The Guided Tour

I wasn't sure what you'd like to hear about today, so I grabbed my little digicam and disappeared up to my workroom. I've been a fidget all day, unable to settle to any single job. Do you have days like that? 'Butterfly mind', I've heard it called. It certainly applies to me ... I'll start on one thing, then something will flutter across my train of thought and before I know it, I'm somewhere else, thinking about something else ... er, so where was I? Ah yes, my workroom. Let's take a guided tour. I'm going to start with a picture of my newest organiser, isn't it lovely? Okay, so maybe you can't see what I'm seeing, so let me explain ... this thing came in pieces, the instructions were in German, I'm a girl ... aha! Now you get the picture?! Yes, in my eyes, this was a major operation in concentration and screwdriving skills. I was determined not to call for male assistance, so I battled on until bingo, it was built and fully operational! A small achievement by most standards I'm sure, but a point to be proved in my overtly female head nonetheless! I'm very pleased with my handiwork and best of all, I no longer need to fight the tangle of cotton in my workbox every time I need a new reel to work with!
I'm working on a new style of traditional bear at the moment. Remember Charlotte, the bear in the knitted dress I introduced you to at the opening of my blog? She's the first of my 'Timeless Teds' collection. I thought she needed a brother bear so I've been working on his head this week. Don't worry, the rest of him will follow shortly! I'm pleased with this design because I seem to have developed a style which leans towards more contemporary bears in the main, but this new design strikes me as hitting a plausibly traditional note at last! It must be something to do with the mohair I'm using and the shape of the head with the centre seam ... sorry, I'm waffling now, would you like a closer look at the head? I'll pop one in here for you to take a look at:

He has traditional amber and black glass eyes - I think there's something very appealing about the expression they give a bear. I actually think it's harder to build expressive personality into a traditional bear, than it is a contemporary bear. After all, there are no tricks of the trade one can draw on, no shading, no embellishment! It's all down to traditional bear-making skills and that is the beauty of it. I will stitch his nose tomorrow and if you'd like me to perhaps I'll take some pictures so you can follow his progress with me.

See how I've flitted off subject again? It's definitely one of those days. So, where was I? Ah yes, the workroom. This is 'Charlotte', sitting patiently on my shelf waiting to be adopted by her special someone. The books on the shelf above are some of my childhood favourites, 'Winnie the pooh', 'Just so stories', 'Peter Pan', 'Jane Eyre' ... that one was my mum's ... there are some things you just don't let go.

Naturally, just out of shot there is a tv, a dvd and a video player, after all, a bear-maker's life is one of isolation and would be hard to cope with were it not for a few simple pleasures. When the tv fails to inspire me, I like to indulge myself with loud music. Today Christina Aguilera has had her turn, my daughter bought me her latest CD for Mother's Day and tucked it inside a pretty gift bag filled with sparkles and love. I have two great kids by the way ... how lucky can a mum be.