Thursday 24 March 2011

Enjoying the sunshine


I thought I'd blog today about how wonderful the last few days have been, the sun has been shining and I've been outside a lot. I've planted my first early potatoes- Arran Pilot, weeded some of the flower beds, sanded some more of the walls in my new studio and painted them and I've been knitting more mushrooms in the sun, what more could you ask for!


Don't the flowers look fabulous, such splashes of colour cheer any day. I am desperately trying to grow a patch of Hellebores and make them fill a corner in my garden here are a couple of the ones I've managed to grow so far.
The animals are all enjoying the weather too. Take a look-
This is Flopsy and Miffy, our rabbits enjoying the sun, and below are Gwen and Margaret perched and Syd strutting his stuff.
Humphrey, Bobble, Hetty, Pompom, Beryl Cheep, and Peggy can all be seen below scratching around in the sun. 
This is Talullah, she is one of our two original cats and she has two girls called Ophelia, on the left, and Floella, on the right, she is a great hunter and brilliant mum.
Then we have Fleur who is Talullah's sister and our other original cat and she has Cephar, ginger tom, and Dora, tabby girl, all of them are very affectionate and love sleeping in the sun.


......and finally the mushroom knitting!

Tuesday 15 March 2011

Five down, three to go! The Count Down Begins....


How yummy do these bracket fungi look? Even if I say so myself they are really scrumptious. I can now tick off Knitted Mushrooms, Bracket Fungi, Leaf Litter, Purple Feathery Rush Heads and the Moss Carpet for our exhibition, Rural Collusions. Only Puffballs to finish in the studio and the weaving in the trees and veins in the bark to construct on site and the work will all be complete( she smiles smugly to herself)! These'll look even better on the trees at SWT Lackford Lakes. 

As I mentioned I have also completed my Moss Carpet - here are some pictures of it. They show close ups of the rag rugging in the knitting, (of course made in moss stitch), and one of the whole thing laid out on my living room floor. 




Not long now until Rural Collusions opens at Thornham Walks, Thornham Magna and SWT Lackford Lakes. My collaborator, Ruth Richmond (not mother nature), has created some amazing feathered pieces for the exhibition that are really stunning. Check out her website web.me.com/ruthrichmond and see more images of her work.

Monday 7 March 2011

Purple loveliness!

Scrumptious isn't it, yes these delicious yarns are the beginnings of my purple feathery rush heads that I am making for "Rural Collusions." The point 5 yarn is a delight to work with and the lime/pistachio green knotted pieces are cotton dyed with purple feathery rush heads!!! They are actually called common reeds but my dear friends, Nicola (www.halfpennyhome.blogspot.com) and Sam who have taught me all I know about natural dyes, always call them purple feathery rush heads and it's a much more evocative, poetic name so I use it too. (You too can get help with natural dyes in Nic's fabulous new book, A Green Guide to Country Crafts, get one it's gorgeous). 
Here are the reeds, once i've made them, I hope you approve, and think I've done the materials justice. They will look even better in situ at Suffolk Wildlife Trusts Lackford Lakes as they will reflect the reed beds that are growing near by but they look quite lovely in my veg patch for the sake of photos. I hope you agree.