 Start of a punchneedle piece, "Antique Coverlet" from The Old Tattered Flag. Using Koigu yarns, medium tip, setting on 2. Ahhhhhh...I can feel a giant sigh of relief as I begin this 9"x9" piece on my punch needle frame. While I knit every night, and that in itself is calming, there is nothing like textile work--punch needle or traditional rug hooking--for relieving creative tension. A dilemma which had been building for days because of too many other obligations.
How is it that just the feel of cloth or thread moving through my hands brings such a sense of release and equanimity? It works like a charm for me and for so many other textile artists. I did the same pattern last year in another colorway with cotton (Valdani) threads, but I know I'm going to prefer it this way, done in wool. What is it about wool? I love it. Art has to do with the arrest of attention in the midst of distraction. (Saul Bellow)  The tangle around the edge and around the circle in the center is called Skye; the central figure is a Celtic Triquetra with a few added things. Micron 01 and graphite with colored pencils.  The same photo as above, run thru an app on my iphone. I hadn't intended to draw today as I had too much else to do, but I just couldn't help myself.
New reading glasses with very round frames:  Liking them! I can even see with them. And next, more round things:  One of those "What a relief to be tangling" tangles. Done for Zenuari2019 project (yes, supposed to be finished in January but who cares), day 26. The prompt was "Dew Drops" and I used my spinner to select tangles: Well, N'Zeppel, and Samson. I so enjoyed myself today when I stole some time to tangle. There has been no rug hooking, no rug punching, no punch needle embroidery, no drawing, and no tangling for weeks. In short, an artistic desert for me, and it hasn't been fun. Likely it will continue for a while longer while I tend to all my piled up obligations. The "obligations" are all voluntary and each by itself is wonderful. But they all have schedules and deadlines and I am scrambling to keep up. Thus, the art is falling behind. I will catch up once I figure out how to coordinate things, but oh, do I miss my various art projects. And the last round thing for today: HAPPY EQUINOX, as the Wheel of the Year has turned towards Spring (here in the Northern Hemisphere). I'm thinking of all those curving eggs that can be stood on their ends today. Roundness in balance. Ever had one of those days when you just don't feel quite right? Nothing really wrong--not "coming down with something"--but just not feeling quite like yourself? That would describe me today. And my hands are shaking a bit. Weird. After a morning balancing my checkbook (yes, I actually do that), I allowed myself the pleasure of tangling for a short while. I was really surprised at this result.  Micron 01 in black, graphite. Tangles: Azteka, CaligraV, Bonnie. With a few orbs and random curvy lines. I picked 3 brand-new-to-me tangles and tried them out for the first time. Despite my shaky hands.
I like the challenge of taking tangles that I've found and trying to put them together, whether they "go together" naturally or not. This was the result. I wouldn't say I'm in love with this piece but I loved two out of the three tangles and will use them again for sure. I am always amazed by what falls out of the pen. I couldn't have predicted this, and that, of course, is half the fun of tangling. Yes, another insomnia tile...  Just plain linework with a bit of rounding and a touch of graphite. ...and even that didn't put me to sleep. I had to go back to bed and read for another hour. Three a.m....
“The last refuge of the insomniac is a sense of superiority to the sleeping world.” ― Leonard Cohen (alas, that is not true for me) My kind friend (and fellow Zentangle® enthusiast), Susie Ng from Thailand (check out her fabulous, imaginative artwork HERE), just sent me this photo below. She took my single 3-Z tile from my February 22nd post, multiplied it, and manipulated it into this hexagonal mandala. Thank you, Susie! I'm assuming you used Photoshop, which I don't have. Though I keep meaning to look into it. What fun!  My 3-Z triangular tile from my Feb. 22nd post, duplicated and arranged into a hexagon by Susie Ng. What a nice thing to do for a fellow tangler, Susie. You gave me a big chuckle on an otherwise crazy day. Now...I have to look into software that will allow me to do this.
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ABOUT ME I'm a textile artist (traditional rug hooking, punch needle rug hooking, and other textile arts), a long-time meditator, a certified meditation teacher and coach, and focused on learning about the interplay of art, creativity, and mindfulness every day. 
Certified, 2021
Certified Unified Mindfulness Coach Level I, 2024
Certified Zentangle® Teacher, 2013
Certified by AmyOxford.com at The Oxford Rug Hooking School, 2016
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SITES TO WATCH:
Insight Meditation Society Oxford Rug Hooking School Zentangle: The Official Site Green Mountain Rug Hooking Massachusetts Tarot Society 
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