cloth.paper.string

august

August rushes by like desert rainfall,
A flood of frenzied upheaval,
Expected,
But still catching me unprepared.
Like a matchflame
Bursting on the scene,
Heat and haze of crimson sunsets.
Like a dream
Of moon and dark barely recalled,
A moment,
Shadows caught in a blink.
Like a quick kiss;
One wishes for more
But it suddenly turns to leave,
Dragging summer away.
- Elizabeth Maua Taylor

framed

I've been framing...

This year's letterpressed lunar calendar by Alec Thibodeau.  You may recall just how much I loved last year's.  Our upstairs hallway wouldn't feel right without a way to track the moon.  See the detail of the 2009 calendar at Tiny Showcase. 
And - finally - one of my favorites from last year's gocco swap thanks to Samantha Wedelich. This image is so rich for me.  I often struggle with holding back when I should let go.  I've hung this little print in my craft room as a small reminder to be more free.

holding on

While we're now back home, I'm holding tightly to these past few days spent in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area wilderness.

The quiet and simplicity of our home away from home.

The smell of the cedars in the afternoon light.

The rocks and the way they tell tales of time.

The unmistakeable signs of the turning of the season.

The end of the day reflected over still water.

s t i l l

Stillness is something I feel I haven't experienced much of lately.  Maybe it's the onslaught of spring with all plants bursting forth leaves and blossoms almost overnight as if to make up for the shortness of the season.  Maybe it's the toddler in the house with her whirling dervish movements and her exaggerated vocal expressions.  Maybe it's the knitting bag and its call to keep my fingers moving even in the quiet times.  Maybe it's the lake breeze coming through the bedroom window carrying upon it the sounds of rain falling, leaves blowing, cats calling, people strolling, ships passing.

Whatever the reason, I'm really appreciating s t i l l, Martha's flickr pool highlighting the still life this week.  Go take a peek at the stillness around our everyday lives.  It will slow you down.  It will remind you to breathe.  It will show you that stillness abounds and inspires.

delicate balance

Our meander through Huntington Gardens last week took us through a desert micro-climate.  I'm so glad to have walked the arid paths, taking in the prickly fractals.
 
I found myself mesmerized by the cacti's form and its ability to pull me in, while at the same time pushing me away.

I love the inherent balance found in each plant and the unexpected delicacy of the spikes and spines.  Another simple yet profound teaching from nature.

framed

You might recall that back in December I fell hard.  And was subsequently crushed.  You see, there was a certain letterpressed print offered up at Tiny Showcase that I happened upon after each and every print in the edition had been snatched up.  I lamented.  Little did I know that the bit of woe I posted would send my dad on a secret mission.  A few days later, with the help of my brother, his mission was accomplished.  On Solstice I held in my hands a printer's proof of Alec Thibodeau's Good Libations 2008 Lunar Calendar!  To say I was thrilled would be quite the understatement.

Fast forward three months and you'll find me a bit sheepish to admit that I'm just now hanging it on the wall.  But it's framed.  And I did it myself thanks to The Small Object's tutorial, a handheld mat cutter, and a frame from IKEA. 

To help get up the nerve to cut such a big piece of mat board, I practiced on a few other prints I had been meaning to frame for ages including a set of letterpressed stamps from Nikki McClure.  I still have a big pile to frame, but no longer will I shell out many dollars or wait many moons to put more prettiness on the walls.

welcoming

The image that leads a blog is as important for me as a blog's content.  It serves as a welcome to each post, to each page.  It sets the tone for what is ahead.  As the seasons change I'm always itching to share a bit of the inspiration I find in my environment.  An image to come back to, to reflect upon.

But each time I make a new banner for cloth.paper.string, or see another blogger adopt a new one, I can't help but feel a pang of sadness.  For it seems that old banners are only archived in memory once they are replaced. 

Today, as I switched winter moss for the beginnings of spring thaw, I realized that I can hold on to that image which served as the introduction here through the winter.  And also those images which have graced the masthead through the recent seasons.  And so, I've created a banner archive.  You can see it here, or get to it through the link on the sidebar. 

If you don't already, I hope that you, blog friends, will be inspired to share your retired banners as well.  I'd love, especially, to see once again those front door embellishments that greeted me the first time I paid a visit to your 'homes' on internet.

textural studies

There's a spot by the lake that I've been making a point to visit this week.  While the vantage point is the same, the vista rarely is.  The textures alone are phenomenal.


The ice has been moving in and out with the wind, with the current.  As if the lake is breathing. 
Yesterday, open water filled the same spot beyond the knobby point where ice houses had been set out earlier this week.  Tomorrow, it will surely be changed again.  Even once the head of the lake freezes solid, it will continue to be in a state of flux influenced by wind, light and snow.  I know it is this lake that keeps me going through the longest season; the constant reminder that the world is very much alive, even in the dead of winter.

new love

I've broken up with the hourglass.  I had searched for ages for the perfect sweater to knit with the wool from my parent's neighbor's sheep.  The wool that I dyed this time last year when the days were gray and dreary.  The yarn that is destined to become the first adult sized garment I've ever knitted.  I honestly thought the hourglass was THE ONE.

After a torrid affair that included knitting about a third of the sweater twice, I realized that there was too much of the same-old same-old.  Too much round and round to keep my attention.  Knit, knit, knit was all that sweater ever wanted.  It refused to challenge me and I clearly wasn't going to grow in the relationship.  So I left it.  Months ago.  And while I knew I wouldn't go back, I didn't have the nerve to tell it that it was over.

But now that I've found a new sweater to invest tens of thousands of stitches in, I have to make it official.  I've been spending all my spare time with this one, sneaking stitches every chance I get.  My new love is the tangled yoke cardigan, and I found it through Ravelry.  I know nothing about online dating, but I can't help but think of Ravelry as the internet matchmaker for knitters and knitting projects.

As might be expected, my new infatuation has prompted me to spiff up my notions bag.   The fabric is linen from a thrifted skirt, the pattern is the travel pouch from Last Minute Fabric Gifts.  A good little bag for all of those knitting tools.  But enough about that, I'm must get back to my knitting affair...

the inspiration...

There's so much of it around me these days.

The almost-frozen but always changing lake and those resilient birds that must know that the days of floating are few.

My inspiration wires.  They have finally made their way onto the wall upstairs.  I first saw one years and years ago in Pure Style Living and was immediately taken by the idea.  Since then I've seen them popping up all over.   My new favorite spot to see that which inspires others and how they bring it into their spaces is the inspiration board flickr group.  Definitely worth a visit.

That special embroidered piece from Marnie, now framed thanks to Ikea and a little creative mounting (colored canson paper, a few stitches in the corners).  I'm certain it's not archival in any way shape or form, but it works.  I'm so pleased with having a little handmade inspiration next to my sewing table.

And the gocco swap -- I'm amazed by the turnout.  Simply blown away.  Check out the list of participants!  And in the coming weeks stop by to the swap's flickr group to see the gocco'ed goodness that is being shared.