Stress scarf

I finish my stress/leftover yarn scarf! It, along with my leftover yarn mittens, will keep me warm all winter when we don't want to turn on the heat.

Tidnish pottery!

I went back to the Tidnish Bridge Art Studio yesterday and picked up my pieces and made a new one. I didn't use the wheel and it was very much as "build whatever you want" type thing. Because they aren't an actual studio, it's even more makeshift than the museum in Toronto but it's still very relaxing. I made a half circle thing that I hope I can use for my earrings. It ended up looking like nothing I had envisioned when going in but such is how these things usually turn out.

My pieces from before are really pretty. One of them is bubbly and not the colour that I expected. Even the instructor didn't know what happen. It was suppose to be Autumn leaves which is like burnt sugar only browner and it's simply brown and bubbly. I'm sure someone will like it as a vase.

My 'beach themed' pieces.

A blue bowl. It's almost perfectly round. I think it's my best bowl to date.

Weird colour on what could be a cute little vase.

Groundhog!

A groundhog ate my plants! I'm so annoyed. I went to take the compost out and I saw something brown scurry under the deck. I told myself that it wasn't a rat and yelled at Isaiah to get outside right now. I then noticed that two of my zucchinis were chewed to shreds, my lettuce had been razed, and my peas were all but holding on.

We didn't see anything under the deck so went back inside. A few minutes later, Isaiah was watching the porch and yelled out that it was a groundhog munching on my plants as it had returned. We moved everything higher or to the front of the house but not before Mr. Groundhog did some serious damage. The neighbours came outside to inform me that they had taken some pictures of him eating the lettuce. Thanks guys.

Since moving everything out front, he seems to have stopped eating things. He left all the nightshade plants alone which is good. The landlord is going to call someone about getting live traps so he will leave. I always thought groundhogs were cute until now. Stupid Groundhog.

Gnawed off plants.

My poor lettuce. It was doing so well before this.

Where the zucchinis were.

Peas that were not chewed to pieces!

Glazed some pottery

On Thursday, my pottery from the little studio in Tidnish was ready to be glazed! I had my pfts later that day so the instructor said I should have my colours all planned out ahead of time so I wouldn't be rushed. I thought I had an idea until I got there and she brought in four boxes of glazes. Some of the colours I had used before in Toronto but a lot were new. She also had a new kind that she hadn't used very much so couldn't tell me much about it except that it's not suppose to run so acts very much like an underglaze but with regular glaze properties. She wasn't sure how it would interact with the other types of glaze but I decided to take a chance and layer the beautiful blue over 'old copper' (which I've used loads in the past). Who knows how it will all turn out!

Three of my pieces. The mystery blue and a aqua with 'desert' which I'm hoping gives a beachy feel.

A vase..? Glazed with what I think is Autumn leaves but I'm nervous I switched the colours and it's actually burnt sugar. Either way, it should be pretty.

Pottery! WoohoO!

I went to a pottery class today! Well, not so much of a class as a private wheel lesson which I think, honestly, ended up being better. It was at the Tidnish Art Gallery, in Tidnish Bridge, about a 40 min drive from here. The gallery open in the summer and is run by 8 local artists and Thursday is pottery day! They were having a two week handbuiling workshop but it was full by the time I found out about it so they offered that I could do a wheel class with the other potter.

It was really good and challenging. The instructor was not as much of a "let's appreciate the flaws" person as the instructor in Toronto so he only wanted me to keep the near-perfect bowls even though the ones he deemed 'not worth it' looked good to me. He taught me a lot of new tricks which was excellent, it's amazing how much you can learn when someone is watching over you to tell you everything you're doing wrong.

We never really specified a time so I wasn't sure how long I was suppose to stay but after about two and half hours, my back and shoulders had had enough. However, by the time I had everything cleaned up, the pieces which had been drying in the sun were solid enough to trim up. So I spend another hour learning about trimming up the bases. During the trimming process I took out the bottoms of two of the bowls but such is life. I'm really bad about knowing when to stop and think "just a little bit more" before poking through the bottom.

The first day of both the children's and adult's handbuilding workshop happened while I was there and it did look like a lot of fun. They don't have the same molds and equipment as the Gardiner Museum but they seemed to be getting by with what they have. Most of the people had never worked with clay before so everyone was super relaxed and friendly (except for one kid who refused to touch the clay because it felt 'weird' and she didn't want to 'get her hands dirty'. The instructor used me as an example of "look how much fun Allison is having with clay all over her." It was true, I am not a clean clay person. There was clay everywhere by the end, my legs, my clothes, my hair...but yet, for some reason, it did not inspire the kid to get messy)

My pieces are off to their kiln whenever there is a spot. It was all very unstructured and obviously the workshop group get first kiln priority as they need to be ready for next week. The instructor did say that they're making stuff on their own right now so it shouldn't take too long for a second kiln firing to happen. Then I get to glaze things!

Afterward, I drove back to Amherst to pick up some groceries feeling super relaxed and (even though life has not been super stressful lately) de-stressed. There is something about getting my hands dirty and having clay in my hair that makes everything seem okay.

More garden.

Things are growing! Yay! It's still a bit sad coming from Ont but everything is holding its own. We've had amazing weather the past week which has really helped. Mom and Dad brought me a beautiful tomato and ground cherry plant to add to my collection. I think the tomato looks better than all of the plants they have at home but because it's in a icecream pail instead of a nice container, it's now mine. Thanks folks!

My 'radiant' zucchini is now even more radiant with a flower.

Peas are shooting up.

Mystery pepper plant remains a mystery.

Time for salads!

Time for salads in a few weeks!

Plants!

I started a little garden! Well, not so much a garden as a few planters of veggies. I'm too late to go all out but it's nice to have a few things growing. I picked up what I think is a pepper and zucchini at the garden center. They were clearing things out and had very little selection so I went with the two plants that didn't look dead. They've really perked up this past week with all the sun and heat.

I also got some lettuce transplants from my parents over the weekend when they thinned their lettuce rows. I planted some more lettuce peas from seed even though I'm not confident that there is enough time to get much from them. I having nothing to lose though as the seeds are my parents leftovers (thanks for letting me raid your seed stash!) and I had extra Supersoil.

I now have to wear a mask while working with dry soil. Probably also with wet soil but the dry stuff is more dangerous as it blows around a lot more. There are fungi that live in dirt that aren't pleasant for lungs so it's recommended to both water the soil (if it's dry) and wear a mask. While I'm not super concerned about stuff in Supersoil, I still picked up some masks and strapped one on while planting everything. It's hot and annoying but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. The last thing I need is a fungal infection because I wanted a pepper from the mystery plant.

It's mostly likely a pepper but what kind? Fingers crossed on hot pepper.

Peas and lettuce. I remain hopeful.

The transplanted lettuce. A few died but the rest are holding on.

Zucchini in a pretty Ten Thousand Villages planter.

The death of the circle fruit bowl.

Second to last pottery drop-in. Boo! Tonight I went prepared to glaze my circle bowl that I made last week, only to find that it had fallen apart into a pile of sad circles. Double boo! I was hoping it was going to be a cool looking bowl.

Clearly I didn't use enough of the 'glue' (actually just watered down clay), to stick them together or maybe not enough pressure? Either way, it was not a success.

Seeing as there is only one more week before we leave, I didn't really have time to make another one so I accepted my loses and took the pile to the back to see what I could save. Some of the circles were still stuck together and a few solo ones were cracked but I managed to salvage a few of them. 

I put on the eye mask, fired up the electric sander, and shaved down some of the edges. I had to do it in spurts though in an attempt to avoid breathing in the dust although I'm not sure how successful I was at that. I need the lung power for my pfts tomorrow. I'm no expert sander and their machine is not super top quality so it took awhile but I managed to smooth down some edges. At least I got rid of any sharp bits that might cut anyone.

Then I got to work glazing them different shades of red and green as I've decided they shall become Christmas tree decorations. The back will be a boring white but at least one side might look good. Or people can wear them as necklaces if they are really into the red and green necklace look. So many options!

My attempt at a fun fruit bowl.

Nope, not today!

Plan B.

Pottery pieces back.

On Wednesday night, I went to the drop-in pottery session and made a fun vase and picked up all my pieces. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all of these vases but they sure are fun to make.

Leaf plate.

Blue plate I made on the wheel so it's super wobbly.

Red vase.

Bowl!

My garlic press vase. It's super cool.

Up close.

The fun of glazing, both of these bowls we glazed with 'burnt sugar', the one on the left had a coat of clear overtop and it took away all of the red.

Swirly vase.

Outside of the bowl.

Woven plate thing.

End of a chapter. Also, pictures of pottery.

My pottery class is over. Boo! I'll still probably go to a few drop in classes in June but my three hour class, no waiting in line days are over. I'm going to try and time it so that I can have pieces ready for the end of June but it's not a big deal if they aren't as someone from my class offered to pick up and hold anything for me. 

It's sad that pottery is over, not just because I always have more ideas of fun objects to make, but because it's like the end of a chapter in my life. A chapter that I'm clearly pleased is closing but this is the one area that I'll miss. I'm going to be hunting for a studio back in Cumberland County where I can play with clay.

Taking pottery classes was one of the best decisions I've ever made. It's probably my recreation therapy training coming out here but I can honestly say that taking the classes was like medicine for my mental health. It kept me focused on something other than the long wait. In fact, when I was signed up for a class, I was okay with not getting the call during those 8 weeks as doing so would've interrupted my pottery.

I spent a lot of time between classes looking up ideas, watching how-to videos, and dreaming of glaze combinations. Having a weekly commitment outside of the hospital was also a huge bonus. I could talk to people about non-medical topics, it didn't feel like all the small talk I did was medically focused. Whereas at physio, all everyone talked about was their health or someone elses health. That's fine for a few minutes but gets old for me pretty quickly. Lastly, working with the clay probably also helped my somewhat physically.

I'm so thankful I convinced Amy to go to a drop in class with me when she first visited a year and half ago when I completely fell in love with it. There is something about getting your hands dirty and being creative that is incredibly therapeutic. Hurry for recreation as therapy!

The bowl is red for now but post-kiln it should be yellow!

My garlic press vase, post-kiln the green will turn clear and it should be red underneath. *fingers crossed*

Something not death related: pottery!

One more class. Argh!! I had a million ideas for last Wednesday's class and managed to get four of them done. My two wheel vases from last week came back okay so there will be a marathon glazing session next class. Realistically, I may have to go to a few drop-ins to get it all glazed. A sad discovery was that my weird hand-built vase cracked. Boo! I think the wall was too thin where I connected it. I know these things happen but it's still disappointing.

Another vase with my squiggly stamp!

I made another garlic press vase as I gave my other one away despite loving it so much.

Pottery class

I had my second pottery class last night and I'm pleased to report that the vase did not crack at the top. It did slightly at the bottom though so I guess it will be a decorative vase.

I spent all evening on the wheel and learned how to make a closed pot. It involves bringing the clay up as you would for a mug but then coaxing it together at the top so there ends up being a hollow shape. I sliced off part of the top which, in theory, will turn into a perfect fitting cover for the base. It was a lot of fun to try and I managed three successful ones. My back was killing me by the end of the night though, I think next week I'll have to give my back a break and glaze stuff.

I'll also try to remember to take pictures to make this update more interesting.

Dishclothes.

My stress-knitting dishcloths, the good news is that I managed to use up all the tiny balls of yarn from the bottom of the yarn box. Now I no longer have an excuse to not wash the dishes.

Knitted toque

A happy post: in all the trauma on Wed, I finished the hat for Isaiah! One upside to not being able to comfortably move my head was that it was pretty much perfect for knitting. It's a bit of a funny shape and I'm not sure why the brim is so big compared to the rest of the toque. I guess that's what happens when using random Internet patterns.

It shrank down quite quickly so my fear of it being ridiculously large was incorrect. It is just slightly too big so now he is trying to shrink it with water and the dryer. I have relinquished all responsibility for it from this point forward.

First hat done!

With the rim rolled up as directed...I can't imagine it will ever actually be worn like this.

Isaiah's attempt to shrink/mold it to something about the size of his head.

Mittens

I know when people think of hospital stays they assume I must be bored out of my mind. I'm actually okay. I have my computer with wifi, my knitting, books, a few of my art supplies, my phone, and games. It's almost just like being at home. Considering I spend days at home reading or knitting, it's honestly not that much different to do that in here. I mean the food isn't awesome and the bed could be more comfortable but overall, I'm not going stir crazy.

Also, it helps that Mom is visiting this weekend and we went out to the St. Lawrence Market today for crepes and tomorrow we're going to try to push through everyone watching the Christmas parade and go to the pottery drop-in (as the museum is on the so called "Route of HoHo-Happiness" *major eye roll*) .

Last visit when my friend was visiting, I started my first ever mitten. I've moved beyond dishcloths and scarves! I've since finished it and have started on the second one. It's not going very fast but as the nurses have started asking to see how much I finished on their day off, I better start working on it more. No more slacking with my napping, they have expectations I need to meet!

My thumbless mitten! I'm going to add the thumbs at the same time so I don't have to learn it twice.

Pottery: Isaiah don't look!

I have so much pottery to share! Well, it seems like a lot considering I'm just going to drop in classes. I've actually been going which is great. I thought I might run out of things to make but that never seems to be a problem. 

I re-glazed the teapot after finding it pretty streak with just two coats. And it was out of the kiln last night when I went to drop-in class! Yay! And it pours! Double Yay!! It's not perfect in any way (very much has the 'travelling through space' look) but I'm still very proud of it. I had glazed the dalek mug with camel and copper and it turned out pretty cool as well. It's going to be hard to wait until Christmas before I give it to Isaiah. I want to start using them both right now.

Last night, I also glazed the bowl for my friend with old copper and dragonfly, I hope the combination is a beautiful as I'm imagining it will be. Some of the pieces end up being a giant surprise.

A surprise like this pitcher that I 'rescued' from the give away box. It was in the give away box and was too lovely to pass up. I don't understand how people make these perfect pieces and then never return for them. I figured it was definitely worth the 5$ it cost to glaze and re-fire it. I glazed it with gator and teal and it turned out quite unexpectedly weird. Apparently the gator separates into sections (like scales I guess? Must be why it's called gator). I didn't notice it as much when I used it previously but I had used it on a textured plate so perhaps that was the difference. I have no idea why these things happen. It's so weird but I kind of love it.

I spent the rest of my time (which flies by even faster in the 2 hr drop-in classes) making little snowman ornaments. I picked up a cookie cutter at Value Village and thought they would make fun ornaments. I wanted to make ornaments but needed something that would work even with the back not being glazed (as you need one side not glazed). I thought snowmen was my best option although last night I thought snowflakes would be good too if I can figure out how to make one without it falling apart.

One of the snowmen lost his hat.

Finally, I also got back the dog mug I made for my brother-in-law for Christmas. Amy sent me a photo of their German Pointer's paw, I traced the shape onto tracing paper which I then used to cut out the three paw prints from the clay. I glazed it with old copper and camel which has become one of my favourite glazing combinations.