The bead rack/ Abacus

Beads! Glass! Colour!

and waiting to be cleaned...

New year catch up

Well I became apathetic and forgot about posting here, mainly because I turned into a knitting addict and started posting all those FO's and WIP's over on Ravelry.

But now it's summer again and I have just rediscovered my bead making mojo and I do like being able to look back through this blog to remind myself of beads I've made in the past, or my favourite posts - the concert ones, so I will still occasionally update this for my own benefit.
The last show I went to was M Ward, back in November, and I've spent nearly all my listening time with him since, still not tired of it.
I found a kindred musical spirit in my cousin Rachel, (also a knitter, jewellery maker and nearly finished her nursing degree!) I introduced her to Wilco and was so happy to finally have someone really embrace and appreciate them as much as I feel appropriate;) She played me Bon Iver and a lot of other depressing acoustic singer songwriter stuff we could bond over, lol.
I played her Monsters of Folk and she played me She and Him.
I liked the Him but the She's voice bothered me, I don't know that Conor Oberst did it for her, but we both loved M Ward:)
I saw on one of my google searches checking what shows might be upcoming, (because ticketek and ticketmaster can not even be trusted to inform me of stuff I've actually bought to tickets to before!) that he was playing in Australia and text Rachel to complain about the dick move of playing Australia and not coming over to NZ (yes you Justin Townes Earle). Then a few days later saw he added an "intimate solo performance' in Auckland! The best kind! So I swapped a shift and drove the five hours to see him.
It was short and sweet but oh so beautiful, his voice is so soothing and his guitar playing was amazing to watch and I was entranced.
A small venue, small respectful crowd. I recognized one of my favourite NZ singers next to me up front, Age Pryor who I loved since he played throughout an amazing WOMAD weekend back in '08 with the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra, The Woolshed Sessions and my highlight - his own sets. Between the opening act (Lydia Cole, pleasant but not too awe inspiring) and waiting for M Ward I told Age how much I appreciate his music and love his song Acceptance. We chatted about WOMAD and WIUO, the Woolshed Sessions, about his recent tour of Edinburgh and the great shows I'd seen in 2013. Turned out he HATED the movie Once!! And isn't a fan of Wilco!! WTF.
We talked about Daniel Johnston, I told him M Ward covered Story of an Artist, and he told me his favourite M Ward song is Undertaker which I hadn't heard.
And then M Ward came out and our conversation was over and the next hour was a wonderful uplifting emotional blur. I was slightly disapointed it was so short, spoilt by Wilco and Glen Hansard playing close to three hour shows and really enjoying it and wanting MORE! I didn't take any pictures, havn't been able to find any audio recording but there is lots of good youtube M Ward, just not from that night. He finished with his Let's Dance cover which struck me as a brilliant version I didn't think I'd heard before, but now I know it's in the movie Eagle vs Shark which I'd seen and loved (so is Age Pryors song  'I don't want ', a connection I only made much later lol) but hadn't fully NOTICED that song til I heard and saw it live!
So I was inspired to listen to M Wards full catalogue, (Spotify is awesome, except for being linked to facebook which is the only reason I have to keep an account) and found the album I like the best,  an old one, so often the way, from 2003 - Transfiguration of Vincent, so beautiful and lyrical and including the wonderful song Undertaker which is one of the best and I've had it on repeat for the past three months:)
 Lyrics to Undertaker :
Oh love is so good
When you're treated like you should be
The sky goes on forever in a symphony of song.

And how the water can flow
Like it's streaming out a fountains
And all you got to do is find a sword and a stone.

And how it takes all the night
Like birds of paradise like
Way down in Pollyanna where the race runs wild.

Oh but if you're gonna leave
Better call the undertaker
Take me under, undertaker
Take me home.

Oh just place me in a box
And fasten all the locks
And with a one, two throw me over the bay side bridge.

'Cause love is so good
When you're treated like you should be
The sea goes on forever in a symphony of song.

Oh but if you're gonna leave
Better call the undertaker
Take me under, undertaker
Take me home.

Also Outta my Head... HARMONICA, unh!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMavEvACGb0

No beads, more knitting

It's cold, my shed/studio is cold, the flouro light directly above my torch stopped working and I can't think of any beads I really want to make enough to just put on ten layers of clothing and a heat pack down my butt crack and brave it out.
So -  knitting instead. I can stay on the couch with the whippets curled up next to me and still make stuff:)
And I don't know how so any little achievement is ultra satisfying. And browsing/ ordering yarn is very similar to with glass colours, which I've always thought of as just like a big kid with a box of crayons. As usual I go for GREEN

I made a hat! Knitted flat with cables in super chunky warm alpaca blend, it only took me two days,

and then because I still had some lovely green left over I made one sock, and a bit...

and thats how much yarn I have left until my next order arrives:/  It fits my foot and is so toasty

I wore it to bed because my feet were cold despite electric blanket and whippets, my feet just had to take turns!
Next week there will be beads, my cousin Rachel will be here and we plan to make glass  AND metalwork AND enamel AND knit:)

Coat and mittens time

So when I went to Wilco the other highlight of my trip was on the journey down to Wellington Joe and I found a coat I fell in love with in a little shop in little old Eltham, and it didn't fit her, and it was only $120, and the designer Todd gave me a discount as well and it's made out of vintage wool blankets and I LOVE it:)

It's so nicely shaped and lined with pink flowers and has the cool original label visible at the back, "single, pure virgin, moth proofed":)

I made slight adjustments to the sleeve cuffs for symetricality(?) and changed the buttons to some real old vintage leather ones. The sleeves are on the shortish side though, maybe 3/4 so then I decided to KNIT some fingerless gloves to wear with it. I havn't really done any knitting before, learned the basics when I was about 10 from my Mum and Grandma but had forgotten most of that.
Found some beautiful yarn to use, picked a pattern on Ravelry and youtubed my way through them...

They were really fun to make, and it's so much cosier sitting in front of the fire knitting on a cold evening than trying to make beads in a cold shed with the fan sucking out any heat.

 So now I have a new addiction, next up - socks.

Ultimate Wilco Weekend!

Wilco are just the greatest! I had such an awesome time at their two NZ shows.
These were the fourth and fifth time I've seen them now so I kind of know what to expect, I know we're all gonna sing along to Jesus Etc, that Via Chicago will go from quiet to an all out assault which truly makes me laugh in amazement and that during Impossible Germany Nels will look like he's having a seizure:)
I read somewhere Jeff Tweedy said people often come to shows wanting to relive the previous shows they've seen, which reflects in the requests they get and I can see that, my own request of More like the Moon wasn't played but I'm glad, it wouldn't have fitted in with the happier rocking vibe of these shows.
Anyway I could gush on about how good they are but the shows weren't even the best part of my weekend, it was this...

 !!!
 I stayed in Wellington Friday night then Saturday morning I was flying to Auckland for the second show and I had been joking that maybe they’d be on my flight but I didn’t really expect it to happen! They were all just standing there in the departure lounge! What a perfect opportunity:)
I really am still buzzing about it and and so proud of myself for gathering the guts to get up and go and ask for a photo, lucky I had my camera with me, and the woman who took these for me did such a great job of getting them all in, well 5/6 of them, I didn't see Nels although he was on the plane, but this is just more than I would have ever really hoped for anyway, the stars all just happened to align for me:)

 

On a roll

Some new hearts and skulls, came out good!

So I cleaned them already, and some other beads that have been soaking for a few weeks.

My least favourite job but I can now do it without stabbing myself which i used to do EVERY time!

(3 sleeps til Wilco!)

Made

Just a few new things...
Daisy earrings in various colours

Special orange

 Purple (poi)

Leaky pen (LOVE this blue green)

And I had a little play with the enamel powder I bought for the Painting with Fire technique
Cloud

And now there are only five more sleeps until WILCO !!

Glen Hansard Rocks!

Wow the show last night was sooo kickass, it might've even kicked a Wilco shows ass!!!
Damn Glen Hansard was ferocious and intense and played FOREVER!
It may seem like my favourite show is always whichever one I saw last night haha, but this was completely above and beyond expectations.
Shit, I only found out about the show last Thursday when I saw a tiny pic of Lisa Hannigan in an inflight magazine on my way to Christchurch to empty out Grandma's house now she is settled in the resthome, (two dumpsters full, plus scored some great vintage fabric and doilies). Then I had to endure the weekend with no internet access  or ability to get a ticket until I got home on Sunday.
So I was rapt that since no one else could get off work to come with me and I only needed a single seat, I go a ticket in row CC29, which I thought was 3rd row (for two together the best seats were TT) and I happily watched Lisa's opening half hour from there until some other people showed up and told me I was in their seat and I figured out there were no rows AA or BB so I had to move up to the front row:) lol.
Lisa was sweet and beautiful and I loved the song, "Safe travels, don't die".
But Glen was AMAZING, his stories and the songs and the way he explodes then reins it back in, Holy Shit! The Frames rocked, I couldn't see the drummer due to a speaker in the way but every now and then I caught a glimpse of him going absolutely nuts, and the violin and string sections were heartbreakingly beautiful and the horn section was brilliant. and he played with and without all of the above and with Lisa, and the final song, Passing Through (Leonard Cohen) had everyone clapping and stomping with encouragement from Glen ("at least just uncross your arms" haha). And he led them all in a procession to the back of the Town hall in an atmosphere which felt like a mix between Ireland and New Orleans! He said the aim was to have that simple tune in our heads as we went home, it's still in mine today and I'm still buzzing:) And when the procession wended back past me and Glen was right beside me I couldn't help but yell, "YOU ROCK!" and he turned around and looked directly at me with a huge smile and said "Tank You" UH!
They didn't finish til right on midnight, over 3 hours, not counting Lisa, and I ended up hugging the guys I was siting next to because it felt like we'd bonded from being such a part of a wonderful experience!
I have to go check Youtube:) Well nothing there, yet, but I do have a few pics

Wallpaper eggs

I've been making a few big hole beads each session lately and putting them aside for Fiona at Tutukaka gallery.  They've been sitting in water waiting for me to clean the bead poo out of the holes, I looked at  them the other day and thought how they're much brighter threy are than I often use, (that Special Orange is still a favourite). Funnily enough I just got an email from Fi requesting a top up, and specifically in bright colours:)

I've been a bit lost as to what else I feel like making recently and have had a couple of sessions with nothing coming out particularly inspired or interesting to me.
I think I've overcome the lull though, I love these raked dot eggs beads in reactive colour, they remind me of 60's or 70's wallpaper patterns

I just got a package from Thompson Enamels too so now I can start playing with torch firing enamel on copper! Exciting!!

Wilco will love you baby!

Framed up my new Wilco poster which my darling Sam just happened to find falling off a wall for me!

Looks great in my kitchen along with one from their last tour here and my Kotche drumstick

Still on the hunt for the '08 NZ tour, love my T-shirt from that show though, can't wear it much anymore for fear of it falling apart

although it is much better quality than the one I got in 2010

Can't hardly wait for the Auckland AND Wellington shows in April :)

I heart orange

More hearts, with... Orange:) The middle one in a colour called Celadon, developed an air bubble which popped and made  a hole I decided I liked and so I left it there.

With Pea green, didn't notice the extra little blob of orange on the upper left until I looked at the photo.

This one in Dark sky blue (love the Wilco song Sky blue sky haha) has a yuck grey haze over it, turquoise does the same. I'd read on Lampwork Etc it can be removed with a soak in Coca Cola or Toilet Cleaner!! Also advice to soak in jewellery pickle, not pickle juice which I was just about to do before I read the whole sentence lol.