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...a glimpse into life on Vancouver Island, needle felting, photography, food, gardening, etcetera...etcetera
"Happiness always looks small when you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and at once you learn how big and precious it is."
Maxim Gorky

Friday, November 23, 2012

And yet more woolens...

Speaking of wool...

I give to you...Myrtle.
Felted full of softness and thoughtfulness...right down to her toes... 
(Contemplating life in my Etsy shop)
 

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Song for Friday...new love

Whereas I've admitted to having a musical crush on
Ray LaMontagne for his gravelly, dark and passionate singing and deep song writing,
I now have to admit my new musical crush...
Paulo Nutini...cutest lad this side of Scotland
 and so much fun to watch...and only23 years old.
He's going to go far, this one.
He's like a young, white Otis Redding with a dash of Dylan and some hyperactive soul thrown in.
Enjoy, and I bet you'll be tapping your feet to this one.
Have a great weekend all!
Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends!
 

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Woolens...

As I mentioned, last week an old friend came visiting with her girls.
They used to lived across the road and we spent many years drinking tea,
playing with dogs and horses, mushroom hunting and her girls spending
summer days with my sisters girls when they visited.
Now those dear friends live on the mainland and we've only seen each other twice in
the past 4 years. We are all creative souls and funny enough, her oldest
has been experimenting with wet felting as well so after a trip
to the city for wool, we couldn't wait to get out in the studio to play!
I wanted to make a bigger bowl than the first one I had made a
few months ago so I started in on that process...
...while Boo started in on making me a pair of gauntlets (fingerless, long gloves)...
Wet felting is a long, labour intensive process which has many steps and
takes many hours. I was trying to pay attention to Boo as she had done
seamless gauntlets before, while making my bowl but before I knew it
she was pretty much done and I hadn't caught the whole idea 100 per cent.
They turned out so beautiful!
 The colours I chose were a deep eggplant purple, smokey grey and
coral and gold curly locks for an accent...
The inside are a gorgeous pewter blue colour..
Turning raw wool into fabric by simple means of soap, hot water and muscle is magical.
Even the younger Taisha was creating something combining wet and needle felting...
Later after dinner we attempted a second pair with whites, greys, ocean greens and blues...
Unfortunately the wool I used for the inside of these was not
Merino and therefore VERY itchy so they have already started an up cycled
life as something else.
This week it's off to the wool shop again for some Merino and
another attempt at a pair for a Christmas present.
Speaking of the wool shop... after we had drooled and shopped our little hearts
out we came out of the shop to a most magical sunset with this
incredible mist hanging over the playing field...
So let's see...gas to the city, $10.
Wool for felting, $23.
Seeing old friends...
Priceless.
 
 
 


Wordless Wednesday...


Monday, November 19, 2012

Visiting the girls...

Sunday I took the nieces and nephews to the farm where we get our milk.

I showed them the milking room

Then we found the girls out by the hen yard
            There they were just munching away...

It's so fantastic to see the look on the faces of kids when they have these
close encounters with animals.
The youngest boy wanted to know how the cows made the milk.
I pointed to the udders and explained that it just 'happens' when a cow is
going to have a baby. Just like human mom's when they have a baby.
And then there was much giggling about 'boobies' and such.
We had a look at the ducks and chickens...or should
I say they had a look at us...
This rooster was giving us the evil eye...
I miss having chickens...the clucking and the way they putter around pecking and scratching.
Maybe come springtime we'll get some more.
No sense having them now as they don't lay much in the winter and it's better to
start with young pullets of which there isn't any of around right now.
Here's the original farmhouse...
So cozy on a grey day to see the wood smoke curling up out of the chimney.
Thanks girls...see you next week!