ten ginkgo leaves

April 29, 2009


ten ginkgo leaves
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

finished!

You would be excused if you thought I'd done nothing much lately, except it isn't entirely true. I have been so busy on longer projects that I have nothing finished to show off. I did get these done on Monday, I think, I kind of lost track.

I am working on the strange dragony thing that I made the tail for back here (remember the tail? it has a body and a neck!!) I'll check the regulations again, because i can't remember if I'm not supposed to show it to anyone before it is published or shown or rejected. It has to be photographed May 1. Which is soon.

Yikes?

flock of cranes

April 26, 2009


cranes
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

Kind of.

I think it is odd that one of the most compelling things I saw on Thursday was this collection of five cranes working on something near the Allston/Brighton tolls off the Mass Pike. I like the way they stick up.

The circus was pretty nice this year. I particularly liked the woman in the tightrope. She used it as a wire, a high bar, a guitar string, a trapeze bar… it was very different from any wire act I've seen before. The horses were all about trick riding, which was nice but not enough horses. The dogs were having a great time, as was the trainer. I have trouble with flying trapeze because all the tricks look the same to me, and taking lessons with aerialists means that I see a LOT of creativity around various aerial apparatusesses (how DO you pluralize that?) so I am a tough customer for aerial wowing.

We hit the Boston Museum of Science after the show, and toured the frogs. Aerin swore we'd seen it last year, but I think last year was other reptiles (like geckos, I remember the gecko feet). I like the frogs that are kind of squishy and shiny, and fold up into smooth packages. Like this.

I have been doing a small amount of vacationing, and a good deal of knitting. I cast on some socks for my mother (Hi Mom!) which have a very subtle rib and are looking quite lovely so far.

Tomorrow the kids' vacation ends, and we return to the daily grind. I expect I'll have more fiber things to show then.

five of ten

April 22, 2009


April 22
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

The titles of these posts keep sounding like Borg names from Star Trek. I apologize for being temporarily unable to think of anything more interesting.

I was really interested in looking at variations in things, and I had a set of 10 ginkgo leaves that needed work. They fit into the theme for the month, so I have applied a lot of embroidery to them and here are five of them. I’ll finish the other five soon (although we’re going to see a circus tomorrow [not be in it] and it won’t be then) and post them when finished.

I have some more sets of leaves I’m working on, and this is a good month to finish them. I think maybe maple next. They are almost ready to stitch.

inches left

April 20, 2009


April 20
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

In a successful lsock completion exercise, I finished these fabulous objects with about eight inches to spare. Those dangling strings are all that was left… I broke it in the center and kitchenered the toes (with a certain amount of wailing and knashing of teeth) and now they are on, and quite, quite lovely. No one will inspect my toes. I figure if I keep throwing myself at the kitchenering, eventually I will attain proficiency. The second sock was better than the first, but I seem to forget how to do it with astonishing speed in between finished socks. 

Technical notes: Socks that Rock yarn, unremembered colorway from 2007 Sock of the Month Club, pattern is Spring Forward at Knitty, on 2mm needles because when I use them I am happy and the socks come out fine.

In depressing news, I realized that running hurts, and the only way to get better at it seems to be to really push my body to ugly desperate places and then do it again. I can hardly bear to think about it. So I am thinking about my socks instead, and going to bed.

Nice news is that my mother is house sitting the house next door, so she gets a small vacation and to visit us and sleep in a Real Bed (which she doesn't get to do at our house – we are very bad with guests) and come over for dinner and retreat to read in bed and brush her teeth in peace. Plus her dog gets to come too, to keep the neighbor dog company. It is win-win-win all around. I am looking forward to having her here for a couple days (Hi Mom!).