Studio Time

Today I had a little helper with me in the studio. It’s been a while since Levi and I have been able to work side by side or even compatibly for that matter, on a project. It seems that we drift in and out of these phases with each other. Some days his energy is big and brash and we need to spend our “together time” outside or he really just wants me to be his playmate. Other days he’s more contemplative and mellow and I am able to include him in a project of my own.This afternoon while Calvin was napping, Levi helped me ball up several hanks of yarn that I recently obtained. We made a good team, in fact. He pulled the yarn from the swift and I stood across the room winding the ball. It was fun to talk about the different yarns and why some balls ended up being bigger than the others. He played with it, smelled it, gave his opinions about which one would make a pretty sweater and which one wouldn’t, which was hilarious to me, because I still haven’t finished a sweater…yet. When he tired of pulling yarn, he noticed some new embroidery hoops that were sitting on my table. He likes using them to make fabric drawings and so that occupied him for awhile, until… this little guy woke up and joined us. Calvin and permanent markers don’t make the best match these days, as attested to by one of our chairs….ahem. So, we put away the drawing hoop and markers, opened the garage door and headed outside. It was a sweet and productive time with my number one son…he sure is a good helper.On New Year’s Eve, I always purge through our “stuff”…clothes, toys, books etc. It’s sort of a cathartic way to start the new year. In my pile I had several skeins of duplicate craft yarn that needed to find a new home, so I brought it to the local thrift store which I frequent quite often in search of sweaters and other supplies. And what did I find in return? MORE yarn, of course. But not just any yarn…wool, cotton, mohair, silk and rayon yarns. It was laughable and rather karmic, I thought. Much of the yarn is just left over scrap balls, but that’s so perfect for what I do, especially all the trimming on the coffee cuffs and sweater mitts. One yarn in particular was a stupendous score (see the one on the right that looks like the color of autum leaves?). Eight complete balls of hand dyed, 100% wool by Araucania Yarns from Chile. I have no idea what it will become, but it was 50 cents a ball…that’s right, 50 CENTS!!!! I died and went to Heaven in an instant. And I couldn’t pass up a few online year-end yarn slaes, could I? A nice little mixed-bagged package arrived on my doorstep the other day, much to my delight. The sweater chopping has been ongoing as well and a few new pieces were recently thrifted, awaiting their turn on the cutting table.