SETTING UP IS HARD TO DO

My gosh setting up this studio is taking forever. I didn't know that I had this much stuff. But...I am chipping away at it a little at a time. Still....I have to get sewing because I still have christmas presents to make and curtains to sew. I am not ready for Thanksgiving and it happened already!!!

SEWING MY WAY THRU MY LIBRARY

OK, so the idea isn't original but today I spent the day cleaning and organizing my studio. I have quite a collection of books in my library and decided that I am going to sew and knit my way thru every single book. It should be quite interesting and I will share it all here.

It will be fun to share this with my knitting group and my quilting group. The really exciting thing is that I will have the rest of my sewing room by this weekend. Hurray!!!!

A WONDERFUL GROUP OF WOMEN

Last night I went to the knitting group I joined. The meeting place varies week to week and last night we had it at the local coffee shop that has coffee, tea, and pastries to die for!! I almost didn't make it though because our new wood stove was put in and it took the two guys forever. But....not to miss out on creativity, I dashed out the door and away I went.

The women have been meeting for quite some time and of course, I am the newest member. Ruthie has lived here all of her life and she is an accomplished knitter who spends the evening attempting to bail each one of us out of some knitting mess we have made. Then there is Helen who loves to laugh and clown around. She is a really funny woman who has a wonderful personality. Dolly is from the south but loves it up here. She is new to knitting and has a gentle way about her. Marie is total New York and loves to be creative (as do we all). I haven't learned the others names by heart yet but when I do I will let you know all about them. I am lucky to have landed in the arms of such wonderful women.

Today...it is off to the quilting group for three hours. Apparently the Patchworkers have a reputation and a song has been written about them. I haven't heard it yet but I am told that it is really good.

My juices are beginning to flow again thank the Goddess!

THE STUDIO IS FINALLY GETTING PAINTED

Jay and I spent the morning painting the studio. We haven't finished yet but the color is a beautiful buttery yellow. I'll have sunshine even on cloudy days (hey wasn't that a song?). We are settling in slowly but surely. Once the studio is painted and I get my sewing room from NC, I will be good to go. How is everyone else doing? Cate?

WHAT TO DO ABOUT ARTIST BLOCK

The move to the new house kicked my butt! And I am finding that I am not being productive in the studio. As a matter of fact, I haven't even painted it yet. All of my stuff is everywhere and the disorganization is driving me crazy. Yet, I am so overwhelmed that I find it hard to make any progress. It is temporary I know, but I have got to get my projects done! Write to me and tell me how you get through these blocks.

Knitter to the left of me, Quilter to the right!

You are not going to believe this but my new friend Ruthie, who lives on the same road I do is a knitter. She is very good. I go with her on Tuesdays and Saturdays to a group of women who are wonderful knitters. The first night I went with her we met the others at a coffee shop. There were seven of us and it was great. Each of us is at a different skill level and Ruthie goes around helping each of us when we need it. They are a friendly group and love living on the mountain. I haven't been to the quilter's group yet but I am sure they are going to be fun as well.

On a not so happy note, Jay and I have had a blow dealt to us regarding our new home. We hired a chimney sweep to clean the chimney, only to be told that we cannot use the fireplace or the woodstove. The fireplace sold us the house and is absolutely beautiful but right now we are feeling angry and not terribly excited to be hear. Considering the fact that we were depending on wood heat to keep us warm. We will be taking steps to correct the situation but the whole ordeal has made it difficult to get motivated. On a happy note, our neighbors are wonderful and very supportive. They have kept our spirits up and have more than welcomed us to the mountain.

CATCHING UP AFTER 10 DAYS

Wow!!!! Time is going by way to quickly. I am in my studio that still isn't painted. I am grateful though and I want to take a minute to express how much hope I have for all of us in these trying times. Like many of us, my money is very limited so I am going to use whatever I currently have. And, like many new homeowners, we had a couple of surprises that have us scrambling for extra money in the budget (that isn't there). It will all level out in time. But I am not only grateful for whatever I have but am also grateful for all of my family and friends who have believed in me and continue to believe in me. The joy of moving to a new home is the ability to make new friends. So far every neighbor on our road has stopped by to say hello and I found out that a new quilt shop is opening in about a month. I met the owner and she has asked me to teach classes there. It is a beautiful old NY house that has been in her home for years and she is restoring it. I also met some other sewers and knitters, some of which I will be joining this evening in one of their homes. I hope someone out there is reading this. I plan to take you with me each and every time I go.