Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine notices a slight shift of balance...

Despite still struggling with insomnia, my creative self seems to be coming back to life. I'm beginning to work through some of the long standing projects on my list, and finding inspiration in various new ideas. Looking forward to building art connections with online friends, and excited about learning things and playing with materials.

※※※

at the bus stop

Every day my intention is to see beauty in the world, to document the way that shape and color and saturation or the lack of it, and texture come together if only we notice. If I was a painter, I would never lack for inspiration. For now, I am just paying attention, and when my attention is drawn towards some combination, catching it in some form or another. Mostly with my phone camera, because convenient...

※※※

I began working out a pattern for a pair of night socks. Lotion helps my dry skin, but needs to be kept covered overnight to protect my bedding. Since my everyday socks are compression stockings, they aren't much help. I found a diagram online and used that as a starting point, though the finished objects it made were not any sort of match for my feet. It was necessary to do some significant reshaping, and adding in a good sized triangle across the instep. Probably the Polartec I was using to sample the idea wasn't ideal, but my adaptations worked well enough for a first attempt. I shall rummage around on the resource shelves and see if there is any cotton jersey with a robust lycra content for my next pair.

※※※

~ if I had a hammer ~

Svava asked me to draw some line art of a Viking style bear holding a hammer, so she can use the motifs to embroider a tunic for her son Vanya. We are all really happy that after being in a horrific wreck last summer, that he is finally well enough to leave the hospital, though he will be continuing rehab for the indefinite future. I can't do much to be of help, but I can at least draw pictures. Before the accident, Vanya was becoming a talented art blacksmith. I've known the family for almost 30 years, and known him since he was just a bump inside his mama, 20+ years ago.

※※※

Wanda gave me two small thrifted leather jackets to reuse... while the black one was "pleather" and therefore not useful for anything, the tan real leather one will have enough salvageable material that I will be able to finally begin the pair of my own hand sized work gloves. I took a class and made a pattern back in 2018, but the project languished due to lack of suitable leather. With luck, they can be finished prior to any of the sorts of yard and garden tasks for which they would be ideal protection.

※※※

January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	striped tabletweaving	drawings for Vikki	recycle bin
2	night socks toile	-	yard waste bin
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. 6 month post surgery, a clean bill of health from Dr O... no new skin cancers in evidence.
2. a rising sense of internal creativity
3. In the info flyer from my state representative, he helped secure significant funding (15 million) toward replacing our community pool, which was closed down due to structural issues late in 2019

Time of Isolation - Day 1037