It's going to get cold again (snow probably) so blanket mending seemed like a good idea...my assistants were up for the job.
I have two wool blankets that Mom gave me that had moth holes.
She thought I could do something with them.
I washed them and put them on my bed. :)
They got washed a lot when I had dogs so they are pretty much felted at this point and one has some pretty big tears. The torn one was cut into strips for mending holes in the other and to extend the length of the blanket that is still in pretty good shape.
I have plans to do more with this blanket but this will do for now.
The other project I am getting some assistance with is knitting the sleeve on a sweater.
They did let me make this star without help (directions here).
It's a little fussier than the last star I shared earlier and is going to take a bit of practice.
And there was one more batch of ink:
Made without assistance on the porch.
A real to-do for tomorrow: clean up the studio (porch) before everything freezes...
I made gum solution with the gum from one of my cherry trees. It's going to be used as a replacement for gum arabic to make paints and ink with the pigments.
I'll need to share samples of the inks and the lake I made tomorrow...the light isn't good enough tonight.
Except this one.
Which I am going to call moonshine on this night with a new moon...
I decided to dive into something that has interested me for awhile...pigments! I suppose this is an extension of dyeing.
I am taking a class with Tilke Elkins (Wild Pigment Project) and it is wonderful!
Today I gathered the last of the pansies to put in the freezer for a future project, collected some soil and found some other soil that I gathered this summer that I know has a high clay content.
The soil on this rock is from the garden today. The one on the right is the same as what I collected this summer. I need to get a mortar and pestle so that I can take the next step and make this into a paint. And yes I procrastinated on this...
And this is a scratch test that I did with two rocks from the garden. Not sure what I've got yet! I don't think I'll ever look at rocks the same way again...
And for some comic relief:
How do two large cats fit in a small space?
With a lot of adjustment and some careful balancing (first picture, Timber is balanced by propping his tail on the bookshelf).
Well that was an unexpected pause...and it's so good to be back!
One thing that this past week made me realize is that I am not done blogging. It bothered me that if I'd had a story to tell, something to share, that my chosen platform wasn't available.
As it is, I don't have much to share.
Just this...
I am kind of amazed they can still fit in this space together and wondering how long they will continue to cuddle like this.
When the phrase came to me I was really thinking about what was on the laundry line. That was before I had to get Gibson down; he was dangling by his paws after climbing up the fabric.
I think it's the clothes pins he's after.
Then I thought of the line I stitched today.
And of writing a line of...poetry?
I made notes right on the fabric during a class today.
Grace asked me to find the first post for my GOOD enough COVID 19 quilt. It's been a little over two years since it was started.
Thinking about that.
I was hoping to be able to make one square a week...that didn't happen for the most part. There were periods of time when I was distracted by other projects.
There were times when I was distracted by everything that Covid has brought to our world.
The top is fairly close to done but a few more squares are needed to get to the 6 foot by 6 foot size I want, the recommended distance for social distancing.
Today I cut up the last of my cloth masks for the block I made today. When I need a mask I use what is recommended and is, unfortunately, disposable.
After cutting some more strips, with some assistance I stitched a block today....
Sew
Flip
Snuggle a cat & move a cat.
Repeat.
And then go outside to make a tiny little video showing how I am cutting the strips.
There really is no rhyme or reason when I pick out strips for each square, just whatever appeals at the moment. I do sort by size a bit as one goal is to use up scraps.