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Meme

Taking part in this is proving more fun than I expected.  I was tagged by Laughing Purple Goldfish.

The rules:

1) Link to your tagger and list all these rules in your blog.
2) Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3) Tag 7 people at the end of your post by including links to their blogs
4) Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

The facts

Everything to do with home captures my attention

My favourite colour is amber like the solid sap on the plum trees in my garden

India is the most overwhelming country in which I have lived; Belize the most interesting;  I am always content to return home to Canada

My name translates to "meadowlark" from the Polish and I was in my fifties before I became aware of this

In the Sixties in Toronto I did a solo interview with Bob Dylan using an expired press pass

The philosophy of Saori weaving - complete freedom of expression - and a spinning wheel have now both happened in my playing with fibre

There are rocks in my bathtub

I am tagging

Crafty

Stephanie

Esther

Margie

Kath

Terri

Adrian

Some masking tape, some shoe polish....dah dah!...splendid surface effects with lots of uses

Basically what we are doing is sticking random pieces of masking tape onto a surface and then applying shoe polish, brown and blue shown here.  The effect varies with the colour used, the surface being covered, the way the tape is applied.  It can look like leather or marble or foliage or old cement or......

To make a gift container from an empty toilet tissue roll I wrapped the masking tape around it a few times to give it more solidity and then covered it with bits and pieces of tape, scrunching it here and there to give more texture.

Here it is getting a coat of shoe polish.

Once the tube  was dry a scarf got wrapped in the brown paper and put inside with some  Greek braided twine  to be used as tying cord.  I am not really pleased with the brown paper and am thinking a dark brown tissue paper would be nicer and give more a Christmas cracker look. I do like the 3-d texture and hue of the tube.

The other container is coated with blue shoe polish over a simple covering of masking tape with no attempt to make it less than flat.
Those are crocheted baskets on each end and inside the tube will go small goodies to put into the baskets, perhaps tiny cookies or 'nuts and bolts' (cheerios and shreddies and pretzels and peanuts in a savoury coating) or personalized cloth napkins and the baskets can be used as napkin holders.

Other ideas for such surface treatment :  book covers;  cookie tins;  strips of leather for bracelets or anklets;  storage/gift boxes;   table tops (with glass or plastic on top);  table legs;   bookshelves;  baseboards; window blinds; floor cloths;  recycling tin cans/milk cartons/cereal boxes/etc.;  wearable art; lamp shades; ceilings........

  What comes to your mind?  Have you already used this technique.....??? 

Physalis aka Cape gooseberry

Now that I can no longer snack in the garden on  berries and tomatoes I am pleased to be able to buy cape gooseberries in our local grocery store.  They are related to the tomato which has that fruit/vegetable issue of identity as does the cape gooseberry.  I have had them in both salads and desserts.  Mostly I just like to snack on them. 

You can read all about them here. A wealth of information!

They are so pretty all wrapped in their cozy papery capes.  What Wikipedia did not tell me is if the husks (capes) yield a dye.  Anyone know? 

 

Planting for Christmas

At a recent arts and crafts fair this bag caught my attention.....the front.....

....and the back.  It was one of a wheelbarrow of surprise bags containing bulbs.  The packaging was what inspired me to buy one with the Grandkid in mind. 

He looked at it, front and back, and then we opened the bag and took out....

...all these bulbs.  Then we planted them.  I think the bottom one may be a stone but it got planted as well.

This is what the planter looks like now.

It is five weeks until Christmas and the sunny location outdoors  (heck, I'll bring it inside if it gets too cold) makes me think there will be growth occurring between now and then;  there are already small tips of green showing.  I don't expect there to be flowers; no, it is more the experience that is the gift shared between this grandson and me.

I tracked down the woman who organized the surprise bulb package and got the story behind her inspiration for doing so and the crew of five and six year olds who did the artwork on all the bags and her hope that the bulbs will flourish and multiply and be passed on.  What a great idea!
I am grateful to her and to Emma who illustrated ours.

Philosophical Friday ; numbers

Even as a child - wait, stop here while I correct this and start again.  As a child....

(There's no "even" about it;  children - babies included - are incredibly full of wisdom and we benefit from paying attention to what they say and what they do and how they do it and why.)

As a child I felt some numbers were special;  "felt" as compared to "thought" because I could not have explained why; certain numbers 'worked' for me in varying ways so I learned to 'use' them, to notice their (re)occurrence, to pay attention, to let their appearance affect my choices.

I still do.  Even as an adult.

Over the years since childhood (many!) I have become aware of other people's awareness/study/use of numbers:  the 5 to 8 ratio; the magic of the number 9; the rhythm of counting;  the history;  the organization; the meaning:  13 for transition and change, 8 for abundance, 5 for social interaction ...; the master numbers 11, 22, 33, 44;  numerology.....  

They guide rather than govern, suggest rather than dictate.  What fun. 

And in the wonderful way of synchronism just after I wrote this I got chatting with a young woman about numbers and her use of them and her father's similar use of them.  This came about because I mentioned that I tend to choose certain numbers when casting on stitches for a knitting project. 

 

Darn it.....openly!

I love these gloves and when they got holes the holes got darned.

Like this.  With interesting wool.

Cut and fold and presto - a 'package'

People who have seen this think it is quite ingenious as I did when I found it at a church thrift store, looking like this.

When I opened it up I realized it was two layers of fabric neatly stitched together, slots included.  It had a name along one edge so I inquired of the ladies at the shop if they knew who B M Evans was but they did not so I could not discover the origin of the design. 

Here is what it looks like partly together; as you can see the two flanges fit through the  slots.

At home I had to make one using a flyer that had come in the mail.....and then one using  some clear heavy-duty plastic; I put felted chestnuts in it.

The possibilities are endless.  I admire and appreciate the work that went into the double-layered fabric one and may duplicate this, likely in felted material.  I also like simple.  Very much.

Here is the pattern:  I hope you can copy it and give it a try.  And let me know what you create.

(That rock on the right is a porphyry one.  I checked the dictionary for spelling (I had it wrong) and  the description is "a rock containing crystals of minerals".  It's also known as "flower rock" and finding one is exciting; this one was on the beach.)

This is with a stiff screen-like material - any idea what it is used for? - I think it is used for crafting;  I got it at a garage sale;  they didn't know (it is quite surprising how many things I come across at garage sales which the sellers seem to not know about;  makes one wonder.  I suspect - and actually have been told this! - that they got the item at a garage sale from someone who didn't know and who likely ....etc. )

The material is not easy to work with - I got a few scratches and cuts - used kitchen scissors to cut it - and the result is quite nice (those are peach pits inside; I saved them because they are so beautiful in their colour and their texture) but I would have to think of a terrific use for such a package before I would try it again.

The thought of using it as a card with a message inside prompted this one from corrugated paper and it worked just fine.  It squishes flat so can easily go into an envelope but could also contain some gift like a scarf or dishcloth or ??????

 My favourite is the one I initially made from clear plastic.

I've put dried leaves and flowers and sticks collected from the scented plants in the garden over several seasons into it, paper- punched two holes through the flanges, strung some string through for hanging and it will come into the house now that the photo session is over  to be hung  where it will release the fragrance.  I will likely poke some holes into it with a needle to allow for more scent.

Thank you B M Evans !

Pocket book slippers

Size 7 needles with 4 ply worsted yarn (or thereabouts - they invite experimenting)

This is a variation on the  basic pattern for pocketbook slippers: cast on 5 stitches,  knit one row, purl one row for  six rows ; then, keeping in stockingette stitch,  increase in the second stitch of each row until  there are 22 stitches. On next row increase in each stitch so there are now 44 stitches.  Change to moss stitch (K1 P1 across first row P1 K1 across second row) for six inches.

  On the next row K2 tog in each stitch (22 sts)  and now decrease by knitting (or purling;  stockingette stitch again)) the second and third stitch together at the beginning of every row until there are 5 stitches.  Continue in stockingette stitch for the next six rows.  Cast off.   Fold in half and join the moss stitch sides together and then join the two 5 sts ends to form the strap.  I crocheted the buttons and sewed them on; they are purely decorative - the slippers are stretchy and slip on and off easily. Google images for an abundance of photos of sideviews and other variations. 

Thay make up quickly and you can do a pair at once on the same needles.  Nice for gifts.                                                                                                

Celebration of chestnut

This was one of the reasons that convinced me that Victoria was a good place to relocate to:  a sign warning people in cars to watch out for trees instead of the city just hacking off the "low branches."

This is the tree you see just beyond the sign - it's a chestnut - and I assume it is the one being mentioned.  It may well have been trimmed over the years and it is on a windy curve along the Dallas Road waterfront so likely the weather has also  shaped it.

If you  whiz by in a car you get a bit of the sense of its sprawl and lean, but it is worthwhile to become a pedestrian and stop and stare. 

In full leaf it is magnificent;  bared to the branches it silhouettes strength.  The word "tracery" comes to mind.....

These chestnuts have dried open but usually I pry the shell open as soon as they have dropped onto the ground and marvel that no one has seen them before.

These are edible chestnuts and they are so prickly.... even stepping on them wearing a shoe to get the nut out is done with caution and even then they do not pop out.  But they are very tasty - need to be roasted before eating.

I had made a chestnut but couldn't find it so made another using the wet felting method of taking some buffalo wool (it's not buffalo buffalo wool, that is just the name I know it by) and wrapping it into a ball.....

....wetting it and adding a bit of soap and rolling it around and around in my hands, adding a bit more water, a bit more soap, rolling and rolling..... until the wool got the idea and turned chestnut shape....

While it was drying I went and had a coffee and a mini carrot cake - and then a refill on the mini cake - at Bubba Rose's on Cook Street by Fort.  Cook Street has many huge chestnut trees along it.  

When the chestnut had dried I needle felted a bit of fleece for the 'blush' and went looking for the discarded shells to display it and found....

....the first chestnut so they both got in the picture;  a tribute, of sorts.

And in a few months time those stark trees will put out fat glistening buds and then leaves will open like curled up fists and 'candles' will follow.... and then more chestnuts.....

  On the way home this afternoon I stopped to collect some more chestnuts and saw this.....

Those are new shoots of iris coming up;  growth may slow down in Victoria if we have cold spells but mostly it is year round growing.

Looks like the chestnut leaves were providing a blanket until someone started raking.

"...and a Christmas card on a knitted gold - en-n-n-n tree!"

I knew Christmas was coming - it seems to follow Halloween year after year - but it was only when I saw a Christmas card a few days ago in the Polish Deli (a mailed card: some Polish people are extra prompt!) and then read somewhere "Christmas is just over a month away" that I 'paid attention' to the fact. 

What came to mind is this Christmas tree I knit last year and put on Christmas cards.  I thought others  might be interested in doing the same. 

This tree is 3 ½ “ tall by 2 ½ “ wide on a 5” by 7” card front. It looks very pretty mailed in a translucent vellum envelope.

Bowdabra gold bow wire     50 feet makes 2-3 trees

#4 US needles

Cast on 1 st leaving a 12 inch tail
Knit one row
Inc in this st (k into front and then back) (2 sts)
Inc in first st, K1 (3 sts)
Inc in first st, K2 (4 sts)
Continue to increase in this way until 15 stitches
Cast off 6 sts loosely.  Knit across rem. 9 sts 
Cast off 6 sts loosely.  K 3
Knit 3
Knit 3
Inc 1 st in all 3 sts (6 sts)
Cast off loosely  
Stretch tree into shape.  Arrange ‘presents’ (the last increase row) under tree.  Form the 12” (initial tail) into an angel with a loop for head, and a loop for each wing.  Wrap any remaining wire around for body or cut off tucking end behind.  Secure tree to card with glue stick or instead of hiding the two ends behind the tree poke these through card and secure on back. 

The bow wire is flexible, a bit tricky to work with; knit loosely.  To keep it from crimping or tangling I held the loop (as it comes in the package) with a large bulldog clip (a clothespeg also works) and only unwound a foot or so at a time as I knit.  Some kinks occurred and I just knit them into the tree, pretending they were decorations. Larger needles give a more open looking tree.   Have fun!

Here it is shown on the card and that is what the bow wire looks like. 

This year I am knitting the tree with green plastic coated wire and thinking to make it a bit larger to hang on a tree or in a window.  So far I have found the wire in the suitcase with other wire (sometimes I amaze myself) and found the pattern - but have not yet knit it. 

The golden tree on the card originally appeared in Paulette Lane's  Knitting Pattern-a-Day 2007 calendar.  Yes, it is my design.