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!

Winter 2003 will certainly be remembered for a while. Here on the East Coast - between snow & rain - I am nothing short of soggy. I feel like a duck! Not going to complain TOO much as I am sure this will benefit us all this coming summer. Our water supply should be VERY adaquate. YAY for all those thirsty trees, flowers & vegetables. It is nice to think of warmer weather, of being/playing outside! Of dogs sleeping in the sunshine and birds singing in the trees. Yes, spring & summer will be here very soon. Today, I started spinning the yarn for the border of my sister's Christmas afghan. It will take some time amongst all the other things I want to do - but hey, least I started it!! I also finished my 16th pair of slippers for The Ship's Project !! We still could use all the help that we can get - so once again, feel free to join if you can. It is a great way for me to use my handspun AND what incentive to do MORE fiber shopping!! (Shopping is always more fun when it is for a good cause!). I will start another pair this week ... just in honor of the fact that I can!! TAG ME .... touche!

As I type this morning - I am looking out the window waiting patiently for the first flakes of THIS snowstorm to fall. I *think* this will be our 100th snow storm of the winter. Yes - that is an exaggeration, but it sure does feel like it. Spring is in 32 days and while I look forward to more sunshine and blooming flowers & birds singing - I will miss the peacefulness that a winter snow storm envelopes us in. Today will be a great day for pastels and fiber! Especially since my DH ran off with my Jeep - Ok. I admit - he has to work on this holiday & I don't! Some one has too, right??? But - in all fairness, I did get to post 3 new KLAUDETTES this weekend. One of which already sold and the other 2 have bids! Plus, there was a special order too!! So - I think I am earning my keep just fine!! If you could take a moment and help "The Ship's Project" - it would really be appreciated. The Project's website is involved in a competition - the more clicks it gets -the more exposure! Therefore, there is a greater chance to reach more people to knit / crochet for the US military. You can VOTE once a day! Just scroll down to until you see "The Ship's Project". Then click away.

Finally - after a month of sketching & planning - I released my first "Klaudette" of the year!! The item itself, is called The WOOL Room. It is a roomy satchel that can pretty much accomodate - well, a lot of your wool room! Spindles, needles, dpn's, pocket looms - all the FUN stuff!! Of course, roving, wool and hand cards (did I really say that??) fit nicely too - with room to spare!! Creativity comes in bursts for me. I find the more I create - the MORE creative I am. So - look out! I will be spinning and or knitting tonight. The temperatures are still VERY cold and it is nice to have my fingers running thru some fiber - it is very comforting in this wacky world. I hope that you continue your journey of creating your masterpieces. After all - you are the only one in the Universe who can create something from your heart & soul. Please don't deprive all of us of your glorious wonder! TAG ME ... you are it!

Today - I mailed off my 15th pair of slippers for The Ships Project. I am excited about completing so many pair for such a worth while cause. I am REALLY even more excited as I have gotten several other people interested in the project! Word of mouth (AND email) is an invaluable resource. Yesterday - I actually used a spindle. It was the first time in a few days that I had spun anything. My time is being spent playing with my pastels & trying to learn French on my own. No easy task - I dare say! I have a tendency to 'flit' for one project to the next. I am not sure if this is more lack of concentration or focus. I will try to get better at both as I know it will help me in the long run. I hope you are having a productive week ... let me know!! I would love to soak up some creative energy from you! TAG ME ... touche!!

Bonjour!! Suffice to say - I have had a lot going on in recent days. Knitting, spinning, reading "The Artist Way" and "Simple Abundance", plus drawing!! I finally finished my first pastel and thought I would share it with you here. I am not sure what to call it - a drawing or a painting - oh heck!! I will just call it a "masterpiece". (Can you tell that I am pretty proud??) I have been drawing for as long as I can remember - which is actually longer than I have been knitting. I do have an amazing teacher who I *think* brings out the best of my style. This is actually a Bosworth spindle. I liked to draw the 'roundness' of the whorl and their craftsmanship made my job EZ-PZ! Let me know what you think - I am looking forward to my new career of 'STAR-ving Artiste' !! TAG ME ... touche!!