Sunday, June 26, 2011

electric...

spanish shawl

yesterday i mentioned i was working on something a little bit strange, and here it is. leafing through my new favourite book seems to be giving me too many ideas - A is wondering if i'm planning on making everything in there. hmmm. maybe.

so what is it? this is a spanish shawl, one of the most colourful members of the nudibranch family. it's electric orange and purple colouring make it a favourite among divers here. once i spotted it in the book, my natural dyed wools and silks (from the yellow onion skins and purple cabbage, respectively) seemed too perfect for it to pass up. below you can see it alongside an actual photo of one. i have made it actual size, at just over 3" long.

spanish shawl

this little guy is all hand stitched, and i can't stop touching him (her? it? they are hermaphrodites, apparently). i've put it up in the shop, although if i think about it too long it might stay here with me. i think i feel an extra layer of love because i dyed the fabrics too, but i actually just think it's a pretty cool little creature.

and this spanish shawl definitely got me distracted from my original weekend stitching plans, but i hope to get on those soon. for now i think i'm headed to bed soon - we took a long tour on the paddleboards this afternoon, a perfect little adventure, and now i'm feeling a bit knackered. damn fresh air, always tiring me out. but i have some fun photos to share tomorrow!

hope you had a good weekend too.

4 comments:

Margie Oomen said...

i love that family of sea creatures and yours is fantastic
I will be mailing our little trade parcel this week.
xo

kate said...

Ha, I knew it was a nudibranch as soon as I saw it! Love them. My favourite are the lemon ones, we used to see those the most when we snorkeled on Hornby.

lynda Howells said...

interesting creature but l have to admit not one of my favoritesx lynda

Tara said...

k, he is one crazy little guy/girl/creature. Love the purple and orange.