Gina's Shawl

My niece Gina was married last weekend.  Besides being my niece, she is also my god daughter, so I decided to do something special that I did not do for my other nieces when they got married (sorry Katie and Jacki).  So I decided to weave her a shawl for her wedding, honeymoon and special occasions.  It was promised to her at her shower - she received a picture, and it was delivered to her at her wedding rehearsal.

Gina Modeling Shawl

The shawl was woven in 100% silk.  For my weaving friends, I used 20/2 bombay silk from Treenway silk.

The pattern was called Earl's Canvas from "The Best of Weavers's Twill Thrills".   It is an M and W twill weave.  It was selected for two reasons.

1. I liked the use of M for marriage and W for wedding
2. The design reminded me of the bodice of her wedding gown.  

I was very pleased with how it turned out.  The pictures do not do it justice but it felt wonderful. 

Close up 

Beautiful Things

Just finished this book and I loved the book.  Thought the cover fit the book well and it definitely made me want to pick up to read.  It is a book about displaced lives of immigrants from Africa who live in Washington DC along with some locals who could be described as displaced.














Found two other covers.

This one fit the book well but wouldn't necessarily make me pick up the book - not as "beautiful" or mysterious.

I definitely did not like this cover - much too literal as to the items in the book.

Elegance in Unlikely Places

While I have been reading allot - I haven't done my book cover postings so I figured it was time. 

Last night I finished "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery.  I enjoyed the book, but will say it is not for everyone.  Long passages on philosophy that I admit I found myself skimming through; but I did enjoy the story.

The picture above is the one from the edition I read.  I did not like the cover but picked up the book anyways since the book was an Europa edition, and I have liked many of the covers. I know, I know - you are not supposed to just a book by its cover - and that seemed to be one of the themes in the book.  While the doorway fit the book - I couldn't picture the younger protagonist looking that way.

The cover that I found that I thought fit the book the best was this one:

I was able to find many others:

A Vermeer Sort of Day

Since the Vermeer painting that is on loan to the DIA is only on display until tomorrow we went down to see it.  It was displayed next to two other Dutch paintings from the same timeframe - you could really see why Vermeer is so revered.   The painting was in the entryway to the Dutch gallery so you could see it across the courtyard - it glowed even from the distance.

Always fun to people watch.  There was a lady holding up two different pictures of the painting in front of the picture - first one, then the other.  Don't quite know what she was looking for.  I do not believe a picture can capture the glow of parts of the painting.

So I go home and read the next chapter of the book I am reading "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" and I come across these sentences:  "Even Vermeer can't convince me to hold life dear.  He is sublime, but he is dead."    I don't agree with the first sentence but do agree that his paintings are sublime.

The other exhibit we took in today was an exhibit of prints from the DIA collection done by Picasso and Matisse.  Matisse is one of my favorite artists.  I was very impressed with what Detroit has in their collection.  And it was so good to see so many people viewing the exhibit.

Niagara Falls

Wow - has it ever changed.  Not the falls, but the area around.  We used to go every year for a race held on the US side.  The Canadian side has really grown - too much.   But it was neat to walk around and hear the multiple languages being spoken.

Updated Web Site

For my of my final  assignment for the Advanced Web Design class at the College of Creative Studies - I put out a revised version of my web site.

While it may not look significantly different - I used many of the techniques I learned in the class.

You can see the site at www.susanlolli.com

Will Deliver As Advertised

Just came home from the wedding shower of my niece Gina.  As usual for me - one of the gifts was an IOU.    So she received a picture of the shawl I am weaving.    It is half done - I have until October so I should have no problem finishing.

Ultimate Good TIme

"This is the ultimate good time - sitting at a loom weaving".

"This is the most fun thing in the world."

The above are quotes from one of the kids participating in the Discovery Camp at Greenfield Village last week.

Sample from the Discovery Camp

I started volunteering at the weaving shoppe at the village this summer.  The last couple weeks there has been various ages of kids taking part in the day camp held at The Henry Ford.  The seventh graders  - as one of their choices of activities - have the option of weaving.  We have them weave narrow rag rugs.    It is exciting to see the enthusiasm of these kids as they explore new/old activities.

More Pictures from the Corktown Tour

Corktown Tour

On Sunday, Frank and I did part of the House and Garden Tour in the Corktown area of Detroit.  It was quite interesting.  Had the new lofts in the old Grinnell building, Trinity Church along with the dig at the row houses behind it and a number of old homes built in the 1800's that have been restored.  

Row House to be Restored

Back of the Grinell Building

Design Class Final Project

As the final project for the ¨Design for Print and Web¨class at CCS, I put together a revision of the Pegasus Walkers Athletic Club website using Wordpress.  While I do not yet have the final grade - I was pleased with the outcome.  I received some suggestions for redoing the banner which I will attempt to due this summer (that part of graphical design is not my forte) but I received good comments on layout and organization.

You can check out the revised site at www.pegasusac.org

Almost a Painting

A Two Book Weekend

Finished two books over the weekend - and both continue with the theme of having photographs on the cover (which is NOT why I picked them.

Book 1) "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot.  Very interesting book that I would recommend.    Cover fits the book well.  While I usually do not like photos of the person the book is about on the cover - this book needs the face of the person behind the cells that helped medical research.

Book 2) "The Sense of an Ending" by Julian Barnes

Cover from edition I read

The first one is the cover on the book I read.  I know I said that I don't like photographs on the cover but I believe this one is OK ---- it is not the author and the sepia tones fit the book.  I do not like the lettering - the original cover's letter is much more interesting.

Original Cover

I loved the lettering and fading of the original cover.  A bit to nebulous though with what the symbols are - but then again it fits the book.

Found two interesting references about designing the original cover:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/8929045/Suzanne-Dean-the-secret-to-a-good-book-cover.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlzFDKcHLqI

Dogwood Tree in Bloom

From Last Printmaking Class

Finished the printmaking class the week before last.  I really enjoyed it.  I would like to take it again but I am taking a break for a while.  No art classes this summer but will be back at it in the fall.  The following are two of the prints from my last class.

The first is a gelatin print from a stamp I picked up at an estate sale of a local potter.  Gelatin prints are wild - the instructor made a slab from gelatin and you paint on it, lay a piece of paper on top then rub.  Great fun - something you can do at home since you do not need a printing press.

The second is a gelatin print on top of a print I had done earlier from a solar plate.  The plate is based on a photo I had taken in Italy.

Book about Words

I indicated that I do not like book covers with photographs on them (I would rather see work by illustrators - but at least this is not a photograph of the author.

The cover is a good indication as to what would happen to me if I tried to read the OED.

This book, "Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages" by Ammon Shea is a memoir about the year he spent reading that dictionary.  What a brave, crazy man.

I had trouble even making my way through the definitions of the commentary of the words he included in his book.  But I enjoyed the other parts about his thoughts and struggles as he read.

This book was recommended to me when I indicated that I liked books about books.  I have decided I am not a real fan of books about words - I have a terrible memory for words.  I give credit to those who can remember words like this author - and all those who are beating me with Words With Friends.

Only found one other cover - to the Australian edition.  
Same picture - different cover font.  For a change - I like the American edition better.

Tales of the Dead

 This was my "purse book".  The purse book is the one that sits in you purse and you read when you are "stranded" somewhere with no one to talk to.  It has to be a book that you can put down for months and not loose your train of thought.  So short stories, articles or essays work best.   This one I started mid last year so you can see how long it took.

Did not like the cover at all.  It struck me as very egotistical.  Of course that did fit the writing in the book.

I liked to cover below much better.

I also liked the third cover I found better than the cover of the edition I read.  

New Words

At the suggestion of a friend - I picked up "Reading the OED" by Ammon Shea (thank you Judy for the suggestion.  The author decides to read the entire 20 volumes of the Oxford English Dictionary (crazy soul!)

Just finished chapter A.  He listed some of the A words he particularly liked.  Here are two of them that I would like to try to remember.

All-overish (adj.) - Feeling an undefined sense of unwell that extends to the whole body
     
    - what a great word.  


Assy (adj.)  - asinine 


  - a great new four letter word to use that is not the usual!

My Secret - I Liked the Cover Better Than the Book

I loved the cover - but unfortunately did not love the book.  I so wanted to like it since I had read another fictionalized account of Emily Dickinson ("I Never Came to You in White") a number of years ago that I loved.

When I got on the internet to check out other covers I did not find any - but this one got written up on some lists as a "best" cover.

Theft

As I said before - I am a sucker for books about books.

I picked up "The Book Thief" from the library based on the title.  It wasn't until I was half way through that I saw that it was on the best seller list for "chapter books" in the children's section in the New York Times best seller list.   I was somewhat surprised to see it there.  Yes, it is about a young girl, but the narrater is death.    You can see a review of the book here.  http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/27/books/27masl.html

I would recommend the book.  I thought it an easy - intriguing read.

While the cover was interesting and did represent the book well, I would have wished that it was an illustration rather than a photograph.

When I went out to the internet I found a large assortments of other covers -
http://inkcrush.blogspot.com/2010/08/covers-of-book-thief-markus-zusac-35.html

I liked the UK adult version and the Russion versions the best.

Liker - Not a Lover

Just finished "The Lover" by A.B. Yehoshua. I liked the book but did not love it. I hated this cover. I dislike when they make the authors name the most important element. Also do not believe it fits the bookwell. Found two other cover examples on the internet.  The next one - while more to my liking it too much like the previous book I just read.   I believe it fits the book better.

The next one is the cover I really love.  Of course - I am a sucker for anything made up of type. 

Pleasant Surprise

Entered the student show at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center.  Supposed to submit work that represents what you did in classes.  You were allowed to submit two items.  Decided on the print of a photo I took in Florence.  It is a gum arabic print that I then colored with water color pencil.  I was pleased with how it turned out but surprised that it was juried in when I saw some of the other prints that were being submitted (yes Jyl, I do believe your dolphin print was better).

I recently took the weaving course and thought I should submit something from that since very little weaving ever makes it into the show.  The baby blanket I made has already been given away but I did weave a shibori scarf and then dyed it in the Michigan Weavers Guild dye day.  I am very surprised that that made it in since it is not up to my usual weaving standards.  I was in such a rush to finish by the dye day it ended up with very uneven ends and more variation in beat than I like.   I was VERY surprised that this made it.

I guess one never knows.

Last 2012 Book Catch U

I am almost embarrassed to say that I picked this book up to read since it was about the Princess Diana accident.  In fact - I put it down a couple times at the library before I took it out.   I have always been turned off by the obsession of people about the fatal accident and the aftermath of the accident to a bystander is the topic of the book.

That said - I liked the book and glad I picked it up.  I had read a book by the author Laurence Cosse previously, titled "The Novel Bookstore" which I LOVED.

This book is a fictional portrayal of someone who was in the tunnel during the accident,  left the scene and what happens to her after.   The writing is lovely and the book really holds you.

That said - I had wished the book cover looked less like a photograph and was more of a sketch.  But now that I write this - maybe the photo is more appropriate since the paparazzi was part of the problem.

American vs UK Versions

Last night I finished "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand".  I would describe it as a "cute" book.

After reading the book - the picture at the left which was from the American paperback edition fits the book much better than the one from the UK edition - though it is a "cute" picture but much too modern for the shy love affair the book is about.

UK edition

She Was - I Am Not - Ice Bound

Thought January was a good month to read a book about Antarctica even though we had a relatively mild January.  Antarctica does  not sound like a pleasant place to spend the winter.

I found the book very interesting but the cover not so.  I found the earlier cover much more interesting but once it became a best seller it changed to play up the person versus the cold.

Earlier cover