Letter from Wiarton

ON THE HOME FRONT

So little snow, so little skiing, wouldn't you know the year we straighten the hill out on the ski trail is the year I add more curves from the lack of using it!

Here is a rug I made a long time ago called Lone Pine. If you can stand reading this whole missive you'll find out why I posted it.

The Cat Report 

 Our Mary has taken up a new habit, she is like a goat after the cat grass, I've had to stop sweeping several floors and am casting down seed and watering as fast as I can walk to keep her in style. 

Thank goodness wool is a good grow medium. Don't try this at home!

Bootsie informs us he is just too cool for colour. Meanwhile he is shagging the heck out of everything the least bit flat and fluffy. Disturbing. Nothing is safe.

Birdee says Celie had her day and she is in charge now.

Here she helps me find true white as I take photos for my RHM article and turns her back on the shag fest happening behind her.

                                      

Here is the colour collection you can look forward to in the deep and delicious RHM summer... all from only one green dye.

                                        

Rugging and Spinning, Making and Breaking

Something has got to be destroyed before we can create. I don't know if you've ever thought that but I find myself constantly chopping stuff up to make something else.

My hair dresser, so long suffering,  just got her  Christmas present.

Here it is - model in dire need of hair cut... I spread it out over my bosums all the better to see it but it can be folded as well and worn as a hood, so as NOT to wreck Kym's groovy hair dos.

I'm sorry to post such a dark and strange photo but that's all we have so we will suffer together, you in silence.

The sleeves of a cashmere sweater reorganized and decorated with a batt from Neaveau Fibre Art  and some of my handspun which was a weird experiment in itself. Long locks and the hand spun make the fringe! 

My experiment: After spinning a single from a grey and very bright  multi coloured wool batt I plied it with a yarn I had unravelled from a sweater I had turned into a vest for man. I need yarn to knit the vest sleeve edges so I unknit the sleeves for the yarn. ala Ashley

 ( Neauveau Fiber) She just teaches such useful things, I love her. I hope she is not surprised by this devotion.

ON THE WELCOME MAT

Yes, you might be surprised to see the fried food...

we service all tastes there!

While we were having our newly minted twice monthly Sunday chat I was deep frying. I don't do that often, deep fry I mean. And I also think you should not do this at home, chat and deep fry. This might be why Canadians are denied the Presto Kitchen Kettle.

But I was crock potting a Indian chicken dish and was making some veg curry and rice and I need something to replace the naan  (BOOHOO) I don't eat because of wheat, it is the only thing I miss.

So I decided to make these chick pea flour balls called bhajias or sometimes called pakoras. I made onion ones. You can read more about them here and there is a recipe close to the one I use.

They were pretty good!!!! but they were not Naan.

I sound like a petulant child, nothin's as good as my naan...

 My January Journal is slowly being built. Is it licorice allsorts? or music from another planet?

Others have made amazing things, WOW people astound me with their creativity, I'm in awe.

 Here is our collection of recipes in my Dyeing Matters column, that wraps up our William Morris Colours. 

By popular vote we are going to look at the colours of Emily Carr during February.

Happily Rittermere Hurst Field sells rug patterns of her artwork  too.

February's pattern of the month comes with a free class for any takers.

Learning online can be better than in a workshop. You get to take it in at your own pace and in your PJs if you wish.

Here is a wee section of the stained glass pattern,  it is a small project but interesting. It will prove to be colourful and we sure need some of that in February!

We will learn three ways to hook it, with specially dyed fabric, ( dyeing video included) with your scraps ( more video) and with textures!

I kinda like to use my imagination looking at these small sections of patterns, what else could it be than the thing I'm seeing? Turned on it's side?  Not more vjjs I hope.

QUOTES

Man said Boyfriend has had his day and now he is charge of quotes:

Man told me the best thing today as I was hurting from some malignant talk:

 Some medals are worn on the chest, others are pinned to the soul. 

It takes bravery to do the right thing.

I guess if I wasn't so effing interesting ( tongue firmly in cheek) there would be nothing to make up or say. Time to get boring or change company. Which one would you choose?

TIPS

Last but not least I'm leaving you with a tip, look out for sari silk you've hooked in your rugs, the colour will bleed out like a stuck pig creating a halo around where it is hooked in if it gets wet. Been there, got the T shirt when I hooked Lone Pine. 

 Have a happy, creative and peaceful week with the ones who love and respect you.

 You deserve nothing less.