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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

"I pull for shore and stand up proud." My final published words of 2025, inspired by a long-ago whitewater raft trip, are a perfect summary of where I am at the end of this stupefyingly turbulent year. Uber thanks to all at Brevity Blog @dintywmoore.bsky.social #WritersofBlueSky #WriteSky

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Writing the Rapids

By Ellen Notbohm “Just remember to hold your breath in the troughs and breathe deep in the crests,” instructed our river rafting guide. I stood with my brother and nephew on a rocky path above a sh…

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 20/12/2025

This luscious #alpaca blend #blanket is a gift from my publisher, from kiva.org, an online lender that helps Asian, African, and Latin American artists bring their work to market. The gifts all come with a personal note from the artist. Very special. Check out Kiva and novica.com. #ArtYear #textile

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

31 years of baking #gingerbread cookies for Potluck in the Park, a grassroots 501(c)(3) serving holiday dinner to anyone who shows up, no questions asked. "Wouldn't be Christmas without your ginger #cookies," the founder once told me, thereby ensuring I'll go on 'til I drop. #XmasXtra #FoodOnFriday

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

Urwen #Cowl by Claire Slade in Knitpicks Heatherly Sweet Bing, a fave washable yarn for items to donate. But I fell for this one while making it. It's staying with me. :) #knit #knitting #knitter #KnittersOfBlueSky #smartist #KnitSky #cowl #ShowMeYourKnits #ArtAdventCalendar #ArtYear #knitgifts

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

A different kind of #WinterWonderland. Frosty sparkle on #PugetSound from Whidbey Island's Double Bluff beach, ethereal outline of the Seattle skyline and Tahoma (Mt Rainier) in the distance. #PacificNorthwest #photography #TidesOutTuesday (a little late) #PhotographersOfBluesky #smArtist

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

There are actually two lakes in the caldera, Paulina Lake and East Lake.

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

If you hike up, yes. For the mobility challenged, you can drive almost all the way to the top. Likely not a road I'd want to do again though. I dislike nausea. :)

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Yes, we've been visiting there for decades and are never any less impressed. You too?

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

Youngsong is a metal and resin #sculpture created by my late BIL to "take us to a meadow where a new colt runs free, kicking its back legs high in pure joy." A little #snow can't interrupt his perpetual frolic. :) #XmasXtra #horse #smartist #ArtYear #BlueSkyArtShow #SensoryArt #ViewFromMyOffice

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

Snow Peacock bridal #shawl or veil, designed by Tonks. Made some years ago as an engagement gift to my niece. The 760-stitch bindoff could only have been done by a much younger me. :) #XmasXtra #snow #knit #knitting #knitter #KnittersOfBlueSky #smartist #KnitSky #ShowMeYourKnits #ArtYear

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

Me too! Here's mine. Share yours?

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

#Papillon #Butterfly Cowl, designed by MarinJaKnits Great #stashbuster, and I love it bcs it looks so much harder than it is. Really very simple if you're good with short rows. #knit #knitting #knitter #KnittersOfBlueSky #smartist #KnitSky #cowl #scarf #ShowMeYourKnits #ArtAdventCalendar #ArtYear

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

We love our gourdy version of Xmas swans a-swimmin'. They don't need to be fed so they won't bite your fingers off at the joint if you're foolish enough to try. #XmasXtra #swans #sensoryart #seasons #holidaydecor #smartist #ArtYear #gourds #gourdart #holidayhumor

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

For my son's wedding, he wore his grandpa's gold ring; I wore my mom's rings, my grandmother's white gold wedding ring, and an adorable manicure by my 5 yo grandie -- 124 years of family history. #XmasXtra #GoldRings #weddingrings #familyhistory #heirloom #heirloomjewelry #grandparents

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

For those who've ever cherished a grandmother, Let Me Tell You a Story About Priceless Worthless Jewelry, is my mostly true micro tale about heirlooms and the way value clings to the things we love. bit.ly/3KH4hZw #flashfiction #shortstory #cnf #heirlooms #memoir #grandmothers #writers #writing

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Let me tell you a story about Priceless Worthless Jewelry

A flash fiction about names, heirlooms and the way value clings to the things we love.

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

I think it wasn't talent so much as muscle memory because it came without thinking. Whatever, it sure was fun. Also helped that the group was utterly non-intimidating, mostly late middle-agers like us whose only goal was to not embarrass themselves on the dance floor at an upcoming wedding. :)

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

Thanks again for the lovely thoughts. I must clarify; I gave up ballet when parenthood and career took over. I still dance, just not ballet. We took ballroom lessons before a family wedding some years ago and it all came back instantly. The instructor kept tapping me as a demo partner. Good times!

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 29/11/2025

Not a chance! I danced my last a few decades ago, and rarely in performance. The movement, the music, and the company of my fellow amateurs in class filled my humble needs quite well. :) But I appreciate your lovely thought.

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

"To you it's #Thanksgiving; to me it's Thursday." ~Rocky to Adrian. Please let's make room in our hearts today for those for whom the day isn't a joyous celebration. And for those who are working, largely unacknowledged but deeply appreciated by those who are aware. #gratitude #compassion #workers

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

My schedule is showing Fridays ColorADay as BW (black and white).

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

My first (and second-to-last) pair of pointe shoes in the color known as former ballerina pink. Leg warmers #knit by my mom. I'll never part with either, though last worn half a lifetime ago. #ColorADay #PinkMon #knitting #knitter #KnittersOfBlueSky #ShowMeYourKnits #vintage #ballet #ArtYear

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

I've never brought them home. This was on private property (a cemetery) and so beautiful, I would feel guilty for depriving others of the joy of communing with them. :) But I appreciate your info and will keep it for future reference. Thank you!

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

The 'shrooms here are just crazy this year. I've seen more varieties and vivid colors than ever before (after almost thirty years in the neighborhood), and many of them are unusually large. Something in the environment is different. What a gift it's been. Incredible beauty every day.

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

Ora siamo in tre! First look at the cover of new Italian translation of 1001 Great Ideas. Many thanks to longtime partner Edizioni Centro Studi Erickson, and to my rainmaker agent. So grateful for connections forged with families so far away, yet near in heart. #italian #book #libro #translation

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

#Knitters, ever have a project totally miss the mark with the giftee? This poncho with companion kitty went to a child who'd happily worn all my other creations. Poncho just. didn't. land. But my son nabbed the beta #kitty. :) #knitting #KnitSky #handmade #smartist #ColorADay #PinkMonday #catlover

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

My #poem Boneyard of the White Elephants will ring ruefully, comically true for anyone who's ever regretted a thrifty "bargain." Featured with author convo in the Summer 2025 issue of Macrame Literary Journal. bit.ly/3M5lpZd #ImageAndVerse #poetry #thriftstore #yardsale #amwriting #WhiteElephant

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

Small trove of caps and cowls going to Rose Haven Women's Day Shelter. Yarn for the cowls is recycled from mill ends and named for staffers' pets: Bluesy (short-coat collie), Karl (tuxedo cat), Mabel (tortoise/tabby combo), and Zeke (a Bengal). 🙂 #knitting #KnitSky #handmade #smartist #knitter

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

My forever-favorite never-to-be-topped craft project. $5 for the thriftshop dollhouse and everything else from things on hand or found outdoors. #Spooktober #31DaysOfHalloween #WackyWednesdayArt #DollhouseMakeover #HauntedHouse #ArtYear #BlueSkyArtShow #SpookySeason #Halloween #HalloweenSky #TooFun

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

Eleven months of the year, it's just a box laurel on the porch. But for October, she gets to be Elphaba. #31DaysOfHalloween #ColorADay #GreenSat #Halloween #Autumn #SensoryArt #smartist #Elphaba #FallDecor #FallFun #HalloweenFun

Potted green box laurel on a front porch, decorated as the Wicked Witch with a witch hat, scraggly gray hair, and a rustic broom. The pot is surrounded by five mini orange pumpkins, two white mini pumpkins, and three giant pine cones.

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

Rainbow #sunrise on our patio. My frisky colt friend is Youngsong, a metal and resin sculpture created by my late BIL as a tribute to the joy of young life. Our pony may be 30-ish in people years, but remains ageless. #SensoryArt #rainbows #smartist #ArtYear #AlphabetChallenge #WeekMforMemories

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

95%! Pass on the caffeine, and sobbing is not gross. My square might read "Sobbing sonorously, and kind of enjoying it."

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

Beep beep! New baby up ahead! Cars Blanket pattern by Filomena Lanzara Knit Picks Swish Worsted in colorway Serene #ColorADay #BlueTue #SleepySep #blanket #knit #knitting #knitter #KnittersOfBlueSky #smartist #KnitSky #babyblankie #ShowMeYourKnits #Craftiverse

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

Rainbow sunbeams on rhodies in full bloom at the height of the pandemic lockdown. A #lifewins reminder--taken in a cemetery. No filters, no editing, no gimmicks. #sensoryart #rainbows #smartist #onmywalk #photography #PhotographersOfBlueSky #pandemic #hope #light #rhodies #rhododendron

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 21/09/2025

Equinox fairy spirit joins me on my sunrise walk to usher in that time of year when I am most alive. Just as it happened--no filters, editing, gimmicks. #Stunday #equinox #fallequinox #Fall #Autumn #FallVibes #AutumnVibes #fairy #fairies #folklore #sprites #PhotographersOfBlueSky #sunrise

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 12/09/2025

#FishyFriday, a great day to reread or discover Leo Lionni's #KidLit classic Swimmy. “'We're going to swim all together like the biggest fish in the sea!' ... so they swam in the cool morning water and the midday sun and chased the big fish away.” #reading #Teamwork #Ingenuity #Courage #DontPanic

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

From my brother, a 9/11 survivor: "Woodglen School, NJ does not forget. Students still plant a flag in the front lawn for every person murdered on 9/11/01. See how far the flags go--100 yards or more." #RememberTheSky #NeverForget911

Photo of Woodglen Middle School in Hunterdon County, NJ with flags planted across the front lawn, one for every person who died in the 9/11 attacks. The rows of flags stretch beyond the end of the school and parking lot.

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel Garment worker Clara Lemlich organized a winter-long strike for better working conditions--the 40-hour workweek, overtime pay, safer and more sanitary workspaces we now take for granted. 4-min read. #laborday #kidsbook

Illustration cover art for the children's book Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers Strike of 1909. A young woman in the foreground wearing a yellow coat and black hat carries a "Strike" sign, with her fist raised and mouth open in protest. In the background, a crowd marches with similar signs.

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Ellen Notbohm @ellennotbohm.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

Sunrise from my deck, five years ago this weekend. A time when hope, light, and affirmation of life were so badly needed. Kinda like now. #stunday #sunrise #newday #hopeandlight #spiderweb #photography #naturephotography #ArtYear #smartist #sensoryart #lifewins #photographersofbluesky #dawn

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