It’s called Project Spectrum.

Logo by Lolly (copyright) http://lollygirl.com/blog/project-spectrum

If you have ever gotten into a feeling of design doldrums, then join in on Project Spectrum.

Here is a link that explains how this year’s theme is the Compass Rose and the four directions with all the aspects that relate to it.

She has set up groups on Ravelry and on Flickr.

I’ve  joined and will be participating throughout the year.

Since March and April’s color is green, I have decided that my Project Spectrum project is my Spooligarumi Elf.

The Spooligarumi Elf feels especially appropriate, since today is the first day of Spring…. oh Springtime!

It’s been a record breaking bitterly cold and long winter. And so, thoughts of springtime waft around me, tantalizing me with dreams of green returning to this harsh white, grey and brown landscape….

Wake up, you little Elves of springtime and bring the buds and blossoms back to us!

Spooligarumi Elf designed, made & photographed by Noreen Crone-Findlay (copyright)

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The Journey loom is a lovely small frame/tapesty style loom that was designed by Susan Barrett Merrill. The loom came to her in a dream and she’s been working with her husband to create it in many ways for a number of years.

The first thing that struck me when I put it together was that it looked so much like the wall dollhouses that my dh, Jim, makes me!

The second thing that just blew me out of the water, was reading the chapter in Susan’s book, Zati, The Art of Weaving a Life, about Grandmother Tree. Why did it have such an impact on me? Because I have also written about Grandmother Tree in my book, Soul Mate Dolls: Dollmaking as a Healing Art. I love the synchronicity of that.

I didn’t start weaving instantly…. I decided that I needed to spin some special yarn and complete a doll’s head that I’ve been working on for awhile.

I’ve posted pics of the doll head .

(Jim finds the doll head to be really ‘dark’ …. he thinks it looks really fretful. Well, the truth of the matter is, I sculpted it when I was making the Cornstarch Clay worry dolls, and ‘worried’ energy certainly did come through with it. I put all the worry into it, instead of the worry dolls. )

And photos of spinning the yarn for the doll

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One of my most favorite designs is for a doll I named Lily.

The pattern for Lily sold really well. I kept having to reprint her, but then a strange thing happened.  The masters for the pattern simply disappeared! pooft!

Vanished.

I ripped the studio apart…. no Lily masters.

So, sadly, I took her down off my website.

As I was working on the Elspeth and friends dolls 

and then Esperanza,  I thought: I have GOT to find the  Lily masters!

Well! I tore the studio apart looking for the masters.

No joy.

I looked for the Lily doll.  Couldn’t find her.

I gave up.

Then, all of a sudden, when I was working on Esperanza, I discovered that I still had the ‘pre-masters’ for Lily!

I was THRILLED!

AND then! Even better… I found the Lily Doll!

BUT! poor baby! She’s had an adventure.

Actually…. it looks like more of a mis-adventure! Boy, talk about indigestion~!

Something has eaten her tummy! Poor Lily!

I’ll need to knit a new patch of tummy and applique it over her frazzlie bits.

Ah, frazzlies. It happens to all of us….. now and then.

I think I’ll park a teddy  over the boo boo for now, and let him do his comfort work. ……

I’m working on the new pdf for Lily, so people who’ve been wanting to order the pattern will be able to, really soon…..   )

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Yay! I have finally finished the PDF for the Knitted Esperanza Doll. I’m doing the happy dance. )

I’ve been working on this PDF for ages. But, you know how it goes….. deadlines and a million other things come up, and things get pushed to the edges until they fall off the radar screen.

Last night, a note popped up in my email, saying that a lady wanted to order the pdf. Yoicks!

I pulled up the file and realized that it was no where near ready to go!

I looked at the charts and went: Phooey! NOT GOOD ENOUGH! So, I started over from scratch and now the charts are oh so much better. Not poifeck, of course, but I’m not complaining.

Lots of designers have software that they use to make their charts. ahem. Not me.
♥I ♥ am my software! LOL! Me and my bottle of white out and favorite felt tip pens.

So, I spent last evening, completely re-doing the charts and pdf and discovering new things in the process.

All in all, it was a very satisfying way to spend 5 or 6 hours!

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Photo copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay
Last week, my husband, Jim and I were vendors at a gathering of handspinners. (Oh! what lovely energy to be in the same room with all those wheels and the occaisional spindle, spin spin spinning!).

In the same building, there was a gallery, and so, gallery visitors drifted through the spinner’s gathering. I lost track of the number of people said to me:
‘Ah! This doll is WONDERFUL! Can I buy her?’

Photo copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay
‘And, each time, my response was: “No, I’m sorry, The Crocheted Menopause Fairy doll is not for sale.The pattern is, though….”

Photo copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay

Over and over, people sadly announced that they couldn’t crochet, but, they had someone who ~reeeeeeeeeelly~ needed this doll………….

Which got me thinking: It’s time for me to make some Menopause Fairy Dolls that I can sell, for those folks who just aren’t into making them themselves.

So, I was already mulling on this, when I had a wonderful conversation with a bubbly, charming and engaging woman.
She told me about a neat doll that she had bought her sister.
Her sister loved it, as it was very simple. She expresses her feelings by placing and positioning the doll.
I came away feeling absolutely inspired. Forget sleeping! Dreaming about the dolls was enough to launch me off to the workshop and the studio!

So, all this week, I have been building and re-building, tuning, and re-tuning, a loom that I am using to weave new Menopause Fairy dolls. (And her sisters!)

Years ago, I used to sell my dolls in a wonderful little gallery. Sadly, it closed, and I turned my energy in other directions.

I have been so involved in designing and writing so that people could make their own dolls, (and all the other stuff that I have been designing ) that my one of a kind dolls have almost vanished.

I think it is time to come home to some serious dollmaking again!

One thing always leads to another, and the making of the new dolls has triggered a need to make them special little shoes.

So, this week, I’ve been cobbling on a very small scale:

Photo copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay

It’s all been very healing. We’ve been going through a rough patch with lots of illness in the family, and with the death of our beloved cat (and then our sweet greyhound had a run in with a porcupine, good heavens!)……

Making these dolls, and their funny little shoes, and coming full circle, has been quite the journey. It has been very comforting!

Photo copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay

I am not about to walk a mile in these wee shoes, but they do set my heart to dancing!

IMAGE SOURCE: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright 

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