I have many projects that are in the middle of being done

Making things, be it knitting, pottery, sewing, hanging dry wall or linking dandilions together into a crown for my little sister, is incredibly satisfying for me. There isn't really anything else I can see myself doing but continue to make things and hope and pray and beg I can keep doing it forever and manage to support myself some how. And believe me, I've tried to think of how things would be different if I had,say, decided to major in biology instead of art... it makes me shudder and feel yucky. So this must be the right thing for me to do. I hope.

Thinking about how miserable I would have been if I had chosen another major/career is kind of reassuring though... ( ok, maybe I wouldn't be miserable, but damn, it would've been horrible-bad-no good-times more often than not I imagine). At least I have something Im good at, and enjoy doing. Someday I might have to get that nightmarish office job to eat and live somewhere not in a box, but for now I'm pretty sure I've got a good deal with life going and I don't think it should change the way its going. I mean, sure it can get better, that would be cool, and I am sure that things will also get worse, but as long as i can make things, I'll be ok.

Huzzah for making things!

Pouring rain and a sprinkling of hail on the drive back today.

Here are some of the little doodlies from the soda kiln, the one with the lid started out as an uglyone, a victim of my glaze experimentation, but now look how lovely it is!! the other two are small things, about 3in tall each.



I went home this weekend, spent the night at my brother's place and walked down to the church ( not that I go to church anymore, but the people are good, so I do try to stop by for coffee hour at least, plus it makes the momma happy, and everyone knows that's a good thing.) But as I was walking and enjoying the quiet and coolness of the morning, I decided to try walking and drop-spinning at the same time. And yes, I am that coordinated apparently. It was amazing, all i want to do now is wal k around and spin, I think I might just be able to get through the piles of roving from last week's dying in a fairly reasonable time if I every time I go for a walk I spin. Very exciting.

I also learned how alike my brother and I are. It was nice to have some time and beers with him, what with all our other siblings, its been hard to just hang out at the house, so it was good to have his place to retreat to for some real conversation. Yeah, so it was nice, a successful trip home.

Dropping the spindle

So I had a day off from work and went to the studio to dye the remaining pile of Australian wool roving I've had for almost a year now... Figuring that I'd be more excited and actually spin some of it if it looked pretty. It worked. Check it out:



pretty, no?


I have some amazing ceramic pieces from the first no-professor's-help attempt at a soda kiln, it went great and we were all very happy/relieved that nothing was ugly (hey, it can happen). I'll try to remember to put up some photos soon.

Wheel Pictures

Before:

And after!:




My professor said it is an Indian Head Spinner, I think it's also called a Country Spinner... haven't quite figured it out yet either way...