Hey Ho

No need to dream of a white Christmas here
It's still snowing.


Peace and Goodwill to you all

Snowy

Snow was falling before the sun woke up.

Happy Toronto Son arrived yesterday and not today!

Before the smell of coffee permeated the house

red berries were under a blanket of snow.

The Rusty Pups love all kinds of weather.

Nothing stops their morning rituals

of mouth to mouth tennis ball exchanges

and following Handy Hubby down to the road and back again.

Will There be Time for Stitching on this the Shortest Day

Yuletide blessings to you all.

It seems strange that Winter has hardly shown his face

and now the days will start getting longer.

But I like it!

In between making lists and checking them twice

and in between shopping expeditions and holiday festivities

there are a few moments each day

for a wee bit of stitching.

As stitches build there is time to ponder

and thoughts often turn to wondering if the stitches are becoming a bit too repetitive,

so a couple of feather stitch rays suddenly appear.

Unfortunately they really don't belong

and so some unpicking will be done

some time soon!

Circling in the Mind

Family circle

Circle of friends

Circle the wagons

Talking in circles

Come full circle

Fragile laces handed down through generations

look very much at home on gentle natural dyes.

A very small piece that fascinates me.

It looks more woven than crocheted.

I need to understand it's construction.

Perhaps Deanna knows.

One of my treasures is a beautiful piece

with thin bone clasps all ready to dress up the front

of stiff Victorian dresses.

Harry the Heron

We have a daily visitor who really should have flown south by now.

He stands around looking just like a knock-kneed professor in shirt tails.

He could be here because of the fish in the pond

but there again he might fancy my rusty guardian of the veggie patch.

He blends in so well that sometimes I don't know he's there

but of course the rusty pups do

and when I let them out

there is a mad barking rush towards the pond

and a graceful flapping of wings

and off he goes.

But he's not really scared because he'll be back in ten minutes!

Love this photo of him and his neck

leaning in the same direction as wintry grey tree trunks.

iPad Primitive

New beginnings

or perhaps new ways of beginning.

Learning to doodle on my iPad.

It's a matter of taking the time
to explore the possibilities and
getting used to a different rhythm
of doing.

I discovered transparency.
Like it.
Could be a useful tool for testing ideas.

Then Handy Hubby told me I could import photos
and so stitching ideas are gathering on top of shibori silk.
Think this app is called Inspire Pro.
Could be very useful....
certainly fun.

Muddy Paws and Sunny Rusted Beginnings

Muddy paws underfoot.

Rusty cotton on the wall.

A strip of rusted cotton pinned alongside my rosy rust

simply looked like it belonged.

Brought to mind the sun shining on silver birch or perhaps copper birch.

When you know what to do you simply have to do it!

Started stitching bark like textures

because I didn't yet know how to handle the sun

but as I stitched....

thoughts of sun symbols and sun discs popped in my head.

Things often sort themselves out or become clearer

as you work on them.