Saturday, February 18, 2012

random on saturday...

just popping up

beauty / finality

jewelled

fagoting stitch

duck dive

>>> right now my knuckles burn dully, a niggling irritation as i go about my day. the photo at top shows why. i went out foraging for nettles in a drizzle late this morning, finding enough tender purple-green buds for a meal tonight. i will pair them with local pork sausage and fresh-made pasta picked up at the farmers market. but my choice of a glove saved from dyeing my hair (washed well!) was a bad choice, and i got a bit stung through the thin plastic. oops.

>>> after picking a small bag of nettles, i wandered down onto the beach where i spotted a poor dead mallard on the rocks. sad thing, and yet i was mystified by the way the rainwater beaded on its belly feathers. a beautiful creature, even in death. the beach grasses too held the gently falling rain, like jewels strung across the shore.

>>> on the way back from foraging, i also spent some time on a small beach in the quickening rain, shooting the crowds of eagles that are filling the trees these days. i'll share some photos tomorrow.

>>> a little peak at the skirt i'm working on, mentioned yesterday. i would love to hand sew the whole thing, but for ease of time and my awkward wrist, i machine sewed the skirt pieces together. now though, i'm adding decorative stitching along the seams, a fagoting stitch to work with the stretch of the fabric. then i will begin reverse appliquéing a design on the skirt to reveal the lighter purple underlayer. this shot also shows what happens when you start making a skirt late at night in a dimly lit room - the body of the skirt is "wrong" side out, showing the purl rather than knit side of the fabric. i think i've decided i'm okay with that. i think. at least it is both the front and back, not just one or the other. the knit in the left of the photo is the fold over waistband.

>>> a recent drawing in progress, a surfer girl and her seal companion duck diving under the swell. i want to add more above the water, but i haven't decided what yet.

>>> now to do a bit of stitching, working on a new beast of a whale. i hope your saturday is going well.

2 comments:

erin said...

you have had a productive day! your writing of the beach, the mallard and the fullness of your day were beautiful to read. i want to stop in more often!

a tip for nettle harvesting that i use: if you can find watson's gloves from a garden retail centre they work well. they are creamy, durable cloth on top of the hand attached to green, impermeable, but pliable rubber (i think) on the hand and finger surfaces. i use them to garden with when it's mucky, and seldom do i land a stinger through the fabric. washable over and over less than $9.00 typically.

enjoy your nettles!!

Michaelanne said...

Sounds like a perfect day, K:) Except for the stinging knuckles!! I can't wait to see more of the skirt:) The drawing is wonderful as well...have a great Sunday! xo