Anticipating… the inevitable turn in the weather, but when?? We have had the most wonderful stretch of late September days easing into October. The warmth of mid-summer without the awful humidity. The daily highs in my 10-day forecast range from 87F-66F (only two days in the 60s). The summer was mostly unbearable, so I’m delighted to have some nice “autumn” days.
Celebrating… I’m not sure if “celebrating” is the word, but sort of? I endured my first-ever colonoscopy yesterday (we won’t get into why it’s taken me so long) and, other than one small polyp that was removed, all is well. It’ll be another 7-10 years before I have to do that again, and thank god! I’d almost rather be in labor.
Drinking… less. I’ve cut way back on alcohol consumption over the past few months (and have lost 15+ pounds as a happy result). I still enjoy a cold beverage, though, so have been sampling some NA IPAs– or mixing an NA half-and-half with a regular IPA. I like a mixed drink, too — usually, I add some ice to a pint glass, add a half-ounce of Campari, juice of half a lime, and fill it up with sparkling water. I really like the flavor of Campari & finally found an alcohol-free version (alone or to mix half-and-half) in Ritual’s Aperitif Alternative. The flavor is amazing and it’s calorie-free to boot. They make a lot of other liquor alternatives but I haven’t tried them.
Excited about… heading to Nashville on Friday! I’ve
Hoping… for the best for us in a very general sense, and that we’ll survive this “government.”
Knitting… more on that (& reading) tomorrow!
Laughing… uncontrollably the other day when Kate pulled up at Starbucks & gave her order to the menu board! The acoustics were terrible & she definitely thought the barista was talking to her instead of the guy ahead of us… but then he was giving his order… and what’s going on?? She was so committed! It’s possible that you had to be there, but we were laughing so hard that, of course, it was impossible to give the actual order without cracking up. I’m still laughing.
Looking forward to… a long weekend in NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE!! Yeehaw! I leave on Friday & return on Tuesday, and my itinerary is getting full! MDK HQ, Ann, Kay, Kaffe Fassett, Brandon Mably, and a bunch of other knitters unknown to me! It’s been a long time since I’ve done a true solo trip… I hope I have fun.
Friday: Hatch Show Print (tour)
Saturday: Kaffe Fassett lecture @ MDK
Sunday: Brandon Mably workshop @ MDK
Monday: Frist Art Museum
Also on my loose list are Robert’s Western World, The Stillery, Vinyl Tap, Jeni’s, and another museum — possibly Johnny Cash or Patsy Cline, or the Country Music Hall of Fame. I was originally going to return on Monday, but have an extra day to fill!
Loving… Malina’s private concert-for-three the other day. She wrote the music, decorated the “venue,” and set up three chairs for her (mostly) appreciative audience.
Needing… to get my travel knitting in order. I keep getting sidetracked.
Sewing… I have an itch, evidenced by the many sewing/quilting reels that are showing up in my media feeds! Nothing has happened yet, though I did mend the crossbody bag that I use all the time. My Alabama Chanin project is still on the work table, but I haven’t sewn anything recently… I did find some interesting metal embellishments at an estate sale last week that I think I’ll be able to incorporate.
Wearing… definitely not any woolens yet! Still happily sporting capris, sleeveless shirts, and sandals!
The original plan for this crocheted granny square throw was 5 squares wide by 7 tall. As of Tuesday night, I had 35 squares — 33 according to the chart I made, and 2 that I’d made previously.
There’s my stack o’ squares!
And there’s my final layout. I considered adding another column, but I grabbed Parcheesi to compare, and this is exactly the same size — and it will be substantially heavier. (I can’t believe it’s almost 15 years since I finished Parcheesi!)
It took about four tries last night to wrap my head around joining these squares! It was a challenge just figuring out which loops to join on each square so they’d match up reasonably well. Add in my apparent inability to count — I ran across more than one place where I made two double crochets into a space instead of three, and I’ve only joined four squares so far — yeah, challenging!! Anyway, I want to crochet it all together, rather than sewing, and initially thought I’d join the squares in each row and then join all the rows together. Turns out, that would be a lot of starting, stopping, cutting, knotting, weaving in. It makes much more sense to join the columns, starting at the bottom & working up. (Thank you, YouTube tutorials!)
As of now, the four squares at bottom left are joined up the middle. I’m hoping to make a little more progress this evening! And already contemplating border possibilities.
Other than possibly a little thrift store or book store shopping & blanket delivery (with breakfast), the only other solid thing on our to-do list over the weekend was dinner at a great restaurant. We snagged the last reservation/seating on Friday at Myriel, home of Chef Karyn Tomlinson, who recently won Best Chef Midwest at the 35th James Beard Awards. Some of y’all eyeball the book award lists… I eye up chefs & restaurants! We really enjoyed our visit there — the ambiance was great, staff was wonderful, and the food & drink was superb. We practically licked our plates clean and I’m still thinking licking my lips when I think about the dishes we had — Swedish Corn Waffle, Gnocchi w/Confit Duck Leg, Walleye, soup, mixed mushrooms, among other things, and Panna Cotta to finish it off. Chef, herself, is currently recovering from spinal fusion surgery, so extra props to her team for holding down the fort!
With Friday & Sunday booked, that left Saturday WIDE OPEN! We decided to visit the Minneapolis Institute of Art. You could say that it was another #whirlwindarttripwithkate! I had never been to MIA, and Kate hadn’t visited since high school (when she considered attending MCAD – Minneapolis College of Art and Design). We did a little research & were especially interested in Mary Sully: Native Modern and Cream of the Crop: A Minnesota Art Showcase, but there is SO much more and we didn’t even see half of it. And because Minnesota is the great state that it is, admission to MIA is free. All the time.
I took a lot of photos (not nearly as many as I could have!) & here’s a look at what’s on my camera roll.
This Amazigh (Berber) wool carpet, made c. 1990 in Morocco, was simply amazing. I could have taken 50 pictures of it alone. From the blurb:
In Morocco, each Amazigh group uses distinctive weaving techniques, motifs, and colors for its carpets. This rug is thin and flat, woven like a tapestry instead of knotted… The tapestry technique provides the female weaver more freedom in design, reflected in the juxtaposition of colorful triangles, checks, and stripes.
That’s a gallery (as will be most multiple images) — click to embiggen.
As an aside, I think I made 5 or 6 granny squares over the weekend, and I was struck by how similar the colors are to those in the rug!
The textiles really drew me in — possibly because I have Kaffe-Fasset-on-the-brain — but, in reality, just because they are stunning!
Architrave garland frieze, 19th century; Chinese silk brocade; appliqued in Tibet.
One type [of hanging], seen here, is meant to hang from the ceiling crossbeams. Artisans salvaged pieces of precious Chinese silk and used laborious open-work and applique techniques to depict Buddhist deities amid a network of flowers and wish-granting jewels. Here, Shakya Tupa, the historical Buddha, sits atop a lotus throne and holds an alms bowl, a symbol of his humility, while his right hand reaches down to touch the earth, thus summoning it to bear witness to his enlightenment and ability to quell all negative forces.
These are both wool rugs from Tibet. I just love the colors.
Bal Kontredans (Country Dance), 2021, by Myrlande Constant (Haitian, b. 1968); beads, fabric, sequins, and trimmings.
Myrlande Constant has revolutionized the male-dominated practice of Vodou flag making in Haiti, both by using nontraditional materials and depicting nontraditional subjects. Her beadwork skills, acquired while working at a wedding-dress factory as a teenager, is fundamental to her complex compositions, which represent regular people in everyday life.
Having recently returned to my Alabama Chanin project, which involves a bit of work with beads & sequins, I was WOW’d by this & so many other pieces throughout MIA.
Childhood, 2004, by C. Maxx Stevens (Seminole/Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma, b. 1951); paper, pigment, wood, electrical components, light bulb.
C. Maxx Stevens explores cultural and personal memories to create works of art that bridge her past and prsent. Because of a childhood illness, memory has been illusive for Stevens, but she receives clues, such as a dress she wore in grade school, from her family members. In the installation work Childhood, the unfinished nature of her materials is intentional and suggests the fragility and imperfection of memory. For Stevens, the crow is both a messenger and protector, ever present in her life and work.
This piece was hung in a corner, so it would move, swing & rotate slightly as people passed by.
I took photos of only one of the many pieces by Mary Sully on display.
They were all in this format.
This particular piece is called Indian Church, c. 1920s-40s, by Mary Sully (American/Dakota, 1896-1963); colored pencil, black ink, gilt, white paint, pastel crayon on paper.
As the daughter of an ordained Episcopal priest and sister to a linguistic ethnographer — both of whom traveled extensively for their work among diverse Indigenous communities — Sully had numerous opportunities to observe cross-cultural religious practices.
Here, in the top panel, Sully merged imagery of Christian clery vestments with that of Native American ceremonies and community feasts. Her detailed depiction of attendees’ colorful regalia and accessories confims Sully’s understanding of intertribal distinctions, as well as connections, among Native peoples.
Sully created over 130 “personality prints” in this triptych style, of celebrities & important figures/events from her time — some of which were on display, including Fred Astaire, Shirley Temple, Pavlova, and Titled Husbands in the USA. They are mesmerizing.
Infinite Regress CLIV, 2021, by Eamon Ore-Giron (American, b. 1973); mineral paint and flashe on linen (left).
Tahkt | Sulayman Variation II, 1969, by Frank Stella (American, 1936-2024); acrylic on canvas (right).
Black and White Pot #1, #2, #3, 2014, by Paula Estevan (Haak’u/Acoma Pueblo, b. 1967); clay, pigments
Sometimes it’s just about the color, pattern & texture. The two paintings above took up entire walls; the little pots — maybe 6″ in diameter at most — grabbed my attention just as hard.
Top left: Vincent Van Grow Olive Trees, 2025, Jill Osiecki.
In reimagining Van Gogh’s Olive Trees with 14 seeds, I sought to honor his bold brushstrokes through the natural textures and color of crop art.
Top center: Star Gazing, 2025, Nancy Rzesztek (see video below).
Top right: GOAT!, 2025, Annmarie Geniusz.
I want people to shout “G.O.A.T.!” (Greatest of All Time) about my art at the fair. But a real goat would eat my art. So this one did.
Bottom left: Under the Wave off Kanagawa (also known as the Great Wave), 2025, Amanda Cashman.
A tidal wave of loe went into this interpretation of The Great Wave off Kanagawa — crafted with individually placed, mostly painted, Minnesota-grown seeds.
Bottom right: All the Eternal Love I Have for the Crop Art, 2025, Jill Moe (see detail below).
Yayoi Kusama’s childhood on her family’s seed farm in Matsumoto, Japan, influenced her artistic career, particularly her iconic pumpkin motif.
Like beads & sequins & stitches… but with mustard seeds & corn husks & wild rice & black soy beans (& turmeric & canola & black lentils & hairy vetch).
Star Gazing, 2025, by Nancy Rzesztek; poppy seeds (including Elka White), lazy Susan, thistle, wild rice, pearled barley, amaranth, millet, CIA, black Quinoa, and cardboard.
Star Gazing is about an iconic Minneapolis music venue where many legendary artists graced the famous stage. The greatest — PRINCE!
Thanks for coming along! I hope you enjoyed the show.
We had a late lunch, afterwards, at Baba’s Hummus House & Mana’eesh Bakery, and THAT was amazing. We were hungry & ordered way too much food (Falafelicious bowl, Wagyu Shawarma, Arabi Pickles, etc.) but I ate as much as I could (it was so good).
There’s a long time between “late lunch” and breakfast that’s “maybe a little bit later – like a brunch” (per Addison, who was going out on Saturday night), so we stopped down at Masa & Agave, the cantina it the lower level of Hotel Ivy. We didn’t want anything big (because it was getting late), so we ordered Nachos from the “Starters” section and added Chicken Tinga. It looked like a stack of pancakes when it arrived — and kind of blew our minds! Corn tortillas stacked & layered with cheeses, pico de gallo, crema, pickled red onion, jalapeno — it was amazing! We sliced it in quarters as if it were a layer cake (as best we could). I can’t stop thinking about that, either.
Food, art, family, and even down time (to nap, crochet, write & watch the dumb TV shows that one only ever watches at a hotel). It was a pretty great weekend! There’s another #whirlwindarttripwithkate in the works, but a few other things first. Stay tuned!
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Meanwhile, Davy’s keeping the boot (no cast) and is cleared to return to school. He was over yesterday & ohmygosh, that little boot…
Start to Finish: February 1, 2021 to August 31, 2025
Kate & I met up with Addie to deliver the blanket & take him out for breakfast on Sunday morning before heading home.
I didn’t start this blanket in 2021 with Addison’s high school graduation in mind — I didn’t even have his older brother’s graduation blanket in mind at that point — but obviously it’s taken a few years of on/off work to make. He’d visit at least twice a year and I’d be working on the blanket, or he’d ask about it, always commenting on how cool it was… so eventually I decided it would be his! (Flattery will get you everywhere! haha)
It all started with the purchase of a Unicorn Tails Prism Pack during the pandemic, and figuring out what to do with them — along with Unicorn Tail remnants from other projects (mostly gnomes). I’ve posted quite a bit about the project in the Crochet category (along with some of my favorite photos, tho some are not showing & I haven’t been able to fix them yet), if you care to scroll. It was for this project that I first used the Granny Squares Color Pattern Generator.
READING:
I finished Kaffe Fassett: Dreaming In Color: An Autobiography last night. I’d started Kaffe Fassett in the Studio in Minneapolis, so am continuing with that. It’s even more of a “coffee table book” than Dreaming In Color — lots of big pictures & spreads — so I’ll finish it before too long. It’s a visual bonanza.
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In other news, Davy jumped off the bleachers at lunchtime the other day…
…from a substantial height! Turns out, he broke the first metatarsal in his foot. He has a visit with ortho tomorrow and may end up with a real cast. Stay tuned.
There are two random blocks that I did before I actually made a plan…
…they may or may not fit in at the end. It helps to lay it all out from time to time.
There’s a variety of contrast in those blocks — from almost zero to pretty good. I think I have a plan for the layout, but it probably won’t get final approval until all the blocks are done & I can see how they work together.
Kate & I are heading to Minneapolis on Friday, and I’m planning to get some crocheting done in the car. It looks like Addie has a commitment-free weekend & we’re looking forward to checking in with him!
