instagram sunday...

Last night the wind came through in big, shuddering gusts, and this morning the lawn was dotted with autumn confetti, the first array of many fallen leaves to come. Today woke up grey, with a steady breeze and rain this afternoon. Nootka trip aside, I haven't seen any significant rain in our valley for a couple months, so I was glad to see it come. We'll need a bit more if there is to be hope of any mushrooms soon. It felt like a good day to get some things done around the house, and the informality of my iPhone felt like a good way to capture it.

>>The results of these dye jars was revealed, rich dark purples. They look quite dark in the photo as the fabrics were all still wet - they are drying somewhat lighter.

>> A tiny sockeye salmon took shape in linen, a meal for a planned beast yet to come to life.

>> I got some more ripe plums off the tree, in the hopes of collecting enough to make wine again this year. I also picked a lot more blackberries this weekend for the same purpose. The freezers are getting awfully full - a visit with my mom yesterday just made that worse, as I came back home loaded with other veggies, apples, herbs, plus half a sockeye and some prawns.

>> The house smells delicious after making some chocolate chip quinoa cookies, a favourite of mine. I'm following those up with some large pattypan squashes stuffed with an autumnal mixture of quinoa, mushrooms, apples & walnuts. I hardly ever get ambitious with my dinners when AK is away, but at least I'll have something good to eat for a few days in a row now.

>> With my new interest in fly fishing, it felt appropriate to do a little reading by the master, who incidentally did much of his angling on the banks of my hometown river.

>> I'm making some progress on a simple moss stitch cowl in plush grey wool. but i have a little twist planned after the knitting is complete.

Wishing you a good end to the weekend, a smile for the week ahead.

a sunday in september...

Today felt quiet. AK and I have been puttering about at home, only a moderate variation on yesterday, and the day before. These last few days of holiday after our trip have had no real obligations, which has been just perfect for settling back in. Welcome to September, folks.

As usual there are some projects on the go, the shortening days making my crafting tendencies switch into high gear. Does anyone else feel like there are more projects on the "make" list than shall ever be accomplished? I could blame the internet, but I suspect it's just the fault of my over-active brain.

Yesterday on my river walk I gathered salal and oregon grape berries which I simmered into a dye liquid this morning. Last year I did oregon grape and salal separately, but I didn't find many salal berries this time so elected to just throw them together. The larger jar has this mixture; in the smaller jar I added the leftover berry mash to some logwood exhaust and simmered it a little longer.

With the days getting a bit cooler, AK *needs* a new toque, especially as he gets ready for some outdoor work this month. Some cables are taking shape in a dark green tweed, perfect for fall.

And I am slowly making progress on a completely hand stitched skirt in grey cotton jersey. It's a little bit Alabama Chanin, with a shape inspired by Eileen Fisher, and a generous dose of my own west coast skew thrown in. It may even get a dip in the dye pot before I'm done, if I keep ogling India Flint's work.

What projects are you working on?

ramblings...

>> summer days are long, but fly by so quickly. so much to pack into each moment. the days seem busy here, both with work and with life. and yet i've not much to say at the moment. i have quite a few photos to post, but i just don't feel like it, yet.

>> above are the continuing theme i'm playing around with, from here. so far these are all 'edible' mushrooms, but i suspect there will be others that are decidedly not.

>> i am working on a humpback for a custom order, and i thought i might as well make another at the same time. but that might be the last humpback for a little bit - i'm feeling the need to take a break from these fellas and focus on some other creatures. so that being said, if you were looking for a humpback anytime in the near future, send me a note (fogandswell [at] gmail [dot] com) if you would like dibs when it is done.

>> yesterday evening i went and visited the owlies for the first time in well over a week. i saw both adults although neither felt very photogenic. i thought i heard one of the owlets, but couldn't find them in the treetops. later than evening sitting in the living room, a noise tickled my ear through the open window, above the sound of the tv and the dog barking next door. stepping outside into the darkness, i heard that distinctive hiss up in one of the trees edging the yard. did somebody follow me home? their forest home is over four blocks from mine, although that is certainly not above their hunting range. i wonder too if it was one of the babes ranging a bit further from home as they test their wings. barred owls stay under the tutelage of their parents for about four months, longer than most owls, but they surely are starting to think about their own territory that they will generally set up within 10 miles of their original nest. anyway, nature nerd rambling, but it was cool to listen to an owl friend in the quiet of my own backyard, even if i couldn't see it in the dark.

recently...

...a collection of instagram photos from the last few days.
>>> some antlers in progress for a custom order.
>>> my patches need patches. time to do some more stitching on my patched jeans.
>>> a wobbly little lamb. yesterday afternoon was spent at my folks' homestead, checking out the new lambs (including one born while we there!). i have a bunch more photos to share in the next couple days.
>>> a sea turtle in progress.
>>> a dye jar a-brewing. i rinsed it out today and am waiting for the fabric to dry so it can see if it turned out like i hoped.
>>> strawberry amaranth muffins made this morning, based on the millet muffins from super natural everyday. basically i didn't have millet so i used amaranth. i didn't have plain yogurt so i used strawberry. and then i threw in some chopped frozen strawberries. a total success.

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our big plans for today had been to go clamming with some friends. A decided to spoil the fun by double-checking the shellfish openings and discovered the whole area got closed on friday for red  tide. i kid - obviously we definitely don't want to be harvesting clams if there is a risk of shellfish poisoning. but it's still disappointing, and a bit surprising in how early in the season it is. without getting into a discussion about global warming, i do wonder if our mild winter had something to do with it, the water warming up earlier in the year and encouraging the algae to bloom.

so instead we are at home right now, waiting for a quick visit from my sister and kids on their back home on the south tip of the island. it's a beautiful day again, so i'm sure i'll drag A out to the beach this afternoon when the tide is low, just to wander, not to pick clams. hope you are enjoying some sunshine this weekend too.

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a few more things:
• i know i shared a wrap recipe earlier this week, but i also made these roasted chickpea fajitas  and they are so so good. they will be made again very soon.
• did you see Abby's shark? so awesome.
• if you have half an hour to spare, i encourage you to watch stand up for great bear, a beautiful film about a stand-up paddler travelling the proposed oil tanker route through the great bear rainforest.

working on the handmade wardrobe...

i know. more things for me. apparently i'm feeling a little self-indulgent lately. i promise i won't make a habit of it.

at top is a skirt you've seen a few glimpses of along the way. my attempt at something in the style of alabama chanin. i made a simple a-line skirt using another  skirt as a template, cut out in both purple jersey fabrics. as you can the back is longer - i was hoping the raised front would make it easier for tramping around through the woods and such. i sewed each of them separately and then put one inside the other so the seams lined up and faced 'in' to each other. then i created a simple foldover waist with just the dark purple. i top stitched along all the seams with a fagoting stitch to hold the two skirts together and give a decorative edge. for the feather stitching, i wasn't nearly so efficient as the folks at alabama. basically i made three different feathers that i cut out of some thin cardboard, and then traced them onto the fabric into a random pattern. i did this in stages, usually tracing, stitching, and cutting a few feathers at a time, rather than doing each stage all at once. yeah, not efficient at all. i had thought about doing the whole skirt, but in the end decided to just do a few scattered feathers drifting down into the 'pile' that circles the hem. i also trimmed the hem so that the dark purple is about a 1/4" shorter. all in all i like how it turned out, and i have infinite appreciation for the incredible handwork that goes into an alabama chanin piece.

the second dress is another tank from wiksten. i hadn't really planned on making another so soon, but this fabric jumped out at me the other day and i thought it would be perfect. you can see another shot of here - it is blue and grey with a few gold dots here and there, just my kind of colour scheme. i think the leftovers might be perfect for some whale bellies too, don't you think?

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erin made a comment on flickr the other day saying "good grief march" and i thought it was perfect. after a mild winter, this month has been quite a lion. after the wild storm of monday (in some area possibly the biggest in many years, did extensive damage, some folks still without power), things are snarling again today, including swirling sleet. here's hoping all the trees that might come down already did on monday. still, it's the kind of wind that makes me tense up a bit every time a large gust comes through, and cling tighter to my mug of tea as i watch the rain/snow thicken up and blow sideways.

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i may get another post in before then, but things will probably be a bit quiet around here until early next week. i am heading out tomorrow afternoon on a little weekend escape. quite likely i'll be posting snaps over at instagram if you want to see what i'm up to. wishing you all a great few days and hope to see you next week!

hello new dress

huh, that came out of nowhere. as mentioned in yesterday's post i was thinking of downloading the wiksten tank dress pattern. so i did. printed it out in the afternoon. cut it out and taped the pieces together before dinner. and sewed up a new dress for myself before bed. guess i was in the zone.

so obviously this dress came together pretty easily, and i think you should all make yourselves a dress or two. (and there will be two...or more. i am definitely making more.) i am one who rarely follows patterns, but i found this one very straightforward, and all the subtle finishing details make the dress. for my first go i chose a beige shimmery linen, partly as i thought it would be versatile, partly because the local fabric shop didn't have any fun prints for spring in yet and i was too impatient to wait for something to come in the mail. next time i will likely do a print, but i think i will get a lot of wear out of this. for a bit of textural detail, i used the "wrong" matte side of the linen for the pocket so it would set off just a little from the rest of the dress. i do think i would go down a size next go 'round, as it is quite roomy, but it will be good for layering now and on its own come summertime. i'm wearing it right now actually. i put it on for the photos and it never came off. with the leggings and a chambray shirt on top to keep my arms warm (not to mention my beautiful indigo scarf from julie sinden) i am quite cozy on this saturday morning. a big sweater, a toque and some boots and i'll be ready for a walk a bit later.

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if you look closely you can see my still swollen wrist. the pin holes are healing nicely, but unfortunately i'm also allergic to bandaid adhesive so i have been enjoying a blistering red rash in a perfect rectangle shape for a week now after i took the bandaid off. gross. vitamin e oil is helping a lot though.

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think i might start sharing some music picks with y'all - this morning listing to this.

happy saturday to you!

flotsam on friday...

aaaaahhhh, nearly the weekend. do you have any fun plans?

just a few shots from the last couple weeks... including the view from my favourite nettle picking patch (top). the nettles are taking their time coming up but i have gotten a few here and there while still leaving lots to grow. the other night i made a nettle quiche with mushrooms and pancetta - so so good! there is a little bit leftover for my lunch today - yum.

the weather forecast indicates there may be considerable inside time, which is fine enough for the me who has way too many sewing and crafting plans right now. the skirt is coming along. what you saw on wednesday is a big squishy garter stitched cowl i'm slowing adding a few rows to on breaks from other tasks. it grows, slowly. in some ways it seems funny knitting something thick and cozy as springtime starts to appear, but i feel i was robbed a bit during prime knitting season, so i'm indulging now. and i'm sure there are still a few chilly walks to come. since i can now download wiksten's tank dress pattern online, i might finally be motivated to get to it. not sure why i was hesitating, but download appeals to my instant gratification self. and lest you think it's all about stuff for me, i'm finally working on a new eight-legged beast. and i think i've figured out my problem on another creature that's been stumping me for a bit, so that one might appear soon too.

let me know if you're sewing or crafting something this weekend - i'd love to hear!

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other things:
• i promised someone i would make a cheesecake for her upcoming birthday. i love my usual cheesecake, but i'm considering trying something different like this raw lemon vanilla "cheese"cake instead.
• i have suddenly decided i need one of these old polaroid sx-70 cameras. if only polaroid film wasn't so pricey these days.
• and if i needed more sewing projects, did you see Cal Patch's tutorial on sewing your own leggings?

texture in purple

some wonderfully bumpy seaweed spotted on the beach the other day, a chilly walk i took just after the cast came off. there is such incredible colour along the shore, often made all the brighter by the grey sky overhead. and a little peek at my skirt-in-progress, purple upon purple. inspired by alabama but using my own skirt pattern and feather stencils.

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i decided to celebrate my cast coming off by getting a terrible head cold, so you'll have to forgive me if this post is not coherent. i'm settling in for a night on the couch with my man. black bean soup is bubbling on the stove, to be topped with crunchy sautéed polenta cubes, avocado, maybe a spoonful of salsa. hopefully that will warm these chilly bones. they're forecasting snow for tomorrow. snow! we've barely had a winter, and it certainly seemed recently like spring was elbowing its way in, gaining ground without giving any back. but the snow will be bookended with rain on both sides, and a gale wind too. a miserable day to head into the weekend. i hope your week is capping off well!

random on saturday...

>>> 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.

love on sunday

this month is of course heavy with heart imagery, and i've seen a few heart elbow patch tutorials out there too. i have been fond of elbow patches for awhile now, but had yet to incorporate them into my wardrobe. this little twist on the classic shape seemed like a fun idea, and my old forestry cardigan seemed like it could use a little sprucing up. i still get a lot of use out of it over three years later and it has held up well, although i removed the buttons because they were too heavy and now i just wear it open or occasionally belted. anyway, i cut two heart shapes out of a felted thrift store sweater and stitched them in place with a simple blanket stitch. i thought about a bright colour but ultimately i think this adds a bit of fun while still making it easy to pair this sweater with just about anything.

we just got home from breakfast out (i am so full of waffle) and a few errands. it's a rainy sunday and seems a good day to be cozy inside just the two of us, maybe watch a little homeland and do a bit of stitching. i finished a whale last night! it was so good to see something more tricky like that come together despite my slowness with the cast still on. that was a custom order, but i hope very shortly to have some new whales in the shop, along with other ideas bubbling away. happy sunday!

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plus a little public service announcement:
our government thinks that i'm a radical because i am opposed to the northern gateway pipeline project. If you are a radical too, then please got to iamaradical.ca to let the prime minister and the minister of natural resources know that all of us radicals are just ordinary concerned canadians.

on the table...

just a few snaps of things i was working on this weekend, some fabric pieces cut with the potential to be whales, and a sketch i'm playing around with. the weather was beautiful today and i got out for a long walk at the beach. tonight i'm attempting to make cookies without getting any dough on my cast. what did you do this weekend?

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and a reminder to stop by facebook tomorrow to enter the giveaway!

modern boro...

remember this? the evolution of my old jeans has progressed into my new skirt. i am continually awed by the care and recycling genius (albeit out of extreme poverty and necessity) of traditional boro stitching from japan. (if you want to revel in amazing boro garments and household items, visit the sri threads blog.) anyway, a lot of my stitching work lately reflects that boro inspiration, and this jeans into skirt was no exception. i don't currently have any indigo dyed fabrics, but i like to think that the many shades of denim, plus some linen, helps capture that indigo feel. this skirt too, i hope, captures some of the frugal mindset behind japanese boro, and the desire to make do, rather than buying something new. i loved these jeans for a long time, and when they developed some unfortunate holes, i put them aside, resisting the urge to cut them up to use in my whales and other creatures like i do with so many other pairs of jeans from the thrift store. i wanted to preserve them somehow. finally, i decided on this skirt. i have actually made a skirt like this before, but i like this new version a lot more. i think it is more finished looking and other than the original jean construction is all hand stitched. and this is just one stage, i think. i can see more patches coming, as i examine the thin and worn spots. i take that approach to most of my handmade clothing...always a work in progress. a continuing evolution. a good process for reinvention, recycling. making new out of something old.

and of course i wore the full length skirt to the beach...i am not always so practical about such things.



thank you all for your feedback about the little cat. you made me feel better about it and i am looking forward to giving it to her in just a few short weeks. i think i will add a little collar or cape for decoration, as i know little girls love to play dress up.

also, if you're curious, the sweater i'm wearing (seen best in the top photo) is this one.

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speaking of fabrics and textures:
• have you seen the new holiday shimmer collection over at martha mcquade's scarf shop?
• and i'm smitten with jillian's new bolero, which i'm delighted to see comes from an artist on an island just a wee bit south of my home.

meow?

a little seasonal shift on this end, coming into december. the fog and swell studio (so, my living room) is now a bit more santa's workshop as i craft gifts for my family this month. i promise, there'll be more west coast creatures soon, but first i could use your opinion on something. last weekend while grilling my niece on what she might like for christmas, she unexpectedly requested a stuffed toy, a kitty to be exact. huh. i wrinkled my nose about it for a few days, cats not being an animal i'd every really considered crafting. but in between knitting the same toque 2 1/2 times (why are the 'simplest" gifts often the hardest?) i started working on an idea. this little cat is mostly machine-stitched for durability, out of cotton fleece (inside out) and repurposed purple wool, plus some other purple accents.

what do you think? will an eight year old girl want to cuddle up with this feline? i kind of like it, but then sometimes i'm not sure it looks like a cat. i am a little concerned she is actually thinking of one of those ultra fluffy stuffed kitties from a toy store. i'd love to think my niece would be thrilled with a handmade item rather than something generic from a box store, but more often than not my sister and her family are not those people. my niece is one of the sweetest little girls i know, but i want something she will actually like, not just pretend to like to save my feelings. am i over thinking this?

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• i think i need to make a bunch of these pretty heart bookmarks as stocking stuffers.
• i've been adding lights and candles around the house to give some warmth in these dark days. loving this hanging candle arrangement.
• this chickpea stew could be perfect for cold days.

saturday-ing...

• reinventing an old pair of jeans with some unfortunate holes into something new. heavily inspired by traditional japanese boro fabrics.
• finishing up some custom orders, including a "shore fragments" ochre stars piece.
• thought several times about a walk to see the wild waves at the seashore, but each time the wind and rain outside made the warm house seem that much more inviting.
• instead, melted chocolate to make a modified (read: less sugar, added whole wheat, walnuts, ground flax & hemp seeds) version of these chocolate espresso cookies
• and enjoyed those cookies with a warm mug of tea.
• looking forward to going out to dinner with friends in a little bit, to celebrate A's 30th birthday (tomorrow). mmmmm, fresh margaritas and mexican tastiness.
• unfortunately, A has to work all day on his birthday, so I may head to my parents' to bake traditional danish brunkager with my mom.
• then back home for an evening outing to the banff film festival world tour.

what are you up to?

for my favourite girl...

with three nephews, there is no picking favourites. but i have just one niece, so it is easy to call her my favourite girl. a couple weeks ago she celebrated her eighth birthday, so how could i not make her something ridiculously pinky-purple? i made this tote bag with some leftover fabrics from the quilt i made her last year, plus a sturdy pink linen for the bottom and straps. it is lined with bamboo batting for extra structure and then white cotton inside, plus a purple double pocket to store smaller items. i think it will work well for carrying her dance gear to and from class.



she has also been admiring my dreamcatchers, so i made a small one for her with purple yarn. i tried something different on this one by making the hoop out of cedar cordage, and i really like the look of it. i think i will try that again for future ones - maybe some for the shop?



while i was out taking photos of her present, i spotted this little fellow on my front mat. there are a couple steps down to the front door for our suite, and it seems that salamanders get stuck down there regularly. i rarely see them alive though - they seem to find their way into the house and then disappear, until i am cleaning under the stove or behind the recycling bins, and find their dried bodies. ewww. anyway, i was happy to rescue this guy and send him back out on the lawn - much better than coming inside!

the wind seems to be picking up outside and i think rain might soon follow. i think i'll head out for a woodsy walk before it gets much later in the afternoon. then back home to make some pumpkin soup, and curl up for a cozy evening with A, maybe watch a movie. what are you up to today?

in search of sun...

as mentioned yesterday, this summer has been a bit grey, wet and gloomy of late. today i decided to find my own sunshine:



in my new aidez cardigan that is moving along quickly in squishy soft cascade eco+ wool.



in a gorgeous crocheted stone from a very talented friend of mine.



in a new stripey pillow for the couch i abruptly decided to make today (featuring saturated yellow linen from yorktown road and pretty birds from bookhou).



and would you look at that! when i ventured out for a beach walk this afternoon i even managed to find a bit of the real thing, poking through a ceiling of grey clouds. the yellow flowers along the shore certainly helped too. and now as i'm typing i'm peering out the window, and spotting a golden pink sky through the trees. i wish we had a better view of the sunset, but it makes me smile all the same.

hope you all had a happy weekend and managed to find your own sunshine, whether it was the real thing or found bits of gold.