KNA- Showing that ski trail who's boss

You might wonder what I'm showing you here. Simply put it is a life saving device. Man spent the morning with Keith from Outdoor Environments creating a new direction for the bottom of the hill at the Colpoys Cross Country Ski Trail.
Before the surgery the hill was a little dangerous as the bottom featured a tiny creek that ran during most of the winter. Rightly so the groomer would not drive over this mud/ wet spot so they banked.
I'm not on bike and the ski trail is not a velodrome, I can't ski parallel to the earth.  Some can but that is not one of my talents. Too much bottom weight.

So now the trail is missing the hair pin velodrome style hill and curve and avoids the wet spot entirely.
Instead you will gently turn and swoosh and schusss and sing Valderi  and have a good time, not a seeing your life pass before your eyes and screaming at the top of your lungs good time.

I'm sorry for three things.

1. I might have taken away your one and only good time
2. I ordered the killing of a few trees
3. I'm not a member of the choir below

I feel bad, but not much.

November you are trying to look all spring like in this picture of the ski trail but we are getting ready for you to pass on and be blessed by a blanket of snow and all the fun it entails.
And you will be on your yearly wander around waiting to be grey again.

An Artists Date.

Spin in, it is a good thing.

It is good because:

1. It isn't in my house
2. I leave home.
3. I get to see the outside from inside my car
4. I see like minded humans
5. I channel chickens and cats and tell people what they say
6. We are enriched by this avian and feline wisdom tremendously
7. We spin, we share, we laugh and laugh and then we laugh some more.
8. Some grab sheep on the back by the handful of wool to let others look see behind, are they are knocked up? they aren't.
9. We eat such delights and drink such ambrosia, I can't tell you, you gotta be there.
10. We have show and tell and it is incredible and life affirming and that's just the wool we see.
11. We are getting Back to the Basics of the good life - fun!
12. Springmount Spinsters - we are doing it.

KNA - Knitting With a Passion

Tonight I fell in love. 

I found something that will KNA big time. Look!

These are coming my way in a week or so. If you have a hankering to see some very well priced hand knit garment to have a throw down with November, go here to Mary Erdman's Etsy shop Knit with a passion There are beautiful socks, darling scarves... all works of art.

I've got my eye on you Perforated Shawl !

You are divine!

Dear Wise Owl

Lauren G. is a fiber artist on the rise. 9,1/2 she comes from a strong tradition of hand crafting on both sides of here family. Her Oma has taken her under her wing and she is sailing along and is showing wonderful devotion and skill. Here is her owl made of upcycled sweaters and buttons. Lauren, you did a great job! Totally huggable.

These are the colours to KNA on my new Welcome Mat Dyeing column, Dyeing Matters. There are three new recipes a week, all are archived. Clockwise- Satisfy Yourself, Cheer and Constance

When I have a minute I'm doing some great reading and a looking!

Good for the soul, while sitting in my new Jenny's knee.

Here you can see the results and free pattern and lesson I'm posting for my Matters cos I love 'em!

I bet Lauren could do this one blindfolded!

KNA- It's been 9 days and 40 chairs

You might think by my absence that I was knocked flat by the old November screws. The grey, the damp, the cold the dark, the grey, oh did I already say grey?

But no, I've just been busy, so busy kicking it I haven't been able to post.

Just going away one day last Monday put me way behind but now I'm caught up and full of things to tell you.

Since we last talked I got my Isalas. And before I left home I told Man, no matter what I say I can only have two Isalas, I will want three, but I cannot have them, have you got that Man? I cannot have them. It is too much for our hobbit house.

Yes said Man. He held me fast.

And here they are filled with my undyed wool which I have been whittling down to less of a massive presence in my home. There will be no wool shortage. I don't need to keep it all in my house.

And I love that I've given myself the freedom to return my house to a home instead of an exploded wool factory storage bin.

Here is a close up. 

Man loves to build these Ikea puzzles.

I do too but I let him have that fun.

We used to fight about who got to do it but never about how like most people.

We are weird.

Here is my new Hemnes dresser. It is in my studio to hold wool to spin in it's drawers ( don't we all wish we had wool in our drawers? hmm.. maybe we do but it isn't spinnable) it holds the dyed fibre and my drum carder. It is a perfect height for hobbits to drum card. LOVE IT!

November you makes me nesty insteads of testy.  Na na na na na.

 And now for the fortuitous happenings. Have I ever told you how much I love the As Is section of Ikea? See here this table, beautiful, white, pedestal table with a bun ( OMG I love bun legs on things).

It has two leaves, self stored and it was only 1/3 of it's usual price. Problem? It had 2 ft. of very sticky dirty tape on the top. Time to resolve? 5 minutes. Tool used? Elbow grease and Goo Gone. 

I'm in heaven.

Fortuitous Happening #2

New spinning chair, the Jenny Eklund. Also in the As Is. No problem to solve. 1/2 the normal price, only needed to buy a cover. I love this chair!

I love grey... did you hear that November, I LOVE GREY!

Man made me go around the house and count the chairs I have when we got home, I had to include 3 stools and one child's chair. The answer? 40. OMG is that all? I think I need a few more.

Funny aside. We only drove the Subaru Outback to Ikea. But due to my hooking teaching/ traveling I am a terrific packer. I mean I think I could enter Olympic competition packing. When the car is seen unpacked people are incredulous. I'm very confident in my packing ability.

So I see my long beloved table in the As Is and I want it and I've seen it there before and didn't press because of Man believing it would not fit. And I left it there. BOOOOHOOOO.

I also had 3 chairs with no table to sit around and so they were lined up in a row like a bus station.

This is bad jou jou. It makes people not want to stay in my house.

Then I saw my wee Jenny chair. And I wanted it too.

I had to decide which one.

Can you choose between your children?

So I asked Man for the chair, will it fit? He said No.

He says No to any question but really against all political correctness No does mean yes in his case.

But we waggled our boxes of Isala and Hemnes and voila room for dear Jenny to fit right in.

It was then I told him, I want the table too. I was in the mood for making it work.

I thought we could strap it to the top of the car with it's legs in the air. And we did. I'm so glad I don't have that bumper sticker on my car that says I'm a hooker anymore! Even my table legs are in the air!

We drove home through the November afternoon with a table upside down on our car. It was easy to pick out in the parking lot. It looked kinda cool and it matched our car. But I was glad it was dark ( hear that Nov.?) by the time I got near our home where we might be recognized.

Take that November. Your threats of rain did not scare us.

 By the way November I'll decide who is dark and grey here too, this will happen when I want.

Also in the as is I found a new cover for my Karlstaad chair.

It's pattern was a little much with my orientals.

Using coton dye I turned it grey.

I want to do some more decoration on this cover with black  sharpie and create some additional curvy lines or invent something I haven't thought of yet.

My room is brightened up considerably with this beautiful feather pillow from the smart Swedish store.

 Also I dressed up my dressmaker smarty  ( why call them a dummy? it's not their fault they have no head) in hand spun and hand dyed finery.

 In the mail I got two beautiful BKL fleeces from Michigan, they will soon be white as snow.

I love snow so much November, I'll have it inside.

And last but not least I was able to get a wonderful deal on a travelling spinning wheel which I need to go to spin in each week. The Little Gem II. See it's bag?

Here is how it folds down and there is the Duchess of York spinning on it. If it is good enough for her, then I say I'm happy November, no matter what you are doing out there, I'm doing great! And your days are numbered as are mine but I'm out lasting you this year.

KNA - Storage

November soon you will be half over and I will still be here wearing my boots. I will have a new storage area with lights and cameras and action for the great dye tools of the North. The eye of newt and hair of bat.

And I will be in possession of two, count em two Isala cabinets as well where my wool will languish before it is dyed in complete Swedish aesthetically pleasing repose. Calm and puce these Isala soldiers will fight my woollen mayhem. Really I think I'll get out the tape measure and see if three are too much. I kind like the look of six though eh?

My home will look normal on the ground level for the first time ever.

What happens below or in the closet?

Secret.

 

Speaking of repose in another meaning let's consider for a moment November, something meant to show you who is boss.

Restorative isn't it?

KNA - A makeover!

Ok- you could think this might be about my hair but you would be wrong!

But probably only about this topic because I know you are well past smart.

Smart I say.

I just made over the Welcome Mat

I was somewhat inspired by this artwork which I cannot credit because I cannot read Hungarian, I can speak it, but just not read it.

It's a small talent I have!

I love the layers and the awesome colours!

You can go here to see where I found it

You know I'm kidding about the Hungarian right?

 I respect and am related to Hungarians. You can learn more about Hungary here.

I encourage you to run out and look at the art work of different cultures for new colour play, lines and layout.

So here is what the Mat looks like now!

I love refurbishing! I left out the yellowing effect because it snowed here today and I was feeling like crisp.

Speaking of crisp take a look at these palettes:

I feel a trend coming on!

Take that November!

KNA- Man Style/ Fly Style/ Girl Style

It was a dark and rainy day yesterday.

That's November for ya!

Because it was so dark here a photo wasn't possible this photo is from "wondering the world"

You might feel happy looking at the array of photos presented there.

But I threw down the gauntlet HARD and did this rendition of the view out the screen with nylons and dye and the point method!

 Man feels a cave is the best course of action, depending on diet, gas mask optional

Fruit Fly option? Drown yourself in amber brew. By the way the fly survived and there were 10 more this morning. That's showing November!

KNA - Birdee's Way

Birdie knows how to give November the gears. Get in the sun!

 I love her shadow, its hunting mice behind the couch.

KNA- BP Style

Today to kick some serious donkey I went to the Beach. 

Yah! That's right... the beach, it was a balmy 16 ˚C aka known as 60˚F. 

I wasn't the only one who went ...that's why it was so BP style! We are all called by the same siren.

It was like a sound wave spread out and lured us to the beach... wait, maybe it was aliens.

Anyway

BP stands for Bruce Peninsula, and we are a close people, interbred even.

Technically Sauble Beach is not Pensinsular but it is not far off it.

Look at what I saw beachside:

 It's a bird

It's a photoshop

It's  Letter C day on Sesame Street 

Kite Boarders! Catching Big Air ! 10 of them and their splendidy coloured kites skimming and dipping swirling and flying! Take that November!

KNA- Super Heros and Cartoon Characters Colour Wheel

Colourful - comedy- creatures.... who could want more in November?

 Go here to see it live and interactive at the source of origin!

KNA- Comfort Food

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

by Jamie on October 31, 2011

Long story short, Jamie is a genius.

Take that November!

You need these today!

Go here to find out how!

Dear Mom Dear Daughter

Dear Mom, I'm writing you this letter 'cos you are so right.
I want somebody to start a new company so I can work for them.
I want somebody to make an amazing quilt so I can enjoy it.
I want somebody to pay attention to me.
I just realized I need to do all these things myself, who needs somebody?

Dear Daughter,
I just realized you are so right.
When we set our minds to something nothing can stop us.
When something keeps happening only we stand in the way of it stopping.
When we need something that's missing in our lives only we can go get it.
 I just realized we are really something aren't we?



Dear Reader,
You are so right to keep reading this blog because it is riveting isn't it?
And I'm going to listen to you this time.
To what you are doing, not saying. But please comment too. It adds to the rivets.

Dear Mary,
 You are so right, you do not like to be patted.

Just so you know I'm not kicking it in this post. But I will tomorrow!

KNA - Go Draw Sumpin

FlockDraw

During the month of November I'll posting something nearly everyday to kick November's Donkey (or Ass as they were called in biblical times.)
Nothing earth shattering... just something creative to brighten these dismal days.

Go draw!