Tree Skirt

Last October's circular knitting experiment came in handy as a Christmas tree skirt this year.

Tree with knitted circular blanket as skirt

Wilderness calendar bits came in handy as gift tags and tree ornaments

Circular blanket knitted last Fall

Wilderness Art

In preparation for upcoming Activities volunteering at an Adult Day Service, I've been sifting through some high-quality calendars I found at SCRAP.

The beauty captured in these images moves me just as much as it did back in the '90's, when the calendars were published. How lovely that the people who had been saving them all these years thought to donate them to our neighborhood art-supply-thrift-shop!

Gift wrap

Christmas is ...

Making and sharing music

Being together, eating together, opening gifts together

And not to forget:  making a big deal of wrapping the presents (which, happily, requires visiting neighborhood fabric stores)

This year's gifts will be wrapped in fabric squares which could go on to have a second lives as table napkins...

"To and from" tags made from calendar photos

Tags are about 2" wide

Spark and Mindsight

Still exploring the reading list from my Mature Mind class given by PCC's Gerontology Department. The four shown below seem appropriate for anyone interested in matters psychological.

Theme: brain science authors of the last 15 years have taken a critical look at some outdated 20th century "change is not possible" myths. New possibilities abound!

It seems what's been missing is the adoption and practice of some quite accessible techniques. Somehow, all this talk of how brains work offers one confidence that the suggested methods for growth and change will merit the "elbow grease."

Chain Stitch

What to do with a boring expanse of fabric? Embellish it!

As one's stash of plain knitted blankets grows, drawing images in chain stitch becomes irresistible. To imagine the possibilities, one has only to look up "Nudie Cohn," the all-time master of embellished stage suits. Looking closely at Nudie's work, one sees that he drew almost exclusively in chain stitch (not counting the rhinestones).

Of course, when working in thick yarn, designs can't be nearly as lush as Cohn's beautiful suits. Nor are any stars likely to be commissioning embellished afghans! Still, this is going to be fun.

Keith Richards' Nudie suit

One of Porter Wagoner's Nudie suits

Intarsia circle with added chain stitching -- Nudie Cohn's suits had MUCH smaller stitches

Unfinished chain-stitch drawing on circular blanket