I SOLD my first original pastel today!! What a day! It is such a honor to have someone appreciate the way you interpret life. Whether it is a drawing of a spindle or a bowl of vegetables - everyone sees things differently. Our interpretations are personal. Our emotions are permanently etched into the item whether we try to extinguish them or not. That is why I have always loved handmade things. A little bit of the artist's soul is placed into each piece. The energy pulsates off the paper, the pottery, the tapestry - whatever medium is used - and enters into the personal space of the one chosen to be its NEW caretaker. This energy transcends time & place. To the new owner of "Radish Trio" - I am honored to have a corner of your kitchen wall!! TAG ME ... you are it!!

This past weekend was the New Hampshire Sheep & Wool Festival. I have been going for the last few years - even before I started to spin. I would pack myself & my MoM - and off we would go - sharing the wonders of sheepies & wools. This year - distance and a First Communion stood in the way of me & the sheepies. Not that I REALLY minded as a First Communion is a very big deal. AND - I also want for nothing in Fiber-dom - is it just a wonderful playground to wander amongst like minded individuals! It is an incredible opportunity to support the local shephards/shephardess' as well as EWEnique time to concentrate on keeping spinning & other fiber arts alive. Sigh .... there is always next year! To appease my lustful soul - I spun & Navajo plied some yearling mohair which was sent to me in an exchange on Spindler's List a while back. The colorway is beautiful, and to my knowledge un-named. Therefore, I call it "Springtime Violets". Eventually, I think I will sell it - but for now - I wanted you to see it! TAG ME ... you are it!

A HaPpY MOM's Day to all who are mother's of children, animals or care takers of the Earth! Celebrating MoMs is a great idea - but one that I wished was recognized more than once a year. The word 'recognized' isn't right ... appreciated / respected seems to fit better. I both appreciate & respect my MoM. She sacrificed daily so that my SIS & I could have what we needed. That doesn't mean NEW clothes & NEW toys - we were without at times - but we were by no means poor. Instead of 'stuff' - we had a MoM who would play with us & take us sledding. Who made us learn to knit and taught us about our Lithuanian heritage. Who taught us right from wrong; encouraged as often as possible and disciplined when needed. She was MoM after all - and did not buy into the "parents are friends" theory. I am really glad about that too - you can have a ton of acquaintences and a handful of really GOOD friends - but you can only have one MoM!! I wish everyone had a MoM like mine. So - Thanks MoM!! AND have a HaPpY Day!! TAG ME ... you are it!

STRESS!!! For some reason, we (humans) have seem to accepted stress as a way of life. It has become both a 'reason' & an 'excuse'. We are 'stressed out'. As if living on the edge wasn't enough - we eat & drink to much so as to compensate for our stress-FILLED lives. We 'buy' way to much in order to satisfy some hunger deep within us - and then complain when we don't have room on our credit cards or room in our 'rooms' to move. I am just as guilty as the next. This week, I have been overly stressed. But - today, I have decided to deal with it. I have thrown my hands up in the air - yelled "I give up"!! and I have asked GOD to guide me. I think that HE is the opposite of stress and the 'darker side' has perpetuated stress so we over indulge, hate our neighbor, become selfish and wade thru a quamire of *%^& (also known as life). But - life is what we choose to make it. There will always be things that are out of our control: weather for one. But - do we really need to eat 4 cheeseburgers? Do we really need to drink a whole gallon of wine then think we can drive?? Do we have to spend so much time involved within ourselves - that we forget about a neighbor -and yet complain when that neighbor's child does something foolish? Today - hug a friend! Send a loved one a note or make a phone call!! Give your animal buddy an extra scratch behind the ears!! Donate to a favorite charity!! Leave 10 minutes early for work or an appointment!! Bring a hand picked flower to an elder-friend!! Instead of eating those 4 cheeseburgers - eat 2 and donate the $$ to the person standing behind you. BE STRESS-FREE!! I think your heart, health and happiness depend on it! TAG ME .... you are it!

I have been craving new fiber of late. Do I need any??? NO!!! Last count - I think I had 7 rubber maid bins full of fiber. The cedar chest is now holding completed skeins of handspun. I keep miscellaneous balls of yarn in a basket, ear marked for The Ship's Project. AND - I have a basket of roving next to Miss Robin. Sigh ... Why the fiber lust?? Truly a mystery that even Sherlock could not solve. While I am doing well to avoid temptation - I have been playing with fiber for the last 2 days. Yesterday, I continued to weave on my Hazel Rose looms for a future 'throw' for a future couch. I also completed a bobbin last night of bright green corridale that I will ply with a natural sheepie color for a marled yarn. Today - not only did I set the twist for my Spin-Off skein ... I also created a cell phone bag for ME!! I had been wanting to do this for a while and lo & behold, the planets were aligned and today was the day!! It was colonial roving that I had handspun a while ago. The skein - black shetland for "Spin-Off"!! I am pretty excited that I have started this week with such a creative blast!! TAG ME ... you are it!!

Well, tomorrow is May 1. This is the date that I had given myself to finish spinning the yarn for SIS's afghan. It is NOT completed. Sigh .... I had been going gangbusters for a while - then, life got in the way. I am grateful that I started it right after LAST Christmas!! I know that there isn't ALL that much more to do - the yarn will be completed in May. At least I started my rare breed 'spindle spun' skein for "Spin Off" today.... actually got a good amount done too. I am using 'shetland'. It is a wonderful black roving with silver wisps blended ever so gently. The sheepie is appropriately named "Ebony". The due date of the skein is June 30 - I hope to have it mailed next week. The skein itself can be up to 2 oz. I would be surprised if it weighed that much, but you never know. I am spindling it on my "Stasia # 33". I thought that was appropriate as Stas has done so much to keep the art of spindle spinning alive & well. Isn't this spindle cool?? ..... TAG ME .... you are it!

I have come to realize that when I don't do something fibery - I get kraBBy!! I haven't really done ANYTHING in a week - and I am beginning to feel overwhelmed by the prospect of starting something. There is still a ton of fiber which needs to be spun or knit! Sometimes for me - the hardest part of the project is starting it!! Weird, I know! Most people have the most difficulty finishing that second sock or sewing that sweater together! Not me .... whether it is a drawing or a bobbin of singles needing to be plied or a Klaudette design ... the hardest part is motivating myself to begin. So - here I sit typing away - procrastinating AGAIN! Tonight - I have decided to use my wheel, Miss Robin. Hmmm .... but what fiber??? TAG ME ... you are it!

Tomorrow is Easter! My husband & I play host to my family. I don't stress about cooking or cleaning. Being accepted for NOT being "Martha" is a HUGE stress-reducer. (No offense to anyone who is - I just feel why make life complicated and take the joy out of a visting Easter bunny!) My family knows I am NOT a gourmet cook. The also accept that my wheel & spindles will still be part of the decor. They also know that my pets are MY children and that my parrot will be at the dinner table at some point. Being accepted is a 'good-thing'. My niece & nephew have also become aware that I give out neat stuff at the table and sponsor a contest. The 'door prizes' this year are a painted top, a dark chocolate egg, a handwoven book mark (by ME) and popcorn. Why popcorn?? I recently found out my parents had given it up for Lent - I thought it would be a hoot!! The bunny with a rose pen tied to a box of strawberry/rose geranium candy is the 'contest prize'. The 'contest' - why guess how many pink MM's in the glass jar, of course!! Notice the center piece - handspun yarn with little Chicks (Thanks Lexi!!) Happy Easter to all!! TAG ME ... you are it!!

I have recently returned from a long weekend at the seashore. To those of you lucky enough to live by the sea daily - I am jealous! No other way to state it - no sugar coating there - just plain, unadulterated jealousy!! I love the ocean - always have. I am thinking that I lived a previous life on Block Island as I am so 'at home' there. Even though I live in MA - I have never seen Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket. Don't really have a desire to either, although I suppose I would visit the later rather than the former if truth be told. Water has such positive energy to it - it takes on a life of its own - causing the most incredible inspirations imaginable! This picture has the North Light way in the distance. For those of you who are "water babies" in dry-dock - may this photo inspire you! TAG ME ... you are it!

The SUN was actually shining today! This made 'Artist Day' even better - if you can believe that! I drew for about 5 hours and came away with a less than satisfactory piece. Ah well - I am far from perfect and yet it is amazing to me that I expect nothing less than perfection from my art pieces. C'est la vie! There is always next week. But - I hope that spring is here to stay for a while. I realized today that Easter is just around the corner. That is difficult to digest given the cold & snow we have been having on a daily basis. But - I am anxious to work in the garden and play amongst the flowers & vegetables. We leads me to say - pastels are an extremely messy medium - but then again, so is gardening. Due to being at the studio - Kim has provided me with some lucious scrubbing grains for easy clean up. They are gardening grains from Crabtree & Evelyn. Not only does it works wonders - but it also smells terrific too. The best part - a SALE which starts tomorrow!! Shop til you drop!! TAG ME ... you are it!

Winter decided to unleash her fury today. Snow, ice, rain - a cornicopia of frozen water. Although it was the perfect day for fibery fun - I have yet to touch anything fibery. To many chores. But - it was still a good day. I received another letter from one of our sponsored children. This is the second letter we received this week. The first was from one of our sponsored girls - Ana-cecilia. Today - our letter came from John-larri. Both children live in Columbia - and both reflected upon how happy they are that we are their sponsored 'parents'. I am delighted to know that we are making a difference in their lives. A difference I hope is for the better. In all - we sponsor 2 boys (Columbia & Paraguay) & 2 girls (Columbia & Malawi) - each child is a special gift to the world. I encourage you to check out the CHILDREACH website or give what you are able to your favorite charity this coming week. Everything we do for the better - is better for the world! TAG ME ... you are it!

Today, being Thursday, is my "Artist Day". Per Julia Cameron, author of "The Artist Way" - it is a date I have to indulge in an array of artistic outings. Usually, I spend the day with my pastel mentor Kim at her store/studio. It is a fun way to absorb the creative energies that puslate from her studio and her creations. I am delighted to report that I finished "Spindle Sibling # 3". This pastel was a long time in coming. Last weeks piece did not SPEAK to me the way that this one does. The star of this piece is my Kauri wood spindle which I purchased from the Bellwether. The wool - a romney lock from a sheepie named Fennel! I am tickled to share this with you!! AND - I am also happy to report that I mailed my 20th pair of slippers for The Ship's Project to Nancie!! She is the coordinator for our Charity Focus at Spindler's. With all the activity that our military is engaged in - I am honored that my handspun & knitting skills are being put to good use for these brave men & women!! TAG ME ... you are it!!

Drawing has been a struggle for me of late. Nothing has 'clicked' and when that happens - frustration sets in. I now have almost a whole pad of paper with semi-completed spindle pictures on them. Instead of viewing them as a waste - I have decided that they were experiments. They will never be completed. They will never be fixed. They are what they are: a spiritual struggle to draw what my HEART was trying to SEE. Spindles, themselves, aren't overly difficult to draw once the proper perspective in acheived. It is the roving! To draw something with such an 'airy' quality about it is hard to capture. I think it is even harder to photograph!! Meet my latest art piece - let me know what you think!! TAG ME ... you are it!

I have fallen in love with Navajo plYing!! Last week, I had practiced on a space dYed skein that I had purchased. I didn't want to ruin any handspun over a new techinque! Anyway - it came out fine - some burps & slubs, but that is what makes our yarns EWE-nique! So - this weekend, in taking a break from SIS's Christmas afghan - I spun a bobbin of assorted wools. This came from the Totally Tubular kits from THE BELLWETHER. It was so much fun to create such a colorful yarn. Much to my chagrin - I should have realized that this technique would use more yarn than a regular 2ply. Oh, well - if I DO make socks from this - they will have to be striped! Learn something new every day!! I also completed my 19th pair of slippers for THE SHIP's PROJECT!! YAY - the need is truly at its greatest now. If you can help - please do!! Here is a peek at my skein .... what do you think?? TAG ME .... you are it!

Today - the first official WHOLE day of spring!! It was a beauty here - a wee South O'Boston - and I look forward to many more of these days in the near future. I am also looking forward to DH re-installing the 'stuff' I need to be able to show you photos! I miss not doing that!! Hopefully, over the weekend - things will be back to normal!! I ran across some real interesting handspun yarn on eBay this week. In fact - I won an auction last night (naturally, when I meant not purchasing fiber until 7/1 - I really did mean SPINNABLE fiber!!)! Check out Lexi's HANDSPUN - doesn't it SCREAM inspiration!! Mine will arrive with little chicks embedded into the spun single - I can't wait for it to arrive!! Have a great night!! TAG ME ... you are it!

I have been busy trying to reduce the studio stash! It is So EZ to buy roving - and yet, I swear it takes a dog's age to reduce it to a skein. Skeins take up so little room in comparison to the unspun stuff. One of my goals is NOT to purchase anymore fiber until July 1. AND - another goal is to spin all the yarn for SIS's Christmas afghan by May 1. I have been spinning quite a bit on that - but find I get bored spinning 'natural sheepie colors' if I don't take a break from them every once in a while with a blast of color. Recently, my friend
STASIAplaced an order from
TREETOPS and she included my order with hers. Even though this order came all the way from Australia - I can't believe how quickly it arrived. I purchased 2 colorways: Vintage Port and Mango Tango. The Mango Tango reminded me of my bird Kiwi. Once again - I don't have the particular computer thingie I need to show you it! Sigh ....... but .....as soon as I am able - I will! TAG ME ... you are it!

Ever since changing the innards of my computer - I haven't been able to reduce photo size. Sigh .... If I tried to put photos on my BloG without shrinking them - I fear they would take up not only this whole page - but my all important bandwith usage too. Please bear with me while I try to figure it out. Until then - it is click able links! Today was a productive day. I always feel better about myself when I have been productive. I completed a KLAUDETTE Baby T shirt and I have begun to rid my studio of things I no longer use. I think productivity has a love/hate relationship with clutter. The more clutter - the less productive. It is almost like the clutter pulls the creative energy from me to use in reproducing more clutter. No more - this is a battle I will win! And - just to keep you current on my Ship's Project slippers - I just completed pair # 18!! How are your projects going?? TAG ME ... you are it!

Sunday. A day of rest and relaxation. Today, I felt like a slug. I feel like I accomplished ZERO! ZILCH! NA-DA! I did do some spinning and some knitting - but nothing overly taxing or creative. I find that when I am not engaged creatively - I am LAZY. I dislike being like this as I feel time is a precious commodity that is all to often wasted. Don't get me wrong - I also cooked, cleaned & did laundry - but I still feel LAZY. The sun was out today and I got to spend some time outside with the dogs in the sunshine. I was hoping that spurt of sunshine would do me good - I am surprised I wasn't more energized after the fact. Tonight, I will ask God to keep me on the creative path. When I deviate from the path, along with laziness comes stress eating - both of which are such big factors in an unhealthy life style. My friend STASIA asked me what kind of pastels I own. I thought I would answer here. Maybe if I talk about my pastels they will inspire me!! My inventory includes: a Sennelier half stick 20; a Schmincke half stick 30; Yarka Russian 185 full stick and a Conte 48 pastel pencil set. Quite an assortment of different textures & softness degrees. Sigh .... maybe I need to go play. TAG ME ... you are it!

Today is Ash Wednesday - and like some who recognize this day - I try to 'give up or do' something good for the season of Lent. Yes, I try to be a nicer a person, eat less, etc - but this year I have decided to give up clutter! You know how HARD this will be for me?? I have piles on top of piles and even though I can 'usually' locate anything I am looking for - it is time to let some stuff go! My husband is equally as bad and when you live in a small house, amongst fibers & art supplies - space is always at a premium. So - by the time Easter rolls around - I hope to be in great shape. Now, for those of you who give up chocolate - beware!! I have found some truly magnificent ORGANIC chocolate!! Green & Black's Chocolate is located in England. I had seen this confection in an organic catalogue and well, I lusted after it. But, while shopping locally, I noticed that they carried it! WOO-WHOO!! I purchase a bar of the white chocolate and may I say "YuM"!! So - if you are rethinking your 'lenten' offering - clutter is really the best way to go!! TAG ME ... you are it!!

This has been a 'spinning' week for me. I have worked diligently spinning 2 different grey wools and plying them together for my SIS's Christmas afghan. It is coming out quite wonderfully and freeing up some precious space in the stash bins. I also completed slipper pair # 17 for The Ship's Project . I am wondering if I can complete a personal goal of 50 at the end of this year. It would be a long shot as during the summer months - I don't tend to knit as much - but it is really a worthy cause. I will try my best! Speaking of best - for the months of January & February - I netted a cash goal of $35.00 for
Greyhound Friends, Inc.. This wonderful organization finds homes for retired greyhounds. I am willingly making this donation as I was 'paying myself' for not eating between meals, having 'A' glass of wine with dinner and exercising. I am pretty happy with this accomplishment. AND - I have also posted my lastest masterpiece!! I had to put it on my
Klaudette Home Page as I have yet to figure out how to shrink photos with the new programs installed on my computer. Heck, at least I could put the photo there! Let me know what you think!! TAG ME ...touche!