WOYWW 908 the Soul of Autumn, and twisty crochet.

Hi all, 

I’m still without broadband, latest news is changeover by this Friday so the statutory compensation is starting to mount up. Oddly, the worst aspect is their awful call-waiting muzak, especially Pink Pony Club, which feels like it’s carving a groove through my brain. To counteract that, I’m playing lots of music and have set to learning to sing Baker St by Gerry Rafferty, a favourite as it came out the year I met Brian. I can instantly switch to the sax solo to drown out the nasty ear worm.  🎷🥰. I’ve chatted with some lovely BT Connections team call handlers though, the latest was a guy from Burnley, who was telling me about his music degree, (and wanted to put his headphones on his piano when working from home, a much better idea!) and another from Merthyr Tydfil. 

In my art class, our tutor had us searching for an enigmatic leaf to paint this week, the ‘Soul of Autumn.’

Heres my desk, colour matching in my sketchbook to get the right colours.

I love how my leaf was curling on one side and flaring autumn russet on the other.

And my painting, with a little haiku, that I must trim and rewrite more neatly for next week’s class. I still need to deepen the red, I’ve a shade of my Italian watercolours from Gallo, called morellone, which is perfect for it. 

We’re painting them in the style of Rory McEwen, including the odd placing on the page. I like to think of it just landing there. 

Thanks for your kind comments on my lapwing. Here’s my favourite of our class, by my friend Fran. 

I’m experimenting with crocheting a Möbius poncho, which I thought might be nice for when Alexia is nursing her baby. You make a big rectangle, twist it, crochet a neckline and continue down the back. 

Bella’s supervising, and sends you all purrs. 

Here’s as far as I’ve got:

I had some excellent news from our exhibition this week, that someone wants to buy my Reading Tree painting. 

The gallery at Sandgate Deli’s open Wednesday -Saturday so I’ll get the confirmation soon. I’m really delighted to hear it. 

And finally…

No art class, as it’s half-term, so, mobile data permitting, I’ll be round in the morning. 

Hugs

Lynnecrafts xx

WOYWW 907 Lapwings

Hi all, 

I’m joining in again with the one and only, original WOYWW - don’t accept any substitutes! It’s hosted by our lovely Julia at The Stamping Ground. 

I’m writing this early as our broadband is due to be changed this week and I’m not sure if we’ll be without it for a while. I’ve spent far too long in call queues this last week. 

My art class desk first, with my lapwing emerging from the abstract background. 

We’re following the style of Carne Griffiths. 

Here’s my finished painting. I love how lapwings swirl through the sky, so used that idea for my doodles. 

I think Bella likes it too 😹. She sends you all purrs. 😻

Our exhibition has started at Sandgate deli:

There are some of mine here, both bottom ones and on the right. 

And more, including my bonkers chickens in this video.

I’m also remembering the Aberfan disaster this week - it was 60 years ago on Wednesday. I still remember the Coal Board trying to use money raised for the victims, for the clear up. 🤬

I’ve just finished a second set of baby clothes for the younger of my cousinettes (children of my cousins) in Devon, who’s expecting a girl next month. 

And finally…

I’ll be round after art class, the broadband engineers willing.

Happy WOYWW

Hugs

Lynnecrafts xx

 

WOYWW 906 Bonkers chickens, lapwings and baby clothes

Hi all, 

Our weekly blog circle seems strange without Sarah, but I feel she’d want us to carry on. I’ve asked her family (via their Facebook post) if they can livestream her funeral as I’m sure many of us would want to participate. 

It’s been a busy fortnight. 

First, my art class desk:

We’ve done abstract underpainting and are now adding birds coming through that. I’m doing a lapwing - I loved seeing them wheeling over the valley when we lived in the NE at Clara Vale. I used Brusho for the first time - it’s so intense, and spreads scarily fast through water on the paper. We’re also using iridescent powder, medium and iridescent paint as well as watercolour. 

We reviewed our oasthouses and our tutor was well pleased with my composition, though I could’ve pushed the dark tones further.

It was my friend Chris’s birthday and we planned to go and see a local musical, Gypsy. Unfortunately, I got a text that the rest of the run had been cancelled, due to sickness, but I got a refund. The director is the same man as the organiser of our art exhibition, which explains why that was postponed too. It will start at Sandgate deli, maybe from Friday. 

I did a picture of Chris’s dog, Cedric, for her, mainly using watersoluble graphite and tinted charcoal. 

My friend Emer wanted one of my bonkers chicken so I took them all round for her to choose. She bought 3! I now have 3 for the exhibition or maybe four, if I finish my last one in time. 

I’ve just finished a close-up of Gamay grapes from Beaujolais for the exhibition. It’s supposed to have raindrops on it and I’m not sure whether they’re clear enough, but Brian says they’re fine and he should know. It’s 50 years ago this year since he started picking grapes at our friends’ farm in Beaujolais- so 47 years for me. 

I have two family members who’re expecting so I’ve started knitting and crocheting baby clothes. I knitted the easy jacket pattern from Jan (waiting for buttons) and crocheted the hat and booties. The yarn is variegated lilac through to green so I think it’s a good colour for a baby whose gender hasn’t been revealed. The bad news of this yarn is it’s hard to make a matching pair of booties! I kept winding on my yarn to reach a point that looked the same as the first one. 

Bella helped and sends you all purrs. 

Non matching ones:

Matching ones!

And finally…,

I’ll be visiting after art class 

Happy WOYWW

Hugs

Lynnecrafts xx

WOYWW 905 Goodbye Sarah

This is such a sad week, hearing the news that Sarah has died. 

I only met her at the 2024 crop, which she and Eva organised in Penkhull, just round the corner from where my husband and I used to live. 

She was such a strong link to my home city, Stoke-on-Trent. I admired her dedication to drawing and painting, her love of languages and music. 

We’ll miss her dedication to WOYWW, taking over the coordination of the blog from the crop of 2024. 

My condolences to Eva and Sarah’s family. 

I’m at art class in the morning but will be back by lunchtime. 

Hugs

Lynnecrafts xx

WOYWW 904 Hops and bonkers chickens

Hi all, my desk for our weekly bloghop care of Sarah’s Craftshed is:

Since then I’ve tidied it up and added the hops, and the title, The Wolf of the Hedgerow, an old name for hops, relating to their vigorous growth and ability to choke out other plants. 

Our paintings were adapted from the style of Josie White from the Society of Botanical Artists, though linked to the local hop festival timing. 

I also been stuffing my ‘Bonkers Chickens’ as Jan called them - I rather like that title 😹. They’re made with toy safety yarn and stuffing and with Bella’s supervision, of course. She sends you all purrs.

One is for an art class friend and I’ll have five for the exhibition. 

This week’s art class is focusing on birds of Kent, so no golden pheasant, unfortunately. I’ll do a picture of the lovely Goldie from Helen’s photo separately. 

I had a lovely walk round Brockhill country park on Saturday, while it was still sunny - Our art class is in the Badger Room there. There were lots of families so no shy birds. It’s a lovely flat path round the lake so it’s great for their pushchairs, scooters and little bikes. 

This mallard was quite happy to be photographed, though I think he was hoping to be fed (despite notices everywhere saying ‘do not feed the birds’). I expect he can’t read😀. 

I’m following Kent Birding pages on Facebook for inspiration, and am glad to see lapwings amongst them. They always remind me of when we lived in Clara Vale, on the Tyne, where there were often pairs of lapwings wheeling over the valley. One of the birders on that page, Cristi Vasile,  has given me permission to use his photo. Isn’t the sheen on this one’s wings glorious? 

I know we can use iridescent powder so that would work well for him. 

And finally:

This makes me laugh because the French supplier of some lineside cabinets on HS1 described them as having ‘Anti-Gravity paint’ so we imagined them floating across the Channel. (they should have said Anti Graffiti paint 😂.) 

I’ve art class in the morning then have to drive up to Maidstone for a hospital appointment so it may be Wednesday evening or Thursday before I can visit your blogs. 

Happy WOYWW 

Hugs

Lynnecrafts xx

WOYWW 903 Hens, hops and summer sun.

Hi all, I’m hopping this week - our weekly bloghop courtesy of Sarah’s Craftshed - and in my art class subject. 

We’re doing an oasthouse in watersoluble graphite and a hop bine in watercolour. Here’s my desk. 

I didn’t know, but a curve above the eyeline looks as if it curves downward at the ends, and something below your eye line curves up. I’d done some very nice roof tiles the wrong way, and had to correct it. I’ve just been out for fresh hops in the far corner of our garden, behind the greenhouse, among the nettles. (V glad I managed to avoid them😀).

I’ve worked out that my hops will be mainly spring green + yellow ochre. 

We’ve had lovely autumn sunshine this week and a journey through the countryside (to our favourite farm shop and restaurant, Gibson’s of Wingham) filled my eyes with sunshine. 

It made me think of my Reading Tree painting, so I’ve added more sunshine to it. 

The exhibition in Sandgate has been put off till October, as Graham, who’s organising it, is tied up with directing the musical, Gypsy. I’ll be going to see that on Friday. 

It’s also given me more time to make more Emotional Support Chickens. I’ve not stuffed them yet, they’re easier to photograph flat. 

I’ve five now, the top one’s for a friend. Bella’s been supervising and sends you all purrs. 

Last week we went to see an exhibition of etchings by my friend Catherine Robinson, who used to teach me T’ai chi. It’s at the House of Afsara, on the Old High Street in Folkestone for a few more weeks. Glorious work, many prints were double-printed, with an area precisely wiped off then reprinted in a second colour. The big collage in the window was made of papers she’d printed herself (on a big printer’s press, not a computer printer).

It’s based on a beautiful book she’s written, based on her T’ai chi journey. 

And finally…

I’ll be round as soon as I can, as we’ve an appointment after art class. 

Happy WOYWW

Hugs

Lynnecrafts xx