gooseflesh

PEACE

PEACE LOVE HARMONY TO ALL

Special love to The McCrindles in Scotland and Sam in Texas

Bead Fever

Beads are fun to make and play with. They remind of my childhood. I love the colours the preloved tapestry wools come in.

Crocheted and fulled preloved tapestry wool.

"The Peak" on Flashback Friday

"The Peak", Newport Beach. Photo by Tigger Newling.

You had to be tough to surf at Newport Peak in the early 80's. It was one of the hottest breaks on the globe. It nurtured a world champion (Tom Carrol) and many other talented surfers and was fiercely competitive. There were just a couple of girls surfing then along the Northern Beaches, and I was one of them. Sitting on the beach, sunbaking, whilst my boyfriend was out surfing with his mates, was out of the question. The thought of being out in the ocean, looking for bumps on the horizon and eventually feeling the wave's energy under the board was motivation enough to get me out there. A salty crust on the skin, dishevelled and sunbleached hair, and a feeling of numbness in the upper body, a was my idea of bliss. The ocean cleansed my soul.

Although I don't surf as regularly today because of osteoarthritis, I hope to be surfing when I'm very old and grey (now I'm just old, a little grey and much heavier).

Christmas Present

This new Coral Necklace is going to Vanessa in the UK. It was a commission and is her Christmas present. She make the most extraordinary necklaces herself.

Making and Giving

It's such a joy to give a treasured one something I've made. With Xmas looming the sewing machine and crochet hooks are smokin'.......... sshhhhhhhh! Lots of sales in the Gooseflesh Boutique too, not to mention commissions, the Rubbish Vortex and the Coral Garden.

Thankfully I have a bit more time as the IFF Crochet Coral Reef Exhibition has been postponed to the end of 2008. Instead the The Rubbish Vortex will have its debut in New York in early April.

Coral bracelet crocheted and fulled from tapestry wool. A commission.

A cheeky dog and toy-bag for Little Mr.K. Dudley the Dog is made from cotton gloves. The "how-to" is in this Japanese Craft Book ISBN #4-579-11061-7.

Toy-bags for my nephews, treasured little ones above all else. The fabric is Japanese and has truffle pigs and little monkeys on it. I bought it from Matabi Japanese Textiles

Back to the hooks to start a commission for Vanessa.

Copyright

In the last few weeks (actually months) I have discovered some copies of my work.

I have been avoiding bringing this up for a while because it's such a downer. The first time I made the discovery it took me a few days to get my head around it and eventually just let it go. I came to the conclusion that the reason I make things is to express and develop my feelings and ideas and copies of these are pretty pointless....... best just to focus on my own work.

Since then, there have been quite a few more discoveries of copying. Today I found identical copies of my Nodule bracelets and necklaces for sale on Etsy!

It makes me feel sad.

Addendum: Thursday 13.12.2007

Your support is very touching, thank you all.

I think it wise to let you know that I asked the Etsy seller I mentioned earlier if her ideas were original. I have been given a very reasonable and plausible explanation of her process and feel it appropriate to accept that it's possible for individuals from different cultural backgrounds to come up with the same designs independently of each other. We have both come to the conclusion that there are common archetypal design elements which are hard-wired and are expressed across different time periods and cultures.......fascinating!

This experience has been a valuable lesson in understanding why I make stuff. Is it for praise and acceptance, or to expresss my love of life and the natural world. A reminder that it's the latter. It's very important to speak one's own language.

So now we can all sleep again.

Stamps and Magnificent Beasts

Trying to reduce the amount of possessions and chaos in my home, I came across a small stamp collection. The stamps were mostly purchased 25 years ago. Even back then, the ocean and it's magnificent creatures were a source of inspiration to me.

Charles Darwin wrote: "I am glad we had visited these islands, such formations surely rank high amongst the wonderful objects of this world. We feel surprise when travellers tell us of the vast dimensions of the Pyramids and other great ruins, but how utterly insignificant are the greatest of these when compared to the mountains of stone accumulated by the agency of various minute and tender animals!
This is a wonder which does not at first strike the eye of the body, but after reflection, the eye of reason."

Right on, Charlie!

I saw one of these awesome whales breaching and splashing it's tail a few hundred metres off the beach recently. It was migrating South. It broke my heart knowing this beautiful animal was swimming into the Japanese whaling fleet. How can they kill these magnificent beasts and call it scientific research? Shame on you, Japan.

Sorry, had to get that off my chest.

On a lighter note..........the ocean is currently 22 degrees Celsius. Ahhh, bliss!

Flashback Friday

At the helm of a long-boat, early childhood Viking training. Øresund, Denmark.

(Note: chicken drumstick.... possibly a primitive weapon.)