hello there

14 May 2007 in journal

this last month, or two even, i’ve been posting so much less than i’ve meant to.. it’s been super busy. i’ve been wondering about personal vs. crafty posting yet again. computer issues. camera issues. and now the list of things i have to catch up on posting-wise is getting a tad too scary-long. so, i figure i just gotta sit down, stop worrying & just write. and to make it even easier, bullet points – or, as i prefer, tildes :

~ i’m the new associate papermaker here. you say, “i never knew you made paper, andrea!”, and i reply, you are right, i’ve made paper twice. but: i’m a quick learner, i have lotttts of book history and conservation and all that other good stuff crammed into my brain from library school, i find papermaking fascinating stuff and it fits so perfectly with the bookmaking i’ve done on the side + the letterpress and stamping, .. and so that’s that. i’m still a little surprised by it all too, but very excited. plus, it’s the perfect excuse to stock up on rainboots.

~ i almost got my own letterpress press two weeks ago. it was close enough to being mine that i now have a space all cleaned up and ready, a floor plan planned out for a little printshop, and a strong & burning desire to have my own press. it will happen, just not this month. since my parents have the space, and it’s nice to stretch out after living in a teeny single for so long, i’m looking at the big chandler & price presses from the early 1900s. sigh. so pretty, aren’t they?

~ i went to the md. sheep and wool festival, hung out with both knitbuddies, brought home a bunch of natural dyes and three, count ‘em!, three fleeces. yup. three. i bought relatively small fleeces, all under five pounds, so there’s ‘only’ eleven pounds of fleece. washed, that’ll be more like seven or eight. i hope. still, love the fleece. think i’m crazy? ya gotta see them in person to believe it. plus there’s a story behind one, gotta remember to tell you it later.

~ my mom has been very patient about the general fleece stinkiness, mamcat likes to roll around in them when no one’s looking, but trouble peed on one of the bags (no harm was done to the fleece, thank goodness for her!) so i think her delicate nose agrees with my mom. other than that, the cats are good, really good even. makes me happy to see my little family good like that.

~ mg stayed with me for a couple of days after the festival and we had a great time. plus, she got me to take the plunge and frog the lice sweater i was all antsy about months ago. and she got me to start knitting again… rogue, of all things! but, i got her to buy a flicker brush and sent her home with a little bag stuffed with bits of fleece. fair’s fair, huh.

~ i’ve been singing a lot to the radio lately. and just by myself too. i don’t have a good voice, but i’m a pretty enthusiastic singer. i’ve been doing a lot of driving these past two weeks and have had to turn the music off to be able to plan out anything because the singing bug’s been in me so much lately.

ok, that’s good for now. it’s been a pretty great two weeks, but i’m still catching up on sleep – last two nights, i feel asleep before eleven! that’s crazy early for me. anyhow, here’s a bunch of pics too. hope may has been treating you all real good.