Plain and Practical

More Homeless Sewing, More Job Hunting

Gee, this just does not look like the hours of work that it actually required.  I went through my Closet of Doom (boxes fall on your head, you could die) and got out the wool boxes and then sorted out larger pieces and blankets suitable for making more homeless supplies.  Then cutting and pinning . . .

This is 19 pairs of mittens @ four pieces each mitt, and eight scarves.  Lots and lots of sewing, first by machine and then finishing up by hand.

Also been spinning soft blends of llama and wool I carded on the drum carder, knitable weights.

Am almost over my chest cold.  Funny, I thought after the surgery was my "watch yourself" time of vulnerability--but this creeping crud has ahold of my friends in five states.  I did visit a potential job site this morning.  Oh, but I am so hungry for some work, some purposeful thing to do to help others, a real label again.  I feel like all my administrative and people skills are languishing, wasted on a cat who sleeps most of the day in whatever room I'm using the most.

Am itching to get started on the large sketches for the paintings in my head.  I can get rolls of paper fairly cheap, that's not a problem, and it will be good to have them ready when it's time to stretch and gesso the canvases.  Full sized sketches are best for me, don't have to extrapolate them into the larger format when transferring them, and the sense of scale/line size ratio is already worked out in advance.

Almost done, three pairs left to sew around the cuffs, and then the 18 pairs of homeless mittens and the six scarves will be ready to dispense on the streets of Detroit.  And, I went through all my socks and sorted out 18 pairs of long fuzzy soft warm ones--because we'll be here on this cheap carpeting for at least another two years and you can't wear them without creating truely magnificant static electricity fireworks.  I wore a pair yesterday and YOWSA touch the cat and you both black out, momentarily unconscious.  No cheap nylon carpet out there on the streets so fuzzy and warm orlon and acrylic is good.

Thanks again to Rufus, who provided the materials!  Good Husband and I have been sick for days with the hack-your-lungs-out creeping crud, mine just keeps hanging on and on, his is better (of course.  Germs can't live in such sweet environments).  We made jokes last night that I was being like the Grouch and needed to put the lid back on my trash can.  It was only funny because it was so true.  You know you're sick when you pick on the one person you love more than anyone else on earth.

I hate being sick, it's going around, friends in Ohio and western Michigan and in Indiana all have it, sinus and cough and fevers and sweats.  What I've kept down since last Wednesday would not make a single meal.  So sitting quietly and finishing these mittens was about the best I could manage, but at least, it was something, and it's important to someone who gets to wear a pair.

12 Hours of Spinning

Not bad, 13 skeins.  There's four more singles in the living room next to the spinning wheel, to be plied later, so that will make a total of 15 skeins to mail off to Ginko Galleries, in Oberlin, Ohio.  They have been selling my handspuns for me for over ten years, lovely ladies.  These are all natural colors, no dyes, in wool, llama, alpaca, mohair, and camel fibers.  The single ply ones still need to be plied, of course, for making good knitting and weaving yarns.

We drove over to the Salvation Army office today, just to see the location.  I applied for work there and am hoping to have an interview, God willing.  Now that I feel all repaired and right, after my surgery, I am excited about being given an opportunity to help others.  I also have been planning a painting show and need to earn some money for canvas to stretch, 2x4s, and paints.  I picked out the 4731 Gallery, on Grand River, and need to give her deposit money and pick dates.  No moss growing here, I think, and then I see Boo:

who is very not busy and has one paw over his eyes to keep out the very grey day.  That is not bright light, Boo!  Sometimes while I'm typing I look over and his little rabbitty feet are pawing along and his ear is twitching and I wonder what kitties dream about.  Tiny little hoomans trapped in noisy paper grocery bags?  Maybe I don't want to know.