Don't miss our new exhibit!

I'm giving you a sneak preview of two of my favorite paintings in our exhibition of work by Lawrence County artist Janet C. Foster. I have always had a deep appreciation for our southern Indiana Amish community, and in these two paintings I believe Janet has beautifully depicted the quiet dignity of their lives. The Amish are not her only focus, however; Janet's work captures both Indiana and western landscapes and people with honesty and love. Don't miss this exhibition! You can view it through March 4, and admission is free.

I've become, as some of you have suspected, addicted to tatting, and since my last post have finished several small projects. The most recent, just completed yesterday, is this edging lace, from the book "Tatting" by Carol M. Winandy. It looks pretty on the towel, but those large holes in the center may cause trouble when I try to wash it. Stay tuned for the final verdict.

The loom has been shipped from California and is due to arrive later this week. We'll see if weaving manages to displace tatting and quilting in my affections; so much art, so little time!

A Loom Looms!

Woo-hoo! I was the top bidder on a 36" Harrisville four-harness floor loom on eBay. I have wanted a floor loom since I was about five, when my Grandma Cross took me and a half dozen paper grocery bags of rolled-up rags out to see a weaver in the woods around Elkinsville. This lady had a huge loom on the back porch of her little hillbilly-style house, already warped and ready for my grandma's rags. I sat there on the porch and watched her turn those rags into rugs, and I have wanted to weave ever since.

Last year I took a weaving class at Yarns Unlimited in Bloomington and was really hooked, but life and the Foreign Service intervened and those trips to Bloomington got farther and farther apart. Now we will have a loom right here in Bedford. Too cool.

The loom is in California, so it will take some time to get it here, but stay tuned for weaving adventures. Save your old t-shirts and we'll make some rugs.

Last post on tatted hearts, I promise!

I'm taking some of these hearts to the Waldron in Bloomington tomorrow to put in a "Valentine Mart," but I thought I would put up a picture to show you what our door looks like in all its glory.

I had a lot of fun tatting, but it's time to move on to the next project, a sweater in Blue Sky Bulky yarn that I bought on sale at In a Yarn Basket (www.inayarnbasket.com). I took every skein they had, but I'm pretty sure it isn't enough to finish the sweater. I'm scouting around for a yarn in a solid teal that will coordinate with it well--any ideas? Here's a photo so you can see how really chunky this yarn is (I'm using #17 needles).

Renovation update: DH spent most of the last week installing window moldings on the second floor of the sheriff's house. I'm getting loopy from the smell of polyurethane, but it's worth it. Some day the house will be finished and we can turn our attention to the cell blocks.

Morenna

Back to Solsberry--this time to check out the offerings at Robin Edmundson's studio (you can find her at www.morenna.com). I met Robin in October at the Fiber Arts Festival at Corydon, just as she was closing up her booth and tucking the most beautiful yarns into boxes. She said she welcomed visitors, and so I arranged a visit for myself, Bev and Necoe, both students in last fall's sock knitting class.

Robin lives a few miles from Solsberry on a back road that was covered with packed snow and quite hilly, so we held our breath on our way in. We needn't have worried--my old Toyota clung to the road and we cruised up and down the hills and right on into Robin's driveway. We found her in her studio with her two daughters, who were spinning yarn like professionals. There were so many beautiful yarns that it was hard to focus at first, but since (as you all know by now) I am obsessed with tatting hearts, I picked out some pinks and a variegated cotton in shades of blue for a summer top (by this time the temperature was in the high 40's and we were all thinking about spring). Necoe and Bev fixated on a soft angora blend and proceeded to split what was left of it between them. Robin also makes irresistible fragrant soap, a couple of bars of which found their way into my bag. As Necoe's former sock knitting teacher, I was delighted when she chose an expensive but intriguing hank of yarn to make "watermelon socks." What with ooh-ing and aah-ing over all the great stuff, we were there about an hour before our stomachs told us it was time for lunch. A quick stop back at Ellie Mae's for more of that green apple and passionfruit soap I bought the last time, and a handwoven rag rug that I talked myself out of the last time, and we were off for heartwarming chili and grilled cheese at the cafe on highway 45.

All in all, Solsberry is getting to be a happening place, and we Lawrence County girls had a whale of a time. The thread I bought is a little finer than I'm used to tatting with, but I made a heart with it anyway. The art center door is getting too small for my collection of crocheted and tatted hearts. Good thing it's only a week until Valentine's Day.