Knitting in cotton and wire and other hazards

More embroidery on paper looms in my future, I suddenly realize, when I innocently looked over an abaca fiber wall piece that now I think could use a whole new way of seeing things. These things just fall on you, I guess. That would be on paper, not on paper looms, in case that syntax baffled you back there.

Meanwhile, to stave that one off until I have time to think about it a bit, at least to the extent of figuring out how to get at it to stitch, small technical problem, I've finished up and framed, or rather stretched, something totally different. A knitted piece, about a fishnet full of fish, metaphors abound, but I won't literally aim them at you! anyway, if you'd like to see, go here

I realize that everyone reading in here is not necessarily a deadmad artist or art follower, but if you are, enjoy!

Last night was music, with early Baroque pieces conducted by a terrific leader and teacher, who's a solo performer herself, so there's not much she doesn't know. Even when I don't feel like going out at night, it's always great to have gone and had a good time, which I do. Big bonus this year is that we haven't had any weather cancellations at all so far, amazing considering we were thinking about abolishing winter meetings because of road hazards and bringing aging members and conductors over icy terrain to be there. I think that suggestion may have been shelved for the moment.

In case any US blogistas are recorder players and wonder about joining a local ARS chapter to meet and play, they're very friendly people, never had a bad experience, and all the work is sight reading -- the conductor brings it on the night, and you play along. But even beginners are very supported, those of us who've been playing longer playing on their line with them to help if necessary. That's what other players did for us when we began, and we continue to pay it forward.

Also ARS is very generous to good players who are budgetarily challenged. I was lent instruments at first until I could afford to buy my own, to make sure I really liked them. And I've been awarded scholarships to three day workshops which would have been beyond my means, because I was a serious player in several groups, and they like to keep the early music going. Generous group.

It works both ways, though, since I've been librarian for the group, involving housing boxes and boxes of music chez moi and making them available, and I've been the photographer for the group on request. It's so good to be able to get back there now after years of being there in spirit only! and they kept my place for me, were very welcoming, as if I hadn't been away more than five minutes. This is one of the advantages of an aging group -- to them the last few years have flown by like five minutes, anyway!

Well, I wasn't thinking of writing a commercial spot for ARS, but I seem to have anyway!