Tag: A. Catherine Noon

  • Friday Fun Stuff – Chicken Math!

    Friday Fun Stuff – Chicken Math!

    I have had several discussions lately about \”chicken math,\” and folx haven\’t known what I mean. Here, then, is Chicken Math, Explained.

     

  • Makers Monday – Ojos de Dios and the Chakras

    Makers Monday – Ojos de Dios and the Chakras

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    I\’ve talked about ojos de Dios, or eyes of G*d, before. I enjoy making them, because they\’re relatively simple to weave and they adapt to many different uses. They can be made for prayers and spells, protection, to commemorate new projects or milestones, and for art.

    I had a dream recently, where I saw a series of ojos on the side of the house. When I woke up, it was as though I could still see it. It felt so vivid and real, I walked outside to look.

    I had to laugh. The place where I\’d seen them has two big windows right in the middle of it.

    Hmm.

    But there\’s a large wall on the back of my house that would totally work…

    And thus, a project was born.

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    I thought I\’d share some progress pictures. It feels so good to start making things again. I look back and my pictures and it\’s not that I haven\’t made things; but I\’ve definitely felt stuck for a long while. It\’s been so fun working on a larger project that will take some time to complete.

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    This one is for the Throat Chakra, also called the Fifth Chakra. It\’s about using our voice and finding our power.

    I picked a luminous black filament with blues and pinks for the center. It\’s not coming through very well on the camera, but it\’s eye-catching.

    I also varied the weave; that part toward the edges by wrapping around the arm of the ojo without weaving across. This presented more of a gap in the weaving.

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    I forgot to weave the hangar like I normally do, since I didn\’t want to use the center black yarn. It\’s too springy and also a very thin filament, not robust for hanging in weather.

    I tied the last two yarns to make the hangar, which is something I don\’t usually do but I like how it came out. I used an overhand knot at the end to make it hangable.

    Next Monday, come back and I\’ll share the wall and the beginning of the Chakra wall.

    Cheers!

    ~Noony

  • The Flora and Fauna Report – Progress This Week

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    The idea of the Flora and Fauna Report came from Julia Cameron\’s book, The Artist\’s Way. She describes getting letters from a relative that she described as a \’flora and fauna report,\’ because they were about all the goings on in and out of her life. I loved the idea, because all it asks of us is to show up as we are. Kind of like meditation. 🙂

    Today is a very cold and clear, sunny day in the Pacific Northwest. I am working on a chakra ojos de dios project, which I\’ll be sharing more about in subsequent posts; but today, I wanted to share a little of our goings on.

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    The cell booster is up! Man, that was an ordeal. We needed this part, and that part, and the other part; we thought we had everything and needed… two bolts.

    That\’s it. Two little bolts. No big deal, unless you don\’t have it, and then it\’s a big deal.

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    I added two more ojos to the project (the ones on the right); the lower one is for Voice and the upper right is for Third Eye.

    I\’ll have more in a series on this project, so stay tuned!

  • This Octopus…

    This Octopus…

    The Carmina Burana, and specifically his cantata \”O Fortuna,\” by composer Carl Orff is one of the most famous choral pieces any singer knows (at least in the tradition in which I was trained). It\’s popular in movies and television as well.

    It\’s also not in English.

    That does not mean that we cannot enjoy it for what it is. But sometimes, having subtitles can help.

    Usually, subtitles endeavor to provide a true translation of the material, as in a libretto for a popular opera or operetta.

    This is not that.

    Listen with sound, but watch the video for the lyrics and graphics. Enjoy!

     

  • Gone Visiting – at Delilah Devlin\’s Place!

    Gone Visiting – at Delilah Devlin\’s Place!

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    I\’m visiting Delilah Devlin\’s blog today! Click on the image above to check it out and tell me, do you have a mindfulness practice?

  • Saturday Craft Circle

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    I got some new yarn from KnitPIcks called \”Oceana\” in the \”Spirulina\” colorway. It\’s worsted weight, 54% superfine alpaca and a new fiber, 46% SEAQUAL (R) YARN, which is reclaimed plastic from the ocean. It\’s got a nice loft and halo. I tried several needle sizes (4 was way too small and 9 was way too big); size 7 seems to do the trick.

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    Here\’s the detail of the \”Vertical Lace Trellis\” stitch from Barbara Walker\’s stitch guide, volume 1 (the one with the blue cover). I really like how it is coming out. It\’s got a great drape, and the halo makes it soften.

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    Here\’s the completed swatch. I\’m thinking of making a top-down cape or poncho, haven\’t decided yet. We shall see.

  • I Won’t Let You Break Me

    You’re not the first narcissist I’ve dealt with.

    You won’t be the last.

    And like the song says, you probably think this is about you,

    But it’s not. It’s about me.

    I am strong enough to weather your storm.

    You are nothing more than the wind outside my tent.

    Sometimes hurricanes cause great damage and destruction,

    But they are not us. They are outside of us.

    As you are. As you remain. As it is.

    And so it is.

    I remind myself of my strength.

    I remind myself that my hurt parts who want to respond to you

    Are the lost children of my history that is long and filled with monsters.

    But history is not destiny, and I won’t let you break me;

    Just as she could not break me – and you are nothing near to her.

    You are a petulant child, like another petulant child flinging ketchup at the wall.

    I actually feel sorry for you, when I’m not in the storm of your abuse.

    Your life is hollow, and will remain so.

    The hole you seek to fill by destroying others will remain stubbornly empty.

    And that is Justice.

    I will not let you break me.

    I am not food for your maw.

    I am not fuel for your conflagration.

    I am not sustenance for your starvation.

    I am not yours.

    I claim my power, back from all times and places, from all timelines and commitments,

    Back from all soul contracts entered into consciously or unconsciously.

    I call myself back to myself,

    Into my body, my holy vessel with which I interact and experience this world.

    My body is not yours. My mind is not yours. My spirit is not yours.

    And my breaking is not for you to accomplish.

    Any breaking that will happen here will be me, breaking the bindings you have tried to forge over me.

    I release you. I forgive myself for believing your myth.

    I forgive myself for wanting connection with you who are incapable of it.

    I forgive myself for not somehow psychically knowing what you were about before you showed your hand.

    I forgive myself for wanting to be one of your in crowd.

    I forgive myself for wanting anything from you.

    I release myself from any bondage or commitment to you.

    I reclaim my own power and destiny from you.

    I call back the power I gave you and put it rightfully back into myself.

    For I am strong. I am resilient.

    And you will not break me.

  • J Is For… Just Write It! (aka Following One\’s Own Advice)

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    So. It\’s the 12th. Of April.

    Yeah, I noticed that too. It was the 6th of April like five minutes ago. Oof.

    Here\’s what I tell others when they say to me during a challenge, \”But I\’m so beehiiinnnd!!!\” I say, \”So start with where you are!\”

    What does that mean for me today?

    Well, for a start, it means posting on the blog. I checked my Postcrossing stats, just to see where I was on sending out cards – my goal is to have all cards out at all times, and last time I checked I still had four out – and it turns out I\’m behind there, too:

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    This is what it looks like once you sign up for an account on Postcrossing. (If you\’re interested, you can click the image and I have it set up to take you straight there). When you start out, you only get a few cards to send, but as you send more and others note they\’ve received them, then your send count goes up.

    I\’ll grab my postcard stash and request an address, and then work through the list one at a time. I once selected six at the same time and then got busy, and couldn\’t write them in a timely fashion; I don\’t do that now. I pull the address when I am sitting in front of my postcards so I can send them right away.

    How many of you are already in Postcrossing?

    If you\’re not into it yet, would you like to know more about it?

    Let me know in the comments!

    Write on!

  • E Is For… Easter Cards!

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    I love getting non-bill mail. One of my favorite things to do, is to find offbeat holidays and send cards to my friends and family. Even if you don\’t practice Christianity, the Easter holiday here in the States has become a secular celebration of Spring. We have the Easter Bunny, decorated eggs, chocolates, Easter baskets, and best of all, CARDS.

    You can find inexpensive Easter cards at the dollar store and big box stores. You can find special fancy cards at the fancy card shops. You can find handmade and unique artist cards on shops like Etsy or at local small stores that specialize in gifts or unusual things. You might even find that your community supports artist collective shops where you can go in and see products produced by multiple different local artisans. You can even just use regular paper in an envelope and a stamp – it doesn\’t have to be fancy to say, \”I\’m thinking about you and wish you well.\”

    I need to go find my cards, pardon me. 🙂

    Happy writing!

  • C Is For… Corresponding with Someone

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    When people find out that I like to write letters, a question I often get is,

    \”What do you write about?\”

    Here, then, are some suggestions:

    Start with a Draft

    You can do this old school (on paper) or in a document you keep on your computer. I like to do this on paper because I find that handwriting my ideas slows my brain down. This serves two functions: one, it\’s a form of mindfulness; and two, it lets me see the shape of my thoughts and really sit with them, allowing them to develop.

    Jot down things you want to include in your letter – three things you want to mention

    Why three? I find that if I can get to three, I can get to infinity. One is too few, it doesn\’t leave me anywhere to go. Two is adversarial: this, or that. Dark, or light chocolate. But three, three allows me to suddenly make connections, create a shape, get three dimensional. Try it and see what happens for you.

    Have Three Questions

    No one likes someone who only talks about themselves, right? Then don\’t be that kind of correspondent! Show an interest in your penpal, and ask them questions. One of my favorites: \”What\’s new in your world?\” Another one is, \”Describe for me what a normal day is like for you.\” You can also go on Google and look up \”good icebreaker questions,\” and pick some to include.

    To Enclose or Not To Enclose

    Some penpals insist that one must include something in their letter as an enclosure, and I\’ve seen all sorts of rules for what kinds of things to include – and they rarely agree with each other. Me, I\’m more of the middle way: if I have an enclosure I want to include, I will; otherwise, I\’ll let my words and thoughts stand on their own.

    But what kinds of things work as enclosures?

    • A packet of tea
    • Ephemera like small slices of decorated paper
    • Maps
    • Menus
    • Washi tape
    • Stickers
    • A handmade woven \”mug rug\” that I wove on a pin loom (I\’ve used this as an enclosure multiple times)
    • Bookmark

     

    It comes down to what you feel comfortable including, and how much postage you want to spend. A note of caution: be sure to weigh your letter; you don\’t want the recipient having to pay for extra postage in order to read your letter.

    What\’s the most unusual letter you\’ve received?

  • B Is For… Blogging!

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    If you\’re visiting from the A to Z Challenge, then chances are you know a lot about blogging. Today, I wanted to talk about one blog in particular: the Postcrossing blog. You can visit it, here. Their tagline is, \”Stories about the Postcrossing community and the postal world.\”

    Postcrossing is an international community of penpal afficionados. It\’s an interesting concept: members send postcards to members around the world. The blog discusses news from within the community, and also postal mail in general. One recent article highlighted the Malta Postal Museum.

    The thing I love about Postcrossing is that it\’s not a big investment. Writing a postcard is a tiny bit of text, and a small amount of postage. You can decide whether to mail members just in your country, or whether you\’re willing to write to folx in other countries.

    Each month, they send you a list of your \”stats\” – to which countries you sent cards; from which countries you received cards; etc. I use it as a way to keep the pump primed, as Julia Cameron would say.  In the process, I\’ve even made some friends along the way. Not every person in Postcrossing is interested in a more extended correspondence, but I\’ve met a few. It\’s the best of both worlds: a quick note to someone new, and a few longer, more crunchy letters.

    What about you, Dear Reader? Have you tried Postcrossing?

  • A Is For… The A to Z Challenge, of Course!

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    Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! I\’m getting started a little later than I intended, as I\’m writing this on the 2nd of April, but I figure, leap, and the net will appear.

    This image is from a series that I did a while back as an inspiration deck. I used the seven chakra colors plus brown. It was a fun project to think about, to come up with images that represented the color to me if not the chakra itself.

    This month, for the A to Z Challenge, I will walk through my studio as I see it, not necessarily as I would show it to a visitor. I\’m naturally a right-brained thinker, but since I have to live and work in the left-dominated neurotypical world I\’ve learned to adapt. This month, I decided to try something different, and just post what I felt called to post for myself.

    This blog, if you haven\’t visited before, came about because I realized that I seem to have a learning difference in translating things from 2D to 3D. I\’m hyperverbal (and thus a novelist), but I wasn\’t always that way. I\’ve always been a storyteller, but being raised in an abusive household I learned to hide my natural mode and survive as a left-brained thinker. I got very good at it, to the point that I now make a living in an analytical field and have an MBA in Finance.

    In 2016, with the American election and the kickoff of what we now know is a strong Christofascist movement in our country, I started to feel seriously overwhelmed by everything. I didn\’t realize at the time what was happening. The writing was the first to go, then the knitting, design work, and eventually, my weaving. I have done a few pieces here and there but nothing approaching my previous \”normal.\”

    It\’s been a journey but I\’m finding myself closer to my \”old me\” than I\’ve been in a long while, and I decided to take the opportunity of the A to Z challenge to challenge myself – to write, to show up at the keyboard daily, and to think about things that make me passionate.

    And today, that\’s craft: Knoontime Knitting: One Writer\’s Journey Into 3-D. We changed it when we did a blog redesign, to \”Where We Let the Squirrels Play,\” and that fits too. Ultimately, it\’s a philosophical discussion about craft as practice and a showcase, for myself if no one else, of what I did really do. A witnessing of my own process; midwifing my own creativity.

    I hope you\’ll join me, and that herein you will find some small inspiration for your own art, whatever that is.

    Welcome.

    Here are the rest of the images from the series:

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