More days of recovering

I am still a little drained from the whole project trip. I think that mostly it has to do with everything being in such a whirl at the moment.

Did I mention that while I was away Fran decided that the bathroom should be redone? It has been gutted and there are boxes of everything piled in my "studio". There are also things in every other part of the house. That is making it a bit difficult to relax.

I had to laugh at the link to my stash from Bonnie's blog. Fran pointed out that it was a very very small portion of the true stash and it looks so organized.

I added a bit more to the stash today. I couldn't help myself. I was at the farmer's market and my favorite wool fix was there and, well, before I new it I had bought 4 skeins. Destined for scarves. I'm still trying to come up with a cardigan pattern....time, time, time.

I am home. This morning I'm at the shop getting ready for the final push of getting all of the stuff out of here. The unpleasantness continues with the bar, I'm trying to ignore it since I am nearly out of here.

Melissa has posted photos of our intense 4 days of studio work. I think the piece "Everwhen" is successful and not what either of us expected.

I thought that I would have photos of Toronto and visits to yarn shops and art venues, but we were in the studio for the whole period.

I have got to thank Nina for taking care of us. We probably wouldn't have eaten meals if she wasn't around. That was in between doing her own work .... So a great big

THANK YOU NINA.

Also big thanks to everyone who emailed support.

Some images are here.

A broken promise

I know I said that there would be some photos here...... I lied.

The work is going so much slower than we anticipated. It's at a slow crawl and We have both been feeling the frustration of it.

Otherwise the little bit of Toronto I've been able to see on this trip has been fun. I am sort of hoping for a little break this afternoon maybe for a walk or a little shopping.

This post is very uncreative.... all of that energy is in the studio. I'm on a coffee break.

1st full day in Toronto

Crazy long drive yesterday and then a little bit of work and a brief stop at The Knit Cafe. I was there for about 5 minutes and had to run when our ride showed up. Gotta get back. Great people + place.

More studio time is planned for today. First we have a morning of errands.

Photos next post, promise.

It's still hectic around here. I think that not having the time or a place to work makes me feel even more frazzled.

My day on Saturday was so so. I picked up our share at the farmer's market and I also bought a bunch of heirloom tomatoes.

Besides all of the knit blogs that I read I'm also addicted to food blogs. One of them Anne's Food has a great tomato soup recipe that I have been wanting to try. It was the perfect soup for an end of summer meal. It is spicy/peppery though. I also added a little extra virgin olive oil to the bowl, I think it helped to round out the flavors.

What really intrigued me about the soup was the ingredients. I've been reading about the foodways of precolombian America and I really wanted to use stuff that reflected the foods that were available before the conquest. Tomatoes, chilies with the addition of the sweetness of the sugar. The recipe seems like a riff on , I think Mayan cuisine. Any way try this soup, add the cayenne to your taste, but don't be afraid of the kick. That is part of the beauty of this soup. Thank's Anne.

More moving today and I need to prepare for Toronto. Blogging may be light.

My life with objects

The moving has really pointed out to me how much I am involved with objects.
I've got a room that will be a studio filled with boxes of things. The entire house is filled with the stuff that we're bringing out of the store. It's filling up. I have accepted it, and the truth is I like it.

I like the business I'm in dealing with material culture.

I like making objects.

So what if I don't really have a spot in the house to sit in. It isn't at the Collyer Brothers stage, yet. In fact I see myself as rather organized. I have neatly arranged piles of stuff (everywhere).

And I'm getting rid of things in this sale.

Gotta go now and find those #3dpn's that I know are in a box around here somewhere.

Studio moving

I have spent the last three days moving the studio.



I took a photo of a few of the boxes. In total there were 32 of the large plastic crates.
Mostly yarns. 4, or so, boxes of books and some filled with equipment ( one was knitting needles). So that meant there were 20 boxes of yarns and then the small boxes, 12 of those - all cottons. Bonnie said it, and it might be true .... I'm a yarn ho.

The only mishap occurred when I lifted a file cabinet and the top drawer whacked me in the temple. I still have a lump, but I have avoided a black eye.
Right now all of those boxes are in the new studio at the house and I'm trying to get everything put into some kind of order. Once the stuff is shelved I'll move in the table and the loom and set up the machines. I'm thinking of not setting the bulky machine up until I need it. They take up much more space set up then when they're packed up in the cases.

Next week I'll be in Toronto finishing up the collaboration and installing the piece. Oh. I also had a request for slides from someone who is doing a book on "art knitting". hmmm..... I'm thinking about that one.

Now it's back to the shop and moving this stuff in the sale. (fingers crossed)

The studio is going to be packed up today and I'll move everything except the loom and the large work table.

That means packing a ton (well half ton) of yarns and equipment into boxes. I'm expecting it to be a little slow around the shop so I should have the time.

My life is that mundane right now. Busy work but no photos. I just wanted to post and let everyone know that I am still around.

3 days and 400 miles.

This has been a week with a lot of driving.

I have been missing the studio. I get antsy about the work when I don't have the time for any. It is all packed up and some is in the shop and some is at it's new home. I don't see the machines being set up this month. So I have been working on smaller hand knit projects. (swatches and more swatches) as I try to figure out fun quick easy things to make.

And I have been shopping.


I think this yarn that I got from Scarecrow Farm might become hats.

I also bought a few skeins of sock yarn, oh yea, and a bag full of mercerized cotton, a new journal/pattern book, a few circular needles and some new dp bamboos. It seems that all of the creative energy is going to stash and equipment enhancement. I decided to stay away from the knitting machine listings on ebay, it just feels a little to dangerous when I'm wanting a Passap e6000. Haven't even looked (I might today).

The market at Brimfield was ok, we managed to sell a few large things and that means less to bring into the house. I think it also is the reason that my back hurts. Moving furniture in and out of the van at 5 am yeah, that is fun.

BTW - Is there a simple men's cardigan pattern out there? I need novice level, first sweater kind of thing. If any one knows of one please send me the info. I'm getting into that nesting mood.

Surviving Labor Day Weekend

The opening felt like a very good party. Thanks to everyone who came, hope you had fun.

The shop continues with lots of problems with water. I would say that at this point it's harassment. Coming into the shop to a floor covered in stickiness and damage really isn't the way I wanted this weekend to end.

I am still chanting one month left.

I'll be away until Thursday .....

Tonight's the night

The gallery space is almost complete. Some minor little things are left to do, but we installed the show and moved in some objects last night. I love the bamboo flooring. It's hard to believe that this was once a garage.

The rest of the house is also under control. Now we will see how many people show up and how badly the rain from the hurricane remnants effects things. The plans for an outdoor party have been shelved and everyone will be inside.

I'm feeling really good about this, and a little guilty since I am going to be at the shop all day and Fran has been left with the final cleaning and the food prep.

Last night I managed to make an heirloom tomato gazpacho and some toppings for bruschetta. I won't be home in time to do anything else, but I know that everyone is going to make this great.

The house is at the point today where everything is a total mess. I guess it is the turning point and now it should all start coming together.

We were out for the day and when we got home the contractor was sanding the kitchen floor. That's good it means that the floor should be laid today. The bad part was he didn't cover anything. The food. the counters, the stove, the cupboards. Everything was covered with dust. Somehow we managed to stay calm. Last night was spent cleaning and cleaning and cleaning. So now all of the dishes are cleaned, even the ones we haven't used for months.

The layer of dust created in the rest of the house will be swept up today......

....And in the shop. Drips. Yes there are still drips, a major reason for our leaving. I'm reminding myself that there is only one more month.

There, I even managed to find the time to update this blog.

Three days until a lot of people will be over and the gallery looks....

and a kitchen shot... notice no floor and everything piled beyond in the darkness. And I see Fran there too, and a bottle of wine.

2 Days Into The Sale

First, Thanks to Reader #7 and Reader #2 for your comments and sale lust.

Some things are moving. I am guessing that this week and the holiday weekend will be the most active time here.

The plan for this week is to get the studio pretty well packed up. That means no knitting machine news for a while. I am still doing the little projects, the sort of stuff that I can do while watching TV at night. (yawn) My attempts at being a real knitter using needles, and a pattern, and wool, stuff like that. We will see if anything gets done. Maybe there will be photos.

Otherwise the blogging may be sparse as I pack and clean and plan the open house for Saturday , OH, yea and I have got to get the things together for the trip to Toronto and the finishing of the unknown object.... That is planned for the end of September. Before that there will be the Brimfield antique market. and the sale is on for a month so.... I had better go and start working.

It's been getting busier.

I finally completed the things to send to Toronto. We are semi documenting the project at A-list Textilist and I have an image posted there.

There are also the "little" projects that I'm working on. Today at the farmers market I bought a skein of wool for a scarf.
It's from Scarecrow Farm in Hollowville, New York, the same people that I buy great eggs from.


The major part of the week though has been preparing the shop for a moving sale. It will start this weekend with everything 1/3 off. Here's the shop before the sale begins.

I'm nervous about it. All of this stuff needs to go, or most of it anyway.
The gallery at the house is almost done. We really just need the steps installed. We're planning an open house for next Saturday with a painting exhibit and sale. So a busy week ahead. I will try to keep you all (all 10 of you) posted on what's up.

Yesterday I had one of my revelations. I realized one of the reasons that I love living in this town.

The Artist's cemetery.

How many places can you think of with a separate cemetery (next to the town's cemetery) set aside for artists? Fran and I went there yesterday, looking for the grave of a local legend, Mary Weaver Wilson - who built the tower house around an oak tree. While we were there I just felt .... right... This is a really cool thing about Woodstock. There are musicians, and actor, and crafts people and painters, and sculptors. All in a special little place in town.

Some graves I noticed Hervey White founder of the Maverick artist's colony.

I also noticed Kuniyoshi's grave, and Guston's, and the Avery's. A real connection to history here.

I took photo's really I did but they aren't loading. Bah....

And now the links aren't working.
and Fran is pacing waiting to go somewhere....
Yikes, I started this off feeling nice and calm....

Deep breath

I also have a photo to post of the garage conversion.....

We're having an open house on the Saturday of labor day weekend. and we are showing the paintings of Mary Wilson. That prompted the trip to the Artist's Cementery and this post. Which somehow I have lost the thread of.....

Oh, well...... We're off for a day of art at Vassar.

I have been busy at the shop this weekend and there was no time to get any of the knitting done. I'll have a full day tomorrow to finish up the stuff and send it off to Toronto and the next step.

Part of the busy - ness has to do with the decision we've made to close the shop. Yep, were going to leave the store and move everything to the house. Including the studio. That has both of us feeling slightly overwhelmed since we live in a 1600 sq ft. house and the shop/studio is 3000 sq. ft. Something tells me we'll have to rent a storage unit.

Overall I am feeling great about the move. No more hassles with the bar upstairs, yeah!! So while it will be a frenzy around here for the next six weeks the outcome is going to be very positive. (can you tell that I am trying to live in the moment?)

The people who come into the shop provide me with endless amusement.

This week I had a long conversation with a woman about things in the shop, local places to go see and do. It was a fairly long conversation for the shop. She seemed normal and interesting. Then she says "I guess I can assume you're French?" , I say "why?". "Well, your accent". "Uhm, no that's New Jersey". "Oh" and she leaves the shop.

Tina, I know that you suggested that I speak to people in various accents while in the shop. But I wasn't. And I wasn't wearing a beret, who knows.

The rest of my week has been the usual machine knitting and sewing and at this point the work is at a creative standstill. I have a goal to get this one piece finished and off to Melissa. The goal was Friday, now moved to Monday.

I'm no Angel

Today is Mae West's birthday. My always inspiration. How gay is that!