City Views, Country Dreams

Good evening from New York.

Winter has finally claimed our city.  I am so glad to have had this Sunday off, and to have been able to spend most of the blue skied day in hibernation, only venturing out between 2 and 3 this afternoon, hoping that the strong winds will have brought the official effective temperature closer to freezing.

This was not the case.  The wind was still strong, and everyone I encountered along the sidewalks on my quick walk to the grocery market seemed very intent on their own individual destinations.  These folks were not always mindful of their fellow pedestrians, sort of like what happens when umbrellas give us an excuse for bad walking manners on a rainy day.

It was wonderful to get back home and make that inevitable pot of tea.  PG Tips it was.

My apartment is usually very overheated, but today I am grateful for all the heat that the continually hissing radiators are emitting.  Yesss, I am.

Enough of this weather report.

I'd like to show you some of the projects I've been working on in my hours away from my job.  The following photos show a two-toned, popcorn-stitch-accented crocheted hat that I can report has been keeping my head warm this past week.

I made this up as I went along, using a black worsted weight black wool yarn, accented by a dual strand of vintage Rowan 4-ply Botany yarn and Rowan ivory-ish tweed 4-ply.  The overall shape is like a Russian turnip dome building, meeting up with a classic beret shape.

I was also inspired by the pop-up Japanese tie-dye technique called shibori.  I have several scarves made by this intricate method, and loved the idea of making my own modest tribute.


Another of my New Year's projects has been an initial experiment with a medium new to me, acrylic ink.  Perhaps many of you are also fans of Milly's beautiful Drawings from Nature posts?  If you have not visited there, may I encourage you to do so?  She is one of the folks who initially encouraged me to start this blog.


She's a fine artist, who definitely has mastered the use of acrylic inks.  Last week, I made a quick visit to my favorite NYC discount artists' materials shop, and bought three bottles of acrylic ink, in black, white and sepia.  This afternoon, I opened up a page in one of my mostly empty sketch books and played a bit with the sepia and white ink.  I'm being brave in showing you all the results, and hope that in the weeks to come, I'll have much better examples to share.  I did like using the inks, finding them somewhere between watercolor and gouache, featuring some aspects of each of those two media that I have liked.

Now, let me return to another yarn fueled project.  I am knitting a long, fringed scarf as a surprise farewell gift for a work colleague who will be leaving at the end of the month.  I'm using all four-ply yarns, most of which I bought many, many years ago at Liberty's then excellent yarn department.  I do hope that department still exists!

The colors in this scarf are a bone  Botany (same as in the hat) and three different grey tweedy yarns.  All are Rowan yarns, though I think most might no longer be available.

Let's see, what else have I been doing when not at the shop, trying to keep up with certain 2012 resolves?  I'm reading two books.  One is a recent Alexander McCall Smith novel, The Forgotten Affairs of Youth, featuring his philosopher heroine, Isabel Dalhousie.  


The other novel is Heat Lightning, by Helen Hull, published in 1932, by Coward, McCann, Inc.  I was not yet born in 1932, and Coward, McCann, Inc. no longer exist.  However, Persephone Books are going to reissue this book.  I am finding its plot rather like the story line to a classic film of that era.  I see the scenes in black and white, though Ms Hull's excellent writing also exposes all sort of grey.


Perhaps you readers will now sense that this post has featured a certain colorway?


As we all take our additional steps into this new year, le'ts hope for lots of color, more as each day dawns.


Thank you all for your comments.  I continue to be amazed to have visitors from all over the world.

City Views, Country Dreams

Good evening from New York.

This New Year is so different from 2011.  Truly, it is.  In early January 2011, New York was still trying to recover from a massive snowstorm.  I clearly remember the depth of the snow, and the energy required to shovel that heavy, icy snow from the sidewalks in front of the shop.  How my muscles did ache for the first few days of that shoveling.  How surprising it was to realize that even though the shoveling continued, the aching did not.

Today's weather was much more spring like, with the temperature almost reaching 60 degrees F.  How odd it was to walk past the skating rink at Rockefeller Center this afternoon, and see skaters in light sweaters and sweat shirts trying to execute their favorite moves on slushy ice.  You can also see the large orange crane that allowed some workers to remove all those glittering lights.  Pretty soon the Tree will be removed from its place of honor.

I was on my way to meet some friends for a long-postponed Christmas lunch.  


Since my last visit to this part of Rockefeller Center, a large Lego shop has opened.  I did not have time to go inside for a proper browse, but loved the sculptures in place over one of the entrances.

Eventually, I reached my lunch destination and met up with my friends, an artist couple I have know for many decades.  We always have much to discuss, and laughing plays a big part of our conversations.

We also brought along the Christmas gifts that we wanted to exchange with each other, and elected to wait to open these festively wrapped packages after we'd returned home.  Too much drama might have ensued if we'd done the unwrapping at the restaurant.

So, after lunch we took a bit of a walk, enjoying the blue sky and mild January afternoon, and then parted with the knowledge that we'd be seeing each again very soon.

I am going to try to be more frequent with these posts, even if this might mean a shorter post.  I'm going to try to change a lot of my routines this year and see if this shake up gives me more relaxation and even fun.  I hope to be able to find some new city views to share with you, as I also explore making some of my country dreams more of a reality.

Best wishes to you all for a New Year that will amaze with its positive possibilities.

City Views, Country Dreams

Good evening from New York.


It's been a very busy bunch of days since my last post, and I do not want more time to speed past before I show you all a rather poor photo of one of my watercolor cards...to wish each of you a Very Happy Christmas!

Work at the shop continues to be very demanding, and it's up to all of us to keep our energy levels high as we help many folks to make their various seasonal shopping decisions.  We are all beginning to truly look forward to December 25, when the shop will be closed.


I've also been doing lots of cookie baking and baked cookie giving, and enjoying getting together with various friends, opening beautiful cards from folks all over the world, and generally enjoying the spirit of this season.  Today the daylight began to increase!


May I again wish all of you a very Happy Christmas, and thank you again for all your visits to this space.

City Views, Country Dreams

Good evening from New York.


During the past week I have been taking some time off from my official job, and instead have been working at home.  This homework has centered on preparing for Christmas.  I have been painting Christmas cards and making lots of gifts.  Part of one of the gifts is pictured below.

However, I have managed to leave my version of Santa's workshop several times.  One evening I attended my employer's annual holiday party, held in a party space on the 20th floor of a building.  The space had a wall of windows that gave us all spectacular views of many New York icons, like the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building.  It was grand to see many folks who work in different company departments.  The recorded music was very loud, the buffet dinner was delicious.


This afternoon I attended a totally different Christmas, or Holiday as many folks tend to say over here, party.  It was the annual open house at the gorgeous Fifth Avenue main branch of our New York Public Library.  Friends of the Library, like myself, who donate a little bit to the Library are invited.  The Library is otherwise closed to the public on this particular December afternoon.


It's a very special day, and always presents an interesting mix of young family groups and much, much older folks.  What we have in common is that we all love to read.


I have written posts about these parties before, so I hope to have included some different photos this time around, like the following view of the entrance to the Rare Map Room.  I have done research there myself and can vouch for the scholars that are always available to help anyone.

Just down the marble hallway from that doorway is this charming water fountain.  Lions play a big part in the architectural details of the library.

This rather blurry photo shows a library volunteer dressed up in a lion costume.  Many children enjoyed chatting with the lion and have group photos taken.

The various other literary characters wandering about moved rather quickly, so I do apologize for more blurs.

Yes, Mr. Scrooge was back again, and as grumpy as ever.

The library's party does not rely on recorded music.  Various performers are stationed throughout the building.

Can you dance on stilts?  This duo can, and you can see that our friendly lion is trying out a few steps, too.

Lots of folks were creating balloon sculptures for children of all ages.

The little fellow below is enjoying his new Santa hat, complete with beard.

You can see yellow taxis rushing down Fifth Avenue from this magnificent window.

Carols were sung by the West Point cadet glee club.  As always, I am shocked at how young these cadets look.

Here's another balloon hat fan.

The building really is lovely, but if you look around, you can see that there's also room for some restoration.

There are lots of security personnel on duty, and some of them are folks I have known for many years from seeing them at various branch libraries I have used over the years.  It's fun to catch up with them at this party, too.

This fellow is a talented juggler who can teach anyone how to do a few tricks.

On the third floor are many large murals.  Can you see that the gentlemen on the bench below is using his laptop?

I believe that the following mural is Biblical.

The library has been exhibits and has extensive collections of documents and art.  The Hockney print below was included in a little show hung along one of the hallways.

I hope that you all have enjoyed seeing a bit of this open house.  I am now going to show you some photos I took as I walked up Fifth Avenue on my way home.


Here's a little different angle on the famous giant tree at Rockefeller Center.

The buildings that make up Rockefeller Center are splendid examples of the art deco style.  Here is a frieze that's above the doorway to one of the buildings.

A bit further up Fifth Avenue, I notices this large space is empty.  In the recent past it has housed a Walt Disney themed store.  I am not sure how long it has been empty.  An Armani shop is just a few doors away.

Here's a view of the crystal studded snowflake that hangs over the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street.

These are just some of the heavy planters outside the Trump Tower building.  They are there to keep some determined person from driving a vehicle into the building.

Tiffany's has gone a bit tacky this year in my opinion, with these very gaudy surrounds added to their usual elegant little display windows.  To my eye, they have a bit of Disney about them.

And so, let's cross the Avenue and take a look at the exquisite holiday windows at Bergdorf Goodman.  This year's theme is the Carnival of Animals.  This allows the shop's very talented visual team to recycle lots of familiar props in new ways, and to also show off some very, very elegant outfits.

Today's light was a bit subdued, but in some of the following photos you will still be treated to multiple reflections.  I like the effect, and hope that you all will not mind.

I could not resist taking a few close up views of this seascape.

Birds of a feather flocking together.

Those birds are now ready for their portraits.

Here's another close up.

I may be able to return to take some more photos of the BG windows, but that will conclude today's taste of that taste.


I continued walking westward, and wanted to show you another sculpture by the artist who made the shiny blue bird that I included in a prior post.

Let me assume for now that there is no connection whatsoever between that giant green apple and the giant glass Apple shop just across Broadway.

And here's some more greenery.  The following stand is just one of many that offer us Christmas trees of many shapes and sizes.

Here's a little reminder that it's still possible to catch a glimpse of a beautiful rose in bloom on this fourth day of December.

This has been just a pleasant day.  It's now time to think about what might be for supper, and then, it will be time for me to return to my own little North Pole.

Best wishes to you all on this second Sunday in Advent.