Stasia's Place Of Grace

Monday, October 27, 2003

 

To Quote...

"Knitting has... known a moment or two of glory among the performing arts. To France we owe the only known musical work named for knitters, a brief piece for the [harpsichord] by the composer Francois Couperain (1668-1733) titled Les tricoteuses. It is full of sprightly stacatto notes that mimic the sound of clicking needles. We do not know whether the composer found this sound soothing or irritating, for it must be admitted that throughout history there have been rather different schools of thought on that matter.

"There is clear evidence that knitting penetrated even the musical consciousness of the French people. Les tricoteuses predates the French Revolution so we know that it was not written for the famed Madame Defarge and her company, but we will likely never know which knitters were singled out for such recognition."

~ Shirley A. Scott, "Canada Knits", 1990 McGraw-Hill Ryerson, pp. 3-4

Guess what? Jeff happened to have this piece in his music library, and played it for me tonight! It does sound like a group of knitters, their needles flying furiously - very cute.

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Fibery Stuff

Karen asked how my Bea Ellis Moose Hat for Jeff was coming along. Here you go, Karen!

Please note that the bottom will be tucked inside as a no-itch lining.

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Halloween's A-Comin'!

I carved my gigantic pumpkin into a spookety jack-o-lantern, and here he is on top of one of the beehives:

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This is the back path that I take each day to walk the dogs around the yard. I love the flaming yellow tree beyond the cedar rail fence! It's one of the last to retain its leaves. Chester is looking for pheasants...

Dogs In Our Lives

"We aren't house-proud. If we were, we wouldn't abide the scratches on the door frame, the holes in the screen, the darkened shine of worn spots on the chair. We would wince at the mottled carpet and fret at the hair clinging to our clothes.

"We don't. If anything, we lovers of dogs are a tolerant lot, finding greater value in the unabashed affection of our friends than in immaculate sofas. Shoes can be replaced, but heroic retrievers are timeless.

"Without dogs, our houses are cold receptacles for things. Dogs make a fire warmer with their curled presence. They wake us, greet us, protect us, and ultimately carve a place in our hearts and our history. On reflection, our lives are often referenced in parts defined by the all-too-short lives of our dogs."

~ Paul Fersen, in a recent Orvis catalog.

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Grateful For...

Lately I have been putting pumpkin pie spice in my coffee - it's wonderful! Seasonal, yet no calories. I've also been feasting on organic heirloom-variety tomatoes - some with green stripes that look like little watermelons, and some that are a deep, dark maroon with almost-purple flesh on the inside. Regular tomatoes taste like cardboard to me. Organic, vine-ripened tomatoes are much better... but organic heirloom varieties are fantastic! If you see them, don't pass them up.

My sister sent me an African violet which was grown in a test tube from a tissue culture. This is the method used to propagate endangered plants at the Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW). Following the directions, I've successfully potted it and it's growing like the proverbial weed. For more info, visit the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden's website - proceeds support endangered plant research. This would make a very neat holiday gift for someone on your list!

Speaking of the holidays, do you like neat, handmade holiday ornaments? I love red and white, Danish, woven paper hearts, and my friend Nannette found this nifty website about them. So many designs that I'd never seen before!

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Public Service Announcements

Lucy Norman from Spindlers is going to be walking to raise money to fight breast cancer. She writes, "I am turning 50 next month and had decided that I wanted to do something during this upcoming year that was personally challenging and that would also serve a worthwhile cause." She will be walking 60 miles over the course of three days! Please click here to help her raise - or exceed - her goal of $2,000. Go, Lucy!

If you're a weaver, or interested in weaving, there is a new Small Looms list forming at Yahoo Groups. Founded by Suzi Anvin, it'll be a discussion group providing interactive help among people who enjoy weaving on the smaller looms and/or using alternative weaving techniques. This will probably cover everything from inkles and frame looms to rigid heddles and small table looms. Thanks to Debbie Hudson for making us aware of this!

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Some Things That Make Me Happy

...the accents of Maurice Chevalier and Jacques Pepin. They sound exactly the same. I could listen to them for hours!

Who is Jacques Pepin? A chef who cooks on PBS with Julia Child. Who is Maurice Chevalier? He was in the movie "Gigi" and was the role model for the talking candlestick in Disney's animated "Beauty And The Beast".

This makes me happy, too - a Wish Candle! I think it's a neat idea... tho' it's something for which I'll have to save before I splurge on it!

Even if I never buy anything from FeMail Creations, I love receiving and reading their catalog - it has really spurred my creativity to see all their unique and positive products.

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Another Quote...

"How do we place our cushions? How do we brush our teeth? How do we sweep the floor, or slice a carrot? We think that we are here to deal with more important issues, such as problems with our partners, our jobs, our health, and the like. We don't want to bother with the little things, like how we hold our chopsticks, or where we place our spoons. Yet these acts are the stuff of our life, moment to moment. It's not a question of importance, it's a question of paying attention, being aware. Why? Because each moment in life is absolute in itself. That's all there is."
~ Charlotte Joko Beck

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Mea Culpa!

Remember in a previous post when I told you you could add essential oils to your dipping pen inks? Don't do it! It makes your ink sink unevenly into your paper! Better to make an herbal water-based infusion - do a web search for "scented ink" for better instructions than I can give!

(Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time, and it works ok... if you shake the ink up a lot...)

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Enjoy... Your... Day! Breathe - Move - Create - Laugh - Be!

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