cedar weaving...

as mentioned, yesterday my friend Em showed me how to do traditional cedar weaving, starting from harvesting the cedar bark all the way up to making a final product. i tried to take photos of steps along the way. please be assured that some of the bark can be removed from the tree without permanently hurting it - the first nations of the pacific northwest have been using cedar bark for thousands of years in this way. in fact not far from the tree we picked we found another tree that had been "culturally modified" in the same way - and saw how the bark was growing back to cover the scar.



first up, we found a suitable tree, a western red cedar, and then made a little offering and thanked the tree for sharing with us. then she made the first cut. we made a cut horizontally across a section of bark, and then a vertical slice on each side until we could pry up a section to grab hold of.



then we pulled up and the bark released along a length of the trunk until it came free. we pulled off several thin sections with a bit of work, although the bark does come off fairly easily in this way.



above you can see a cross section of the tree, showing the inner bark between the rough outer bark and the smooth wood of the tree. after pulling the bark from the tree, we thanked the tree again, and began on the next step. we peeled the desired inner layer from the outer bark. then we put the inner bark in a tub of water to soak and soften.



after the bark has softened, it often needs further work by making thinner strips that are easier to work with. Em then taught me to make basic cordage, which can be used for a variety of things but makes great bracelets and necklaces. but i still have a fair bit of cedar left, so i am doing some further research on weaving. perhaps eventually i will be able to make a hat like this.



the peoples of the pacific northwest traditionally use cedar for a variety of items including clothing and hats. if you are interested in a comprehensive look at how cedar plays a part in the first nations cultures of the coast, hilary stewart's book cedar is a wonderful resource. i am also hoping to perhaps incorporate some of the cedar into my stitch work; i would love to bring a bit more of the coast into my work this way.

feeling indecisive...

back in the summer, i was working on this piece. it was enjoyable to slowly stitch the woven pieces together, an entanglement of blues. denim, linen, silk, and cotton strips pieced together with lots of thread in shades of white, grey, beige and a bit of yellow. but now, i don't know what to do with it.



i thought of using it for the front of a long pillow (it's roughly 2.5 ft by a bit over 1 foot), or cutting it in half and making two square pillows. i could add a border to it and use it as a table mat, or hang it. or just hang it as is. i love the look of it, but i just don't know what to do with it. any suggestions?

changing...

ah, august. can you feel the almost imperceptible change in the air? it hints at cooler days to come, a growing crispness that i'm longing for. yes, i do feel a bit of guilt about it. summer was so late in arriving, june was ridiculously wet. but now after nearly a month with not a bit of rain, i am ready for the cooling freshness of the clouds opening up. i love the shoulder seasons, especially fall which i'm sure i've mentioned many times before. the bright sunny days still but a clarity to the air that can't be found in the heat of summer. and the rainy days too.

i've been doing more fabric weaving, as you can see above. the other one is still in progress. it's waiting to have a border attached of some kind, and so it sits in the pile with another piece i'm also working on.

but i had an urge to try something else (something like startitis, affliction of many a knitter?). it is much farther along than when i took this picture. now it sits as a long rectangular piece, stitched and stitched in to a solid piece. i'm thinking now of cutting it in half and making two pillow covers from it. soon. i've been recently playing around with something more three dimensional, but it hasn't evolved into something worth reporting on just yet.

hmmm, was this post about anything? guess i'm just checking in. hello! more things to share soon, i hope.

november...

today feels so short, with the time change and darkness coming an hour earlier. i certainly enjoyed the excuse to sleep in, but that only briefly distracts for the shortening days. the sky was clear for most of the day but with a distinct chill in the air. we had a quiet night for halloween, and a quiet day today. i've been playing around with a few things. my new tweed hat needed something to make it more personal, so i embroidered this little acorn on it. not a fantastic effort, but i think it's kinda cute. i can see doing this on a few more things, as i get inspired by the work of Melissa and others.

i have actually been working steadily on a new pair of socks for my dad. i missed the deadline of his birthday on thursday, but thankfully finished them today. he doesn't allow much "design", so they are not the most exciting socks to knit, or photograph, for that matter (dark blue, 4x1 rib), but i know they make him happy and that is what counts.

now that they are finished i have room to play with other ideas. i started a new weaving project today, assorted leftover purple sock yarn and some silver thread, to create something monochromatic with a bit of sparkle. i have a friend in mind, but we'll see how entranced my magpie tendencies get with the "ooh shiny" factor.


i'm also steadily dreaming up warm projects to cover my hands, head and other areas that need all the heat i can get as the weather cools down. i'm thinking steadily about a long, cabled cowl (the keyword floating around is "infinity scarf", but it kind of irritates me) in some teal blue cotton/wool that my mom gave me. some grey koigu is yearning to be some fingerless mitts. and i have some red and white sock yarn looking to be a doubleknit hat, i just need to work out the design. and that's just the knitting. they are several other projects on my to-do list, of the sewing, illustrating, weaving, quilting variety.

hope you had a good sunday and are not too full of sweets!