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Wednesday, March 14, 2018

"It's a String Thing" #233 Tiles

Happy Pi Day!

We have a plethora of pretty Pi inspired tiles in our round up this week.  Let's take a look ~

The first tile arrived from Jennifer Wilken (New York) ~
Mmmm.....pie. I suppose that deconstructed blueberry pie with whipped cream would best describe my inspiration. It’s a snowy day here in southeastern NY so I’m embracing the quiet, and the fact that my crafting area is the warmest spot in the house. Thanks for another great challenge!
Tangled Tidbits -
That makes me hungry :)
*scrumptious Soluna - notice the fragments
*large curves and aura for Frunky


From Meridiana (Massachusetts) and here on her blog ~
I haven't had a minute to participate in months, so it was fun to jump back in with this one.
Tangled Tidbits -
Welcome back!
*flower-like Soluna
*doubled Frunky loops


From Simone B. (Germany) ~
here is my new picture for this week.
Greetings from Germany
 Tangled Tidbits -
*Soluna string lines
*fabulous fields of Frunky


From Ulrike (Germany) ~
Thank you for this amazing challenge, Adele. I ´ve tangled Keeko and Frunky for some time and so I had a lot of fun to tangle again.
Many greetings from Germany
 Tangled Tidbits -
*wonderful shading
*darkened spaces between a uniform Soluna


From Margarete (Germany) and here on her blog ~
I enjoyed your challenge with your given beautiful patterns! I turned the string upside down and used a round coloured background. A second tile one can find on my blog..
Thank you very much for this wonderful challenge!
Best wishes from Germany
 Tangled Tidbits -
*a pie shaped Pi with pretty variations of the tangles
*stripes and sparkle throughout


From Baafke (The Netherlands) ~
Here is my tile for this week.
I like to work with color in my tiles.
Again 2 new patterns to try.
Keeko I have used before.
I am amazed how everyone draws the patterns in his own way.
So beautiful to look at and get ideas!
 Tangled Tidbits -
*fabulous use of Frunky
*colorful Soluna against a detailed Keeko



From Shirley Wohlsen (Queensland, Australia) ~
Attached is my Tile for ‘ It’s A String Thing #233’ Challenge.
Thank you once again Adele for another enjoyable challenge.
 Tangled Tidbits -
*straight lined variation of Keeko
*shading adds to the lovely layering of tangles


From Hilary (Chicago) ~
How exciting that your challenges have been around so long that there are now established traditions!
This turned out a bit busy, but once again it was fun and interesting to do. I love Frunky and Keeko, and I enjoyed learning Soluna.
 Tangled Tidbits -
*large and lovely Frunky
*color and fine lines repeat in Frunky and Soluna



From VenaC (Whitby, Ontario, Canada) ~
Some colour today. This was a fun challenge. There must be hundreds of patterns. Every week I get new ones. This week it was Frunky and Soluna.

Tangled Tidbits - 
*gorgeous coloring, highlights, and shading
*sparkled Soluna


From Sandra (Germany) and here on her blog ~
thanks for this nice challenge. I didn't tried Frunky and Soluna before and I really liked to tangle new patterns :-)
Many greetings from germany
Tangled Tidbits - 
*Soluna infused Frunky
*boldly striped Keeko


From Lisette (Switzerland) ~
I knew Keeko and Frunky which I like very much. Soluna was new to me and I was struggling a bit with this new pattern - but who knows, maybe we’ll become friends. This happened quite often to me; first I didn’t “understand” a tangle/pattern and all of a sudden we were best friends, like e.g. Mooka or Tamisolo.
Looking forward to the outcome next week.
A big SPRING-Hug from Switzerland
 Tangled Tidbits -
*Soluna centered Frunky - fabulous!
*color, shading, and highlights make the tangles shine


From Jutta Gladnigg, CZT (NRW, Germany) ~
Yes, I remember so vividly your pi-challenge of a year ago... and yes, your marvellous IAST has become an “institution”... so cool!
And congratulations to your 34th! What a good reason to celebrate..
My tile somehow reminds me of “The Parting of the Red Sea” as it is described in the Book of Exodus. So this here is the free but narrow passage on a Keeko seafloor amidst towering waves…
 Tangled Tidbits -
Thank you for the good wishes!
*wonderful imagery - can see the 'waves' of Frunky
*weighted lines, deep shading, wonderful detail


From Lynn G (Florida) ~
Frunky is an interesting tangle, I enjoyed it. Thanks for another fun challenge. Wishing you a Happy Anniversary.
 Tangled Tidbits -
Thank you, Lynn!
*Keeko blends into Frunky - love that there are three rows of it
*super Soluna with alternating light, lined, and dark spaces


From Priscilla DeConti, CZT (Kingston, New York) ~
Pi Pi Pi..what a fun time...
Here is my entry for the week!
 Tangled Tidbits -
*large field of softly shaded Keeko
*Frunky flows from either side of Keeko and in opposite directions


From Laurel Davis, CZT (New York) ~
When I first looked at the tangles you chose, I immediately liked Soluna. But, after drawing the step outs, I fell in love with Frunky! Keeko has always been a favorite. Fun string and another great challenge. Thanks, Adele
 Tangled Tidbits -
I am a Frunky fan, too!
*sparkled and striped Soluna - wonderful aura
*Keeko filled string lines


From Nor'dzin (Wales, United Kingdom) ~
I really enjoyed this mixture of tangles. I find keeko quite challenging to draw well, but most satisfying when finished.
Thanks for the challenge, and best wishes to you.
 Tangled Tidbits -
*weighted aura and colorful background
*pretty Keeko variations features dark sections and deep shading


From Di (Mandurah, Australia) ~
I have attached this week's IAST #233, and have learnt a few things along the way.
We are all our own worst critic, so I find that stepping away from the drawing, doing something physical and outdoorish like mowing the lawn or going for a swim, and then coming back to it later with fresh eyes often draws an internal response of "Well look at that! It's not so bad after all, in fact it's imperfectly fine!"
And another thing I've discovered? Drawings look better when looked at from a slight distance. Scrutinishing and analyzing them close up as you're doing them often invites the judge that loves to point out where you could have done better - this loop could have been more loopy - you didn't touch that line three times in a row!..tch tch. But held at arm's length or even stuck on the fridge and viewed at occasionally, you can observe it as a whole, as one piece of art, and appreciate it more.
Thank you so much for supporting the Zentangle community through your blog. I am inclined to buy a "Zentangle A Day" type of book, but I get a hunch that I will learn more by doing your weekly challenges. One cannot get the encouragement and enthusiasm from a book that you give to all those who email you their tiles. And seeing everyone else's tiles, seeing new and old ways of doing things, reading their stories, I'm really loving it.
I am a bit impatient to want to improve though .
 Ah, Di, your note is so refreshing - and true!  Holding a tile at "arms length" is built into the Zentangle practice and for all the reasons you so wonderfully captured.
Your "imperfectly fine" is spot on. 
The aim of IAST is just what you mentioned and its added bonus is learning from each other.
Tangled Tidbits -
*sparkle and line variation in Keeko and alternating shaded sections of smaller Keeko
*two lovely variations of Frunky


From Susan (United Kingdom) ~
Have a great pi day everyone! Can’t believe this is the third pi/pie challenge I’ve done. It’s definitely become a seasonal tradition.
 Tangled Tidbits -
Hooray for you!
*two fun variations of Frunky feature multiple curves
*Keeko filled Soluna spaces


From Karen Herstowski (Atlanta, Georgia) ~
This was fun. I have a real fondness for Pi. It is a mathematical formula I use for computations frequently in my work. So I really felt compelled to pay it some homage.
After I completed the design I felt it looked more like a pair of mirror lens sunglasses than a tribute to Pi. LOL!!
That’s the price of creativity.
I experimented with several mixed media products in this piece: the background is alcohol marker with gold GelliRoll pen, the Pi symbol Keeko is a Pitt pen in TerraCotta, Soluna and background of the “lenses are colored with Prismacolor pencils blended with odorless thinner and a very fine stump. Shading is done with Prismacolor pencils blended with thinner.
Thanks Adele for this creative string, and to Pegi, Maria, and Katharina for the interesting tangle patterns.
Tangled Tidbits -
*hats off to you for such a creative mix of marvelous media
*highlights, color, and shading add wonderful depth



From Lin H, CZT (Florida) ~
Thanks for your latest challenge, Adele. Soluna was a new tangle pattern for me and I really like it. Looking forward to seeing everyone else’s entries.
 Tangled Tidbits -
*colored bits of each pretty tangle
*straight lined Keeko variation


From Ingrid (The Netherlands) ~
Attached is my IAST # 233 tile for this week.
Soon after I started drawing Soluna it turned out that this tangle was not going to be "my cup of tea". The result is not to my liking at all. Well, once in a while these things happen. But I'll get over it.
(I enjoyed looking at the results of last week very much, as I do every week.
Such stunning results time after time!
I fully agree with the new follower Di : "Your blog, to me, stands out. It's not just an instruction thing, you really put your heart into it."
And it can't be said enough: Thank you, Adele, for all you do week after week to keep us tangling.)
 Tangled Tidbits -
Thank you dear, Ingrid.
*fabulous Frunky - notice how each section of arcs curves in a new direction
*deep black Soluna background and circles


From Trudi (Woodview, Ontario, Canada) ~
It was a fun Challenge I used my coloured pencils on the Frunky then gel pen with nail polish remover to blend them on the background and Soluna. Gel pens can take hours to dry and I often smear them even though I try to make that my last step. Thank you for the time you spend on the challenges.
 Tangled Tidbits -
*softly curved and shaded Keeko
*colorful Frunky features multiple layers of arcs


From Mariam G (Port Hueneme, California) ~
This was a wonderful challenge. I had not been aware of the tangle 'Frunky' prior to this and boy, was it fun! Keeko has always been a favorite, so it was nice to see it on the list. The whole tile feels very organic - very relaxing to work on - thank you!
 Tangled Tidbits -
*shaded layers of Frunky
*detailed variety in rows and rows of Soluna



From Jane Goddard (Dorking, Surrey, England) ~
A little bit outside my comfort zone this week as I worked with my watercolour brush pens again and an aquarelle graphite pencil and it all got a little murky. However, I love drawing frunky but didn't fare so well with keeko and soluna! Thank you for the interesting challenges though as they keep me on my toes.
 Tangled Tidbits -
*such a lovely Frunky
*Soluna filled string - color, weighted lines, shading


From Sue Agnew (Tucson, Arizona) ~
When I started playing with Frunky, I was trying it in circular form and it kept making me think of a flower, so I went with that. Then Soluna's geometric shapes and radii seemed a bit "industrial" to go with it, so I made it in flower shapes too. Maybe (even in Arizona, where I was looking for shade on my morning walk) I'm in the mood for spring. Drawing Soluna from right to left really threw me. Last night while lying awake in the wee hours I was thinking about Zentangling, and realized I could draw it left to right (as Pegi notes in her blog) ... but when I sat down to draw today I drew it right to left without realizing it. I drew Keeko (an old favorite) without looking it up and I think I got it a bit confused with Nekton (another Zentangle original), so I used straight lines rather than curvy lines and groups of three rather than four. However, it was fun to revisit it!
Thanks for your hard work, and a belated happy anniversary!
 Tangled Tidbits -
and thank You!
*spring inspired Frunky and Soluna
*Keeko in two directions, shaded at the overlap - neat look with three lines!



From Susie (St. Louis, Missouri) ~
Tangled Tidbits -
*Frunky line variation with square, rounded edges
*multiple, creative Soluna variations



From Sharon Fite (California) ~
I love this challenge! The three selected tangles are great. Frunky is so much fun, I will be using it a lot. Soluna seems simple at first, but offers lots of design options. And Keeko has been a longtime favorite. I couldn't resist a circle tile, and added as many pi digits as would fit around the design. I used colors from my favorite pie -- pizza pie! Wishing all a Happy Pi Day!
 Tangled Tidbits -
*great addition of Pi digits around a pie shaped design - makes us all hungry!
*highlighted arcs of Frunky and Soluna


From Jane (Boulder, Colorado) ~
I'll keep it short, since it's a late-ish submission, but I definitely had to send you something for Pi day...I think I've mentioned before our younger son is getting his PhD in Statistics at UNC Chapel Hill, so math has always played a huge part in our family...we have celebrated Pi day for many years-:) ...
I went with a pretty basic approach here...I think last year I doubled the string (I'll have to look back and check, but I think I remember Pokeroot cherries and W2 pie crust) so this time I kept it simple and played around with some Soluna, a touch of Keeko, a bit of blank space and lots of graphite--:)
Have a wonderful Pi day and St. Patty's, too! 
 Tangled Tidbits -
I hope you don't mind that I included your good news - congrats to your son!
*bold Soluna filled string spaces
*long lined Keeko and soft shading


From Verena (Germany) ~
This week i have two tiles.
The little Bijou is very sweet but i can not see the Pi. So i tangle the "Jade-Pi". My favorite Stone. Love it.Hope you injoy.

Tangled Tidbits - 
*wonderfully rounded corners of Keeko - love the jade and the narrowing lines
*lighter Frunky framed by Keeko


From Marjan Heemskerk (The Netherlands) ~
Congratulations on your wedding anniversary! We celebrated our 40th. in December and we realize that it is such a blessing to have a wonderful marriage. It is like Pi: a "constant" in life:)
Thanks for the challenge this week.
 Tangled Tidbits -
Thank you for that beautiful analogy and congratulations!
*Frunky finished Keeko
*black orbs repeat in Frunky, Soluna, and beyond


From Amy Barnickel (Florida) ~
Hi Adele! It has been such a long while since I've been able to do the challenge. I'm a little rusty. I hope you are well and get to have some PIE on PI day!
 Tangled Tidbits -
*large Soluna filled middle string section - lovely variety of detail
*multiple sizes of fun Frunky


From Susan Theron (Velddrif, South Africa) ~
I've enjoyed this challenge and again I've realised that "random" tangles like Frunky and Soluna are not my strong point because I struggle to put it randomly so that it looks nice to me - the big inner critic again. Thanks for all of you thinking of us during our severe drought. We had a bit of rain yesterday and usually our raining season starts later in the year, so hopefully we will get much much more.
 Tangled Tidbits -
Thank you for the encouraging news that some rain has come your way - may more come soon!
*wonderful white space as tangles fill in around the string
*long Frunky curls reach past the border


From Sharyn Penna, CZT (Massachusetts) ~
Happy anniversary!!
Nor’easter 2.0 is history ... feeling deep gratitude for our northern neighbors at Hydro Quebec for restoring power to New England ... and for the 21st century creature comforts we take for granted... lights, heat, running water. Mother Nature sent a strong Lenten message!
My tile shows I had a very heavy hand on both pen and pencil ... my hands are a little stiff and crampy ... but I wasn’t going to let the annual Pi challenge pass by! I’m calling this tile the pillar of strength.
So, cheers to longevity in relationships, good neighbors, brevity in life’s interruptions, and IAST challenges that brighten our days!
 Tangled Tidbits -
Cheers to all of that - and to you.  I do hope that you and yours were spared the worst of the latest storm.  Stay safe.
*all three tangles intermingled, overlapping, blending beautifully
*white spaces draw attention to the tangled pi


Our daughter Isabella is home for her first college spring break.  We spent some wonderful quiet time tangling these tiles at the kitchen table - after we enjoyed a pizza pie, of course!  Here is Isabella's ~

 ...and this is mine ~


And now...

the tile for honors this week...

was sent in by...

Jody Genovese, CZT (New York) ~
Happy Anniversary! I hope you and Lou had a wonderful weekend. Sounds like it was terrific.
Happy PI day to anyone who celebrates that…me, it just makes me crave actual pie :o)
 Tangled Tidbits -
...and I do hope you enjoyed some, Jody, and thank you for the good wishes, too!
*towering Frunky features delicate details
*lighter, and shaded Soluna with darkened in between spaces
*a touch of Keeko along with shading adds a greater sense of depth to the tile


Congratulations, Jody!
I have a little something coming in the mail for you.


Many thanks to all of the contributors this week, it is a treat to view your work.

Thank you to the creative minds behind the tangles we used this week in our Pi tribute ~

Frunky by Katharina Königsbauer-Kolb, CZT

Soluna by Pegi Shargel, CZT

Keeko by Maria Thomas

Have a blessed St. Patrick's Day this coming weekend and come celebrate with us by joining in our celebratory IAST #234  - Click here for the delightful details.

Enjoy!



























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