Photo: past sketchbooks on my desk
Hello again and I hope you are keeping well. This week I wanted to share with you all the things that are distracting me, in a good way. However, it would be impossible to share them all. Suddenly, in a rush of blossomy wind and rain, spring has taken over. Rain has, unfortunately, kept me indoors much of the week. My plan for a daily walk has been put on hold whilst the rain has filled up buckets and the hedge by our front window grows to cover the glass.
I stare out and see my neighbours’ huge camelia, smothered with bold pink flowers. I can easily spend ten minutes just staring at that. Then I’m constantly aware of bird conversations: from the perpetual squeak-pip of house sparrows to the chatter of magpies. We have a large magpie population in our neighbourhood and I wonder if slightly too many, compared to smaller birds, or if that is the reason why there are slightly fewer smaller birds this year? But I love the magpies and enjoy watching them pull long twigs from our garden.
I cherish the distractions and at the same time wish to paint, draw and maybe stitch them all. Despite the lengthening days, there are still not enough hours to do everything. I could happily sit and make things from the moment I wake until sleep, but of course all the mundane stuff is still to be done. My spring cleaning has been on hold this week. I had been hoping to get my sewing machine set up and to give her a gentle run. It has been so long now and I just wanted to sit and sketch with my thread, to see how it felt, with no great plans. But reaching up to open a window (the kitchen windows are not easy to open, even as a tallish woman) I pulled my left shoulder causing nerve pain. (I’m resigned to the idea that I am capable of injuring myself at any opportunity.) Hopefully, when the time is right, I will spend a little time with my sewing machine once more. I am open minded as to what will happen: will I make a new series of elaborate and intensely detailed embroideries? Don’t know. All I do know is this long break from the machine has felt meant-to-be. I’ve got on with so much else.
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There are bright stripey tulips in the garden. Who put them there?
Oh I did. They are bowed down in the rain; I sketch them
from afar. A lady blackbird comes to see
how she can take all the tiny snails in one beak-full.
Starlings celebrate a muddy lawn, bickering.
But the garden is quiet when the tabby cat visits:
he stretches his paws between daffodils; his only main task
for today is to count nests, but I won’t let him
climb to see them. I tap on the window and a robin appears.
Robin sits on the fence and talks beyond dusk.
A sketchbook in shadow is blank and full:
the wet page waved with darkening green.
(poem notes March/April 23)
photo: recent sketchbook pages
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Notes from the shop front: I am planning another small update this Wednesday coming. This will be a smaller one as I am focusing on getting one or two tiny books completed. I hope also to have a few new textile/stitch related things this week: perhaps french knot brooches with spring colours.
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I’ve always loved making pom poms. As a child, I would spend hours wrapping wool around card rings. I’ve made pom poms just for the love of them, but more recently I have enjoyed making little creatures. There are chicks, of course. But then I made a rabbit and now I want to make more rabbits. My son said he hoped we wouldn’t be ‘swimming in rabbits’ - which is an odd concern. I understand what he means: I get quickly obsessed. But I can’t help feeling that there can never be just one rabbit.
photo: using my own hand spun yarn, straight from the spindle, to make a pom pom
The method I use to make pom poms these days - is a lot less time consuming than the traditional card circle. I wrap and trim. This method creates a slightly flat pom pom. Then you smoosh two together to make a rounder version, if you so wish. To make two into one I simply use sewing thread and stitch them through the middle, back and forth, until secure. Then trim and trim until the new pom pom is nice and fluffy. I also make pom poms from scraps of yarn. I lay all the little bits together then tie them and trim. I’m making tiny pom poms to decorate spring branches.
photo: making a pom pom - slip the yarn from the card, tie off in the centre and snip around.
photo: a sneak peek at my spring decorating
I hope to share with you lots of photos of my spring decorating next week. There are many projects yet to be completed - but I have set myself a goal of getting as much done as I can. I would really like to share with you and hope you may be inspired.
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A few more stories from this week
Late afternoon, my head is full of tiny landscapes and painted rabbits. At the same time, I am watching on my phone a live-stream of lambs being born. Such is the busy spring world. There’s a knock at my front door and I am surprised by a friend offering the most beautiful blackbirds - on socks. Kath has knitted the socks just for me and has embroidered the blackbirds on to the socks. No one has ever done such a thing before in my life and I am quite speechless. I have since worn and washed the socks (yes Kath they are just fine in the machine as you said) - and I love them. I love the idea that there are always birds as guardians on my feet.
photo: blackbird socks
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Traffic, too often there’s so much traffic our local town becomes easily gridlocked. Daughter decides to walk home from work: it is light and not raining this afternoon. She comes home with sprigs of catkins that have littered her path. Of course this is catkin season and after the rain storms there are so many things to be found. We plan to go on many more foraging walks soon. I plan a few catkin paintings.
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Thanks always for reading here, for your likes and comments. I am grateful to everyone who subscribes. If you would like to show support by buying me a coffee that is always much appreciated.
I enjoy your writing and the glimpses into your world so much! Those socks are terrific. What a great friend! Never too many rabbits. Enjoy rabbit days.
The poem notes are so evocative of spring. Truly beautiful and resonant--thank you.