Left overs.

Today I started a new scarf. There is always a lot of wool that is left over each time I weave. This is normal in the weaving process, unfortunately. I thought of collecting this wool and have a bag full. Last week I though to tie the left over wool to make a reasonable length that I could work with. The scarf I started today is made using only left over bits of wool for the weft. I am quite happy with the result.

I re-found a patchwork cushion my grandmother made by hand. She was a very creative lady. This cushion is a nice reminder also not to make excuses. If you don´t have a sewing machine, use a needle and thread. And not everything has to be perfect, perfectly cut, perfectly sewn. I look at this cushion and try to imagine how she pieced it together, what she was thinking.

The past couple of weeks I have been gathering all the 100% pure wool I can find in green. I am going to make a hooded jacket for my friend David. I think he will end up looking like a tree, an idea he is quite fond of. He imagines more of a Zelda look. Either way I am sure it will look great. This wool is quite old as you can gather from the labels. 

And to finish off, if you have ever wondered what a small town priest with grandeur delusions used to read, the last picture gives you a little sneak peak. He read La Vie(pictured here), Flama and Lumen among others. Yes... he read Catholic magazines, basically.

One good week.

This week was quite eventful. 

I bought some corn grown in town. I need to guarantee my chickens are eating good, real corn and not the genetically modified variety we find at the market.

I discovered my new chicken, Maria Augusta, is a bit of a daredevil and spends her days perched on an axe. The axe is not there to eventually kill her but to chop up Weaver´s Broom to cover the ground of the coop.

There were cabbages to be picked. I wish the cabbages in our garden were this big.

A little mouse paid us a visit and decided to eat butter and chillies. The little guy has good taste.

I was offered a broom by a lady in town. This small broom is made from the Mastic shrub. The flexible, even after dried, stems of this shrub are also used to make the bobbins that go into the old wooden weaving shuttles. 

A specially ordered scarf I had finished last week arrived at its final destination. Chris looks happy wearing it, he says it is very warm. I look forward to seeing photos of him and it on the Japanese snow fields.

Today we drove into some clouds.

And I almost forgot, ... it snowed!!! I was so excited all the photos came out blurred. I have never lived in a place where it snows, it was brilliant even though short lived.

Friends with Talent: David Eris Loong

Last year I wished I had a fibula, a brooch for my woven wrap. As I imagined what it might look like I thought of a squirrel, predictable. I then asked my very talented friend, David Loong, if he could make me one. David said yes and sent me a sketch of the design. I thought it was cute when we discussed the materials to use, "... well, it would depend on the type of squirrel which is in your heart. Copper would suit a red squirrel, silver a grey and a mixture for stripy.". The squirrel in my heart is red, I said.

David was busy working to sell his work at the markets but he soon mailed me to let me know the design had evolved and soon after I received photos of the finished product. It is the most beautiful thing ever and it now graces my wrap. I feel like an ancient warrior when I wear it.

For as long as I have know David he has been creating and selling the most creative, beautifully crafted and unique jewellery. You should have a look at his work on Etsy. If you live in Australia, David works out of his workshop in a lovely house in the Blue Mountains and also sells at the Markets in Canberra. You can contact him if you like his work and you can also commission something special like I did. 

His shop is here, have a look.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/davidloong

Hello

The Christmas eve bonfire.

A special scarf to give this Christmas to my secret friend.

A nice little crop of broccoli and turnip greens from our garden.

Wool to make a scarf for a friend who is snowboarding the slopes of Hakupa, Japan.

Marreco the donkey, we could have been great friends.

The scarf in progress.

Buying goat´s cheese made in town.

Drying violets to make tea, they smell so sweet.

Not a bad start to the new year.