capelet for baby marilyn

I made this capelet for my friend Pattie's daughter Marilyn. This was a test run-I'm making another one for her baptism on January 20. I modified the "Jolly Rancher" from Crochetme.com

One of the Serra's....

Last week one of Richard Serra's sculptures arrived at LACMA. I work on the 5th floor of the LACMA West building, formally the May Co. Out on the balcony we had a spectacular view and I was able to take a bunch of photos. Serra's sculptures are enormous and transform space. Two of his sculptures will be on view in LACMA's new contemporary art building, Broad Contemporary Art Museum, opening in mid-February. The artwork arrived in pieces on semi-trucks.

Here is the view of the new building from my office.

Check out how the pieces of the sculpture dwarfs the trucks!

See the man on the ladder at the top of the piece? he's attaching cables from a crane.

The crane is lifting it...

All the pieces that have arrived so far are in a staging area waiting to be installed in the building. I still can't fathom how that will happen! Exciting times at LACMA!!!

felted skulls

I finished and felted two skulls- Here are the photos..........

Just Is

I know I haven't written on this blog for ions. There are many excuses, mostly technical (my computer died). But it is just too boring for anyone to read about that. Anyway, since my friend Ellen mentioned me on her blog, I feel like I should at least post SOMETHING new.

New yarny stuff:
-I had a knitting break through last summer about tension thanks to Samantha at Abuelita's in South Pasadena. I was holding the yarn too loose, perfect for crochet, but not right for knitting. Then I went the opposite direction and my knitting was too tight. (On knit rows it was hard to get the needle in) I'm working on loosening up.

-I finished the knitting on a tank top in August from the One Skein book. Cascade- 50% pima cotton, 50 % tencel in light blue. (oh so soft) I just have block and sew. The blocking is a problem because of the kittens and their antics. I think I'm going to try to block in the bathtub...

- I finished a crochet wrap. It is long and airy. I used Koigu in black and the biggest hook I have- a "p". It is fast becoming my favorite accessory.

-I started my first sweater. I'm using a variagated hand painted Aruacana cotton in lovely shades of green. I have the back completed, and I cast-on the front.

-On Ellen's suggestion, I'm crocheting a felted skull. Super fast project and the pattern is free from Lion Brand Yarn I just have one more round to do (I finisned most of it in less than an hour) and I need to felt it.

- I took a sock class at Abuelita's and made my first baby sock. (I'll post pics later.) It is so cute and I love it so much that I carry it around in my pocket like a talisman. This was my first time on double pointed needles. My knit world opened up.

-I crocheted a hat as fast as I could last week to send to Afghans for Afghans. They had a deadline for today to send out 80 cartons of knitted goods for children in Afghanistan. I've been wanting to participate in this project since I picked up the hook. I'll post a pic later.

-on the needles I have a hat that I'm making for Jake. It's kind of a practice hat- I've never knit one, and I want to use my new double pointed skills.

I think there's more, but I just can't remember...

slippers

I made some slippers for my sister. They are made from a peruvian alpaca/acrylic blend yarn. The pattern is from crochetme.com

kitten addition

Jake and I are adding to our feline family. In the pictures he is only 4 weeks old. This weekend he’ll be six weeks. We might pick him up this weekend or when he is 8 weeks depending on whether his teenage mom is still letting her little ones suckle. (she had a litter of six!) Here are possible names: Dorian Gray or Sasha. Jake and I are smitten. We hope Dervish and Dixie love him too. As you can see, he didn't want to sit still for portraiture.

poem: In praise of knitting

I have been reading Los Angeles poet and instructor Terry Wolverton's new (simply wonderful) book- Shadow and Praise. In the praise section, there is a poem to knitting. I asked Terry if I could post her poems on my blog.

This book is in two sections. The second section is a series of "praise" poems. The praise poems are linked by images. What she does is that she praises something that appears in the last few lines of the previous poem. So unexpected. As I was reading them, I kept wondering, what is she going to praise next?

Anyway, here is the poem

from SHADOW AND PRAISE by Terry Wolverton, Main Street Rag, Charlotte, N.C., 2007. http://www.mainstreetrag.com/store/books.php

In praise of knitting

However it may appear, nothing is straightforward. Always a tangle, a twist, slip knot turning wrist to wrest my grasp on simplicity. Complicit, I drop stitches too. Gasp. Knit one. Purl two. Nine perfect rows before the pattern switches and I am ribbing. Then I make my home in a new motif. No relief until a wave of worsted undulates across my weathered lap, spills forward to lap my toes. Fevered in summertime, blanket of seed stitch and cable. Troubled hands possessed, I cast on (and on) but where do I bind off? I’ve lost the thread. Forehead puckers. Days unravel, wasted skein. Lulled by needles’ tick. Needles prick my torpid senses.

And here is the previous poem to In praise of knitting. check out the last image. She makes me want to use a bad fiber arts metaphor to describe her process...

In praise of Pandora’s box

Hope was not quick enough to join the jailbreak. Her punkass cousins split at the first crack of daylight. Provoked a fracas that swarms the planet still. That’s why I always sign my name with spit. It being her nature, she made the best of prolonged captivity. Grew accustomed to the scent of cedar, sedentary lifestyle. Taught herself to knit. Wingbone needles in her small hands. She yoked a sweater of resignation to replace her original plumage. Now it’s all the rage on the runway. That’s why I speak in my father’s stutter. Someday, she thinks, her hapless guardian might lift the lid again. Her walls grow redolent of wool. Needles clack like bones. Hope knits.

And because I just can't resist.... here is the poem that follows In praise of knitting

In praise of the senses

What do I know with my eyes? I am a child today, lost in fog. Mist spatters my car windows; it’s difficult to breathe. Chimes in wind. Musical bracelets. Perfumed hands more chemical than flower. In the mirror, my eyes are innocent. Marbled and grave. On the anniversary of really looking. I never heard buzzing till the lights were dimmed. My mouth tastes dull and old, the gray of tepid water. Air hisses through swollen cavities. Pen presses its indentation to my middle finger, a palpable effort of words. I wear this mark. I hold so hard. Try as it might, sun can’t push through. Not this day. I see what I see. The rest sloughs off. I teeter on the border of the tangible.

Spinning Child Virgin...

Look at this fabulous painting of the Virgin Mary spinning. The painting is from Peru, circa late 1600s or early 1700s. I just love it! If I find out more about it, I'll post...

learning to knit

In December I took a beginning knitting class with Franny at That Yarn Store. Super fun. But since I was in the middle of making a bunch of xmas gifts, I had to put the knitting aside. While I was in DC at the end of December, niece Raquel taught me how to purl. While I was there, I played around with different stitches, but didn't make anything worth while. Then I couldn't remember how to cast-on. I couldn't remember any of the three cast on methods that I learned from Franny. And I couldn't quite decipher the diagrams in the knitting books I have- Stitch 'n Bitch and Domiknitrix (Jake gave that to me for xmas-what a love). I finally figured it out. whew. I'm not sure if I'm doing them right... I knit a scarf out of the beautiful recycled sari silk yarn that my friend and reigning LA crochet queen Ellen Bloom gave me. I also knit a pair of fingerless gloves, not in the round but by sewing up the side. and I knit a hat for Jake that was too small. I had to give it to my young friend Ben. (see Amigurumi post to see a picture of him.) Now I am frantically making one for Jake that will fit by Valentine's Day. Yikes! I don't have any photos of my knit projects. But I"ll post them when I do. In between the knitting, I have been crocheting too- I made a capelet out of baby alpaca bulky weight yarn in a lovely green. It is modified from the Jolly Rancher pattern on Crochet Me .

Also, I haven't been able to go to WeHo Stitch 'n Bitch in a while due to car trouble, but this week I'll be there! I miss it terribly...





And! my niece Christina was visiting and I taught her how to crochet. I also gave her a copy of The Happy Hooker.






Christina and I crochet
























Here's a picture of my niece Raquel, my sister Vicky and Machito.

Amigurumi

Last weekend I (finally!) finished amigurumi chipmunks for my friends Sarah and Ben. I was supposed to have finished them in September. But I had some mishaps. Particularly with color.

Here is my first attempt.

Jake said that the tail is obscene and that I might traumatize 4-year old Sarah. Now it lives at the office, traveling from cubicle to cubicle. Although, without eyes, I don't know how Crochet Thing moves around.

I ditched Sarah's color choices and started again

Here they are waiting in my rocking chair until they go to Ben and Sarah's

Sarah's chipmunk made friends with Dixie

Finally, they arrive at Ben and Sarah's- with much fanfair and joy

albino squirrel in DC

shesh!

Okay, it seems like it has been a million years since I last posted. Actually it has been six scarves, 1 hat, 25 flower pins, 1 frogged slipper, 1 almost finished pair of slippers, a shawl, 1 pair of fingerless gloves... perhaps something else but I can't remember. My hook has been busy. (though not as busy as other stichers that I know.)I also learned how to knit from Franny at That Yarn Store

And I was away over the holidays. First in Lake Arrowhead for xmas, then to DC to visit family. Jake. I have some great photos of everything- but here comes the main reason I haven't blogged- my computer is on the fritz and just won't turn on. It looks like I'll have to get a new one. Anyway, until then, I'llpost when I get to steal time on a computer. Right now I'm on Jake's (that I can use whenever he's not using it) but his is low on memory, so I can't get my photos on it. drat. Well, hopefully in the next few days I can post the picture of an albino squirrel I saw in DC...

a new little person

Little Rene was born to my friend Denise and her husband Marcel. I am so happy for them. He is beautiful. Here is the blanket and hat I made for him

Highland Park Farmer's Market

Every Tuesday night I go to the farmer's market in Highland Park. It is small and there isn't a huge variety of produce, but the quality is high, the prices are good and everyone is friendly. The market started about six months ago- what a change in my neighborhood's quality of life. I think it makes such a difference. Not only do we get to eat quality food and meet the people who grow what we eat, there is a sense of community at the market. Author Michael Pollan says that the next revolution in food is the rejection of bar codes and all that they symbolize. Where was your apple grown? Chile? Australia? I'd rather buy my apples from the Ha family or Johna's
Farm.
















There is no way that I can buy all the food I eat at a farmer's market. But at least almost all the vegetables and fruit I eat is grown locally. It is markets like this one that make that possible.



















when you arrive at the market, you might be greeted by Jeff and Christopher. Ricky, the main organizer is usually around as well. I didn't get a picture of him, but his friendly attitude and welcoming spirit foster a sense of community.



The market has a frequent buyer card, there are prizes for coming often.
















Misty and Sumiko will punch your frequent shopper card. Misty is also one of the main organizers of the market. Misty and her husband made an amazing haunted house for Halloween.





















Here is Julio and the delectable carrots I bought. So crunchy and sweet.





















I buy asparagus, green beans and eggplant from Salvador. In the summer, he sells melt in your mouth cantaloupe.






















Jan is the "herb lady". She started selling herbs at farmer's markets because she was growing so much in her garden. I've been using the curry thyme I bought from her in my lentils- yum. She also makes a shea butter and lavender cream.




















This is Patricia. I buy most of my veggies from her. Especially lettuce and beets. At her stand, there are always great deals. The farm is in Oxnard.




















That Yarn Store in Eagle Rock has a table they share with Sugarbutterbex. Often they have an art workshop that kids can participate in. Here is Thea from That Yarn Store knitting with Misty's son.

















The Arroyo Arts Collective also has table set-up. Here is Amy knitting.






















I'll finish this post with lettuce. No need to say more...

Knitzilla b-day party!

Last night I went to Knitzilla's 2nd birthday party. Here is a description of Knitzilla from their website:
Knitzilla! is a group of yarn addicts of all genders who get together Monday nights in Silverlake to chat and knit or crochet. We welcome new knitters to come and learn-we'll show you the basics! We are an all-ages group that believes in investing in our community.Knitzilla! members pledge to support our community through at least one project each year. Give back through craft! Check out our Rad Bad Beanies Project!

Knitzilla members have given crochet and knit hats, blankets, scarves, sweaters to a variety of causes, including Afghans for Afghans, Rad Bad Beanies Project, to Katrina victims, Stitches from the Heart. I have only attended one meeting and the party last night. But I will be going back. It is a great group- very friendly. The woman who started this group-Bug- is really amazing. She did a fabulous job organizing the party last night. Tons of raffle items. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera and didn't take any pictures at the party. but when I came home, I took photos of the raffle items I won. I made out like a bandit!

I won:

1. a subscription to Craftzine! check it out- http://www.craftzine.com/


2. 2 skeins of bamboo yarn donated by That Yarn Store in Eagle Rock! I think I am going to make a farmer's market bag.
















3. Everyone got some clover knitting needles and pair of cute scissors. Now I am set to learn how to knit! We were all also given t-shirts and some coupons, including 15% off at the Black Sheep Knittery





















4. A sassy canister for storing knitting needles donated by Jordana Paige. In my favorite color! Isn't it cute?























5. and a pair of Knit Lite knitting needles! Dixie really liked them- Maybe she'll learn to knit with me.

Babies!!!

This year I have four friends having babies. Of course that means- CROCHET!!!
At work tomorrow we're having a baby shower for my dear friends Elizabeth and Pattie. They are both having girls. I decided to make hat and blamket sets for them. I didn't finish the blankets yet, but I did finish the hats.


Here's the hat for Elizabeth's baby:






















And for Pattie's baby:

October 23, 1989

Today is 17 years since my mother passed away. In some ways every year gets a little easier, the pain is not acute. This morning I cut some flowers from the garden, moved her picture to the mantel, and put the flowers in front of her picture. Marigolds. I went to work. Everything I did today, I took her with me.

Although it is easier, there is a sadness I carry in me. I sometimes think it will go away- there is not a day that I don't think of her. It sounds trite, but my heart broke when she died. My family changed- everyone moved away. I am grateful that my father is still alive. I am grateful that he found someone to love. He is 84 and in terrific shape. I have to acknowledge that I am sad that he lives in Ecuador- although he has a fulfilling life there, and I wouldn't want him to not have it. I am still sad not to see him frequently.

And I am grateful that my mom and I had time when she was sick to resolve issues, for me to see her has a woman, not just as my mother.

For years, perhaps a dozen, I carried my grief like a badge, like a definition of who I was. A motherless daughter. The grief was how I measured my love for her. My siblings are a lot older than I am. When she died, they had children and spouses. I perceived that they did not feel her death as acutely as I did. I was wrong and unfair. I carried my loneliness along side the grief. The art I make, especially poetry, came from this grief. Although today I miss her, I am no longer consumed nor defined by her illness and death.

She tried to teach me to crochet, but I wasn't patient enough. When I finally learned last May, the hook felt comfortable in my hand, like a body memory. Now, every stitch I make is a remembrance.

who I live with

There have been complaints from the beings that I live with that their pictures aren't on my blog


This is Dixie Dear.







This is Dervish Darling









and Jakey with Dervish when Dervish was a kitten.










And Jake and I at my brother's wedding.