Hi there!
So.. you know I have been dabbling with pottery and the pictures I am going to share are the last session of my 2nd set of classes.
Those 4 items on the shelf that you see are the items that I completed this session.  Not as many as last time, but hopefully there is a little more quality than quantity this time.
Such a HUGE learning curve for muscle memory. 
This is what pottery looks like before it is fired.  It will be VERY different when it is finished.
So hard to envision when you are glazing for sure!

These Pacifica wheels that we use in the class that I am attending at our local NH League of Craftsman, have been highly recommended by a good friend who is also a potter. 
You all know me, if I love something, I will find a way to do it here, but it will be a while before I feel confident enough to even consider laying out money for a wheel, so I will keep learning in classes and watching videos.

Pottery is not very different from weaving in that there are lots of different parts to get to the finished product….but you get to play with mud piles!!  I love it!!

Learning how to center and throw clay is the biggest hurdle because it truly requires skill and muscle memory.  Then there is the trimming where you can maybe clean up your mistakes to get it ready for glazing.
The big buckets above are buckets filled with glaze, but unlike dyeing fiber, it is more of a chemical process rather than a color process.  I love seeing how this part comes out once it is finished, but it requires experience to consistently know what to expect in this glazing stage….even from those who are very experienced I am told.

This is the kiln that does all of the firing for the items we have created.  It is a big kiln that is digitally programmed.  In 2 weeks we will have a kiln opening gathering to collect the items that we created.  Hopefully my second round will be better than my first round.  If so…it is progress and I will be so happy.
(wine is included, just sayin')

Friday's sparkle…. I unexpectedly had an older manual kiln almost dropped into my lap.  It will require an electrician to do some wiring and a whole lot of babysitting that an automatic kiln would not require, but it will allow me to decide if this is something I want to pursue at a low cost before laying out some big money.
… a big sparkle indeed!

 

It's late here on Monday, but I have finally had some time to sit and post about our Independence Day weekend.
Ken had the long weekend off, and we spent time doing some things that did not include too much work. 

We live across the street from a small pond where the local ducks and geese call home.  We know that this little pond links up to a larger pond but we were not completely sure how they connected or how passable it would be in kayaks, but we decided to give it a try Thursday evening after dinner.

We were pleasantly surprised to find it was plenty deep enough to cross through even under the small foot bridge with very few rocks or tree limbs that to dodge.  What a treat once we rounded a corner and moved into the larger pond…It is so beautiful and peaceful.

We also met the resident old snapping turtle who calls this tiny tree island his home.  We were told by another kayaker that he sits here most days hanging out in the sun.  He seems to enjoy the attention.
Such an easy thing for us to do after work.  Pack a picnic basket and a bottle of wine and take a sunset cruise right across the street. 🙂

Friday we spent a good amount of the day with this little guy.  We watched him during the afternoon while his parents were working.  He is such a little character and had us in stitches laughing most of the afternoon.  Of course Friday evening means Martini time…and Martini's were had, ha! 
Mmmm, always a treat!

Ken can be a little sappy sometimes and wanted Saturday to be about Independence Day, so we spent a little time getting some work done in the morning first. Ken cemented in the new tub and hooked up the exhaust fan in the never ending bathroom project. The good news is we are finally moving forward now that the plumber has got us to the point were we can hook things up.  A new tile floor is bought and waiting to be put in, along with a new vanity and toilet.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel finally…w00t!

We then spent the rest of the day doing more traditional things.  We attended the local parade, grabbed an early dinner then took the train into North Conway to watch the fireworks with Stacey, Jeff and Asher and what a hoot little Asher was!  He absolutely loved the fireworks and danced along to the music while they were being fired off.  He was NOT happy however when they were over, crying MORE, MORE!  Too cute!

Sunday we met up with my son and his family at the ocean in Ogunquit Maine and what an enjoyable Day we had.  The weather was warm and sunny and it was fun to spend time beachside with family.  Little Mr. Finley had just fallen asleep when I snapped this picture.  His belly was full, the sun was out and he slipped into a food coma.  This little boy can eat..ha ha!

As the sun was waning, we packed up and headed into the beautiful shopping and dining district of Ogunquit.  A little shopping followed by a delicious dinner and drinks was the perfect ending to a very enjoyable day and weekend!

I hope each of you had a wonderful weekend as well. 🙂

My Friday Sparkle has to do with special birthdays.
My dad turned 80 on June 7th.  Typically we celebrate my Dad's birthday, Father's Day and Ashley's birthday which is on the 25th all in one swoop. We usually plan this celebration closer to Ashley's birthday as it closes out the month, so it was easy to throw my Dad off a little bit without tipping him off that we were going to make his decade birthday a little extra special this year.  It was not an easy feat, but I do think he was surprised.

When I asked my Mom what he might like for a gift that would be a bit special, she was stumped.  I  know my Dad and God bless his heart even though he can not figure out how to use a computer to save his soul, he is a genius when it comes to TV and his Tevo.  Whenever he is at our house, he always mentions how much he would love a larger screen TV like ours, so I made plans to make this happen.  You can see by his expression that it was like getting a Red Ryder…LOL.  He was very excited, which made me so happy.

My brother traveled up from North Carolina and my sister from Derry, along with the various grandchildren and great grandchildren and we had a wonderful celebration!  I know how happy my Dad was to be surrounded by family and friends.

Even though Ashley and Brian couldn't make my Dad's birthday due to a prior commitment, we celebrated her milestone birthday with her in spirit.  Ashley is taking a big step into her 30's.  I keep telling her that my 30's were my most memorable years.  I had a great time in my 30's and I know she will as well.  With a new job closer to home that includes a bump in pay and a few special things on the horizon, I know her 30's will be memorable for her as well.
(You are familiar with Ashley as my "go to" knit model, but this silhouette is one of my favorites)

 So there you have it….2 of my most favorite Sparkles all in one week!

One of the reasons I have been kind of quiet and busy is because I have been doing this.
Yes, I decided to give throwing clay a try.  I have always been drawn to beautiful pottery much in the same way I love beautiful wood, so when I saw that our local League of NH Craftsman holds pottery classes, I decided to bite the bullet and sign up.
The bowl above is my first attempt.  What you do not see is how uneven and thick it is, but it is my very first little bowl, so it will hold a place of honor here.

You know the saying….I paid 92.00 for a 7.00 item class?  Well, I never look at it quite that way.  When I really love something, I usually try to find a class so that I can learn a new skill.

Above you will see my pots, although you can't see how they look close up, which is ok..ha!  I looked at this first session as a play session.  To get my feet wet so to speak and not look for perfection.  Like anything else it is definitely a muscle memory challenge, but it is also a lot of fun!

I am currently in my second session, which is basically a repeat of the first session, but I feel like I have a better feeling for what I am doing now which is nice.  I won't have as many bowls to bring home this time around because I am concentrating on improving…and I don't need a gazillion bowls to dust. 🙂

These 2 little bowls from my first class will stay and the others will go to school with Hannah as she is moving into an apartment with a bunch of other girls this year.
She's happy with them…..so I'm happy. 🙂

Well hello there….it's been a little while, hasn't it?
This last month has been filled with a number of things that have kept me so busy, but it's nice to come up for air and I plan to stick around for a while now.

So you are probably wondering what this picture has to do with Wednesday's work.  I have been dabbling in a few new things over the last month and one of them has been hand stamping and screen printing fabric.  It's definitely a learning curve to get consistent and even depth of color but I am really enjoying it.

Working with a water based paint means that the paint stains come off of my hands with soap and water, which is a nice change from the yarn dyes that always make me look as though I haven't washed my hands in days…LOL. 

I will be making some bags with this fabric that I have created and I am excited to see how they come out.  Playing with fabric is as much fun as playing with yarn, but a little easier on my back, so it's been a nice way to alternate work. With so many ideas floating around in my head, it's going to be a nice mix of work.

It's always fun to try new things, isn't it?
xoxo

The wind is tossing the lilacs,
The new leaves laugh in the sun,
And the petals fall on the orchard wall,
But for me the spring is done.

Beneath the apple blossoms
I go a wintry way,
For love that smiled in April
Is false to me in May.
Sara Teasdale

This week's sparkle are the beautiful lilacs filling the air that surrounds me as I walk each morning.
They only stay around for such a short while, but it is a smell that I always embrace each Spring.

~

Have a wonderful Holiday Weekend!

Dawn is the shimmering of the horizon,
Dusk is a settling of the sky.
Deng Ming Tao

Almost 4 years ago, I shared this post with you, about my unique meeting up with
Tom Livernois of McTavish Spinning wheels.  Tom and I have maintained a friendship over the years as there is no doubt that he is a master with fine woods and I am a long time admirer of fine woods.  A wonderful marriage.

One of the discussions that Tom and I shared was about Magnus's big wheel.  Tom was taking time to learn all the ins and outs of making the smaller sister and wanted to bring his craft to a comfortable place before he took on attempting the big sister.  I completely understood that rational, but I had told him that when the day came that he was ready to make the bigger wheel, I would want one that would be the opposite sister to the one I have, which is birdseye maple with walnut accents.

2 years ago Tom contacted me and showed me a swoon worth piece of walnut that he had saved for my wheel, and of course I bit the bait.  I watched as he shared the production pictures with me in the very same way that I had with the little sister and was awe-struck.
There was a problem though…with 2 children in college, finances were very tight and all the while I watched this wheel grow, there was a gnawing in my stomach.
Ken was struggling with the college bills and when he needed to replace his car and I just couldn't justify spending this much money, while watching his stress level…..so……
I summoned up my strength and told Tom that it was just not to be, and he understood.
It was a heart breaking decision for me, but once I made it, I immediately felt a weight lifted and knew it was the right decision.

Fast forward a year and Tom contacted me again, with…can you believe it….another amazing piece of walnut and he asked me if I wanted to do this again.  He wouldn't be able to get to it until 2015, which would give me time to plan….so of course I said yes!

Now, we do not have 2 children in college right now, but we still have one and the loans from her older sister, so in order for me to have the bigger sister, I had to let go of the younger sister. 
While it was a hard decision for me to make as the maple wheel carries a lot of amazing karma in her story, my heart belongs to bigger wheels.  I just love them, so I was willing to put her in a wonderful home to bring this one here.

Here she is in all of her amazing glory!  Tom is a master craftsman and creates magic with the wood he uses for his spinning wheels.  She has been here for a week and has not left the side of my chair in the living room.  She is pure joy to spin….a very smooth ride.

You can see some of the wheels that he has made on his Ravelry here

Thank you Tom!!!!

 

 

Here it is Tuesday and I am posting about the weekend…Kim time…ha! 

This was a weekend of birthdays.  Little Asher's birthday was last week on the 7th, but we celebrated his along with his Mom's on Sunday the 17th, which is her birthday.

Now this daughter of mine when she lived here was ridiculously hard to surprise because she was a snooper.  Yes, you read that right..a snooper!  When it was birthday or Christmas time no matter how well you hid those presents, you knew when she opened them that it was not the first time she saw it for sure.
However….her husband is pretty good at surprising her and she was blown away when he had her meet us at the lake.  She thought that maybe I was taking pictures or they were going for a ride in our kayaks, so imagine her surprise when she found out this pretty blue kayak was just for her.
She was very surprised and very happy.  Good job Jeff!

Getting this little guy to sit still for more than a second for a few photos on the other hand was a complete challenge.  No picture of him with his birthday cake or presents that are clear, he was a moving target for sure, but we love him so..ha!

This little guy makes as all smile with his silly antics…..How can he be two already??? 

 

Today's Ten on Tuesday topic is 10 Things I Need to Do and Stop Procrastinating. I will preface this with my middle name is "Procrastination".
It's something that I am working on, but I don't always succeed, so here we go….

1.  Blogging ~ My morning is usually filled with walking and Tai Chi, and then the day is filled with work.  When I do blog it is usually at night.  Of course I should do my blog post for the next day at night, not the current day.  Hmmm…good idea!

2.  Website work ~ I do all parts of my business.  The ordering, dyeing, reskeining, advertising, shows, sewing, shipping and web work and sitting at my computer updating the page is something that I shouldn't put off, but I do.  It's tedious work.

3.  Keeping track of my food journal ~  I use my fitness pal and while I am really good about tracking my exercise and my weight, I loathe trying to find the food choices in their large library of food, so I just don't do it, even when I am really paying attention and being really good. 

4.  Answering emails ~  I have to admit, that once an email has lost my sight of vision, I sometimes lose track of it.  I don't mean to, but I do.  I have really worked on getting better with this one!

5.  Checking in on Ravelry ~  I don't go there as much as a lot of my friends do, but because people will direct Woolen Rabbit questions to me there instead of emailing me privately, I do try to get there at least a few times a week, but I should do this daily.

6.  Sitting down and getting the curtains for my dining room made ~  I have the fabric, the pattern and the sewing machine.  I just need to commit 2 weekends to getting them done.

7.  Making bags for the shop ~  This one is a conundrum for me as I think I enjoy sewing more than dyeing, but I am always putting it off.

8.  Cleaning out the cabinets upstairs in my studio ~ it's scary….

9.  Dusting ~ I flat out hate doing it.  I don't mind the vacuuming or washing floors, but the dusting..ugh

10.  Finding 5 things I need to do ~ those things I procrastinated doing all week, just before I head out the door which will guarantee me being 5 minutes late.  I don't know what comes over me, but it drives my dear husband crazy., he refers to it as "Kim time"..ha!

This little guy is my Friday Sparkle!
He turned 2 yesterday, how can it be that he is already 2 years old.
He has brought a lot of sparkle and laughter into our lives and I look forward to many more years of joy for this sweet little boy
Silly boy making his "are you cute?" face…LOL.

 

For his 2nd birthday his mom, my oldest daughter, Stacey put this beautiful video together celebrating his journey so far.
I have to admit, every time I watch it I cry…yes, I am that sappy Grandmother.
I love you Asher!!