HAPPY HALLOWEEN

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Pictured are a pair of pumpkin earrings that I made years ago--they still make people smile. Later today will be the neighborhood Halloween Parade for the kids. Trick or Treating is different here in New York--the kids dress up and visit the merchants along the major shopping streets. It is such fun to shop at that point and see all of the princesses, ghosts, goblins, etc.

NEW MAGATAMA DROP BEADS

At the recent Softflex show in Manhattan, I bought some of the new magatama drop beads from Jane of Jane's Fibers and Beads.

I tried crocheting the drop beads in a 6-around tube using a bead single crochet stitch. I tried the slip stitch but wasn't sure that it made much differnce in the look. The photo on the right shows the tube with beads crocheted in 3 different ways: two section were strung with the beads going in the same direction and 1 section was strung randomly.

Here is a detail of one of the section with the beads strung in the same direction.

Here is another section that was strung randomly. I am not convinced that bead crochet is the way to go with the new magatama drops; it is just kind of a variation of crocheting with dagger beads. They looked so great on the cord before I crocheted them that I am going to keep playing with them. They are fun beads!

BASIC EMBROIDERY CLASS #2

Last night was the final session of the Basic Embroidery class at the Yarn Tree that started in September. My students did so well that I added an embroidered napkin to make a fourth project.

We had a great time and the class proved to be so popular that Linda is offering it again starting on November 10, 2009. The class will run on Tuesdays from 6:30-8:30 PM on Novmerber 10, 17. 24, and December 1, 8, 2009.

The class is limited to 6 students so you will get plenty of individual attention. For more information, click here: http://www.theyarntree.com/studio/classes/index.html

MYSTERY MACHINE: ERIKA LINKER

A friend of mine gave me this machine. It is called a linking machine and is used to sew two pieces of knitting together. It was made by a company named Erika and she bought it sometime in the 1980s. My friend explained in general terms how the machine works, but doesn't really remember the details and no longer has the manual. An online search has not turned up any information. If anyone can give me any help, I would appreciate it.

LAST GASP OF SUMMER

Before I finish gathering things for my embroidery class tonight, I thought I would post a few photos of the garden because the toad lillies are blooming. These strange little plants are an example of finding the right plant for the right spot. Thanks to our neighbor's mulberry tree, we have a lot of shade in the yard and that limits what I can grow successfully. These are a winner.



A closeup shot of the individual flowers.

Here is a photo of more of our little garden. For those lucky gardeners who are not familiar with New York growing, those wire cages are part of our squirrel-proof growing strategy. The cages go over whole plants to keep the little critters from eating the plants or digging up the roots. Don hates the look, but at least we still have plants.

BEADWORK ARTIST CODY HARJO AT BSGNY

Last night's meeting of the Bead Society of Greater New York included a very entertaining talk by Cody Harjo entitled "Blending History and the Contemporary in Indian Beadwork." Cody is a contemporary beadwork artist of Seminole, Otoe, Creek, Cherokee, and Iowa heritage. She was raised in Oklahoma, but now works for the National Museum of the American Indian in the George Gustav Heye Center in Manhattan (http://www.nmai.si.edu/) and resides in Brooklyn.

Cody gave us a brief history of beadwork in relation to the Native American life but concentrated on her life as a beadwork artist working within tradition but also striving to add a personal stamp to her pieces. The most stunning example of the mixture of tradition and modernity was her version of the bandolier bag shown at the left and below. She depicts her environment of the city and adds a cat with an umbrella, a polar bear, clouds, and a turtle.

The strap contains images of snakes and alligators. I won't attempt to go through the symbolism but it is an outstanding example of mixing the old and the personal in her artwork.


Cody brought actual examples of her work for us to examine and the crowd around the table with her beadwork never abated. I managed to snap these few photos around the crowd.

The next two photos are pendants.

This last photo is another example of Cody's mixing old an new elements. The pattern is a traditional Otoe pattern that Cody has modified and the new is the purple beads that cover a lot of the surface.

TURKISH DAYS IN NEW YORK

Yesterday my friend Yoshie and I braved the rain to attend the kickoff event of "Turkish Days in New York", a week-long festival of Turkish and Balkan cutltures. Sunday's event was a festival with food vendors, educational exhibits, Turkish items for sale, and performances from Mehter, the famous Ottoman band (pictured to the left), and a variety of folk dance troupes.

Unfortunately, it rained almost the whole time, which put a huge damper on the festivities and prevented some of the merchants from showing up.

Yoshie and I spent most of our time under the tent for the spectators, watching the performances. I didn't take many photos because I didn't want to leave my dry seat and many people stood in our sightline to get a beter view of the stage. For thiose of you Brooklynites, even Marty Markowitz showed up with his usual cheery words and official certificate.

Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz (in the tan raincoat).

For those readers in New York, there is a 4-hour parade of Anatolian Civilizations in Times Square today from 12-4, Turkish movies at the New York Film Academy from September 29-October 1, performances and a bazaar at Grand Central on October 2 from 9am-6pm, and a Street Festival/Grand Bazaar on 41 st Street on October 4. For more information, visit Turkish Days in New York http://www.turkishdaysinny.org.