constance rose : art and life

Collage Journals for sale!

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 16:31:00 +0000

Hello dear friends,
❤
I have finally decided to sell my art journals, those compendiums of original collages from which I posted photos here and on IG for six years, 2016-2022.
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Here are the deets:
* there are 29 journals available
* most have between 24 and 30 spreads, some fewer
* they're not "archival," rather they're ephemeral
* there are likely a few elements coming loose from their pages, altho I will glue down as many as I can before they're shipped
* I experimented with binding options over the years; so the binding is fragile on a few of them
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The journals are $150 each, plus sh. If you'd like to order, simply email me with your PayPal email and country (if not in US), and let me know if you want 1 or more.
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Thanks for coming along on my collage journey! xx
❤

More Collage News

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 17:38:00 +0000

Folks outside the US who have been considering buying my collage book, you can now purchase the book, coauthored with Margarete Miller, at Amazon.com, worldwide.

Though Amazon takes a chunk of profit from the sale of a book, we understand that shipping can be expensive and often prevents people from outside of the US from buying a book. Amazon makes it easy to order anywhere in the world. This is especially helpful for people in Australia/NZ who can't receive packages from the US right now, due to Covid. The book is listed as, "Artist in Focus, The Collage Art of Connie Rose."

Within the US, you can continue to purchase the book here.

If you do purchase the book from Amazon, we hope that you'll leave us a comment there. Thanks

In other collage news, after a 16 month hiatus, I began collaging again a few months ago. And I'm posting regularly on Instagram, so you can see all my latest work there. On Instagram, find me @connieandbeegee.

xoxo

Connie

My Collage Book

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Sun, 07 Nov 2021 02:37:00 +0000

This summer I was honored to be offered the opportunity to co-author a book featuring my collages, with Margarete Miller.

The book includes narrative by me about my collage practice, tips on my process and how I organize my ephemera, and musings on my 50 years of artmaking. Plus commentary by Margarete.

You can purchase the book here.

Happy Holidays!

Love,

Connie ❤❤

Quite the Month

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 22:24:00 +0000

This was a great month. I've been up to lots of good stuff.

These are a few of the numerous things I've been working on...most within the context of working in a sketchbook, or several sketchbooks.

The books are more like sketch-scrap-work books as they hold all manner of creative stuff...not merely sketches.

I'm finding this format a wonderful place to hold/contain small pieces that I do, like these and others. I've been inserting some of my earlier works into the sketchbooks as well.

The top photo is a concertina book I made from multi-marked watercolor paper. The next three are small handstitched pieces, of fabric alone or fabric and paper.

And the last photo is a watercolor I did a few days ago. I'm really chuffed because I see my own style developing, and I'm enjoying it a lot.

In the getting old department... I've had chronic periodic back pain for years, and my hips have really been bothering me a lot for a while now. I had an x-ray recently and saw the doc again today. Glad to say there's only minimal osteoarthritis in my hips, and I don't need further intervention. Unless the pain becomes unbearable.

I have slowed down even more than previously, and walking, my only exercise, has become quite painful. So I'm not doing much of that. I'm trying to balance my time on my feet with my sitting time. Both hurt, if I overextend myself. Lying down is best. And I'm actually in the prone position for close to 12 hours a day these days.

All is well otherwise. Still knitting socks, still reading a lot. Taking it easy, taking care of myself.

Hope this year is being good thus far to all of you, too.
xx

Happy Holidays

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 17:32:00 +0000

I've been yarn shopping this morning online, so thought I'd leave a post here while I was at it.

Nothing to report. All is well.

I've been doing this particular genre of collage for 3 years now...which is amazing, considering how I usually/used to jump around so much between things. And I'll be continuing on for the foreseeable future.

One thing I can comment on is that this time of year, as the days continue to shorten toward the Winter Solstice, in previous years I would not be excited about the return of the light, and lengthening days. But this year, for the first time, I am. It's like a shift in overall attitude away from the dark and toward the light.

I went to our local Fortuna Community Dinner for Thanksgiving this year, for the first time, and it was a lovely, relaxed event. I'll go again for Christmas, and will continue this new-to-me tradition in following years.

Hope you all have blessed holidays, whatever you celebrate. See you next year. xx

A Year Later...

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 22:11:00 +0000

This is what I was hoping for when I knit that kimono a year ago...the one that I subsequently ripped out so it could become this: Tormenta Kimono.

Tormenta is the colorway name of this Malabrigo superwash worsted yarn. Although their yarns are considered commercial, they are all hand dyed. So there's tremendous variation between skeins of the same colorway.

Anyhow, I am wearing it right now and I'm loving it. My design, perfectly executed. I actually have another colorway of the same yarn that I'll likely make another kimono with, later next year.

For now, I'm taking a break from BIG knitting projects although still loving making socks, and I plan to knit a couple of accessories during this season.

I'll be getting back to a few genre I worked in in the past, paper/book oriented. I need/want to go through all my early collage work, handmade books and journals etc., and see what ignites my imagination.

I meant to not wait this long to post (Friday will be a month), but I wanted to finish Tormenta before I did. I finished knitting all the pieces late last week, and have been working on completion since.

Nothing else is new here. The days come and go, and the weeks, and the months. And the years.

Wishing everyone a lovely Thanksgiving. I've turned Thanksgiving Day into our Anniversary (mine and BeeGee's), and next week will be 15 years. (I rescued him late November, 2004.) He's been gone nearly five months...but he's right here with me all the time.

Be well and happy.
xx

Indian Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 16:43:00 +0000

We've got a spell of heat coming, beginning today, throughout most of California. I've also read that this is supposed to be a warm and dry winter in northern CA.

Pacific Gas & Electric preemptively cut the power to 800k CA residents a couple weeks ago, in an effort to prevent wildfires. We had no power here for 24 hours, but thankfully water and gas were not affected.

Since then, I've prepared for the next time -- and there will be a next time, as PGE has declared there'll likely be power outages for the next decade in CA. Yikes!

The inside scoop is that PGE is in bankruptcy (reorganization) as they are liable for billions in damages for causing CA's worst-ever wildfire, the Camp Fire, late last year, as well as many others in the recent past. In addition, being a now-typical corporation, they haven't maintained their equipment well at all over the years, yet they've given huge bonuses to the top brass. So most of CA, and pretty much all of non-metro CA, has to suffer.

Anyhoo, I've gotten myself everything I need to deal with future outages (propane heater, butane stove, solar/ACDC lantern, backup battery for electronics, and a car phone charger for when the backup battery runs out).

I've also been using this time as an opportunity to get together a kit of stuff I'd need if I had to vacate the premises for a while, like in the event of an earthquake or other disaster. So all I'll have to do if that happens is grab a few well-stocked bags/boxes.

This reminds me of Y2K...although I totally bought into that non-event and went overboard buying stuff to hold me for a year or more. That ain't gonna happen this time! But I will be as prepared as possible with as minimal an outlay as I can manage.

I just have the back to do on my kimono, and I'm doing it in two pieces to better distribute the variegated yarn colors. Then sew it together and knit on the collar. But I am taking my time on this one.

Hope you're all having a great fall.

Happy Halloween! xx

Autumn News

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Thu, 03 Oct 2019 15:27:00 +0000

"News" is actually a misnomer, as there isn't any to speak of.

But hello, and Happy Autumn!

Thought I'd just post a few of my recent collages.

I'm well on my way into my knitted kimono -- both fronts are finished. In a day or two I'll start on the sleeves. I'm doing the back last this time.

I've been missing my guy, of course; otherwise all is well. I decided to wait on that 3rd tattoo; thought I'd put the money away instead, since I've been in one of my frugal moods for the last month or so.

More of the same for me for the duration: knitting, reading, collaging, enjoying living.

Hope y'all have a great autumn. xx

Outside the Lines

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Wed, 28 Aug 2019 00:17:00 +0000

Been making changes. Small things; not such small things.

Had my second tat three weeks ago and in September will get my third. This one is on my inner left forearm.

I had virtually all my hair cut off last week, photo below. I'll likely always keep it close to this length from here on out. No more curl...that's the thing.

It's a testament to how good I'm feeling about myself -- how comfortable I am in my own skin now -- that I could willy nilly decide to make such a big change in my appearance without freaking out.

I decided definitely not to get another kitty. Which was my original decision when BeeGee first got sick several months ago.

His physical body is gone, but our connection and our love continues on. He's with me every day, and always will be. I don't need someone else to love. I have him, and I have myself.

Also, on the practical side, I honestly can't afford to have another cat for its lifetime. My savings are small, it's already difficult to make ends meet on my social security, and god knows what unforeseeable thing(s) might come up between now and the end.

And not being under constant stress and anxiety is worth its weight in gold. It's in my DNA to get stressed about everything, and I won't do that to myself anymore, given the choice.

I've really been enjoying this summer, and looking forward to autumn. At first I thought that BeeGee's dying was going to ruin the season for me. But it's actually been a wondrous experience, the grieving, the sadness, the healing, the growing. And I'm in way better shape than I was going into it.

Here's to living and growing. xx

Rocky Road

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 16:43:00 +0000

The color for this yarn had a number but not a name. So I'm calling this my Rocky Road sweater. I enjoyed knitting it and will use it as a template for future sweaters, with several tweaks.

Summer continues, with mostly beautiful weather here. I feel so grateful to live where I do, as weather extremes here are v. v. seldom, if at all. And nowhere near what so many folks in the US and globally are dealing with now.

I feel grateful for a lot of other things as well...actually, I feel grateful for everything. Life is good.

Below are a few recent fave collages. Enjoy. xx

A Simpler Life

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Wed, 24 Jul 2019 16:05:00 +0000

Today is one month since BeeGee went home. It's been a hard month; it's been a good month.

I'm well. I've digested and assimilated this big change in my life, and am moving forward.

Life is a lot simpler now. It's largely how it was previously, sans BeeGee. Altho I'm now walking every day, spending more time outside reading (and/or eating) on the patio, making more collages than I was earlier, and knitting about the same or more.

And I'm taking excellent care of myself, which I've only really learned how to do in the past year or two.

After many months of having no heart palpitations, they began again around end of March, when we got BeeGee's diagnosis of old-kitty medical issues. And now, a month after his passing, they're slowly starting to go away again. It takes a while for stress and anxiety to exit the body, where they're stored during trying times, after the source of the stress ends.

I'd recognized over the last few years my pattern(s) of dealing with just about anything in my life -- relationships, friendships, work situations, et al. And it was really brought home to me with BeeGee's passing...

Everything has been a huge source of stress/anxiety in my life. I never learned how to do anything with grace, aplomb, ease, etc., rather as a survival mechanism, I only learned how to "fight," and the necessity of always having to prove myself. So everything has been difficult, throughout my life.

I know where this comes from, I know why it's so, but I'm not going there. What I don't know, though, is whether I am capable of taking something on without unwittingly harming myself. It's not actually the committing that's the problem for me. It's how I inevitably think and behave when I'm under pressure of any sort, which has been always, because I don't know any other way.

Right now is the first time in my life that I have no commitments to anyone but myself. No one to take care of, except me. And I am committed to listening to my intuition, letting my body guide me, and to not feeling compelled to make any major changes, especially if I'm getting mixed signals from my gut.

We only have the present moment. How we deal with that determines how future present moments go. The rest is unknown.

I had BeeGee tattooed on my left foreleg last week. Now, in addition to always being in my heart, he'll be where I can look at him for the rest of my life. xx

The End of An Era

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 21:31:00 +0000

The thing that I feared the most for about the last 10 years, has come to pass...

I had to put BeeGee down this morning. Just in the last 3 days he started actively dying. It was a really tough weekend. But the timing was right for him to go today.

As Pema Chodron says, "Things don't really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together and fall apart again. It's just like that."

That's exactly what this last three months has been like. And it's been phenomenally stressful for me.

Pema goes on to say, "The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy."

I love you my darling BeeGee. I'll see you again when I cross the Rainbow Bridge.

The Freedom of Letting Go

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Mon, 03 Jun 2019 15:50:00 +0000

So, I mentioned in last week's post that I was in the process of selling my unwanted/unused acrylic supplies+ (paint, media, charcoals, chalk pastels, big brushes, palette knives and big canvasses). How it turned out is that on the preceding Friday late afternoon I had the thought to sell the stuff, and by 48 hours later all of it had been sold. I guess my timing was right.

I kept about 10 percent of the acrylic paint, only in colors I adore, and some of the media. Plus I have all my watercolor paints, w/c media, pencils, etc, etc. I can still do "art" if/when I want to.

But I'm no longer holding onto that sense of guilt...guilt at having spent so much money on stuff I never or hardly used, and guilt at not using it. That right there is worth more than the few hundred dollars I made last weekend.

And now I find myself letting go of other stuff ~ stuff I no longer need, stuff I won't use again despite that little voice in my head telling me to keep it just in case, stuff I'm done with.

And it feels great, to let go of stuff, to lighten my load a bit. There's enormous freedom in letting go of holding onto stuff physically, as well as the psychic holding we all do.

I've also let go of the need to continue to market/sell more of the vintage postal goods I bought and sold last year. The reality is that I've already made 7 or 8 times what I paid for the lot. And I can comfortably say I don't need whatever income is left to earn from it. So I'll be offering the entire inventory of stuff I was going to sell on IG in a week or so, to other sellers there, most of whom also have Etsy shops. I just can't/don't want to deal with all the moving parts of online selling any longer. Too stressful for the return for this old gal.

I love giving stuff away. More, really, than I enjoy acquiring things. Because of that freedom. The more stuff we have, the more we're obligated to it...to use it, to maintain it, to pay to house it, etc. I like having a small footprint.

Enjoy June! xx

Keeping My Own Counsel

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Sun, 26 May 2019 18:04:00 +0000

Amazing that this month is virtually gone. With a few sunny days' exception, we've had more precipitation this month than in any May previously in CA. More rain historically means worse wildfires later in the year. So I suspect we're in for it this year.

Anyhoo...
It has taken me until just a year or so ago to learn to keep my own counsel, and I know that's about trusting oneself, and feeling the need for no approval from outside oneself.

What this means for me is that I really have no need to discuss or share anything with anyone these days. I can comfortably keep everything inside and work on it on my own. I don't need anyone's input, approval, sympathy, etc. I am my own person, finally.

I discovered that there's a lot of personal power inherent in abstaining from needlessly speaking about things. I feel strong in myself. I know I can handle anything that comes up.

This has likely rendered me not a very good friend to others anymore, insofar as sharing, kibbitzing, chewing the fat and the like go. So be it. I've had to learn over the years to be self-sufficient in all ways, which has made me have little patience for dithering or stuckness in others. This is who I am.

New topic ~ After a year of not painting with acrylics, I finally decided to get rid of 90 percent of my supplies. And am in the process of selling/giving away stuff right now.
There remains a place in my heart where I wish I could paint like so many artists do. But I just can't; painting isn't my medium.

What I came to last year, and what still applies, is that even the thought of painting causes me great anxiety. Whether that's because I'm afraid I'll never be good enough, or that I'm envious of others' work, or overwhelmed with possibilities, or anything else, really doesn't matter. The truth is that my body, via anxiety, has been steering me away from painting for over a year. And that's all I need to know anymore. I trust my feelings implicitly.

There's a very interesting story attached to the postcard in the last images...

This past week I was going through my collection of vintage postcards, as I'm planning to have a sale on Instagram in a couple weeks.

I photographed a few packs of cards to use as background for my sale announcements. I randomly chose the pack that this card was in to take an image of. I was lying in bed later looking at the images, when I saw the back of this card...sent "from your brother Sidney" to Gloria Schachter in New York in 1927.

This card was sent to my mother, from my Uncle Sidney, on her 5th birthday in 1927!!!

I have no idea where I got the card or how long I've had it. But how in the world did it show up in my collection 92 years later!?!?

I'm about half done with the back of the light-weight summer tee I'm knitting. Enjoying using the smaller gauge yarn. And my personal sock collection keeps growing...one pair right after the last. My new addiction.

Hope you have a lovely June! xx

Lichen Sweater

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Sun, 28 Apr 2019 15:48:00 +0000

Finished my Lichen sweater yesterday. This is one I designed for myself...and I have to say, I like it way better and it's much more comfortable than the Chalk sweater from a couple months ago. The latter was from a pattern I bought at Ravelry.

Glad to know my sweater-designing chops are still in good order. Also, this sweater was knit in the traditional way -- back, front, two sleeves, then sewn together. The Chalk sweater was knit in the round, top down. Which I don't like and probably won't do again. For one, when you knit in the round, there are literally hundreds of stitches in each row/round, so it takes seemingly forever to knit. At least for me, a not-especially fast knitter.

The yarn in Lichen is a Takhi superwash wool. I'm using superwash wool these days because I'm allergic to regular wool. And speaking of that, there's superwash wool that isn't itchy, and superwash wool that is. Chalk sweater is really too itchy for me, unfortunately, so I'll likely sell it in the near future.

I haven't worn Lichen yet, and now that it's spring it might be a while until I do. But the yarn doesn't feel as itchy so this one will most likely work out for me.

Next on my designing schedule, a lighter-weight boxy summer tee.

BeeGee is doing well. The thyroid meds are working, his hormones are back in the normal range after his blood recheck. I also just started him on a new-to-me CBD oil, for arthritis pain, and already it seems to be much more efficacious than the hemp leaf tincture he had been on since fall 2017. Better living through chemistry.

These are three of my fave recent collages.

Our rain is over, for all intents and purposes, and we're having lovely spring days. Interior CA is having higher-than-normal daytime temps, but here on the coast it's still in the mid-60s, which is pretty perfect.

That's pretty much all the news from my corner of the world. And since this is the only spot where I have a modicum of control, I try my best to stay focused here, now, in this place. Although it's frequently hard to not get wrapped up in goings-on out in the world.

Hope you're having a beautiful spring! xx

Shepherding Cats

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 22:19:00 +0000

We're all getting older...including my beloved BeeGee. He'll be 16 in May, which is considered geriatric for a cat, although he's still spry, playful, and for all intents and purposes seems like his normal self.

I had him to the vet a couple weeks ago for his annual exam, and he has a couple health issues now. For one, he's hyperthyroid (and currently on medication for that, likely forever), and he's also got the beginning stages of kidney disease (for which he's now on a special new diet).

So it's likely/possible he'll be with me for a couple years yet.

I've never had the experience in this life of caring for an elder relative...so taking care of BeeGee until he's gone will be my experience of shepherding a loved one into the next life.

I had several cats before BeeGee, all of whom I loved and cared for as well as I could. I was also a lot less settled than I've been since Beeg, hence moved often or periodically, sometimes to entirely new locations. And I've always had to live life on a shoestring...so I wasn't able to invest the money in maintaining my cats' lives as well as I'd wished I could have.

But I also have a deeper connection with BeeGee than I did with any of the others. He is my child. I'll do whatever he needs to have a naturally long, high-quality life.

And although I still live on a shoestring, I do have a bit of savings put away for once-in-a-lifetime things. And having BeeGee be happy and as healthy as possible for the rest of his natural life is a once-in-a-lifetime deal. I won't have this opportunity again.

Because as much as I love living with cats, I know that I won't be able to afford to do this for another cat later down the road.

Besides which, BeeGee would be a hard act to follow, given how close we are. So I decided to be satisfied with him/our relationship, satisfied that I will have had the experience of living with a soulmate in another sentient being, live with his memories after he's gone, and not feel the necessity of trying to replace him.

Which is a big step for this die-hard cat lover. But a step that'll be practical and smart and life-simplifying when the time comes.

xx

Spring This Week

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 18:52:00 +0000

Hey There...

Not too much new, so here are a few recent collages. The second image is the spread I did for a traveling journal I participated in not long ago.

Spring is here this week! Yesterday was a smashingly beautiful day, I wore shirtsleeves and flip flops for several hours. I worked outside -- SO nice to be out in the sunshine and fresh air -- cutting back/cleaning up my outdoor potted plants, and fertilizing them.

Today it's rainy and cool again...but for the next week or so, it's supposed to be sunny, with increasingly higher temps each day. I am so ready for spring!

I'm working on sweater #2, my "Lichen" sweater, nearly finished with the back. I designed this one myself, and I'm making it the traditional way -- all four pieces knit individually, then sewn together at the end.

I'm also continuing to knit socks, am working on each project (socks or sweater) for a day or two before switching to the other project to do likewise. The garments are being built without my feeling the "grind" I put myself under for a while there with my Chalk sweater.

That grind caused me to have heart palpitations in early February, for a few days in a row, until I grokked that I was pushing myself too hard. I slowed back down again, and the palpitations were no more.

Hope you all have a lovely start to spring. xx

A Decade of Discovery

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Mon, 18 Feb 2019 19:37:00 +0000

Today is my 70th birthday. This is mind blowing to me...I still feel 35-40 inside. Well, they say 70 is the new 50, and I think they're right.

The last decade has been one of immense personal growth for me, the one in which I found myself. I'm in such a different place than I was ten years ago, and I'm profoundly happy about it.

This April will be ten years that I've lived in Rose Cottage/Fortuna. That's longer than I ever lived anyplace else in my life. I've been in Humboldt County for nearly 24 years, a few years longer now than I was in Los Angeles before I left in 1971. So Humboldt is my real home (altho LA will always be my hometown).

I'm close to finished with another pair of socks for myself. And this week I'll start another sweater.

I completed my big stamp-collection project over the weekend, that I've been working on since November. I have a pretty awesome collection now, having pulled all the stamps out of the stock books and small albums I got in the fall, and putting them in the larger albums. Plus a ton of stamps left over to use in collages, etc.

And today is beautiful (albeit cold) on the North Coast, a break between rainstorms.

Hope you're all having a lovely February! xx

What to Name a Sweater

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 17:29:00 +0000

I decided to name my handknit sweaters after the color name of the yarn...so here is my Chalk sweater, completed as of yesterday.

Lot of firsts with this sweater: first one knit top to bottom; first one knit in the round completely; first one knit with my recently-purchased and much-loved ChiaoGoo circular knitting needles.

Chalk fits fine too...altho as with every sweater I use a commercial pattern for, there are things I'd do differently, were I to knit it again.

Instead, I think I'll go back to designing sweaters for myself, which I've done with success in the past. I know knitted garments look and seem complicated, but knitting is really just about basic math. Number of stitches and rows per inch multiplied by the proper measurements and shaping.

I still have three of my handknit sweaters from previous knitting times (all the others sold or given to friends or charity), two of which were self designed. One in particular, which still fits me, remarkably (altho of handspun yarn, therefore very itchy), has features I'll knit again in a future sweater I'm planning for later this year. That is, after I knit a couple of intervening sweaters and a couple more pair of socks.

Last fall I bought a lot of yarn, specifically to use this year. I bought enough of each yarn that I'd have a range of garments I could knit up with each one. So my knitting plans this year are to work with what I now have in my personal stash. Instead of continuing to buy more and more yarn throughout the year. Another way of looking at it is that I invested in a stash of yarns I'd want to use, without always looking to see what's out there yarn-wise. I know what's out there. I'll get to it when I get to it. I think maybe they call this maturity, or self-discipline.

xx

Falling Together/Coming Apart

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Sun, 13 Jan 2019 17:25:00 +0000

I've been easing into the new year. Historically I used to dislike January, because 1) the holidays were over (when there was anything for me to celebrate) and 2) I'd likely put myself on a diet of one sort or another on January 1 to atone for my sins of the previous month.

It's actually been many years since any of that was the case, nevertheless I still find I enter January each year with a bit of trepidation.

The reality, though, is that January is just like any other month to me at this point in my life. The only thing that's any different from one month to the next is the weather.

This is the sweater I'm currently working on, my first top-down knitted piece. It's a couple inches longer than shown here. I'm attempting to put at least an inch on every day...because the length from the armhole down will be about 20 inches...and even at that rate it'll take me most of the month just to get to the bottom. But who's counting the time invested...

...certainly not me, as this is the new state of the kimono I knit several months ago! After wearing it a few times, I realized I didn't like the way it fit, there were things I didn't like about the pattern design, and although I love the yarn, garter stitch did not show it off in its best light like stockinette stitch will. I'm looking forward to knitting it again, to my specifications this time. But the effort spent on it was not for naught, because it got me back into knitting again.

As the veils begin to part and more and more is revealed...this should be a very interesting year.

xx

Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Sun, 30 Dec 2018 19:11:00 +0000

Just checking in to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Hope we all experience positive changes in our lives in 2019.

Finally, I'm working on a knitted sweater. And also a pair of socks that will be donated, among other handmade items, to Sequoia Humane's fundraiser in February.

The socks in the photo below, the most recent pair I finished for myself, has an interesting story...

This is a 2-ply hand dyed, hand spun silk yarn, from 10 or 12 years ago. I had to dye the black like three times to get the silk noil really, really black. And I hand carded in the bits of color.

I originally thought I'd have enough yarn for a pair of socks, but because the gauge was so small, meaning I was using more yarn than anticipated, I realized I'd need more. Then remembered I had a woven piece from back then, 40x16 inches, with this same yarn as the weft. So I UNwove the piece, because it wasn't even in my top 10 faves anyway. Unweaving meant meticulously picking the fabric apart, about 5/8 inch at a time. Took me several hours over a couple days.

Now, of course, I've got enough yarn to knit another pair for myself out of this yarn. Which I just might do because it was so much fun to knit these.

Happy New Year, everyone! xx

Quiet Time

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Sun, 09 Dec 2018 17:29:00 +0000

Been enjoying a multitude of quiet days at home, and never been happier. Currently watching rain move in and the trees shudder in the strong breeze.

Still knitting socks, likely a couple more pair this year before I start on a sweater, the first of several. But this sock-knitting thing is addictive.

I've been making collages more slowly than previously...but every time I think maybe I'll take a break (it's been 2 years since I started collaging in its current form), I begin again. So, no break, just pace myself.

I spent the entire 5-day Thanksgiving weekend, including the Wednesday before, at home, alone, doing my own thing, and never left the house in all that time. And since then, I've also had blocks of time where I've done likewise. In fact, that's kind of how I'm organizing my life from here on out. Be away from home as little as possible. Spend every day only doing things that I enjoy (plus some housework now and then).

I guess it's nearly Christmas, but I'm so far removed from all of that, that I'm not really impacted in any way. I treated myself to a bunch of stuff earlier this fall, yarn mostly, so I'm going frugal this month. As much as I enjoy buying things on the few occasions in the year when I do, I also enjoy NOT spending money. I really have more than enough stuff already.

Hope you're all having a blessed month and that you have lovely holidays. xx

Places That Don't Exist Anymore

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Fri, 16 Nov 2018 16:34:00 +0000

For the past 5 to 6 years, since I began with mail art/snailmailing, I've become increasingly interested in old postage stamps. When I was a very young kid in the late 50s, I started collecting stamps...but family changes, moves, etc. put the kibosh on that hobby.

So I've been ad hoc collecting for a few years now, deciding on which stamps are most appealing to me and swapping, selling or giving away anything else. I've kept my stamps in a 3-ring binder, in those plastic sleeves that hold ATCs or trading cards, 9 slots on a page.

Only recently did I decide I wanted to "formalize" my stamps into a real collection, in albums. I found an old Minkus 1954 International Album at the flea a couple months ago, for $5. And that just whet my appetite.

On Tuesday, I acquired, from my vendor pal, a huge 3-part Scott International Album through the late 1950s, a Scott Minuteman U.S. Album through the late 1980s, 5 or 6 other smaller albums, and 5 or 6 stamp stock books...everything with collections started who knows where or when...for a song. And I'm over the moon.

Slowly, I will work my own collection into the bigger albums, and remove stamps from the smaller albums to do the same. For U.S. stamps, I'm good with the Minuteman Album only going up to the late 1980s. Because I do not like 99% of the "newer issues," meaning stamps that are microlithographed as opposed to engraved (the Bureau of Printing & Engraving stopped issuing engraved stamps in the early 1990s, although many stamps prior to then were not engraved. The Bureau stopped printing stamps altogether in 2005.), and I have no intention of collecting them. Except the very few that I like, which I'll probably keep in a stock book instead of an album.

Not sure what I'll do yet with international stamps beyond the late 1950s. It's unlikely I'll find an album for them, short of buying Scott's now-50 volume World Stamp Album, which wholly sells for close to $14,000! I definitely will not go there, so I 'll probably keep those stamps in the same binder I'm currently housing my collection.

There was a time when I wouldn't have been happy with old albums. But I'm completely satisfied with them now. In fact, it feels like an honor to have acquired collections that were started in the past by I don't know how many people, work on and with them, and pass them on at the end of my life.

I've now got more old stamps than I could ever imagine before, many from countries and regions that no longer exist, and I would bet quite a few of them are very valuable, monetarily. The history in these album pages...an education for sure. Especially in view of how much the world has changed in the past 100 years -- or even 20 years -- I'd much rather have my head in old, vintage stamp albums, continually amazed at the tiny works of art before me, than watch movies or television.

The Next Pair

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Sun, 11 Nov 2018 16:28:00 +0000

Sock knitting continues. The pair below was finished early last week. The pair from the last post, that I didn't especially like because of how the colors worked up, has a new home, with a friend who loves them. Win-win for everybody.

I'm resting my hands this weekend, focusing on reading the latest Tana French novel, The Witch Elm. I only have it for a week.

I've been collaging frequently, and replying to penpal correspondence. It's so hard to believe this year is nearly over and done with. Went to a Thanksgiving Dinner last night, hosted by the mobile park where I live. I couldn't help but notice that a lot of people here now seem younger than folks did when I moved in...the older ones died or moved away, plus I'm 10 years older, so most of the newer residents ARE younger than me!

Our days recently have been mostly-clear and crisp. Parts of California are on fire again, with more new fires likely. It sure seems that every time new fires happen, they are more devastating than any previous fires. More total acres (1.7M+) have burned in California this year than in any previous year. There've been more fatalities in recent fires and much more destruction of homes, schools, etc. The entire town of Paradise, east of Chico, was wiped out by the Camp Fire last week. The Woolsey Fire in SoCal has burned from Simi Valley to Thousand Oaks to Malibu, right down to the coast highway. It's so sad.

I feel pretty safe in Humboldt County. No major fires here, no extreme weather (the long-standing drought in CA notwithstanding), as far as I know we haven't had any mass shootings here (although we do have a huge number of drug-related homicides and traffic fatalities).

Overall and in general, despite last Tuesday's election results, I feel things will continue to get a lot worse...and it might not begin to turn around in what's left of my lifetime. So I try my best to enjoy my life, here and now, and let go of the rest. Although it's a daily challenge, as I'm sure you all know, to live our lives without being impacted by what's going on around us.

Hope you have a good week. xx

WYSI-not always-WYG

noreply@blogger.com (Cate Rose) — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 19:43:00 +0000

I spent the past four days power-knitting a pair of socks, because I wanted to get it over and done with.

First off, when I saw the skein that produced the socks below, I thought it was the most beautiful yarn I'd seen. It read turquoise, olive, magenta. It did not read brown, as the finished socks do. So to say I'm a little disappointed is an understatement.

But the yarn was pricey and I don't like having UFOs lying around...because they eat at my mind until I finish them. So I just knit up this pair of socks from the getgo, working as fast as I could, so that I could move on.

The yarn was also relatively difficult to work with, because it's a very tightly spun 3-ply that is very round -- which likely makes it good for socks, but cumbersome to work with. Plus, that tightly-spunness rendered all the stitches so uniform, that the finished socks look as though they were made on a sock knitting machine, not by hand.

However...they're warm and comfy, despite that they don't go with anything I own. And they're also 100% superwash wool, which is the only wool I'll use these days.

In my spinning days, just the name superwash would kind of make me recoil. I used to buy raw wool fleece and process and spin it myself. So a wool product messed-with in any way was out of my range of comprehension...

...until about 10 years ago when I realized that I could no longer wear wool, because it itched too much. So I used up what handspun wool I had left on items I donated to local animal rescue groups, and set about knitting up all the handspun silks I had in my collection.

Then I decided to knit again in earnest, and I discovered superwash wool. The primary reason it is called superwash, is that it can be soaped and agitated in a washing machine without turning into felt, as natural wool will do in a heartbeat. Natural wool fibers have microscopic barbs on them, and those barbs stick together when wool is agitated. (Those barbs also help the fibers stick together in the yarn-spinning process.) The process of making a wool superwash removes all those barbs, which is why you can wash it without fear of felting.

But...removing the barbs from the fiber also renders it Non-Itchy! And that's why I'm using superwash wool now. I can use and wear wool without an allergic reaction. Hallelujah!

I've gotten back into stamp collecting, something I did as a kid in the 50s. I think it was all those recently-acquired vintage envelopes with their old stamps that pushed me over the edge of deciding to do something more formal with the stamps I've been collecting for the last five years. I'll say more about it in my next post.

Early indicators predict that this will likely be a warm and dry winter in California. We had a smattering of rain a few days ago, but I don't think we'll see a lot of it this year. I hope I'm wrong.

Happy Hallowe'en! xx