No work today and the children break up at 4pm and are then here for seven and a half weeks...
Most Mums would be getting nails and hair coiffed. Oh no, not me. I have been a whirling dervish as I have made lino prints and red currant jelly at the same time. It can be confusing as you imagine.
I am doing an online lino cutting course with Dijanne Cavaal at the moment and I made the first prints today. It's all a lot easier than I remember school lino cutting ever was. The lino can be warmed in the oven (along with the jam pots) and is lovely and soft to cut. The cutting tool is sharp and glides through the grey matt lino beautifully unlike that hideous shiny brown stuff that I seem to remember (my art teacher would say I have "false memory syndrome" but I beg to differ Kate!!). That stuff used to make the cutter slip and slide and head right for the main artery between one's thumb and first finger whereupon it became instantly as sharp as a dagger and sliced lovely gouges from one's fingers causing the printing paper to have an instant hand-dyed red effect!
I am doing an online lino cutting course with Dijanne Cavaal at the moment and I made the first prints today. It's all a lot easier than I remember school lino cutting ever was. The lino can be warmed in the oven (along with the jam pots) and is lovely and soft to cut. The cutting tool is sharp and glides through the grey matt lino beautifully unlike that hideous shiny brown stuff that I seem to remember (my art teacher would say I have "false memory syndrome" but I beg to differ Kate!!). That stuff used to make the cutter slip and slide and head right for the main artery between one's thumb and first finger whereupon it became instantly as sharp as a dagger and sliced lovely gouges from one's fingers causing the printing paper to have an instant hand-dyed red effect!
Anyway this is much better and I'm happy with my first results.
Here's a little picture of one of the wild ducklings in the garden (see posts labelled Mallards).
Oh yes, and can anybody tell me how a massive bowl of red currants yielded half a pot of measly jelly??
Jake has been on holiday for a week already!! and have now caught up with all the washing and ironing. I have forgotten how much an 11 year old boy eats!I remember lino printing from school and still have the scars!! what will you do with them?
ReplyDeleteI absolutely LOVE your carvings...that is definitely on my list of things I want to attempt, I think you have done a marvelous job. That duckling is just too too adorable btw
ReplyDeletegood grief - seven and a half weeks. i can't imagine - our summer holidays are 6 weeks and that's 5 weeks too long.
ReplyDeletelove the lino printing - great patterns. very cute duckling - i would let it mess up MY garden as much as it wanted (you are obviously very cruel and unusual not to want them nesting in your yard :) ).
i have only seen red currants once - in England - they are delicous - perhaps you ate too many of them as you prepared for the jelly?
Oh I am so glad I'm not the only one cooking/canning and crafting and sewing at the same time. Sometimes it leads to trouble....
ReplyDeleteLooks like lots of fun!
Your lino cutting course sounds good. I bought some tools made for cutting wood, they are also very good for lino. I have the same memories as you do and can remember sitting in A and E with my friend who sliced a chunk out of her finger!
ReplyDeleteI love your little duckling!
What a dear little duckling - hope he grows up strong and healthy and eats all the slugs in your garden! Your lino cuts and prints are wonderful. I have the gear but not the knowhow and tend to bumble along as best I can. Good tip about warmning the lino first. I can remember making jams and jellies and thinking this is going to boil away before I get to setting point. Bet it tastes good, however small the yield.
ReplyDeletei'm taking that course too buy i haven't done anything yet.
ReplyDeleteYour lino cuts look wonderful and the red currant jam sounds delicious!
ReplyDeleteI love your lino prints! Your summer is sure to be lovely!
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Dionne
Oh soo disheartening isn't it when one makes jelly - where does all the fruit go? It is one of my favorites and even half a jar of homemade jewel jelly is so worth it. Enjoy
ReplyDeleteCKx
PS love the fact that your prints are the same colour as the jelly!