Dawn Brocco's Life & Design Blog

Meant to write in last night, but wasn't up to it. I finished that 2nd mitten sample and am reviewing Gazette patterns for the next issue. Writing and editing patterns does not give me much to talk about - not like designing garments does!

I finished that bedroom yesterday, as well, so on to another house project! I do have some wallpaper seams to redo in our bedroom, and painting is looming real soon, as hubby is finishing up what he needs to do before I can paint.

I'm writing patterns today, which can be wearying, so I don't do it in long stretches. I break it up with housework, so at least I get moving around. The sitting is so bad for the health! I need to water the garden after hubby finishes mowing, which means hauling ALL that hose back to the garden from where it is at the pond pump, so he can mow.

Tomorrow is an old car show downtown, which we're gonna go see for awhile. Hubby is a mechanic/engine rebuilder (aka auto machinist) and used to restore muscle cars (in the pre-married to me with children era), He has a project waiting 17 years, for the time and money to continue it, poor guy. There's that mantra coming up again: "Maybe in the next house, hubby will have more time to do what he loves and not just what he has to do."

Owning this old place certainly has expanded his skills, though, so it's not been a loss, by any stretch of the imagination. He can do everything from wiring to plumbing to woodwork, roofing, laying floors, you name it, he's done it. I've stripped layers of wallpaper (as each room was 6-8 layers deep), then rehung each room with him, hauled rocks, shovelled gravel, pulled endless nails and tacks, pulled room size carpets single-handedly out of the house, painted woodwork, walls, steam radiators, and the 65' front porch (every other year), planted trees, bushes, veggies, moved furniture. When we do something we dig in! But it will be nice to see him dig into something he finds vastly more satisfying than old home restoration! Cars are his thing. Wool is mine!

For me, it's a natural high to smell and touch fresh shorn fleece! I loved the rhythm of hand spinning and then loved the rhythm of weaving. I had a great loom - a 45" Rio Grande Walking Loom. Got it as a kit and sold it when we moved here. Should never have sold it - even the kit has gone up astronomically in 10 years, never mind the price of the Cadillac (finished) version.

I meant to weave overshot coverlets, but never got around to it - did lots of area rugs, blankets, kitchen towels, scarves, bath mats. Don't know if I'd ever go back to weaving though - it's such an investment - not just the loom, but all the doodads one needs in order to weave. I like rug hooking too and did a few area rugs in my handspun, naturally-dyed Romney and Lincoln wools, which I still have.

I have graphed designs ready for making up hooked rugs or needlepoint rugs, as I like them alot, too. But I think speed hooking would be the way I'd go. It's not as expensive a craft to buy supplies for. But, it's still one of those *when I can get to it* plans!

Blueberries are in season and I'm in blueberry heaven! Reminds me of that line in "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House", where Myrna Loy tells Cary Grant about the decorator, Bunny Funkhouser, that came to their apartment to talk about redecorating it and said they were "very American, very blueberry pie"! And I woulda thought apple pie would have been it! We still joke about that line "If you ain't eatin' Wham, you ain't eatin' ham!" I simply adore old movies! Beats much of the crud they make these days (except for Spielberg's work and other quality movie-makers).