Mohair...the Bane of My Existence

If you've checked out my 101 Things To Do in 1,001 Days page, you may have noticed that I have a lot of fiber that needs to be spun.  A LOT.  Well, I've been working on this turquoise mohair for ages and finally got one bag spun.  I hate mohair.  I don't even know why I bought this.  It's fuzzy.  It gets in my nose.  It's slippery.  Maybe it was the color.  I can't remember.

So I finished spinning one bag using my drop spindle.  I decided I wanted to Navajo ply it, which is an amusing technique and gives you a beautiful 3-ply yarn.  Surprise.  Each time I began to ply, the yarn would break and there went my spindle, rolling across the floor.  (Yes, there's a reason they call it a drop spindle.)  The only way to fix the problem was to take it off the spindle and re-spin that shit so it had a TON of twist to it.  Which I did, cussing the whole time. 

mohair in mid-re-spin

Finally, I got to the fun part and did the Navajo ply.

Navajo ply on turquoise mohair

Guess what?  I have to do it again because here's another bag of this s*#@!  Did I mention that I hate mohair?

Modern Times

This is my Seurat/Lichtenstein take on Charlie Chaplin.

Last Friday evening the husband and I went with some friends to the Henderson Pavilion to see Chaplin's Modern Times.  The Henderson symphony orchestra played Chaplin's original score, so it was a double delight.  The only thing I could have done without was sitting in the intense heat - it was 106 degrees, and that was at 8 p.m.  Welcome to summer in the desert...

I'm sure that Mr. Chaplin would be pleased to know that people of all ages are still watching and enjoying his work!

Announcing: A New Page

Hi, all -
After looking at my poor, neglected mail art blog, I decided to just get rid of that blog and create a new mail art page on this blog.  I figure that if it's on my regular blog, I might be better about posting things.  This is the idea, however optimistic it may seem.  I will try to do better.  Anyway, on this page you will find pictures of cool mail art I receive and cool mail art I make.  And anything else I think is interesting and pertains to snail mail.  So don't forget to check it every now and then if this is something that interests you, OK?  The tab is at the top and says "Mail Art".  If you can think of a better name, let me know...

And the winner is...

selected by random.org, Simona Cordara!  Simona, please contact me with your snail mail info, and my altered book will be winging its way to you very shortly!

Thank you everyone for visiting my blog during the party.  I look forward to getting to know you all!

Oh. Hell...

You know that the "real" world is encroaching when your laundry eats your couch...

horrifying view of my couch last night

Fortunately, I was able to dodge a sock trying to snake its way around my ankle and escape to my art room where I made these:

op art postcard

another op art postcard

Unfortunately, today I absolutely must address the laundry situation, as my work environment is not clothing optional and summer vacation is still three weeks away...

All Together Now!

Hello, party-hoppers!  My name is Julia.  Welcome to my blog.  Pull up a pillow and be comfortable.  Sip some tea or a glass of wine, depending on your mood.  Feel free to snoop around.  (I love snooping - don't you?)

Amy insists that we speak glowingly about ourselves and I've been pondering what to say ever since I signed up for this party.  I guess what I like best about myself is that I'm never bored.  Really.  Never.  I'm one of those people who can't wait to retire (5 more years!) because I have so many things to do besides work.  Two things I do consistently are play in my garden and play in my art room. Every day.  Sometimes for hours and hours.  Like I'll still be in my pajamas and it's 6 o'clock at night and all I've been doing is painting and collaging and making a mess.  Some things I do for a little while (Kung Fu - I have a second degree brown belt, playing in the SCA, making and selling baskets).  Some things I keep coming back to (belly dancing, knitting, drumming - frame drum and doumbek).  I love taking classes just to learn new things (Italian, jewelry making, dance).  It's important to me that I keep finding my boundaries and walking along those edges.  Of course, all this adventuresome learning and experimentation have left me with many more unfinished projects than I'd like to admit.  And sometimes the unpleasant thought crosses my mind that this behavior is not admirable - that it is the sign of adult ADD.  (Good gods, am I really suffering from "Shiny Chicken Syndrome"??? I think I'll choose to call it "bohemian" and leave it at that...)

Well, one project that I did finish was my giveaway for this party. (Yes, I can finish a project when I really put my mind to it!)  It's an altered board book.  Here are a couple of pictures:

the cover

one of the spreads

 Elsewhere in my blog I've posted a picture of another spread.  And there are two more pages, plus a surprise, but I'm not going to post those pictures because then it wouldn't be a surprise now, would it?  If you'd like a chance to have this book for your very own and find out what the surprise is, leave me a comment telling me where you'd go if you had a time machine.  I'll choose the winner through random.org on May 21, so be sure to check back here.

Thanks again for visiting.  Now I'm off to visit you!  Party on...

RIP - Maurice Sendak

Thank you, Mr. Sendak.  You will be missed.

What is your favorite Maurice Sendak book?  While I love Where the Wild Things Are, I think my favorite is Outside Over There.  Something about brave "Ida, with her wonder horn" who dares to face the goblins in order to rescue her baby sister really appeals to me.  I love the hero's journey.  Such a strange, atmospheric, lyrical book.