What's New?

Well, there is a whole lot of new things goin' on around here. First of all, i finally brought the van down to The Paper Sparrow to pick up my most special birthday present from my daughter Kate. Last Summer we had the good fortune to meet a local artist, Lorraine Bowen. She sells many of her delightful paintings at my daughter's shop. Anyway, i happened to go to her website, and saw a painting called "Ox" and fell in love...(I love anything bovine, but have a special soft spot for soft brown cows with those big sweet cow eyes...) When i told Lorraine that i especially loved that painting she told me it was big...but i had no idea HOW big. (Here it is, sitting on my couch, waiting for me to make a final decision on what wall it will be hung) Well, months went by and my daughter told me she had a special surprise for my birthday. When she dragged this big square package wrapped in brown paper out of the gallery space in her shop i had no idea it was the Ox painted by Lorraine. This truly was a big surprise! Katie told me Lorraine and her Mother were both a little sad to part with this painting. But i hope seeing it in my home will make them feel a little better. It is a well loved addition to my growing art collection! Not real sure where it will go yet, but i am down to either a nice sunny yellow wall in the sun room, OR center stage on my warm, cocoa colored walls in my kitchen. (Somehow i can't help but feel this little Ox will be happier in the kitchen...but we'll see...) When we do decide where it is going, i'll take another picture of it in it's official home space. Thank you Katie! Thank you Lorraine! I LOVE it!

Another new member of my doll and teddy collection is Ned, from Teddy Bear's Wednesday ~ Jess McCoughey. This little guy is a little more "portable" and will also be a much loved addition to my home. Thanks Jess! So happy you have an Etsy shop now! Keep makin' those teddies!
These are two of my Mother Earth paper dolls. I take copies of photos of women i support thru Kiva.org and make little paper sculptures of them, to raise awareness of the fantastic job Kiva does. I am making these to display at The Paper Sparrow at the next Troy Night Out, where my Mother and I will be the featured artists! It will be the first Mother~Daughter art show at the shop. We will be showing our matted and framed paintings ~ mostly watercolor, and a few acrylics and collages... You are all officially invited to attend the show opening on January 30th, 5:00 till???
And i'm still baking that bread! Here are two loaves of french boule cooling on the rack... yum!

On the needlework front, i finally made a slightly more complicated sweater. This one and the little hat to match will be given as a gift for a newborn baby girl who has just become a part of our extended family!

And this little sweater/jacket is a basic beginner's sweater. The colors don't show up very well in this photo(i truly need a new camera) but it is a nubby yarn with shades of pink, rose, raspberry, grey and white. I used a vintage mother of pearl button to close it at the neck. I still need to wash and block this little sweater before it is ready to go.

And last but not least, i am ALMOST done with my first mitten! WOOHOO! It is actually my umpteenth try at mittens.... The first few tries i tore out the cuff twice because of mistakes in the ribbing. Then when i was finally half way thru the first mitten, my puppy Pollyanna got a hold of it and decided to play tug of war with her sister Zinnia with it...That was discouraging... Anyway, all i need to do is finish the thumb and i have one mitten down, 1 more to go!

I am very proud of my stitches in this project. When i first started knitting, my stitches were all over the place, but i am finally pulling it together. Again, the color is washed out of this shot but it does show my neat little stitches...(again, i really need a new camera ...) So, that's it for now...Time to start a few new projects(and get that second mitten done!)

Mitten Madness (and other things...)

Mittens have taken up a lot of time around here
I am still working on the adult mittens (dark maroon wool at the top of the photo) and for me it is mighty slow going. We'll see if i finally get it tonight at class at The Paper Sparrow.

The red acrylic mittens are "thumbless" mitts for toddlers. i found the pattern on line. They fit Lola perfectly! But while we were working at The Paper Sparrow during the Victorian Stroll on Sunday, a young couple and their little baby saw my mittens and asked if i made smaller ones to fit their infant. So...i took that basic pattern, adapted the cuff from just plain garter stitch to a rib knit stitch, used smaller needles and finer yarn, and the infant mitts are coming out just right! What a rush! I actually figured this out myself! I promised them i would have a few pair of thumbless mitts hanging on the wall at the shop by the weekend and i think it is going to happen!

And here is my lovely hat model Lola, wearing a little hat i made a few weeks ago and have for sale at The Paper Sparrow ... (It's a good thing she doesn't demand payment for her work!)
And just for fun, here is a picture of our Lola, (sent to me just last night via email from her Mommie) sitting on her caterpillar rocker (an early Christmas present) wearing her hat that i made for her. I cannot tell you how much happiness i feel that she actually LIKES her hat and wants to wear it, even indoors! It makes all the late night knitting lessons and sore wrists and fingers all worth it!

Keeping Busy!

I have been away from my blog and email lately, and it feels good to get back to it and to all my good blogging friends...I've been so busy getting ready for the Christmas shopping season. My daughter Kate at The Paper Sparrow has asked for more dolls, more jewelry, more prints, more...everything! And i am very happy to be asked! So here is what has been going on around here...

From this tangled mess, comes.....

some new jewelry, with more on the way. Here we have a blue lace agate necklace, some chunky garnet pieces, and as always the popular pearl pieces, some bracelets and gobs of earrings....

...more teddy bears knitted up, and waiting to be stuffed and sewn together. Some will be for small children, embellished with embroidered features and a few will be thread and button jointed with safety and button eyes....

And in this pile you can see a little baby sweater almost finished in a soft blue and pearly white yarn, a new patterned hat for Lola, a super small dog sweater in the works(my first one) and a loomed snowman doll almost ready to be stuffed and shaped.

And as if that wasn't enough, my new knitting class started at The Paper Sparrow. This time we are learning to knit mittens....

My teacher Linda is starting me out with two different methods of making mittens to see which one i like best...The traditional double pointed needle way, and the "Magic Loop" way on circular needles. I like both methods but i think so far the Magic Loop is my favorite. I know that with more practice, both methods will get easier, but right now knitting with four needles feels like i am wrestling with a porcupine in my hands! (Keep your fingers crossed for me that i can get this lesson right)

So as i type this, this is what my kitchen table looks like at this very moment. What a mess! But with time and a little bit more focus, i should be able to wrap a few of these projects up and get them to the shop before Troy Night Out and the Victorian Stroll. What have you been up to?