TwoStix in the Woods

Bench Monday and Knit a Maple Leaf

2009-11-02T08:36:00.000-08:00

Well, no bench, but I do have feet. This is the biggest maple leaf I could find.

A few weeks ago I wanted to knit a maple leaf. I had just one ball of Boku(silk wool blend, 99 yds), and it ended up about 15" diameter.

***

When I went about knitting the leaf I made the leaf from memory. I've known the bigleaf maple all my life, so I'm pretty familiar with it(palmate, floppy, pointy...), so part of the fun was NOT looking at a leaf for reference until I was done, seeing how well my memory served. So I started with palmate, ok, 5 sections, then worked on the center three sections, then the center 1. Hm...5, 3, 1, those numbers are familiar! They are Fibonacci numbers(fascinating things everyone should know about, google is your friend). One problem was how long to make each section so it would come out proportionate. When I recognized the Fibonacci connection, I just used the numbers in the rows and point BO's and the proportion came out just right. I did have to not knit the "fingers" of the leaf as long as I would have liked because I just had so much yarn, but no big deal.

The stem was last, a simple i-cord with a flare at the end for where the leaf attaches to the tree. Then I neatened up the outside edge with crocheted crab stitch(which also gave me a nice places to hide the ends so it is reversible). Doing this gave me lots of fun ideas for the leaf form.

Sunflower Pillow

2009-10-28T21:21:00.000-07:00

I started crocheting some sunflowers, just because I like sunflowers. I put some on a pillow cover for my rocking chair. You can probably figure out I like making granny square blankets too!
Grumpy cat sez MY pillow!

Fall Color in the Garden

2009-10-25T12:36:00.000-07:00

Grape leaves are turning yellow, strawberry leaves turning red, bean leaves already yellowed and gone. Petunias still blooming!

I love mums, they are so cheerful in the fall when everything else is rotting.

STILL a handful of raspberries in the end of October...a little watery though.A boquet of stuff found in the woods on a walk--pearly everlasting, oak twigs, a stick that looks like an antler, a few twigs covered with lichen, and yellowed aparagus frond and a few dahlias from the garden.

I kept a garden journal for 2009 at Facebook, here is a link for the album

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=74085&id=616102765&l=072661262e

New Look

2009-10-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

Trying to pick out a template I like, with colors that go good with colorful pics. You'd think after three years Blogspot would have some new templates? All my sidebar stuff(links, info etc is now at the bottom of the page, so I have to redo everything(grrr). Oh well, you get what you pay for :0)

I've found out why I am so drawn to Alaska in my gut, my family on one side comes from Norway, the north/western coast in the fjords. The gene for landscape survived the generation in FLAT Minnesota, was enhanced by my spawning ground on Puget Sound. How do they say WOO HOO in Norwegian?

Blinged Up Garage Sale Bag

2009-10-23T17:23:00.000-07:00

Snagged a brand new fake shearling bag at a garage sale for .99c (still with Gap tag for $20 attached!) and I thought it needed a pocket. Was going to knit one, but then remembered this swatch I was keeping for something. The swatch was for a man's sweater I did for Family Circle Easy Knitting magazine in the 90's, with Paton's Classic Wool. If you are on Ravelry you can see the sweater here http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/12-natural-beauty-fair-isle. Anyways, I was happy to recycle the swatch and added some embroidery a la Oilily and a tie so it doesn't flop open(since it's a big pocket). This fair isle pattern and natural colors is one of my favorites, and I'm planning a sweater for me with this pattern on the yoke.

PS, I cut off the icky slippery vinyl strap and replaced it with a garter stitch strap made from a cheap hard acrylic wool blend(yay Red Heart!!! it does have its uses!)

Wow Time Flies

2009-10-16T20:45:00.000-07:00

So I have bouts of blogging...now comes winter and more time indoors. My garden was absolutely awesome this year, lots of tomatos, spaghetti squash, raspberries, cabbage, strawberries, green beans. I kept a garden journal on Facebook for the summer, here is the link
http://www.facebook.com/photo_search.php?oid=6392568641&view=all#/album.php?aid=74085&id=616102765

The warmer weather helped, or course, but I tried some new permaculturey techniques, learned a lot and had great results. Canned a lot too! Also ate way too many fresh tomatos(if there could be such a thing, I need some "space" for awhile, ha).

Been knitting and crocheting a lot for the boutique in town (Red Berry), and hopefully for the new Mac winter farmer's market, we'll see! So many ideas!

Garden Blitz

2009-04-11T20:48:00.000-07:00

As you can probably tell from the first picture, last year I didn't do anything with the garden, just let it lie fallow. Last fall I covered the bed the two black pots are next to in the foreground with black plastic. The bed with the clay pot cylinder in it was mulched with grass clippings, and the bed above those two black pots was covered with maple leaves. I was experimenting with mulches.

So now the beds are cleaned up, weeded, cultivated with the garden claw. I added some more wood ash over the beds. I moved and divided the rhubarb, and made a flower bed and lined it with rocks. There's also mint, lambs ears, hollyhocks and sedum in that bed. I want to get more herbs in there too.

Bed contents--

top back left(two square beds), strawberries and herbs(mint, thyme, oregano, fireweed, arnica, irises)

middle left--herbs(rosemary, mint, sage, lambs ears, strawberries, chives, thyme.) also a small forsythia bush and sedum.

near left--in the corners there is bronze fennel, spiderwort(?), and irises. I like to grow swiss chard and other greens here, this year I'd like to try some kale, and lots of rainbow swiss chard.

forground left--this bed is so full of weeds I'm just going to cover it up for this year and start over next year. There is still a big bronze fennel plant in it. This was the perennial veggies bed, with rhubarb, artichokes, asparagus and the fennel. But I think it's too soggy, it's right next to the pumphouse and would get some runoff. But this year Dennis attached a hose to the runoff spout and now we can let the water drain where ever, so hopefully this bed will dry out.

Top back right--daylilies, branze fennel, irises, hens and chicks, lamb's ears. This is also the big fat beefy tomato bed(more on that one later).

Middle right--a bronze fennel in the corner. I grow cherry tomatoes in this one, on fencing I tie up between the posts(haven't done that yet). Also lettuce, but I'm doing lettuce in big pots this year--so something else.

Near right--raspberries. Also set up a tripod for runner beans, and squash underneath.

Spring Fever I Have

2009-04-08T20:00:00.000-07:00

Finally Spring has gotten started around here! I've been working outside all day long almost for the past five days now. I've been mulching flower beds, making a few new ones, getting the veggie garden in order, clearing my paths in the woods. I'm working on a little rock garden by the fire pit, and I've toted at least a ton of rocks from the hillside. Yeah I weighed a rock, one the size of a basketball is about 50 pounds. I've been taking some before and after pix so I'll share the progress. It's quite addictive to listen to the wind in the trees all day. Mmmmmmm!

My daffodils are also starting to have babies, there's lots of them this year(and Melaine gave me more to plant!). I LOVE daffodils because the deer won't eat them! So I can plant them everywhere!

Sneak Peak

2009-04-02T08:38:00.000-07:00

Detail of the yoke of a lace cardi for Fall 2009, Nashua Handknits. The yoke design is a favorite design puzzle for me, I have fun making it work in texture and lace(and then the problem of multiple sizes gets thrown into the mix for added fun). I also enjoy making lace patterns for fall/winter garments--not just for summery things.

The Right Place at the Right Time

2009-04-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

Back in February I went to the beach with my sister. The last morning when we went to coffee there was a double rainbow! The universe was kind enough to wait for me to drive back to the house to get my camera and get back to this part of the beach(even after I threw a tantrum for forgetting my camera). So thanks, starstuff, for the photo meteor!

Waiting for Spring

2009-03-14T15:51:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we got a smidgen of snow, the primroses didn't care it was March, me neither. I'll take snow whenever it comes. Thinking about the garden. Last year it was fallow, except for the berries(raspberrys and strawberries). Last fall I mulched a few raised beds with maple leaves and held them down with scrap sections of wire fencing which kept the leaves. One bed was covered with black plastic, some of the corn bed was covered with scraps of cardboard and nasty old carpet pieces. It all worked great to kill weeds and theres all sorts of wormy activity underneath.

This year I'll try doing the lettuce in big black plastic pots, that way I can move them to a more shady spot when it warms up. Acorn squash, spaghetti squash, cabbage. Tomatoes of course, last year was a bad tomato year, kinda cold for them. Peas, green (well yellow I like them better) beans, Corn. Hopefully I can score some more raspberry plants at the Master Gardener sale in May. I NEED more sunflowers!!!

I need to divide the daylillies--and I wonder what they taste like? I need to move the artichokes to a cooler but sunny spot. I think I'll try to train the native blackberries up on the wire fence this year instead of cutting them back(native ones are much better behaved than those himalayan beasts).

I've been saving up eggshells to put under the tomatoes and need to chicken pooperize the strawberries(and everything else).

I need more grapes too. And blueberries. And somehow trim the fir tree so the apple tree can have more sunlight.

So how much time will that take me?

Tops & Toes book tour

2009-02-26T22:35:00.000-08:00

I have a few designs in the new DRG book, Tops & Toes. A favorite of mine is the lace hat knit with Classic Elite Wool BamBoo.

I live about 25 crow miles from the Oregon Coast, so of course I love to go explore the beach and the tidepools. Last year I thought it would be fun to have a knit project that was more artsy or sculptural, so I decided to knit a tide pool. Eventually it will be a wall hanging. I've always loved the pattern on a sea urchin skeleton. So I played with knitting and felting a few, and then thought is would make a pretty lace beanie pattern. I chose the Wool BamBoo because of its crisp texture.

So far I've made a few starfish, some sea anemones, and a purple seaweed. I'm trying to match the natural colors of the tide pool things as closely as possible. It's been fascinating learning more about natural design by trying to translate it into knit. And then it's fun to photograph them in the tidepools.

For the complete blogtour schedule for the Tops and Toes book, please visit: Sheknitsintheloop.com.

Stockings Hung by the Fire

2008-12-20T16:47:00.000-08:00

A little bit of Christmas! The drying rack is empty because the kids are out sledding! 19" of snow and counting, I LOVE IT!

Towhee Gymnastics

2008-12-20T09:59:00.000-08:00

It's been fun watching the towhees, varied thrushes, robins, sparrows and stellar's jays eat up the last apples on the apple tree. When the snow stops falling for a moment, or the sun comes out, they all swoop out from their hiding spaces in the bush and every apple has a bird pecking its guts. Kinda fun to watch the birds try to balance and reach the apples without flipping upside down.

Room with a View

2008-12-10T20:26:00.000-08:00

This is the view out my kitchen window. I took these pictures over the past few weeks and as the winter sun goes across the sky so low, the lighting changes dramatically throughout the day. The sun is also low enough to shine through the golden leaves lending a transparency to colors differently than the higher flying summer sun. It's just plain fun to watch the light change with the clouds.

Thanksgiving Menu

2008-12-08T08:08:00.000-08:00

For a long time now my sister and I have wanted to cook Ethiopian food for Thanksgiving. We finally worked up enough gumption to tell our families we were cooking Ethiopian and if they didn't want to eat it they could starve. So why Ethiopian? My sis and her family lived in Djibouti for a few years(Djibouti is next door to Ethiopia) and ate plenty of it there--so that set the precedent. Now I've got to find an Ethiopian restaurant so I can see how we did.

So from bottom right going clockwise:

Doro Wat--spicy chicken stew with hard boiled eggs. You use a (firey!) spice paste(bere bere) made from loads of paprika, cayenne, cumin, fenugreek, coriander, garlic, red wine, red onion, etc. The eggs sound weird, but they are delicious in the stew. I told the kids the eggs were eyeballs(this "is" weirdo African food after all...gotta milk it!). Coq au vin on steroids?!

Injerra--a pancakey flat bread you use to scoop up the stew. So easy to make and yum!

Cous cous--put the stews on top

Mashed potatoes and gravy--for the faint of heart.

Alicha--a mild vegetable stew with potatoes, carrots, red onion, cabbage and green chilis.

Add in olives and lots of beverages, yum yum yum!

Of course I made four pumpkin pies for dessert--I would have been tarred and feathered if I didn't! A wonderful day spent with my sister cooking it all up at her house.

Pretty Like a Web

2008-12-06T17:14:00.001-08:00

A childhood friend crocheted this table topper for me as a wedding gift. Now I use it for a curtain on the basement door window just because the sunlight is so pretty when it comes through it, and in the winter when the sun is low it makes pretty shadows--both the branches on the curtain and the lace on the walls. Someday I'd like to dye it with some sort of natural dyes, like here http://riihivilla.blogspot.com/ I found this beautiful blog all about dying with plants and lichens and mushrooms.

Coat Design in Winter Knitter's Magazine

2008-12-01T15:48:00.000-08:00

Cozy! Knit in Reynold's Lopi. I am NOT luvin those playboy bunny boots though! I would have styled it with a cute little short prairie dress over longjohns(tops and bottom) with Uggs. And an Elmer Fudd hat. Standing on a mossy log. Next to a babbling brook.

Crap Apple Pie

2008-12-01T15:11:00.000-08:00

Nasty looking apples, but they are mighty yummy. Crisp and sweet. The scabs are only skin deep...

Two-fer, use leftover pie crust bits from Thanksgiving pumpkin pies, home grown apples from my tree and walnuts from sister's tree, add on crispy topping--Crispy Crap Apple Pie!!
Oh yeah, it gets even worse...drizzle it with maple syrup!!!

Celilo Hat

2008-11-29T18:50:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's almost been a year since my last post...very bad bloggery of me, but life is flux, tidal, seasonal, and so is my journaling habits. I can't help it. 40 lashes with a whip of Red Heart, eh?

I made this hat for myself, to use up two partial balls of Nashua Handknits Vignette. It's just a basic beanie, switching back and forth between the two balls every two rows. At first I wanted to embroider some kind of viney swirls with leaves, but that just wasn't clicking with the colors, which reminded me of stratified river cut rock at sunset, like in the Columbia Gorge.

As I was working on the hat I watched a PBS show "Oregon Experience" which asked the question if Celilo Falls are still intact beneath the Columbia River(they were flooded when Bonneville Dam was built in the 1950's). Celilo Falls was a sacred place to the Chinook, both as a place of power from the wild falls, and a place to catch salmon, LOTS of salmon. Sonar has discovered the profile of the falls is the same(matching the sonar readout up with old photos)--the river has not buried the falls with silt. The program ended with the enigma of Celilo Falls eventual resurfacing...the dams' lifespan is about 200 years, and by then it may well be removed.

So pretty little swirly vines just don't go with Columbia Gorge-y rocks above the river. Ancient petroglyphs are carved on rocks up and down the Gorge. I was feeling birdy, and found one of an owl. Perfect! This owl was carved on a fishing rock, either to claim it for a person, or (which I like better) as a guardian "angel"to keep fishermen from being snatched into water by river devils. I chose an embroidery color that wouldn't stand out too much--just like the old petroglyphs.

So now I have a hat that will be a good luck charm from falling onto rivers(or being dragged into them by river devils)--which I need cuz I'm not real good at swimming!!!

Faux Van Gogh

2008-01-25T18:08:00.000-08:00

I painted this for my sister, and to play with Van Gogh's colors. Next, a landscape--or a sunflower sweater!

Lefse Day

2008-01-20T11:54:00.000-08:00

My sister and I continue to appease our Norwegian roots by making lefse every Christmas. Here's a few pix from lefse day, a few days before Christmas....

Gotta start with coffee, as any good Norwegian knows! We prefer Dutch Brothers.

Mash up cooked Idaho russet taters, flour, cream and a tad of powdered sugar, roll it out. My sis can get it "light as a fairy's wing"(my lefse is, uh, more "rustic"). I'm the baker. I'm turning it with a lefse stick.
Note the handknit mitten used for turning the hot dials. The big round griddle is an official lefse griddle. Big YUM-O!!!

Fudd Hat

2008-01-09T14:48:00.000-08:00

I'm working on a little book of hat patterns, here's the Fudd Hat prototype. I used some old Bernat Whistler, a chunky superwash wool(great yarn, sniff! it's gone!).

Grandma's Santa Cloth

2007-12-22T16:57:00.000-08:00

I love 50's printed tablecloths. I just got this one from my gramdma's things. I remember she used it for the side table that held the turkey(or ham), lefse, and sometimes lutefisk. I can't believe how white it still is, and the creases remain from when she last ironed it, many years ago.

Some motifs from the border, the gold is a metallic gold.

Of course, I realized, living in a house with seven cats, I had to take it off the table when I wasn't around to keep them off. Don't want to add kitty paw prints to the design!

Yellow Kitchen

2007-12-16T16:13:00.000-08:00

I finally decided what color to paint the kitchen.

The family let me paint it my yellow choice(I also was thinking of a very light yellow green towards the grey side, or a spicy paprika or cinnamon--each of those were too wild I guess). But I love the yellow, it makes the room feel warmer, and makes me feel cheerful. I'm kind of going for a Carl Larsson vibe--I really love his gentle paintings of homelife and interiors. Like these two.

Button Garland

2007-12-16T15:48:00.000-08:00

And so begins the Christmas Parade!!!
Super easy, a kid can do it.. string buttons of choice on hemp twine. Thread through two holes, slide the button where you want it, and it will stay. Tie a loop in each end to hang on the tree. also made a strand with red buttons and wrapped a little wreath.
Nice way to use heirloom buttons with memories. I will say I probably saw this on Martha Stewart! Ha!

A Hoody For Me

2007-12-09T22:52:00.000-08:00

One day a Blue Darner flew in the back door...I finally caught it and set it outside the next morning on the deck rail. I got a real good look as it warmed up enough to fly in the cold October morning sun. I had no idea a bug carried the exact colors that had been swirling about in my brain--Teal, turquoise, mahogany, burgundy, avacado, seafoam...

The colors I'd been knitting with...

This is what comes of leftover sample balls...

Halloween Cat

2007-12-05T21:44:00.000-08:00

Runster likes ORANGE!

MX BEANIE 4 SALE

2007-10-09T20:53:00.000-07:00

Alrighty! By popular demand, I'll make you a Yama-Kawi-KTM-Suzu-Husa-GasGas-Husky-Honda hat(If I left you out I'm really sorry!). $35 bucks+ shipping(USPS Priority) gets you a combo of real wool, alpaca, cotton, even bamboo fibers. I'm using samples from my design work, so each hat will be unique. If you want earflaps, add 5$.

In the "I Wanna Ride" band, let me know what you want to say---your name, number, or saying. Let me know what brand o' bike. You can PM me at Thumpertalk(Plushpuppy), or email me at dzonoqua65@yahoo.com. I will let you know when the hat is done, and you can make a deposit to my Paypal account(I'll email the info). AND I want a picture of you in your hat!!!!

I have a break in my design work, I'll make as many as I can for a few weeks here. Thanks for looking!

My Foray in Forgery

2007-09-20T15:38:00.000-07:00

Four years ago I was in charge of Art Cafe in my son's school. Art Cafe is a Art Literacy event where the school kids get to eat lunch in a cafe inspired by an artist featured in the program. Russian Wassily Kandinski was the lucky artist, and I thought it would be fun to make some copies of some of his paintings to hang in the cafe. We made giant Russian onion domes with orange, red and turquoise butcher paper to hang up on the walls and then I hung my paintings on them. I used el-cheapo acrylic craft paint on tagboard. I really had fun copying these paintings and getting into the choice of colors Wassily used. I learned a lot as I tried to copy his colors and drew the shapes. I think he must have had a lot of fun painting them.

I had little photos in books to work from, and the colors are actually closer to the original paintings(they are off because of lighting, the camera, yada yada)

So, my copy...Kandinski's original, Upwards
My copy...
Kandinski's original, Yellow, Red, Blue
My copy...

Kandinski's original, Grande Torre, Kiev

This one I cant find a pic of the original yet--

If you'd like to see some bigger pictures of Kandinski's work go here http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?aid=85097&c=&search=Kandinsky

Sneak Peaks for 2008

2007-09-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

(Sorry, just can't get this pic to stand up straight) Sneak Peak of the back of a jacket for a book coming out next summer, Skein to Skein. Cascade 220 wool.
A pullover for Nashua Handknits Spring/Summer 2008 (also in cardi version) in Creative Focus Cotton.

A tee for Nashua Handknits Spring/Summer 2008 in "April" cotton.

Fall 2007 Knitter's Mag

2007-09-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

Whew! I had a VERY full summer of knitting--16 sweaters, including this one below. Now it's time to work up a boatload of swatches! AND catch up on the blog...

Here's my son in the Canyon Ridge Vest that's in the Fall 2007 Knitter's Mag(he's trying to do the American Gothic thing with his gee-tar). The yarn was very nice to work with, and anything made from this yarn will wear well and look great for years.
I got the color pattern from a stripe design on an old Hopi basket. The basket was more of a round platter shape, and would be heaped with grains and gifts by the groom for the guests(I think). The pattern would make a nice pillow cover too, or placemats or a table runner. The repeat is only 4 stitches, so it would be easy to work into different sized ideas.

Spring Knitter's Magazine, 2007

2007-04-16T13:25:00.000-07:00

Here's my contribution to the Spring Knitter's. Despite all the charts with the pattern, it really is easy to knit and work the decreases along the lace pattern, so you don't have half a motif to chop up. Enjoy! (No, it wasn't on the cover, but it won the most cover votes--thanks!!)

Where Am I!

2007-04-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

You've probably noticed I've been missing in action for a while...I've been madly working on sweaters for Fall(Nashua Handknits), contributions for two books(Skein to Skein and Best of the Worsted), and excavating a new fire pit/patio area(by hand) when I need to blow off steam.

But it's good to be busy!

Project Spectrum/Blue-Grey-White

2007-02-16T14:49:00.000-08:00

Kids Made This!

2007-02-14T14:56:00.000-08:00

The coffeeshop is hung with art by local classrooms. These were my faves!

What a cool idea with buttons!

Design Scrapbook

2007-02-12T11:03:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pages from my pile of design scrapbooks. I rip stuff out of catalogs and magazines, and file them in categories: tints, hues(these three examples), shades, black and white, ethnic, organic, modern art, rustic, indian, native american, product colorways, nature motifs, architecture, christmas. I'm looking for pattern and color, rather than seeing the thing as it is(why I left the bottom two upside down).

Chicken Love

2007-02-03T12:52:00.000-08:00

My sister's sweet mom-in-law sent me a beautiful towel she embroidered with a red chicken(looks just like my Buff Orpington--those are a beautiful butter yellow). My grandma also did a lot of this work. I love it! Of course I won't use it(I'll have to wash it with bottled water, we have rusty well water)--it hangs where I can see it and smile.

Split Personality

2007-02-02T14:44:00.000-08:00

I've decided it would be easier for me to make two blogs, one for knitting and one for nature stuff: photos, art, poems, stuff. Soooo, if you like the nature stuff, go to www.dzonoquaswhistle.blogspot.com. There is also a link in the link list to the right. Thanks ever so much for visiting, and come over to DZ'z Whistle! Celeste

PS< TwoStix will stay with knitting and design. :0)

In the Beginning Was Pink, Part Two

2007-02-02T10:25:00.000-08:00

...or WOO HOO NEW CAMERA!!!!!
I got a new Nikon D40, and I've been playing with it. This morning the pink was back, and it got it ;0). A quarter turn north from the sun...
And there's the sun with wings.

Old Leaves + Old Ice = Art

2007-02-01T11:41:00.000-08:00

Down by the pond there are a few puddles that are hidden from the winter sun. The bowl of the pond area also gathers the cold air soup that settles each night. The puddle water from beneath the ice has evaporated or sunk into the ground, leaving the old ice above. I thought the colors were pretty in this jumble of old winter stuff.

Maple leaves froze into the ice, and air pockets follow the contours of the leaves. I like the delicate pinks of the leaves.

Old dried up algae scum makes pretty greens on old oak leaves. The edge of the ice looks like a map--a bay, penninsulas, islands.
I liked the holes. The ice is sitting a few inches above the leaves.
***********************

As the wind calms, the birds fly more in the open(when the wind is wild they make short hops through the trees). I saw 4 ravens fly over the firs. They were speaking to each other in that strange "cronk", and in the silence of no wind I could hear their wings moving through the dry air--a stiff, brushy snap of a japanese fan.

Watching the Sun Go Down Again

2007-01-30T20:53:00.000-08:00

Every day the sun is not completely hidden by clouds, I like to watch it settle into the hills(as you can probably tell by all my sunset pix!). Here we are perched on the path up the hill behind the chicken coop, me, my blue heeler Janie, and my calico cat Sheba. Sheba likes to walk and wander in the woods with me and Janie, too. They're very pleasant company(except when Janie rolls in deer poop!)

I've Seen It Raining Fire in the Sky

2007-01-29T19:11:00.001-08:00

Today's gift, utterly unique, never to be duplicated. Of course there's an infinite string of gifts to come. All I can say is "Thank You!" Where were you when the sun went down?

"Blood knowledge, oh, what a catastrophe for man when he cut himself off from the rhythm of the year, from his unison with the sun and earth. Oh, what a catastrophe, what a maiming of love when it was made a personal, merely personal feeling, taken away from the rising and setting of the sun, and cut off from the magical connection of the solstice and equinox. This is what is wrong with us, we are bleeding at the roots..." D.H. Lawrence

I'm a Pyro-thang

2007-01-28T20:29:00.000-08:00

Even though a fire has been living in the woodstove since the middle of October, I was in the mood to build a fire, so I made a big one. Got some exercise throwing logs and stumps around(had a little bit of help from my son). It felt sooooo good to sit by the fire at the end of the day and watch the sun go down. Eventually I'll put the ashes on the corn patch in the garden(free lime).
This is a special place I like to visit on the hill behind the house. We call the hill Indian Hill because the local rumor is that Indians are buried here--they brought up rocks to cover the graves, that's why there are so many rocks. The hill is a huge deep rock pile. Probably a pile pushed together by the glacier that carved the Willamette Valley. This small pile of moss covered rocks nestled into mossy tree roots is just plain pretty. The squirrels think it's nice too, every once in a while I find a nibbled mushroom or a dissected pinecone left atop a rock. This light on the rocks only happens a few minutes on the few days the sun is shining through the trees in this particular place as it sweeps across the western horizon year to year.
The sun and the rocks and the moss and the trees. I laid down in the leaves to get the angle. I really didn't want to get up. After all that log tossing I was ready for a nap.

Chicken Hike

2007-01-28T20:08:00.000-08:00

Buttercup, Tasty, Yummy and Sucky(short for succulent) go for a little hike up the hill.
Time for some trail mix!
Everybody stay with your buddy!

Me and My Shadow

2007-01-27T20:06:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been intrigued with including my shadow in pictures insteading of getting an angle without it. Shadow as portrait, or just enough of a portrait, just enough to include my presence in spirit. Or as a fleeting image, just like I see a familiar bird shadow sly over the land, or the flash of a deer's white tail as it disappears into the firs. (I did mean to say "fly" instead of "sly", but then I thought "sly" sounded right, too.) Shadows can be reality seen distorted, or in a new way. Here I have long tall legs, the better to walk this land of up and down.

My daily shadow walking the dog.
I really liked this one in black and white. I like how the real grass and the real tree is light in front of their dark shadows, but there is only my shadow, not the real me ;0)

Cloud Watching

2007-01-27T15:11:00.000-08:00

Today the clouds flew in feathers and scrolls. I think these are called "mare's tails", which foretell a change in the weather, the arrival of a warm front. The barometer is going down, and it is usually windy here before a front--so my guess is RAIN! (like that was hard!)

The short little contrail shows how hard the wind is blowing at that high altitude.

Catch-Up

2007-01-27T10:45:00.000-08:00

January 13, 20’s all day, cloudy, occasional fine snow

I love being out in the cold air. It’s a dry cold and it feels so clean and healthy. Being out in it, walking or chopping wood, I feel like I’m breathing in a good medicine, purifying and cleansing. Out with the bad air, in with the good air; out with stale thoughts and clouded vision, in with new true thoughts and clear seeing, fresh and alive. This air doesn’t carry dust or smells, just a clean invigorating energy that wakes up all the senses, sharpens and fine tunes them. And then to look at the blanket of snow and realize it is made of uncountable snowflakes, each individual and unique in its account of the forces upon it as it traveled to earth. (I wonder if this air is part of the addiction of Alaska?)

And then there is the silence. Nothing moving, no wind. Occasionally the teeny tiny tink of fine snow flakes(or perhaps unsprouted snowflake seeds?) I hear them before I can see them.
Saw a red headed sapsucker peck a fencepost, its vermillion toupee vibrant against the winter-grey world. And then a Stellar’s blue jay, BLUE!

January 15

Tonight an arctic sunset(as I imagine it)--fire all along the horizon. The snow has “devolved” into sand, tiny glass balls. The snowflakes have lost their points. The snow evaporates during the day, yet grows again in the night as frost crystallizes from the thin air. The frost grows in long, tiny daggers.

January 16

Today the land is among the clouds. Fog, mist, ether. Freezing rain, then an inch of snow in the early morning. Quiet--not silence, but quiet, still small noises. A gentle bird whistle, a shift of a branch balancing its snow.

After noon the birds came out, calling to each other. Lots of bird tracks stitching everywhere(why are they walking so much, or do the tracks just reveal how much they do walk?). Curious thawing shapes in the pond, stars with arms shaped like roots branching outward.

January 26

A boldly wandering east wind makes the trees sing. I love to listen to it, and spend time outside chopping wood, walking, cleaning up the garden. The wind is cold, yet not-cold--as I work and warm up it all comes to a perfect balance of sweat and cool.

The coltsfoot is swelling with pale green knobs, daffodils and irises have begun pushing up their blades. Dovefoot geranium and miners’ lettuce have put up the first “seed leaf”, and also a tiny and delicate, yet headstrong first true leaf, even under the remaining rotten snow. Many deer out today, weaving the firs, flashing into the bush, as if the wind excites them to run for the heck of it. Buds reddening and swelling on the Indian Plum and catkin trees(birches, hazelnuts, alders). The swiss chard is shoving up new leaves.

Half moon skimming the treetops midday, bright overhead at night. The stars truly are like diamonds in the sky. Venus sits full and satisfied (a 50 carat diamond’s worth???)above the horizon in the long remnant red of dusk.

(ok I admit it)A Free People KnockOff

2007-01-24T21:48:00.000-08:00

I saw this hoodie in last years Free People catalog, and had to make it. It's the first sweater I've "knocked-off". I had all the colors in my stash. I used worsted wools and wool blends. I knit it top down from the neck, and went up from the neck for the hood. It has 3/4 sleeves, and scalloped crochet edgeing in a favorite color-magenta(that was a sock weight wool). Another drawstring, and mismatched buttons finish it up. I did add the texture in the stripes with occasional garter ridges.

I like mixing heathers with solids in stripes, I think it gives an added depth or some sort of interesting energy to the pattern. Heathers: light blue, brown, med grey, bugundy, fir. Solids: hot pink, rust, cream, hunter green, lime.

Christmas Sweater 2006

2007-01-24T21:36:00.000-08:00

This is sort of a knock off of a little short sleeve printed longjohn top in this winter's Anthropologie catalog. I made mine in worsted wool of various brands from the stash. The main color is a nice marl of cream and taupe. I added the drawstring because I love drawstrings and it adds a folky touch.
I used red, burgundy, charcoal, heather grey, olive, lime, and sky blue and the cream marl.
The charcoal snowflake came from an old museum sweater in the book Nordic Knitting, by Susan Pagoldh.

Personal FO's

2007-01-24T21:23:00.000-08:00

Here's a few sweaters I made last summer. I really like this shape on me--cap sleeve yoke cardigan. The first sweater is made from yarn I bought at Stitches away way long time ago when they used to be in Portland. It is a dk silk/viscose blend in a beautiful chartreuse(greeny gold)--not the yellow here. I had 18 skeins and had the problem of coming up with something to use up that yarn. I chose a simple lace pattern that I could make decreases within easily around the neckline, and I used the yarn doubled. I ended up using every scrap of that yarn(I win!). I like to wear this over tank tops or a long sleeve t or turtleneck. And guess what, chartreuse was "in" this fall. I loved this color/yarn, it went well with so many colors as an embroidery yarn, or used just a teeny bit in fair isles. I also used it is a few 2-strand Prism-type-tied-together mishmash projects and it was such a lively spark.
This cardi I knit in Cherry Tree Hill's North Country Cotton(mill ends), and used Classic Elite Provence for the crab st edging. The last lace zigzag repeat works the decreases in by being a smaller version of the zigs gone before. I used up every scrap on this one too, coming out just right.

What's On the Hat Rack

2007-01-24T21:16:00.000-08:00

Recycled Poncho

2007-01-24T20:48:00.000-08:00

I started out 7-8 years ago and made a table runner for Thanksgiving. Then I decided I really liked the colors, and made enough squares for the fronts and back of a sweater, and planned to knit the sleeves. It sat and sat, I decided I didn't have enough brown for the sleeves, and couldnt' find anymore. So I sewed it together in a poncho. And it hung on my peg rack awhile, never worn though, since in the end I realized I'm not a Poncho Person. So the other day I took it apart and made a table runner...
And a square "table topper".
And now I'm happy. I really like the colors(these pix don't show them very well, alas): espresso, milk chocolate, cinnamon, saffron, mustard(spicy colors), plum, violet, hot pink, magenta, coral, persimmon and teal and royal in Tahki Cotton Classic and Classic Elite Provence.

Design Big--Seattle Space Needle

2007-01-23T22:31:00.000-08:00

The Space Needle is one of my favorite Big Design Objects. Here are a few pix my dad took in 1962, at the World's Fair where the Space Needle made its big debut(Thank You Daddy!). It seems so shiny and brand spanking new in these pix. Just goes to show great design is always fresh and mind-boggling! Even after 45 years!

Here are some fun design facts from the Official Space Needle website:

"Construction, managed by the Howard S. Wright Construction Company, progressed quickly. An underground foundation was poured into a hole 30 feet deep and 120 feet across. It took 467 cement trucks an entire day to fill the hole, the largest continuous concrete pour ever attempted in the West. Once completed, the foundation weighed as much as the Space Needle itself, establishing the center of gravity just above ground.
The five level top house dome was completed with special attention paid to the revolving restaurant level and Observation Deck. The top house was balanced so perfectly that the restaurant rotated with just a one horsepower electric motor. In keeping with the Century 21 theme, the final coats of paint were dubbed Astronaut White for the legs, Orbital Olive for the core, Re-entry Red for the halo and Galaxy Gold for the sunburst and pagoda roof. The 605-foot tall Space Needle was completed in December 1961 and officially opened a mere four months later on the first day of the World's Fair, April 21, 1962.
The Space Needle's elevators were the last pieces to arrive before the opening, the last one just one day before the fair opened. New, computerized elevators were installed in 1993. The elevators travel 10 mph, 14 feet per second, 800 feet per minute, or as fast as a raindrop falls to earth. In fact, a snowflake falls at 3 mph, so in an elevator during a snowstorm it appears to be snowing up.
Storms occasionally force closure of the Space Needle, as they did for the Columbus Day storm of 1962 and the “Inauguration Day” storm of 1993 when winds reached 90 miles per hour. The Needle is built to withstand a wind velocity of 200 miles per hour. The Space Needle has withstood several tremors, too, including a 2001 earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale. The tallest building west of the Mississippi River when it was built, the Space Needle has double the 1962 building code requirements, enabling the structure to withstand even greater jolts. "

I really like how the speed of the elevator matches rain speed. And my first thought after hearing about the Seattle earthquake in 2001 was that it must have been quite a ride in the Space Needle, and wished I'd been there ;0)!!!

Princess Has Taste

2007-01-17T18:40:00.000-08:00

Simplify

2007-01-17T18:24:00.000-08:00

A childhood friend, Lavonne, crocheted this lace for me as a wedding gift. I hung it on this window as a curtain because I like to look through it to the woods and sky beyond. Today we were in the clouds, and the mist simplified shapes into paper cutouts. Some shapes are just as delicate as this lace, like the twisty oaks branches and the feathery firs.
My eyes are used to seeing lots of detail and variations in the color of the skin of the forest--mosses, lichens, leaves, bark, a thousand greens and browns. It is refreshing to see things simply, to see only outlines. Everything is shades of one color--grey. Occasionally the sky would brighten with the flat white disc of the sun, letting me know the tops of the clouds and a brilliant blue sky were just beyond the treetops.
Each tree becomes an individual, and I can easily see how the tree uniquely fills its space. The mist dampens sound in the woods, it is very quiet. And yet the small noises of a bird seem amplified, more intimate and near. I can hear the first tap of the tip of a deer's hoof as it clips the snow.
This is Good Medicine.

Today's Walk

2007-01-16T14:27:00.000-08:00

Freezing rain fell this morning, and then an inch of snow. Somehow this combination of particular weather made the snow stick to the twig parts of the fir branches--usually the snow collects more blobbily. And so the structure of the fir's branching is revealed...
And is similar to the structure of little bird feet, in the angles between the toes. I found delicate little bird tracks everywhere today, looking like schematics for a dance step. The bird tracks collect in circles round the base of trees, and hop in long trails out in the open. A lot of walking/hopping to find food. I saw Stellars Jays, Juncos, Towhees, and Winter Wrens out and about. Other forest critters were out looking for food as well. Deer travelled their paths and stopped to nibble old blackberry leaves, and paw in the snow for something-anything green. Down around the pond raccoon prints lay on top of my own footprints of the day before.
The rose hips are particularly plump and glowing this year, a carmine orange-red.
My camera lense got wet in my pocket(bad but serendipitous girl!), but I loved the blurred effect it happened to make here. See how the four trees grow together as one. For the most part each bends to the outside, away from the others to arrange its own branches to best capture light. They still fill the same spherical space a lone oak would, but are sharing, playing well together.

A Room With A View

2007-01-16T14:23:00.000-08:00

In the morning I like to sit at the table, drink my mocha and "do" the computer(like I used to read the paper). My kitten comes to sit with me...she's probably watching the blue jays pick through the compost I throw out in the garden. (Like my rabbit skin "doily"?)
I found this stump up on the hill. My hubby drew our initials on it with a chainsaw: DP+CP in a heart. I didn't know it was there! It's a perfect place to sit and watch the hillside.
The day ended with fire in the sky, all along the horizon, almost 180 degrees worth. As I took this picture I heard the small "chuff" of deer hooves in the snow. Two deer were going down to the pond to drink in the dusk. They stopped to look at me, too, drinking in the dusk in my own way.

In the beginning was Pink

2007-01-13T20:46:00.000-08:00

Every morning when the sun comes up naked, unveiled by clouds, there is a moment when the light and the air it travels through is a warm coral pink, everywhere and on everything. Today that pink was breathtaking on the snow. I had to run outside(because the light is that fast) to try to get a picture, but of course the camera couldn't even begin to get the pink. PINK--hibiscus pink, shell pink, grapefruit pink, rose pink, a fleeting, rare, surprising tropical summer tint in the middle of winter's black and white and shadow. This photo may look blue, but imagine a lush pink band along the horizon and glowing through the trees and upon the snow. The far hills to the west were glowing pink as well, pure pink on the snow. What the camera did get was the brilliant rays of the sun, so sharp and daggery. And then, just like that, the pink was gone. And the clouds rose up and hung above for the rest of the day.
Here's a shot of my "under 25 degrees outside/under 60 degrees in the house sweater". A fairisle in bulky wool, it's almost windproof. It's too hot to wear in any warmer conditions, but perfect in these last cooold days. An old scandinavian braid technique trims the collar and cuffs and hem, and it's long enough to cover my butt, and the sleeves go almost to my knuckles. "Just right" like Goldilocks said, for the weather I wear it in. I love it when I can make something(anything) that works well for the task it's needed for. And it's just right for walking in the snow, or chopping wood.

Snow Day

2007-01-11T22:38:00.000-08:00

After the whirlwind of banging out 5 sweaters(and Christmas!) it was so refreshing to walk in the snow, in the clear cold air, and even get a little sunburned cheeks(vitamin D!). The forms of oak boughs were beautiful, detailed with a trace of snow.
These almost remind me of a bouquet of snakes...
The pond is starting to freeze over with these curious circles--what makes them? Can you find the smiley face? The pattern looks like cells dividing, or frog eggs with the dark nucleus.

Sunbows!

2007-01-11T19:23:00.000-08:00

The camera kept catching sunbows. Off the back deck...
Up on the hill...
Down by the pond...

The Biggest Christmas Present I Ever Got

2007-01-02T11:32:00.000-08:00

My grandpa was a builder and he built this playhouse for me and my sister when I was about five. He built it in his yard, and we had fun watching it grow and playing in it even when it was just framed.
Here is the little kitchen, with a working(unplugged)stove, a tiny refrigerator, and a sink that ran water when you hooked up the hose. It also had outlets, and lights, and a heater.
When it came to our house it was like a parade, he brought it on a flatbed trailer and everyone stopped to see the castle go by.

We spent a lot of time in the castle, even in high school, doing homework, working on projects, or hanging out with friends. I'm the one with kneesocks, with my sister.

Frozen Fog From Afar

2006-12-30T18:39:00.000-08:00

At the End of a Long Grey Day

2006-12-30T18:37:00.000-08:00

Today, and yesterday and the day before was full of grey and gray...the grey cloud ceiling just barely rising and lowering with the rhythm of waves, a grey thick humid heavy atmosphere, all sound greyed, dampened and muffled. And then at almost sundown, the clouds brighten and rip apart, and a pale but brilliant sun licks the edges of the torn clouds. The silhouettes of the winter trees were beautiful in front of the holes flying across the sky.

Frozen Fog

2006-12-30T18:31:00.000-08:00

Frozen fog creates(I hate to say it almost, but it is the only way to describe it!!) a magical fairy land of lace-ified stuff. It is different from frost, everything is covered with an impossibly delicate outline of crystals, even up into the treetops. The frozen fog on sword ferns...
The detail is incredible, every line and edge is graced with a whisper of frozen fog crystals. I'd love to have a microscope to see what shapes the tiny water drops have formed--are they six sided like snowflakes? are they elaborately branched, or a simple hexagon? The frozen fog on snowberry bushes...the fog remains only on the very coldest outer tips of firs, anything on an exposed dark surface melts quickly though.
The frozen fog in the woods is protected by the canopy above. As the frozen fog melts(decays? breaks down? warms up?) it sags from the surfaces in loops, like cobwebs, adding to the lace effect. I love this new way of seeing edges. Textures and shapes are made more clear and sharp everywhere on everything(like new glasses!). The woods are silent, the birds are huddled together in sheltering trees.

Come IN

2006-12-26T21:40:00.000-08:00

Over the past few days I've seen a few Varied Thrushes gliding through the fir canopy, where they feed. They have a gentle, quiet song that hints of Spring, and a shy manner--you have to be paying attention to see them, to know they may be there. Sometimes they'll look for worms in the grass, just like their cousin the robin. Varied Thrushes are a vertical migrator, they come down from the higher mountains to the valleys to pass the winter. Their orange breasts are the color of punky fir wood.

And by chance I came across this poem by Robert Frost...

COME IN
As I came to the edge of the woods,

Thrush music--Hark!

Now if it was dark outside,

Inside it was dark.

Too dark in the woods for a bird

By sleight of wing

To better its perch for the night,

Though it still could sing.

The last of the light of the sun

That had died in the west

Still lived for one song more

In a thrush's breast.

Far in the pillared dark

Thrush music went--

Almost like a call to come in

To the dark and lament.

But no, I was out for stars:
I would not come in.

I meant not even if asked,

And I hadn't been.

Robert Frost

Winter Solstice

2006-12-26T15:23:00.000-08:00

The sun sets in its southermost point on the horizon(from my particular point of view). My Stonehenge!

The wind

comes, rain

on its breath,

inhaling,

exhaling.

The trees

dance weary,

loosening last leaves

to the sky above,

the earth below.

All things

wait for winter,

its feast of old

things turning new.

(by me)

Christmas Tree, (Knit) Nativity

2006-12-21T22:14:00.000-08:00

Here's my little Tannenbaum, fresh from my woods. It's a little crooked, but totally au naturale.

And here's my knitted Nativity. My dad got them for me in South Africa.
Mary, Joseph, a Magi, a sheep and Baby Jesus.

Stockings Hung By the Chimney With Care

2006-12-21T19:01:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share my stockings hung by the stovepipe with care!!!

Sturm und Drang

2006-12-13T14:13:00.000-08:00

("Storm and Stress"--German hoohaa for the volatile emotional life of the individual, deeply delved into by late 1700's artsy fartsy types.) The wind, coming full force straight in from the ocean over the coast range, blew all night and almost all day. Fierce steady rain drove against the windows and wind snagged on any edge it could find, shaking the house--fun!! Sometimes the wind sucks the fire right up the chimney, making it roar in the stove. You can see a little bit how the trees wave, especially the center tree in the three trees.

The firs are stiff, the oaks are more flexible. Each tree sways to their own rhythm designed by each one's particular structure, spread, weight and balance. Branches clack and squeek and whistle in a symphony of tones. Listen long enough and you can catch melody, harmony, themes and variations. A low roar, hum, growl rumbles through the woods. The forest gnashing its teeth--the hills here a giant piles of glacial rubble, rounded knobs of basalt. All those swinging trees are being rung down into their roots like tuning forks, grinding in that glacial bone pile. You can feel it through your feet.

John Muir had a great time riding in a swaying Douglas Fir during such a windstorm. You can read his story here:
http://pweb.jps.net/~prichins/w-storm.htm

Juncos and Rain Ribbons

2006-12-11T19:34:00.000-08:00

The Junco is the robin of the forest. In the winter they collect into flocks, roaming for things to eat and sparring to find their place in the pecking order. Eventually you begin to recognize individuals that return year after year--one bird had small white patches on his temples. It's amazing how many crippled juncos there are--mangled little claws, or missing legs altogether, balancing on one foot and the tail.

Their beaks are the prettiest translucent shell pink, especially when the sun shines through them.
Lots of rains showers going over today. The rain runs downhill in ribbons, latte color when it showers, and clearing to crystal clear in between showers. The ribbons braid together to become Fish Creek and Muddy Creek, then the Yamhill River, that flows into the Willamette River, and then into the Columbia River, and finally to the ocean.

Treerain

2006-12-10T23:53:00.000-08:00

On my walk today I enjoyed listening to the rain fall from the trees. It had quit raining from the sky itself, but the lichens and mosses and needles of the firs and oaks soak that rain up and then gently release it to the ground below. This way the rain soaks in deeply, instead of running off into the rivers. As it should be, the ground is a giant sponge--in the reality of the forest I am walking on water
The light was dim, the cloud ceiling just skimming the treetops. A drop of water hung from the tip of every fir needle, moss feather, twig bud...

Firs in the Mist, Yarn to Match

2006-12-09T16:43:00.000-08:00

Rain is taking its sweet time coming in today, mist wove in and out of the trees bringing gentle drizzle--which isn't really rain yet, in my book. Everything becomes very two dimensional, in layers of flat color going off into the distances. Here are some firs just off the back deck. I like seeing the different perspective of individual trees gained by the filter of mist, the millions of lenses of tiny suspended water drops.
And here are those same colors in a batch of yarn that just arrived for a design project(Encore Worsted Colorspun, it will be a men's pullover for Creative Knitting next year). The swatch shows the nice striping. I really like Encore, it's a nice affordable acrylic wool blend with a nice hand and nice colors. It wears well too. I can mix it with wool in fairisle if I need just the right color that can be found in Encore.
On my walk today I liked how these rusty old Garry oak leaves light up the grays and lichen greens.
And last, a care package arrived from Cherry Tree Hill Yarns. The ribbon yarns will be made into scarves for sale next year at Red Berry Boutique, and the Thick and Thin wool will become something yummy for me(there's enough for a coat!). All in those winter sunset colors I seem to be obsessed by(see pix below in previous posts).

Sundown on This Day

2006-12-07T21:58:00.000-08:00

At the end of day, I caught this reflection in my front windows. You can see a little of the pink clouds through the trees to the south that were in the entire sky, eastern to western horizon. It seems I don't catch this full sky color in the valley(sea-level), but at higher elevations(1000' here)you see more. I enjoy watching the weather roll around the mountaintops here.

And here is the real sundown reflected in the windows...

Autumn Colors

2006-12-06T20:11:00.000-08:00

With the warmer temps, more mushrooms are pushing their way into the daylight, just as colorful as flowers.
Russulas range from pink to burgundy and mahogany.
Witches' butter bubbles out from dead oaks and firs.

A few weeks ago the oaks and maples were at their brightest. And here's some fair isle knitting to match(with old Die Tolle Woolle) in teal, gold, burgundy, leafy green, blue.

Foggy-ish-ness

2006-12-05T16:33:00.000-08:00

My place is atop a ridge at about 1000', just about at the top layer of the fog. I love to watch the fog roll in and out of the valleys, just like slow motion water sloshing around--which, fog "is" water. It does have a rhythm to its in and out, just like ocean waves.

The sun begins to go down, the moon begins its climb.

The fog wave through the valley, in slo-mo splashing wave action. If you are still long enough you can see the flow--like all day(but you can do things like split wood--swing, whack, look--or knit, or rake leaves.)
Pale watercolor sunset colors through the fog welling up again.

Reflections

2006-12-04T22:15:00.000-08:00

On my walk( a few days ago now...) exploring the snow, the wind was quiet in the hollow where the pond is. The surface of the water was still, and the reflections were as sharp and detailed as the real thing.

I really liked the "double exposure" of the red leaves under the surface of the water, along with the reflection of the ash and oak above.
And here's my snowy little a-frame, snug and content!

Ferncicles and a KnitWIP

2006-12-04T20:45:00.000-08:00

Loved these icicles that form on the shed, the longest gets to be about 18". Those are licorice ferns growing in the mosses growing on the roof--keeps it from leaking!

I've been working on the first of my December projects, a womens jacket for Creative Knitting Magazine. It's in Paton's SWS(Soy Wool Stripes), and I've really been enjoying the yarn. The long striping is interesting on the different sized pieces, and the wool soy blend feels nice and soft, not plasticy or itchy. I have found a few knots, it's probably because of the loose twist--the yarn probably keeps breaking in the winding. I am using bamboo needles with blunter tips, because it does want to split with sharp tips. I chose a simple cable and rib pattern combo, so the texture does not fight with the striping. I'll make a hat and some mitts with the extras--I think the yarn will be a just right sort of warmth.

Out for a Walk

2006-11-29T18:42:00.000-08:00

Any journey, no matter how small, begins with stepping outside the front door......to walk up the road...
...to stop and look at stuff all along the way...the snow brings out the detail of the smallest branch in these oaks, a billowing curtain of clouds hides and reveals the far hills...
...sunlight makes bold shadows through the trees...
...up around the hill behind the house. I love to see the land with snow, basic forms of trees are made bold: the straight rooted "up" of fir, the meandering worm of oak, the small wiry wave of hazelnut and indian plum.

More Woohoo

2006-11-28T19:25:00.000-08:00

Here's looking at, no I mean out, the back door. That's where the chickens live in their little bordello behind the shed. Although I can't call it a bordello anymore since the rooster expired last summer. A retirement home for biddies in their twilight years? That crosscut sawblade on the shed was dug up by the bulldozer when we were making the MX track. I also nail up bits of old cable and pulleys and iron things when I find them on our land.
I've found my Christmas tree! I think I'll let it live though. It's much prettier sparkling in the sunlight, snowy rainbow glitter drifting down as it warms it's branches in the sun.

Snow!!!! WooHoo!!!

2006-11-28T15:37:00.000-08:00

We've gotten about 10" of pristine, glorious, sparkly snow(better than diamonds!) Here is the view from my front porch(to the southwest). Everything is covered, and the sun comes through the holes in the passing clouds to make every detail sharp with a pink morning light. The cats actually seem to love the snow, they are rolling in it and sit up all flocked. The kitten(who's never seen snow before), loves to bunny hop through the snow that's deeper than she is tall. She makes little snowballs and bats them around.

2006-11-19T14:56:00.000-08:00

Today began, and keeps going on, with rain. Rain from the sky, rain dripping from the firs, rain soaking the moss(on ALL sides of the trees!). And I love it! Must be my Norwegian blood, remembering the foggy fjords—no wait, that was Puget Sound(I can still hear the foghorn). A perfect day for knitting by the fire!
Here’s a group of trendy motifs I’ve seen around Fall 2006: chunky embroidered MITTENS, with a GRUNGE-y marl(free pattern coming soon! The Two-Hour Mittens!), LEAVES, ACORNS, ANTLER(which I found freshly detached on a walk one day—they are dang hard to find!!), a swedish tea towel with red on white EMBROIDERY, gilded BIRDS. And a swatch for a group of designs(Alpine Family) in House of White Birches "Family Album of Knits" which came out this fall. This group includes a pullover for dad, mom, and girl, a boy’s vest, and a baby/toddler hoody—all with slightly different variations on the fairisle colorway. Great for a Christmas family portrait—next year! (In case you’re wondering, I had a month to knit them all).

And I couldn’t resist a cute kitty picture. Kitty #7 of my cat collection naps on a granny square blanket made from leftovers from the aforementioned projects.

I’ll keep shamelessly plugging along—Family Album also has my Pinto Pony hoody for baby/toddler(complete with ears and mane!), and a Christmas set of stocking, treeskirt and ornaments with dancing santas and reindeer(more norsky-ness!). Check it out! (thank you!)
Time for some Ovaltine and fire-poking. And knitting, of course!

There's Gold in Them Thar Hills!!

2006-11-18T11:50:00.000-08:00

Before last week's storms(with gusts of hurricane force winds) the big leaf maples were full of gold.

First a lemon gold on the hill behind the house...My own golden pond...
And all this gold comes out in a sweater for me! I had this mustard/buckskin Manos wool for 7-8 years, waiting for the right idea. When I buy yarn for myself, I buy color, and often it's that "weirdo" color that ends up an orphan. I had three skeins, and added the dark brown and ivory in either an old chunky Harrisville wool, or Bartlett--labels long gone. The mill end mystery fur yarn I bought at the now gone Robin and Russ Handweavers in McMinnville, Or. Now I wish I'd snapped up all the cones--it's great for a shearling look! I had to design around the three skeins of Manos, and was left with a few yards.