M is for Mushroom

So dainty and vulnerable amidst all that spikey grass.

Tidal Rhythms

High tides lapping at my neighbour's garden on the Annapolis Basin on a blustery day.

Only three hours later. The line of grey on the top photo is the outer side of the dyke that stops the ocean lapping at our front doors. Hope it holds up for many a long year! The grass to the left of the post is in fact the first dyke built by Champlain by his band of merry Frenchmen way back when.

Memories of a Father

Today is my day for quietly remembering my Dad.
He loved exploring the world and here he is looking over the Isle of Mull.
He was an ink and watercolour artist.
He was a wood turner and I think he was happiest doing just that in his garage, despite the bellows that would come out of there if things weren't going quite right!
Miss you Pops.

Beginnings for a Show Called Rooted

This handsome oak grew outside my mother's little house in Dorset. Mother and I used to paint it, draw it and of course photograph it. We loved that tree. Do you see the crows sitting up there watching us right back?

Yesterday I drew it onto linen, and stitching has started on a cloth that will tell the story of immigration and having "roots" in two continents.

Whilst on the subject of trees....where the tops of trees meet the sky is fascinating to me. Here is a nearly naked ash and some tips of spruce.  I am still at the photographing and recording stage; no clue yet as to how I would interpret this fascination in stitch.

Needle Weaving on a Frame

Basic requirements are a bunch of threads. Yours will probably be in a less tangled state. Mine have been wonderfully tangled by rusty pups who think messy is better. Have a variety of threads, mat and shiny, thin and slubby....anything that you can thread through your needles. You will need blunt tapestry needles or bodkins. The curved giant thing lying beside the bowl was my mother's. Have no idea what it's for, but the curving is quite handy for weaving. Last but not least you will need a small frame. Mine is about 6" square made from an old wire hanger; but a small picture frame would work too.

Wrap threads around the frame in one direction. Knot them to the frame when you run out and start a new thread. The grey thread here is in fact string that was wrapped around one of my dye bundles. It has a knot right in the middle and I've decided to leave it right where it is. Now the weaving starts. Thread a needle, tie one end of the thread to the frame and weave over and under all the way across.

When you get to the other side, wrap your thread around the frame and weave back from whence you came! Go over the warps that you previously went under and so on and so forth. Carry on until you have completed quite an open grid. Do not worry if you go over or under more than one thread at a time. This is going to look more like darning than weaving.

Now go back in and weave in any direction you wish to. I have used a lot of rusted string...don't recommend this..other threads don't glide smoothly past them! Do you see my piece of knotted string that I left dangling in the middle... I like it! Basically your weaving is finished whenever you want it to be. It could be left more open than mine in which case you would see the cloth that you place underneath it. Mine is quite dense; but even from here you could carry on adding layers as long as you can get your needle through.


To remove it from the frame you could tie knots with the weft and the warp on all four sides. You could darn those ends back in. You could carefully applique it by hand to a background around the edges or of course a machine zigzag stitch could be used (but I find that too obvious myself).

Hope that at least gets you started.

Oh, and by the way, the beaver is back!

Critter Condos in the Woods

Even dead trees provide an opportunity for woodpeckers to create skyrise condos with woodland views perfect for wintering in.

Basement living becomes warm and snug once covered with a foot of snow. Liable to flood come Spring though.

Ground floor living...no vacancies...already in use.

A hole in a tree stump provides a romantic getaway for those critters who like stargazing.

Curly Docks and a bit of Autumnal Stitching

The friendlier looking seeds of the Curly Docks are also ready to spread and multiply.....

 

while their leaves below are ageing with glorious markings and colours.

Autumnal colours used in a piece of needle weaving or darning.