Stamp making

Over her winter break, granddaughter Sophia spent a few days with me. 
I proposed some potentially messy projects, but she said she wanted to carve stamps.

One of the things I've decided to encourage now that she is older is to take some time before a creative endeavor and think a bit about it. That is partly because that is something I would like to do more myself. 

So instead of willy-nilly, freeform carving of this and that, we took time to draw a few designs and plan the stamps we'd like to have. 

That, and a reminder that words/letters/numbers should be carved reversed,  was pretty much all my direction to her. I was truly amazed at what she came up with and at her skill in wielding the tools. 

These were her first stamps:

Her design page:

Oh, and I also told her a horror story about running a similar wood-carving tool into the web of my left hand when I was her age, and so she was very careful with the tool.

Hands down, her stamps were better than mine, though I do like my yes!. I had her make some hearts for me and my husband asked for one for his band, PJO. 

My design page:

UFO - Steven West Blanket

I started this last winter and had to stop because of suddenly having a lot of shoulder pain, which wound up as a case of frozen shoulder.  (I haven't been rigorous about dealing with it, but it's better - pain low, range of motion improved.)

I'm not working at the blanket intensely as I was last year, but it's a nice relaxing knit and very warm and cozy, too, as I can drape it over myself during the knitting.

It's really at a point where I could stop, but I feel a bit determined to make it as long as the pattern measurements - about 60 inches.

I want to mention, too, how much I appreciate having a lap blanket for winter driving. Just a thick bit of knitting over the thighs - definitely warms and adds to the comfort level. This would be a great pattern to adapt to make a few - it's quite cushy with the yarn doubled, that neat i-cord border. And easy-peasy!

See my post here for particulars.

Cloth Projects: holy quest, floating

a small poem

stitched freely.

cottons. muslin in the typewriter. random words.

a piece of eco-dyed fabric from the summer.

french knots.

Imagery for my Word2015

I've been loving all the visual representations of everyone's Word I have seen in the Facebook group I'm in and I just spent time trying to find inspiration for one for mine. FOCUS

Oh my. Lots of sports imagery, boobs, targets, magnifying glasses. I kind of liked images of lasers, but none inspired. But then...a motivational poster with a close-up of wolf eyes! Oh, yeah. But they were so fierce - too fierce it seemed. Then I looked at owl (way fierce, too!) and crow and fox eyes (all closer totems to me than Wolf.) 

And suddenly remembered pictures I took a few weeks ago. Pictures of my dog Lily as she stared intently and unwaveringly at the cracker I was eating.

 

Oh, yeah plus! Cropped to her eyes, here is my visual for FOCUS. (Not so fierce - hungry and intent.)

May you have a sparkly, joy-filled 2015!
Blessed be, aho, namaste, love, love, love.