No Pictures Again

Even I'm getting bored of reading my blog without pictures.

But I am very excited about what I've been working on. My beginning class in rigid heddle weaving is going great, and I'm working through the list of techniques. Most are tapestry based, which has me googling all sorts of tapestry blogs and resources online. There are some fantastic works out there.

That led to my next search on color. I've never had an art class after the art requirement freshman year at Seymour High. I would really like to understand the color sphere and learn more about Johannes Itten's work. I can't remember how I tripped across his name, but reading about him led me to the Bauhaus School website. I am all about the Manifesto now:

There is no essential difference between the artist and the craftsman. The artist is an exalted craftsman. By the grace of Heaven and in rare moments of inspiration which transcend the will, art may unconsciously blossom from the labour of his hand, but a base in handicrafts is essential to every artist. It is there that the original source of creativity lies.

So that is where I am right now. I want to write this down so I remember everything that I want to study. I know there is a lifetime of work ahead, but it excites me.

This weekend we are headed to our friends' farm and I am taking the little loom with me. I hope to play with some more color ideas and use up all the yarn that I have before I take the makeup class next week. Then I'm a little lost as to where I want to go: I would love to try working on a tapestry of some ideas I have to document our neighborhood, but I also want to try making a rug and another scarf. But maybe I should hold off on those until I finish off the couple of earlier scarves I made.

Oy. I know I'm getting excited when I can't even take the time to make a new paragraph.

The only thing nagging at me right now is I am not making progress on the other priorities on my 2009-10 list. I want to keep a balance, and I have to remember those other areas as well.

Here's to a productive fall!

New Day, New Book

New Moon.

I should have just bought all three of the Twilight sequels. I knew I was going to finish this one today.

Really, I'm enjoying myself. Like a couple of years ago when I read all 7 Harry Potter books in two weeks. They are fun, entertaining, quick reads.

Might as well read now, since I won't be next year...

When I Was 15...

I would have been crushing so hard on Edward Cullen.

So yesterday I read Twilight finally. The Yarn Harlot wrote recently about knitters (and readers) who avoids popular patterns (or books) just because they are popular. I fall into this category sometimes, just out of sheer hard-headedness.

But yesterday I was car-less, and I had a little time between work and picking up the boys, so I got the book at Union Station and finished it before midnight last night.

I have to say, it was a good teen book. When I was 15, I would have been so into it. As an adult, I find it a little purple-y...if she had told me one more time what an "Adonis" little vampire boy was, I would have screamed.

And yet...

I woke up this morning figuring out where I can pick up New Moon.

I am a geek.

(I thought I was going to make more progress on my sweater yesterday, but Metro was giving me fits. And though the sleeve is small, the finished body attached to it is not...)

The Start of Art Saturdays

Whoo!! After mostly recovering from the crud that started on my birthday (it still isn't completely gone), I went to my first rigid heddle weaving class today at the Springwater studio of the Art League in Alexandria.

The Cap'n and I have a Saturday schedule we're trying to work out: I take weaving in the morning, and then he heads off to the Eastern Market pottery studio for the afternoon open session. He's taking a Thursday class there.

The class is going to be good for me. It's not as product focused as process-oriented. I think I'm going to be jealous of what everyone else is "getting done" but I'm going to be focused on learning the techniques. Getting the tension right, warping on well, learning how to do tapestry and kilim...I can't wait!

And since this is mostly a survey course to begin, I'm going to use one of the studio's small Ashford looms instead of my big Beka. I took the Beka today, but at 36" wide it's not terribly portable. So if I really get the itch to make a project, I can always warp it separately.

But I really think I should focus on learning the techniques and taking it slowly. I want to get really good at weaving, and figure out what I'm doing, so I need to step back from the go-go-go get'erdone mentality and learn.

Wow. I am so excited to be in school again!