Also.

This entry is going to be completely rambling and babbling, but it's Thanksgiving morning and i'm not cooking today and i've got some coffee and so there.

I've been thinking a lot about these guys lately:



Because of questions that i've gotten or things i'm working on recently. I keep turning around in my seat at my desk and glancing back at these two poor bastards.

They're Number One and Number Two: the first two creatures i sewed.
One year ago, i decided that in order to continue to express things i wanted to say, i had to branch out from crochet, and learn how to sew plush. I had no idea. The white-muslin guy was made first. If you look close, you can see he is in fact held together by packing tape in some places, because i couldn't figure out how the pieces would otherwise go together.
Then i figured i'd start smaller, and made Number Two, that demented little bird. There were a lot of bird prototypes after him, but this little guy has a special spot in my heart as being the first.


He's so ugly. I adore him.
(This is, incidentally, why i don't sell patterns. I'm super interested in what happens and what creatures and art can be made when people don't use patterns and just sort of figure it out.)

So, one year later, this weekend, I'm working on this piece, for an art show in Columbus next month. It's complicated and worrisome and I'm still figuring things out. But I feel in 12 months I've come very far from these two poor misshapen bastards. I haven't slept much, I've burned through a lot of wool felt, and my fingers have awesome and deep 'needle calluses'. 2009 has been completely bad-ass.

I suppose where I am going with this is, when i think about thanksgiving, i'm cheesy, yes, and i am thankful for many things. and one of the things that i've never taken for granted, and am always thankful for is the fact that i have a thing i want to do, and i love to do, and i have the ability to just do do do do it.

dear internets.
happy thanksgiving. thank you.