2020 · Arkansas Art Center Sale · Knitting · pottery

Five Roses Finish!

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OFF MY NEEDLES

My Five Roses Shawl is finally finished and I think it turned out really well. There were a few moments when I seriously considered frogging and starting over but I’m glad I didn’t. My project notes are here.

My Five Roses Shawl

Christmas knitting continues. With My Five Roses completed, some of my self imposed pressure has eased and I plan to focus on my Christmas projects for the next few weeks. No new projects until 2021 is my mantra for the time being. 🧘‍♀️

In the kiln

I have high hopes for these little bowls. I got a sample pack of brand new Amaco glazes and can’t wait to see how they turn out.🤞

We see things not as they are, but as we are. Our perception is shaped by our previous experiences. Dennis Kimbro

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2020

Three Rows and A Sale

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I’ve been trying to finish this shawl all week. I worked literally all day yesterday on three rows, trying to get it right. I think I tinked three rows and reknitted them five times before figuring out that my mistake was one more row down. Did I mention that there were 226 stitches per row? How my head didn’t explode I’ll never know. 🤯🤯🤯 But today was a new day, I got it fixed and Casa Coleman is a happier place. The next time you see My Five Roses it will be washed and blocking.

My Five Roses

My project notes are here.

One more thing……

The Art Center Museum School Sale goes live Monday, 11/23/20. There’s something for everyone, all student and instructor made and crazy awesome. Check it out and see what we’ve been working on this long, long year. One of the best things about it? No mask required!

As soon as it goes live I’ll post a link that will take you to the sale so keep an eye out and prepare to be amazed at all the talent all in one place. You won’t be disappointed!

Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. Lou Holtz

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2020

Finally A FO!

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Not only one, but two FOs and, unfortunately, two fails.  Let’s start with the successes.

First up – Flower Cloche

Day before yesterday, I decided that I couldn’t live another day without a Downton Abbey style hat. This happens to me a lot. A quick trip through patterns on Ravelry was rewarded with this, a shallow (for once) stash dive yielded suitable yarn so I cast on yet another project. Never mind the 4+ UFOs begging for attention.

                                                            Before Felting

After Felting and Adding Crochet Flower

Quick, Cute and Easy!

Second FO

Tiny Pumpkin Box

That’s my knee it’s balanced on. Don’t try this at home! 🙂

I  made this using leftover clay – waste not want not – and it turned out well. Another cutie!

On to the fails…..

Bummer…..

It just goes to show that when working with clay and glazes, in the end they have the last word. Good thing we potters are an optimistic bunch! Am I right????

Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens. Epictetus

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My project notes can be found here.

2020

Obsession

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I become obsessed with things easily. Actually, I much prefer the label “hyperfocused”, it sounds a bit more positive than obsessed.  It’s all in the spin as they say. My two latest are:

1) The Seaside Stash Busting Blanket which is going well, a surprise on my part because my thing has always been knitting. Up until now, my crochet experience has been limited to a border or two on a knitting project and only when unavoidable.

Who doesn’t like a nice bobble every now and then??

2) The 2020 election which has had me glued to CNN since Tuesday’s vote. I’ve always tried to vote my conscience as best I could and 2020 has been no exception but I’ve never been so set on not missing anything. Besides, Anderson Cooper is cute as a button IMO. ☺️ Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy. Lao Tzu

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My project notes can be found here. 

2020

A Day Late WIP

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ON THE HOOK

I don’t consider myself a crochet person at all but I’ve been stalking the Seaside Stash Buster Blanket and decided to give it a try. I’m liking the crochet thing. It’s a nice break from knitting.

Here’s my progress so far…..

                                                 My Seaside Stash Buster

These cold rainy days are perfect for fiber fun! I have a couple of pretty good sized projects that I’d laid aside in the summer because it was just too hot to do anything woolly. So glad that fall seems to have finally arrived!

To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often. Winston Churchill

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You can find my project notes here.

 

 

 

2020

SCENES FROM THE PUMPKIN PATCH

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Mr. iknead and his first grandbaby, Susannah

Motley’s Pumpkin Patch

Mr. iknead and me with our firstborn, Lindsey

Yep, she’s the mom.. Annabelle, Emma and Susannah

Goat Encounter

Yes, there really were piglet races and those piggies can RUN! If you’ve never seen piglets run you’re missing out! We missed the other half of the Coleman/Vaughan clan, but Charlee is feeling much better and there’s always next year. Maybe by then mask wearing and social distancing will be in our rearview! Thank heaven for family “bubbles”.

FYI – These are the Bangkok Bunch minus one that I’ve been mentioning on this blog for the past five (!) years. So happy to have them back home!

A happy family is but an earlier heaven. George Bernard Shaw

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2020 · Knitting

WIP Wednesday 10/21/20

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ON MY NEEDLES

My Gray Days

My Gray Days sweater continues to grow, however slowly. Four more inches of cables are all that stand between me and separating for the sleeves. I’m loving the colors in this yarn, purple and robin egg blue, which happens to be my favorite color at the moment.

It drives me nuts that this photo is sideways, it refuses to be rotated so I guess I’ll have to live with it. 😠
Cookie A’s Twisted Flower

A Bit Twisted Flower is also growing, even though it doesn’t seem so. It’s been a while since I knitted socks using dpns; add in a cable needle and it can feel like wrestling a porcupine! 🙂

Other wips await my attention and the words “Christmas knitting” are beginning to give me the shivers. All in good time I keep telling myself, all in good time. ⏰

Learn all you can from the mistakes of others. You won’t have time to make them all yourself. Alfred Sheinwold

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FYI – You can find the details of these wips in my project notes on Ravelry.

2020

Clay Today

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I’ve working hard these past two weeks getting my Etsy shop, ClayDreamsPottery, updated. This is a multistep process and pretty tedious. Way tedious really, but I’m taking part in this year’s Arkansas Art Center Museum Sale, a once a year sale when the Art Center students get to show off all they’ve learned and hopefully make enough money to support their various art/craft habits – at least until the next visit to the art store. This year, it’s going to be different. This year, instead of an in-person sale, it’s gone virtual. SURPRISE!!!!! AM I RIGHT???? Here’s the progression of my emotions since, oh, I don’t know, like 2020 happened and everything changed.🤞🙏😟☹️😭😤😠😡🤬😡😠☹️😕😮🙂😀

I’m not the only one on this rollercoaster, making the best of a bad situation. My mama used to tell me that it’s just as easy to smile as to frown. She was right. I must have gotten my optimistic mindset from her. ❤️ But I digress.

Here’s what came off the wheel today –

In a week or so they will be ready for their first firing

Stay tuned, I hope to follow these guys until their final, most exciting, nailbiting firing. Every potter I know, though, keeps their fingers crossed throughout. 🤞 I sure miss my pottery peeps!

To practice art, no matter how well or badly is a way to make your soul grow. So do it. Kurt Vonnegut

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2020

Free To Good Home

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THE MUD IN MUD&STRING

I’m a potter who is quickly running out of room – I have pots in boxes, I have pots on my mantle, I have pots on shelves and tables. If there is an empty space, it will soon have a pot filling it.

I am also a potter who will be moving (hopefully) in the near future and as much as I love my pots, I really don’t want to move them. That said, I’m going to rehome a few at a time on a first come, first serve basis. For the price of postage, $7.00, I’ll box up and mail your chosen pot to you. I’ll post photos of the available pieces and note any issues they may have – usually a small crack or a not quite perfect glaze, etc.

REHOMED!
Medium size, green outside, white inside. Some pinholes not affecting use.

Medium size, medium blue outside, white inside. Some pinholes not affecting use.
Small cobalt blue, with glaze scarring due to kiln mishap. Additional photos on request.

Please message me in the comments if you have any questions.

Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life. Wayne Dyer

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2020 · Knitting · Other Obsessions

I Wish, WIPs and I Never Thought

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I wish WordPress wouldn’t strive so hard to make blogging easier. It seems like about the time I get familiar with the new and improved WordPress, it changes and once again I’m back at square one. Square one is where it takes me HOURS to do what normally takes an hour or so and my frustration gets so intense I just want to pitch it all and be done, that the cost:benefit ratio isn’t worth it. But I don’t and here I am.

ON MY NEEDLES

Five Roses Shawl
My Gray Days Sweater
RBG I Dissent
Twisted Flower

Details can be found in my project notes.

I NEVER THOUGHT

That Mr. iknead and I would be putting our current home on the market and building a new one, but the time feels right to us and it’s a seller’s market, so there ya go. This time next year I hope we’ll be in a new Casa Coleman and settled in. My attitude has changed from “just thinking about moving sort of makes my stomach hurt” to “OMG! I’m so EXCITED!! WHEN CAN WE START???”. 😍😍😍 You know it’s serious when you start a new Pinterest board named New House. 🙂

Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. John Adams

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Random

WIPs As Far As The Eye Can See

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ON MY NEEDLES

I’m going to dive right in……..

 New Gray Day Sweater

Knitpicks Wool of the Andes

Sprinkle Heather

 

Five Roses Shawl

Knitologie by Knitcrate Sparkling Sock in Turquoise (speckled)

Emma’s Yarn in Turquoise

 

Twisted Flower

Yarn Bee

Rainbow Wrapsody

 

Kew Socks

URU.YARN  by Knitcrate Sugared Sock

Hidden Pool

Dissent Cowl

Faithful Beauty by The Verdant Gryphon

Arco Iris by Malabrigo

Shell Cottage from The Handmade Sock Society

Knitpicks Stroll Fingering in Seashell Tonal

Helen Stewart, Designer

So, lots of knitting happening here at Casa Coleman, just not a lot of finishing. 🙂 I’m trying to be more diligent about recordkeeping and such, so you can find pattern details and progress in my project pages.

Silence is a fence around wisdom. German Proverb

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