I’m a little confused ~

I just read this listing and am wondering what the last line really means. Was he going to let his wife use it? Did she wise up to his plans of passing her the “broken parachute” while he jumped using the one that wasn’t broken. Hmmmmm……

Broken parachute (Lynden)

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Date: 2010-01-12, 1:07AM PST
Reply to:

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This parachute is totally indestinguishable (sic) from
a working parachute. I got it custom made for me
from a friend who works at boeing. What you do with
it is UP TO YOU. I don't need it any more since my
wife left me.

• Location: Lynden
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

it’s late ~

No alligators tonight.

Back sleepers anonymous.

Hot cat against my back.

Those are three of the blog post titles I was thinking up as I was wishing for sleep to arrive.  It seems as though I’m getting one or two good nights each week. Otherwise, I’m struggling to fend off the cat or break my husband out of some wild dream he is having.

Last night it was alligators at his feet ~ legs kicking and body jolts on and off for at least half the night.  Other nights I am trying to get the cat far enough from my face so I can breath.  He just wants to be too damn close.

I just got up because my back is killing me ~ I can’t relax.  Steve is snoring like crazy and won’t roll off his back. He’s always sleeping on his back and letting out house-shaking snorts and snores. And the cat won’t give me enough room to be comfortable ~ Steve gets half the bed, the cat gets 3/8s, and I get the bit that’s left. 

I know, people do think it is strange that I just don’t kick the cat off the bed, but he bites.  He bites really hard and gets unreasonably mad at me.  I’ve woken up many times in the wee hours with the cat chomped down on my nose. And yes, he DOES draw blood.  So, you see, it is just best not to antagonize him.

So not only does Steve dream of alligators at his feet, I experience a feline alligator at my face ready to make a meal of my nose.

Did I mention that my back hurts?  Spasms. Need sleep, need sleep…

Here’s the only kind of “alligators at my feet” that should be allowed.

I was just looking around the web to see if there really could be a group called Back Sleepers Anonymous.  I found Late Sleepers Anonymous, Tummy Sleepers Anonymous, Non Sleeper’s Anonymous, but no Back Sleepers.

There really should be the “it isn’t fair that the wife gets to be sleepless anonymous” group.  I wouldn’t go, I’d send Steve and cat.  The group would only meet after 1:00am of course and there’s be no dozing allowed. 

They would all have to sit in uncomfortable wooden chairs like the ones in the Whatcom Museum’s Rotunda Room.  The kind that are just a bit too high to allow you to get comfortable, and during the second hour of sitting they always make your legs begin to go numb.

That’s it. That would begin to torture them just enough to get a small taste of my nights. Maybe they’d have to wear the alligator pumps in the photo above just to top it off.  Hummm. Maybe they would have to listen to Glenn Beck talk for 3 to 4 hours (don’t worry, I won’t add his photo to the blog).  Yeah, yeah, that’s it…that would really be torture.

Barber’s ~

Getting excited for the next guild meeting!  Al Currier will have a great presentation on the Barber Handweaving business that was on the Lummi Reservation. 

Over the weekend I stumbled upon this Barber outfit at a local antique shop (see below).  Do you have any Barber items?  If you do, be sure to bring them as a show-and-tell item for our meeting on Jan. 13th.  I know that members will be anxious to see what was produced in Whatcom County 40-50 years ago.

Caught a glimpse of this “get up” and knew instantly that it was a Barber. 

Shot a picture of the Barber’s tag and the shop’s sales tag ($80!).

A close up of the pattern.

delightfully bombed ~

One of the many moods of Mandy ~ Yarn bombing wear.

What a blast ~ the bomb! December is always a questionable month for Whatcom Weavers Guild programs. Many things seem to get in the way ~ holidays, shopping, parties, or snow! But this year’s December program went off with out a hitch.

Yarn Bombing authors Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain visited us in Bellingham last Wednesday and shared a thoroughly entertaining program.

Leanne (below) worked the PowerPoint presentation while Mandy (above) hammed it up while showing off the items that were featured in their book.

Leanne Prain sharing a sweater designed for and included in Yarn Bombing.

One of the ways I’ve learned to judge a good program is by laughter. Mandy and Leanne scored! The room chuckled, chortled, and snorted ~ yep, good meeting!

The girls also sold plenty of books and happily complied to the many requests to have them signed.

Thank you so much for coming down to Bellingham to share Yarn Bombing!

Linda Sue, wearing her mitts, quietly prays for the life of the small beast that was killed for her fashion needs.

~cross post with www.whatcomweavers.blogspot.com~

updates & corrections ~

Chloe French with her loom and woven work.

Thank you Chloe for your comment, corrections, and additional information.  If you haven’t read Chloe’s comment on my last post, I have copied below so that folks can have easy access to what she shared.

Gunalcheesch tlein (thank you very much - Tlingit)

These are wonderful pictures of the Art Market and Courtney's and my work.

The girls singing are from the George family. The woman behind the spruceroot basket is Kitty Young from Petersburg, Alaska. The man in the hat is Floyd Warbus.

Our style of weaving is not warp-weighted but I can see why you thought that. The coverings at the bottom of Courtney's warp are only there to keep it clean. There are no weights in them. We weave using the basketry technique twining. The warp is free hanging, that is there is no tension on it.

Thank you again for this.
Chloe

If the opportunity arises to view, learn, and appreciate the remarkable woven work created by our indigenous neighbors, be sure to take it. I am certainly glad I did this year and will plan to attend future Native Art Markets at Northwest Indian College.

t t t t t t t t t t t t t

And  for those of you who might be curious about my last post calling out the visitor hits from Stavanger, well yes, we did make contact.  And yes!  We are related.  All very cool!  I knew there had to be family in Norway that I resembled ~ had no idea we looked THAT similar.  Genetics are amazing ~ and so is the internet!!!

Native Art Market ~

On Saturday I visited the Lummi Reservation.  They were having their annual Native Art Market at Northwest Indian College.  It is fascinating to see the wonderful weaving ~ baskets, blankets. 

I had a nice visit with Courtney Lipson who is a non-native studying under weaving Chloe French. Both women have work at the Stonington Gallery in Seattle.

Courtney was weaving on her warp-weighted loom ~ she was working on her first blanket. 

      

The blanket is a Wedding Robe ~ she’s marrying in August.  She leg-spun the warp from February through September and is now weaving.

She showed me her weaving draft ~ there’s a lot of work to be done before August!

Her frame loom was made by her partner who added special carvings.

 

The idea that these robes are all created by hand manipulating the warp and weft boggles my mind.  The time and skill it would take to finish a piece is unreal.

 

 

While I was visiting with the weavers, these young women came into the room to sing.

When they were finished, I walked around and took some shots of the incredible baskets.

  

As I headed to the door, I took one last shot of this gentleman in his woven cedar bark hat ~ notice all the cedar baskets on his table.

I’m lucky to live only 15 minutes away from the Lummi Reservation. The land is beautiful ~ eagles, hawks, falcons, owls ~ they are all there and it is a perfect bird watching area.

It is wonderful that the Lummi group invites the whole community out to enjoy this event.  Thank you!

Searching for Peder Fosse? ~

YooHoo!  Someone over in Stavanger, Norway has been looking around this blog for information on my great grandfather Peder Mandius Fosse. 

Leave me a comment with your contact information or e-mail me at mabelswish (at) msn (dot) com.  I’d be happy to share genealogy info on the Fosse family.

Ragnhild & Peder Fosse

 

On hooks and needles ~

Can’t wait!  Can you?

On Wednesday, December 9, 2009, Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain will be coming to Bellingham to talk bombing ~ Yarn Bombing that is!

What marvelous timing (serendipitous even) to have the Yarn Bombing gals for a visit and program just days after Handmade Nation (the indy film) played at the Pickford Theatre. 

For those not in the know, Yarn Bombing (it isn’t just the title of their book and website yarnbombing.com, it’s an activity – a verb!), seems to be finding its place in the fiber world.  Take a look below ~

 

From the spooky to the functional (ever been cold in a phone booth?), yarn bombing is for all ages and abilities!

Most important of all, keep a sense of humor and have fun.

To learn, hear, and absorb more about Yarn Bombing, be sure to come to the Whatcom Weavers Guild meeting this Wednesday, December 9th beginning at 6:30p for a social time before the official meeting start time at 7p.  We meet in the same place each month, St. James Presbyterian Church’s lower-level meeting room located at 910 14th Street in Bellingham, WA.  Visitors are always welcome ~ plus it is free!

For more information, contact me directly ~ Julie Barnes at mabelswish@msn.com.

NOTE:  This is a cross post with www.whatcomweavers.blogspot.com.

Christmas never looked so good ~

Will Santa bring me all the pencils I want for Christmas? Most aren’t even sharpened!

Huge Pencil-Pen Lot - $20 (Bellingham)

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Date: 2009-11-22, 9:53PM PST
Reply to: craigslist.org

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Huge Pencil-Pen Lot
All Pencils all Unsharpened unless noted. Some are in their original boxes some are bundled by me.
13) American Eco-Writer(bundled with paper cover)
10) American (2-HB) Eberhard Faber
8) American(2-HB) Faber Castell
6) BIC (Black Ink Rollers) Vintage,all apens still write great.
1) Black w/Adidas Logo
6) Blackstonian 555 #2 Universal
5) Boeing Future of Flight
1) Box Dixon Ticonderoga (1388) No.3 (1 pencil sharpened, missing eraser top) Vintage,1940's?
2) Boxes of 12 Dixon Ticonderoga (1 Box has 12, 1 box has 11) (Date?)
2) Boxes of 12 Dixon Ticonderoga (1990's?)
1) Box of 12 Dixon Ticonderoga (Black) similiar to the Dixon Ticonderoga Millenium(1 pencil used)
2) Sealed packages of 10 pencils each of Dixon Trimline Pencils.
8) Eberhard Faber Col-Erase Violet
12) The H.H. West Co's Idol No.2(vintage) Date?
5) General Pencil Company Kimberly Carbo Weld (H) Vintage
5) General Pencil Company Kimberly Carbo Weld (2H) Vintage
4) Mirado Black Warrior (2 older Style, no hearts)
1) Papermate Classic (HB-2) 5 Green, 6 Blue
11) Postal(Thin Lead Red Color Pencils) w/cover
2) Bundles of 12 Skilcraft Bonded No.1 Soft.
4) Tower Records(1 sharpened)
7) X2 Live Line (No.2) in Plastic Package (missing one pencil) open at bottom.

• Location: Bellingham
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

flailing arms & a room full of laughter ~

…thanks to Ms. Kim Werker!  Last night Kim entertained the Whatcom Weavers Guild in Bellingham and had members laughing so hard I bet the 12-step group upstairs could hear us through the ceiling. 

I know, unbelievable ~ who thought stuffy old weavers could muster a chuckle let along a belly laugh.  But they did.  Kim’s presentation was delightful and made us all rush home to look up crochet patterns on the internet ~ I know I went looking for the seraphina shawl.

Kim was adamant that crochet doesn’t have to be like what we remember from the 1970s.  With the beautiful array of yarns available today, crocheted items can have lovely drape and be as soft as a dream.

Or….you can go the other direction and create wonderful art installations like Mandy Greer, or reach into your dark humorous side like Patricia Waller.

Yes, these strange vignettes are crocheted.

If you want to learn more about some of this great crochet ~ check out my post from early this year ~Crochet~.

For more about Kim’s great program, go check out her blog and dear Linda Sue’s too.

suzzy to me ~

The cabbage rolls are out of the oven, all my workshop gear is lined up in the hallway, and the fridge is stocked for three days worth of potluck fixings.

Tomorrow I’ll join about 20 other folks for year #2 of a fall spinning workshop taught by Ms. Spinning Guru herself ~ Ms. Judith MacKenzie McCuin.

Like last year, I know my head will nearly explode with all the information she’ll dish out to us. And this year she’s going to teach base don the Interweave book Fleece in Your Hands. So I’m ready for the brain swell.

Out of the 4 spinning wheels (there are 5 in the house, but one is still under construction with new paint job that is progressing every so slowly), I prefer to take my Majacraft “Suzie” wheel. She gives my the most control and options. “Suzie” being the name the manufacturer call the model, it isn’t the way I think of her.

My sister’s name is “Suzy”, so when I think about my wheel, I think “Suzzy” as in Suzzy Roche.

Suzzy & Maggie Roche ~ Killer shoes, Suzzy!

Now if I could only wear those while spinning!

Now go listen to The Roches.

last breath bruises ~

A previous collection for Sandra Backlund, but it’s my favorite.