fog and swell

love on sunday

2012-02-12T13:42:00.001-08:00

this month is of course heavy with heart imagery, and i've seen a few heart elbow patch tutorials out there too. i have been fond of elbow patches for awhile now, but had yet to incorporate them into my wardrobe. this little twist on the classic shape seemed like a fun idea, and my old forestry cardigan seemed like it could use a little sprucing up. i still get a lot of use out of it over three years later and it has held up well, although i removed the buttons because they were too heavy and now i just wear it open or occasionally belted. anyway, i cut two heart shapes out of a felted thrift store sweater and stitched them in place with a simple blanket stitch. i thought about a bright colour but ultimately i think this adds a bit of fun while still making it easy to pair this sweater with just about anything.

we just got home from breakfast out (i am so full of waffle) and a few errands. it's a rainy sunday and seems a good day to be cozy inside just the two of us, maybe watch a little homeland and do a bit of stitching. i finished a whale last night! it was so good to see something more tricky like that come together despite my slowness with the cast still on. that was a custom order, but i hope very shortly to have some new whales in the shop, along with other ideas bubbling away. happy sunday!

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plus a little public service announcement:
our government thinks that i'm a radical because i am opposed to the northern gateway pipeline project. If you are a radical too, then please got to iamaradical.ca to let the prime minister and the minister of natural resources know that all of us radicals are just ordinary concerned canadians.

into the mystic...

2012-02-10T18:03:00.001-08:00

the other day i took a short walk along the river in the fog. the mist gets into your bones, chills all the way through. but it's peaceful, dampening the sounds of the traffic. the world pares down into a simple colour palette, and all that exists is just what you can see.

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it's a quiet, rainy friday night. A is working late. i'm trying to make some actual progress on a custom minke whale for someone who has been waiting far too long because of my injury. when i get frustrated with it, i turn to my pens and pencils. the sketchbook project seems to have done what i hoped, keeping me interested in drawing even after i mailed off my book.

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other things:
• this edamame arugula dip looks fantastic. or if you're looking for a sweeter treat, check out Annie's haystacks.
• a recent trip to a mall reminded me that mass-produced clothes just doesn't do it for me anymore. i need to get back to sewing more of my own. i think this dress pattern from wiksten might be first on the list.
• tensions regarding the northern gateway pipeline are continuing to ramp up around here. this short film in particular brought tears to my eyes. i'm also looking forward to this upcoming film from woodshed films and patagonia.

wordless wednesday...

2012-02-08T08:13:00.002-08:00

sunshine in february...

2012-02-07T09:09:00.002-08:00

a short spell of sunny days ran over this weekend. today will be the last one i think, before a stretch of rain clouds and grey skies. it has in general been a much milder winter than they originally predicted, but still it felt wonderful to wander the shore with jacket unzipped and soak in the late afternoon sun. i walked farther around the point than i had before, finding a new pocket of rocky beach where i was all by myself, away from the other sunday wanderers. while the strait itself was curiously quiet, no barges aiming south behind chugging tugboats, the air traffic coming in to the airport and military base kept a regular rhythm above. a fighter jet coming in to land directly over my head made my ears protest wildly for an achingly long stretch of seconds. but thankfully it was just that, seconds, and most of my walk was just the scrape of rocks below my feet, gulls conversing together, a heron croakily protesting after being spurred off its rock by approaching kayakers, and soft voices of other walkers carried over the water. i hope you had some moments of peace this weekend.

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>>> just two more weeks till my cast comes off! (i'm saying 'just' to try and convince myself that isn't still FOREVER) but i am improving a lot and trying out my hand at more sewing. i have been trying to make some whales, but they are fiddly so the going is slow. as an attempt at 'cross-training', i also tried to do a bit of knitting yesterday, but that was not particularly successful. it'll come though, i know. my patience is waning though. (patience? ha! when have i ever had any of that?!)

>>> thanks to all who entered my giveaway. a winner has now been announced, but if it wasn't you stay tuned for more giveaways soon.

on the table...

2012-02-05T20:14:00.001-08:00

just a few snaps of things i was working on this weekend, some fabric pieces cut with the potential to be whales, and a sketch i'm playing around with. the weather was beautiful today and i got out for a long walk at the beach. tonight i'm attempting to make cookies without getting any dough on my cast. what did you do this weekend?

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and a reminder to stop by facebook tomorrow to enter the giveaway!

small worlds...

2012-02-04T17:53:00.003-08:00

i started out in the wintry woods, enjoying the dark and stillness. i realized quickly though that the woods are never fully quiet. the ravens were busy above today, croaking and clicking as they swooped above the treetops. other birds chipped and chirped in the branches, a winter wren sang an insistent song from where it bobbed up and down on a log. but mostly today was regularly interrupted by the motors of trucks and atvs roaring by on the logging roads and quad trails parallel to my forest path. boys busy with their toys. i did my best to ignore their sounds, and wandered off the trail regularly and into the moss, my eyes scanning for possible treasures. it is a bit early, but i have high hopes of spotting an antler shed from a black-tailed deer this year.

soon enough though i felt the pull into the open, where the sun was contemplating peering through the flat grey sky. i ventured out in to the adjacent old clear cut, where a covering of blueberry bushes, salal and small fir trees is beginning to gain a foothold on the big scar. this is now the domain of those atv-ers, but smaller, rougher trails also criss-cross back and forth, the paths of mountain bikers. i've been longing to get on my bike lately, but it's no vehicle for a one-handed girl so it will have to wait. instead i followed these winding paths in my gumboots, up and onto an open bluff to get a better view over the hills. the route was a bit slippery, uneven, and i decided not to think about what decision i would make if i slipped, broken wrist on one hand and a couple thousand dollars worth of camera in the other (i suspect it would be the one more detrimental to me than my beloved camera). the sun broke through and lit up all the green around me. but the best views were of the tiny little worlds that pop out in the winter landscape, when the bigger foliage is sleeping.

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• this hearty but simple lentil soup fed me through much of the last week. it's especially tasty when flavoured with homemade veggie bouillon which i keep in the freezer.
• i love this stripy knit cowl. as soon as i feel up to knitting i hope to attempt something similar with grey wool and assorted shades of yellow and cream.
• just a heads up that i am having a giveaway on facebook on monday, a little valentines treat. i plan to finish stitching up the prize this evening. i hope you'll stop by to enter.

hope you are having a good weekend.

wordless wednesday

2012-02-01T08:06:00.002-08:00

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>>>If you are following the review process for the Northern Gateway pipeline and are familiar with this letter from natural resources minister Joe Oliver, I highly recommend you check out Rick Mercer's response video.

hearts of the ocean

2012-01-30T16:21:00.003-08:00

i managed to get a little stitching done this weekend! it was frustrating and slow, but i started small and happily i ended up with a couple items i quite like. in honour of that little holiday coming up (let's be honest, my love for it centres around the chocolate), i tweaked my starfish rocks to be a bit more love-centric. heart shaped rocks stitched in soft grey wool, with a pink linen sea star holding firmly on. a sweet piece to gift to someone whose heart is with the sea, or to commemorate your own ocean love. they are in the shop now.

i took these heart rocks down for a beach walk today. it wasn't as cold as saturday, although threatening clouds hovered above and a sloppy southeast chop rolled into shore. only a few people passed me along the way, but a large crew of eagles soared overhead trailed by a mess of gulls. i hiked up a winding staircase above the spit to get a different view, and was rewarded when a pair of eagles swooped past just metres in from of me. while at the beach the ocean showed me a little love too:

(please ignore the state of my hands - wearing a cast has somehow made my already dry winter skin so much worse and hard to keep happy)

and should you be curious about the reality of pink sea stars, here is a giant pink star (pisaster brevispinus) i spotted along the shore a couple months ago:

ETA: thanks to those lovely folks who snapped up these two hearts! if you might be interested in a heart rock, please let me know and i would be happy to make more; otherwise i might focus on some other things on my list first. and i know a few of you are waiting on custom orders - i haven't forgotten you! i'm just testing out how much i can sew right now, so i haven't tackled more difficult items (whales!) yet. thanks for your understanding.

looking down...

2012-01-29T11:20:00.000-08:00

it's already been established that i am a beachcomber and a shoe gazer, but with yesterday's bone-chilling storm swirling around me i was even more focused on the shore below than usual. my head tucked against the wind, the varying textures and colours of some rocks popped out like jewels, and broken shells peered out from the grey backdrop. i am loving this winter palette of rocks still wet from the outgoing tide with the occasional breakaway sage or rusty hues.

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some other things catching my eye:
• did you see margie's valentines tutorials on poppytalk this past week? the ice hearts are my favourite.
• loving this woven paper basket as a great use for packing paper scraps and a stylish holder for yarn or other craft supplies.
• i just discovered the stitching genius of oh mister finch.

flotsam & jetsam...

2012-01-28T15:55:00.000-08:00

>>> as promised, the final pieces of the sketchbook - a fairly quiet cover, just a bit of stitching in shimmery thread to add some texture. my original idea for the centre spread involved a bit more dexterity than i think i have right now. instead, i decided i would include a bit of myself, a little insight into the sketcher. plus a silly little poem. the book is now in the hands of canada post and on it's way to brooklyn. now what should i draw?

>>> i haven't done any dyeing in quite some time, but i've had some pomegranate peels in the freezer since christmas and it seemed a about time to try them out. i simmer the peels for an hour, and then strained the dye liquid into a jar with the fabrics. i let them sit for about five days. i love the buttery silk the most, but the two linens have their charms as well (the one on the left was beige to start). wild colour said pomegranate can be a mordant too, so i didn't pretreat the fabrics before dyeing.

>>> a cold wind is blowing today, and i slipped out to a new beach this morning, trying to beat the rain. as soon as i hit the shore i was numbed, and it took all my effort not to retreat back to the car. but i stumbled along on the uneven rocks, searching for shells and other treasures as the building swell stomped up the strait. surf scoters rode the breaking waves, unperturbed by the chill. i watched a clever gull hover in the air, dropping a shell to the ground. it repeated this action until the clam was broken and it could get at the meal inside, then did it again with another one. even though it was far across the strait, i could see a tug boat heel up and then smash into each wave trough, sending spray over its bow as it made its way south with heavy barge behind. the energy of the storm filled me up, renewed me. but i am glad to be tucked in at home again, sheltered from its frozen blast. tonight is a good soup night - white bean, tomato and bacon via jamie oliver's recipe app (sorry, no recipe link online). maybe another movie (last night we watched 50/50 - good), or maybe we'll just be wowed by the skilled athletes of the x-games. what are you up to?

wrapping it up...

2012-01-27T08:56:00.001-08:00

and so the sketchbook comes to an end, finished now and ready to be shipped off. these are the last story pages - tomorrow i will share the cover and the centre spread where i took what may be a weird little departure...yeah. the 'story' is intentionally vague, so maybe you can make your own story out of it. on some previously posted pages i have since added additional details here or there, but mostly just slight tweaks to the drawings, so i'm not sure it's worth it to take new photos, might just confuse things. then again, i may take shots for my own records anyway, as once the book is sent off, i can't be sure i'll ever see it again. you can view the entire book here. thanks to all of you for your encouragement.

i think having a record of the book will be nice for reference for future drawing too. there are some concepts here that i think would be fun to revisit, refine. it's all still just ideas, but that's what a sketchbook is for, right? roughing out concepts and ideas to perhaps be expanded later.

speaking of concepts, i have a stitching idea that's gnawing at my brain, a relatively simple notion that i'm wondering if i can pull off with one hand. maybe. it's always surprising the things that end up being trouble - tying a knot in the end of the thread, for example (as became obvious while finishing the stitching on the sketchbook cover (seen in last photo). but just maybe...

wishing you all a great weekend!

progress...

2012-01-24T19:07:00.002-08:00

the next set of pages from the sketchbook. time is getting tight, just one more week until it needs to be out in the mail. i hope to get it wrapped up by friday. i'm actually done all the drawing i think, and most of the cover art. but the centre spread is still empty. i have hopes to try something a little different there, but i need to get working on it instead of just thinking about it. i am frustrated with how my book has turned out, as i had hoped for much more. yet at the same time this re-immersal in drawing has made me think about other ideas for playing around with my sketches, other mediums for them. we'll see. the problem with being a bit laid up right now means i have way too much time to think. unfortunately i am skilled at both never being satisfied with my life as it is now, and being alarmingly unambitious in actually doing something about it. so i'm full of ideas, but who knows if they will ever happen.

and if that sounds negative to you, well at least i can share some good news. i had my first follow-up with the surgeon today about my wrist. things look pretty good on the x-ray, so i just have to keep healing. they removed my giant splint/bandage and i got my first real look at the four pins (below) holding my arm in place. gross. i now have a cast in place again, which seems so much smaller than what was there this morning - yay, suddenly my wardrobe options have opened up a little more! anyway, those pins are still in there, and will come out when the cast comes off in four weeks. that sounds like it will be rainbows and unicorns (ha!) but at least there is an end date in sight, when i can start to flex my wrist freely and have a shower without a garbage bag on my arm. but even before then, i'm plotting if there might be some crafting i can do, something easy that won't cause too much stress. maybe. first though, must finish the sketchbook!

>>> i was just about to publish this post, when i saw the comments people have added to this photo on flickr, calling me captain hook. maybe the centre spread of my shipwreck themed book should have a different plan than i thought...

thaw

2012-01-22T09:31:00.000-08:00

see? i told you our ice and snow wonderland was about to disappear in a coastal monsoon. the rest of friday a flood of water swept down and turned the fresh snow into a sloppy mess. it rained through much of the night, but a window of blue appeared in the sky in time for a saturday morning walk. we crossed precarious bridges over melting ponds and climbed up through the woods as the trees creaked in the wind around us. the wind came through in freight train gusts, swirling around us and refreshing the air. the moss on the trees is so vibrantly green right now, lush with rainwater and set off against the last of the snow. the forest feels so alive in a moment like that.

today we are back to monsoon weather, the west coast kind backed by a howling storm. around our little home we are mostly sheltered from these winds, but today the tall cedars outside are swaying mightily and the smaller trees and bushes continually rustling. a day for inside work - perhaps i can finish my sketchbook? here's hoping the power stays on.

>>> i seem to be getting really in the habit of taking pictures of my feet. here's hoping you'll indulge my little quirk. and really, i do have other shoes - these boots just happen to be the best for walks, especially the slushy, sloppy kind.

>>> sending some positive thoughts to my parents - they are trying to escape the cold wet coast today to head for mexico, but currently they are stuck on their little island as the ferry is holding in dock due to the weather. here's hoping it runs again soon so they can leave for the airport this evening!

friday flickr faves: snowfall edition

2012-01-20T14:06:00.002-08:00

1. glassy chester creek, 2. bison 193, 3. -9 this morning...., 4. Untitled, 5. Untitled, 6. P4010156, 7. Untitled, 8. tikishla marsh @ 1pm, 9. horses, 10. Ptarmigan, 11. I Love Winter The Most, 12. It's A Winter Wonderland, 13. Snow Storm, 14. snow day, 15. clusters, 16. a winter coat

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the snow was coming down heavily this morning, a fresh blanket on the ground covering yesterday's bird tracks but revealing a few night visitors, deer and raccoon paths meandering past the door. outside now is a winter wonderland... if you don't look too close. a squint of the eye reveals that it is pouring rain. the wind is beginning to pull at the trees, who will soon enough shake off their soggy white coats. in typical west coast fashion the snow will be washed away until another day, leaving us again with our perennial landscape of green and brown. so above is my little ode to the snow, our rare coastal visitor that too often disappears in a big slushy mess. hmphh.

be sure to click through and give the photographers some love! wishing you a happy weekend.

well look at that...

2012-01-19T09:10:00.004-08:00

as with so much of the island's weather, our flurry of snowfall yesterday was furious but short. the powdery snow swirled off rooftops and around tree branches as they bowed with the north wind. but by the afternoon a slanting sun began to peer through the clouds, straining for a view of the cold blanket covering the earth below. a warm light to squint against in the sparkle of fresh snow. the air remains subzero though, the arctic outflow holding out until tonight or tomorrow sometime. right now it is just overcast and frozen, as we wait on the change in systems that will likely bring a bit more snow before turning into freezing rain and then actual rain. ugh, that's when things get really messy. so i will just sit in this bit of a pause, when outside is calm, still.

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ms. pileated woodpecker up there was a visitor before this new snow came. so rare to see them down on the ground. she was actually hanging upside down from the cherry tree, snacking on suet, when she dropped down to the grass, picking up the bits that fall down. i think this same bird has been visiting me for a few years now. only occasionally have i seen the male (he has a red mustache).

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for those who asked, i get my tiramisu tea at the little tea shop in town, where they dole out your order from large tins lined up on the wall. so that doesn't really help you unless you live here (eta: just found they do mail order). a quick search on google shows me they aren't the only ones who have it, so i'm sure you could find something similar if you desired. the description on mine says it contains rooibos, crackel bits, dark chocolate chips, and cocoa.

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the arm is coming along, slowly. i will have a follow-up with the surgeon next week and i am hoping all looks good. really i hope that soon i can go back to a regular cast, which suddenly seems so much more streamlined than this awkward collection of restraints on my forearm right now. i have only a couple cardigans i can manage to ease over it all, and in this weather i need all the warmth i can get. i've still got over a month to go before i might be free completely. i know it won't be that long before i try stitching again, maybe even next week. thanks all for your continued kind wishes.

[not so] wordless wednesday

2012-01-18T08:15:00.001-08:00

i was going to post the above picture without comment, but now it looks so absurd and completely in contrast with the weather outside. this was taken last wednesday, on a short, chilly walk through the woods before my surgery. this morning, though, is much colder. -7 C if the thermometer in my truck is to be believed. for many of you, that is nothing; but around here, that is darn cold. with windchill it is even colder. even more curious is that it is snowing, tiny little pinprick flakes swirling past. normally around here when it is really cold, it is clear, the wind blowing from the northwest. the prevailing wind, the one that brings precipitation, comes up from the southeast, and so when we get snow, it is the wind making that turn and starting to warm things up (and our snow generally quickly turns to rain). but it has just been getting colder over the last week, and won't start to rise up for a few days yet. brrrr. and heh, thanks for joining me for this morning's weather lesson.

so i will stay close to my warm mug of tiramisu tea this morning, and watch the poor birds outside try to get their fill of energy at the feeder. i hope that anyone else driving this morning stays careful, that skiff of snow over the old ice has made things treacherous. or even better, stay tucked in at home with your own mug of tea.

crisp and bright...

2012-01-17T08:38:00.001-08:00

we have had several beautiful days lately, clear and sunny. beautiful but cold, as clear skies in january usually are. down along the river and into the estuary the water is brilliantly calm, as ducks and swans paddle along, dipping and diving as they forage for treats. i have been trying to get out for walks here and there, to at least get the rest of my body moving even if my arm is supposed to rest. don't need to let too much padding accumulate elsewhere, if you know what i mean. i am itching to get back into some real activity, either physical or the more crafty kind. and really, i'm just itching, underneath this complex bandage/gauze/splint arrangement i have going on.

gentle snow is falling this morning. we'll see if it adds up to much, but it is quite peaceful to look at.

the curious story...

2012-01-15T16:53:00.002-08:00

the sketchbook continues, this weird little story that i seem to be weaving. i still have no idea what's going on, or at least only the vaguest thread that is stretching thinly from page to page. the order above is sequential, continuing from the last set. i do have an idea where i want things to end up, as now i have drawn the last page (not seen here - you think i'd give that away yet? ;p) and am working my back to the ones above. i just don't know what will happen in between.

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a gorgeous day to end the weekend. A and i just got back from the beach where the sun shone brightly, cutting the chill of the freezing temps we have had lately. our voices were regularly interrupted by the honks of trumpeter swans circling in overhead and alighting on the strait. it seems like more and more of them winter here each year.

a skiff of snow still sits in the shady spots, and a bit more is forecast over the next few days, if the clouds close in. i hope tomorrow there might be a walk in some gently falling flakes. i think it's a sort of pedestal vision i have of snowfall, which is rarely ever seen in real life on this tumultuous coast of ours.

hope you are all tucked in nice and cozy on this cold winter's night.

frosted friday...

2012-01-13T22:03:00.000-08:00

today is better. thanks for your continued encouragement.

this morning i went for a walk with my friend Em and her energetic lab Lyla. we crisscrossed through the streets of her neighbourhood until we followed an old logging road through the trees, marvelling at the peace of the day and the heavy frost covering the branches and plants out in the open. while i can still wield my 7d with a bit of effort, this seemed like a good day to go light and give myself a break, so instead i snapped these shots with my iphone. it felt good to get out in the crisp air, take deep breaths and watch Lyla race back and forth in joy. a tap-tap-tapping caught my ear and i paused, trying to locate the source. i was rewarded with the sight of a woodpecker working its way up a douglas fir tree, a red-breasted sapsucker tapping along. while i regularly spot a few other species of woodpeckers in this area, i'm not sure i have seen this red-headed beauty before, although they are relatively common. a treat for the morning, even if i wasn't able to get a photo. after, Em made me tea and lunch while we sat and chatted in her kitchen.

tonight something between rain and snow is falling softly on the lawn, covering it in a thin, slushy layer. the same is in the forecast for the next few days, and i hope it will veer more to snow. my belly is full with homemade chicken noodle soup that i managed to pull together by myself (okay, i bought one of those pre-cooked chickens) so that it was ready when A got home from work, and now being topped off with a few squares of minty chocolate. i felt less need for painkillers today but a slow ache is setting in so i will take it easy at the end of this day.

here's hoping your weekend is starting off well.

thursday...

2012-01-12T16:42:00.000-08:00

you're probably sick of all my wallowing. if so, best to just skip this post.

feeling very sluggish today, back at the beginning of the healing process all over again. my throat is sore since they had to intubate me during surgery. they gave me a cocktail of pain meds during and after surgery yesterday so in the evening i returned home and kept nodding off under a cloud of sorts, once i'd tried to scrub the dry coating from my mouth, and inhaled some easy food after not eating for nearly 24 hours. i slept fairly well, and A whispered in my ear before leaving for work that he had loosened the cap on the tylenol 3s since the childproof cap would be tricky with one hand. sweet man. but today i am having trouble keeping the pain at bay, even with the t3s. i know rest is the best thing right now, but i am no good at doing nothing. just gives me time to focus on the bad. it'll get better i know; i just need to climb a little mountain first.

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let's look at good things instead:
>>> this blanket/scarf/wrap from wood wood looks gorgeously cozy. would be perfect in this cold weather as none of my sweaters fit over my bandaged arm.
>>> these pecan biscuits sound amazing, especially topped with the garlic herb confit.
>>> loving kristin's recent snow shots and hoping we might get a little of our own white stuff here this weekend.

winter break...

2012-01-10T12:18:00.002-08:00

no, i'm not taking a break from blogging, just making a really bad pun. my appointment with the orthopedic surgeon did not go as i hoped this morning and i will be having surgery tomorrow to set my drifting bone so that it will heal in the right place. yeah, not very impressed. and i'm sure my boss is even less so.

but i figured, why should you guys suffer too? enter code WINTERBREAK in the shop to get 15% off your purchase. the two green urchins above are still available, along with a few whales and some other hand-stitched goodness. enjoy!

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was happy to hear that a few of you have also read/are planning to read wildwood. and the sun is shining beautifully today, so that's something!

january storm...

2012-01-09T16:06:00.000-08:00

a bone-chilling january storm. as soon as we stepped from the car the wind pulled at us and licked its cold tongue at our faces. i almost darted right back in behind the glass, into the cozy seat. but as A watched the windsurfers skip across the ruffled water on the inside of the spit i was drawn to the windward side of its long curving arm, where the big swells rolled in. before long my boots were touching the edge of the waves sliding up onto the rocks, and thick sea foam climbed up my feet. "no foam in the car" said A as i smiled sheepishly. for those who don't know, the foam is created by the churning waves, when the seawater has high concentrations of dissolved organic matter in it.

the energy of the storm was awesome, refreshing in the waning daylight. i would have stayed longer had it not started to rain harder. my fingertips too were losing all feeling, one set gripping my camera in a claw and the others pointing helplessly out of my cast and jacket, unable to be tucked in. shoulda found a mitten.

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we just carted home several dozen bottles full of blackberry and plum wine, freshly bottled. we dropped off our fruit last fall at the brewing place and we finally had a chance to get in and pick it up. guess we better start drinking! ha. but still, it will be nice to have wine made from fruit we picked ourselves, for a fraction of the price of store-bought wine. A decided to take another leap today too and bought a beer kit, so that will be ready in about a month. i know what you might be thinking, but we're not actually big drinkers. we're just repressed homesteaders who dream of the day we can live a more self-supported lifestyle.

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>>> one last thing - has anyone out there read wildwood? yes, it is a young adult novel, but i just finished it and really enjoyed this magical story taking place in a wild west coast wood.

sunday evening...

2012-01-08T17:59:00.001-08:00

it's been a quiet weekend around here. the weather has been pretty miserable and i've been puttering around inside, although without much to show for it. i wish i had more pictures to share but little outside time plus little crafting time means i've come up a bit short. this shot was taken just before the new year, on a crisp late afternoon walk with a friend.

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update: A and i zipped over to the beach in the last bits of light for a quick walk. it rained most of the day but had settled to a bit of spitting sideways as the biting wind howled around us. we watched kite surfers skip across the surface of the water inside the bay. outside along the spit the waves crashed into piles of foam quivering in the wind amongst the rocks. i will have a few pics to share tomorrow, a couple snapped between the quickening raindrops.

after the freezing wind, a hearty dinner seemed in order and so chili is simmering on the stove. i have been frustrated with my limited abilities in the kitchen, but as the usual primary cook i'm having trouble relinquishing control. i do the bits that i can, a bit of easier chopping, stirring and "supervising". A very patiently opens cans, chops garlic, whatever i need - and puts up with my directing. i realized today that maybe i should enjoy it a bit, the two of us working together in the kitchen. we don't do that very often, and it's kind of nice working together.

wishing you all a cozy winter evening!

sketching...

2012-01-06T09:17:00.002-08:00

some recent progress on my sketchbook for the sketchbook project, done over the last couple of weeks. yeah, i really need to speed it up, since there are quite a few more blank pages than completed ones, and it needs to be mailed back by january 31. i was left productive than hoped for this week, frustrated by the inactivity but also unable to focus due to discomfort and pain. i know, i know. if you're asking, i would love some cheese with my whine. plus actual wine. thanks. anyway, definitely a project for what looks to be a wet, wet weekend.

while my initial pages incorporate a bit of stitching, the most recent ones are nearly all just pen and coloured pencil. i'm not sure if i will bring the stitching back in (and not just because stitching is a little tricky right now). while fabric and thread tends to be my usual medium, i am enjoying just focusing on the drawing. there is a bit of a narrative weaving through, of the explorations of my little selkie woman and the creatures around her, although i am only really thinking about one page at a time so i'm not sure it makes any sense.

and after a little bit my pen wandered off the page and found a new medium. hopefully this whale will share a bit of its good magic with me. and perhaps with you too. wishing you all a good weekend.

wordless wednesday...

2012-01-04T11:34:00.002-08:00

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well, almost....

thanks for all your well wishes! i'm still dealing with a fair bit of pain and discomfort, but hoping that will ease sooner than later. and while i can still do a lot with only one hand, there are some bright sides to injury - i definitely can't do dishes!

happy wednesday to you. we have been having epic rain (and big winds) for the past two days and the rivers and ditches are threatening to spill over. after a relatively dry december, this feels more like winter on the west coast!

unexpected...

2012-01-03T11:27:00.003-08:00

this was my view yesterday, perched halfway down one of the ski runs. the morning had been beautiful, golden sun glinting through the trees as four of us carved our way down the runs and then up again on the lifts. the last of the holiday crowds were still there, but thankfully not too bad. just as we got set to head in for lunch at the pub, gentle snow began to fall in a quickening wind. a greasy bowl of poutine heavy in my belly (a great start to new year's healthy eating, right?), we started back out in what was now a snowstorm. just to examine the full extent of conditions, we took a lift to the very top of the mountain, and were rewarded with freezing wind and snow like ice pellets drumming our faces. i stopped to take this shot as I hid from the gusts, the cold giving me the feeling of an ice-cream headache in the little gap it found between my goggles and my toque and helmet. still, the fresh layer blanketing the morning's tracks was enticing. our friends had to leave after that first after-lunch run, but A and i planned a few more, although we eyed more sheltered slopes away from the wind.

our next run seemed mostly uneventful. A is much more adventurous (and skilled) than me, darting in and out of trees and racing down slopes. i'm five seasons into this sport, but i still generally stick to the groomers, and while i love a bit of speed when i'm comfortable, i take extra care around other riders, especially little ones. why am i telling you all this? well as i finished up this run, slowing down considerably as i neared the maze of safety nets in front of the lifts, a young rider appeared abruptly on my blind side and cut across my board. there wasn't a real "collision", but he did contact me a little and interrupt my course as he came up from behind (as the rider in front, i have the right of way). i of course was concerned about him getting hurt, so i did my best not to knock him over. but to that end I did an awkward spin away from him and as he zoomed off without a care i crashed ungracefully to the ground, landing hard on my left wrist and yowling in pain. A saw the whole affair and was at my side quickly as i cried and whined and tried not to vomit from the pain. yes, an obviously stoic display of bravery and composure. a quick walk down to the lodge and he gently examined the fast-swelling joint (he is a well-qualified first aider and outdoor instructor). he pronounced that a hospital visit was in order, but i'm glad that we decided to first drive to the ski patrol hut where they splinted me up and greatly reduced my pain by immobilizing my arm. especially when considering the half hour drive and subsequent 3+ hour wait before i saw a physician.

anyway, i hadn't meant to make this into an epic. suffice to say my left wrist is broken
(first broken bone in all my klutzy 32 years!), so awkwardly in fact that they put me out briefly to reset it. and while the doctor was pleased with the "after" x-ray, i have to see the orthopedic surgeon in a week to check that things are healing in the right way and that i won't require surgery to correct anything. thankfully i am right handed, but this will still put a bit of a kink in my hopes to get 2012 off to a full start with lots of stitching and new pieces for the shop. i'm currently not sure when i'll feel up to that. i hope you'll bear with me!

trying to look at the positive side - i can still wield my camera (i think), and i can certainly still draw. this is good because my sketchbook still has lots of blank pages and i am running out of time in which to finish it. since i can't sew or draw right now, i will be forced to make some progress!

here's hoping your 2012 is off to a better start than mine. :)

two if by sea...

2012-01-01T09:58:00.001-08:00

welcome to 2012! 2011 left on a cold, arctic wind, and i suppose these little wintry fellows felt right at home. as a continuation of the frostbitten series, i am venturing into the arctic landscape (seascape?) a bit more and these polar porpoises evolved in the last few days as the year drew to a close. a playful beluga whale in shimmery white linen, and a narwhal in silver silk with his long spiralling tusk guiding their way through the arctic seas. we had no snow or ice at the beach to make them feel more at home on the coast, but i think the windchill must have helped put them at ease, even as it left me raw. they are both available in the shop now, and i am planning for more polar explorers to join them soon.

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new year's eve was a quiet one, just the two of us at home. late into the evening i started stitching on a small winter piece, a tradition started with this piece last year. more to show soon. later i think we might head out to see tintin this afternoon, A and i both being avid readers of the books when we were kids (okay, and still today!).

last day...

2011-12-31T12:48:00.001-08:00

these shots were taken on a christmas day walk with A and my mom. despite heavy rain in the morning, there was a beautiful spot of weather late that afternoon. a chance to stretch the legs and breath the fresh air after too much food and a stormy indoor christmas eve.

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so here we are. last day of 2011. huh. i kind of ran out things to say after that. i feel like i'm finishing the year off on kind of a "meh" note. sorry to be such a terminal grouch. we shall see what tomorrow brings.

however...i would like to thank you for your support and encouragement, and most certainly your inspiration this past year. thank you to all you shining lights on the interwebs, and a few of you i get to know in real life! wishing you a rich and prosperous (and i don't mean money-wise) 2012.

two with teeth...

2011-12-29T22:24:00.001-08:00

as mentioned, i made a couple ocean beasties for my two youngest nephews. and here they are - sharks! i was sure these energetic little boys (3 & 5) would like these agile ocean creatures with their mouthful of teeth, and happily, i was right. these are loosely modelled on salmon sharks, although i kept the details simple with little embellishment so they could stand up to regular play. one is constructed with repurposed grey canvas, the other denim, and both have soft cotton undersides. i stitched the gills and open mouths with teeth. i would like to try and make some more for the shop, but with more detail and texture, layers and stitching.

and in case you were interested, i did make a cape for the cat - a small reversible one so she could have two looks. my niece happily carried it around hugged to her chest, along with a stuffed puppy she received (of course dogs and cats can be the best of friends!).

wishing you a happy and restful weekend to cap off the year and welcome in the new!

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other things:
>>> Tara's calming post has reminded me to enjoy these last couple days of the year, and i hope it does the same for you.
>>> while i rarely get too crazy for new years, i think these blood orange gin sparklers would be a perfect drink for the big night.
>>> and i'm kind of all cookie and sweet treated-out from the holidays, but these pb chocolate swirls are pretty darn tempting.

wordless wednesday

2011-12-28T10:08:00.000-08:00

the knits...

2011-12-27T12:35:00.003-08:00

hello again, friends. i hope you having some rest and peace in these last days of the year. i am tucked back into my little home again after returning home late last night. we spent a nice few days at my parents' home with family and friends, enjoying the festivities (and food!) of the holidays. last night we almost didn't make it home, as we spent a couple hours at the ferry dock as the wind and rain howled around us, not sure if the waves would abate enough for the boat to try one last crossing before shutting down for the night. luckily amongst all the goodies and treats being brought back home was a thick wool blanket to keep us warm in the truck, and A and i settled in to watch a ski movie on his laptop while we waited. but at a little after 10, just when we were ready to call it quits and head back, we were loaded onto the ferry and made the short but rolling crossing back to vancouver island. while i enjoyed my time away, i was just as happy to return to my own bed last night, and it also made things easier for A who had to work early this morning. as i drove south along the dark, rain-slicked freeway, i was startled by the sight of a herd of elk along the side, a large bull with an impressive rack of antlers in front. a late present just for me, a quick glimpse in the night as i drove past.

but! time to share a few presents made earlier this month and now gifted. some quick knits to keep family cozy during the cold months. fingerless mitts for my sister, a neutral toned gradient toque for her husband, and a subtly striped green topper for my oldest nephew. (for full details, follow the ravelry links.) it seems like i rarely get time to knit these days, so it was fun to do a little flush of it this past month, even if my hands protested a bit. i kept to simple stitches for the boys, and something a bit more ornate for my sister's hands.

today is another dark, grey day with lots of rain in the forecast. i need to do some unpacking of the things we brought home, and a trip to the store to replenish the kitchen after these days away. i just hung a bundle of bacon grease and seed-covered pinecones outside, a sweet gift made by my young nephews who know how much i like to watch the birds. and i'm feeling the urge to get back to stitching, in hopes of a shop update later this week. but a little fresh air might be in order first, if the rain holds off a little longer.

hope you are all having a good week.

(not so) wordless wednesday

2011-12-21T08:26:00.000-08:00

that light. always appreciated on short winter days. and today, the shortest of all. happy solstice! i think this is a good time to sign off until next week. a little break to savour this time of year with family and friends. wishing you a merry christmas if you celebrate such, and either way a happy return to light as we approach the new year and the days begin to lengthen by little increments.

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>>> if you have 20 minutes, a little of that beautiful west coast light can be seen in tipping barrels, a bewitching film blending the beauty of surfing with that of the great bear rainforest.

ETA: Annie says the solstice is tomorrow, but my searches show it happening at 12:30 am EST on the 22nd, which is 9:30 pm PST here on the 21st, so i'm sticking to it! i could easily be wrong, but either way, enjoy!

hat for the holidays...

2011-12-19T20:33:00.002-08:00

as mentioned yesterday, i took a little time out from gift making to knit a cozy new toque for me. looking at my to-do pile, that was maybe not the wisest decision, but there it is. and here is my new hat. inspired by jenny's fjord hat, this knit up quickly in a wonderfully soft merino, with nylon in it that gives it a wonderful shimmer and shine. (too bad it doesn't show in these photos.) I knitted it a bit longer so that it would have a slouchy profile. I'm a sucker for shimmer at any time, but I think this toque will be especially good at this time of year, for outings during these days filled with sparkle and glow.

full details on ravelry.

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other things:
>>> i just discovered the lost swell blog, and i'm in love with robert morrisey's seaside photos.
>>> the new issue of b.a.h. magazine is out. lots of seasonal beauty to eye.
>>> if i can find a bit more time, i think i will make up some hand salve to gift to a few folks.
>>> but first, i'm off to the kitchen to make some orangettes. i made them last year and they were delicious, so i know they'll be enjoyed by my snacking family this weekend.

winter sun

2011-12-18T22:16:00.000-08:00

such a beautiful late december day. almost warm in the air, a clear sky and a quiet wind. i picked up my niece and nephew late morning, and we sang along with christmas carols in the truck as we drove downtown. across on the ferry ride to my parents' home. with my dad, we found a tree for them, for us all to enjoy next weekend as we gather to celebrate. the kids conveniently disappeared while i did all the decorating, but the wafting smell of aebleskiver that my mom had cooked for a late lunch lured them back down. as the sun began to drop in the sky we took a little walk down to the beach, exploring the rocky shoreline. back up the road through the tall trees and a pause to give the alpacas some freshly fallen fir branches for snacking. we headed back across on the ferry just as the light was disappearing, and i dropped the kids back off at their home before my journey south, the christmas songs still playing.

hope you had a relaxing weekend. mine was pretty calm, although now i am eyeing this last week and tallying up the remainders on my lists. should be a full one. back again tomorrow to share a little something i knit for myself, when i should have been busy with stuff for others. oops.

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did you enter jillian's christmas tree photo contest? you should. here's my entry.

friday flickr faves: 'tis the season

2011-12-16T11:24:00.002-08:00

1. sunset in the city., 2. an ansel adams kind of morning, 3. snow white and rose red, 4. Untitled, 5. red gloves, 6. Untitled, 7. gnomey, 8. Sashiko terrain, 9. comfort craft, 10. Untitled, 11. an acorn ornament, 12. no red, 13. Winter White :: Wednesday, 14. www.flickr.com/photos/cozymemories/3037876754/, 15. thick winter socks, 16. Addiction Mittens!

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thank you all for you kind and commiserative words about yesterday's post. it means a lot to know that i'm not the only one. to continue in the holiday spirit, spread some love and visit these wonderful photographers linked above, for their photos i've accumulated in this red & white spread full of all things wintry and wooly. must be my danish roots, where those colours are the core of holiday decorating (and okay, a lot of things - have you seen their flag? the flag also being prominent in said holiday decorating, but i digress...). i noticed too that my own tree at home is decorated mainly in red, white and natural wood - the apple doesn't fall far...although in this case the apple also really enjoys a good dose of sparkle and shimmer.

hope you are heading in to a wonderful weekend, whether you are getting ready for next weekend's big show or just having a calm winter moment. peace.

breathe...

2011-12-15T19:15:00.000-08:00

still two weeks until the end of the year, and yet today i reached a point where i just wished it was over already. call it end-of-year burnout. this seems to happen to me every December, but this year it seems my reserves have run dry especially early. i'll spare you all the boring details, but my regular job, my side job, a long list of to-dos, gift making & other holiday prep, a lack of 'fresh air' in these dark, cold days, and i'm feeling very run down and walking a very fine line between exhaustion and a full implosion, including the niggling feeling that if i let down my vigilance for a moment i'll get sick too. so at the end of work today i thought about just crawling into bed and not getting out till January.

but instead, i went and got a little fir tree. on these dark days (literally and figuratively), a few bloggers have been reminding me to pause and breathe, to revel in the glow of the season. thanks Maggie, Amanda, Tara, and i'm sure others too. that sometimes to-do lists need to go out the window. that expectations are not everything. that a little sparkle can illuminate the darkest days. i (and we) have never had a tree of our own. we spend each christmas eve at my parents' home, and have never felt the need to have our own bit of green. but today i stopped at a roadside farm with a large sign that read "any christmas tree $12" and picked out a small one just for us. i brought it home and nestled it in a garden pot with rocks for support, and hung my small selection of ornaments and a string of lights. and i plan to spend most of the evening just enjoying its glow. (oh and maybe watch a little charlie brown christmas.) i might make it through this month after all.

greyscale morning...

2011-12-13T08:58:00.002-08:00

the world is rendered in sharp contrasts this morning, a black and white world as the stark shapes of bare trees are outlined against a white sky and the subtle colours of winter are hidden under a light snowy blanket. it seemed a good time to have a black and white post, to capture a little of that feeling, even if there isn't any actual snow in these photos.

the frost has been heavy these last few days, lingering on the ground all through the day where the sun doesn't touch. it's cold, but so beautiful to see it on the grass and fallen leaves, even on the mushrooms that are still stubbornly poking up on the lawn. and the cold has made the birds busy at the feeder, snatching up sunflower seeds and hanging off the suet. unfortunately there is a new visitor at the feeder too - a little red squirrel. i can't say i'm impressed; that's not who i was looking to feed this winter, edging out the little chickadees for some seeds.

on a completely different note, jillian has inspired me to try and take more self portraits. she takes such lovely ones, so i'm sure my attempts will pale in comparison. here i am making pizza for dinner. [a little side tangent: is anyone else alarmed and dismayed that the US congress has declared pizza a vegetable? ummm, maybe if it was the kind of pizza i make (last night's version was loaded with mushrooms, bell pepper & lots of spinach, which isn't even a really vegetable-y one for me), but have you seen the ingredient list for school pizzas (follow the above link)? i don't even know if i'd call that pizza, let alone a vegetable. what a sad state of things, is all i can say.] but back to the SP - who knows, you might see more of me around these parts! you can also see that our tiny kitchen is used to store mountain bikes and SUP paddles (the storage room to the left is also stacked full of all kinds of outdoor gear).

keep warm on this wintry morn! (or enjoy the summer day, if you are far down south!)

shortest days...

2011-12-11T20:56:00.002-08:00

environment canada says sunset was at 4:20 today, but i watched the sun disappear behind the hills at 3:49 pm. these last few days before the solstice and the slow return to light seem awfully short, little glimpses of daylight between the long, cold nights. happily the sun has been celebrating the brief time it is above the horizon, keeping away the rain clouds as it glints through the trees and over the bay. warming my face as my boots navigate carefully over the sand and rocks along the shore, nodding at folks here and there also out for some fresh air. once it slips below the mountains though, the temperature drops immediately, icing my skin as i tuck tighter into my thick sweater and head back to the truck under the pink glow of the sky.

my fingers are crossed for a bit of snow soon though; a white christmas is such a rarity around here. or at least some fresh snow up on the ski hill - i haven't been up for a first run even though it opened a week ago, although neither have they had new snow since before the opening. i'm holding out for more snow with the price of a lift ticket these days.

tonight is the third night of advent...this month is just flying by, isn't it? i made some good progress on my handmade gifts today, and my mind is buzzing with new ideas for the shop. in fact, an ocean beastie emerged today that i would like to delve into again soon, with more details and stitching, some delicate fabrics and layers. this one is for a nearly-three-year-old, so i kept the shape simple and durable. i think he needs a partner in crime though, for my young nephew's partner in crime: his five year old brother. there will be lots to share in the new year.

for now i will plug along in these shortest of days, and knitting and stitching under the twinkling lights at night. i hope a little sunshine is brightening your days too, adding a calm and peace in this reflective time of year.

nearly winter...

2011-12-10T12:29:00.006-08:00

Amanda said it so well the other day: "it's the curse of the december blogger - so much going on, nothing I can tell you about." that is definitely a lot of the situation around here, many projects on the go but not much to be shared.

this morning i stayed in bed a bit late after A left early for work, finishing up the last pages of my book so i could return it to the library on time today. after finally getting up i felt a bit foggy and unfocused so i headed out for a walk in the nearby woods. the cold air helped clear my head as i listened to the gurgling creek and the calls of ravens and chickadees in the canopy. i thought too i had picked out the lonesome hoots of an owl far off in the trees, but now i wonder if it was just the imitations of the trickster raven amongst their amazing repertoire of noises. the woods are shouldering that in between of autumn and winter, not quite one or the other. i am hoping the snow in the forecast for next week will actually appear, and give us a bit of winter blanket before the holidays.

now tucked in for a bit at home, wrapped in a cozy shawl and working away at a last minute custom order plus the seemingly not shrinking gift list. a cup of tea seems in order, and plugging in of the indoor christmas lights for a bit of sparkle and glow. i feel like i'm fighting a bit of something, so it seems like a perfect night to make the 30-clove garlic soup from the current issue of whole living (sorry, the recipe doesn't seem to be posted online). that and some crusty bread, maybe a glass of wine, sounds like a perfect evening with my man.

hope you're having a cozy weekend too.

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p.s. i can't get this lovely new song from first aid kit out my head. love it.

wordless wednesday...

2011-12-07T08:15:00.001-08:00

modern boro...

2011-12-05T20:57:00.009-08:00

remember this? the evolution of my old jeans has progressed into my new skirt. i am continually awed by the care and recycling genius (albeit out of extreme poverty and necessity) of traditional boro stitching from japan. (if you want to revel in amazing boro garments and household items, visit the sri threads blog.) anyway, a lot of my stitching work lately reflects that boro inspiration, and this jeans into skirt was no exception. i don't currently have any indigo dyed fabrics, but i like to think that the many shades of denim, plus some linen, helps capture that indigo feel. this skirt too, i hope, captures some of the frugal mindset behind japanese boro, and the desire to make do, rather than buying something new. i loved these jeans for a long time, and when they developed some unfortunate holes, i put them aside, resisting the urge to cut them up to use in my whales and other creatures like i do with so many other pairs of jeans from the thrift store. i wanted to preserve them somehow. finally, i decided on this skirt. i have actually made a skirt like this before, but i like this new version a lot more. i think it is more finished looking and other than the original jean construction is all hand stitched. and this is just one stage, i think. i can see more patches coming, as i examine the thin and worn spots. i take that approach to most of my handmade clothing...always a work in progress. a continuing evolution. a good process for reinvention, recycling. making new out of something old.

and of course i wore the full length skirt to the beach...i am not always so practical about such things.

thank you all for your feedback about the little cat. you made me feel better about it and i am looking forward to giving it to her in just a few short weeks. i think i will add a little collar or cape for decoration, as i know little girls love to play dress up.

also, if you're curious, the sweater i'm wearing (seen best in the top photo) is this one.

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speaking of fabrics and textures:
• have you seen the new holiday shimmer collection over at martha mcquade's scarf shop?
• and i'm smitten with jillian's new bolero, which i'm delighted to see comes from an artist on an island just a wee bit south of my home.

stillness...

2011-12-04T11:04:00.002-08:00

a great blue heron, waiting, infinitely still. fishing as the tide ebbs in the bay, near river's mouth. aware of everything around, but never showing a flicker of expression, even as i crept closer and closer, eventually stopping at about 25 feet when the water curtailed my path. a majestic creature. i'm contemplating the possibilities in stitches and ragged fabrics...

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sometimes i don't seem to have a good off button when crafting, like a glutton not recognizing when they are full. a manic obsession of sorts - just one more knit row, just a few more stitches. yesterday there was a lot of stitching, and a fair bit of knitting to top it up. i woke in the darkness this morning, quickly aware of the ache in my fingers, the dull throb in my wrists. winter is the worst time, even when buried under the covers, coddled in downy warmth. i am not complaining, just trying to note my problem, almost as a firm reminder to myself to take a rest now and then. i don't notice the pain while i work and so i ignore it until it flares up in clawed fingers later.

today i think there will be a lot less stitching, knitting. a small pause in the to-do list. a late late breakfast at a favourite local spot with the man. hopefully a walk in the crisp air. the packaging of some items set to ship to their new owners. maybe a touch of drawing in the recently neglected sketchbook. but maybe, this evening...i could finish up that toque?

wishing you a restful sunday.

meow?

2011-12-03T15:06:00.003-08:00

a little seasonal shift on this end, coming into december. the fog and swell studio (so, my living room) is now a bit more santa's workshop as i craft gifts for my family this month. i promise, there'll be more west coast creatures soon, but first i could use your opinion on something. last weekend while grilling my niece on what she might like for christmas, she unexpectedly requested a stuffed toy, a kitty to be exact. huh. i wrinkled my nose about it for a few days, cats not being an animal i'd every really considered crafting. but in between knitting the same toque 2 1/2 times (why are the 'simplest" gifts often the hardest?) i started working on an idea. this little cat is mostly machine-stitched for durability, out of cotton fleece (inside out) and repurposed purple wool, plus some other purple accents.

what do you think? will an eight year old girl want to cuddle up with this feline? i kind of like it, but then sometimes i'm not sure it looks like a cat. i am a little concerned she is actually thinking of one of those ultra fluffy stuffed kitties from a toy store. i'd love to think my niece would be thrilled with a handmade item rather than something generic from a box store, but more often than not my sister and her family are not those people. my niece is one of the sweetest little girls i know, but i want something she will actually like, not just pretend to like to save my feelings. am i over thinking this?

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• i think i need to make a bunch of these pretty heart bookmarks as stocking stuffers.
• i've been adding lights and candles around the house to give some warmth in these dark days. loving this hanging candle arrangement.
• this chickpea stew could be perfect for cold days.

wordless wednesday...

2011-11-30T17:42:00.000-08:00

2011-11-29T08:38:00.004-08:00

today is another grey day with rain and wind in the forecast, much like many other november days. mother nature has been giving us little reprieves here and there though, spots of sunshine interspersed between storms. the above photos were taken a couple weeks ago, but we had a similar bit of sunshine yesterday and A and i went for a walk in the same spot. a long stretch of shoreline stretching out into the bay, eyes low against the bright sun and searching for treasures nestled amongst the rocks and sand, including a giant pink sea star, which i had never seen before. a friend suggested i should make some sea stars that are bean bags, so they can be draped over things like a real starfish would cling to something. a large star like the pink sea star might be perfect for that. what do you think?

traditions...

2011-11-28T10:15:00.004-08:00

yesterday was spent in my sister's kitchen, ringing in the start of advent with traditional baking and a bit of crafting with three generations of family. for those who don't know, my parents immigrated to canada from denmark in 1970, shortly after they were married. many scandinavian traditions have always been part of my and my two sisters' lives, along with visits from our relatives who all still live in denmark, and trips there occasionally. now with my sisters both having children, it is nice to continue these traditions into the next generation. my niece especially has been learning about her family history through school activities, so when my mom and i talked about meeting up to do some holiday baking together it seemed like a good idea to include my sister and her daughter as well. fittingly, they also live halfway in between my mom and i, so their house made a good congregation point as well.

after a nice lunch prepared by my sister, and including my BIL and my nephew, the boys headed out for some exploring in the woods and we set to work. my mom brought her hefty old meat grinder with the special attachments to grind out the dough for vanillakranse, classic danish vanilla wreaths. my 8-year-old niece had great fun turning the crank of the grinder while my mom caught the long strips of dough coming out. the dough is then cut in shorter lengths and joined in a circle for baking. my niece also found room in her tummy for her fair share of raw dough and finished cookies. these are my sister's favourite, although i have always preferred the second cookies we made: brunkager (yes, that translates to brown cookie).

the closest comparison i could say for brunkager would be gingerbread, but they have citrus zest, cloves and cinnamon for spice. they are rolled out very thin and cut into shapes, and bake up nice and crispy. oh yum, just writing about them makes me want to head into the kitchen for a little snack. normally my mom makes both of these all on her own, so i hope we were a help rather than a nuisance all joining in. then again, very generously, she left us will all the cookies, insisting she would make more at home later. i hope she knows we all appreciated her spending her day with us making goodies to eat.

we also spent a little time making woven heart baskets (flettede julehjerter) - well, mostly my sister and i. hearts are a common motif in danish holiday decorating. these hearts are two halves of folded paper woven together and then a strip glued on to make a hanging basket that can be put on the tree, sometimes with a little treat inside. the trick is to make sure you weave the pieces correctly so the basket can be opened when you are done. i admit it had been a little while since i made one, and very confidently i chose the most complicated template (top heart in photo) to make. i didn't realize until i was done that i'd made a mistake halfway through, so while my sister mocked me (as sisters do) i had to take it apart again to correct it.

the weather was pretty miserable all weekend, but today the sun has peaked out. i think a walk is in order in a little bit. last night A and i went to watch lots of mountain films at the banff film festival and i am starting to get excited for snow season (the local mountain opens next weekend). a little fresh snow this week would be great, but the sunshine in the forecast is also pretty appealing.

thanks for stopping by to 'visit' and hope your week is starting well.

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• have you seen the growing indigo blog? so much gorgeousness.

saturday-ing...

2011-11-26T16:05:00.002-08:00

• reinventing an old pair of jeans with some unfortunate holes into something new. heavily inspired by traditional japanese boro fabrics.
• finishing up some custom orders, including a "shore fragments" ochre stars piece.
• thought several times about a walk to see the wild waves at the seashore, but each time the wind and rain outside made the warm house seem that much more inviting.
• instead, melted chocolate to make a modified (read: less sugar, added whole wheat, walnuts, ground flax & hemp seeds) version of these chocolate espresso cookies
• and enjoyed those cookies with a warm mug of tea.
• looking forward to going out to dinner with friends in a little bit, to celebrate A's 30th birthday (tomorrow). mmmmm, fresh margaritas and mexican tastiness.
• unfortunately, A has to work all day on his birthday, so I may head to my parents' to bake traditional danish brunkager with my mom.
• then back home for an evening outing to the banff film festival world tour.

what are you up to?

wordless wednesday...

2011-11-23T19:08:00.001-08:00

mind of winter coming on...

2011-11-21T21:45:00.004-08:00

last week was full of cold days. i love finding the frosted highlights on leaves and seed pods, the ice holding on berries, the thin layer of snow covering the blanket of leaves. still over a week left in november and it's already snowed twice. that never happens here, or never used to. my quiet mind, encouraged by winter's stark lines and bare palettes, is a calming break from the other half, the side already feeling overwhelmed with the oncoming bustle of the holiday season. a little clean simplicity for the side exhausted after long days in real life.

but the mercury has risen and tonight i'll fall asleep to the waterfall of rain coming off the gutter outside our bedroom window. gale after gale is moving through this week, howling winds and an alarming amount of rain. a blustery, wet finish to a month well-known for them. a quiet mind is good, but sometimes a little storm helps to clear things out too.

saturday & nearly snowing...

2011-11-19T16:46:00.003-08:00

i went for a walk in the woods nearby this morning. the temperature is hovering around freezing and i was bundled up as i meandered along. remnants of yesterday's snow lingered on lawns as i walked past, now hard and icy. everywhere else had fresh coatings of frost, silvery linings on leaves and moss. the sky that was clear at first light was now filled with pillowy clouds, and the anticipation of snow was in the air. we are supposed to get more tonight, although then it will probably turn to several days of rain. fun. snow in november used to be unheard of, but now this is two years in a row. la niña is settling in for another winter.

last night we went to a screening of the art of flight. i'm still reliving some of the amazing scenery and skills of the snowboarders (and helicopter pilots!). if you are looking to get your stoke on for the ski season ahead, i highly recommend it.

i'm getting more into my sketchbook - it is definitely distracting me from other work i should be doing. but i'm really enjoying drawing again, and except for some glitches here and there, i like how my book is developing. if you click through to flickr (click the photo), there are some notes about certain items in the drawing.

and above is a few of the current stitchings i'm working on, and the reason i might get less of them done this evening than hoped. i got a new iphone today. i'm a long time user of macs & ipods, but i've never had one of these before. should be both fun and also wholly distracting. hmmm.

i think i'll light some candles and make the house cozy for when A gets home from work. i'm still deciding on dinner, but i think i might bake some walnut rum cookies. they're super good, and i'm trying to slowly stock up my freezer with holiday baking. what are you up to?

soaking up the sunshine...

2011-11-16T21:58:00.002-08:00

today the wind howled, coming through the trees in thundering gusts and sending the last of the leaves in large swirls across the streets. the rain was heavy, sideways. at times it even became snow, twirling in blizzard like swirls. when i came home there was remnants of white slush on the grass. i love a good storm, but you'll forgive me if today i choose to turn back the clock a couple days to the gorgeous sun we had on monday.

in between errands, i took a walk along the river estuary, letting the sounds of the city and even the people walking the path with me fade out, and focusing instead on the gentle rustling of leaves in the north wind, and the cheep and call of so many birds. the glacier in the distance, blinding white under the bright sun. i watched two eagles cartwheeling high above, and ducks weaving in and out of the weeds in search of food. one did a spot-on impression of donald duck. i sat for a long time just soaking up the light, my eyes following the eddy lines as the tide swirled back out into the bay. the glistening heads of harbour seals popped up here and there, until with a gentle arch of speckled grey-brown back they would disappear again.

it is an island pastime to talk about the weather. there is always something to discuss - it changes constantly and its fluctuations seem so ingrained in our daily routines. "they" are predicting another cold, stormy winter, and today was certainly an indication they could be right. so i'll take my sunny days where i can get them. all the better when i have a moment to pause and soak it all in.

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• love seeing another maker at work, especially when they are also enjoying a bit of sunshine
• i think i need to bake this apple, aged cheddar & sage loaf this weekend

wordless wednesday...

2011-11-15T22:09:00.001-08:00

Untitled, originally uploaded by fog and swell.

light and dark...

2011-11-14T21:06:00.003-08:00

i think most of the time i'm pretty good at getting my exposures in the right range; maybe not perfect, but not bad. 90% of the time i am in full manual mode too, and i am settling in to the particular sweet spots of my current camera. but nonetheless, sometimes i am not paying attention or playing around, and i come home with a couple shots like the ones above, the first so very overexposed, and the second under (not helped by shooting directly at the sun). and i love them both! the top photo is so dreamily bleached out, faded and washed like a bright prairie afternoon - perfect for the colourless simplicity i'm liking right now. and the second, almost like a dark moonlit night through the grasses, over saturated blue sky and silhouettes. anyway, sometimes things work out when you step outside the "correct" exposure. happy accidents.

and i'm finally making some strides on my sketchbook. a bit of stitching and a lot of pencil drawing. i'm not sure about colour or ink yet - i cling comfortably to pencil when drawing, unlike all the colours i embrace when doing other crafts - but i imagine there will still be some additional work on this page. however, i'm on to the next while i think about it. back to it now, as a matter of fact...

another mushroom monday

2011-11-14T11:55:00.003-08:00

these little fellows have completely overtaken my lawn this year. not sure what they are.

elfin saddle pair, helvella lacunosa

a set of fly agarics, amanita muscaria

orange jellies, dacrymyces palmatus

coral mushroom - i wish i'd caught these when they first appeared, they are so bright orange, like burning fires on the forest floor.

i think this is dyer's polypore, phaeolus schweinitzii. i must go back and check on it - in this photo it was only a couple inches across, but perhaps now it is bigger and suitable for dyeing with.

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i just got back from a walk in the estuary. the sun is gorgeous today, the air crisp and clean. i sat for a long while on the rocks, soaking up some vitamin d. i will share some blue sky and sun-filled photos with you tomorrow. hope your week is starting off well. i spotted some frosty leaves in a few spots, where the sun hadn't touched just yet. it's given me a bit of an idea - more soon if it works out.

frostbitten...

2011-11-13T12:07:00.005-08:00

at top is a pair of hanging ornaments, a sand dollar shell in soft linen and a pale sea star in shimmery silk. below and a trio of clam shells in silk & sparkly linen, embellished with stitches and a few tiny barnacles. they are all now in the shop.

i am having a white moment, a pre-occupation with the cleanness of winter, the renewal of it. there is no white on the ground here, despite all of it that i'm seeing around the interwebs. that's okay - it's beginning to pile up in the hills, which is the best place for it, most of the time. still, photos like this and this make me wish for one little moment to be outside with it drifting down around me, edward scissorhands-style.

instead i'm trying to create my own little winter wonderland here. a few items stitched up in the palest of fabrics, a new ongoing collection i'm calling "frostbitten" (and don't ask if that refers to the pieces or just the winter focus of my brain!). an exploration of wintry whites in the coastal landscape. i may venture up into the arctic too - keep your eye out for more belugas and some other polar explorers.

for today though, i will switch focus back to some colour, with a couple lovely folks requesting a crew of crimson blood stars. red looks beautiful with winter white too.

that light...

2011-11-12T11:02:00.005-08:00

well after i wrote yesterday's post, i was perusing the marine forecast, as i regularly do. it's a habit ingrained by years of being around both my salty dog father and the maritime life we were raised in. anyway - i noticed that besides the gale warning in place for those gusty northwest winds (which didn't amount to much here in the end, although it sounds like farther south there was some big action) there was a waterspout watch in effect. what? yeah, exactly. waterspouts are not something i'd ever heard of around here, but apparently one had been spotted in the strait not far from here, and there was a watch in effect for the next couple hours. consider my curiosity peaked, so A and i headed out to see what we could see.

as you may have guessed, we didn't see any waterspouts. in fact, the water was surprisingly calm, and the wind that was rattling at our house earlier seemed to have died off. one half of the sky was heavy with pregnant looking clouds, waiting for the moment to release their burdens. the other half was bright with sunshine, giving the sliver of high tide beach a sparkle and glow. it was good for a quiet little walk, just the two of us. the beach is still full of seaweed rainbows, although these ones seemed more bright and colourful than the last ones. the visibility in the water was incredible, allowing us to see sand rocks far out from shore. a few ducks bobbed here and there in the gentle swell. a good peaceful walk.

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today is drizzly and dreary, just as one expects from november. but i'm doing my best to make it cosy inside. bread is rising, and cookies are in progress. i'm thinking of watching a favourite old movie (maybe this one? or this? or perhaps even this one?) and doing a bit of crafting or drawing. and i think a cup of tea is in order.

what are you up to today?

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also:
• i just discovered the work of adrian villar rojas, and the piece mi familia muerte has me spellbound.
• scout & catalogue's new shine collection is perfect - i think i have to have this bag.
• i think my ginger kick (see above cookies) will continue as the season progresses, quite possibly with this ginger spice cake from roost.

friday flickr faves: peace

2011-11-11T12:27:00.004-08:00

1. sea spray, 2. sunrise on the gatineau river at wakefield, 3. head to head reflecting, 4. amazing patterns, 5. shirt front coming together, 6. how i love thee, 7. Untitled, 8. first snow this morning, 9. frozen, 10. Winter reflection Nanaimo River, 11. brewing, 12. White Horses, 13. stack, 14. tiny dreamcatcher, 15. north wind sunset 2, 16. Cling

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sending peace to you on this remembrance day.

the air was mild and the skies mostly clear as we stood at the cenotaph, joining a large group of others in the ceremonies. there was something in the air though, and dark clouds began moving in with the swiftness of the north wind as the ceremonies came to a close. A and i walked around the corner to get a hot drink, and while waiting for them to fill our travel mugs, saw the hail storm start outside. very nice of mother nature to wait until after the crowds had dispersed. we rushed back to the car and drove home through a mix of hail, rain and slush. it is not raining here at home but the northwest wind has blown in with strong gusts creaking at the trees. i'm feeling a bit on edge because of it. our prevailing wind, especially at this time of year, is the southeaster. maker of heavy rains and howling winds, and generally milder temps. but we're used to it, and so are the trees, for the most part. when a strong northwesterly comes in, the temperatures drop, and the tall trees get pushed in the opposite direction, one they're not used to. this is when they come down. we've already heard one good crack from outside, and i tense up each time a gust comes through the yard and bends the long cedar branches outside the window. there won't be any walks in the woods today.

if the rain does't set in, there might need to be a bundled up beach walk though - do you see that north wind sunset photo above? taken just south of here. the north wind definitely has some beautiful benefits that are not seen when a southeaster rain storm is blowing through.

wishing you a peaceful and warm november friday.

beachcombed...

2011-11-09T18:06:00.007-08:00

the colours at the beach right now seem perfectly suited for november. a rainbow of seaweeds washed ashore, but in dark tones suitable for this late month. they go with the light right now, a bit gloomy under a the near constant blanket of wooly sky, the dark slate tones of the rain soaked rocks and deep browns of the carpet of fallen leaves. the line of debris littering the high tide line fluctuates with the season. sometimes there are lots of shells, or the bleached bodies of crabs; this day was all about seaweed, piled deep where the gentle waves had pushed it up to shore at their highest point.

strewn along the beach too, was a crew of large chum salmon, having seen better days. i'm not quite sure why there were there, washed up on the beach. the estuary is a good 5km away, although it's not totally unrealistic for them to wash back out that far. or they could be weak ones that didn't quite make it up the river, although they were all decent sized (except the one that was just a head!). there were lots of gulls around foraging at low tide, but they didn't seem interested at all in the fish, nor did i spot any eagles hovering around. a mystery for now.

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>>>i've making small steps on my sketchbook for the sketchbook project, and the sketchbook blog provides lots of inspiration. i spend so much time with needle and thread, it has been fun to push myself to create with pencil and paper instead. i do think there will be some fabric and stitched touches to my sketchbook, but i did join this project in part because i feel i've let my drawing move to the backburner in recent years and i want to bring it out again. i didn't stray out of my current interests when picking one of the themes though..."uncharted waters". yeah, that sounds about right, doesn't it? stay tuned - i hope to have some pages to share with you soon. anyone else working away on their own sketchbook?

>>>have you been over to the poppytalk pre-holiday market yet? so many good things there this month.

>>>this weekend is a long one, with the remembrance holiday tomorrow. a good time for some quiet contemplation. what are you up to this weekend?

aliens of the seashore...

2011-11-08T17:19:00.005-08:00

there are some strange creatures to be found in the ocean, aliens of the deep in forms, colours and sizes beyond our imaginations. the geoduck is one of these curiosities, a creature i freely admit to finding both fascinating and revolting at the same time. this clam is not so much an alien of the deep, but one of the intertidal shore of the pacific northwest. the largest intertidal and burrowing clam in the world. specimens are known to be over 140 years old, with a weight of over 15lbs and lengths of several feet. that's one serious clam.

this geoduck was requested as a custom order, which i love because once again it gives me the opportunity to delve into the strange inhabitants we share this place with and learn more about them. this clam is a more moderate size of 10 inches, stitched up in linen and silk. but i hope it holds the feel of these monstrous molluscs. a reminder of the west coast and its wild spaces, for someone now halfway across the world.

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other things i'm liking:
• Joni's wintry walks with the moose
• i think i will be asking A if he could whip me up a set of these wooden home candlesticks. perfect for dark winter months.
• karen barbe's creative darning has me almost wishing some of my clothes would spring a hole, so i could try and make them look this pretty.

mushroom monday...

2011-11-07T09:33:00.004-08:00

it's that time of the week again! hope yours is starting off well, and here's a little fungi love to get you started:

scaly vase (or wooly) chanterelle, gomphus floccosus

smoky-gilled woodlover (conifer tuft)?

rosy russula russula rosacea

a white/grey incarnation of fluted black elfin saddle, helvella lacunas. there were many black ones in the area too.

the rain forecast for today hasn't started yet (wait, is that a hint of blue above?), but thankfully after an ugly effort spread out over three days i have cleared most of the carpet of fallen leaves from our yard...until a bit of wind blows to bring down the rest. argh. at least the chickadees sang cheerfully for me while i did it. they are flitting in and out of the birdhouse while i look out the window, reminding me they could use a top up of seed. i'll do that and then i'll make myself my own breakfast. don't forget, the shop will be updated at 10!

beachy preview...

2011-11-06T15:40:00.008-08:00

the beach was chilly this morning - despite my bundled layers my fingertips sticking out of my fingerless gloves were frozen within minutes and my face felt raw, even though there was no wind. the sky was quilted with clouds, covering the mountain tops to the west but visibility at sea level stretched to the horizon. gulls and ducks swam in clusters in the shallow water just beyond the slowly disappearing sand as the tide came in. surprisingly, there were lots of other walkers along the sand, braving the cold after getting up early (i presume) because of the time change. still, i managed to find a few quiet spots here and there for my photoshoot. above is a little preview of the items going in the shop tomorrow. i'm reluctant to give an actual time, as i'm sure somehow i'll forget, but let's say 10am PT.

by the way, i'll also be participating in poppy talk's pre-holiday handmade market starting tomorrow and running until december 2. stop by and check out all the great artisans - i'm hoping to get a little holiday shopping done.

this little beluga whale came together after encouragement from a few folks. she's a little out of my west coast "range" that i generally hold to, but they do still venture into the north pacific from time to time. she also appealed to a lure i'm feeling these days for white and ice. i see folks like Lisa and Margie have been having similar urges; we must be on similar wavelength as winter and snow begins to move in. there is now snow here yet, just up in the hills, but it feels close. tonight there will be just more wind and rain though, like any november day worth its salt around here. i am sure there will be other white animals and pieces appearing soon. and some more belugas - sorry, but this one is already spoken for.

it's getting dark now, only 4:30. yikes. makes it feel much later. thankfully the house is filled with the aroma of fresh baked bread, and i'm planning a cozy lentil stew for dinner. now if i could find some motivation, i'm hoping to tackle a new dress for me. a remnant piece of grey and white linen from the fabric store was much bigger than i thought, and i think it will make a nice slip-on dress to wear with leggings and a sweater at this time of year, with sandals come summer.

what did you do this weekend?

saturday...

2011-11-05T16:25:00.003-07:00

as i should expect by now, saturday has been way less productive that i hoped. darkness is approaching quick, and it will already be near dark at this time tomorrow. will that 'extra hour' tomorrow give me a chance to accomplish more? or will i just sleep in a little longer. yeah, might be that second one. but i do hope to head out to the beach in the morning to catch the low tide. i have a saltwater crew that needs to pose for photos before heading into the shop on monday. now back to stitching on another blubbery beast...

flotsam and jetsam...

2011-11-03T08:10:00.005-07:00

bits and pieces late in the week... excuse the random chain of thoughts...

>>> as mentioned i've been going for lots of walks lately. after work the sun disappears quickly, but if i'm lucky i can catch a glimpse of it through the trees while i walk on one of several woodsy trails i enjoy. last night's walk was very cold, the weather having cleared up after a morning of storm, and revealing the fresh snow on the hills, not all that much higher than where i walked. this weekend is the time change, and then it will be getting dark so very early. walking in the woods will have to wait for the weekends, which is just as well. with the darkness settling in, i know i will crave the open, windswept expanse of the beach instead, so quiet and empty where just a couple months back it was crowded with visitors.

>>> A came with on a walk on sunday, where we spotted this rough skinned newt on the trail. well really, i only saw him just as A nearly stepped on him! that actually explains his posturing, as he is in defense mode after the near-trampling. i was paranoid for the rest of the trail walk home, fearing i would step on another one.

>>> last saturday, i took a bunch of fungi photos on another trail. unfortunately though, i seem to have lost that set of photos, which has me a bit disgruntled. some of the shots i took included a growth of about 4 large red-brown velvety looking 'shrooms growing out of rotting stump. i was impressed with their size, with each cap equal to our bigger than my palm. i spotted another one growing on the ground behind the stump. yesterday i went to the same area, and was surprised that the grouping was gone. not "mushrooms have a short shelf-life" gone, but actually gone, as in someone made off with them. that got me more interested in what they were, although now i only had my memory for searching since the photos were also gone. i suspect that they may have been admirable boletes, so next time i will have to keep an eye out for them.

>>> i am stitching away this week on pieces for a bigger shop update on monday, november 7th. i will be participating in poppytalk's pre-holiday market starting that day and continuing until december 2nd, so i hope to keep the shop filled with lots of goodies, if my fingers hold up. and as you can see above, i'm bringing back the barnacle rocks!

>>> stitching for the shop also has me thinking about the approaching holiday season, and gifts i might want to make. okay, to be honest, i'm still working on the socks i'm knitting for my dad, for his birthday that was LAST saturday. oops. so if i'm realistic i am hoping to buy gifts handmade by others to supplement the few i might have a chance to make, plus probably some books. books are always good, in my opinion. Sonia had a recent post that had lots of great ideas for handmade gifts if you are looking for ideas.

>>>one little gripe...am i the only one finding that flickr's servers are having increasing problems and seem to time out constantly? it's driving me crazy.

>>> now back to my mug of tea. the sun is out so far today, but boy it's chilly. welcome to november.

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ETA: how great is this? i'm a big fan of wool, and a desire to wear wool that really is good wool, not blends with very little actual sheep in it. so i think the wovember project is a great idea. who knows if i would ever get to a completely wool outfit, but my socks today are handknit from local wool (by me) and my shirt is pure merino. good wooly times, i say.

November desktop calendar...

2011-11-01T18:29:00.004-07:00

a new desktop calendar to start off the month (click on the photo to download). wow, november? ours came in quite chilly after a clear all hallows eve. first morning i've had to scrape my car windows this year. tonight the clouds are moving in and another southeaster will blow, much as i'm sure it will most of this month. but our house will be nice and warm as some friends come over to watch the hockey game and eat appies and drink beer. i made stuffed mushrooms (cream cheese/walnuts/apples) and potstickers filled with red lentils & red pepper. i'll let you know if they are any good (haven't cooked either yet). i think they will go well with the other treats being brought. hope you're staying warm and dry tonight!

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ETA: yum! the potstickers were inspired by Heidi's recipe, but i used red lentils spiced with red chilies, cumin & paprika, plus some finely chopped bell pepper as the filling. i also used wonton wrappers, which i think are smaller than the potsticker wrappers she used (and square), but they perfect little bite-sized morsels. now i'm imagining all the other fillings i could put in potstickers.

the mushrooms were awesome too - literally what i said above: i mixed up light cream cheese with chopped walnuts, apple, the mushroom stems, garlic, and a bit of salt & pepper. spoon into the mushroom caps (i used creminis) and bake. i never tire of coming up with new flavours for stuffed mushrooms. i suspect these would be fantastic with some prosciutto added in too (pork + apples + mushrooms + nuts = awesome), but i was making everything vegetarian in accordance with the company last night.

>>>>also - please let me know if the calendar looks a little lackluster when you use it. the colours are very bright and vibrant when i posted the image to flickr, but here on the blog it seems quite a bit dulled. is it just me?

mushroom monday...

2011-10-31T20:53:00.004-07:00

i have been taking a lot, and i mean A LOT, of mushroom photos lately, so i thought i'd try something for the next little bit. mushroom monday! if you're in a fungi mood too, feel free to leave a link in the comments and i'll check out yours. the mushrooms are in prime condition in the woods, and i've been taking a lot of walks these last few days. with the time change next weekend, it will shortly be too dark for after work walks, so i'm taking advantage while i can. i've included names (above photo) where i know them - feel free to chime in.

rosy russula, russula rosacea

the sickener, russula emetica?

polypore, but i'm not sure which kind.

western amethyst laccaria, laccaria amethysteo-occidentalis

oh and, happy halloween!

bird season...

2011-10-30T14:49:00.004-07:00

it's bird season again, or at least this is when i start feeding them for the winter, and get enraptured watching them flit about in the yard. i can hear the chestnut-backed chickadees year round high up in the trees, so it is always fun when they come down to visit. they are such chipper little folk, often perching on a branch just a couple feet away while i put seed in the birdhouse.

occasionally a bigger bird will pop in to say hello. i was enjoying watching this pileated woodpecker swing upside down from the suet hanger, when suddenly a second one appeared. this one quickly chased off the first and then settled in for a snack too. actually, as i type, there is one out there now, in the fading daylight. i heard it coming as it sounded its raucous call first as it swooped in. i'm a little concerned because the suet hangs on a fairly thin branch of the cherry tree, and it bows deeply under the pileated's weight. may have to move the suet if they keep coming back.

the dark-eyed juncos make an appearance too, and soon enough there will be others i hope. but right now it is mainly a large crew of chickadees, and what seems like just one red-breasted nuthatch (below, sticking his head way in to get at the suet).

i am getting better and identifying bird calls too, so when i walk in the woods i often know what is flying around above me. i also keep an ear out for the tap tap tap of woodpeckers, sometime pileated but also downy and hairy woodpeckers high in the trees. and the little winter wrens that flit between the low branches and ferns on the ground. are you watching birds this time of year?

for my favourite girl...

2011-10-29T12:18:00.002-07:00

with three nephews, there is no picking favourites. but i have just one niece, so it is easy to call her my favourite girl. a couple weeks ago she celebrated her eighth birthday, so how could i not make her something ridiculously pinky-purple? i made this tote bag with some leftover fabrics from the quilt i made her last year, plus a sturdy pink linen for the bottom and straps. it is lined with bamboo batting for extra structure and then white cotton inside, plus a purple double pocket to store smaller items. i think it will work well for carrying her dance gear to and from class.

she has also been admiring my dreamcatchers, so i made a small one for her with purple yarn. i tried something different on this one by making the hoop out of cedar cordage, and i really like the look of it. i think i will try that again for future ones - maybe some for the shop?

while i was out taking photos of her present, i spotted this little fellow on my front mat. there are a couple steps down to the front door for our suite, and it seems that salamanders get stuck down there regularly. i rarely see them alive though - they seem to find their way into the house and then disappear, until i am cleaning under the stove or behind the recycling bins, and find their dried bodies. ewww. anyway, i was happy to rescue this guy and send him back out on the lawn - much better than coming inside!

the wind seems to be picking up outside and i think rain might soon follow. i think i'll head out for a woodsy walk before it gets much later in the afternoon. then back home to make some pumpkin soup, and curl up for a cozy evening with A, maybe watch a movie. what are you up to today?

oh hello...

2011-10-28T21:39:00.003-07:00

fancy meeting you here. i have returned - i hope you may have stayed to hang out with me. I'm up and running with a new laptop, and getting settled in. while i managed to get much of my old files onto my external drive before the other mac failed, things like my music, emails, and bookmarked websites are something i'm starting over with. if there is a blog or some music you're loving right now, please let me know - i'm trying to remember all my favourites, but also this 'house cleaning' is kind of liberating at the same time.

the past week the weather has been mostly wet, with a fair bit of wind as well. however, on several days the sky has unceremoniously cleared just as i was finishing work, allowing me to get out for a quick walk in the waning daylight. i hope to share some photos from these walks over the next little bit, but i thought i'd start with my beach walk from last friday. it has been a stormy day, and although the wind has mostly calmed down when my boots hit the sand, the waves were still big and unruly.

i took a few of my whales to the beach, and they perched on a log together near the water's edge. the waves got a bit close at times, and i couldn't help wondering if they were wishing to be swept away, out to sea, off to explore the ocean depths. looking to be free? perhaps, or they might just be looking for a good companion to hang out with in a nice dry home. wild waves are fun, but so is a cosy home when the cold wind is blowing.

the swirling clouds and setting sun were beautiful over the glacier and surrounding mountains. there was fresh snow up there today, and a late october chill has settled on the valley. winter is on it's way. i hope you're keeping warm this weekend!

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a few things i'm liking this week:
• this cranberry orange bread seems like a perfect treat on a late autumn day
• i'm thinking about making my own wool wrap for my camera, when i don't feel like hauling my large bag. maybe with some hand dyed wool?
• kathryn clark's been talking about boro a lot lately, and i'm feeling very inspired. i think i might need more boro'd clothing...
• and maybe boro'd furniture. amanda's patchwork chair has me thinking of patching my blue chair with lots of blue scraps, giving it a new personality.

friday flickr faves: waning autumn edition

2011-10-28T10:27:00.002-07:00

1. Untitled, 2. Untitled, 3. East Fork Valley_Q2E9198, 4. autumn walk no.8, 5. Rosewall Creek - Fall study 2, 6. wind and rain, 7. flammulina velutipes, 8. Untitled, 9. Fall Creek Leaves, 10. Autumn color week: : Orange, 11. A blustery day..., 12. Bits of Light, 13. another one, further along., 14. Untitled, 15. Supper, 16. Untitled

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hope these lovely shots inspire you to do a little autumn exploring this weekend, a breath of fresh air and a little admiration of nature as it continues to close up shop for winter. in exciting news, my new mac arrived yesterday, so i promise there will be new original content this weekend! i know! just need to finish installing all my software so i can sort through my raw photo files and share some of my life in the last week or so. several walks in forest and at the beach, including one where i brought a pod of whales along; some birthday crafting for my favourite little girl; lots of birds at the feeder, and some new stitching for the shop. i hope you'll come back tomorrow!

custom order starfish...

2011-10-25T10:22:00.003-07:00

just wanted to let you know that you can now custom order sets of three sea stars. mix and match from the ones above, or choose three of a kind. they are great for gifting or using as an accent on present wrapping, coastal holiday decorating, or just to enjoy year round!

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in other news, i have a new laptop headed my way hopefully by the end of this week, and then we should be back to regularly scheduled programming. in the meantime, it's surprising how much more productive i'm being with all this forced computer-free time! i am stitching away on a little fleet of whales and maybe some other goodies to share soon.

wishing you a great week!

just in case you should wonder...

2011-10-22T21:52:00.002-07:00

my long faithful mac seems to have called it quits. things will unfortunately be a little quiet here and in the shop until i suck it up and load up the credit card with the cost of a new one. hopefully will be sometime this coming week, so i hope you will stick around.

i went on a walk today with some family and saw an unbelievable number of mushrooms. once i'm up and running again i'll be sharing those pics along with some other things that have been keeping me busy. hope you're having a good weekend!

out for a walk...

2011-10-19T08:11:00.004-07:00

sunday evening. out for a small ramble along the trails right near my home, through young woods of alders and maples, the occasional conifer. the ground here is littered with leaves turning brown now, a blanket for the earth as it begins to nod off in the early stages of its long winter's nap. i have been trying to get out for lots of walks these recent evenings, savouring those last bits of light. soon enough it will be dark before i even finish work, and there will be little chance to venture into the trees except on weekends. but if one wanders through the leaves now, there are plenty of treasures to be found, if you keep your eyes open...

nature therapy of the best kind. a little something to help gain a few clear breaths, let my shoulders relax a bit. a few moments of peace in what seems to be a hectic life these days. thanks to all of you who stop by here to visit me, even when i don't feel like talking much. we've had a bit of clear weather, nice fall days, although the rain seems like it will be creeping back in now for a little bit. hope you're keeping warm as autumn's chill takes hold.

ps - i just signed up for the sketchbook project. i wanted to for the past couple years but held off for some reason. i think part of it may have been that the tour of all the finished books wasn't coming anywhere near where i live so i wouldn't be able to see them. this year the tour is coming to vancouver though, so i decided just to jump in. i know there's a few artsy/craftsy readers out there who would make excellent sketchbooks, if you've never signed up before...

2011-10-16T20:41:00.003-07:00

are you taking part in saving sunday on flickr yet? the group description reads:

saving a single moment from sunday.
a quiet retrospective.
taking sunday back to a place of rest, a preparing for what lies ahead.
a moment captured for one to come back to during the week.

i like that. and that is just what the moment above was. a momentary pause on the journey home, and little time to stare out the windows at the sea as we travelled between the mainland and our island. hope you all had a bit of time for quiet retrospective this sunday.

treasure pouch...

2011-10-13T19:29:00.003-07:00

i mentioned nearly a week ago that i was playing around with something new. a little patchwork pouch, stitched up with natural dyed silks and linens and strips of cedar bark, hanging from a length of cordage from more cedar bark and a few lengths of super soft merino wool. while i love to make stitched creatures and hanging art pieces, there is something about handmade items you can wear and keep close that really appeals to me. i have been making clothing for many years, but i've only tried ornamental pieces here and there. i know it is something i will continue to experiment with.

up early tomorrow morning to head south, so i will wish you a happy weekend now. hope the shortening autumn days still allow you to get out for a bit of fresh air and exploring the beauty of the season!

plush you...

2011-10-12T08:20:00.006-07:00

this friday october 14, from 5-9pm, is the opening of plush you at schmancy in seattle. i hope you'll stop by if you are in the area. i believe it runs for a few weeks, so even if you can't make it to the opening perhaps you can visit later on. it sounds like there will be an amazing array of plush creatures from a talented and varied group of artists. i feel very honoured to be a part of it. and i'll be there in person, should you want to say hello!

with the show only a couple days away, i wanted to show you my pieces for the show. with a limit of only three pieces, i decided to keep them all ocean themed, and i suppose that is what folks tend to associate me with more than anything (although i have been feeling the pull of land creatures a lot lately). but back to what i have here - three giants of the ocean depths, each in their own way. above is a humpback whale, quite similar to the ones i have made before. however, i did a lot more surface stitching and patchwork on this fellow, in part because i was trying to make the underside colouring closer to the real thing, with patches of white silk on the underside of the tail and fins, and mottled white spots along its belly. it is hard to see in the second photo, but the sashiko-style stitching is done in both white and with bits of blue here and there, to continue the blend between the dark and light sections.

my second piece is a stellar sea lion. again, something you have seen before, but i am continuing to refine the shape and look of these beasts. another common theme of these three pieces, and really all of my work, is extensive surface stitching to add detail and character. this bull sea lion has a thick wool ruff around his neck for warmth while swimming the north pacific, using a mix of natural dyed and repurposed wools.

this last beast was my biggest challenge so far (who decided octopuses should have so many legs??!!), but i hope you guys like the results. this pacific giant octopus (who is not all that giant) is layered with red cotton and hand dyed linen that is heavily stitched to help create the bumpy texture of their skin. while i was working on this guy, i stumbled upon an episode of the nature of things that was fittingly about octopuses. i proceeded to sit in wonder for an hour, amazed at how smart these creatures are. seriously, i could start rambling to you about all the things they show them doing (as i did to anyone i talked to for the rest of that day), but we'd be here forever. i always knew they were incredible animals, but i have an even deeper appreciation for them now.

all three creatures of the deep will be available at the show, or if you have a deep (haha!) desire for one you can contact kristen at schmancy about presales. anything that doesn't sell during the show will also be listed on her website afterward. or you can contact me at fogandswell [at] gmail [dot] com about a custom made beast just for you!

the sun is shining here and it looks to be a lovely autumn day. hope you're enjoying mid-October where you are too!

autumn in the alpine...

2011-10-10T16:42:00.002-07:00

today was grey and gloomy, the rain pouring down all day. after we got home this morning from our trip up to the mountain, we settled into the warm, dry house without any plans. after roasting a chicken on friday, and eating someone else's turkey last night, i've got two pots simmering on the stove, brewing rich broth from both of their bones. part of the stock is earmarked for a creamy mushroom soup tonight, probably with some grilled cheese - my kind of rainy night dinner. banana-blueberry bread is finishing up in the oven (banana bread with a last minute addition of freezer blueberries). and i spent part of this afternoon stitching on some starfish for a custom order, and watching looney tunes. yes, i'm a 32-year-old woman who still enjoys watching ralph and sam.

but yesterday! the mountains were beautiful yesterday, unexpected bits of sunshine poking through where we had only thought there would be rain. A and i and some good friends of ours headed out on a little loop hike up through the alpine meadows and past a couple serene lakes in the eastern section of Strathcona Provincial Park. we grazed on the lingering blueberries and marvelled at the rich fall colours of the leaves of those and the other foliage. we chatted with the whiskey jacks who swarmed in here and there along the trail, hoping for treats (and seeming wholly underwhelmed by our offerings of blueberries, looking for something more exotic). and i listened to a very engrossing natural history lecture from a budding arborist (and nine-year-old!) as we ambled along together. snow dusted the tops of the surrounding mountains through the clouds, and winter seemed not far off up there in the hills, a nip of wind biting our noses as we returned to our chalet.

it was a good bit of crisp fresh air on a relaxing weekend away, from home and from my plugged in life. i hope you had a nice relaxing thanksgiving (or just plain ol') weekend too.

shop update...

2011-10-08T12:08:00.007-07:00

just to let you know that a few new whales and a dolphin (sorry, as i write this, he's already gone!), plus a couple sea urchins, have found their way into the shop this morning. the grey whale and dolphin are dressed for fall in grey corduroy and a bit of wool, something to help keep off the chill as they ply the first storms of the season.

after an early thanksgiving meal with friends last night i am feeling full - of thanks for great friends, not just all that delicious food! today is grey and gloomy and i will get myself ready for heading up to our mountain chalet tonight. i'm thinking handknit sweaters, tea, and some knitting to work on for good measure. what are you up to this weekend?

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oh and just one thing - do you twitter? if you do, would you like to get shop updates that way? although i am fairly sure i don't need another reason to sit in front of the computer, it does seem like lots of people use it, and in some cases instead of facebook (ps, that link takes you to the fog and swell page - pop over and like it if you're inclined!). just am wondering if anyone would welcome shop updates and other short ramblings about my craftings over there. thanks for your feedback.

friday flickr favourites

2011-10-07T10:04:00.004-07:00

1. golden rays, 2. 26/9.2011 -, 3. rainbow carrots, 4. Winter Dawn, Bishop, California, 5. pebble color wheel, 6. a colorful giveaway, 7. 17 carol, 8. urchin collection, 9. The Festival of Quilts 2009, 10. sunset in the window, 11. radishes are just plain pretty, 12. peace, 13. coprinus micaceus with pholiota aurivella, 14. YIP 365.25 :: Yellow and gray , 15. Untitled, 16. rainbow rocks

as always, please go check out the lovely photos and the folks behind the camera who have taken the shots in this mosaic!

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sorry i've been mostly quiet this week. i have a few new stitched creatures to share (and update the shop with!) but the light has been miserable this week for photographs (dark sooner, plus rain). canadian thanksgiving is this weekend and i've got some events planned with friends, but i do plan to put quite a few things into the shop tomorrow. i'll be adding the last two natural dyed urchins plus a few swimmers. if there is anything in particular you are hoping for as you get into gift planning for the upcoming season, please send me an email at fogandswell [at] gmail [dot] com.

i'd also like to share my pieces that will be appearing in the plush you show starting next friday! in the next few days, i promise. just a reminder that i will also be heading to Seattle for the opening, so I hope to see you there if you live in the area. part of our plans for this weekend involve heading up into the mountains as well, not camping but staying in a cosy chalet with a group. i hope to get out with my camera for a hike and capture autumn in the alpine, always a favourite of mine.

wishing you all a happy weekend, whether you have a long one for thanksgiving or not. last night i started stitching on something completely new, and actually in a similar colour scheme as is seen above. trying some things to combine natural dyed fabrics and other natural materials. i hope it will be worthy to share soon.

wordless wednesday

2011-10-05T08:03:00.001-07:00

Untitled, originally uploaded by fog and swell.

happy october...

2011-10-02T21:01:00.003-07:00

it's been a couple months, and i'm a couple days late too, but i wanted to do a new desktop calendar for october. i hope you'll enjoy. click on the image to download. thanks for visiting me here!

a walk in the woods...

2011-10-02T17:03:00.003-07:00

yesterday afternoon i lured A into the woods near our house with promises of mushrooms waiting to be found. in particular, i was looking for oyster mushrooms. i'd been reading that they grow mainly on red alder and maple trees in our area, and this trail is notable because it is dominated by these trees, as opposed to most of area which is made up largely of conifers. we didn't venture too far before spotting the oysters above, but as there were only the two and one was broken, i didn't get too excited. further research and some feedback from Joni once we returned home indicated that these are probably veiled oyster mushrooms, or pleurotus dryinus, which while edible, are a bit tough and not as choice as others. oh well - there were lots of other things to see in the woods as well.

the small, shallow creek along the trail was full of pink salmon (also called humpies due to the large hump the males form when spawning) on the last leg of their remarkable journey. they had already navigated a large river and now in their home creek they were just finding their gravel beds for spawning. amazing fish - their drive never fails to awe me.

Margie's been talking about slime molds, and even dyeing with them, so i was excited to spot this log covered in them. i may have to go back and scrape some off to try dyeing too.

there were lots of other mushrooms to be found too, amongst the fallen leaves. i especially like the turkey tails (middle shot above) and am thinking about trying to dye with some of those too, although they are always so pretty that i find it hard to break some of them off. how about you? any foraging or exploring this weekend?

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other things:
• loving these misty beach scenes from Maggie.
• i made this pumpkin cornbread the other night to go with chili, and it was delicious.
• october has come in with a distinct nip to the air, so i'm plotting this pattern for a new toque for myself. sometime, in between all the other stuff.

plum...

2011-10-01T12:04:00.003-07:00

some plums from the tree...and plum colours inside too. the stack of fabrics and the swatches on the right of my dye journal were dyed with salal berries. the colour varied quite a bit on the different fabrics (wool, silk gauze, silk satin & merino yarn), but all are nice plummy shades. exactly what i'm looking for in the fall. now what to make with them... details on the other sets of swatches are here. most fabrics i mordant with alum, some are thrown in on a whim, unmordanted.

i'm feeling quiet today.

early evening sun...

2011-09-29T08:20:00.003-07:00

we have a lot of tall trees in our yard. i like tall trees, but for many reasons i wish they weren't in our yard. it makes gardening almost impossible, as no area gets more than a couple hours of sun each day. the inside of our basement suite gets very little natural light. and at this time of year the yard is cloaked in shade before i get home from work. but sometimes too, as the sun creeps lower in the sky these days, it peeks below the trees and shines in areas that never see sun in high summer, with that warm glow of an autumn evening. i feel the need to soak up these little spots of light, revel in them as the days grow quickly shorter.

in one of these patches of golden sun and long shadows, i caught some new sea urchins. the setting seemed to suit their natural dyed colours. all three are hand dyed linen - the green from dandelion leaves, the middle pink from avocado skins, and the palest pink from beets. they are sitting with me for a bit, although if one catches your eye please let me know and i'm sure i can be persuaded to part with it.

hope your week is going well!

just a word on foraging...

2011-09-27T13:31:00.005-07:00

a comment from erica reminded me that i have been rambling on about foraging for mushrooms and other edibles, but not giving very helpful details about it. first off, i want to be clear that i don't harvest or eat any wild plants unless i can positively identify them. wild mushrooms especially are ones you don't want to putting in your mouth unless you are 100% sure what they are. while there are some wild edibles i have learned as i grew up from my naturalist mother (see salmonberries, huckleberries, blackberries, etc), there are others i am just beginning to learn, such as stinging nettle. with mushrooms, i have found it easier to become familiar with only a couple species at a time rather than learning them all at once. make sure you know a species backwards and forwards, especially if there are look-a-likes, and then even after you are sure and take it home, check again in a reference book or online. one of my favourite expressions is "there are old mushroom hunters, and there are bold mushroom hunters. but there are no old, bold mushroom hunters."

a few books i use:
• Wild Harvest, by Terry Domico.
• Mushrooms Demystified, by David Arora.
• Common Mushrooms of the Northwest by J. Duane Sept

there are lots of other good reference books out there, and obviously mine are a bit northwest-focused. Mushrooms Demystified is kind of the "bible" for 'shroom hunters, although it can be a bit overwhelming in its scope for a beginner. Lone Pine makes several guides for different areas of North America - i like these ones because they have illustrations instead of photos, which for me sometimes makes identification easier - something about matching a drawing rather than getting too stuck on your fungi looking exactly like one photo (i do the same with birds and other wildlife).

i hope that helps some of you that are looking to get into foraging. if you have any specific questions or something i wasn't clear on, please feel free to ask.

more time amongst the trees...

2011-09-27T10:51:00.003-07:00

don't let these photos, with sun dappled light through the trees, fool you: we had a very wet weekend. the wind howled long and hard for the first time this season, blowing down trees and leaving more than a few of us in the dark for at least a few hours yesterday (some for much longer). and the rain was occasionally epic, pouring down in monsoon sheets for long periods at a time. but in between, here and there, a bit of blue sky would appear, and a few shining sunny moments with it. like any good islander, we took advantage of these little windows as best we could.

mainly, we were hunting for chanterelles again. that would be the main premise by which i can get A to come out for a walk with me, anyway. but we all know i love to tramp through the bush with my camera handy, seeing what i can see. there were tiny mushrooms aplenty, and there are sometimes other curiosities. above are fragments of a deer skull, part of the jaw and top of the head (i believe that one pointed area at the top of the skull is where the antler attaches). they were in odd broken pieces, with no other signs of the animal left. allows time for wondering what carried them there, away from the other bones. treasures of the forest.

and you might think, with A "focused on the task" - as he put it - while i am flitting about with camera, getting distracted by light and plants and whatnot, that he would bring home a lot more mushrooms than i. we each had our own bag this time, since we tend to wander in separate directions, always within earshot but not always sight. and when done he knotted up his bag quite separate from mine, wanting to head home and weigh them to see who had been working harder. i will somewhat smugly report that i had the heavier bag, by just a hair.

but the man had other things to make him happy this weekend, just in to head out into some of that wet and wind yesterday afternoon. a new toque to keep off the chill, in cosy soft merino. colourwork is not always my favourite, and i will be the one to notice where it puckers despite a good blocking, but still i'd count it as a success.

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i'm not sure if it is the change in weather, or just overwork, but my hands and joints are aching a lot lately from stitching and knitting. so i'm feeling a bit slowed in my work, even as i try to fill up the shop as (hopefully) folks begin to have holiday shopping on the mind. please let me know at fogandswell[at]gmail[dot]com if there is something you are hoping to see soon, but otherwise i hope you'll forgive me while i wait for the ibuprofen to kick in! :)

forest magic...

2011-09-25T12:16:00.002-07:00

the woods were very dark on friday evening, the sound of rain dripping through the trees our only company as the two of ambled along. at first i was a bit surprised how FEW mushrooms i saw popping up through the moss, but then i spotted a bit of forest magic. the above pinecones are a little ode to margie, and the magical mushroom-covered pinecones she posted last week. i was lucky enough to spot my own little fircone caps, just popping out of the douglas fir cones nestled on the forest floor. once i saw one, they were suddenly everywhere, little treasures to distract me from more serious mushroom hunting. luckily, A is used my easy distraction, and continued to wander ahead in search of what he came for.

the polypores, robust almost year round, seemed refreshed by the rain, increasing their numbers on trees and old logs. i think if we go out today, i will try to gather a few and see if i can get any dye out of them. i am watching especially for the dye polypore, phaeolus schweinitzii, but we get a lot of red-belted polypores around here that might be worth experimenting with. and there were a few little brown mushrooms (the ubiquitous LBM) sprouting up here and there. even at 5000 or 6400 ISO, much much higher than i would prefer to go, i was faced with glacier-slow shutter speeds in the gloomy forest, so many of my pics came out blurry.

but what was the real prize of the night? just when we thought we might have come too early, or too late as we spotted a few patches already picked, we found some golden chanterelles beginning to poke through the moss. firm buttons, and some bigger ones unfurling, made for a good gathering and we returned home with nearly 2lbs of cantharellus formosus. oh yum. last night some was enjoyed with fresh local pasta, sauteed up with butter, cream, garlic and a few herbs, and okay, a little splash of rum. a few more i sliced up for the dehydrator, to save for later. we are hoping to head out again this afternoon and see what has emerged after the deluge of last night and this morning. something approaching sunshine seems to be peering through the clouds, but more rain is due tonight, which just means the fungi will keep coming!

how is your weekend going?

big bear, little bear...

2011-09-24T12:54:00.003-07:00

big bear and little bear have been debating all morning, about whether they should go down to the river and fish for salmon, or stick a bit closer to home and plunder that apple tree heavy with fruit. i tried to explain that perhaps they should each do their own thing, as when food actually enters the scene i suspect the two of them won't be as cordial. but then they both checked the forecast and wondered instead if i might be persuaded to pull some berries out of the freezer and make them a nice crumble. we'll see...

this curmudgeonly grizzly bear is hand stitched in brown linen and stuffed with locally sourced alpaca. he has a wooly coat to keep him warm, of repurposed and natural dyed wools and tweed, with a silky nose. if you'd like him to come home and prowl through your refrigerator, he is available here. then again, you might be able to persuade him to just take a long winter's nap with you, dreaming of the raincoast forests and mountains through which he likes to roam.

little black bear is stitched in repurposed wool, with soft alpaca fleece around his shoulders to keep off the autumn chill. he is a bit more timid than his burly companion, but still welcomes treats or a spot to keep an eye on what you're up to. he has been known to offer advice, but most of it relates back to what might taste good for dinner. he seems to be making moves on my honey jar, so he's looking for a new home here.

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our wander through the woods last night seemed to be fairly uneventful until we stumbled upon a sizeable patch of chanterelles pushing through the mossy duff. i'm trying to plan some dinner with those tasty morsels (and keep the bears out of them!), but i'll be back soon to share some photos from our wet forest walk and a bit of magic that was found. happy saturday!

autumn's here...

2011-09-23T08:07:00.003-07:00

...and yet the first thing i noticed when i stepped out the door was how mild it was. after the temps dropped down earlier this week while we had some clear skies, they have soared up again quite a bit since the rain set in the last few days. still, it is wet and windy and it is surely not summer anymore, even as the sun tried to poke through here and there. it even snowed a little bit up at the local ski hill last night - a very early start indeed. but back up a few days to when it was still summer, technically, although i think these shots feel very fall-like. a walk along one of the local rivers, keeping and out for salmon migrating upstream to spawn, along with the big furry beasts that are looking for salmon too! keep in mind your view of this walk will probably be a lot more peaceful than the real thing - there is no audio of my niece and nephew bickering with each other and whining along the way! (seriously, i do love them just the same!)

i plan on enjoying this solstice evening with some exploring in the woods, keeping an eye out for tasty morsels and other curiosities. and some more of the same this weekend. we had hoped to head to the west coast for a last camping trip of the year, but the rainfall warnings have scared off even us fairly hardy campers. too bad, i was really looking forward to some misty days at the beach. i will have to keep my exploring closer to home, where i can get wet and cold but still have a dry house to come home to with a fresh pot of tea.

and inline with the trundling bears above, there will be a couple new bears heading in to the shop tomorrow - i will let you know when they are up. autumn is in full swing, and i aim to get some more woodland items in there shortly, but possibly a whale or two will sneak in as well. wishing you all a happy fall!

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a few more things:
• did you see smitten kitchen's take on tomato soup & grilled cheese? it was every bit as delicious as i thought, perfect for rainy fall evenings.
• i've also got my eye on two different autumn cake recipes: this harvest cake from roost, and a spicy pumpkin bundt cake from martha.
• i have whittled away my knitting pile to just finishing up a hat for A, which means i can start plotting this awesomely slouchy hat for me! autumn is all about new toques in our house.

wordless wednesday*

2011-09-21T08:20:00.002-07:00

*it hasn't started yet, but it looks to be a very rainy day, and for the foreseeable future too. made me want to take a little trip back to the sagebrush of eastern washington, even if only in photos. thanks for joining me!

ochre stars...

2011-09-19T17:54:00.003-07:00

i was working on some other items for the shop today, but sitting in the crisp nearly fall sunshine inspired me to stitch up a couple of ochre stars, one purple and one orange. these little fellows always make me smile. you can find them in the shop.

thanks for all the kind words about my cardigan! hope your week is starting well.

golden autumn...

2011-09-18T17:59:00.004-07:00

we are not quite into woolen layers weather yet, i don't think, but i know what i'll be wearing when we get there! late this week, when i probably should have been doing so many other things, i finished up the last stitches of my aidez cardigan and then forced myself through the seaming. i was a little concerned it might be too snug, but after blocking it it seems to fit well. if i were to do it again, i'd probably try to add a few stitches in the biceps, 'cause apparently i've got such huge pipes - ha! i feel like i've ended up with several cardigans that are quite slouchy and shapeless - which have their place - so i'm quite happy to have one a bit more fitted now. full details can be found on the ravelry page (link above), but a few here: knit from squishy soft cascade eco+. this is my first try with this wool and i love it. awesome stuff. i actually have an entire skein and a bit more left, so i'm debating what to do with it. i'd love to make a squishy hat, although somehow i'm always reluctant to have two different pieces out of the same yarn, even if i have no plans to wear them anywhere near each other. we'll see - maybe i will knit something for someone else!

ETA: i almost forgot to say - the wool & wood brooch i am wearing is from the very talented Lisa at lil fish studios. when i ordered it a little while back and it arrived in the mail, i knew right away it would be perfect with this cardigan, that i had only just started on at the time. check out her work if you are not familiar with it - all of it stunning!

our walk on the river today was nice, even if i was a bit disappointed not to spot any mushrooms. the forest floor was very busy with slugs though, all sorts and sizes. has got me thinking i need to stitch up some more. the original banana slug resides with my friend Em, and i got to see it again last week. i don't have a real inclination to touch any of the slugs i see in the forest, but i do find them quite fascinating, and i really liked making the first one.

the trail today was also "decorated" quite well with many piles of bear scat. we did spot a couple of bears (maybe just the same one twice), but they were on the other side of the river, where it was nice to be able to watch them but be slightly less concerned about them being a danger to us. and of course there were lots of fish. i think in years past we have gone a few weeks later, where the fish are really coming in droves, and the *ahem* fragrance of them is strong in the air as many have already spawned and died, or been dragged into the woods for eating. there was very little of that today though, which made it a more fresh air walk - ha. i'll share a few pics later this week.

now back to cooking dinner. i wish i could share more shots of the food i make, but the near lack of natural light in my kitchen combined with the general late hour i usually make dinner precludes that most of the time. so i'll share a few links instead:
• last night i made a batch of one of my favourite soups, this kicked up coconut split pea soup, which we ate with this oat soda bread i had made in the morning.
• and tonight i'm making pizza x 2. no real recipe to point you to, but one has cottage cheese, assorted peppers (spicy & sweet), a few 'shrooms, tomato and hot calebrese and is baked my usual way on the pizza stone. the second uses some magic sauce with spinach, mushrooms, garlic and bacon and i'm trying out cooking it in my cast iron pan thanks to an idea i spotted on pinterest.
hmmm, the above shows that i am distinctly settling in to winter hibernation mode, and my waistline is going with the rest of me. nuts. best get back out to hiking through the bush in search of mushrooms!

popping up...

2011-09-17T08:12:00.003-07:00

only a couple days of rain so far, not enough to thoroughly soak the forest floor. but still, things are beginning to appear. i went for forest walks twice this week, assessing the lay of the land and eagerly keeping eyes peeled for treats and treasures of the fungi persuasion. nothing to eat yet, except that big cauliflower mushroom above; unfortunately, many creepy-crawlies had beaten me to it. ugh. but that's okay, they will all come in time, and i am enjoying watching the woods gain back their lush, over-saturated appearance, knowing there will be something new to see each time i venture into them. if you know the names of any of these, please chime in - i only know that the second from the top is a red-belted polypore fomitopsis pinicola, and the bottom is a cauliflower sparassis crispa.

autumnal tones are everywhere now. above is a recently finished custom sea urchin in rusty/creamy tones. last night i finished my handknit cardigan in its dreamy golden colour - it's blocking now but i will share soon! and the maple trees have starting changing colour with a vengeance.

what are you up to this weekend? A started work earlier than usual today, which meant i got up a nice early hour and am well into my day. i'm just waiting for some oat soda bread to come out of the oven and am trying to organize all the other things i want to get done today. post office, recycling, blackberry picking, and hopefully a good bit of stitching in too. and while i am enjoying the new rain this week, it's nice to look out and see a large swathe of blue this morning. saturday is off to a good start!

i am a bit back-logged on photos i would like to share with you, but tomorrow we are headed up island a little bit to meet my sister and kids for a walk we try to do each year, along a river where the salmon come up in large numbers to a local hatchery. it is always a pretty walk in the woods, and a joy for all of us young and old(er) to watch the thousands of fish moving upstream. so those will probably be first to come, but who knows?! fall is my favourite, and i'm sure my camera will stay busy!

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also:
• Lisa has been playing with acorns, both cooking and dyeing with, so i may need to go find some more to try this as well!
• Margie is having an awesome giveaway that you should go enter.
• and since autumn is a knitter's favourite season, i really like Jenna's knitter lore.

wordless wednesday

2011-09-14T19:13:00.001-07:00

Untitled, originally uploaded by fog and swell.

just like that

2011-09-13T17:15:00.005-07:00

it's fall. yesterday was hot and sunny; today, well it's not. today it is 10 degrees cooler, overcast. a bit of heavy mist/drizzle fell this morning. the first two weeks of september have been probably the best weather we have had all summer, but it was bound to make a shift at some point.

and apparently i don't need much encouragement to slip into that autumn state of mind. i wore a scarf today (albeit with a tank top) - one of my cool season staples. i'm roasting up some farmers market acorn squash and corn and peppers, to put into some sort of comforting coconut curry that i haven't worked out all the details for yet. i've turned on some nina and friends while i prep the food. and i'm contemplating cracking open that bottle of red that's been sitting most of the summer (i just can't do red wine in the hot months). lastly, how could i not check out buffy in her new tv show tonight? yes, i enjoy my tv, and the fall season is here.

what about you? are you ready for fall? what is your favourite part of it? (and don't think i'm not also scrutinizing the precipitation forecast and trying to determine the best day to head into the woods in search of the first mushrooms.)

full moon rising...

2011-09-12T11:42:00.004-07:00

a few shots from a glorious evening paddle the other night, a beautiful night with two friends exploring the estuary at high tide (and then paddling against the current of the outgoing tide to head back up the river to our start point). the moon was beautiful rising up as the sun set. it's full tonight, i think - might have to make a point to go look at it again.

other things on a monday morning:
• i've already been to the beach, where i snapped some shots of my Plush You pieces. yay, i'm done! now i just need to write up descriptions to email to Schmancy, and package them up to send to Seattle this week.
• the beach was beautiful, although the sun was already high in the sky at 9:30, and the heat building fast, so i didn't snap too many more photos before leaving.
• but i did stop again just a short way up the road to pick another bucket of blackberries - i think i'm closing in on 10lbs so far.
• further along, since i was already way out that way, there was another short detour to pick up acorns where they had gathered below the massive garry oak trees in a local park.
• i also made another stop and finally bought a small chest freezer at a really good price, so i have lots more room for berries and other things, to store up during this harvest season to carry us through the winter with goodness.
• i'm really eager to start using the freezer, but think i have to wait for A to get home from work later, to help me carry it from the truck to the house. it was hard enough to get in the truck by myself.
• until then, if you should need me, i'll be hiding in the house or in a shady spot outside. our heat wave is slowly easing back into more seasonally appropriate temps, but it still looks like a pretty hot, sunny day out there. so for now, i will make a lunch smoothie, with a few of those blackberries i just picked!

hope your week is starting well!

dyeing and foraging...

2011-09-10T11:52:00.005-07:00

happy weekend all! we are settling in for another scorcher day, so i am hiding out in our basement suite which stays nice and cool for the most part. i may try and find myself a shady patch outside to sit and stitch in a moment, but first i wanted to share some recent natural dye results with you. my mom had given me a beautiful bouquet of red dahlias from her garden a while back, but after they were enjoyed and the flowers shrivelled up, i saved the heads. after soaking for a few days in water, i had a murky brown liquid to work with - that is what you see on the left with some fabrics dyeing away. i also mentioned a couple weeks ago that i had gathered a bunch of oregon grape berries on a forest walk. after simmering in a pot for a hour or so, i strained the liquid and used that for my second dye batch (on the right).

i think i ended up with some lovely autumnal colours, an almost dusty rose from the berries and a nice golden tone from the dahlias. with the berries i dyed silk, wool and washing linen, and the dahlias just the wool and linen. i need to mordant some more fabrics soon so i can try dyeing with mushrooms (if it ever rains again so we can get some 'shrooms). you may have seen in my friday flickr faves some gorgeous fungi dyeing from Lisa that i am in awe of.

and to some other berries that i definitely am not dyeing with - blackberries! this heat is making the berries quite happy and they are ripening all over the place. i hope to get out and pick some more this afternoon. i am filling up the freezer (okay, and also filling up my belly) for winter baking and smoothies, but a couple friends and i have also hatched a plan to take a large crop over to the local u-brew place and make some blackberry wine. yum.

okay, best get back to my stitching - this piece is taking too much time and i am feeling the deadline crunch! must finish this weekend so i can send my pieces of to Schmancy for Plush You!

friday flickr faves: late summer daze

2011-09-09T08:40:00.002-07:00

1. this morning's harvest, 2. Dye Party, 3. sandstone and log layers, 4. Untitled, 5. color, 6. so delicate, 7. golden, 8. Cloudberry picking, 9. evening, 10. doubles, 11. mushroom madness, 12. under the wings, 13. russula virescens, 14. on the grill, 15. bright, 16. aglow

a heat wave is keeping summer around here, but cooler mornings and that changing light show autumn is creeping in just the same. please click through on the links to see these beautiful photos in larger size, from some of my lovely flickr contacts. wishing you all happy weekend!

lichenscapes...

2011-09-08T08:14:00.003-07:00

one of the things i love along the columbia river gorge is all the colourful lichen growing on the rocks. i got very distracted taking photos of it this trip. the colours and textures are amazing. we have lots of moss around here, but I don't notice the lichen as much. then again, maybe i'm not looking close enough. but the dry shrub-steppe environment east of the cascades is so very different from my own wet coast, and the change in ecosystem fascinates me.

little lizards scurry between rocks, small brown bunnies rest between sage brush bushes rustling in the afternoon wind, rattlesnakes sun themselves...oh yeah, and at night the mice come out in force! this was the first year we had to set traps inside my truck, as a couple had snuck in and made themselves at home. gross. actually, the traps are still set, just in case a few came north with us (don't tell the border patrol i may have smuggled wildlife into the country!).

uh, moving on... this was our third year in a row visiting this area of washington state. i love it most of the time, although the heat and sun kind of overwhelmed me this trip. very thankful for the river to cool off in on those hot days. i had thought this would be our last summer hurrah and i was feeling very ready for cooler fall temps upon returning home, but it seems not to be. after our summer that wasn't, we have plunged into september with a heat wave that seems to have no rain in sight. soon enough i know there will be a wet swath of clouds that hangs over the island for much of the winter, so i suppose i should enjoy it. although i'm a bit jealous, seeing lisa and joni's wonderful mushroom finds, and knowing ours won't be popping up in this dry weather. good thing there is foraging to be done of a different kind, with the blackberries beginning to hang dark and heavy from their branches. i picked a couple small buckets last night, and plan for more, if i can squeeze a few more bags amongst the strawberries and blueberries already crowding our small freezer.

hmmm, this post seems to be taking a lot of random, tangential turns. hope i'm not boring you too much; just enjoy the photos! the spider above was one of many we saw - late summer seems prime time for web spinning. we even spotted a tree filled with dozens of big fat ones in their webs; unfortunately spotted after i'd been sitting under the tree for quite a while, and there were some just inches above my head!

it always takes me a bit to get back into focus after a holiday, but i hope this weekend i will be able to finish the special pieces i am working on and then get some new items in the shop! thanks to those who have been emptying it out! i also have some cool dye results to share, and more pics from our escape. but i will stop rambling for now, and instead get back to dreaming about the tasty margaritas i will be sipping tonight with friends, cooling my brain off.

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other things i'm liking recently:
• i made heidi's magic sauce last night, so so delicious. i can see it will become a staple.
• and incidentally, i poured the sauce on this prawn, tomato & white bean recipe from martha and it was all divine. the remaining sauce in the pan was sopped up with crusty bread.
• and just to round off this foodie link list, lisa made some yummy looking soup with her recent foraging find.

wordless wednesday...

2011-09-06T20:05:00.002-07:00

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okay, slightly less wordless. i'm home again - thanks for the well wishes on my travels, we had a great time. i am a bit up to my eyeballs, but regular blogging shall resume shortly. for now i hope you'll enjoy this late night shot from our campsite, what a beautiful night it was.

away...

2011-08-30T17:45:00.002-07:00

hey folks. i'm headed south for a few days to hang out with the lizards amongst the sagebrush. and maybe climb some rocks. okay, and maybe also to see these folks. i'll be back after the long weekend with hopefully more pics like the ones above. and some other new stuff (sometimes i sew and knit and dye, if ya didn't know). wishing you all a great labour day holiday if you're in north america, or just a great step into september (!!!) if you're elsewhere.

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ps. the shop will remain open while i'm away, but any orders won't be shipped until after the 6th. thanks for your understanding!