In Central Minnesota, we had been having an incredibly mild winter after a couple of serious fall blizzards, after which the temps got so warm that the snow quickly melted. Very little snow fell in December and January. I’d say we only have about a foot of snow on the ground today (February 22, 2021). Our mild winter became bitterly cold for about two weeks in February, with the temps being in the teens and…
I LOVE yarn bombs! As a fiber artist, I appreciate the attention they bring to fiber arts, especially knitting and crocheting. The textures and colors and message of wrapping something in yarn outdoors, whether a tree or fence or stairs or whatever, makes me happy because yarn bombs are about spreading happiness. I recently saw this tweet from #WOMENSART that shows a massive yarn bomb covering the steps of Helsinki’s Cathedral. That amount of work…
I’ve been blogging steadily since 2006, writing publicly in other venues long before that, and creating art since I was a child. I often write about complex topics that have multiple viewpoints. No matter how carefully I present my thoughts on a subject, there’s a likelihood that people will misinterpret what I write or create. My first experience with this was with a piece of art, a reversible weaving I had done in pale green…
Democracy in the United States is severely under attack from both inside and outside forces. Given this, it is up to those of us wanting to preserve democracy to speak out and take action. I have been more politically vocal during the past 3-4 years than in any other time in my life. I’ve nudged politicians who are supposed to be representing all of us rather than dividing us. I’ve encouraged people to take part…
When it comes to recycling, one of the biggest barriers to recycling specific materials is contamination. Contamination comes in the form of other materials being mixed in with the material that is bound for recycling. For example, if you’re trying to recycle a cardboard box and there is grease or oil on it (think pizza box), the box can’t be recycled because of the oil. In addition, the more materials an item is purposely made…