knitting at breakfast

Before and after breakfast this morning. Just-picked raspberries over yogurt with a sprinkle of chocolate granola and a drizzle of bee honey goodness. And a little nest of yarn odds and ends for a new knitting project over at knitted minestrone, begun by Kaite.

Thanks for visiting and happy weekending. xo

out of the dye-pot: blue larkspur

Unrolling a dye bundle is such a pleasure, especially when you can tell from the outside that something has indeed happened. I started this project a few weeks ago -- the first photo shows the bundle that had been soaked with vinegar and placed an air-tight container the whole time.

The other bundle (below) was frozen, then immersed in warm water. Well, nothing happened, like in regular ice-flower dyeing -- so I decided to steam it in a stainless steel pot for 20 minutes and let it dry out each time, doing this several times over several days.

This was more like it!

Now that the silk has dried, I can see the color transferred beautifully on both, but the steaming distributed the color more deeply and evenly. The vinegar silk is on the left, steamed on the right. I'm in no hurry to use them, so won't wash either one for a few months to allow the color to set.

Blue larkspur silk -- how about that? 

moonday cloth

A patched sidebar was added to the little moon cloth. And some couching. This is still a pleasure to stitch on so it continues to grow.

Today is a waxing moonday in earthy Virgo. We are drawn to matters of the physical and material realm and words like stable, capable, and practical come to mind. Detailed projects that need focused attention are accomplished more easily. Getting lost in our work, we may even have to consciously arrange for relaxation and fun on these Virgo days.

Virgo influences digestion -- stomach problems may be aggravated and, at the same time, are well-treated now. Stress is often a factor and one sure way for me to alleviate stress is list-making. Once a task is examined, prioritized, scheduled and listed, it seems to lose its heaviness and is already well on its way toward completion. I love making lists during Virgo time because of the sense of control I feel. Or the illusion thereof, it doesn't really matter I guess. Stitching neat lines onto cloth gives me that same feeling.

Although Virgo is an earth sign, it is a barren sign so not ideal for planting -- but it's a good time for other kinds of garden work, yard upkeep, and animal care.

I hope Virgo's favor helps you as it does me. xo

solstice fire

This morning I collected offerings for the solstice fire tonight -- last year's wreaths, one from grapevines and the other from bindweed vines, a cauldron of pine cones gathered on walks with the dogs, and a nest of threads. Burning them will be symbolic of creating transformational change in my life. I've been thinking a lot about fire's power of transformation and how we really don't know how things will be afterward, that seeking change is an act of faith.

Colorado's forest fires are 55% contained but some say it could continue all summer long -- that could be a lot of change.

And Daisy, black, and Talula, rust, say hello. They seem to know there's magic afoot tonight.

Happy weekending and thanks for coming here. xo

suns rise

Suns in honor of the Solstice. The indestructible red sun prayer flag -- here and here -- has re-risen with the addition of a few green stitches, some french knot wish seeds, and new ties. The rising sun in the moss rose pot was a candle holder gift that I love dearly. I basted the cloth sun last night and am in love with it now, too, wondering what it will be? I only noticed this morning the similarity between the two cloth pieces. A carved sunrise stone in a planter.

With both the moon and the sun in the sign of Cancer, this day is one of strength, growth, and sensitivity. It's all good. xo

shine-on moonday

Some light can only be seen in the dark. A 6" clay figure lights the way in the buddha garden on a moonless night. Her arms have fallen away and one leg has been wired back on. She's a reminder for me to keep going, to shine on. 

Today is a dark moonday in airy Gemini, a great time for networking and socializing. Instinctually and creatively, we will be "on" -- the thing to watch for though is feeling scattered and spread too thin. And if you don't feel like doing any planting in the garden or actually beginning the new project just thought up, that would indicate being in sync with the sitting back, resting, and planning aspects of the dark moon.

Gemini influences the function and health of the shoulders, arms, and hands. Recurrent problems caused by tension and strain in those parts can be avoided -- if there is a way to lighten your load and do less for a day or two, you'll be glad you did. So often, we don't consider such simple self-care as a form of healing, but I think it is.

Tonight is the year's shortest dark-moon night for us in the Northern Hemisphere, the longest dark-moon night in the Southern Hemisphere -- and with tomorrow's new moon, we all begin anew.

Shine on!

mostly mending

Since I'm taking a boro class at Spirit Cloth, I've been on the lookout for items around here that could use some hand mending or recycling, mostly clothing. I just remembered this scatter rug that I bought at a thrift store a long time ago for five dollars, handmade out of colorful polyester squares and backed with light gray corduroy. (I flattened some of the squares up there to show how it's put together.) I've washed it hundreds of times by now so it's not surprising the back doesn't have a trace of corduroy left and it's beyond threadbare in several places. Still functional and a pleasure for bare feet and napping dogs, this can definitely use mending -- I'm thinking about patches or maybe even a whole new back. It could be reversible?

The beehive sprang a leak on the second floor -- there was a line of honey streaming down the front of the bee house. My husband collected some in a glass, I still need to strain it because there are unidentified floating objects in there. This was our first taste of wonderful honey and we were not disappointed. And the honeybees had mended the leak by the next morning.

Headed for the dye-pot, some old cotton napkins in rinse water after soaking overnight in soy milk. One is being over-dyed for lack of color transfer at the first go-round -- although when it's wet, it looks just fine. Now, if we eco-dyers could just keep the wet look!

Thanks for visiting here and happy weekending! xo