Sunday, June 28, 2009

Spring Woods , Tapestry and ta-daaaa, the Lizzies!






Pix of the woodlands by the path I often walk daily, never fails to surprise people who know what a heavily populated and industrial region I live in, but there you are.

Then there's the tapestry, which I am getting along with -- I used the Burningham book for tips on how to create the frame and how to warp it, and I made my shed sticks from matboard, also a couple of small shuttles, but fingers really work better for me. The current piece is about flower gardens, an abstraction of the notion, that is. The frame is an old canvas, canvas cut out, the remaining frame and stretcher are true right angles, and very strong, just about right for my purpose.

At the bottom are some of the yarns I spun from the fleece I washed, along with darker yarns spun from the roving I was given, just thought the donors would like to see this in action (!) and I'm incorporating all kinds of fun colors and textures from yarns donated by other people over the last couple of years.

Tapestry is different from other weaving in that the warp is only there as a support, not meant to be a visible part of the piece. I warped mine with strong masonry twine, meant to hold still and not fray out in use, as well as to vanish obligingly when I tamp down the weft with my handy comb.

It's a great art that can be interrupted a lot, my current new normal, without losing anything, but it still calls on all kinds of thinking and changing and adjusting and playing about with color and shape and form, great stuff. The only thing is that kitties like it, too, and once in a while I'm poking about in the yarn and come face to face with a little black hairy fizzog blinking back up at me. So that's the art front for now.

The HP front is that his birthday was yesterday, and we celebrated with a special lunch attended by HS, complete with birthday cake involving strawberries, his favorite fruit. Later neighbors stopped by with a present and visited a while. And in the evening I put on a DVD of one of the Foyle's War series, which we both love, terrific acting, great Michael Kitchen and the others. HP had a bit of trouble grasping that it was his birthday, but as the day went on and people talked with him, and he was enjoying it all, his lucidity came right on, and was terrific for the rest of the day. Good stuff. He's 77 now, hard to believe, but oh well!

And, since Midsummer Madness is upon us, I'm only a few days late in declaring the first Summer Solstice Annual Lizzie Awards.

You've heard of Oscars and Grammies and Tonys and Webbys. Well, here are the Lizzies!

The award consists of being mentioned in here, sorry, no little statuettes this year, but we'll see about next year, as a tribute to outstanding performance in various aspects of life that have benefited the Great Me in recent times.....


The Award for Grace Under Pressure Despite Losses and Catastrophes goes to HP, a gracious and good gentleman who needs no introduction.

The Award for Total Generosity of Spirit and Tact in Tough Times goes to Handsome Son, who has never wavered in his support and courage and encouragement to his mom over the last few years and especially the last few months. His email of encouragement at the start of our crisis, assuring me that "we will get through this together" kept me together more than he can realize. And his daily visits to HP in the hospital over months, every evening right from work, postponing his own dinner till late at night, were acts of huge compassion and perseverance, deserving of much more than a simple mention in here.

The Award for Supporting and Enabling Art Adventures and Serious Fun Stuff in the spinning category, drop spindle entry, goes to Carol Q. who not only delivered the spindle and a supply of roving, plus instructions, right into my hands at my house on a day when she felt physically rotten, but has been hugely good humored and supportive ever since.

The Award for Supporting and Enabling Art Adventures, in the spinning category, wheel entry, goes to Jinny B., who not only delivered her personal wheel into my hands but gave me a rapid lesson in how to approach it, in the parking lot, before she put it into my car, and has been a consultant since, and patiently awaits the day when I get the hang of it.

The Award for Supporting and Enabling Art Adventures, special category, fleece, goes without doubt to Paula L., a knitting designer and talented artist in her own right, who hand delivered the fleece you heard about and saw in progress in this blog over the last couple of weeks, having guided it from the original ovine owner, via various family arrangements until it finally got into my living room.

The Award for Musical Encouragement By Remote Control goes to Liane S. who made a long term loan of a beautiful silver flute, named Floot, for me to learn on and has been generously happy with the pleasure it's been giving me daily for almost a year now. She is spared having to listen to my performance since she's far away, but we won't go there right now.

The Award for Musical Participation, duet entry, goes to MaryCarol C. a pianist extraordinaire who played duets with Floot followed by civilized tea and chat, at intervals (sorry, couldn't resist the pun) for months until our lives got in the way, but one of these days we'll manage it again. Her patience with my beginning tone and her sheer niceness in dumbing down her playing to fit with my capacity, were worthy of awards quite aside from the tea and chat.

The Award for Photography and Friendship Combined, over years, even when there was a hiatus, we just picked up again where we left off, goes to Susan K. Her own total unselfishness in being helpful to me, despite having plenty of personal challenges, deserves a whole category of awarding power. And her photography is stunning, always improves the day when I visit her blog. Generosity personified, is Susan.

Next year a new lot of awards, no doubt, but meanwhile, please, wild applesauce cheering and stamping of feet and waving of knitting needles and crochet hooks and spindles and tuning forks, for all the recipients, who are now going, aw gee, and rubbing their toes in the dirt and ah, anyone woulda done it, and so on, too modest for words.

And one last huge award category: Friends and Neighbors and emailers and card senders and callers and visitors and shoppers and blog readers who have done all kinds of favors, quietly and sometimes anonymously, to keep the Adams show on the road. There are so many of you, and we thank you daily. You're in our minds more than you can know.

6 comments:

  1. How lovely of you to think of your friends and neighbours - and to recognize them so publicly. You, HP, and dear son...all are lovely, wonderful people.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a wonderful blog entry! Happy birthday to HP. I think I have an inkling why HS is so charming and compassionate. He learned from a lovely woman. I am glad you are surrounded by sweet generous people who encourage your natural curiosity and creativity. Your very presence blesses the world around you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lovely blog entry, Liz. Happy Birthday to HP, and kudos to all the Lizzie winners! I am watching with fascination your tapestry take shape, and learning a new language. Weft, warp, shed sticks...

    eepy

    ReplyDelete
  4. Another lovely post. And a hearty booming thank you for enjoying that flute and giving it something to do. I just had a visit from my best friend in high school (the 'other Liz'), hadn't seen her in 30 years. She played flute with me and I told her where mine was and how much you enjoyed it. More vicarious joy has been created. I'd wear my hat while typing this official speech, but it's too hot.

    I need to make you a ceremonial hat for these occasions, when you are giving out awards and sharing your life with your friends. Warning: It is unlikely to be useable in public. :)

    Liane

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wild applesauce, indeed!!! Picture me flying from my seat, surprised and grinning and embracing my wonderful award. What a grand and fun idea - ANOTHER grand and fun idea I should say ... you seem to have a bottomless well of them, Liz! Your gift for living a graceful and grateful life has motivated me in more ways than you'll ever know. For one thing I honestly think that I whine less and DO more because it's one of the traits I so admire about you and I make the more concious effort to do it.

    Another very recent and more concrete way - that has thrilled me immeasurably - you can see on my latest blog
    entry ... and I give you mountains of credit!

    You see - I researched your recent netbook purchase and knowing full well how wise and discerning you are about such matters, I helped set my mom up with the same. I spent three days with her in La. working to get access, diddling with applications, loading family/friend emails and bookmarks. Now I'm home again and the entire family is able to share daily notes, videos and photos and we're feeling so much more connected - an invaluable addition to the quality of our life ... especially in these trying times.

    I see many such instances of how your light touch - your active sharing has had a positive ripple effect on so many. Thanks, Liz.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I also meant to add my congratulations and appreciation to/for the other recipients in your life. Beautiful works, and beautiful reading ...

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for commenting. I really appreciate your taking the time, and taking part. Please read the comments and see if your question is already answered!