A Week in the Life (& Tales to Tell....)

The WillOaks Campground has been building to a crescendo all May and we're smack dab in the middle of Memorial Day Weekend, the unofficial start of Summer.  We're all filled up with happy campers here, in spite of the dodgy weather, and it's good to see all the campers ready to switch from swimming suits and shorts to jackets and hoodies because between heat, sun, rain, hail, and wind, we've had a little of everything over the past week.

When I'm into this mode, that is, the camper life mode here at WillOaks, I really do seem to notice nature with more detail than during "everyday life."  Last weekend we had a unique occurrence that seemed scary at first.  But on closer inspection, and after a few phone calls, the amazing phenomena made me very very happy:  A honey bee swarm passed through and chose to pause for the night on the southwest corner of the only building in this part of our acreage: the bath house.  It took awhile to realize that yes, it WAS just honey bees and not the dreaded wasps which are also all around in early abundance.   The bee "cluster" built slowly, bee by bee, over the whole afternoon until it was, by dusk, the seething mass that I captured in an iPhone photo here.

Problem was, in the bathhouse proper, a few bees wandered in through cracks in the window frames and so there were also a lot of worker bees flying around in the Men's Room.  Ah well, we closed it off and declared coed bathrooms for an evening.  Meanwhile, unwilling to kill a single honey bee, I worked the phones (in spite of the fact that it was Saturday night) and found a very helpful and knowledgeable beekeeper, Frank Reiss, who keeps bees in Genoa, Illinois a little ways southwest of here.  He helped us comprehend what we were seeing here, and gave us good information about what it all meant and what would probably happen next.

Frank predicted that 1.)  the bees would not be aggressive because they were swarming which means they are on the move to find a new home, but were NOT defending a home just then, 2.)  were focused on protecting the queen in their midst and were just resting for the night and 3.) would probably be moving on at daylight the next morning, as they continued their hunt for a new hive.  It all came true and in retrospect, this was actually thrilling to me because I had read about "bee swarms" but have never witnessed one and also because I've noticed the general demise and even absence of honey bees around here the past couple of years (speaking as a gardener) and to see a healthy population of them, even if it may have been a relatively small one, was a very hopeful sign.

It's a double!

 

Speaking of hopeful signs, I'll conclude my nature post with a series of photos made by a friend, Teri Vandenboom, who frequents the campground, typically pointing her camera at almost everything.  And it's another special natural occurrence:  a spectacular double rainbow, that faded to a brilliant single rainbow, all thanks to that special convergence of sunlight and rain--a prism, to the nth degree.  The visions that myths are made of....now about that pot of gold?  I hope the bees found their new home somewhere nearby and that the pot of gold is a brand new hive chock full of healthy bees and honey, all ready to keep our local ecosystem hale and hearty!

We'll conclude our WillOaks Campground recap with a new image for the "Camping Cats" file.  In this chapter, Purrmeister reenacts that line from Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, where the sheepdog is referred to as an "unmade bed."  Uh huh, that unruly mass of fur? It's one of our local unmade beds, I mean, one of our camping cats.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend, and do remember our fallen heroes who defend America and all her highest ideals.  Happy Memorial Day!

Camping Cats: Adjustments

 Poor Mom--We all have to eat up on the counter so Dakota doesn't butt in and hog all our wet food.  It's a bit chaotic until we each get our faces into our own bowls but eventually, everyone is happy.  We make excellent use of a small space....

Purrmeister has taken over each and every corner here in the camper at one time or another. 

I caught him on the bed here last night and just died laughing.  He's grown to be so flat that laying on his back has become quite normal for him.  This is an exquisite example of "letting it all hang out."

The new challenge is I fear they are sort of bored since I'm away working so much.  So the hunt is on to find new toys and entertainment including stapling carpeting to choice corners or they will tear the place apart very soon.

Another True Confession

So here's the story. Last winter, I was contacted by folks from VOGUE Knitting in response to seeing my crocheted silk beaded cuffs in my Etsy studio. They wanted me to make a custom sample and write a pattern for my design, and then they sent me materials that they selected for this sample. Here are my photos of 3 pieces I ended up making for them last January-- the top row is the one with their materials, and the middle and lower rows with my materials, created as variations on their theme.


You might recognize these pieces, if you look at my blog or WillOaks Studio on Etsy, but I never listed this set in my Etsy studio.

Well, they can finally be seen in the finished published (paper) form, because Crochet Special Collector's Issue 2012 Fashion Preview hit the newsstands today!

Some early snippets from this publication can be previewed here. I don't think I've ever seen crocheted pieces created or displayed in such an elegant and high fashion manner....now, look closely at the wrists in the photos under "A Fine Romance" section, especially the top couple of rows? Notice anything?

OK, so squint a little if needed. Those are my cuffs! And in the magazine version, there are additional photos plus patterns available for all the DIY fiber folks. In fact, there are patterns for ALL the amazing pieces in this issue. I will have more to say about this shortly, but for now, a few photos are in order!!

The publishers sent me these early photos featuring my cuffs, with photo credits as noted below each.

Vogue Knitting Crochet 2012, photo by Rose Callahan

Vogue Knitting Crochet 2012, photo by Rose Callahan

Vogue Knitting Crochet 2012, photo by Rose Callahan

You know, I never said a word about this because I wanted to be very sure, first, that my work would even make their final cut. And then, to see how the whole project would come together, being a total neophyte to this and all. Oh, and superstitious too, I guess, like I mentioned earlier in my other big secret winter project--buying my new place. I just didn't want to jinx it!

And now that it's all public, I can say that I think it is one of the most beautiful publications I have ever seen that's devoted to the humble craft of crochet. Crochet elevated to an art form with amazing designs and constructions, and all so beautifully styled and photographed. And even though my pieces are only a little teeny part of it, I'm so delighted and honored to be included.

In fact, it inspired my NEXT secret project that is now in progress.....more about this a little later because actually? I've got to get back to packing my studio for my move!!

Thanks for dropping by all--now go buy the magazine!! Even if you don't crochet? You can tell your friends and family that one of your blogger buddies has work in it!

She's a Little Bit Hoopy

My idea of fun is to take a structure, in this case, a circle with a loop on top, and riff on it.  I've been calling these "hoop dangles" to differentiate from "hoops" which go straight through the old ear lobe.  Embellishing them has been an ongoing design exercise.  It's scary when one idea leads to 3 which lead to a dozen--what if I don't live long enough to do them all?  I try to write things down because odds are good I'll forget at least some of them before I get back to work.

May 1 was opening day at the campground.  Happy to say it was a dud (one camper) and I say happy because I still have to finish getting things organized.  I think all will be well by Friday, so we're doing well enough, even if I have been shorthanded.  Weather permitting, I'm expected a busy weekend out there!

And on my new house front, I'm wandering around with a calculator and a tape measure, trying to figure out shelving, lots of it, for studio spaces.  While I have a lot here at my current place that can be recycled into new spaces, I also have some more unusual places to try to set up and organize.  It just seems if I can get shelving moved in and installed BEFORE I start moving over boxes of my materials and stuff, I might minimize my odds of sort of losing things--which I fully expect to happen but am anxious to avoid.  Because orders just keep coming in and since I make things to order, losing certain things would really spoil my day!

Speaking of days, have a good one and Happy May Day--I used to love to leave guerrilla gifts for all the neighbors when I was a kid and earnestly celebrated May Day with home made paper baskets filled with violets and dandelions gifted to everyone I knew, and a few I didn't.    This was my idea of fun before I started making adult style art.....and my idea of a gift before I knew how to make real jewelry.  I've always wanted to see a real, old fashioned May Pole dance, where long ribbons get woven around a pole.  I've only read about them and hope to actually watch one some day--it just sounds like great performance art.

New Thoughts and New Pieces

Keishi Pearl Bouquet and Vine Hoops

Despite the crazy distractions of life the past few months, I've been finding studio hours when and where ever possible, but it's only when I finally make some time for photography, together with the detachment that offers, that I can see some patterns and directions in the work.

I'm seeing some ideas evolve and tonight I made some little groupings/collages to see how a few specific forms have changed with time.  I rarely stick with a singular idea and just run through permutations.  Instead, I normally juggle a collection of ideas, and one sort of feeds another.  Very handy if I hit a block in one structure, because then I've got something else ready to work on until I can come back with new solutions.

I'm not sure if I'm explaining this very well, but at any rate, the structure above, evolved from the beauty of the center drilled keishi pearl used as a kind of flower,  and these pieces span at least 3 or 4 months of evolution.  I love the tiny, organic details and it's been fun to experiment with different combinations of materials and colors. 

These are surprisingly easy to wear, although they are somewhat heavier than a plain hoop. I've been wrapping and carefully binding stones and beads to hoops for a long time now, and I wonder if this more free spirited, organic approach is a reaction to that tight precision?  What I do know is these literally grow right out of my gardener background and study of plants and vines.

I've got a few posts worth of other new structures and ideas that I've be concurrently exploring with some depth, so will be putting these up over the next week or so!!  I've got a really broad collection of earrings in my studio on Etsy these days, so if you're thinking new earrings might be just the thing for Spring?  Do take a look!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wordless Wednesday (See below, living too)

(I forgot to add this to my townhouse story.  Is it a kitchen or a laboratory?)

The American Dream?

Yes, I was really MIA this Spring and now, I can finally come clean with what has been a grand adventure. I just finished purchasing my own very first home last week and what an experience. For over 2 months, I looked, made offers, had places not pass inspections, had offers rejected, was outbid and finally, struggled to finance a little townhouse of my own. (Guess what? Banks don't really like self-employed artists. Who knew?) In fact, I mostly stopped even talking about any of this for fear I'd jinx another effort when that the first place I "fell in love with" fell through....

But enough of the hard stuff, here's a little peek of what will eventually evolve into my new art studio (with a little space for living, I suppose....ha ha!) Yes, it's true though--I judged every place I looked at by what I could do in which spaces to get back to a more urban, self contained bit of art loft living such as I've had as a renter in more places around the US than I care to think about right now. The irony is that I am in my little town of origin--not Chicago or L.A. or Anchorage or Seattle. Nope, just a little town in Northern Illinois....I wanted an art studio I could live in....not really a house to do a bit of art in. For me, there is a difference!

my own side (or main?) entrance and yes, a little deck too.

But what an unusual place I found! It's an old armory built in 1916 that was turned into 10 townhouses in 2003. The exterior is intact, very much like it was when still an armory while I was growing up around here. Inside, there are really only a couple of small vestiges of this original purpose--a whitewashed but still visible bit of "army graffiti" in the basement, and an old riveted steel beam in one bedroom.

open floor plan, wooden floors, white walls....

I don't include photos of one of the big selling points, for me--700 square feet of basement space with 12' ceilings AND a couple of nice sized windows--the perfect "dirty studio!" And as you can see, the main and the upper levels will become, in time, a jumble of gallery space for displaying the good stuff, and work space to make new stuff-white walls and light. Heaven! Oh yeah, and I can cook and relax too. I can't wait to see what the cats and Dakota think about all this as they have all only lived in an old farm house. I'm trying to think about ways I can make this user friendly for them, too.

interior view of side entrance

I will be able to walk or bicycle for many of my errands, which will be fun, and best of all, I will not have to worry about mowing grass, shoveling sidewalks or driveways, about roofs or gutters or any of that outdoor stuff that I find can be such a struggle. I still must mind the farm, so never fear, I will not become detached from nature in my new townie life-style. But if I can just continue this huge project of simplifying my life, I will be back in the studio, full time, within the year, after another summer in the camper, in the campground, naturally.

just a little bit of the old building peeks through in a bedroom

upstairs, 2nd floor, are skylights and more white walls

And speaking of the campground--yes, it will open for the season soon and yes, my little camper there is all set up, just waiting for some stuff for living (art materials, food, clothes) to get moved in for the coming weekend. Yes, it's been crazy busy around here since the New Year as I try to "do it all." Ha! Right now, I'm trying to repaint the bathroom floors out there, in time to be usable for next weekend. There's a men's and a women's bathhouse and the enameled concrete floors were pretty banged up....

But for the moment, I enjoy these "new house" photos because I know that my new studio will never look this clean and spare and open again, once I move in and art the place up. But that's what I got it for, so.......here goes!

I'm sorry about my long silence and I'll try to check in a bit more, as no doubt, the adventure will continue with all the fun stuff of moving and all (I'm too tired to think about that right now!) I look around at all my stuff, and vow to "cut it in half." Luckily, I've got a list of worthy causes and have figured out a way to sell on Craig's List without any visitors/shoppers in my home...Plus Dad's stuff is being all divided up between the 5 of us, so eventually, I'll make more progress on my vow to simplify....

Thanks so much for stopping by and say - If you need a special Mother's Day gift? I have made quite a bit of new work, somehow, in spite of my distractions. I'm slowing posting a few new pieces in my shop every day or two, so if you're inclined, do pop over and take a look!!

Too Bad, Too Hot Too Early

Nearly 80F on March 15, in the Midwest, is all wrong.