Help One-Another Weaving Weekend XII- April 29-30, May 1

The Prairie Fiber Arts Guild has sponsored the Help One-Another Weaving Weekend for twelve years. This will be my first time attending, and I'll be teaching two classes on Saturday April 30 (Knitting Mitered Square Cuffs, and Little Tips and Knitting Tricks). The rest of the time, I'm going to play, and maybe learn a bit about weaving, not that I have time or room for another obsession...

This is what the Weaving Weekend Handout says:
The purpose of the Weaving Weekend is to “Help one-another” with weaving or other fiber projects. Bring your questions, UFO’s and join a fiber friendly group. Please note that we have added an extra night/day to this event after many requests from you all last year. The location is the Richmond LakeYouth Camp near Aberdeen, SD. Check it out on the web at http://www.richmondyouthcamp.com/


We will have a large lodge for our gatherings and a dorm type building for sleeping. Single beds are available – bring your own bedding, sleeping bag and towels, etc. The lodge has a great kitchen with stoves, refrigerators, and table service. There is heat in all of the buildings; bathrooms with showers and outside there are numerous trails along the lake to explore.


The cost is $40.00 to cover the two nights of lodging, Saturday meals and Sunday morning continental breakfast. We would still ask that you bring a dish for Friday evening and a beverage or dessert to share sometime over the weekend.


Kathleen Taylor will be offering 2 knitting classes on Saturday. The description and cost of the classes is listed on the registration below. We will also have a pot of some exotic natural dye cooking (outside) so everyone may bring a 2-4 ounce skein of washed and mordanted wool yarn for the kettle (or 2-4 ounces of washed/mordanted locks in a cheese cloth bag).


There is plenty of room for wheels, baskets of projects, drum carders, table looms, and floor looms. There is always interest in warping looms so if someone has such a project to share please do. Marie will have 3 sizes of triangle looms for any one to try. Bring your own yarn and a crochet hook size G or H if you want to try this technique.

Tentative Agenda:


Friday April 29: 4pm to 6:30 ------------- Registration, settle in and set up project circle


6:30 pm-------------------Potluck supper, everyone brings a dish to share


8:00 pm till??-------------Visit, show and tell, get acquainted or reacquainted


12:00am-------------------a midnight walk at Lee’s circle, if weather permits!





Saturday April 30 7:00am to 8:00am-------Breakfast


9:00 to 12 noon---------Project, class, visit, or explore the camp


12:00 to 1:30pm--------Lunch with potluck leftovers


1:30pm-------------------Continue with class, projects, visit and help one-another,


4:30 pm------------------Take a break, walk the grounds,


6:00 pm------------------Supper


7:30 pm till--------------Visit, Work on projects, Movie,





Sunday May 1 8:00am--------------------Continental Breakfast,


9:00am to 11:00---------Visit, projects, evaluate and farewells.
____
Me again: I am excited to be a part of this long-running retreat. Here's the registration sheet- click, save, print, fill out, send to Marie by April 8. I hope to see some of you there!!! e-mail me if you want the entire weekend DOC.X download (with directions to the camp).

AI Season 10, Top 12 Elimination, 03-17-11

We open with arty film clips of what the kids wanted to be when they grew up, none of which are particularly interesting. Much more interesting is the purple spangly overcoat that Steven Tyler is wearing over his purple spangly tank top. By comparison, JLo looks demure in a very short, tight white dress with long mesh sleeves, and a ponytail. Randy, in a leather biker jacket, is flat-out boring.

We see shots of Lee DeWyse and The Black Eyed Peas as babies. Yawn. (Note: somewhere tonight, Lee performed some song or other, but I forgot to take notes on it, and then forgot to mention it in the recap, which probably tells you all you need to know about the Lee and his song).

Now it's time for the Top 12 Group Sing. Scotty, Paul, James, and Jacob start with Born to be Wild. Assorted groupings of the girls sing some other song. Then the other guys go back to Wild, and they blend the two songs, and it's pretty terrible. Not even the pointy pose can save this mess.

The Fordmercial is better- it's little movies within movies at a drive-in theater. It must have been filmed while Casey was in the hospital, because he's nowhere to be seen.

The Show is commemorating 10 seasons of itself by selling a compilation CD, copies of which were placed under the seats for the audience to find. The audience reacts as though Oprah just gave everyone a car.

We see more clips of the kids, including Thia doing a fair impression of Lauren's accent. This makes me like Thia more than I ever have. Lauren is not amused. She also declares that she speaks one language: Spanish.

Ryan calls Jacob, Casey, and Lauren down. The judges drone on and on about pitch before Ryan declares each one safe in turn. Like, duh.

Next up are Hayley and Paul, and I hope hope hope that both go to the Stools of Despair. Unfortunately, only Hayley, in an orange top and hot pants, gets the nod. Paul is safe to whisper and rasp for another week. Sigh.

Marc Anthony is in the audience. No one will ever convince me that Mr. JLo is not one of the undead.

Scotty, James, and Pia are called next. Good Lord, did Pia get a boob job between Monday's taping and tonight? I don't remember her being quite so spectacularly built. Anyway, all three are safe.

Ryan calls Stefano and Naima down. Naima is wearing an off-the-shoulder ruffled print top, tucked into professionally shredded jeans. And she joins Hayley, so I'm 2 for 3 on my predictions.

Only Karen and Thia are left. (Side Note: I type This every time I try to write Thia's name. Every single time). Karen is dressed much more sensibly tonight, if thigh high leather boots are ever sensible (and compared to last night's Barbarella-thon, they are). Thia, on the other hand, is dressed like Pocahontas in braids and camo pants. Thia is safe, and Karen joins Naima and Hayley.

I am able to mute the Black-Eyed Peas, so I do. I did watch though, and I was left with many, many questions. Was Fergie replaced by someone who looks nothing like her? Why was Will.i.am wearing his drop drawer long-johns backwards? And why were they unbuttoned? Why did that other dude have bungee cords cris-crossed over his legs in back? In what universe is this considered singing? (okay, so I unmuted just long enough to hear that computer enhancement is the BEP's friend).

Now to the purpose of the episode. Before I get too excited about seeing the last of her, Naima is sent back to the bleachers. She does a little electrocution dance on the way over, and I am impressed with her ability to jitter in heels without falling over. And then Hayley is declared safe, which means that I called it completely and absolutely wrong. Darn.

So, Karen sings Hero while the judges pretend to think about maybe using their one and only save (which probably has Jacob or James embroidered all over it). Of course they aren't going to waste it on Karen, who didn't have a chance of winning anyway, though it would have been nice for her to get to go on tour. Good-bye Karen, and Good Luck!

Thursday Tab- Whitman Trixie Belden Part 1

Paper Doll Friend Lorie is sharing her cut Whitman Trixie Belden set. I was more of a Nancy Drew girl, but I read a few of the 38 Trixie Belden Mysteries which were published between 1948 and 1986. This set, with Trixie, Honey, Mart, and Jim, has 15 scanned pages, so I'm going to post half today, and the rest next week. I don't see the date, but by the style of the clothes, I'd guess early 60's.

As always, thanks Lorie!

Edited to add, for those who don't read the comments: Lorie says that the date on this book is 1958 (I was close). She also says that there is a Trixie Belden Fan Club, where there are some paper dolls posted for downloading, plus a lot of other info. Thanks again Lorie!

AI Season 10, Top 12 Performance, 03-16-11

We open with Steven Tyler, in a chiffony, multicolored, sparkly shirt, singing a capella. He then talks about fund raising for the earthquake/tsunami victims in Japan. He's joined by JLo (in a gold flecked, floaty, leopard-print dress, and Raquel Welch hair), and Randy (in a nubbly, raw silk jacket).

Is that Carly Smithson in the audience?

The kids all come out together, so it's hard to tell which order they're going to sing.Casey is to the far left. They wave to the audience, though Paul seems to be waving to the set behind them. Tonight, they're singing songs from the year they were born.

#1. Naima- 1984. She was an adorable kid, and her very colorful parents are extremely proud of her. Naima is wearing black leggings, a yellow tank with a red vest under another light silver vest, both over a belt made of dangling coin medallions. She's singing What's Love Got to Do With It. It's not a terrible arrangement, but Naimia's voice isn't up to the task. JLo correctly calls her on the pitchiness, which Randy echoes.

#2. Paul- 1984. Paul's Southern parents explain that he used to love his Cowboy Suit. Paul threatens to find another. Honestly, I don't understand him. I mean, I know that quiet voices gain oomph in the studio, and in general, I like raspy voices- but Paul's voice is nearly inaudible. And I can't make sense of the parts that I can hear of I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues. He's wearing extremely skinny jeans, and once again, he substitutes one-legged hopping (the kind with a leg extended straight in front, while jumping about on the other foot) for performance style. I repeat- I don't get it.

#3. Thia- 1995... sigh... and of course, she was an absolutely adorable kid. She goes to the Disney well with The Colors of the Wind, which is actually a good choice for her voice, though Vanessa Williams has some pretty big shoes to fill. Outside of a runaway vibrato, this is her best performance yet, though the judges rightly call her on the Pageant Princess Bit. Speaking of princesses, unless Thia specifically wants her legs to silhouette through her long, slinky gold dress, a la Princess Di, she should wear a slip next time.

#4. James- 1989. James's family took lots of home movies, including one of him with his dollie. He's wearing a black leather jacket, the usual tail, and boots with a weird studded, leather accessory (which I thought were chains at first). He's singing I'll Be There for You, by Bon Jovi. This is A Very James Performance, which is to say that it's good(outside of that weak final note), but not my style . Steven gets his first bleep in a long while. James managed to say that he thought he could win without sounding arrogant, which many a contestant has attempted (and failed).

#5. Hayley, 1990. Hayley looks like her mom. She's singing I'm Your Baby Tonight in black pants, a red shirt, very red lipstick, and stilettos. I don't love Hayley (I think she's entirely disposable) but she chose the least Whitney song possible, and did okay with it. However, she held her microphone too close to her mouth, smearing lipstick on it, which in turn, was transferred to her chin and cheek. Which she does not realize. While the judges give their critiques (Note to Randy: make up your damn mind. Do they stay in their box, or do they try new things every week?), Ryan sneaks over with his hankie, to spit clean Hayley's chin.

#6. Stefano, 1989. Stefano comes from a very musical family. He's singing If You Don't Know Me By Now, which is a majorly stupid song (listen Narrator: either go home on time, or let her know you're going to be late. You'll save all sorts of trouble that way). Stefano is wearing a black blazer over a pink shirt, and jeans. He sounds exactly like what he is: a competent boy bander, though I do wish he'd sing with his eyes open more often.

#7. Pia, 1988. Pia's parents took lots of videos of her singing along to Whitney. She pays a weepy tribute to her Grandpa. Omigod- what the hell is she wearing? Can that possibly be a white silk harem jumpsuit, with a wrap top, cut-out shoulders, and a shirred, high waist? I don't know because my retinas have been seared. She's singing Where Do Broken Hearts Go, though singing is not exactly the word I'd use to describe this performance. The arrangement is awful, and the singing is worse, though the judges do not agree with me.

#8. Scotty, 1993. Scotty has always loved Elvis, and maybe that's why he developed a permanent starboard list. He's singing Travis Tritt's Can I Trust You With My Heart, in an amber suede jacket, Oxford shirt, jeans and cowboy boots (natch). I don't think I ever find anything technical to critique in his performances, and this one is no different. The audience goes wild.

#9. Karen, 1989. Karen has a Stage Mama, who freely admits to living through her daughter. Karen is dressed like Jane Fonda in Barbarella, in a very short silver and black dress, black over-the-knee boots, huge hoop earrings, and an impossibly tall hair tumor. She's singing Love Will Lead You Back, flipping back and forth between Spanish and English, as usual. This is okay, though a couple of notes were wobbly.

#10. Casey, 1991. Casey's parents were 40 when he was born, and they're an absolute hoot. No wonder he's so cool. Wow- he's playing a bass and singing Smells Like Teen Spirit (which is actually the only Nirvana song that I know, but it's so well known, that even Old Broads like me recognize it). Okay- Casey just proved that he can do anything.  Randy drops a half dozen names but says absolutely nothing.

#11. Lauren, 1994. Lauren's father looks like he's 25 and her mother looks like Tammy Faye Bakker. Young Lauren had an attitude- go figure. She's wearing a sparkly leather jacket over a contraption that consists of a leopard print cummerbund paired with a pleated top festooned with chains, over tight leggings and fringed boots. She's singing Melissa Ethridge's The Only One. The start was weak, although she warmed into it,. There was plenty of wobble, and many less than perfect notes. But outside of the singing, you know, it was fine.

#12. Jacob, 1987. Jacob's mom has a lot of gums, and not much singing talent. He has chosen to sing Heart's Alone, which is the song that cinched the competition for Carrie Underwood. No, no, no, no. Granted, this song is overwrought, but it's not Jacob's brand of overwrought. As always, I would like Jacob a lot more if he would just sing. Also if he would enunciate- he's so busy warbling every syllable, and drenching every note with emotion, that the words are unintelligible. But the judges love Jacob, as always.

Worst outfit of the night? Pia, hand's down, though Karen's 60's Sci-Fi duds come close.

Bottom 3? Paul, Naima, and Hayley. I hope Paul gets the boot.

It's that time of year again

Don't get me wrong- it's still winter, and our heaviest snows often come in March, if they don't come in April. I remember one year with measurable snow in May. We are not digging our shorts out yet. But, it is thawing.

See that? Standing water. And patches of bare ground. The ground itself is still frozen a good 6' down, but the surface is thawing, and soon, snow or no, we'll see a hint of green in the grass.

But a thaw, even an early, temporary one, means that the creeks and rivers are starting to rise. I remember years when Turtle Creek (which is back behind our house )(way back, and way down- far enough that if we're ever in danger, the entire state will be under water) ran dry for years at a stretch. But we've been in a wet cycle for over a decade, with water flowing constantly, during all seasons (under the frozen surface in the winter). We started out this winter after very rare fall flooding. We had plenty of water already.

And now that the thaw has begun, after a winter with a whole lot of snow, Creek Watching has become a Taylor Pastime. So as a baseline comparison, this is what the oxbow looked like yesterday afternoon:

The water is already a good 10' above normal levels. Temps are supposed to get into the low 50's today, with rain tomorrow. Give it a day or so, a week at most, and it's going to get reeeel interesting back there. We'll take pictures. Lots of them.

Jiggety Jig

You'd think as often as I fly these days, that I would recover faster... but noooo. The switch to Daylight Savings Time hasn't helped, either. I'm moving pretty slowly, and mentally, I'm a bit foggy still. But I'm home.

My last day in Snohomish was wet. As were all of my days on the west coast.

But since I didn't go for the weather, the rain was only a minor inconvenience. I was able to spend some wonderful downtime with family and friends, as well as a couple of days speaking and teaching. And a whole lot of eating, and just a teensy bit of drinking. All in all, it was a fantastic week.

The flights home were smooth, outside of about twenty minutes of bumpity over The Rockies. Of course, the first, and only, blue sky I saw in Washington, appeared as I was boarding at SeaTac. It didn't take long to fly out of the bare ground, and back into snow.

I picked up Peter Straub's A Dark Matter in a bookstore in MSP, on the way out. I like Peter Straub, and his Ghost Story is one of the scariest books I've ever read, so I was excited to find this one in paperback. Hoo boy... take a minute and go read the Amazon reviews (which I wish I had done before I bought the book). It won't take long to learn that reactions to this book are mixed, and leaning toward the negative. I found it to be a confusing mish-mosh. The story was opaque, the writing was awkward and clunky, and I didn't believe in a single character (and their names, including the married couple who share a first name, were just plain weird). The story involves a writer who delves into a mysterious, otherworldly event that occurred forty years in the past. It sounds promising, but I finally had to give up on it. I just couldn't finish.

I had much better luck with Horns, by Joe Hill, which I bought at SeaTac yesterday, and devoured on the way home, finishing on the last hop from Minneapolis to Watertown. The story opens when Ig Perrish wakes up to discover that he's grown horns, and it barrels along from there. It's not perfect, but it was more than entertaining enough to get me through a long day in airports, and on planes.

Of course, it was still winter when I got home last night. But there is less of it now, than when I left. There are spots and strips of bare ground showing, and with temps above freezing, there will be more by the end of the week (or at least until the next snowstorm).

It's good to be back, snow or no snow- tomorrow I begin work on MG Fantasy Version 3.0. Though I have 3 more festivals on my calendar in the next 5 months, all of them are car-trips. For the first time in about two years, I have no flight itineraries parked under the crock on the kitchen countertop. I wonder how long that will last.

Saturday and Sunday

The Little Tips andTricks class at Great Yarns yesterday was wonderful- as always, I was blessed with Genius Students.

Even more fun, Fontelle shared wine and fruit afterwards. I bought a couple of balls of lovely yarn (I get to do that at appearances), but it's already boxed up to mail home. I'll take a pic there.

Kristy, who is on the left, drove over for the class. I've known Kristy since at least the 5th grade (or maybe even earlier. She looks almost exactly the same as she did back then (dratted woman).

See? Here we are in the 5th grade, still standing next to each other. I have changed a bit more than Kristy has...

On the right is Kris, my best friend since the 7th grade. Kris does not knit, but she loves and wears everything that I knit for her, which is almost as good.

I have not taken many scenery pictures since I've been in Washington, mainly because it has rained every single day. Every day. Rain. Every day. Sometimes it's just a drizzle, sometimes the sun almost comes out, but within 15 minutes, it rains again. I grew up here, and I remember this stuff, but it's been a long time since I was in it. I am not so sorry to go back to the snow, lemee tellya. But the moss on the trees is cool.

And despite the rain, and lack of sunshine, spring is coming to the Pacific Northwest. Observe the first rhododendron bloom

Staying inside hasn't been horrible. We had mimosas for breakfast, and Jane (another BFF from long long ago) made chocolate Guinness cupcakes using this very limited edition beer from Deschutes Brewery. The cupcakes had cream cheese and Bailey's Irish Cream frosting, which is even better than it sounds.

And we've been playing with needlefelting. Lots of half-moon Santas...

And a new addition to the needlefelting cast of characters: Eskimo Gramma. I think she's pretty cute.

I head home tomorrow- all day on airplanes and in airports. It's been a wonderful, wonderful visit, but I'm ready to get home and get back to work. See all y'all on the flip.