Happy Chinese New Year!
This is the year of the rabbit, promising longevity, peace and prosperity. We can all use that. Keep some mandarin oranges in a pretty bowl as a lovely reminder.
January was surprisingly busy for a usually very sleepy winter month. We finally had lots of (cold) sunshine without any worries about frozen pipes!
After 4 years of absence from the Biltmore Estate here in Asheville, due to Covid and losing Dave, I finally renewed my passholder membership and I am looking forward to those inspiring visits to the estate. It was bittersweet going back to our old stomping grounds by myself but somehow comforting as well.
Back in November during my last demo session at the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Ingles Open Road crew from WLOS channel 13 in Asheville came by to shoot a promo. They feature and support local places of interest and the segment finally aired on January 6. The 2 people crew and the narrator did a great job touring the Center and focused on the 2 demonstrators (yours truly and Valerie Berlange) for a few seconds, blending it all together for a beautiful introduction to one of my most favorite places.
Since I talk about the Folk Art Center a lot, you might want to see this 3-minute clip to see why it is such a special place.
Early in January I was notified by Happily Hooked online magazine that they are now featuring my latest video: “The Final Touches, Professional Finishes for all your Crochet and Knitted Items.” This was the last one Dave and I did and thanks to Isaac Dunn it was edited and is available on their website.
The Happily Hooked company has been around for a long time; they are associated with Mary Maxim yarn, where I ordered yarn and thread many decades ago and still have some of their old catalogs. So I was comfortable working with them when they approached me about sharing my video.
Happily Hooked used to be a magazine and is now a membership site with lots of patterns, advice, videos, fun and perks for members. Check them out at: http://www.happilyhooked.com
One of my favorite Christmas gifts was a giant tin of popcorn from the Popcorn Factory. Not the little holiday tins – this one is bigger than my trashcan! My neighbor, who calls me the roadrunner (because I am always gone) and a couple of other friends close by congregate occasionally at my house to play cards or Mexican Train (dominos) and since I am the hostess, I get to pick the refreshments and if there is no time to bake, it’s popcorn!
So Santa brought me this giant tub of 3 flavors the week before Christmas and I finished it on New Year’s day! I hear that popcorn is good for you, so that makes it alright. By the way, another friend gave me one of the regular popcorn tins with a cute picture of a snowman on it and I managed to resist it until one day last week when we had snow flurries, so that was a sign from heaven that it was time for more popcorn!
The later part of January I did a fun restoration on a circular medallions thread lace tablecloth with an unusual border. I always love to touch the original threads of an antique piece and picture the original artist. I feel the love stitched into these pieces many years ago and the healing that takes place as they are restored. It is tremendously rewarding and a nice balance to my own creative design work. Which brings me to this next feature:
What’s new in my Studio
Don’t forget to check out my Events page, I am already planning for my first big event of 2023, 4 workshops at the Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance in Atlanta on March 10 and 11. Why not come and join me? Details at: https://fiberartsalliance.org/participate/ and on my Events page.
Have a wonderful February and crochet something (pink or not) for someone you love. Lots of love and flowers to all of you!
“ I do what I love and I love what I do.”