Random is the flow today

I know I shouldn't do this. Posting on my blog without a single second of forethought is not a good idea, but if I'm ever going to get back into the groove of posting I just have to do it, be that boring and awfully stupid posts or not, so here goes.

Bare with me, my photography skills have gotten even worse, if that was possible, nonetheless I'll favor you with a couple pix cuz I really don't have anything to talk about. lol
A couple of people asked about the sizes of my wheels. I know seeing the individual pix doesn't give a good sense of perspective so here's a group pic so you can get some idea of the range of sizes. Unfortunately my spinning ability on these wheels has flown the coop. Antique wheels can be finicky, and tend to be stubborn in the cold dry doldrums of winter. Everyone is going to get a spa treatment this week. If I can't spin on them the least I can do is pamper with them.

Was I spinning before? Yes, I was. See?The bobbin on the left is from the wheel shown in the far left of the group photo. The bobbin on the right is the tiny wheel in the center. I think it's really interesting how much larger the flyer and bobbin are on the tiny wheel compared to other wheel.

I want another one of these Itty Bitty wheels. It really isn't an antique but I adore her just the same. I like her style. I like her portability. I like the way she spins, but it could be improved a tad. There are a couple right now on ebay exactly like her, but they are in the Netherlands and with an extra $60 for shipping they are going to be priced out of my budget soon. They have been selling lately for around $125- $175 which to me is kinda high for the quality of this wheel. Plus I can't get beyond the fact that I got mine for $20, I know that was prob'ly a major fluke, but still... Why do I want a wheel exactly or very similar to one I already have? I want to steampunk one and add some modifications but I don't want to screw it up so I need an extra in case I do something really stupid. (that is not outside the realm of possibilities ya know) I have been playing around in my workroom with all manner of spinning wheel like pieces and parts. Who knows, maybe I'll have one made from scratch done before I find another Itty Bitty to mess with.

WARNING RANDOMNESS AHEAD

And while I had my camera out...
Dang I wish I could take decent pictures, then I could show you how utterly awesome the platter Bart gave me is. It's waaaaay too beautiful not to be hung on the wall doncha think?


Hmmm anymore strange unconnected thoughts floating around in my head? Why yes there is!

Liam came this weekend to visit grandma and grandpa. The kid slays me. He's 16 mo running all around, loves to climb, and loves, loves, loves, to dance. Any kind of tone or sound he hears, he will stop whatever he's doing and dance. He dances to cell phone ringtones, he dances to the clock chiming the hour, and the alarm on the ovens. He will dance to anything. I was somewhat surprised though on Saturday when he stopped playing and started dancing to the sound of the trash compactor! LOL

Enough already, some randomness is too chaotic even for me.

14+ Hours

This is what a somewhat neurotic (ok, ok, totally nuts) mother does while her baby is driving 14 hours (in good weather) across icy roads,

KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT

through sleet and snow,

KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT

in a high profile vehicle, with winds gusting 45mph.

KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT

single digit temperatures,

KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT

from IL to PA through highly populated deer country

KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT

at night.

KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT

Sexy Vest almost done.




Non ravelry link here.

She made it safe and sound. Me not so much, all that driving can really get to ya. Did I mention, I wasn't actually in the car with her, I was here at the Hermitage the whole time? Um yeah, I'm a total nutzoid freak.

So Gillian is gone, off to spend Christmas with her bf's family. (sniffle, sniffle) She/they have been here since the day before Thanksgiving. I really don't think I'll be able to make it until next Christmas before I see her again. (sigh)

Sunday we had a just-us family dinner, just Joe, the kids and I. And darn if the weather didn't turn bad. Rain, to sleet, to snow, with minus 20 something wind chill. It was a crazy day, high of 53 degrees, which is crazy in and of itself in December around here, dropping to 9 degrees in a matter of a few hours. Needless to say no one was going to be driving home in that weather. I bet it's been over 10 years since all my babies were sleeping under the same roof. To say I loved it would be an understatement. Lots of food, laughs, games, and teasing. Ha, I even made doughnuts the next morning and I know it's been at least 12 years since I've made doughnuts!

By the time the plows and the salt trucks came by the next day (yesterday) the oldest kids were itching to get back to town and get to work having missed half the day already. While Gillian and Nick finished packing up the jeep for their journey eastward (following the bad weather I might add), I finished Fences another vest Gillian had picked out from my Ravelry queue. No photo of that one, they literally walked out the door and got on the road the second I clipped the very last end. Maybe she'll send me a photo after she has blocked it, IF she remembers how I told her to do that. :o)

To answer a question or two regarding the video of Hiram and Bart working glass....

The long "rope" or "snake" of glass they are pulling at the end of the video is how a "cane" is made. Canes are one method that can be used to add color to the glass, and there are several ways to go about it. I'm afraid to explain it any further cuz I might tell you something really wrong! I can get mixed up fairly easily, Bart began working "hard glass" on a torch, what the video shows is the guys working "soft glass" from the furnace. There are some techniques which can be used in both torch work and furnace work, and there are some that are used with one and not the other. If I told you anything more I'd prob'ly get it screwed up. Suffice to say the rope thingy they are making is a called a cane and it is one of the ways they can add color to the glass cuz all the glass in the furnace is clear. Another way to add color to the glass would be rolling the hot glass in "frit" which is crushed colored glass that comes in many grades of coarseness (fine almost talc like to pea gravel size) In the video at the 5 second mark there is a shot of a several canes they had already made. They look like multi-colored Barber poles. One of the end shots is Bart cutting the long cane they had just made into lengths that are easy to handle.

Here are a couple pix of some pieces Bart brought with him on Sunday.



I'm fairly certain my vase got it's coloring by rolling the hot glass in frit. The rock glass on the top right is a different coloring technique but I can't remember what Bart called it.



I'm pretty sure canes were used to add the color in these paperweights but I could be wrong. Exactly how a straight, long slender cane becomes all these magical swirls, loops, and zig zags engulfed within the depths of a solid glass dome is a mystery to me.

Braggin'on my boy

....again. But I'm pretty sure you're gonna love this.


Toraason Glass from Videogénique on Vimeo.


The one in the lighter shirt with the ball cap on, is Bart Grawey my son. Hiram Toraason is the other dude whom I love as a son.

What's a mother to do?

Blatantly and shamelessly promote her son, that's what.



You can get one of your very own here.

Glass and Hats

First things first, since I titled this post Glass and Hats, I have to show you the glass first.

It was a coupla posts ago I told you about the glass class Bart took. I now a have a pic of the pieces Bart actually made himself during the class.


I'm floored. These are his first attempts in class! I thinking the kid caught on and learned something don't you? Each piece is approximately 20 inches tall and the bulbous parts about 3-4 inches in diameter. I can't wait until I see some of his work using color, obviously they focused on technique and not colorwork in the classes. It's a real busy time of year for him making ornaments, tree toppers, goblets, vessels and bottle stoppers, not to mention the various pendants and such that he makes, plus he doesn't want to spoil my x-mas present. Dang I feel like a kid again counting the days until Santa comes. :o)

On the fiber front.....
I've been making hats. Remember how Gillian had called and asked for "several" scarves for she and her friends? Bart called and asked for a "bunch" of hats. It was a welcomed request, cuz I gotta be honest, scarves and I don't go well together. Believe me when I say I enjoy mindless projects, but scarves are a little too mindless for me, I get bored rather quickly. Go figure ADD me gets bored quickly! LOL So, like I said, hats sounded like a good think to do, but imagine this if you will......I've only made one hat in my life. Yes, believe it, it's the truth, I've only ever made one hat and it was a disaster.

Bart was somewhat specific in what style of hat he wanted so that was a good thing. And I had him go through the Ravelry database of all the hats there, so I got a good idea what he liked and didn't like. The problem arose when there weren't any patterns there that were exactly right....sigh thus began the process of trying this and that, "stealing" from this one, modifying that one and hoping it would all work out. It took a few tries.....


None of these hats in the pic are quite right. (please forgive their unblocked state.) Sure, they are OK as far as hats go, but they are just working models or steps taken to finally achieve the "Ultimate Bart Hat". I think I have it. It's on the needles now. I'm making it in a really nice cashmere/merino blend..it better be right. :o)

Steve Sizelove

I know it was just the other day when I post a link to Steve Sizelove's webpage, but here it is again.
I feel I owe it to the guy...he taught my son some amazing things this past weekend. And now that I have my camera back I can post some pix.

No fiber pix today, just pix from Bart's class with Steve Sizelove. I'll only post a few here, but you can see all (most) of them here. These are pix strictly from the class, neither Bart nor any of his pieces are shown here.....sigh. (X-mas presents methinks :o)) Please note the orientation of some vessels is upside down. They were photographed during a cooling stage.