Keeping your hands busy-Again

While mom was in the hospital this time, I tried to keep busy crocheting again, I tried to do as many butterflies as I could, and I did a few more white with smaller thread, and a multi-colored and a hot pink one... but I was interrupted so often that I kind of gave up... one day I took my beads with me, thinking that there was the possibility of getting some of my swap n hop projects done... nope... the only time that there would have been enough time at a stretch to work on them was during the night... the first few nights after surgery, the nurses were in the room every half hour after that, they were in every hour, and the last night it was two hours in between!! YES! Honestly, I wasn't able to sleep much but I couldn't really work either. The lights needed to be low because Mom was so tired, she needed every bit of rest that she could get... so I sat in the dark or semi-dark and either crocheted or just sat.
It is so hard for me to just sit...

keeping your hands busy

While my mother was in the hospital recently, I needed to keep busy while visiting. I can't sit long, and when I am sitting, I have to have something in my hand or I go crazy. When it was time for her to eat, I was ok. I helped her eat and I was occupied, but when it was quiet, and nothing to keep my mind from roaming... it was pretty boring and well...you know me.. when I'm bored, I can get into trouble... What is that saying about idle hands being ?

I took some thread to work with to keep me out of trouble. Not that it helped much, I still had way too much time on my hands. But... I did get a couple of things made. First a shawl for Mom. It started out to be a lap blanket, but when I realized that she was going to leave the hospital and her dress to leave in was sleeveless, I turned it into a quick shawl for her shoulders. I didn't take a picture of it, or her... and I could kick myself. The dress looked very, very nice on her.
The other item I made was a baby wrap. It is a piece of linen that I've had forever, and thought it would be a nice summer blanket for a little one. It is a turquoise color of linen that I picked out when I needed a couple of shirts after I had my son. I thought the linen would be nice and cool... but I never made the shirts. When I would start to sew, my son would be fussy and I just gave up trying to get much done. I folded the linen and put it away, and forgot about it!

just started to tack down

A few years ago, I came across the linen pieces while cleaning up my sewing room and moving things out. I used some of the coral color that I purchased at the same time. It was used in a quilt and a few bonnets, but I saved the turquoise.
I think it is coming out ok. First the crocheted edging and then I made a crocheted butterfly for the body of the blanket. I like this pattern. I've used it for over 30 years for numerous projects. I think the first was for a blanket for my daughter... then a skirt, pillowslips... and back to blankets! It is fast, and pretty and I really love that it looks like a butterfly.

I just got started stitching it down to the linen when they announced that Mom was going to be dismissed, so I haven't finished tacking it down, but it will look better when fully finished. Crochet is a lovely way to keep the hands busy. I think next time I'll make a set of mittens or something a little smaller. Maybe a cap... this size is pretty small (30"x30") but it was hard to keep from shifting off my lap. Think a smaller project would be easier to handle. Last time she was in... I knit an infinity scarf... it turned out ok and was easy to handle.

One day at a time

The weeks have flown by, never a dull moment with me and my house.
The first of the year brought cold, colds, and lots of work.
My mother had a bad cold that left her feeling terrible. She turned 90 the end of the month and she seemed to be going downhill quickly. But she perked up a bit, after she was over the 'cold' or whatever she had... We had it in the house as well, my son came down with it first, so I am pretty sure it came from school. He now has manflu... not just a cold anymore. sheesh.
So, February brought my birthday, Valentine's, and work, work, work...
March brought the Scottish-Irish Faire... and more work,work, work...
April has brought more sickness for my mother. She's been in the hospital again, which is so sad. It is hard to see her suffering. But... for 90, I guess no one can be without some problems?
There are so many projects that I started, some that I never finished due to time, energy, and money restraints... and some that I have finished and am pretty proud of.
I made a couple of mirror frames for a two little girls, I think they came out pretty well. Was happy that they were delivered without too much trouble...
I say without too much... I broke a mirror.... before I put it in the frame, then one that I had already put in the frame... yikes!  but got them to their house without more trouble...


 They were totally different themes, one was faeries, Pegasus, and flowers, the other was underwater theme... with mermaids and fishes... I like how they turned out.

swaps and hops

I received my package from my beed peeps partner Alicia Marinache and was so excited to see the goodies that she sent! I love that we have similar tastes and similar ideas of what to send. Neither one of us had any idea what the other would send... but it was similar none the less!
she sent some of the prettiest etched brass components that I have ever seen! I think they are quite lovely and can't wait to use them!!!
She also sent a glass pendant, a ceramic pendant, and a beautiful worn shell, one that has been washed by the tide and sand and is smooth and beautiful!!! I love working with shells!!!


By the way, I never buy purple for myself, but I felt like adding some glass beads that I had received and never used, and they had blue and purple together... so I bought some purple beads to go along with them! And what did Alicia send me?? Nearly the same colors!!! When I sent them, I thought... hmmmm.... those are really pretty! I nearly kept them! LOL!!!  So.. I sent her some resin 'sea' components... and she sent me some polymer 'sea' components!!  I LOVE THEM!

Somehow I missed this picture! I love the color~

            I sent her some purple glass... she sent me some purple!! I love this swap!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Items that I sent to Alicia were very similar in color and material! I sent a polymer clay mokume gane  that I made, some resin 'shells' and resin pendants  and ceramic beads and a Lapis Lazuli teardrop and some glass, Czech, and crystals and even a few seed beads to play around with... I had a few spools of wire that I threw in, oh, and a strip of 'silk' that I thought she might be able to work in somehow. I had hand dyed it and then found out that it wasn't silk well, it is half silk and half polyester! anyway, I thought it was pretty!!!

Year of Jewelry

 Year of Jewelry 2015 is upon us... This year, I jumped in and have been working for three weeks so far. My Talisman, for the first week of January was a bead embroidered piece that just pushed itself on me. I needed to do it, so it became my 'talisman' for the year's work.
It is jasper, pearls, cultured pearls, crystal pearls, glass 8/0, glass 10/0, glass 15/0 seeds, howlite, flat glass beads .
I know it isn't the greatest work, but... I really enjoyed the process, and I didn't sketch it out so I was impressed how it came together without too many mistakes. The needle just kind of took over and did the work for me! lol.

Second week, I used beads leftover from the 'talisman' and my bag of leftover beads that needed to be used to come up with the necklace that was kind of odd... The pendant is copper that I pierced and sawed in the shape of a bird, I flame colored it and this is what I came up with...

 Week three is for a tutorial, so I made a right angle stitch using the beads for another challenge... True Blue challenge from Pine Ridge Treasures

It is pearls, glass pearls, frosted glass, crystal and the cute little pendant is one I got from Lori Anderson that she got from someone else... it is glass with a ruffled skirt, I thought it looked like a pretty little flower so I put stamen in the center. I think it needs something else, but I'm not quite sure what that would be... I need some dangley something. It just seem unfinished.
I have week four already started, in between working on stuff for the upcoming fair, it should get done by next Friday!

Things you learn from working with metal

1. Patience
2. More patience
3. Even more patience.

It's almost Christmas... and I have a wishlist of metal working tools... the top of the list is a full face mask for grinding and polishing, and any real work...
I was reminded this week how important protection is when I was polishing a piece with a wire brush attached to the flex shaft of the dremel. Now, 32,000 rpms is quite a lot when you are thinking about it... and obviously I didn't. It hit home how much damage I could do when one of the members of a metalsmithing site posted a picture of what the grinding wheel did to her face... Protection first.
I wear eye protection all the time, and usually a mask, since the dust from all the stuff I do is dangerous... but I have been lax when I am cleaning up metal pieces.
A full face mask is very important if you are using a grinding tool.
Good eye protection is a must...
More than adequate ventilation is important.
Never take for granted that you are safe.
Never use chemicals like Hydrochloric acid indoors.

There are some items that are a must in the workroom,here are a couple of examples of what I want.

Pyramex Capstone Combination Goggles/Face Shield (1)

This beauty from PK Safety is made to withstand  debris and comes with a couple of extra visors so that you can tear them off when they get too scratched. It contours to your face, which I like... I like this, but I am worried about my forehead... so... I'm looking at other types.

 

 This is more what I am looking for. You would still have to use goggles since this is not rated for eye protection... but it is more in line to what I want. I am not being overly protective... you only have one skull you know, and a hit in the right place... well... I don't need any more added to or taken away from my brain, thank you. 

 

 

A good mask for your breathing is a very good idea, especially if you are using strong solvents, sawing any metal, or grinding metal, plastic, stone or shell.(2).. Copper especially is quite dangerous to your whole body, Shells, Quartz, granite and even common china dinnerware are quite dastardly if you breath the dust(3). The tiny particles enter your lungs and are deposited, they are then picked up by macrophages. When the macrophage dies, it releases the silica, since it can't digest it, and other macrophages enter and try to do the same... as explained in the pdf on Occupational Lung Diseases(4)... the process is repeated while more and more cells are being destroyed by the very mechanism that is supposed to help.

Copper is a wonderful metal to use, it is beautiful, lasts a long time, and it is readily available to use to learn metal work. I work with copper sheet a lot. I love the way it looks, the way it wears, and the patina that you can get with very little effort. I don't like breathing the dust. Even getting it on your skin isn't great, frequent handwashing is essential. Copper can give you symptoms of having a cold, but over time, it can damage your lungs, liver and eyes, as well as the skin. Special consideration should be given when working with any metal, but copper especially should be handled and disposed of properly. (5)

Stay tuned, Next blog, I'll go over some other metals and hazardous chemicals, as well as ventilation, fire retardants and other safety products in the workroom. 

 

1... http://www.pksafety.com/

.

2. Rom WN, Markowitz S, eds. Environmental and Occupational Medicine. 4th ed. Philadelphia,

PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2007.

3. Oregon OSHA pamphlet. What you should know about silicosis and crystalline silica   http://www.cbs.state.or.us/osha/pdf/pubs/3301.pdf

4. 13 Occupational Lung Diseases http://thoracic.org/education/breathing-in-america/resources/chapter-13-occupational-lung-diseases.pdf

5. Occupational Health Guidelines for using Copper Dust and Mists http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/81-123/pdfs/0150.pdf

Yankee Legends

Derek Jeter's last


I have to tell you , being a Texan, I grew up on Texas Rangers baseball, but the Yankees always held a place in my heart... What's not to love? It is the home of legends... and when Jeter signed on... who knew he would be in the same books with those legends like DiMaggio, Mantle... Ruth... Gehrig.
There have been others.Reggie Jackson, Bernie Williams, Roger Maris, ARod ( I suppose he won't ever count, but he was really good) Many have played, some forgotten, like Tony Lazzari who was a second baseman for the Yankees, even though he still holds the record in the American League for the 11 runs he drove in in ONE game in 1936, or that he still holds the Major League record for recording and RBI in 15 consecutive games. The name is forgotten.
Do people still remember stats? I don't, I can't even remember my phone number half the time, there are so many numbers running through my head. War of 1812, Columbus sailed the ocean blue, in 14 hundred and 92. My social security number, My kids social security number. My mother's... sigh. I've never been good a numbers anyway, but trying to remember how many home runs Roger Maris had in his single season best that beat Babe Ruth's... 61, by the way. Or that Lefty Gomez, the Yankee's pitcher threw 28 shutouts. That Mickey Mantle had a .353 batting average. Or, that Yogi Berra wasn't a cartoon character, but a really great backstop for the Yankees who had 10 World Series titles under his belt.

The game just isn't the same now is it? Maybe it has gotten better? Maybe it has lost some of it's luster, though. Sure when Mark McGwire was beating records, one after another they went, he was like the golden boy with a career 583 home runs. When he and Sammy Sosa were locked in this battle of stats, back and forth, Sosa just trailed McGwire, but all in all, it seems that was tainted. Can the kids look back and say it was all skill? Jose Canseco rocked the whole country with his tell all book in 2005. Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big. Bring down the game, bring down the players, and bring down a dream.  
Baseball doesn't seem like America's game any more. 
At least, to me, it seems like just the jaded, scandal-ridden, professional sport that is just there to make the money. Legends fall and are forgotten, no one remembers what it was like to have the local team be the representative of your dreams and aspirations. Guys like Mantle were looked up to, emulated and loved. 
I don't want my son to be an athlete. 
But there was that hope in Jeter... He seemed to be one of those guys that put his love for the game first. He was always respectable. He was always professional. He was lovable and worthy of respect. Kids should emulate him.
Jeter ended his career with  3,465 hits, in Boston of all places and a 9-5 win over the Red Sox. Derek Jeter said goodbye and headed into the locker room for the last time as a player. Earlier, the Red Sox had presented him with a piece of the famed Fenway, a piece of the "Green Monster" that had white lettering spelling out "Re2pect".  I think that says it all.



picture from gazette net . com

31 Days in October

Yipee! 31 Days is back in October!
If you don't know what 31 Days is  then you have been missing out! 31 Days is an online writing challenge that was started by Myquillyn Smith (The Nester) 
 It is each day in October, a blog a day, you choose the topic and write about it...There are 9 categories such as Inspiration & Faith and Personal Endeavors, and you can actually pick what ever it is that you want to write about...
At first I thought it would be great to pick something that was going to be super easy to write about, maybe like jewelry or something like a bible quote a day... something that is a no brainer... but why? Why would you go to the trouble to join a challenge without the challenge part?
Sooo.... I am not positive, but I thin my blog is going to be 31 Days of Vision...
What is that?
You are just going to have to come back and visit to see what it is going to be. and... let me tell you, it won't be what you expect every day. I intend to take the blog  to a place that I haven't been to in quite a while, and if you have not read my blogs from years ago... then you will not know where I can lead!

So, come back for the month of October, enjoy reading as the blog dares to delve into Vision. Hope you enjoy it, and maybe join along with a blog of your own, if you try it, you will never give it up. Blogging is such a sweet relief to stress and to that pent up creativity that is running around in your head. Don't worry that it isn't going to be 'good enough', that isn't going to be an issue here, it won't matter if it isn't professionally written, it matters that you are enjoying the experience, that you are looking into yourself and drawing that part of you out that you know is in there... It is a chance to study, to research, to think, to dream, to experience new things... Come on... you know you want to jump in... Just do it!