don't be frightened - it's better than the unspeakable alternative.

Breakfart

Day 49 - Breakfart (n.) Artistic Breakfast

Food is not just fuel - it can nourish, inspire meditation, and delight... Or harm, destroy and injure. It's up to the eater to languish in unconsciousness or rise above that to an awakened sense of the possibility of a greater value.

My creation this morning is comprised of two cage-free, grain-fed eggs fried in extra virgin coconut oil with grass-fed cheese from New Zealand. Yes, it's on conventional toast and I can't recall whether the veggies sautéed on top were organic on this occasion. Yes, the carbon footprint of the cheese is probably not the greatest (locally-produced would've been better). My point is that I am aware of those things. Aware that eggs from the farmers market this summer will be even more nutritious. Aware that bread I could bake here at home would be artificial preservative-free. And totally delighted with the morning's creation nonetheless because I have put the thought behind it. Plus, it was delicious!

Little Leprechauns

Day 48 - Random Charity Donation

So, I was out of the game most of the weekend. You remember Day 46? Those pretty white flowers? Yeah, they wreaked havoc with my sinuses and I was down for the count.

However, I did come across a post that was requesting children's hats to be donated for a St. Patrick's Day charity. These three little hats were the outcome. I mailed them today, hope they get there before Friday!

Sky Watching

Day 47 - Cloud Formations

On my drive home, I love looking at the sky: the clouds, the blues, the greys, the eye-watering whites, the magnificent golds, reds and oranges.

Last night there were mounting storm clouds through which the sun's rays were making a last, glorious stand before succumbing. It never fails to amaze me the endless shapes, patterns and scenes the sky offers, ever-changing, ever awe-inspiring.

Go with the autofocus flow

Day 46 - My backyard.

Spring has sprung early this year and the two flowering trees in our backyard are wearing their fleeting white veils.

I tried to get close-ups of the delicate blossoms but the autofocus kept focusing in the distance rather than the foreground. After getting frustrated, I took a look at the scene that was available to me. And found that I rather liked it. Then, of course, miraculously, my phone started focusing on the foreground instead.

Identity Crisis

Day 45 - Ice Fissures

Was it just yesterday that I made some noise about only putting crochet on here or some such nonsense? Oh, well...

See, the problem here is that I'm always seeing / finding / making some kind of artistic something. And I can't really help it. Not that I'm apologizing or anything. Heck, this is my blog and I can do whatever I'd like with. Heh heh heh.

Without further waffling, here are the nifty ice fissures I saw in the bottom of my cup while I was at work today. And plan on seeing whatever I feel like posting tomorrow tomorrow... Er... ;)

H I P

Day 44 - Hat In Progress

This little booger of a hat is destined for a sweet, curly-headed little man whose birthday came and went last week. I knew I wasn't going to finish it tonight but I was still fussed to realize I'd actually have to rip it back six or so rows instead. Sitting at his mum's table, I did just that as she made supper and our Girls' Night gaggle of gals gossiped happily.

No pattern in sight for this one but an ambitious edging awaits the completion of the main hat body. Can't wait to display the final project... Assuming, of course, that it WILL indeed resemble the picture in my mind's eye. At least a little bit. Please.

Thoughts in Focus

I'm considering changing the focus of my little art project here. It seems I am spending an excessive amount of time and resources on trying to complete the prompts in the book IN ADDITION TO doing myriad other projects, mostly of the crocheted sort, and the latter is lagging behind where I'd like it to be. It behooves me, for a variety of reasons, to retrain my focus back to these other projects. However, since they're certainly still of the creative ilk, I see no reason not to include them here.

In fact, I even conceived of a boredom-relieving way of keeping this new focus fresh: I'll dig into my stash at intermediate points and create something unusual, something outside my typically very practical scope of hats, scarves, bags and washcloths. I'll also probably end up doing some short features on yarns I particularly adore, yarn shops I frequent, and even fiber-related events. ("Those exist?!?" you ask. Why, yes, they do, in fact!")

It's possible that I may return occasionally to the book or take forays outside of fiberville and I'll, of course, keep my Noodle Doodles section growing at Noah's pace, but I think that refocusing will reinvigorate me and get the posts back on a more regular schedule. It will also challenge me to improve my crochet skills, to break out of my hooking ruts, and discover ways of playing with yarn I've never enjoyed!

Cheers!

Little Art

My littlest guy got in on the creative action this morning, using a recycled cereal bar box as his canvas.

Knit Myself

Day 43 - try something new.

Knitting. The antithesis of crochet.

Okay, maybe that's a little extreme, but they're definitely very different beasties. For whatever reason, most people get sucked into one to the exclusion of the other. Then there's this moment when you sort of realize the amazing world of possibility that exists if you only knew how to do the other.

I learned long ago how to do the simplest cast on and knit stitch. Unlike crochet, I can't remember the whens or hows; I just know how to do it. I'm not good at it at all, though if you needed an ugly but functional scarf or washcloth, I'm your girl!

zaphod beeblebrox

Day 42 - Use today's junk mail

It's not a towel on his head, but still, I think Arthur Dent would be proud. Erm, perhaps.

What say you?

Mockingbird

Day 41 - Create BIG!

Today brings a large expression of something I normally do tiny: Doodle. But I've had to put the kibosh on some of my doodling lately. So it seemed the perfect opportunity.

But the project mocked me... I didn't get it done "on time". I don't have time to color it in. Not coloring it in means you can see the flaws better.

Bigger BUT... I do like the bird-like shape in the center.

Oh well. It's done now and here for your viewing pleasure!

Bottoms Up

Day 40 - Create with yarn.

[Insert maniacal laughter here.]

The only thing challenging about this post is WHICH of my yarny bits to choose...

I went with a hat I'm working on that I designed as a "bottom up", roomy hat. Not too much like a beret, nor too much like a tam, I just wanted something that wouldn't smoosh my hair flat on my daily quarter mile walk from the parking lot to the building in which I am employed.

Still a little ways to go on it, but I have most of the math worked out so I'm chugging right along. And oh so excited because it's really good yarn - Malabrigo Kettle Dyed Pure Superwash Merino Wool in a colorway called Stonechat. In a word: Luscious. In another word: Expensive. And totally worth it!

Haiku

Day 39 - Write one.

Synchronicity
The Universe speaks volumes
We must but listen

(I'm not sure why the cat... She's just pretty and I love her.)

Purity

Day 38 - Work underwater.

My sister did some crazy good photographs several years ago using her own blood (obtained via nothing more insidious than a massive nosebleed) and that's what popped in my head when I read today's prompt. Not caring to do myself harm or resort to food coloring for a similar effect, I planned to use fruit juice and/or milk. When I got the little glass bowl filled, however, it looked beautiful just the way it was.

So I went with it.

Revivify

Day 35 - Write instructions.

Day 36 - Take something old and make it new.

Day 37 - Use staples / stapler.

Though it's usually out of necessity so that I don't fall too far behind, I actually enjoy the challenge of figuring out how I might mesh three consecutive days into a single project. For me, it sticks to the spirit of creating something every day because I generally give thought to how I'll carry out a three-day assignment each day until I am able to enact my plans. Even if I only have a small amount of time for the eventual creation, I know the process has served me and its purpose.