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!

Frogging

Day 52 - A Necessary Evil

A little project - a cowl to match my favorite hat - sits nearly completed on the island in my kitchen. Problem is: I don't like it. I don't like the shape, which wasn't from a pattern, just something I winged. I don't like the way it lies on my neck. I don't like... Well, ANY part of it. Except the yarn. I absolutely adore the yarn. Probably the first time in a year that I was quite so smitten by some yarn. Any that I actually had in my possession, that is.

So here's where I am: It must be frogged. That's right - completely ripped out so as to start afresh. Probably as a long, thin scarf I stead. I can accept this.

My dilemma is that it was originally wound on a ball-winder from a hank into a center-pull ball and I'd like for it to be in that shape again (instead of in a messy, round, hand-wound ball). I wonder if I can convince the yarn store ladies to rewind it for me as I frog it... Worth a shot, right?!?

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.

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... ;)

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!

Not Necessarily

Day Somethingorother

I got stuck on the next prompt in the series. So I tried to skip it but got stuck on the next one, too. Dang it.

It's not that art - or at least what one might term "acts of creation" - hasn't be happening at the house. It just doesn't fit into neatly proscribed categories.

So, to feel as though I'm "doing something", here are a few random photos for your enjoyment. "Art" or not, I found them worthy of making a lasting record.

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.

Path in Progress

Day 31 - Make a path.

I started this several days ago. It's still stuck in the beginning stages. My thought was to create a stream of consciousness "path" along the routes that my brain tends to wander. I rounded up copies of yoga, yarn and food magazines, a yarn catalogue, a glue stick, scissors and some markers.

Then I got stuck.

No, it wasn't a glue stick tragedy; I just got to thinking too much about what I wanted on my board. Dream board, Inspiration board. Goal mapping. Whatever you call it, it seems to demand more time than a single day. I'm not going to promise that it'll get finished, but stranger things have been completed 'round these parts.

Beautiful Day

I'm a day behind. Really, I mention it because I'm aware of it, but it's not a dire concern. See, it's a matter of perspective. This project is teaching me to relax, to loosen up my tight and very judgmental hold on my creative work (and on my life in general).

That need for fluidity and calm was underscored today as I bid adieu to a wonderful woman, mother to one of my very best childhood friends. In her death, I found out she was much more than simply "L's mom" - she was an accomplished, productive, influential member of our community. I was honored to bear witness to her family's last goodbyes and offer one of my own.

The day couldn't have been more perfect.

Thoughts on the Journey

Now that we've been at this for nearly two weeks, we've had some interesting explorations of our parameters. I have done almost all the posts completely with my iPhone using the Blogger app, the phone's camera and a couple different photo editing apps. This has allowed me a certain sense of freedom to do a simple, straightforward post without concerning myself overmuch with getting it "perfect" - since I don't have access to the full spectrum of gadgets available on the full Blogger site, I write my post, add a photo, tag it and I'm done! Exactly what the anal retentive, detail-obsessed artist needs to loosen up.

In addition, I have refrained from looking at the next day's prompt until I am finished with the current day's and I only give myself until the day is out to complete each prompt.

Again, these "rules" are helping me move away from some habits that I felt it was time to release. It's still very fresh and fun and I honestly haven't felt an iota of stress about offering up these daily bits and pieces. They may not constitute high art, but they're a valuable exploration and I'm enjoying the journey! Thank you for riding along!!

Water, Wherefore Art Thou?

Day #10 - Use water as your inspiration or medium.

If you are being particularly observant just this moment, you may notice that there is no post for yesterday's date. On the eve of Day 9, I conceived a plan for my Day 10 artwork but could not set to work on it immediately (and would not have anyway since I'm trying to keep the creation of each piece within the timeframe of a single day. The piece I envisioned was predicated on the fact that it was, at that time, raining.

By the time I arose on Day 10, there was no rain and very few clouds.

Therefore, in keeping with the spirit of going with my initial inspiration for each day's art, I'll describe my plan then return to this post on a later date if/when I am able to capture it.

I plan to fill a glass from my workplace's cafeteria with water and place it on the windowsill of our office's picture window that looks out over our beautiful grounds. The idea was to photograph the glass and the window while there was rain spatter on the window then title the shot "Aspirations". Without the rain spatter (or even some heavy rain cloud cover), it simply wouldn't make sense.

Learning for the day: Even the best laid plans must sometimes be put aside for very practical reasons and there's no sense in being bothered by it when it's simply "what is".

Our 365 Adventure

This is our new blog and the start of a new adventure for our family. We're setting out to create a work of art each day using prompts from the book 365: A Daily Creativity Journal. My goals are to expand my skills in primary artistic mode - crochet - as well as explore methods that are new to me. My eldest son is joining me and there may just be some cameos from my husband and younger son. We all love to create so why not share our various pieces? For me, having a simple, visual record will help remind me that even the small steps toward a goal have precious, incalcuable meaning. For my son, I hope he grows in his sense that art and creativity have an important role in this life and that creative expression can help you get through (and even thrive) in most any situation!

Thank you for joining us - feel free to leave positive encouragement and suggestions for new projects if you feel so inclined.