The Circle of Crochet

Remember two years ago when I created a mandala in honor of crocheter Marinke and mental health awareness?  Today, I received a copy of the book, Mandalas for Marinke, by Crochet Concupiescence's Kathryn Vercillo (you can buy one here.)  And it is beautiful!  It's a rainbow collection of creativity and craft in honor of an amazing woman and an important social issue (you can see my quote on page 57.)  It's such a gift, a blessing, and I'm so honored to have participated.  There will be an exhibition in November, out in California, a wonderful way to celebrate this loving project.

My favorite part of the book is all the color illustrations--and in some of the layouts, the hundreds of mandalas are arranged in mandalas or rainbows!  It's beautiful. And inspiring.  I'm ready to go make some more mandalas (if you want to learn how, beyond a pattern in this book, a book of Marinke's mandalas was published posthumously.)  Here's just one of the shots, from the promotional page (though, I can't find my actual mandala in any of the mandala mosaics in the book.  And really, that's ok; it's not at all about me.)

Look, mine's above the lower left corner, with variegated yarn and a strong yellow round near the middle.

My Embroidery-Hoop Mandala

I finally wrote up this pattern the way I do it!!!  The original pattern is one of my favorites, the Granny Mandala from Crocheting with Raymond.  In the beginning, I would starch the mandalas with watered-down glue or Mod Podge before hanging them in my windows.  Then I decided to attach a mandala to an embroidery hoop and now that's my favorite way to do it.  Because I tend to use variegated yarn, I did not need to change colors with each round and so adapted the transition between rounds to include a slip stitch across the stitches to get to the next ch 1 space.  So the pattern is written to be used without yarn; I include a note about doing it otherwise.

I'm really pleased to have finally written this up, having made two mandala hoops this week.  Good luck!!

(It's dark so I'll add better photos tomorrow.)

Three embroidery-hoop mandalas
(the small one actually has 6 rounds, to get that light blue in,
but it is a little loose.)

Tonight's big mandala!

My Embroidery-Hoop Mandala

inspired by Crocheting with Raymond

·      any size embroidery hoop (wooden or plastic)

·      medium-weight (4) yarn (or any yarn with comparable hook)—I tend to use cotton

·      H hook

This pattern is for variegated yarn, with no yarn changes at each round.

NOTE:  If you want to change colors with each round, instead of “sl st across dc cluster and sl st into ch 1 sp”, join new color with a sl st into a 1 ch space from previous round and proceed as directed.

Size suggestions:

Small embroidery hoop:  5 rounds

Medium embroidery hoop:  8 rounds

Large embroidery hoop:  11 rounds

When you have completed your desired number of rounds:  Do NOT finish off.  See directions below to attach to hoop

US crochet terms

sc single crochet

dc double crochet

ch chain

sl st slip stitch

dc2tog  double crochet two together

yo yarn over

sp space

FO finish off

Round 1:  Make a magic ring. 3 ch (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc, *ch 1, 2 dc* repeat **  5 times (6 pairs).  Join with a sl st to 3^rd chain of  first 3 ch.  Tighten magic circle.

Round 2: :  sl st across tops of stiches to next ch 1 sp and sl st into ch 1 sp.  Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc, ch 1, dc2tog (same space), *ch 1, in next space dc2tog, ch 1, dc2tog* repeat ** in each ch 1 space until end of round, then ch 1 and join with a sl st into 3^rd ch of ch 3. (6 pairs)

[dc2tog:  yo, insert hook, pull through a loop, yo, pull yarn through 2 loops, yo, insert hook into same stitch, pull through one loop, yo, pull up 2 loops, yo, pull through 3 loops]

Round 3:   sl st across tops of stiches to next ch 1 sp and sl st into ch 1 sp.  Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc in same sp, *ch 1, into next sp 3dc* repeat ** until end of round, then ch 1 and join with a sl st into 3^rd ch of ch 3. (12 sets of 3 dc)

Round 4:  repeat round 3. (12 sets of 3 dc)

Round 5:  sl st across tops of stiches to next ch 1 sp and sl st into ch 1 sp.  Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc, ch 1, 3 dc in same sp, *ch1, into next space 3dc, ch1, 3dc* repeat ** until end of round, then ch 1 and join with a sl st to 3rd chain of original 3ch. (24 sets of 3 dc)

Round 6:  repeat round 3. (24 sets of 3 dc)

Round 7:  repeat round 3. (24 sets of 3 dc)

Round 8:  sl st across tops of stiches to next ch 1 sp and sl st into ch 1 sp.  Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc, ch 1, 3 dc in same space, *ch 1, into next space 3dc, ch 1, then into NEXT space 3dc, ch 1, 3dc*, repeat ** until end of round, then ch 1 and join with a sl st to 3rd chain of original 3ch.  (36 sets of 3 dc)

Round 9:  repeat round 3 (36 sets of dc)

Round 10:  repeat round 3.  (36 sets of 3 dc)

Round 11:  repeat round 3.  (36 sets of 3 dc)

Round 12:  sl st across tops of stiches to next ch 1 sp and sl st into ch 1 sp.  Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc, ch 1, 3 dc in same space, *ch 1, into next space 3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc , ch 1, then into NEXT space 3dc, ch 1, 3dc*, repeat ** until end of round, then ch 1 and join with a sl st to 3rd chain of original 3ch.  Pattern goes 3 dc-ch 1-3dc, ch 1, 3dc, ch 1, 3dc, or increase (3dc-ch 1-3dc), ch 1, 3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc, ch 1, increase . . .

Round 13:  repeat round 3.

Round 14:  repeat round 3.

Round 15:  repeat round 3.

Round 16: repeat round 12.

To make an even larger mandala (like in a hoola hoop), do three rounds without increase and then increase the next round like round 12.

To attach to hoop:

When your mandala is the size of the inside of your hoop by stretching it a little bit,  it is done (if the mandala is too close to the edge or overlaps the hoop, it will not be tight, leading it to sag or flop.)  It will be harder to crochet around the hoop than a regular row; be patient.  Your mandala will stretch as you go and you can adjust by sliding stitches around to make it more even.

Separate your embroidery hoops and use only the inside hoop (you can do both; I like the look of doing just one so that the outside edge is just wood.) Hold mandala near the hoop and then insert the hook through a ch 1 space under the rim of the hoop, as if you are treating the hoop as the top of the ch 1 sp.  Then sc by drawing  up a long loop over the top of the hoop and completing the stitch.  Then ch 1.

*sc, ch 1* around the hoop and repeat until end of round. 

Loop:  Then ch 10 or 20 and sl st to first ch stitch to create a loop.  FO.

Mommy Hungry

Again

Looks like I'm behind again!

With the kids asking me not to post much if anything about them here and the rise in my use of FB, I just don't post as much as I used to, though I know that several friends and family members read this first.  So I'll try to do better.

Let's see.  Today, Bud is home with a cold.  I think it's his first sick day in a year or so.  In fact, if the rest of the week weren't so big--school field trip, chorus concert, piano recital--I would have sent him to school.  But as it was, I didn't want to risk his getting worse.

Now I'm just hoping Sis doesn't get it, because she also has the field trip and concert plus a giant two-night Girl Scout "glamping" weekend at a resort.  Wish us all luck.  The weather has been damp and warm, the trees and such have exploded, and everyone seems to be sniffling.

So, what have I been doing?

Well, I went up against the BOE and school administration with other parents in town and defeated an initiative to unlevel middle school, meaning cancel honors classes.  I've composed a long post about this in my head several times because I'm still quite conflicted.  See, there's a huge achievement gap in our town, meaning African-Americans and Latinos score very much lower than their white and Asian counterparts; they are also less represented in said honors classes.  I recognize this as a social justice issue and know that such scores likely indicate albeit unintentional systemic/institutional bias and even racism.  The Democrat, social liberal, and Unitarian Universalist in me wants to rectify this.  But then there's the mom in me that fears that my children's academic achievement would be stalled by a non-leveled class, especially because they've been in the special gifted and talented class for three years (and are still not very challenged academically--how would they fare in an unleveled class??!!)  Certainly unleveling can succeed if properly prepared for, but the district was trying to rush the measure through without invovling parents (without even really telling them) and with little preparation for the changes.  Their instructional plan for high achievers in "regular" classes?  "Raise expectations, provide support, provide understanding."  BS.  That's not a plan.  They also mentioned an honors option, which is really just more homework and projects AT HOME--meaning they don't get instructional time with the teachers and the bulk of their education is independent learning (tough for 7th graders!)  AND then there were mentions that the accelerated learners would help the typical kids.  Great.  Social nightmare for everyone and then my kids would still not be getting their instructional time with the teacher.  So, the parent in me rebelled, took to FB, organized letters and phone calls, and helped convince the BOE not to unlevel until there is a better plan.  We need a better plan and we need to help the students who are being failed by our district.  But I'm still very torn about defeating the unleveling, which is supported by the National Education Association (NEA) and other groups, though several studies say it doesn't change the outcomes for slower learners.  Probably because middle school is way too late to affect monumental change.  It needs to start in preschool!  So . . . . so.  So, we're not homeschooling or sending our kids to private school next year.  And if the district votes to unlevel with a better plan after next year, I will stay informed and involved and maybe even support the plan.  Or take a "gap year" for 8th with my kids and travel around!!

What else?  On Saturday, a friend and I went to a wonderful mandala workshop at Copper Beech Institute in West Hartford and had a lovely, creative, inspiring day.  We walked the labyrinth and had a picnic lunch before class and then made a freehand mandala and a literal gratitude mandala in class.  And I learned how to make colored Zen Gems!  So much fun!  I spent Sunday practicing my new-found skills.

Last week, Mama's office hosted a special "Take Your Child to Work" Day program and so the kids spent 13+ hours following along her usual day!  They were up at 5:30 a.m. and home a bit before 7 p.m.  They had a tour, a special talk on what the company does and how the US's financial system works (they even got money from all over the world.  Ours got Cambodia and the DRCongo), and then went with Mama to her meetings.  They also played Nerf battles with her co-workers, which was their favortie part.  I think they had new-found respect for Mama's long work day and challenging work life.  Sis said, "I'll never think waking up at 7 a.m. for school is early again!"

The next month or so wraps up the year's extracurriculars, for the most part, as well as their time at elementary school.  There will be several special events and middle school orientations.  Plus the school play.  But I'm anxious that it's all coming to an end.  I've really loved their elementary school, especially their teachers, and am nervous about the move to middle school, particularly because most of the kids of my informal moms' network are going to the other middle school.  Which means I sorta start from scratch, just like the kiddos (though, several of the kids in their special class will move on to honors at the middle school; I just don't know those parents as well.)  But we have the summer to get used to the transition.

And I won't even get into all the summer plans . . . .

Retreating

Gommie and I spent three days tangling our hearts out!  Such a wonderful time.  Before we left for our formal Zentangle retreat at Copper Beech Institute in West Hartford, CT, we warmed up a little at home.  I taught her my Zendala tangle/string TWYST.  With some practice, she got it down.

TWYSTing with Gommie

I also flipped through Gommie's sketchbook, which had these wonderful tiles . . . . 

Which I proceeded to blantantly copy!  I don't know the names of the tangles (except Springkle, which is just an enlarged version of the one I usually do)--and I didn't even get the gist of the middle one.  But I like them and will keep practicing.

We headed to Copper Beech midday Friday.  It's the place I attended my first Zentangle class two years ago.  We had a wonderful time--delicious meals (albeit Lenten, so lots of fish, which I don't generally eat), rejuvenating yoga and meditations, a lovely walk to the snow-covered labyrinth, and, of course, the Zentangle sessions.  I especially liked the yoga and meditations, from my first gentle yoga session to the even gentler Restorative yoga session (where you support your poses with cushions and just breathe into them), followed by a lovely tea in the art gallery (with a delicious "Om" blend of cardamom, rose, etc from Culteavo.)  And of course the labyrinth!  Even partially snow-covered, I like the meditative space.  Perhaps especially snow-covered.  No owls this time, though.

There were about 26 of us in the Zentangle retreat.  For the first night, they split the beginners from the more experienced tanglers, with our experienced group doing a black-and-white project working with negative space.  I liked the results.

On Saturday, we did two more projects, both tangential to pen-and-paper tangling.  With Janet, we explored the use of polymer clay to created tangled beads, basing our designs on such tangles as Printemps and Tipple.  We made canes of our designs and Gommie had the great idea to do a class bead and to share our cane patterns around.  In the afternoon, we experienced Zenquility, or paper quilling.  We used basic flowers with coils and teardrops as the start of a Zendala or other tile.  I especially enjoyed this, seeing the possible applications in Zendalas.  Quilling is much like 3D tangling.

I really liked our session Saturday evening, which was a guided meditation with verbal cues for the tile.  The teacher described the tangles, trying not to name them (though, eventually, she did say flux and pokeleaf.)  It was very similar to something we did at the Zentangle retreat at Kripalu.  See the results in our class mosaic--similar yet so individual!  I can't wait to try this kind of meditation in one of my advanced classes.  Over the course of the weekend, we did a few breath mediations, including one called Four Corners or Box meditation--you draw a box slowly, with the verticals and horizontals representing the exhales and inhales.  We also did the Breath of Joy--three inhales and then an explosive "ha!"

Our class mosaic from the meditation

Our last session, was a very complex terrarium, using some Zentangle patterns and sophisticated Renaissance shading in browns, blacks, and whites.  The result is a Zentangle-inspired art work (ZIA). I have to admit this was not my favorite--with the use of compass and eraser, all that representation and specific orientation, the focus on product over process, and not much repetition of most of the patterns save in the base with meer, nzeppel, and tipple.  We barely finished--you can see I didn't finish the shading or even decorate the mushroom.  Still, I learned some shading suggestions, like working from darks to lights, and picking one side for lights and the other for darks (the teacher arbitrarily does darks on the left and whites on the right.)  And I loved the woodless 6B pencil we got--it's nice and dark and smudges beautifully.

Altogether, it was another wonderful weekend and I look forward to the next year's.

When we got home, Gommie and I continued to tangle, playing with some 3Zs.  I drew a continuous string on six of them and we each went to work.  Here are mine and hers in progress.  See the nice shading on mine?  Yep, 6B!






Happy tangling, Gommie!

Block Island 2015

We had a glorious 3-day weekend on Block Island, taking the kiddos back to where Mama and I vacationed a year ago.  And it was fantastic!

Friday
The weekend celebrations actually started Thursday evening, with our attending the Indigo Girls concert at the Beacon in NYC.  But that is a whole separate post.

Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep Thursday night and had intended to sleep in and skip school, but the kids had class pictures at school and wanted to go.  So we were up as usual and the kids had their group photo first thing.  We picked them up at 10 a.m. and raced to the ferry, knowing it was going to be tight timing.  Full of adrenaline, we played license plate games ("Noshing Jackal Hordes" anyone?) and find the ABCs for two hours, working the alphabet backwards and forwards.

But we made it, even with the dense fog that was rolling into the southern New England shore.  By the time we boarded the ferry from Port Judith to Block Island, we couldn't see a hundred yards in any direction, if that.  And yet we still rode up top, in the blowing, wet fog; we were all wet-haired almost immediately.  It wasn't super cold, though, and we laughed the whole way (luckily, we'd eaten our lunches waiting in the ferry line instead of saving them for the ride as we had planned.)  Bud jumped every time the fog horn blew, approximately every two minutes.

We stayed at the 1661 Inn, where we stayed last time, in a gorgeous big room, in its own separate house on the property.  It had an airy, bright sea-colored room with a gas fireplace (and an Anton Otto Fischers maritime painting c 1919  over the mantel) and a huge porch, plus a giant bathroom with a jacuzzi bath and two "rainforest" showers.  Luxurious.  We voted it second-best hotel room ever, after the Lainston in Winchester.   The whole inn is lovely--and the hydrangeas were even still in bloom!

We didn't stay long but headed out to see what we could see, with our first visit to the nearby Southeast Light.  The kids ran around the yard, marveling at the fog while Mama and I took photos.  Perfect weather for a supposedly haunted light.  The fog horn was blaring the whole time.

We then headed to the other end of the island, to see the labyrinth and other lighthouse.  Well, we saw the beach where the light was but couldn't see as far as the light.  We could, however, enjoy the labyrinth and walked the whole path.  I wasn't quite as philosophical as last time, though I did notice that walking it as a family, however separated, gave the experience new meaning--we high-fived as we passed one another and occasionally waited along the way for a hug.  At the end, Bud lead me on to the end.  You could run with the symbolism of all of that.  Still, they took the whole path more joyfully that the grown ups, reveling in the full physical experience of a maze on a hill in the fog.

We made a stop at the local grocery store for snacks and then went back to the room.  Bud wanted to have a tub in the jacuzzi and we all enjoyed relaxing in the room, even with no view.  The fog really was a singular experience and lent wonderful atmosphere to our first day; I'm just glad it cleared overnight.

We had an amazing early dinner at Eli's:  artichoke veloute with a crabcake, warm goat cheese and arugula salad, breads with olive oil, tuna nachos, a short rib burger, a roasted chicken breast, filet mignon with roasted vegetables and gnocchi, chocolate bread pudding, lemon mousse cake, and an incredible butterscotch pudding.

And it was still early, so we enjoyed the fireplace and sat doing some of the activities we brought along--coloring books, crochet, yo-yo.  Eventually, we went to bed, with the increasing winds rattling the whole little building in which we slept.

Saturday

The wind died down by dawn, having cleared away all the fog.  Sis was up first and out on the porch to watch the sunrise.  She's been waking early since the time change made 7 am into 6 am.  We all joined her.  At any given point in the trip, I was taking photos with my cellphone while Mama and Sis took photos on two of the cameras she brought.  Sis is just like Mama and they take many of the same views.  It was a beautiful sunrise and then we all sat on the porch, drinking tea and hot chocolate, coloring and doodling in the morning light, waiting for breakfast.

Mmmm, breakfast!  Omelets to order, tasty morning glory and lemon poppyseed and pistachio muffins, pancakes (French toast the next day), potatoes, ham, bagels, toast, juices, coffee, tea--what a way to start the day!!

Right after breakfast, one of the owners of the Inn took us on a tour of their farm, complete with exotic animals.  The kids enjoyed feeding, petting, interacting with, and even just seeing the two Bactrian camels, lemurs, kangaroo, Flemish Giant bunny, a giant tortoise, an African crane that danced for Sis, llamas, yak, and other creatures.

Then we went to the Northern Light fiber arts shop--yep, yarn!!!!  The kids enjoyed both the multi-colored yarn and the big yellow lab-mix dogs.  And I picked up some lovely yarn, for a hat, mittens, and a blanket.  Bud learned to weave on a lucet and got one to use at home.  Sis picked up a felting kit and worked on it over the weekend to create a picture of the Southeast Light.


Kite-flying was next.  The warmth of the weather was unbelievable.  We needed jackets but not much else.  And so we headed to the beach to fly two kites Mama had brought, a synapse self-inflating kite and a parafoil or something-or-other.  They had such a good time flying the kites in the not-too-strong breeze.  I searched the beach for seaglass, finding just a few pieces, but enjoying the search.



By then we had worked up an appetite and headed to Bethany's Airport Diner, where Mama and I had eaten on our last trip.  What a huge disappointment!  We waited by a dirty table and were roundly ignored for upwards of 10 minutes, when finally one server said to another, nodding at us, "Do you want to clean that table?"  "No," she replied.  And kept ignoring us.  We left, of course,  Were they rude because they're rude?  Tired?  Or because we're not locals? a lesbian family? bi-racial?  A painful experience but a good teachable moment for the kids.  Shame on them.  It was the only negative event in three days.  But we had a fabulous, friendly, tasty meal at Kimberly's.  Bud licked the bouillabaisse bowl clean, while Mama inhaled the fried oysters.  Sis and I enjoyed more usual fare, a burger and a meatball grinder.

We did a little shopping and, in chatting, learned from the store owner the best beach to find seaglass. I promised I wouldn't publicize it, though.  We made plans to go the next day, at low tide, as recommended.

We spent some quiet time waiting for sunset, enjoying the room and our activities--felting, reading, coloring, crocheting, jacuzzi, sitting on the porch.  We shared some nibbles with the other guests and then headed out to see sunset at the lighthouses.  There wasn't much color at the Southeast Light, so we headed to North, on the rocky beach, and stayed there until well after sundown, building rock cairns, rock mandalas, throwing stones, watching the waves, reflecting.  I bet we were out there an hour or more, a testament to the mild weather.  I even walked in the dark halfway down the rocky beach, though we didn't get as far as the light.

Dinner was takeout from the Old Island Pub, and more sitting around the room.

Sunday
Another pretty sunset, cooler temperatures and a perfectly clear and cloudless day, our first there.  We  watched from inside and did our thing, then ate another delicious breakfast before heading out for the day.  We were going to the seaglass beach, that is after taking a family photo at the North Light, hopefully for use as our Christmas picture.  We got the picture, perhaps, and drove to the other secluded beach.

It was rocky and immediately rewarded our search efforts with various pieces of glass.  We threw back all the glass that was still shiny, in hopes that it would one day become seaglass (though, it occurred to us later that maybe that wasn't the most green of choices; and we'd already discussed that the very existence of seaglass was a testament to the fouling of the environment.)  We found lots of green and brown and white, a few blue, a couple of yellow; some was more frosted or had more softened edges that others, we weren't super picky.  More than anything, it was a wonderful morning on the beach.  Walking, thinking, searching, throwing rocks into the waves.  We spent our whole morning here, returning to town with just enough time to check out, grab supplies for a ferry-ride lunch, and get in line at the dock.

The ride back across to the mainland was gorgeous; you could see clear across.  It was cold and bright, but we were some of the only people on the top deck.  We never like to ride downstairs.  Who knows what you might miss?  No seals this time, just a trawler with hundreds of birds and more flying to it.

We all loved the weekend and couldn't choose our favorite parts.  We all agreed that next year we should stay three nights so we could do some hiking and have extra down time.  And we all liked November--no other people around, "atmospheric" weather that encouraged hibernation, a nice break from school.  We'll definitely do it again.

Until then, I inadvertently collected a few pictures about Block Island itself, and finish with them here.  Together, they served as inspiration for my own doodles during our down time.  I'll post my doodle later, if I finish it.

From the window of a closed souvenir shop

From a tire cover on the truck in front of us on the ferry going over

An old map with notations about things not on newer maps, like the "third" lighthouse in the north

Spirit Play: Labyrinths and Mandalas

We're well into our religious education (RE) year at our Unitarian Universalist church, where we're teaching the Spirit Play curriculum.  It's a kind of Montessori, learner-centered approach to RE the privileges storytelling and hands-on activities.  It's just our first year using Spirit Play and we only watched some videos and studied the manual; so let's call it Spirit-Play-light, since we don't have lots of felt manipulatives, pure retelling of the stories, and "I wonder" questions.  Still, we let the kids work their way through our theme using a few carefully designed and selected activities (though probably a little too much information and explaining; it's an extra challenge because our age range is 5 to 13.)

A few weeks ago, following another teacher's lesson on Sacred Spaces, I led a class on labyrinths.  I read a story entitled Ladybug's Labyrinth, which dealt with a little lost bug who follows a labyrinth and is able to calm down and not feel so lost, and we talked a little about personal sacred spaces (vs. communal ones) and meditation.  Then the kiddos had their choice of work:  making tape labyrinths on the floor, learning to draw a labyrinth, and using two of the labyrinths I brought (one finger, one ball maze.)  The eldest student worked on the two handheld labyrinths while my kids and the younger ones all worked on the large tape labyrinth on the floor (using the how-to-draw directions.)  Then they took turns racing around it like a race track.  We adults went through, too, much more slowly, but the little ones were more intent on the dizzy buzz they got running through it.  And that's okay.  (They did each try it the slow way, a least partly.) They all finished the class by drawing their own labyrinth on a white paper plate, thereby making their own finger labyrinth.  I wish the story had been stronger, but the kids had a good time, even if the whole idea of internal, personal, meditative space (or even labyrinths as metaphor for life's journey) got a little lost.  But experiencing the shape itself was very compelling for all of them.

Bud's

Mine

Today, I built upon the meditative practice of labyrinths by leading a class on mandalas.  We talked about mandalas as a (radially-symetrical) circle made by many religious traditions to aid in prayer, particularly Tibetan monks who make intricate ones out of sand, only to blow them away instead of keep them.  Impermanence.  It's also the time of death and dying--waning light, fall leaves, and Samhain, Day of the Dead, All Souls/Saints, and, of course, Halloween--when so many people feel more connection to those who have gone before us.  And we read Grandad's Prayers of the Earth, which tells of one grandfather explaining prayer to his grandson, who only really understands once his grandfather has died.  Prayer in this book as divined, briefly, as anything that connects one to the larger beauty of life, be it stillness, movement, laughter, song, or words spoken by grandparents . . . .

Sis's

And so we walked through our church's "backyard," stopping for a moment of silence by the stones of the Memorial Garden, where congregants' ashes are sprinkled.  We also picked up materials to make our own nature mandalas.  The kids worked separately and so diligently . . . and with the wind, we all experienced the impermanence of our art form.  And perhaps the older ones understood the metaphor.  At least the mandalas lasted long enough to show parents and take photos (because you know us humans, always trying to stop the impermanence.)

We called these gorgeous things "mandala leaves" for the layers of color.  No idea what tree they're from.

I'm not sure what I'll do at my next class in two weeks.  Maybe something on gratitude.

Fall Fun: Autumn Nature Mandalas

Having seen some natural mandalas on Pinterest as I continue my exploration of Zentangle and mandalas, I took a little time today to find some colorful leaves--all but the purple ones are from the nursing home where my current hospice patient lives; the purple ones are from our Japanese maple.  

The following photos are just my first attempts.  I can see collecting more leaves, fallen branches, and other items.  The white rocks are kind of "cheating" since they were bought and put in our garden.

You know the most remarkable thing about these mandalas?  I sat on the ground to make them!

Can't wait to try it with the kids . . . .

(Vague memory:  I used to build designs and even little structures on the beach at the bay house.  One time, my Aunt J asked what I was doing and I replied, "Building a temple to Poseidon."  I was really into classical mythology then.  She then asked if I believed in the Greek god of the sea and, while I didn't answer, I realized that I believed he was as probable as any Christian God, prophet, or saint.  Usually my memory of this event focuses on the discussion, but today I had a clear sense of the house made of driftwood, shells, and such.)

My Mandala

I was so excited to find my Mandala for Marinke, the donation/memorial hosted in memory of crochet artist and author Marinke aka Wink by Crochet Concupiscence,  on Pinterest today!  Click here to read the article.

It's been wonderful to see all of the beautiful and creative designs posted on the blog by organizer Kathryn Vercillo.  And I like the photos she took, much better than mine!

May the family, friends, and crochet community of Marinke be comforted.