Speaking

what there aren't words for yet

What those hummingbirds in your chest whisper when you tell

your first lie. The toothy rumble of the lions that scare

your lungs into giving up. The edges of a leap - half-murmur, half-yell -

that steer your feet away. The guffaw from the shadows tempting you to ignore

your own magnificence. The boisterous roosters pecking holes in your plans. The tire

tracks cajoling you to stay on course. How we search for a plain sentence

to fill the cracks of heartache, for language to pull us, like a ladder,

out of each dark and muddled well. We think thunder is a metaphor. Or the fence

dividing one yard from the next, its own instruction. But the story's yours, you know.

There is no better way to say it. Make the words up as you go.

~ Maya Stein

  from her 10-Line Tuesday series

: : :

stitch, shibori, indigo, photography

Some means of expression

but only a small portion of the longer story unfolding.

Is there any better way

than to make it up as we go along?

I mean, really ... is there.

Read More

Richer from the collective experience

This batch of cloth work, an eclectic mix of naturally dyed pretties,

was produced in one afternoon by six pairs of hands

and 

it just makes my heart sing.

With kind permission from the Lopez dyers,

I'm showing their work today.  Oddly enough, seeing it assembled like this

- one big joyous riot of color & bold experimentation -

well, it kinda makes me feel a bit emotional.

This is history.  Our history.

And what began as a shibori stitching group now has evolved into

a group of rather passionate natural dyers

[still some shibori, mind you, but no longer the main focus].

In two+ short years there has been some mighty fine dye mileage,

if I do say so.

From metals to mordants,

 from indigo

to   in-the-pot-too-long ...

the dye waters have been tested, cursed and blessed.

But mostly    blessed.

These are from last summer, late July,

and India was coming soon to teach 'Wayfarer's Windfall Cloth.'

It was to be our last dye session before the workshop.

Two pots were set on the boil;  a 3rd pot, an afterthought with peach leaves, was added later

 and for a real treat,

an indigo  vat   pail  was also on hand.

Here was the blog post I wrote about the day, caught red handed .

 These photos are what they made ...

... a group favorite from the day ... beautiful greens from the peach leaves.

This to me is the very best of what comes from working [playing !] in a group

of like-minded friends,

where each person

brings their own creative desires and wishes to the day,

yet throws them into the big collective idea pot

so that everyone

grows richer from the combined ingredients.

:::

... for photo buffs:  all pix shot with Hipstamatic app on iPhone

Loftus lens + Ina's 1969 film

Read More

My springtime salmagundi...

Over the weekend, on & off, I muddled around in an attempt to put a new post together.

But it was useless ... a little of this, a little of that, nothing was gelling ... you know how that is.
And now it's Monday and I still have no *plot*... so guess what?  There won't be one.

Blame it on spring ... thoughts like weeds, all over the place.

I like what it says on the steering wheel of my jeep:

resume
accel
cancel
COAST

... the phone app made the view look like a vintage cyanotype ... love that.


For those of the knitting persuasion, likely to swoon over improvised stitches, here's
a tutorial (and video) for Five Stitches Cast On with Twist ...
the author states she had a "zen moment."
Must try this with a bead placed on each ellipse, I'm thinking.

I do a lot of that at the kitchen sink ... thinking, that is.
That's where I spied the first hummingbird of the season, out on this floriferous lovely ...

usually I hear the hummers first and spot them later, but not this year.
Ribes 'White Icicle' ... irresistible.

Also irresistible.  To some.
Amazing where spring color can pop up.  I think those gals who work at Ana-Cross Stitch
have way too much fun at their job.  Earlier in the year this pole in front of their shop was wearing blue.
Paid to YARN BOMB?!?  oh yeah.
When you think about it, what better free advertising for a yarn & stitch store?
Click here for an entertaining collection of yarn graffiti ...
scroll down to the military tank covered in pink, my fave.
Some think of it as, "improving the urban landscape one stitch at a time."
I'm fine with that.

Trying my own hand at some stitched shibori.  For this one, mokume (woodgrain effect).
I haven't a clue what I'm doing yet ...
just following the pictorial how-to trails through the internet and spending time
with like-minded gals to work on our stitching projects together.

To be followed by glorious messes with dye baths!

I'll be swearing off the chemicals and may be flying solo in our group in my determination to
use natural dyes.  Maybe one or two will eventually join me.
I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for some WOW factor results (to better coerce them).

While following those internet pictures I was sent the link to Mieko Mintz
and her exquisite kantha work.  Do be prepared for swooning.

Shall I add some cherry blossoms to this potpourri post ... for the young trees by
the railroad station in Anacortes were glorious in their pink petticoats.

The sun has come out and now it's time for walking with you-know-who...

Read More