ProjectArt

Drop spindles with Grades 5 to 7 at the Monroe Art Day. We didn’t have any trouble making the spindles (last year this was more difficult). Doweling must have gotten a little smaller. All of the kids made plyed commercial yarn successfully and quite a few made yarn from prepared fleece. A bit lumpy and thick, but that is more authentically Salish after all. I had an excellent teen volunteer helper!

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This is the project that the primary students completed. Northwest Coast Art made from construction paper.

I have been trying to figure out how to make eyes for the dragon; worrying about this has made it hard to keep working on the project. But last week I had a lucky find; blobs of glass that fall when glass blowers are making their vases and such and snip the ends off. I found two that more or less match and are the correct size.

This view shows the first coat of paint on the horns and a little of the texture that I am achieving with dryer lint. The old tie-dye T-shirt is poking through a bit. I found mixing a little pottery plaster into the watercolor paint made the paint completely opaque and is very hard when dry. Only problem is that it sets so quickly. Painting with wet plaster is one of the oldest art techniques around, so I am deriving some satisfaction from including this technique. Also cheap, and lying around the house. I am including as few purchased items as possible; so far only the jug of white glue (about $30.00)

Friday’s art project with third graders. These two classes did the very best job of making leaf bowls of any class I have worked with. The difference: the teachers. Two very strong teachers and a well prepared class.

No more knitting! (well not much anyway). Yesterday I made turtles with four classes of kindergarten and first graders. The kids did a great job and the turtles are cute!

Well, this was as far as I got with my second hat (I did finish my squid hat during the Olympics time frame, but I had already started it). I did work hard on knitting, but I still jumped from project to project a bit as I started spinning for the armwarmers, but then abandoned that project and took up with the hat. On Saturday I had to spin more yarn for it, which I ended up knitting right from the bobbin on the wheel. (the sky did not fall in) and that portion of my knitting is a little more “rustic”. But it still looks nice and has the texture I was aiming for. It has a nice stripe.

I did some more spinning today; another over-twisted skein of Navajo ply mohair yarn.