Off I went today to a local b&b owned by one of the Quabbin Rug Hookers.  We hooked from 11-2 and really enjoyed ourselves at her unique and beautiful house on a gorgeous spring day.

And here are a few of the rugs-in-progress:

Judy was beginning this fabulous Bea Brock pattern and I love the colors she's using.  This is going to be a stunning rug.

Next (below), if you've been following the progress of Phyllis's "Zen Sand Garden" rug, here it is as of today.  She's almost done!  I'm loving this rug.  It's Phyllis's original design, and she's been improvising with great success as she's been working on it.

Although we'd brought lunch, Lynda served a wonderful tomato soup and warm bread (yum).  So filling.  During lunch I had a chance to speak with Jane, a brand-new rug hooker.  Here is Jane's maiden voyage (first rug); she was also testing out some frames today to decide which one she wants to buy...

I forgot to say that there were only five of us present today at Lynda's cozy house.  I totally enjoyed being there and meeting her dogs Kiwi and Harry. 

Here is the progress on Lynda's Peace Pagada rug:

With thanks to Lynda for hosting, for all the "eye candy" at her house, and for inspiration from the other Quabbin rug hookers.  Good food, good conversation, and good work today.

A page from my journal today.  Not a masterpiece but at least it got me tangling and drawing, and I completely enjoyed doing it.

And speaking of roses, kudos and roses to my buddy Cheryl the Rug Rescuer.  She has just completed a commissioned rug rescue for someone she knows who brought her a half-finished rug.  As I recall, there was no wool with it, just the unfinished rug, so Cheryl had to match wool as best she could.  The pattern, I think, was drawn by a rug hooking teacher who was unable to continue hooking, so I believe it's an original.  Anyway, I love this rug (below).  Let's first look at the rug on the floor of Cheryl's drop-dead gorgeous Victorian living room; then I'll post a closer view.

That's the rug in the foreground above, but isn't the entire room just so beautiful?  And here's a closer look at the rug itself:

What a beautiful design.  Very sad that the designer wasn't able to complete it, but at least the Rug Rescuer got it done!  Now here's the hard part:  She has to give the rug away to the woman who brought it to her.  I would have a lot of trouble giving something this lovely away.

Now Cheryl is working on this wide-cut rug below (a real departure for her as she's not enthusiastic about hooking with wide cuts).  I don't know whose design this is but it's very pretty:  And yes, this is another Rescue Rug, started by someone before it was abandoned and turned over to her.

Quite unusual.  I don't recall ever seeing this design before.  Go Cheryl!

I haven't seen either piece in person yet; another friend took these photos for me (thank you, Kathleen).  I'm hoping to see the actual rugs in person in a couple of weeks.

When I went to my last local rug hooking meeting, I only expected to work on my rug and have fun. 

I had NO IDEA what would be waiting for all of us who attended. 

We were treated to an incredible show of rugs from Turkey, China, and Iran by one of the members, Elizabeth Vierling.  Dr. Vierling is a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, but she is also a rug maker and clearly has a passion for textiles.  I took a million photographs...unfortunately my memory of her very informative commentary on the origins and purposes of each piece is fading fast, but here are some of the photos.  Enjoy!

I believe this first piece was from Turkey.  It is very large and I think Elizabeth uses it as a rug in her home.  It is embroidered, using a couching stitch I think (see detail in last photo).  Probably circa mid 20th-century.

The color work is just sensational.  After ogling the piece (above) for a good long while, we all decided we are not using enough orange in our own designs. 

Apologies in advance to Elizabeth for how much I have already forgotten of what she said about each textile.  Her commentary on where she located each one, where and how each was created, and what each may have been used for, was fascinating.  But in the week since I saw these works, all of her commentary has started to slide right out of my head.  Darn!

If memory serves me--which likely it doesn't--below are two clothing panels embroidered by the Miao people of China (one of China's long-suppressed minority groups, now finally beginning to emerge and be recognized for their rich history and cultural treasures).

And if that weren't enough, there was more, and more still...click on each thumbnail to progress through the items, or just hit "Play."

 One of the most dramatic textiles was the one below.  I loved these tiny aliens.  The work is so beautiful, and the colors vibrant.  Each thumbnail has a different view (or you can just hit "Play").

Elizabeth travels for academic conferences, and is occasionally able to extend the travel time in order to take in more of the culture of the countries she is in.  This is why she has been able to explore and research textiles on some of her trips. 

Aren't we fortunate--those of us who were there to see this show?  With thanks to Elizabeth for letting me photograph and post the photos, for her lively talk and especially for lugging all the heavy, bulky textiles to the meeting.  All of her hard work resulted in a fabulous experience for the rest of us.

A few years ago I was fortunate enough to go to a hook-in in Vermont and met Dana Psoinas from New York, one of the most extraordinary rug hookers and artists today.  I had already been mesmerized by her "Guardian" rug in a photograph, and suddenly, there was the real thing, right in front of me on the floor in Shelburne Vermont. 

And there was Dana herself.  A more talented and nicer person you just cannot find.  She specializes in rugs that tell stories, usually stories from fairy tales or myths.

I was star-struck.  We hit it off and have corresponded occasionally since then.  Lucky me.

I am still star-struck by her work, and so will you be.  Read on! 

She recently showed me three drawings she has done--freehand, mind you!--on linen, to sell as patterns for other rug hookers.  One of them is at the top of this post, and the rest are below, along with a sketch she hasn't yet drawn on foundation.  

More information about Dana and her process is at the end of this post.

She sold these through her Etsy site--but please be aware that these patterns are NOT FOR SALE now.  They were/are one-of-a-kind.  She is busy with her own rug making and does not stock or sell patterns all the time.  There is a wonderful photo of her finished Guardian Rug on her Etsy site--please have a look to see just how phenomenal her rug hooking is.  She works in 2-, 3-, and 4-cuts to achieve her extraordinary rugs.

Check her site from time to time in case she does post something to sell...who knows,  you may get lucky!

If you wonder about her creative process and want to know a bit more about her, you can check this recently-written blog post with more photographs of her rugs.  Enjoy.

With thanks to Dana for letting me post this!

In reading one of the Zentangle® blogs, I just spotted the most amazing photographs on--of all things--manufacturing pencils.  They are in an article written for New York Times.

These amazing art photos were taken at the General Pencil Company (We who tangle love their pencils.  And according to the Zentangle blog, the owner of the company is now a Certified Zentangle Teacher, which delighted me).

I cannot show the photos because of course they are copyrighted, but you won't believe how beautiful they are.  Check them out HERE.

(Thank you to the Zentangle folks for publicizing this.)

 On Sunday I went to my first-ever Quabbin Rug Group meeting.  It was just great.  No fewer than eleven people showed up--I was impressed.  Here are some of the rugs I saw.

I only wish I were better at catching people's names.  I'm terrible with names.  therefore, I was only able to attribute a couple of these in-progress pieces. 

Enjoy the eye candy!

I think this may have been by Judy Jewett (altho I certainly could be wrong)?  It is from a pattern she purchased.  Love the colors she is using.  She was at the binding stage, so it should be done very soon.

Isn't this one just the most fun?  I can see the face of the wonderful woman who's making it, but I cannot for the life of me remember her name.  Darn.  I already want this rug and she's not even finished with it yet.

This rug is by Linda Faye of Amherst and is her own design--it's a tribute to the Peace Pagoda.  You can see that she's begun by hooking the many prayer flags flying in the wind there.  The Peace Pagoda has a good website here.  I'll be interested to see how this rug develops. 

Linda also had a wonderful dog rug with her, but I was unable to get a photo of that.

Not sure whose pattern this is but I heard the woman who is making this piece say that the original designer intended for it to be done in a fine-cut.  However, she is more of a wide-cut person and is successfully doing it in a 6 or an 8 (probably an 8--I didn't hear that part). 

She was making the point to one of the other participants that it's possible to take a fine-cut design and do it in a wider cut.  It can be done with many (not all) fine-cuts.  The results will look very different, but as you can see here, it still looks great.

How stunning is this???  Wowza.  I believe the woman who is making this is named Sue, but I'm not certain.  I do remember her saying that this is her first-ever hooked piece.  Oh. My. God. 

I don't know if she designed it herself or if it is a pattern. 

(Hanging my head in shame--my first piece from years ago never looked anything like this one...)  I was drawn to looking at this over and over.

Isn't this the cutest thing you've ever seen?  I think this maker's name was Rebecca.  She was a guest at the meeting, I believe.  What really stands out for me about her--other than this truly wonderful folk-art rug which I believe is her own design--is that we were told she is "new to rug hooking."   Whaaaa-aaaaat???  I love these cats!

I heard her say that she's only been hooking for 18 months.  BUT...this is the 12th piece she has hooked in that short time.  So she's certainly not "new" in my book.  This is just great.

A talented woman named Penny (argh...I don't remember her last name either--was it Redfern?) sitting directly across from me was working on this rug, channeling Vincent himself.  Talk about an ambitious project.  I wish I had an off-the-frame photo of this; it's just wonderful. 

Last but by NO means least is this really beautiful and striking piece inspired by Japanese rock gardens.  Can I remember this woman's name?  No, of course not, but I love her work.  This is her own design. 

I get that "ahhhhhhhh" feeling simply by looking at the sinuous lines of the carefully raked sand, which she's captured beautifully here.  This is striking and I am loving the subtle colors.

I was definitely enchanted by all the rugs I saw.  We met at the Wool & Dye Works Rug Hooking Shop in Florence, which is a treasure in itself.

I'll finish off with a DRAFT of a triquetra knot, which I tried for the first-time today.  This says #3 because it's only my third try.  I have a lot to learn about these, that's for sure.

By which I mean to say, this is simply a sketchy practice piece for a free-form, unplanned knot. 

I have "knot" been practicing. 

Although my holidays were quiet-by-design, my last two weeks have been non-stop guests.  Wonderful guests and I was thrilled to have them. 
But I haven't had the headspace to draw, tangle, or write and am feeling rusty.  Looking forward to starting up again.

                                                  Ahhhh!  BOOKBINDING Again:

I did manage to sneak away for one day, last Sunday, in order to take a beginning bookbinder class with Peter Cangialosi.  He's an excellent teacher and I completely enjoyed myself.  Even more impressive:  every student (5 of us) left with a handmade bound book.  Here's mine:

This is a very small book, but it is a book.  I am delighted. 

January is apparently "bookbinding" time someplace in my mind.  Last year on MLK weekend I did (and blogged about) a prior workshop on bookbinding with Nancy Shepherd in Vermont.  We took the whole weekend and began by learning to make  paper for the covers; then we used a more sophisticated open binding than the one I learned last Sunday.

However, the day after that 2017 workshop with Nancy I formally "closed" on (legally bought) my new house.  ALL the info I had acquired from her flew right out of my head as I entered the whirlwind of finalizing the sale, packing up my apartment of 40 years, and relocating. 

What was special about Sunday's workshop was that it was one day and much simpler...but it jump-started my memories of a year ago and I began to recall what I had learned in the more complex 2017 workshop with Nancy.  I have progressed from not being able to retrieve anything I learned from her, to remembering at least 90% of it, and I am confident that I can recover the rest.  Hurrah!  Thank you, Peter.

In Peter's beginner's workshop, everyone finished wonderful books.  Many were prettier than mine.  He kept things super-simple and was endlessly patient with our million questions.

Here is a slideshow of all five completed books.  I can't wait to try my hand at this again.  I look forward to being able to make my own sketchbooks.

Two additional views of my book.  You can see the simple exposed smyth stitch binding in the photo to the left, and in view below you can see how flat it lies when open.  If I use better quality paper for my next book, it would be perfect for sketching.

Uh-oh, there may be yet another obsession coming on...

This easy-to-draw tangle is brand new from the Zentangle® folks, and is named Rumpus.  My version today is blindingly bright.  Feel free to put your sunglasses on to view it.

This was done with a black Micron PN pen, graphite, and a Rainbow Lead Colored pencil.

I do hope my next version is a bit tamer!  I think I'll be using this tangle a lot as it is so enjoyable to draw.

NOTE:  If you are a fan of the Trump administration and its policies, you will NOT be happy reading the next section of today's post.  It's your choice whether or not to keep reading.

While I rarely comment on politics--it is not what I choose to focus on here--what I'm showcasing below is actually a photograph of a hand-hooked rug which cannot be separated from the current political climate

On the left is Emily K Robertson's hand hooked rug, titled "Trumped."  It is her contribution to a superb juried show of fiber art currently traveling across the United States to protest the Trump Administration's actions and policies.

The show is titled Threads of Resistance, and you can view details on its context and its current location by clicking on that title.  A wonderfully produced catalog for the show is also available on amazon.

It's well worth your time.  If you disagree with this political view, it will make you uncomfortable.  BUT, even if you agree, the show will still make you uncomfortable.

It is a very challenging exhibit.

I highly recommend both show and catalog.  

Most of the pieces in the show appear to be quilts.  I spent time today looking at the catalog, and I see that it's possible Emmy has the only hooked rug in the show. 

My only criticism of the catalog, which is beautifully produced and the next best thing to actually seeing the show in person, is that it's not clear to me on a first read what the medium is for each piece.  Quilt?  Photo?  Painting?  Hooked rug?  The information may be in there, but I didn't see it.  However, it's a minor criticism.  The full title of the show is:  "Threads of Resistance:  A Juried Exhibition Created to Protest the Trump Administration's Actions and Policies." 

A word about Emmy Robertson:  I'm lucky to count her as a friend, having met her at the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild years ago.  She's a past president of that guild, and a phenomenally talented rug designer and rug hooker.  She's also extraordinarily prolific.  When she lived in my area she was kind enough to join our rug hooking group and always served as a source of inspiration.  Many of her rugs are designed around political topics.  She is an ordained minister who chooses to pursue her ministry via political action.  If I had to sum up her spiritual philosophy, it is captured in her favorite motto:  "Love Kindness."

Thanks, Emmy, for letting me showcase your rug!

“The function of the artist in a disturbed society is to give awareness of the universe, to ask the right questions, and to elevate the mind.”
--Marina Abramovic

This is a photo of a spirit rock.  No, it doesn't refer to the remarkable meditation center in California.  But it certainly it relates to meditation.  A dear friend made it, covering the tiny stone with her hand-netting and adding those tiny beads   She gave it to me as a housewarming gift.  Both of us know that doing this kind of work is highly meditative--it's why I'm so drawn to art at this point in my life, along with a daily meditation practice. 

Stones have always held a lot of symbolism for me, especially river rocks with their smooth round shapes and heft.  They are symbols of wholeness, endurance, and comfort. 

I will enjoy this sweet gift for a long time.  It is so lovely to connect with much-valued old friends.

"A rugged stone grows smooth from hand to hand."
--George Herbert

"Our lives are unique stones in the mosaic of human experience--priceless and irreplaceable."
--Henri J.M. Nouwen

Meanwhile, I cannot decide if I'm enjoying the "sketching and watercolor" course or not.  I'm a bit puzzled by why I'm having so much trouble with the watercolor and specifically with the brush (watercolor brush).  If it weren't the 2nd brush I've tried--with similar issues--I'd say the brush is leaking.  Too much water swishing around, and you can see it's leaking outside the bounds of the apple (yes, apple...not a tomato) above.  I could go on and on, but I won't.  Let's just say I haven't had this experience before, not that I've had much experience at all.  I'll keep going with this and see what happens.  It's tough not to just grab my colored pencils, though.

In watercolor, if you are not in trouble, then you're in trouble.
--Selma Blackburn

In watercolour, particularly, it's almost always better to chuck than fix.
--Joe Joseph P. Blodgett

...Really?  Guess I'll find out.

I hope you will take a careful look at the above piece.  It's made from 28 triangular tiles placed together.  Each tile is unique, and was tangled by my good friend AE.  The overall effect is stunning.  And, they can all be moved around easily for a completely different look. 

Take another moment to look at each individual triangle and you'll see the level of creativity at work here.
                                                                            * * *
This afternoon I returned from spending five days with AE..  She's been dealing with a particularly challenging and confusing illness for months now, and coincidentally (or was it...?), she learned Zentangle right around the time that the illness announced itself.  For the last several weeks she has been receiving intensive and intrusive treatments, and I can't emphasize how often she has mentioned that tangling has enabled her to cope.

And while coping, she has been producing these mini-beauties.  Here are a few more examples (with thanks to her for letting me post these):

The meditative nature of Zentangle has been extremely helpful while she has been in treatment.  Tiles are the perfect size for portability and for tangling while waiting to be seen in a doctor's office.  One of the things I truly love about tangling is that it is a form of moving meditation, and enables a person to focus completely on the present, line by line, and not get caught up in past or future.  This is a huge advantage if you are waiting for a treatment session, a doctor's appointment or any stressful situation.  AE has been making the best of her time, as you can see here.
                                                                             * * *
We have known each other for almost 40 years (how the hell did that happen?) and have a lot of shared interests.  We met while pursuing a particular spiritual tradition and soon discovered a mutual love of art and crafts.  For years we both did bead work (she focused on loom work, I focused on bead embroidery) and between us we accrued enough beads to open a bead store.  Not that that was our intention; as we are both "tool hoarders," we never considered selling our stock and each still have pounds of seed beads.  We are constant knitters and each have huge yarn stashes.  We both enjoy writing and have blogs; she has also written a novel.  We've each accumulated way too many art supplies.  We each meditate daily.  We both read constantly, and our home libraries have many similar books.   I wouldn't even want to speculate about how many books each of our homes contain...too many.

I have to laugh at the similarities--we are each hopelessly determined and obsessive in pursuing our interests.  In just a few short months, she's produced as many tangles as I have in all the years I've been tangling.  She has taken her tangling kit to every doctor's appointment and treatment session, and used that time well.  It's an honor to share some of her work here.

And yet we are also very different, something I also enjoy.  I value our discussions, whether we are agreeing or disagreeing.

I am fortunate to have her as a friend, and hope we continue our crazy, obscure, satisfying interests for years to come.  She is kind, resilient, talented, hilarious and courageous.  A gift in my life.

"Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down."
– Oprah Winfrey

"There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate."
― Linda Grayson

In my previous post (9/20/17), I showed pictures from the workshop on Tangled Fans I attended  last Sunday morning at Connecticut Tangle Time (CTT).***

That was the morning.  And then came the afternoon.  It was all about Kelly Barone and her Tangled Clocks.  Here are a few of the ones Kelly has created, some of which she brought as samples to inspire us:

Tangled Paper Clocks...yes! 

So as I was saying, in the afternoon, we were taught by Kelly Barone, CZT, owner of Whimsy by Kelly (that's a link to her Etsy shop; she sells the clock kits inexpensively in her shop, folks...this is my evil attempt to enable all you tanglers...). 

Kelly was highly organized and her prepared kit was terrific.  She began by explaining how she got started on clocks:  she had seen a tangled clock made by someone in Germany.  She was captivated and immediately tried to track down the source for the materials, but the manufacturer had stopped making them.  She looked for months for another source, with no luck. 

So...she decided to make her own kit.  And she did.  Once she got the bumps worked out, she began putting kits together (you can find them on her Etsy site, link above).  And we each got a kit at the workshop--so we could start tangling immediately.

This was a project we all started but I only saw one person finish a clock during the workshop.  The rest of us had to take the pieces home and work on them, putting the clocks together afterwards.  I'll post some of the finished beauties at the end.  Note that all of these are other people's work, not mine, except where noted.  My  own clock is finally finished and is near the bottom of the post.

EXAMPLES OF CLOCKS THE PARTICIPANTS CREATED AFTER THE WORKSHOP:

(Below I've posted some of the clocks that participants have been finishing since the workshop ended--check back for more as people finish and I add to this post.)

I hope you'll visit Kelly's Etsy site (the link is near the top of this post) to see what else she does.  She is incredibly creative.  Thank you, Kelly, for another great class.

All in all, this was one mind-bogglingly wonderful day.  I cannot wait to finish working on my own clock.  It may be awhile, but I'll post it when I get it done.

*** "CTT" is an organization for the continuing education of CZTs (Certified Zentangle Teachers) in New England and beyond.  If you are a CZT, consider joining them on their Facebook page.  You don't have to live in Connecticut, and teachers often make kits available for CZTs who cannot travel to attend the workshops.  To join, go to their Facebook page and request membership (you'll have to prove you are a CZT so get out your certificate).

Half-mandalas. 
Isn't that what fans are, after all?

I was lucky enough to go to two workshops for CZTs (Certified Zentangle® Teachers) in Connecticut the other day, and we spent the morning with Diane Yaciuk, CZT, learning how to create tangled fans.  I was fascinated.  So fascinated, I never got to tangle my own fan.  That's why this post is about other people's work.

Diane is a marbled paper addict and expert.  Check out her work on Facebook HERE.  Somewhere along the line, she became interested in Zentangle and fans, and she began the workshop with a little history and a lot of examples to inspire us. 

Not only was the workshop itself completely absorbing, but Diane also told us the story behind the paper used in the fans.  It's made in Vietnam, in a rural village with no other source of income, and the tradition is in danger of dying out.  Some of the papers (see the black paper at the top below) take 100+ steps to create.  You cannot believe how luscious these papers are.  They have no chemicals or sizing.  They are thick and sturdy.  Some have tooth and some are very smooth.  Diane is starting to sell the papers in order to help the town.  You can read all about this HERE (don't miss the videos and fascinating history) and other tabs on that site will lead you to other things Diane's involved in (including her fabulous scarves).  The paper story is very compelling.  We each got to go home with one of each of the papers.  I can't wait to experiment with mine.

Photo of some of the paper samples below.  And underneath that are more photos of in-progress fans that I took as participants in the workshop began to tangle on their own fans.  Prepare to drool!

After a brief introduction and some good instructions, participants started to work on their own fans.  I had permission to take these photos, and was so busy wandering around that I never got my own fan started.  But I hope to begin working on it soon.  Thanks to all those who allowed me to take photos...especially as I cannot credit most of you because I can't remember who was working on what!  Oy.

...and...TA-DA!  THE FINISHED FANS ARE BELOW.
DRUM ROLL, PLEASE...

Aren't those finished pieces wonderful?  I need to get busy on doing my own.  Every summer I reach for a fan when it gets hot and humid.  Now I'm curious about their history as well as their practical uses.  Time to do some research.

Check back on this post occasionally.  I may be updating it, as I am on the trail of getting permission to post other fans as they are finished.  Thank you Diane, for one inspiring and very fine workshop.

Next post:  The afternoon was equally impressive.  I'll keep that topic under wraps for a bit.  I hope to have it up in a couple of days.

Today's example is a frankly amazing mandala made by Cari Camarra, CZT (Certified Zentangle Teacher).  But she didn't draw this.  It's not a tangle.  It turns out, Cari's a papercutting artist and has been cutting snowflakes and mandalas for years.  On Saturday evening while her family was watching tv, she folded some paper and made some cuts.  Below is the still-folded, freshly cut piece, and then under that is the staggeringly lovely mandala:

I loved this.

But Cari gave us all a huge chuckle when she 'fessed up about the paper she used.  As it turns out, it's the unused end of a roll from her doctor's office's examining table.  You could hear the gasps and then the laughs.  She assured us it was pristine and had "no butt-imprints on it" before she worked with it.  (I think I remember her saying that she worked in a doctor's office and asked them for a whole roll of brand new examining-table-paper about 20 years ago, and is still using that same roll.) 

You can find out more about Cari's work HERE (her website) and HERE (her Facebook Page).  Thanks to Cari for letting me share this. 

Now, where did I put my scissors...?

We've all heard of Sylvia Plath, famous for her extraordinary poetry, fascinating life, and tragic suicide.  But who knew she was also a visual artist?  I certainly didn't. 

Check out this fascinating article from one of my favorite websites called Brain Pickings.  Plath was a visual artist as well as a phenomenal poet.  I wish I could post some of those photographs here, but I haven't asked permission, so instead I will direct you to the site of the article where you can see them in all their glory. 

Meanwhile, my damaged hand is continuing to respond to intense exercise.  It hurts like hell most of the time but it's finally beginning to act like a hand again.  (At least it isn't my dominant hand--and for that piece of luck, I am eternally grateful.) 

I've been able to tangle a bit more.  Here's a recent piece and how it evolved.

The first stage, lines in progress:

 Next, here is the piece with the line work done, but without any shading:

And below is the finished piece on the actual journal page, after shading:

This was so much fun to draw, as it was simply line after line after line, each one drawn slowly and deliberately.  A meditation in motion.

This weekend is the annual Franklin County Fair, a local tradition that's been going strong since 1843.  (HERE is a great article from 2013 about the fair.  Lots of photos.)

So off I went to the Fair, early this morning.
Easy to park.  Tons of kids with parents, and everyone looking really happy. 
I took photos:

Some rather wonderful quilts:

And of course, since it's an agricultural fair, there were plenty of fruit and vegetable exhibits:

It was somewhat ironic to see all the amazing winning fruit and vegetable displays, and then to walk outside and look at the food vendors and realize every item of food being offered to fair-goers was a heart-attack-on-a-plate item like fried dough, french fries, caramel apples, cotton candy, etc.  But that too is traditional at county fairs.  I passed on the food!  I would have loved some of the apples from the photo above, but alas, it was a prize-winning display-only, and none were for sale.

I bought two lovely things:

.

This stuff felt just luscious on my hands, and was faintly scented in the most subtle way.  I have a hunch I will want more, once the cold weather sets in.  And a little did a lot.

I thought I would try this stuff for my poor sore damaged hand (from the broken wrist).  When I bought it I was thinking, "What a sucker I am.  Waste of good money.  This will never make a difference."  But ya know...I think it does.  I am kind of amazed.  Time will tell.  It's formulated for arthritis.   Note the name:  "Hot & Flexy."

I was warned to be sure to wash my hands before touching my eyes after using it, because of the ingredients. 

Good idea.

Next came ogling some of the many critters on display:  the cows, bunnies, goats, butterflies, sheep, turtles, fish, donkeys and a few of these guys:

S/he (?) had just woken up and gotten up off the floor from a comfy night's sleep, hence the wood shavings all over the torso. 

I could relate, given how disheveled I often look in the mornings.  Ok, maybe I don't wake up covered in wood shavings but you get the idea.

I mentally congratulated all the winners and left, after first walking the midway with all its rides; that must be spectacular when it's lit up at night, and great fun.

Coming home, I made sure to finish doing my hand exercises.  Recovering from this injury has been a much bigger challenge than I thought.  But in the last 4 days I'm noticing some major improvements.

Two things that made me feel like a winner today:  1)  I unpacked three boxes, something I haven't been able to do since I broke my wrist in June.  I am beyond thrilled to see some of my favorite authors once more:  David Grayson, May Sarton, Henry Beston and an assortment of others.  Rumi and Kabir are at the far right.  I feel surrounded by friends again, when I look at this shelf in my living room.

And 2), the final major accomplishment:  three months after the wrist injury, I was able to hook my bra for the first time with both hands.  (I'm putting this at the very end because I figure no one will read this far)  For three months I've had to hook it using one hand only, placing it flat on the bed, and then wrestling it on over my head.  Awful!  A few days ago I tried putting it on normally--and couldn't.  I just didn't have the hand flexibility still.  I tried every day this week.  And then today--SUCCESS! 

And that's how I know that things really are improving.

Hallelujah.

Yesterday I made a 5-minute stop at one of my favorite rug hooking shops, just to gather inspiration.  Even though I cannot hook at the moment (the broken wrist), I just wanted to connect with color, wool, and creativity.  I needed to ogle some rugs.  As it turns out, I was so glad I stopped by.  I found this beauty on their floor:

I'm guessing it's about 3-4 feet long and 2-3 feet wide.  The colors!  Oh, the colors.  Just wonderful.  So vibrant. 

About 2/3 of the rug is done, but as you can see there are two major central areas on each side that are still unhooked.  The backing looked to be in great shape.  When the shop acquired the rug, no wool came with it (no unhooked matching wool).  They've had it for some time now.  Here is a close-up of one of the to-be-finished areas, which includes the unusual finishing on one side; the original artist just folded over the backing and hooked through 2 layers to finish it.

I couldn't help wondering what happened to the original rug hooker--why did this get set aside when it was so nearly done?  I'm tempted to try to finish it myself!

BUT...Cheryl the Rug Rescuer, are you reading this?  This has your name all over it!  Are you interested in maybe finishing this rug?  If so, let me know and I'll put you in touch with the current owners.

Someone needs to finish this; it's on their floor and it's absolutely gorgeous.  I don't know how much they would charge for it.

<--here is the reason i can't type much. 
or type well.  or use capital letters. 

but this is a vast improvement over the first cast i was in, which included a sling.  that meant i was totally one-handed.  with this cast, i can cheat a little.   not much.

in yesterday's post i discussed how i ran amok with the tangle peanuckle, which was this week's diva challenge.  see that post for the details and result. 

well...!  one of the other participants, susie ngamsuwan, also ran amok, only much more effectively.  not only did she produce two gorgeous tiles, but she came up with an easier way of drawing the same tangle.  so creative.  see her work and her step-out here.  it's so worth reading--and check out the rest of her blog!  fabulous.

after seeing how she did it, i had to try again.  result:

on the left side of the tile i tried drawing it according to molly's original instructions (molly came up with the pattern), but did it very large.  i liked it ok, but got lost  near the end and had to fudge some embellishments. 

on the upper right of the tile i tried it again, very small, but used susie ng's instructions.  easy!  not only did i not get lost but i experimented with the 'join' between the peas.  i liked the effect. 

i threw in a couple of mooka and then tried it a 3rd time, using susie's instructions, on the bottom of the tile, and this time fooled around with an inner spiral on the peas.  once again, i never got lost and it was fun to draw.

thanks, susie!  you're so clever.  i'll actually be using this tangle now.

I've been alluding to a secret "Big Project" for awhile now, something that's been forcing me to postpone my own work.  It's no longer a secret:  I'm moving.  I'll be relocating soon--just haven't set the firm date yet.  Since I've lived here for decades, you can imagine the level of sorting, packing, and disruption this will cause. 

It will be quite a while before I'm able to take time to implement any creative ideas of my own.  So I thought I'd show you some wonderful work other people are doing.  I'm intending this post to be the first of a series.

Let's begin with
Jon Cummings
of Cambridge, MA and Newfoundland, Canada.  Among his many other talents, Jon created these mad, wonderful sculptures from found objects. 

Click on any photo to view the complete piece (only partial thumbnail photos are below) and see its title and price.  Some pieces are not for sale. 
If you'd like to contact Jon, you can do so at:  617-448-3079

How did I discover Jon?  First, his wife is a member of my rug hooking group, the Wooly Bullies.  In fact, it was Jon who suggested the name for the group 15 years ago.  Yes, we are named after that incredibly stupid song of yesteryear by Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs.  In case you need to hear the song, here it is.

Second, Jon used to share studio space at Joy Street Studios in Somerville, MA, with a close friend of mine.  When he cleaned out his studio, he left some of his work behind since he didn't have room to store it.  He put some of his pieces on the walls of my friend's woodworking shop.  I love the results from the way Jon has taken found objects and put them together to form these crazy sculptures! 

And because I'm not kidding when I say his work is "up" on the walls of my friend's shop, let me note that it's WAY WAY up on the walls, so I had to shoot these photos from underneath.  That accounts for the angle AND for the dust--they're up so high they haven't been dusted recently.  They aren't shown to their best advantage, but we do what we can, right?

And now a few thoughts on sculpture...

I say that the art of sculpture is eight times as great as any other art based on drawing, because a statue has eight views and they must all be equally good. (Benvenuto Cellini)

Sculpture occupies real space like we do... you walk around it and relate to it almost as another person or another object. (Chuck Close)

When you slow down enough to sculpt, you discover all kinds of things you never noticed before. (Karen Jobe)

A great sculpture can roll down a hill without breaking. (Michelangelo)

I would like to carve my novel in a piece of wood. (Georges Simenon)