The Water Gypsy

 
Tree Songs 02/22/2012
 
One of my fave albums is Jethro Tull's 'Songs From The Wood'. The music is wonderful, of course, and I love the front cover, but it's the back cover that has always intrigued me. If you aren't familiar with it, it's a photo of a tree stump with an arm, needle and pick-up from a conventional record player resting in the grooves of the trees' rings, as if playing them like a record.

Tonight, while browsing one of my 'go-to' uplifting and hopeful websites I found this: http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/record-play-adapted-play-music-tree-rings.html  Someone has actually done it! I find it extraordinarily beautiful and it reminds of some of Arvo Part's music.
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Yesterday I had an e-mail from my friend living in Indonesia and she asked me if I was alright as I'd not blogged for a month! Even so far away from me, this particular friend is extremely perceptive and can sense 'things'. And yet again, she's right!

On 3rd January I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder which proved to be a bit of an existentialist upheaval which I'm beginning to get my head around, thanks to my wonderful friends and psychiatrist, who have been extraordinarily supportive and positive. I'm one helluva lucky woman to have every single one of them in my life!

On Saturday evening, as forecast, we had our first snow of the year and Paul took this atmospheric photo. We've been iced in for a few days now and, oh, the noise! when a narrowboat went down the canal breaking the ice as it went. It sounded horrendous: booming, crashing, creaking, grinding! Ugh!

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It's been something I've put on the back burner but today I finally got around to making a cover for some loose leaf signatures that I filled this year.
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It's not a thing of beauty, I admit, but functional? Yes! It's the brown one with black (duct tape!) corners, on top of the smaller pile.

I was motivated by salvaging some good quality card from festive gift packaging, thinking it would make good covers for handmade books.


It's also a reminder and a link to the giver of the original gift. In this case it was a generous and thoughtful present of a risotto pan from one of Paul's nephews.
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A few days ago our friends at the-Big-House-on-the-Hill gave us a beautifully berried branch of holly from their land. It's the perfect shape and size to fit between one of the portholes and windows in the sitting room.
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Last night I decorated it with icicles, and little gift boxes, one for each aspect of the Goddess (particularly The Old Woman of midwinter) and one for the Green King.




We will light and bless our candles, welcoming the sun's returning strength, make mulled cider for wassailing, toast and bless our apple trees by offering food and drink, and make merry.

Bright Yule blessings to one and all!
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Layer one of side two has been completed!
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This is a close up of the background layer. I cut strands of assorted yarn and arranged them randomly but pleasingly, sandwiched them between cold water soluble paper and then free machine stitched all over it to create a fabric once the paper was dissolved. Being paper, the whole 'sandwich' moved freely without needing to drop or cover the feed dogs, which was a very pleasant surprise.

I'm itching to start embellishing now!
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A Charmed Watch 12/01/2011
 
Two weeks ago I found this watch in my local art gallery. "How interesting", I thought and bought it even though I haven't worn a watch for years.
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Last night I swapped the original charms it came with (one was a peace sign which if it was in a square, would've been great as it's  Chickenfoot's logo!) for ones that my partner sculpted and cast in pewter.


From left-right: an acorn in its cup, a pentacle of twigs surrounded by a ring of leaves, and a moongazing hare. Now it is much more 'me' and a joy to wear!
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Over the last three weeks I've been resting my wrist and planning lots: a website revamp, options for creativity that don't involve repetititive wrist/hand movements, and a schedule that gives my wrist time to rest.
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Seahorse Layer 1
The Quilters and Stitchers group I'm part of has also had a rethink about the work we would like to be doing. We've decided to have a theme that we work on individually, in any media we like, and share techniques, ideas and so on.

Our current theme, inspired by a project in a magazine, is a seahorse. This is quite a challenge for me as it's a sewing project with lots of embellishment potential, neither of which have I done much of at all!

Here is the first layer of my seahorse-to-be: ribbons, fabric and sequins on a felt background.

It's a project I'm 'winging' and I don't have much idea of how it will progress but I'll go with it and see where it takes me!
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Much to my chagrin, my wrist and dominant hand have become a little painful and crocheting aggravates it. I'm now a 'resting' crocheter and have had to turn down commissions but much to my delight, this hasn't made me feel sad, far from it. It seems to have freed me up to try other things. It's as if I now have permission. Funny that! 
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About three weeks ago my friend showed me how to dry felt using a felting needle. Wow! It's such fun! I was quite enamoured with it and have since bought a needle felting kit from a wonderful German toy company called Myriad.

The photo shows my second 'playings' with this technique. The three circles huddled together were made from a crocheted circle (kept because they 'might come in useful'! Did I tell you that I'm frugal?), and lengths of wool yarn from a scarf that had fallen to pieces but was too beautiful to discard. They remind me of the cosmic photos taken by the Hubble space telescope.

The one on its lonesome is the same scarf yarn felted onto a small piece of felted tops. This one reminds me of a sleeping cat, curled up.

I'm not sure exactly what to do with them...yet (brooches?, applique?), but I'm getting a lot of pleasure just from looking at them!
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Today's Project 10/30/2011
 
I like bags! I'm almost irresistibly attracted to them and so it was when I saw a fab purple backpack made from hemp. It's beautifully made, the perfect size to carry a sketchbook, a bottle of water and everything else but...I've had a couple of heart pounding moments when I couldn't find my purse in the bag's depths as the entire contents congregate in a muddle at the bottom.
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Aha! I thought, a problem to solve. So today I made a bag organiser from some plastic covered cotton, similar to oilcloth, and hey presto! I can find everything!

It was very cosy in my studio today, the heater was on, Chickenfoot III was playing and a lit candle was wafting its fragrance around.



The photo shows the project in progress, at the stage where I was working out where to put the pockets. It was a lovely, quick project. I like those ones, very satisfying!
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It's raining and on my way up to check our post box I waved and said hello to an older chap who was cruising by on a hire boat.
We were both togged up in waterproofs
and he smiled and called to me,

'Are you enjoying the liquid sunshine?'

This struck me like a sunbeam and warmed my heart. What a wonderful way of perceiving it!

It also reminded me of a recent creation by a cyber-friend of mine, Sarah, in Holland. She made a beautiful brooch, which depicted a rain cloud in rich, jewel tones.
I love being challenged to see things in a different way!
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