Category: Argo Wool Works Showroom

O: Organization Orchestration

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O is for Organization. Lack thereof in these photos, because I am completely reorganizing my studio and office. Moving everything off and out of every cubby, shelf, drawer, bin and pile. Going through everything, purging non-essentials. Beginning to make new piles and groups of like things, so I can see what’s what. Sorting bits and bobs back into their storage boxes. Making sure I maintain a walkway through the chaos.

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O is for Other Side. This is the left side of the room. I’m pulling my reference library out of the two bookcases (partially visible left foreground) and moving them out of the studio into three new bookcases, dusting, sorting and divesting as I lug them upstairs. This frees up lots of shelf space for things used more frequently. (Fortunately, I have a separate space where all the wood cutting and sawdust-generating tools live, a wee shop on the back of the garage. It means a lot of back and forthing, but computers and sawdust don’t do well together.)

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O is for Ongoing, OMG. The disarray is total, the only clear spaces being my main workstation (not very visible behind the bookcases), and the emptying shelves. This is a challenging project, but it will be so good when it’s done :)

Teleportation

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*While we patiently await documentable evidence of more substantive progress, behold, teleportation!

Scarlett: I can’t even make eye contact with you, no matter how many sounds you make.
Nancy: I know. That’s why you should get down right now, of your own accord.
Scarlett: But then I would have to admit defeat.
Nancy: It’s not a contest. I have already lost.
Scarlett: Maybe if you could just look away.
Nancy: Fine. I’ll just go sit over there.

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Scarlett: Fine. It’s pretty boring in here anyway. Also, the lighting is all askew. And the shelves are empty.
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Scarlett: Can you just go to the bathroom or refill your drink or something while I make my exit? I feel self-conscious.
Nancy: You don’t have a whole lot of choices…
Nancy: Fine.

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Nancy: You made the right choice.
Scarlett: I’m very, very tired now.
Nancy: I’m sure you are. Teleportation is exhausting.

*Translation: I’ve been making stuff, but am happy with none of it.

Shade Concept

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Inspired by the bicycle basket of Almira Gulch, I’m happily exploring different size weavers on the 1/16-inch paper spokes loom. (Wait, please click the link. Years ago I had a boyfriend who would hum this song whenever he thought I was being too crabby. It still makes me smile.)

Anyway. This is made with eighth-inch weavers. The shade is 1.5 inches in diameter, supported by two interior rims, cut from cardboard and covered in cardstock.

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Here you can see the intriguing patterns cast when light shines through the structure. Considering that the flat weave is made from two rectangular shapes, the effects of layering and light are interesting. (I don’t know why my thumb looks like a misshapen grub.)

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I’m also working a 3/32-inch weave. That’s one less than an eighth. Finer.

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Hard to compare the eighth-inch weave because of the curvature, but maybe squint your eyes? Don’t yet know which I prefer.

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Light shining through. So pretty! I see now that I’d move the lower rim to the very bottom of the shade. Undecided if additional trim is warranted. Next I will fiddle with a top thingy to channel the wires (I picture this as a hanging lamp). Don’t think I’ll mess at all with a harp, as it all seems so particular to the kind of bulb one is using.

Lightists, now is when I would *love* if you’d chime in and tell me all the things I’m missing and should consider. I’m just here watching the Miss Gulch clip a few more times :)

S6A

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Supplies and materials flowing in at a steady rate. Got the next two kits prototyped and spec’d, therefore only needing specimens, photography models, and instructions. Easy-peezey. Mighty progress!

The Argo Wool Works build-in-progress has been moved back up onto the high shelf, to free the work table for kitting, photography and the rest. I’m also putting away the needlepoint frame, and about half a dozen other would-be, want-to-be, once-were projects. Deargod I may even dust.

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So sad.

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I’m surprised I get as much done as I do.

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In other news, Brian and I headed out this morning for a beach walk and cleanup. Esplanade had no beach at all because of high surf, so we went to Sharp Park. So very many small bits of styrofoam, plastic bottle caps, straws, and miscellaneous plastic packaging, all washed down to the ocean with the recent rains :(

Still, the waves were booming, and there were many dogs and walkers out. I love the coast in winter.

Defense

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It’s come to this. I bought a stack of dollar-store foamcore and built this fortress to repel the kitten’s perpetual investigations. It looks ridiculous. Hoping the sloping top will deter her from lounging on the roof as she would do when the build was merely shrouded.

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Of course, when I lifted the stronghold to work on the build… “Hey, what’s that cracking sound?”

As Paula Poundstone recounted, I can’t have nice things.

RIP Starla Argo v1

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I came home to find this grisly modification to Starla Argo, whom I had thought was safely ensconced in the Sea House Warming Hut, up on a high shelf. Here’s the weird part: nothing else was disturbed.

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And there’s a lot of random stuff on the stairs and deck.

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When I asked Scarlett if she knew anything about this, she sniffed Starla a few times, then galloped off down the hallway.

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I found her lounging in the kitchen sink. Her head was bobbing rapidly in that cat way of gathering as many perspectives as quickly as possible to assess if I was going to use my big voice again, which is why her face is a bit blurred.

It’s OK. Starla v1 was a learning prototype, and I had notes on changes to my technique and her design. But I am going to invest in some of those upright square plastic boxes I’ve seen stop motion animators use to store their models for v2 and subsequent characters.

What?! Echeverias, Yes, again

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I got a new eight-petaled punch, about 5/8-inch (16 mm). It has spawned a whole new genus of succulents. These are punched from a sage green cardstock painted with an acrylic wash. After lengthy fooling around, I prefer detailing each shape with markers.

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Here’s where my documentation lapses. Profoundly. I call Sunday, North American time change, and very good California champagne.

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I’m really happy with the end result, and will be more mindful to share my steps. It’s basically three punched and shaped forms, and then a lot of individually applied shaped petals. Or leaves, whatever they’re called. This version more closely approximates what I see in parts of my own succulent garden.

This is also where I *really* want to buy a laser cutter, to be able to realistically emulate the considerable varieties of succulents and cacti. What do you think? Anyone else out there enamored of miniature succulents to want to make them in their boundless assortment? Do you know of anyone already making kits?

Echeveria!

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Been making California poppy and echeveria planters for a little while now.

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I first learned how to make echeveria from this wonderful tutorial by Annie Christensen of We Love Miniatures. She uses brushed pastels at the end to tint the leaves. All the succulents in the Argo Wool Works foundation plantings were made using her method.

Lately, I’ve taken to using markers to tint and edge the various shapes punched from cardstock painted with acrylic wash, as seen above.

Also, do you see those footed flat clay planters? They’re from Falcon Miniatures, made in Thailand, and seem no longer available. If any of you know a source, I’d be very stoked :)

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This afternoon I was fooling around, searching for some new shapes from the limited punches I have. I covered a bottle brush seed pod with overlapping petal shapes, and set that in a base of cupped leaves. Then I stuffed an emerging flower shape in the apex hole — I really need to look up the correct botanical terms — and… a new, fairly convincing succulent/cactus hybrid variety was born! I’m quite pleased with its appearance and will post a step-by, after I get a manicure :)

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This picture of Scarlett nuzzling into Albie expresses my joy. I expect one day to stop posting so very many cat pictures, but she is so stinking cute and delightful…

 

Do-overs

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Last night after woods class, I was all excited to finish the Argo Wool Works samples wall chart. I had designed it and punched quarter-inch circles from all the wool felt colors I had earlier in the day.

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After gluing them on, I realized they were just too big :(

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Today I re-worked the chart and punched out another batch of eighth-inch samples. I would have considered 3/16-inch, but that punch is somewhere I cannot find :/

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As I mentioned, I’ve had to cover the build with a carefully folded and tucked sheet secured with binder clips, to prevent Scarlett from demolishing it. Alas, her super-burrowing powers have proven superior to my defense effort. This is her wondering why I’m using my big voice?

AWW Sample Binders

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A showroom needs sample binders.

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I have never liked using wood blanks for book pages, even for volumes that will never be taken from a case. It feels like cheating to me. So I made blank binder book blocks to fill the covers.

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I did not glue the accordion-style pages together. The resulting sproinginess will help expand the binder covers and hold them in the shelves.

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However. Making all blank pages also felt like cheating, so I made one binder meant to be opened. I drew a simple grid on the pages and punched eighth-inch (3 mm) circles from wool felt, which were then glued to a spread. So expressive and tactile!

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Arrayed in the cases and on the work table, with another samples binder, glued closed.

Here in Northern California, we’re having our first rainfall in seven months. The light is damp gray and moody. The cats are waiting out the storm in suspended animation, with one notable difference.

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Before the arrival of Scarlett, the two older boy cats never co-slept, although they are buddies. This seems to have changed, as they unite in weary affront to kittenish enthusiasms. Looks to be a cozy winter coming :)