Samosa Dyeing

I caught up with a couple of the students from my "Any Colour You Like" workshop on the weekend. They brought along the results of their dyeing efforts. Here's K's tablecloth: It's a triangle fold technique that I love: the fabric is first fan folded into a narrow strip. That strip is then fan-folded again, but at a 45 degree angle on every second fold. The result is a solid triangle of fabric. I first used this technique at the end of a workshop--in my characteristic waste-not-and-enjoy-a-surprise fashion. So I rested each side of the triangle in turn on a small amount of dye in each of the three primary colours: red on one side, blue on the second side and yellow on the third. The results are dramatic.

K liked my sample and wanted to dye a large linen-cotton blend tablecloth. It was a lot of work for her to fold it, but you can see the result. She also came up with the name, "samosa" for the technique. That's what I love about teaching. There's always a new idea and the students' enthusiasm is so infectious.

The Next Generation

R made this soft toy in Textile class. She's 14 years old. I'm delighted and impressed by her work. So here it is for you to enjoy: In case you can't quite read the tag: Penguin Pals: "a loving Penguin with large caring eyes and floppy paws and wings"

Mission Accomplished

I managed to get the dog's bean-bag covers done this morning. And here's a photo to prove that it was a successful mission:
I'll have to find some material for another set of covers, though, as the dogs are already fighting over who gets the most comfortable spot.

While You Were Out

I missed our last weaving class. It was in the middle of my flooring-house-chaos. Yesterday when we got together there were several samples of the Summer and Winter block weave on display:I've started threading my warp for this project. I left the loom at the Guild rooms, though. I'm still unpacking and sorting my stuff and I couldn't face the challenge of accommodating two table looms in my living space. My plan is to drop in at the Guild a couple of mornings next week and do some work on it there. Meanwhile yesterday we wound the warps for our Double Cloth exercise. I'm really looking forward to that one. The thought of two layers of weaving interacting with gradations of colour is pretty exciting. I've got 288 warp threads to deal with, so it will be a little while before I post pictures of that one.

Light Table

My friend V came over yesterday afternoon to use my light table. She had to trace a rather complicated block for a quilt she's working on. The block is a reproduction of a radio circuit diagram--that's what I call complicated!

On the other hand my light table is so simple that it's almost laughable.

• One bookshelf light
• One piece of safety glass
• One lump of timber--4b2

I've had the components for ages and have been meaning to formalise them into some sort of permanent arrangement. It hasn't happened. But if you rest the lump of wood on the table, lean the glass on it and slip the light underneath, it works. V traced her diagram and I was glad I'd hung on to those bits. I'm not making any promises about sorting them out anytime soon.

Puppy Love

OK, so they're way past being puppies--they are definitely middle aged dogs. But I found this fabric irresistable:

My task for this morning is to turn it into doggy bean bag covers. It will be just right for their favourite spot in the sun. I'm planning to make two--one in the wash, one in use--and hopefully I'll be able to keep them looking somewhat civilised--the bean bag covers, that is.

This One Can Really Fly

Here's another drop spindle from Rob. I think I've started something!He took my suggestion of using a chopstick as a spindle and he's turned the whorl out of some plastic. The exciting thing is that he's shaped a beautiful little hook out of the bamboo itself, so it should be airline friendly. He brought it along for refinement. We moved the position of the whorl down a little, opened up the hook a little more and added a groove on the whorl to hold the yarn in position. It's a surprisingly sweet little spindle to use: very light and it does want to keep spinning--which after all is the essential thing. It's a much truer spindle than my original "flying spindle" made from a button. Watch this space for more exciting instalments.

Hot Pink

It's fun week at the Neighbourhood House. Not that every week at the Neighbourhood House isn't rather fun. But the week of the Winter Solstice is set aside for a particular focus on FUN. It's usually one of the last weeks of term and we all need a bit of a cheer up. This year each day has its designated colour. Today was pink . . . or should I say, PINK:

Leigh dropped in to welcome my washing machine and share a cuppa and a scone with me this afternoon. She was also wearing a pink shirt, but those stockings are just eye-poppers. I'm a woman who loves vibrant colours, but I don't think I could mix up something as potent as that.

By the way, that is my bamboo floor in the background. I've had so much drama with broken appliances and furniture woes, that I haven't offered as Ta Da! shot of the floor yet. I'm still trying to cope with stuff. Of course I may be still trying to cope with stuff this time next year, but I'm counting on it getting a little better.

Da Da Da! Damask!

The picture is complete!Do I sound excited about that? It's been a bit of a marathon. I'm pretty pleased with how it looks and I'm glad to have it out of the way. I still need to do a couple more exercises on this warp. I didn't get the beat right in the first patterns we did--it seems like ages ago. I'm hoping I can get that done today. Then tomorrow the wonderful Robyn will help me get the warp for the next exercise on a loom at the Guild. We're starting double weave on Saturday and there's no way I'll be caught up in time, so I'm going to do the Summer and Winter block weave in my "spare time" while moving ahead with the rest of the class.

Meanwhile, I haven't made much progress on the unpacking since the weekend and there's still spinning and dyeing waiting for my attention. I did find my white homespun, but my washing machine died while I was washing it to prepare for dyeing. That means buying a new washing machine is now on my list of urgent tasks. It's been a heavy few weeks. So, I'll try to remember to smile at my fantasy bird done in damask and tackle one thing at a time.

Armchair Time

We've just had the shortest day of the year. The shortest day means the longest night. The longest night means lots of armchair time. Armchair time for me is usually the time between dark and bed-time. Add to that the time between when I get up and when the sun gets up. Right now that's a fair bit of time. So my armchair project is growing. Here's how it looks this morning.

I've just bought some new yarns to incorporate into the colour combinations.

The "armchair project" now has a queue. I'm planning another blanket for an engagement gift. I've started buying wool for it, but I need to get this one finished first. So, it's just as well there are a couple of months of longer evenings to look forward to.

Brown-Red fabric

Here's another shot of that fabric. It's hanging in the same place in my bathroom, but the light has changed over the past hour or two. I will have to figure out the white-balance thingy so I can get more consistent colour reproduction, but meanwhile, you can see the patterning better in this pic.

Tantalise

I did get some weaving done yesterday. In fact I'm on the home stretch with my damask. I just made myself do it before anything else and eventually I got into the rhythm and the picture started growing. I'd like to finish it today. Look out for a photo tomorrow.

Meanwhile I have six pots of dye in a box in the bathroom. Tantalise is the word. The procion dyes have a shelf life of about a week once the powder is dissolved. I mixed them up for the workshop last Sunday, so their usefulness is fast running out. I've been stopping myself from just diving in because the house is already so chaotic. Also I haven't found my stash of white cotton fabric yet. There's a motivator for getting the sewing room sorted! So, I'm hoping that they will last a bit longer in this cold weather.

Here's the results of my two hurried experiments from last weekend

The blue was rolled and then rolled again. the reddish highlights you can see are just reflections from the other fabric.

This one was very roughly fan-folded. It's not a great pic, but there are some distinct yellow halos where the yellow dye has travelled further than the red.

I'll be catching up with the students from the dyeing workshop next weekend. They were so keen that they organised this get-together to see how everyone's projects turned out. There's another motivator for getting my act together a bit more in the next few days. I don't really need any more motivators, just a way of getting a lot more done in very little time!

Comments Please

My apologies to anyone who's been unsuccessfully trying to leave comments on my blog. I had the settings wrong so that only people with certain types of ID could comment. I've fixed that now. You'll still have to do the "word verification". I know it's a pain, but it makes sure that only humans--not funny computer beasties--can leave comments. I've also got comment moderation switched on, so I can just check things before they go up. All those precautions are to protect us from any malicious stuff.

I love comments. So please, bring on the chatter:)

Visitors

Four human visitors and two dogs! That's a lot for someone who doesn't do much entertaining. These little guys are cavalier-poodles and they had a bit of fun exploring my front garden and tentatively getting to know my Jackies. I reckon they're as close to canine teddy bears as I can imagine:) By the way, that is not my front garden in the pic--I don't have a single blade of grass. Correction, I only have kikuyu grass growing in my garden beds where it's not supposed to be!

The dogs were fun, but not very productive. The humans were great. Cuppa's and admiration all round and M managed to shred a huge pile of files for me. That's two boxes of shredded paper going to make V's chooks comfortable and lots more space in my sewing room--and a considerable weight off my mind.

What about textiles? Well, I can now see patches of my big desk in the sewing room. Another couple of days like yesterday and I'll have it clear enough to use. Today I must, must, must do some weaving. I still have to finish the damask and then put another warp on and start weaving that before class next weekend.

Colour Variations

Apart from an insatiable fascination with colour, one of the main reasons I started dyeing by hand was to try to reproduce the sort of colour variations I see around me in the natural world. I always try to have some flowers for the display table at my dyeing workshops to emphasise that point. Here's one from last weekend.

I have to do some more unpacking today. If I don't keep going in a determined way, I can imagine myself still surrounded by boxes in a couple of months time. I don't want that. But I'm going to have to break it up with some creative work, or I won't make it. So, I'll tantalise myself with the prospect of reproducing something like the colour of this rose today.

The Kindness of Friends

I've called on my friends a lot in the past couple of weeks. And they've been there: giving me a place to stay, a listening ear and muscle power--physical and emotional--to deal with the chaos at my house. I guess the biggest thing is having people who get where I am and what's important to me.

L from the Neighbourhood House is one of those friends. And as a token of getting it, she gave me this cup this week--just to warm my day:)

Coffee cup in the background, knitting in the foreground. The coffee is yesterday's mid-morning sweet decaff with milk. The knitting is the bamboo-wool neckroll with a twist which I've mentioned a few times lately. And the table has just a big enough clear patch on it that I could take the photo. In fact I pushed various piles of stuff out of the way.

Today I need to find homes for a bit more of my stuff. Also do some weaving and spinning so I don't get totally left behind in my courses. I've cancelled my weekend commitments, so I'll have a few days to get settled and re-oriented. I really need that.

Bouquet

Rob came over to give me some emotional back-up yesterday morning. I had the flooring people coming for what I hope will be the last time. I had to act like the "customer from hell" for a few minutes and demand that they check and fill every single gap between the floor-boards. The gaps were several mm wide. That's wide enough to let in water if I spill something--and you know, I'm sure to spill something! The workman who came was good about it and set to work much more willingly and thoroughly than I'd feared, but I didn't feel as though I had it in me to handle it on my own. So I asked Rob to come over.

Rob is the husband of one of my oldest quilting buddies and his mum is the one who introduced me to the Hand Weavers and Spinners Guild. That's an impressive pedigree. He has a lathe and does some wood-turning. So when I fell in love with drop-spindling earlier this year and couldn't find any Australian spindles, I asked him for help. He's been working on the challenge on and off. Yesterday he brought a prototype, partly finished, to compare and consult. How's this for a handful of beauties!
The dark one at the front is the one I bought earlier this year. It's made in the US and it's a dream to use--it just doesn't want to stop spinning. The largest spindle at the back is politely referred to as a "student spindle", it came flat packed from New Zealand. I'm afraid it didn't have any aspirations of dreaminess. Rob's prototype is on the right.

After a coffee and a chat, Rob went off to continue development. He asked if I'd like the big spindle "trued". Did I ever! He came back with it: glued and turned and polished. It's now a joy to use. It's graduated from being a "student" to being a "master". He also finished off his prototype: complete with groove and fine hook. It's great. Just what I was hoping for. So there's another member in my drop spindle family--and a smile on my face.

And Blue

I'm waiting on a tradesman to arrive to finish off my floor. The story is turning into an epic saga! Hopefully today will be the final chapter and I can move on to the "happily ever after".

But, just to keep life interesting and textile, there is one more bucket of colour left from Sunday's workshop. It's blue:

. . . the bucket is green:) the dye is blue and the fabric has been soaking for two days now. I was a bit more ordered in the way I tied this one up and it might even turn into a class sample. It's fan folded in one direction and then rolled. I'll be keen to see how the colour has developed. The turquoise colour dye is the slowest to develop and it's been rather cold, so I'm hoping to get a halo of different blues around some of the patterning. But first I have to prepare to move all my furniture and boxes again, so the gaps between boards can be filled.

Random Acts of Colour

I taught a dyeing workshop on Sunday--"Any Colour You Like". I need my head read! Sunday was not a good day for me to teach anything, but thankfully I'm familiar with the topic and had a keen group of students. I think I must have siphoned off some of their energy, because I'm sure I didn't have enough of my own at the beginning of the day.

There are always bits and pieces of colour left at the end of a day. I love the randomness of just going with what's there. So I tipped all the leftover bits that looked like reds and yellows of any sort into one bucket and tied up a bit of fabric to go in there. Here it is:

I haven't rinsed it out yet, but it looks interesting.

My house is feeling even more random than my dyeing today. I got rid of various items of furniture when I packed up the house. They were things that weren't working for me and needed to be replaced. OK, now I'm home and trying to put everything away. I need to replace those items to stop myself going completely crazy. I had a very unsuccessful trip to Ikea yesterday! Meanwhile, I've at least managed to get the computer set up again. I'm trying to take one step at a time. Don't ask me why one piece of random-dyed cotton gets to be a priority when the whole house is topsy-turvy, but I'm going to finish rinsing it out now.

I'm Still Here

Here I am back at Anna's, but the good news is that I spent most of today at my place, starting to put things in place. The floor was pretty much finished yesterday--all except for some gaps that I'll have to get sorted out on Monday. My friend, V, helped me with the big items of furniture this morning and helped me to assemble my new bed--it came flat packed from the Ikea, the home of the Allen key.

Tomorrow is the Cotton Hand-dyeing workshop at the Neighbourhood House. It hasn't turned out to be great timing, but I did manage to find everything I need amongst the boxes. Thankfully most of my dyeing stuff lives in the bathroom. I've done so much cotton dyeing now, that I feel pretty confident with it and I'm counting on the students' enthusiasm sparking off my own. My own enthusiasm is there, it's just a little dusty and battered after a heavy week.

Coming Along Slowly

Good News
I now have some bamboo flooring installed at my house. It looks great:Not so good news
They managed to get the hallway and a small section of the living area done yesterday. Today they have another couple of men on the job and hopefully will get a bit more done. I learned last night that the boards need to be weighed down overnight after they're laid down. So juggling my stuff from place to place to make room for the men to work is going to be tricky. I gave permission for the workmen to move the stuff I've got put away in my sewing room. I don't feel great about that, but I do want them to get on as efficiently as possible, and that seemed to be the only way. At this stage it seems they'll have to come back Monday to do the finishing off, skirting boards etc.


More Textiles Coming Soon
I haven't forgotten that this blog is supposed to be primarily about my textile work, but the flooring project is pretty much overwhelming everything else at the moment. I did get some spinning done at Anna's place yesterday. It's fine, worsted alpaca for my folio. I'll see if I can do a bit more spinning today. I'm continuing to knit my bamboo-wool blend yarn in sympathy with my flooring project. I'm repeating the neck roll idea, but with a few more stitches and a size larger needles. I'm looking for a bit more drape. It will be great to be able to compare the two versions.

Peacock Feathers

I love peacock feathers. No matter how much I study them and try to analyse the colours, they always manage to surprise me somehow. This one is on display at Anna's house. Today's peacock feather is dedicated to salesmen everywhere! I'm trying not to be too grumpy about it, but the flooring project isn't living up to expectations. The salesman made it sound so easy and beautiful, but so far the process has been rather ordinary! Today I have a workman ready to install the gorgeous bamboo boards, but so far they havent' arrived. I'm looking forward to posting better news soon. Meanwhile, I'm appreciating my friend's hospitality and hoping for beauty to come.

Hanging in There

OK, I'm still here.

I still haven't got floors at my house and the dogs don't know which way is up. I'm not so sure myself, but I did manage to get a bit of knitting finished at Stuzzi's in Northcote at lunchtime today. It's a neck-roll with a twist. The yarn is dark teal bamboo-wool blend. I got a couple of the staff to try it on. They're knitters and always comment on my work. I think I could have sold it several times over, but it's a prototype, so I'm keeping it. Sorry, no photos today, I can't get all the connections sorted.

So, I'm hanging in there and signing out. I'll let Muki know that she's a hit with my blog readers. She cutely supervised while I made mushroom risotto this morning:)

Living Fibre

Here I am at Anna's place. She shares her home with a warm bundle of living fibre:)Hello from Muki the rabbit. I'm learning to like her more and more as I get to know her better. In addition to luscious soft bunny fluff, she has a surprisingly well developed personality. She can be very curious, cuddly or adventurous, at different times. And when she stamps her foot, it is well and truly stamped! I used to think "thumper" was an honorary title, but I was wrong.

Where Am I?

It's rare now for me to go a day without blogging. But yesterday it was just too hard. I didn't come up to my place in the morning. I'd had a bad night with coughing and wheezing from the concrete dust added to my usual sleeping difficulties. And my friend Anna's place is less than ten minutes away from the Guild rooms where I needed to be for my spinning class, so I enjoyed a coffee with her rather than confront this:

I don't know if you can make it out, but there is still a computer on my desk. Right now I'm sitting at it. I've moved a few of the loose items away from the doorway and squeezed through to upload some photos and type this. The dogs keep trying to squeeze into the same little space. They're unsettled with all the changes and my periodic disappearances.

My task for the day is to try to sort this space a bit more and fit a little more stuff into it. I think I'll try to move the computer out of the way as well. I hadn't counted on the concrete dust, so I'll try hard to get some doors closed between the work area and my stuff. Then I'll return to my refuge at Anna's house.

Rip it Up Boys!

They came, they ripped, they chipped and they ground. Here's how it looked after a surprisingly short time:

And by lunch-time, it looked like this:

No more disgusting dirty carpet!

The next step was to grind back the concrete so that the adhesive will get a good grip. Result--a rough floor and lots of dust.

Now for the bad news: AFTER they'd ripped everything up, I got a call from the office to let me know that the materials for the flooring won't arrive from Sydney until Tuesday afternoon. So my home is going to be disrupted for a whole week, rather than just a few days. I'm really going to have to hold on to that vision of a beautiful bamboo floor. And I'm really going to have to count on the hospitality of my friends. The house is hardly livable now, though I did manage to find my bed amongst the chaos and curl up for a little nap this afternoon. It's been a big day.

Priorities

I'm expecting the flooring people in about three hours. The first wave will be the "rip it up" guys. I've been awake since 4 am and am clearing the front room, hoping to have most of it done before they arrive. So, guess what I did before anything else?

That's right, packed my things for spinning class tomorrow. Then I made sure I had all my weaving supplies, so I can get on with the damask while I'm away. Eventually I'll work out some clothes and other essentials to take with me, but it's nice to know I've got my priorities sorted!

By the way, I've managed to keep access to my computer in this room so far. It would be nice to be able to squeeze in here and check mail etc, but I'm not counting on it. I'll see how I go.

Going Off Air

Hello friends, followers and readers. I just had a call from my flooring guys. They're coming in tomorrow to start ripping up carpet and tiles. So chaos is about to happen! I don't know when I'll be able to get back to my computer as the contents of my living room are about to be stacked into this room. Meanwhile, I have my spinning course on Saturday, so I'll need to at least extract my spinning wheel and essential tools.

I'm not looking forward to the mess and disruption, but I'll try to keep a picture of a beautiful bamboo floor in my mind to keep me going .

I'll be back as soon as I can.

Yarn Magazine Excitement

Getting my copy of Yarn Magazine was right up there on the priority list yesterday. Here's why:My "Maker in the Making" is on the Contents page. I made her for the Craft Victoria, Members' Exhibition last year. Of course I knew about it before I saw the magazine, but I had no idea how it would look, nor what words from my Artist's Statement they would include. So I was excited and more than a little anxious until I saw it. Then I was just very pleased!

I have to admit, I spent a significant part of the afternoon running around showing her off to friends:). So if you see me clutching a magazine and smiling warmly in the next few days, you'll understand.

Scraps of Warmth and Colour

I'm teaching my first ever "One Skein Wonders" class tonight. I'm planning on more of a workshop format, with a bit of useful theory. Of course I want there to be lots of fun and inspiration as well. Over the last few days I've prepared a few more samples using small amounts of special yarns.

I'm particularly pleased with this little wrist warmer. The lacing means it can fit a good range of sizes. I think it would even work as an anklet on a small person or a very slim one--that's not me!
I've prepared an outline for the class already. Today all I need to do is pick through my collection for a few more samples. I'll also pick out a few small skeins of my handspun and hand-dyed yarns to use. This is a new venture for me, but one that's close to my heart. If it all goes well, I'll do it again soon.

Damask Step by Step (for Gertie in South Carolina and anyone else who might be interested)

OK, here goes . . . Damask, Step by Step, with photos! If you're not a weaver, or you already know how to weave damask, or you don't want to know, please feel free to skip this, or just admire the pretty pictures :) Otherwise, I suggest you read through the whole thing before you start. Hopefully it will help!

First the instruction sheet, as supplied by Gerlinde Binning:

• We are working on an 8-shaft table loom. The background is an irregular satin and I'm using a pick-up technique. You can see I have the instructions clipped to my loom so I can check on each step.

Here is my design

• If I had my time over, I wouldn't make the tail so complicated, that's a lot of counting. You can see how I've counted each square on each line of the design. The ticks are marking off the lines I've already completed.

• This is a close up of the beginning of a few lines of the design. The ruler is there to help me keep my eyes on the line I'm working on.
  

Instructions:


1. Raise 2,3,6,7


Using graph, pick up one pair of threads for each shaded area unit, 1 square on graph. Skip any pairs not shaded in design.

• First a general view showing a line picked up
• This pic shows the first pick-up. The white card under the warp threads makes it easier to see and pick up the pairs of threads. The pick-up stick is flat and pointed (thanks John). The point makes it easy to count threads. A flat, pointed stick like this is called a "sword".

• Then a close up view showing the pairs of threads as they are picked up. If you want to count from the right: I have left 9 pairs down, picked up 1, left 3 down, picked up 1, 1 down, 2 up, then picked up more threads that go on off the left hand side of the picture.

Place sword with this pick up behind reed

• You can see the reed at the front of the pic. The sword is placed under the threads which were picked up in front of the reed.

Lower shafts. Raise 1 & 5.

• OK, we're still looking at what's happening behind the reed. Shafts 1 & 5 are raised. The next step isn't on the instruction sheet, but it's "washing" the shed. This means pulling the sword forwards and backwards to make sure the shafts are sitting in the right place and the shed is clear. I've taken a pic of this step further down, but didn't want to confuse things by placing it out of order--in case you're looking at which shafts are actually raised.
• By the way, sorry this pic is on it's side, I can't find a way to make it turn the right way--it is rotated anticlockwise on my file.

Weave one pick.

• Finding this shed is maybe one of the trickiest things to get a handle on. That's why it's important to "wash" the shed before trying to weave.

Remove sword

2. Raise 1,4,5,8

Using graph, still the same line, pick up one pair of threads for background unit (split pairs)

• General view with shafts 1,4,5,8 raised.

• Close up view showing split pairs. This is the same line as I counted out above, so the count is 9 down, followed by one pair picked up etc. The threads are grouped differently though: at the far right you can see a pair and a half--that's 3 warp threads--then another 7 pairs of threads and another half pair for a total of 9 pairs--1 and a half plus 7 plus another half makes 9. I hope you're with me as this is maybe the second trickiest bit to communicate.

Place sword behind reed

• This is a different view, so you can see the pick-up stick (sword) in front of the reed and the second sword placed behind the reed. Turning the front sword on it's side makes it easier to place the second sword.
  

Lower shafts

Raise 3 & 7

• This is "washing" the shed, by moving the sword forwards and backwards.

• This is how it looks once the shed has been "washed". Only shafts 3 & 7 are clearly raised.
  

Weave one pick.

Lower shafts.

Do not remove sword

3. Raise 2 & 6

• The sword stays in place behind the reed while the shafts are changed. Then it's time to "wash" the shed again to clear it for the next pick.

Weave one pick

• I've taken this shot at a different angle so you can see the sword behind the reed.

Lower shafts

Remove sword

4. Raise 2,3,6,7

Repeat line 1 pick up

• This pic shows the front sword on its side in front of the reed and the second sword behind the reed.

Raise 4 & 8

Weave one pick

Remove sword

These 4 steps represent 1 line on design

• Here's how it looks so far.

That's as much detail as I think I can provide using photos. I don't have a video camera or an operator to hold it for me today. I'll be interested to hear from anyone who has a go. I'll also ask Gerlinde, our weaving teacher, and Robyn, our tutor, to have a look at it for me.

Now I'd better go back and do some weaving!

Action Shot

I didn't get much homework done for my weaving course last week. So while the rest of the class went on with the new exercise, I tried to catch up with my damask weave. While I was at it, I tried to take some photos to demonstrate the technique. I'm going to have to have another go at that, but meanwhile,here's a shot of how the pick-up technique looks:

I've picked up the threads which correspond with the picture on my graph. The white card underneath is there to make it easier to count threads.

What I realised when I tried to take step by step shots is that there are four or five actions to carry out for each section of instructions. With four sets of instructions to weave each line in the picture, that comes to a lot of actions. I wonder whether it's time to try a video!

Another Bluebird

Those display racks of advertising postcards found in many city cafe's--I do like them! I've found some great inspiration there. I've called today's pic "the bluebird of wistfulness". The artist calls it, "Budgie Boy":

I'm drawn to the mood of this little fellow. There's no smile there, but there is a gentle appeal.

I'm still trying to sort and pack the contents of my house. I've thrown out a fair bit of stuff, but this little card is one I'm going to keep, just because I like it.