Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Stretching, dancing, stitching, chatting then T and T

What with allergies and sneezing and tiredness from the remedies, walking was a bit off Tuesday, so I did a stretching video.  This included a few qi gong moves.


And here's kitty Mochi, photobombing. Or maybe directing. Cats know stretching.

Then laundry, dishes, chop wood carry water, make penne for lunch with red sauce, tomatoes, onions, butter, tomato paste, red pepper seeds, Parmesan grated over. No pictures, you've seen pasta before. Blueberries and yogurt for dessert.

Then off to the library to return The Imitation Game, very good, especially once I'd grasped that Keeley Hawes and Keira Knightley are two different people and this one was Knightley. I have face blindness, often can't tell one actor, or friend, from another. I did think Hawes had had an injection of intensity. 

Tuesday's knitting group was crocheters, knitters and me, stitching linen squares with vague notions of fusion quilting. I'm thinking of parallel rows of linen and woven squares.  



Notice my kantha stitched purse, gift of an Indian friend


Moms and daughters learning together. The member who teaches on request was away, so the rest of us helped as possible.  

But we had to explain yet again to yet more people that this an adult meeting,  not a class where children can learn. Every week a couple of parents try to drop off kids and leave. 


Our lovely leader, with her box of instructions and supplies. I asked her to consider a class for kids so we can refer parents. She's going to do it.

Here's my linen square collection; it's lovely,  stitching linen.

Talk ranged over James Talarico, nonbinary people, in-laws, weddings, Diaper Diplomacy,  learning violin, tai chi, the shakuhachi effect, knitting, native trees and shrubs, invasives, bees, kantha quilting and more.

And, as usual in this group, I got more ideas. I'm now thinking of tracing one of my line drawings onto some fine fabric and stitching it.  Maybe goldwork. Just what I needed, another idea. I've done this before in blackwork.   I think I'll revisit continental knitting too, to save my hands, while I'm having more ideas.

Then home to Textiles and Tea with 

Artist, weaver, activist, community organizer of women's voices and history, a powerhouse of a woman, who has woven great works, organized mass exhibits of women's woven stories, written a book on spiritual growth, and works now in silk, dyeing, weaving and stitching.



The blue work on the right is stick weaving. I've taught this, and shown you some of my work in an earlier post. She used drinking straws as a handheld  loom, and wove over and under them, gradually advancing the strip to create a weft faced fabric. This work used dozens of strips to create a waterfall effect.








Here's a collaborative work on its way to be exhibited. It's enormous, the work of hundreds of participants weaving strips about their lives and stories.

She's an amazing woman, check her website for more.

Before setting up the second Brideshead disc, I compensated for not being up to an evening walk by dancing to Dancing Queen, on e's blog. Thank you, e, that was a cheerful workout. I always want to dance to it. Not a wonderful dancer, more in the Elaine category, but who's watching. 

Happy day everyone, dance it however you can, even with your fingers dancing on the table. It counts.



37 comments:

  1. Happy to help at the dancing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of your new work as it progresses.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Delighted to have found your blog. I'm just embarking on a third stitching collaboration with a blog friend, Ang, at www.angalmond.blogspot.com and I'm planning to do my part on linen squares... currently cutting up old linen teatowels to get my hands on linen! I love that line drawing of the flower, so concise.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Found you via attheendofasuffolkane

    ReplyDelete
  5. I had to look up shakuhachi - what haunting music (I'm going to listen to more). I'd also love to make a deatiled study of that woven piece with the red tassles. Is that a long shot of the collaborative work?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, that's the work of many women. I'm glad you found shakuhachi

      Delete
  6. I LOVE how Elaine dances. Nothing like being in the moment no matter how bizarre it might look to others. How wonderful of the lovely leader to start a class for kids. Great suggestion. I love the idea of Women’s Woven Voices.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, my dancing, awkward but happy, works for me! Our librarian host is always ready to meet the need, no bureaucracy involved.

      Delete
  7. My husband has face blindness too. He had an interesting career as a teacher. I always enjoy your library visits!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I've had a life in public speaking and group teaching, and usually say there's only one of me, but I have to know all of you, so I'd get a pass.

      Delete
  8. Speaking of Brideshead, yesterday I rented and watched the 2008 movie remake. It was worthy! All the principal actors were good in their roles. Ben Whishaw, who's one of my favourite actors, brought all his effeminate grace and charm to Sebastian. Tomorrow on my blog, I will be posting about Matthew Goode who played Charles.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad it's good. When I watched the later version of the Lucia production it was so pale in comparison, good but not great.

      Delete
  9. Your memory is impressive, for example, recalling the various topics wthyour group.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Interesting! The conversation is still going on in my head for ages after, so I hadn't thought of it as remembering.

      Delete
  10. Again- love the Kantha stitched purse. I just do love bags, don't I?
    One of the things I like most about this week's Textiles and Tea is the colors of the works. While some may say, "More cowbell!" I say, "More color!"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I included that not very good shot because of the purse. I'm glad I did!

      Delete
  11. Dancing and qigong...talk and fiber arts and videos! What a full day you had. I need to do my qigong breathing exercises. My cough is taking a break for now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seize the day with the qi gong. It's so nice for the spirits. Each time I do a practice I think I should do this more!

      Delete
  12. Catching the glimpse of the kantha purse has given me ideas. Maybe I'll bestir myself to try to make one because I've been rather wanting to do some more kantha but don't need any more table covers. Hmmm....pondering..... (ps - any change of a better picture of yours??)
    Glad you enjoyed The Imitation Game and I always find it interesting to hear about the range of topics at your knitting group.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I'll do a better picture for you. It wasn't intended to be in the pic originally and I was ready to ditch it, but a better one is upcoming.

      Delete
  13. Moving each day for balance is such a great thing to do. I do try to encourage others to keep at it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're certainly active! And wise to keep moving outdoors whenever you can. I did that daily during my caregiving years and I think that's why I don't have a bad back now.

      Delete
  14. You had a busy day and dancing as well!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Stretches are good. Nice to see all of the textile work. Too bad parents do that to their kids and not the kids fault.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We feel terrible having to explain to eager little girls that this isn't a kids class. It's clearly described everywhere as part of the adult program and a meeting, not a class. But parents -- at least half a dozen this summer alone-- keep showing up and expecting us to babysit! A similar thing happened in another group I used to go to, and once the children's department started offering classes, it was solved. So that's my hope.

      Delete
  16. I love to hear about your busy days! You have such a nice variety of activities to keep you moving and happy. I'm inspired by you!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I really enjoyed "The Imitation Game." It's great that you all are considering a knitting class for kids -- I'm sure there would be demand for that and it's important to pass along these skills! (Say I, who have none of them.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We're I being besieged by parents trying to dump off kids and make us teach them, when it's nothing to do with why we're there! There's clearly demand, so I hope we can redirect the children. It's not their fault, and they'd like to learn. But the parents aren't even willing to stay. I think a class will solve A lot of problems and stop us having to stop and explain repeatedly!

      Delete
  18. Such a nice read and lovely images. I know the mother and daughter well as I follow their YouTube videos. Sitting down like the mum is a great way for someone my age to get exercise.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like the option being put before us all the time, and aiko ,the mom, is very cheerful about it. I do the standings versions on the theory of use it or lose it -- or maybe use it till you lose it!

      Delete
  19. Great post and wonderful photos! Exercise is so important. Today I took a nice long walk in nature, which felt great! Yesterday as well. The temperatures were more comfortable, thankfully, and being able to get out and see the trees, feel a comfortable breeze, smelling fresh air (as opposed to the heat and wildfires), seeing birds, squirrels, just being able to walk and enjoy nature was so good!

    ReplyDelete

Please read the comments before yours and see if your question is already answered!