Meanderings of a Mermaid

The other day we celebrated 45 years since the Apollo 8 astronauts took the first image of "blue marble earth". Has it been that long? What a lovely looking place to live, especially if you like water, as I do. The physical aspects of the rocky upper crust, combined with a suitable hydrosphere and atmosphere, make this a humdinger piece of real estate. Since this first photo of the Blue Marble, many satellites now circle the earth ceaselessly, taking snaps all the time. Being a geologist I am often mesmerized by the images of erupting volcanoes. No place on the planet is too remote for satellites to see. For me the New Year's Eve is a time to reflect on where I've been and where I am going. Like a satellite in orbit, I try to find some distance from the here and now.   Since I am away from camp right now, I can think about it objectively. This year we completed the second of the boat barns and now all of our storage needs are taken care of. Garden ...

I am sure now that I suffer from OLAD. O bsessive L oom A cquisition D isorder. OK, so maybe I am not "suffering", but enjoying. Here is the grand unveiling of my third loom. This one is made by Schacht, a company based in Colorado. this particular model is called the Mighty Wolf. It sports a set of nifty wheels to make it portable. The eight shafts and ten treadles mean it can do more complex weaves than my other two looms. In terms of size, this one can weave cloth up to 36" wide.       I couldn't wait to get the loom dressed. I found a pattern draft for an 8 harness loom so here's how it looks so far. I think my sett is too widely spaced. But for now I am more concerned about getting a feel for the working of the loom.     You could say I am just goofing around. I suppose it is yet another OLAD symptom.

Here's the newest addition to my Painted Floor Studio. This is a Medico table loom, manufactured by Leclerc, a Canadian company. Research suggests this loom was manufactured for WWII veterans to use. As such it utilizes hand levers for changing the shed. But as you can clearly see in this picture, I have the floor stand which includes six treadles, essentially making it a floor loom.  The maximum weaving width is 22 inches. When I bought this loom last week it came with the blue and white warp on there already. I decided to just play with it, getting the hang of the levers and treadles. I figured out how the previous owner had the tie-ups done, and then "went with it."  Altogether I wound up with a piece of fabric about ten feet long. I will either cut it into bits and sew small bags out of it, or maybe use most of it for a scarf. In this photo you can see the four hand levers (silver) in the top right corner of the loom. In the top centre area of the loom...

 Softly, in the early dawn light, the snow fell. The studio above the garage is at the right. The Yarn Barn, completed this summer, is to the left of the driveway behind some trees.  Here is a serene shot looking across Turtle Bay. D.G.'s dock has been pulled into the bay for winter storage. Just over the dock are the neighbours' overturned boats. As the last couple out here for the season, we are witness to all being put to bed, under a blanket of snow.  And now it is mid-morning, with larger snowflakes falling. The shot is taken from our Landing, over the boat launch ramp. From the Landing looking back up to the main cabin (to the left of the driveway) and the garage and studio (to the right). It is nowhere close to winter time yet, although it does evoke that Winter Wonderland image.

...will it be warm over the winter? As a bit of a send off for the last other couple who left our lake shores today, I dressed up the trees a little bit. As you can see, all the leaves are down now and the forest is looking pretty grey. Not only was a little colour infusion necessary, but a little whimsy goes a long way.  Even the rock inukshuk is sporting a woven scarf for the winter.  This corner is the top of our driveway and provides a warm welcome!  Most of the pieces of fabric came off the knitting machine this summer, as I was trying to teach myself how to use it.  This woven scarf was a little test piece I wove on the rigid heddle loom after I repaired a crack in the wood. I was just grabbing random bits of yarn to play with.  Behind these four bedazzled trees that is our new Yarn Barn. It was completed this year and is a fabulous addition to our property. Thanks BS! Soon we will also be leaving our beloved camp behind, heading so...

 A quick lesson on steeking is shown here. This is becoming a knitted baby girl sweater. Because I was working in the Fair Isle method, I did not want to have to work back and forth; preferring to work in the round. I should explain too that this sweater will have a boat neck. The scissors mark the spot where I will be eventually inserting a sleeve.  Here is it from the inside. There are other kinds of steeks, but this is called cut steeks .  The key to good steeking is to use a fine zig zag stitch on your sewing machine. Sew a narrow set of parallel lines, the same length as the depth of the sleeve at the top..  I ran three lines of machine stitching, for added insurance that nothing will run.  As seen from the good side.  Here you can see the width of the sleeve at the top in comparison to the lines of stitching.  And here we go. The squeamish may want to leave the room. Cut slowly and do not go over any of your stitch lines. If y...

More joyous colour. Sunset, sunrise, the cycles of the forest.

 I received a request to post some "fall colours' photos here. These are all from our property or right beside. I deliberately stayed away from the usual shots of reds and oranges. Take a look at the other things happening around here.

Hello Friends; This spring and summer has been quite rainy and it's meant a fair bit of time is spent in the studio. I love it! A lot is getting done and new hobbies are being added to the retenue, much to Mr's chagrin.  So here is one of the second pair of Lithuanian socks I knit up this summer. Both are knit and all the ends are now darned in. I do need to block them though. They are for Mr, which might explain why they are like skis.   This quilt top was in a box of things I inherited from my late husband's mother. I am finishing this quilt now, and learning to quilt as I go along. It will be a surprise gift for her daughter, who loves purple. Close up of my first attempts at hand quilting. I am having fun with it for sure. I think I will only quilt the pink and the purple pieces. This is a picture of the pattern I followed to make the blue booties below. They went together surprisingly quickly, but of course, being for a baby they are tiny and the sea...