Tagua Beads in my mailbox!

Sending out a HUGE thank you to Pearl over at The Beading Gem's Journal for hosting a wonderful giveaway of Tagua beads from Ecuadorian Hands. I was very excited to find out I was the lucky winner!

I received my beads today and they are so cheerful and lovely!  I am going to have to take some time and think about how I will incorporate them!  I definitely see some drop earrings with the smaller beads. 

Seen here in the packaging:

And here in my favorite pottery dish from a local potter:

 

Tagua beads are made from nuts! I love how soft, smooth, light and warm they feel. 
Thanks again Pearl and Ecuadorian Hands!
♥
JQ

Bloom 2013

In this age of high speed and convenience, the rhythmic act of weaving speaks to my soul.  When I sit before the loom I choose to surrender to process, relishing textures of coarse wool, smooth cotton and glossy silk as inch by inch they pass through my fingertips into the warp. Emotions and concepts begin to surface and collide, connect or slip past each other in my mind.  I imagine these strands of subconscious are travelling alongside the threads as I twine, coax and beat them into place.  Tapestry commands discipline and constant deliberation; It challenges me to have faith in my instincts and give it Time.

Bloom is my celebration of the Time it took.

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I am overjoyed to announce that "Bloom" was one of 35 entries selected by the jury to travel with Dimensions 2013.  What an intensive learning experience!  I have my next warp ready to string onto the loom, and the new cartoon is already blown up to scale.  

Thank you to everyone who shared in this adventure with me especially my loving husband and family, my ever optimistic friends and the awesome ladies of the Saskatchewan Spinners and Weavers Guild. 

Happy creating everyone!

Sincerely,

♥

JQ

4KCBWDAY7 Looking Forward

"One year from now, when the 5th Knitting & Crochet Blog Week rolls around, where do you hope your crafting will have taken you to? What new skills, projects and experiences do you hope you might have conquered or tried?"

By this time next year I hope to be doing more of the following:

-exploring ALL the lace!
-conquering my irrational avoidance of the knitted sock. 
-writing out my patterns to share and sell
-creating more tutorials, including video
-have my Etsy shop up and running with all my wares!

Thank you very much to Eskimimi for organizing this super fun challenge!   It has given me a great deal of perspective and food for thought for the following year, and lots of cool ideas for making my blog more interesting and fun to read.

It has been really awesome to see what other craft bloggers are doing with the challenges, and I look forward to participating again next year!

Thank you for stopping by,

Happy creating!

Too cute not to share. Henry Keller 7mos

 ♥

JQ

4KCBW Day 1 Here!
4KCBW Day 2 Here!
4KCBW Day 3 Here!
4KCBW Day 4 Here!
4KCBW Day 5 Here!
4KCBW Day 6 Here!

 Find out more about Eskimimimakes Knitting and Crochet Blog Week 2013!