Author: mud&string

Mother, daughter, wife, grandma, friend, animal lover, potter, knitter, Catholic and finally, retiree. Will work for yarn and/or clay and tend to geek out on any and all the above at the drop of a hat, provoking glazed expressions from family and anyone I can buttonhole after hello.
Knitting

A Spinning Sunday, July 4

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INTO THE DYEPOT

I’ve finally gotten around to dyeing the last bit of roving that’s been hanging around Violet, looking so sad.  It’s been so long since I started spinning it that I can’t remember where it came from or even what type fiber it is.  I know it’s wool, but what kind, no clue.  Maybe when I get in there I’ll get lucky and figure it out.  Wish me luck!  Found it!  It’s superwash merino.  Meanwhile, here is a look into the dyepot.

imageJacquard Acid Dye

Sky Blue

INDEPENDENCE DAY GRANDS

We had a big cookout for the holiday, unfortunately, I took no pictures because my camera was kind of inaccessible, in the same room that JosiePug is banished to whenever the little ones visit.  Unhappily, she’s not good with the kids – not because she doesn’t like them, but because she loves them TOO much, jumping and running and just generally being way too much pug for them.  She still outweighs the two littlest grands and 20 pounds of Josie goes a long way.  We still hope for the time that we can ALL enjoy each other, but until then, we keep them apart.  I do have some photos from the concert and fireworks at the river that night that Bigmommy and Babymama were nice enough to share.

Lots of dancing and flag waving!

PARTING SHOT

Hand Study

Albrecht Durer

If A is success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z.  Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut.  Albert Einstein

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Knitting

Abundance

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SOUL FOOD

I’ve been sort of hit or miss with blogging these past few weeks, and I’ve missed sitting down and putting my thoughts in order and then onto paper or into my iPad.  I’ve been too busy painting or drawing (these are new things for me) or reading or knitting or baking or gardening or art journaling or throwing pots or grandmothering or any of the other things that grab my interest.  Here’s the perfect description for what I’m blessed with – an embarrassment of riches.  According to (all-knowing) Wiki, an embarrassment of riches is an idiom that means an overabundance of something, or too much of a good thing.  All these things do more than keep me occupied – they feed my soul, I guess you could say I have an embarrassment of blessings.  With all the above said, I think what I really mean is “Thanks, God, for everything”.

Now, moving along…

ON THE NEEDLES

A pair of Los Manos Locos or Crazy Monkey Socks, a twist on Cookie A’s awesome Monkey Socks, toe up and purl-less.

This colorway is called Java Jive and I’m loving how it’s knitting up.  You can find out more about this yarn here.

The least of things with a meaning is worth more in life than the greatest of things without it.  Carl Jung

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Knitting

Family

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FAMILY TIES

Mr. Iknead and I spent a wonderful Saturday with his mom and three cousins, with one cousinly spouse from Oklahoma last weekend.  We had such a great visit, and decided that it had been altogether too long since we’d gotten together, with promises to do it again soon, with kids and grandkids in tow next time around.  I especially loved hearing Mr. Iknead’s and his cousins’ “remember whens” and “who did what and got away with it” stories.  Altogether, there were six cousins, three boys snd three girls, all within a year or two age-wise; it sounded like so much fun!  There was so much laughter and a few tears, remembering family members no longer with us, but that’s what life really is, people linked together, some by blood and some by choice, forever.  I’m blessed to be included.

Nila, Gail, Dale and Mr. Iknead, Cousins All, With Mr. Iknead’s Mom, for Good Measure

PARTING SHOT


Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless.  Mother Teresa

 

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Knitting

Yeah, Well

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SOOOOOOO

If I was smart, I’d be working on Christmas knitting since I lost patience, crashed and burned on the Wavy Garden Shawl today.  If you missed it, you can read up on it here.  I tinked and tinked and tinked for hours, getting more and more frustrated, with lovely yarn getting more and more fuzzy (and not in a good way) and then, the fuzzies getting stuck to themselves, with me getting more and more aggravated by the minute.  Finally, I decided to cut myself some slack and have relegated it to the Will Probably Never See The Light Of Day Again Basket, at least for now.  What is it with me lately?  Am I destined to never complete another WIP and be stuck in an endless loop of starting, frogging, starting again, frogging again and on and on.  OK, so I’m a tad dramatic, but frustration seems to be the order of the day lately.  I’ll get over it, probably by tomorrow, at the latest.

24 HOURS LATER

So I made peace with Wavy Garden and feel OK about putting it aside temporarily and have begun a pair of socks with this lovely yarn-

Fingerpaints Supersock Self Striping from Cherry Tree Hill Yarn, in Java Jive

Knitting two at a time, toe up.  I haven’t completely settled on a pattern yet, but that’s the beauty of the toe up technique.  The toes are plain stockinette, giving the knitter more time to find “The Perfect Sock Pattern”, while still getting on with the sock knitting; and, when knitted toe up, the socks can be tried on while in progress.  A win-win, I say.  I learned the technique by watching Silver’s Sock Class, I think their instructions are the clearest and the easiest to understand.  

SAVING FACE

I’ve been practicing drawing whimsical faces, spurred on by the YouTube demos that I’ve become addicted to.  Actually, though, practicing is way too mild a word, obsessed is more like it.  This all started with my decision to give art journaling a try, joining The Documented Life Project back in March and getting a new, just asking to be written/drawn/painted upon journal.  Is there anything more exciting than a new journal?  Well, yeah, new yarn.  New yarn is way exciting, way, way exciting.  Oh, look, here’s a photo that blends both! 

Ummmmm, did I mention that up until this, I’d never, ever, even considered picking up a pencil or a paintbrush?  But I digress.  Here are a couple of faces I drew and colored in with color pencils.

Something else I’ve learned – if you can think it, someone has posted a demo of it on YouTube.  Hopelessly old school, me, but, maybe not completely hopeless, I’m learning new stuff all the time.  

I’m linking with the usual Friday folks, Tami and Frontier Dreams.

Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.  Abigail Adams

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Knitting

Wednesday! Again??, Booklove and It’s Nice To Be A Diva

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ON THE NEEDLES

Wavy Garden Shawl is presently OTN, but not for long.  (heavy sigh). I saw that somehow, what I call the backbone, where a pattern calls for a yarnover, knit, YO, is wonky, off a couple of stitches.  So I suppose you could say it’s developed scoliosis.  I hope I can take it back a few rows and reknit instead of frogging the whole shebang and restarting.  Dang.

BOOKLOVE

I finished Wouk’s The Caine Mutiny Monday and am just as enamored as I was when I first read it, lo those 45 or so years ago.  So, I’m giving away my age (you do the math), who cares???  In my head I’m 16.  When does a person become a grownup anyway?  OK, back to booklove.  I started an smazing book right on the heels of Mutiny – The Snow Queen.  I don’t have the author’s name right at my fingertips, but I’ll get it in here before I post.  Take a minute check it out here.  Michael Cunningham, that’s the guy’s name.

THE DOCUMENTED LIFE PROJECT

Here are a couple of *MOMMs that I’ve working on:

image Curlicue Tree

imageBecause I Like It #5

TDL Week 26 Challenge

Add a Bible verse or a line from your favorite book that inspires you

Mine is Proverbs 17:22

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

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ONE OF THE GRANDS

Babydiva

I think it was a reward for behaving in the store.  She’s going to be a big sister here in about seven weeks!

Oh my gosh!  That skin!!!!

Linking with Tami, Ginny and Frontier Dreams.

*My Own Mixed Media

Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.  Mother Teresa

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Knitting

Back in the Studio

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POT THROWING

Hurray!  It’s back into the pottery studio after a two week break.  I have some new ideas and several things I want to try, like this

Yarn Bowl

and this

or this

and maybe this

So ready to get in there and sling some mud!

Work while you have the light.  You are responsible for the talent that has been entrusted to you.  Henri-Frederic Amiel

Knitting

Cue Barry White

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XXX

Look what Mr. iknead found when he checked on some flowers at the side of the house this morning:

Is the male giving us the stink eye or what??

After a quick photo, we left them to their lovemaking.  I think these two are box turtles, named that because their shells are hinged front and back, allowing them to shut up tight when they feel threatened.  Nice to know they found a nice, safe spot, away from traffic.  This is the time of year that thousands get squashed trying to cross roads to meet their beloveds.

If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.  Mother Teresa

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Knitting

Buh-bye, Wondrous Box, Booklove

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R.I.P.

It is with ginormous regret that I inform you that the Cable and Pleat Tunic is no more.  (Sobsniff). After taking a hard look at it last evening and then sleeping on my decision , I decided to go ahead with my plan to frog, let it rest and then start from scratch in the near (I hope) future.  Next time, I’ll go down a couple of needle sizes, it was very loose and I knew I’d never wear it without something underneath and knowing how hot Arkansas summers are, it just wasn’t going to work.  Besides, it’s not like I don’t have other WIPs to work on.  I can hear The Socks On A Plane Socks whimpering to be picked up even as I type. 

BUT THEN, AGAIN

A Wondrous Box arrived in the mail today, and man, is it ever going to be hard to keep my grubby paws off the goods long enough to carry out the abovementioned plan.  Take a look and you’ll see what I mean!

 

Two hanks of incredible merino and as a little extra surprise, a sample of lovely silver silk with sequins and beads, all from Artyarns, thanks to Yarnbox.  Could you stay strong in the face of this???

BOOKLOVE

I’m rereading an old, old favorite, The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk.  It still lights my dials.  I read this book as a kid, maybe junior high or a little younger, probably because my parents owned a copy and I’d most likely finished my library books and then gone hunting for something else to read.  This became a favorite immediately.  One thing I’ll always be thankful for is that my parents never, ever put any sort of limitations on what I read and I loved to read.  My dad was also a Reader with a capital R and it wasn’t unusual for he and I to be reading the same book.  He was an omnivorous reader and thanks to him, so am I.  Best gift ever, thanks Mom and Dad!!!!

Linking with the usual Wednesday bunch – Tami, Ginny and Frontier Dreams.

I’m not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today.  William White


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Knitting

On a Tuesday

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TUESDAYS

Anyone remember the Seinfeld schtick about how Tuesdays just don’t have a “feel”?  A feel as in “Mondays have a let down feel, just coming off the weekend and all; Wednesdays have a definite, halfway to the weekend feel; Thursdays carry that almost Friday and the end of the work week feel; and then that incredible Friday feel, which needs no explanation.  Poor Tuesday, with no real “feel”, except maybe the “at least it’s not Monday” feel.  This really isn’t going anywhere, just some random thoughts that run through my head, taking up some of the short term memory circuits until another totally random thought moves in and hangs out for a while.

TDL UPDATE

Week 25 Challenge

Cover Your Page with Hearts

One of my favorites so far!

More information on The Documented Life Project can be found here.

*MOMM

Here’s a look at my latest independent mixed media project-

As usual, this one has a bit of everything, paper, buttons, stamps, stencils, just whatever strikes my fancy at that particular moment.  Mixed media has taught me that the concept of art is very, very fluid, with no right or wrong way to create.  I totally LOVE that!

*My Own Mixed Media

PARTING SHOT

The only real valuable thing is intuition.  Albert Einstein


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Knitting

And There You Have It (I Think), Happy Father’s Day and MOMM

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Happy Father’s Day, everyone!  Hug a dad today!  Mr. iknead got a blueberry cake for his special day.

FRONT DOOR PURPLE, CONT.

I think we’ve come to an agreement on just which purple to paint our door – it’s called Deep Violet.

image

 Here’s what it looks like in the sunshine

Now in the shade

And in my kitchen

Now to find a painter…….

TDL

This week’s challenge for The Documented Life Project was to cover your pages in hearts.  I’m still  mostly in the planning stage,  but I did get my pages prepped and have an idea of what I want them to look like.  This art journaling project has led to me trying a lot of new things; I’ve started sketching and painting different things on my own, which I enjoy, but what I’m really loving is mixed media.  Think about it, up until a few months ago, I’d never even heard of mixed media art and now I usually have two or three different MM projects going.  Here’s a look at one I just finished –

My Own Mixed Media 1

MOMM* 1

It has a little bit of everything, acrylic paint, stickers, colored pencils, Inktense blocks, marker, stencils, doodles, found objects.  Nothing is sacred, if I see something interesting,  you can bet it will find it’s place in some project.  I really love how this one turned out!

*My Own Mixed Media

Love is never lost.  If not reciprocated, it will flow back and soften and purify the heart.  Washington Irving

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Knitting

Front Door Purple

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PURPLE WELCOME

I’m painting our front door purple, what shade of purple, I haven’t decided, but it will be purple.  Like this –

Or this

Or possibly this

I would move into this house in a New York minute!

 Here’s what I found out when I was surfing the net  doing some research about purple doors –

What Does a Purple Front Door Mean?

Here are some other little-known representations of purple:

A purple front door represents wealth, honor and royalty. Having a purple front door lets others know that you are living a prosperous life. It does not necessarily mean that you are wealthy, but you are rich in your quality of life and wellbeing. You are also honorable.

A purple front door can show your open mindedness. The color purple in the practice of feng shui is the only color that you can place in any direction. This shows that purple is a versatile color. The color purple also is not a common front door color depending on where you live. So when you paint your front door purple, you are telling people that you are open minded and versatile to life’s possibilities. You think outside the box.

A purple front door can bring a sense of calm. If the shade of purple you choose for your door has some blue hues in it as well, this can bring a sense of calm and have a peaceful affect on your front door space. There is a lot of good energy surrounding the color purple. Think about how you’ll feel if you come home to a front door that is painted purple.

I found this information here.

Mr. iknead is mostly on board with this.  I know he’ll be completely overcome by purple front door love after he reads this.  Right, honey?

We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.  Aristotle

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Knitting

WIP Wednesday 6/11/14, Booklike, Pots

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ON THE NEEDLES

I’m coming right along with the Cable and Pleat Tunic, being really close to finishing the front and side shaping.  For once, the color in the photo is nearly, if not completely, true.  Another awesome thing about the patio – it’s a fantastic place  for taking pictures.

image

POTS

Here’s my latest set of pots, which once again exceeded my glazing expectations.

I have one or two left to glaze and plan to go into the studio this weekend to finish them up.  Class has a two week break before the next session and it’s always nice to go into the studio with a clean slate as far as projects go.

BOOKLIKE

This week’s book is a biography of Johnny Cash by Robert Hilburn.  I like it, I don’t love it.  It had parts that are hard to read, it feels like you are in the front row for his self destruction at times.  It also goes into minute detail seemingly sbout everything, which bogs me down sometimes.  This probably won’t be a repeater, it’s a library book, so I don’t feel guilty about just skimming it in parts.  I’m anxiously waiting for my Audible credits to show up so that I can get Stephen King’s newest, Mr. Mercedes.  They should be coming any time now.

AN ASIDE

Mr. iknead figured out how to turn the autocorrect off, but now, I get aggravated at all the typos and have to proofread much more carefully.  I know, gripe, gripe, gripe.  Sheesh!

I’m linking with the Wednesday regulars, Tami, Frontier Dreams and Ginny.

You must train your intuition — you must trust the small voice inside you which tells you exactly what to say, what to decide.  Ingrid Bergman

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