I have a vague memory of my grandmother trying to teach me to crochet and it not going well. I had the opportunity to try again at a recent Fiber Guild meeting and heard several similar stories around the room. Other comments heard that afternoon:  "and we thought weaving was complicated!" "What do I do now?" "Where do I hold it?"

First learning something new is always really awkward. Here is my first attempt. The really neat parts were done by Natalie by way of showing me how. (I loved watching her hands fly!) The really wonky parts were done by me by way of trying. Needless to say, my hands did not fly.

 I came home and kept fiddling with it, then watched a couple of YouTube videos. Then I tried again.

It definitely has some tension issues. There's a lot of loosey-goosey going on -- but still. It has possibilities for using small amounts of left-over yarn..

And because Chain of Fools kept running thru my head, here's Aretha:

A Creative Bust

This weekend I took rag rugs to a craftshow and shared a booth with four other members of the Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild. It was outside the insanely busy Earth Fare, so a great location. 

Somehow, I had built it up in my mind that they would all sell so I was taking pictures so I could remember what they looked like, how they were warped, etc. I posted pictures on Facebook and Twitter, I really hyped it. Nothing sold. Nothing. How disappointing. And um, embarrassing.

But hey, that pot of daffodils coming up through the pansies looks great, doesn't it? Mom and I did that when she visited back in the fall.

And I did meet a guy who makes the frame for bottle trees. I've got to have one. They keep away the bad spirits, you know.

Story Quilts

Our presenters at the Fiber Guild's meeting today were Cookie Washington and Catherine Lamkin, 2 incredible quilters who make art quilts reflecting their experience as African-American women. They and other local AA quilters were featured in a fall issue of Charleston magazine -- and several of them were asked to make quilts for a special exhibit in Washington DC celebrating Obama's inauguration. Catherine Lamkin is a health educator with DHEC by day, and this incredible, powerful artist on the side. The quilt above is her contribution to the exhibit in Washington. Wow! Her quilts include a lot of "embellishments" -- cowrie shells, beads, postage stamps, photo transfers -- and often remember historical events -- some personal like the one celebrating her aunt getting a driver's license back before I-95 between SC and NY was completed (-- did you know the traffic light was invented by an African American?) or more pubic history like the one below, honoring Rosa Parks.

Cookie Washington is also an amazing quilter and also a doll maker. Below is a picture of her with a mermaid doll she has made for a friend but first it's going to the exhibit currently at the Avery Research Center called Mermaids and Merwomen in Black Folklore. I definitely want to get over there and see the whole exhibit.

I was very moved at the creativity and beauty that just pours forth from both of these women. It was a treat to get to see their work in such an intimate setting.