winter

morning moon, originally uploaded by k | fogandswell.

a shot from a few mornings ago, when it was well below zero (celcius), and the big moon was still high in the sky at eight in the morning. here it sits over mount washington, the local ski hill, still capped with snow most recently from the weekend.

this morning though, a system is moving in and it's snowing heavily and the bare patches are all covered up again. they are predicting a little pile up of snow this morning, but then turning to rain as it continues to warm up. i don't mind it warming up so much as that cold snap was well below normal, but i will miss the clean white landscape. it is supposed to rain for several days, which will turn the island back to brown and green (and dismal - that's a colour, right?). the snow always makes it feel lighter out in these dark days.

however, it is sure to continue snowing up on that mountain above, piling up deep and pure. getting ready for a good season of playing on my snowboard!

snow, and a shop update

winter seems to have arrived on the coast, early for us as we almost never see snow in november. after a full day of snow on friday that never settled at all, the ground finally got blanketed with white overnight and we woke up to about 10cm, or a few inches. on the rare occasion we do get snow this early, it normally disappears just as quickly, but in this case it seems to be sticking around, and the air is cold outside. we are supposed to be getting a few days of clear and cold to follow, and today i'm happy to be warm and cozy inside.



i've added a few new items to the shop, first a couple small ones and then a big piece. i've been enjoying stitching little shells for ornaments etc, so i thought it might be fun to hang a few on braided cords as necklaces, with a beachcombed feather as accompaniment. this scallop is available now, but the mussel has already been snatched up!



some of you might remember this hanging piece, which was originally "finished" in july. after some months of staring at it, tucked to the side but still in view, i have added some more details to the front, and finally got around to making a label for the back. it is now also available here.



i'll leave you with another chilly shot of the scenery these days. yesterday i drove up island and got this view of the coast range mountains along the way. i'm glad i stopped, as a few kilometres farther along the sun had moved on and the mountains were dark again. i was surprised to discover that the snow got thinner the farther north i drove, with only a dusting here and there, until when i arrived on the little island my parents live on (a short ferry ride from my big island), there was no snow at all!

i am starting to embrace the holiday spirit around here, probably spurred on by the snow. today i am planning some holiday baking of traditional brune kager, a crispy danish cookie that my mom has made my whole life around this time of year, but i have never attempted by myself. at 31, i figured it was about time, although admittedly she helped me make the dough yesterday. i'm on my own for the rolling out of the dough and the baking though, so i hope it turns out well! there are many recipes to be found online, each a little different. i might try to share this one later, if i can decipher the danish recipe from what my mom directed me in yesterday. they are similar to gingerbread i think, but thinner and with a bit more crunch.

monochromatic

on sunday i ventured out for a bit, a break in the wet weather of november. it was still a dark sort of day, with low hanging clouds obscuring the mountains on the island and the mainland across the water. it felt good to get outside into the fresh air though. the world felt very grey, steely blue; the ocean, beach and overcast sky blending together in one slate tone.



the birds were busy though. lots of gulls scavenging the shoreline, eagles swooping low or paired in trees, their high pitched call floating through the air. all kinds of ducks and seabirds skimmed past in the water. i'm pretty good with birds, but i need to spend a bit more time learning my ducks i think. some of the males have such pretty markings and head shapes. other people too, were out enjoying a sunday walk, or paddle, as i saw many kayaks moving swiftly in the dead calm water. one couple was loading white buckets onto their truck, having filled them with seaweed washed ashore, soon to fertilize their garden



this boat was not having nearly as much fun, abandoned and stripped on the beach. left alone to weather the storms against the rocks. it's supposed to blow tonight, and that exposed point would not be a good spot for anyone.



i had noticed these trees earlier this season, and saw them again as i drove home. free of leaves now, but still heavily weighed down with this small round fruit. anyone know what they are? they are roughly the size of large cherries, mostly yellow but as you can see also orangey-red and a darker, almost purple colour. of course that may just be as they rot on the tree.



there's no chance for daylight photos during the week now, it being mostly dark when i leave in the morning, and mostly dark when i come home again. glad i save these photos for a little midweek shot of nature for you (and me). tonight i'm baking more cookies, walnut rum wafers. i think i've made them before, but i'm not sure (although not being a rum drinker, i can only assume that's why i have rum in the cupboard!).

weekend work...

i did manage to get out for a beach walk today, but i'll share those shots in my next post. for this one i thought i would show some snippets of crafting and cooking that i did over the weekend. i am working on some new soft sculpture pieces (see below), as well as some drawings that i'm hoping to incorporate into a new project (see above). i don't feel i was as productive as i hoped (isn't that always the way?), but i'm making progress with a few things.



i also found time for a bit of baking, bread and cookies. this walnut bread was a new recipe for me, with a very tasty result. i didn't braid the dough like the recipe directed, preferring instead to make standard loaves that would be more sandwich-friendly. i also made some mexican chocolate cookies, based on a recipe i found in the current "holiday cookies" mag from martha stewart. delicious, with a bit of a kick from the cayenne. i'm hoping to accumulate some cookies in the freezer for holiday giving. next up, i'm thinking some rum walnut cookies.



how about you? hope your weekend was full of crafting and yummy treats, or just relaxing with a good book if that's what you were in the mood for.

the white stuff

perhaps inspired by margie's beautiful frosty and snowy photos, we decided to search out a little winter of our own. up the mountain to the paradise meadows, where we headed out snowshoeing in an overcast day. a few good layers of snow have fallen up in the mountains, but the ski hill is not open yet so it was quiet and we were alone for our walk.



it didn't take long for a whiskey jack to come and say hello, and i marvelled at his aerial acrobatics for a moment before he moved on. he landed gracefully in a tree high above me, and then plummeted in a dive straight down so that i thought he would head right into the snow. at the last moment he pulled up and alighted on this little tree in front of me, posing for his portrait. later on i heard a raven croaking across the meadow, and saw little birds flitting above us and the telltale "chick-a-dee-dee-dee" of those little ones.



it felt good to escape up into the world of white, even if winter hasn't made it's way to us at sea level just yet. down here it is damp and chilly, rain making regular appearances and piles of leaves rotting back into the ground. it's not our most scenic time of year. but up in the hills it's clean and pure with the snow. a rough trail had been stamped through on top of the regular boardwalk that was hidden underneath, but the meadows around us were mostly untouched.



i found myself concentrating a bit on the stark scenes that are created by the snow, focusing on the shapes and simple vignettes rather than the bigger view around us. the lakes were frozen over and some of the creeks, but moving water could be heard and seen here and there, sinewy black shapes moving through the winter wonderland.





i'm kind of hoping for a white winter around here. how do you feel about the snow?

the big bad wolf

except he's not all that big. and not really so bad, just perhaps a bit mischievous; more of a "bad boy" than really bad. but he is a grey wolf, pausing for a moment between slipping soundlessly through the forest with his pack. wolves are one of the more elusive creatures to be found in the woods of the island and beyond. those who have seen one are lucky i think, and unfortunately i am not one of them. some day, i hope. for now i have this guy to look at, or at least as long as he lasts in the shop.

he is hand stitched from cotton fleece (reverse side out to make him extra soft) and corduroy. stuffed with locally sourced raw wool, and embellished with more of along his neck and face, along with merino wool yarn and embroidery thread.

hope you are having a quiet and contemplative remembrance day. we went to the ceremonies at the cenotaph this morning. dark clouds were racing across the sky, and the crowd was tucked against the steady rain and gusts of wind. there was a large group despite the weather, young and old. the weather seems to have cleared a bit now, and although i didn't make it out exploring today, i hope to venture out with camera in hand tomorrow. unexpectedly i have a four day weekend (tomorrow is not a holiday but the boss said to take it if i wanted), so i plan to get lots of outside and inside time. i've got several projects on the go which i hope to share with you soon.

autumn yellow knitting on a sunday

yesterday was a quiet one at home. i spent most of the morning hunched over my work table (aka the dining table) working on a couple of projects. one of those was these socks, in a saturated yellow that reminds me of the maple leaves outside. this is the interlocking leaves pattern, free from knitty. i've been wanting to make it for awhile, but hadn't decided on a yarn. meanwhile, i've had this yarn from trish at indigo moon for awhile as well. so finally the two have met, and i'm thinking it's a perfect match. i'm already much farther along than shows in these photos.



while working away, i heard the raucus cackling of a stellar's jay outside, and i peered out to see this handsome fellow flitting around. they are lovely to look at, but i don't much enjoy the way they assert themselves so strongly over the little birds trying to get at the feeder. poor little juncos and chickadees dart off into the nearby trees to wait until he leaves. he does have me thinking about stitching a jay up in cloth though, a layered assortment of black and blue.



i'm also thinking about adding some 8x10 prints of some of my nature shots into my shop, some scenery of the wild west coast that i love so much. i'll keep you posted. hope you are easing into the new week - i personally am not looking forward to how it will be nearly dark when i leave work now. we also had our first frost this morning - winter's on its way!

more woods wandering, and shop update

i'm sitting in "my spot" at the dining room table by the window, watching a varied thrush perched in the tree outside. the clouds are dark and threatening rain, and the fir trees are swaying just a little bit. i'm glad i got out for a walk a bit earlier, so now i can be cozy inside, enjoying some leftover potato leek soup (with bacon, yum!). for dinner tonight i'm eyeing up heidi's new winter pasta recipe, with the fresh kale and collards i picked up at the farmers market this morning. easing into november seems easier with homey winter meals to warm me up.



through the woods earlier, quiet and still. mushrooms are everywhere, big and small, clinging to every surface. i think the chanterelle season must be waning here though, or at least where i have been looking. i did find a medium cauliflower mushroom that i brought home, to be fried up with some butter later.



these coral mushrooms are some of my favourites. there are pale grey and yellow ones, but i like the bright orange the best. it really does look like someone has transported some coral from the sea up here in to the mossy woods.



the forest seemed more still than usual. no squirrels trilling away, and only the rare bird call. the background white noise was strong though, as the river was flowing full and quickly over the falls. a hairy woodpecker did swoop by to say hello though, pausing on a trunk just in front of me before flitting off, not giving me the chance to raise my camera.



A couple of new items in the Fog and Swell shop today. I stitched another rock similar to the acorn barnacle rocks, but this time made a sea star clinging firmly to it, surrounded by a few smaller barnacles. i like the size of this one, it feels good in the palm of my hand. It's available here, or you can still get hanging ochre star ornaments too. i've also been happily making mussels, enjoying building their layers of blue in linen, cotton and silk. there is a set of 3 available, which i like perched in a bowl for display. i think they might also make neat ornaments, so the option to have a hanging loop attached is available too.

saving daylight...

...before daylight savings ends this weekend.



i made sure to get out on a walk today, knowing it could be the last clear evening before we change the clocks back and it's too dark to go out after work. i can't believe it's november and we haven't had a frost yet, although days like this are certainly crisp. i would almost think there would be a frost tonight, but clouds are supposed to move in before morning.



the sun seemed quite high in the sky as i was driving home, but once out walking it sunk quickly through the trees. i had to be fast with my camera to catch glimpses of light where i could.



this little creek was moving quickly down through the ravine, before joining the bigger river below it.



the river was fast flowing below my perch on the trail winding through the woods about a 100 feet above the water. i saw one fisherman in the water just off a bank where the river swings around a corner. lower on the river more fisherman are to be found, trying their luck with the late season salmon still trying to move upstream.





hope you are enjoying some fresh air too, whether you still have the bright colours of fall or if winter might be already setting in (or spring if you are down south!). the mountains here are boasting fresh coats of snow, and will only get whiter as the days continue. november already? the days move so quickly, especially when they are so short.

preparing for flight...

just a little peak at my newest creature. a pair of wings in brown and white to help him soar.

weekending*...

just a few shots from this weekend. first a walk with family out to elk falls, through the forest of massive douglas fir and cedar trees down to the viewpoint.



the river above the falls has still pools here and there, but the rocks are slick and the falls so close, so it's always good to pay attention. not a place you want to lose your footing and end up in the river. peaceful amongst the trees, with the rain just starting to fall. later in the evening it came up quite strongly, with lots of rain.



this morning again dawned clear and bright, and so A and i headed out for a quick walk before another system moved in. even as we walked through the trees we could hear the wind beginning to gust through the treetops and the blue sky quickly disappeared. there were lots of mushrooms to be found everywhere we looked, but no chanterelles today. we glimpsed some mushroom hunters with buckets far off through the trees, but we don't know if they were having any more luck than us.



home again now as the sky continues to darken and the wind picks up. another storm tonight they say, strong winds and lots more rain. unfortunate for the trick-or-treaters, but seems fitting weather for a spooky night and the ushering in of november. i think i will go make myself a cup of tea, and settle in with my stitching (on an owl - also fitting for halloween!).

(as always, more pics over on flickr.)

* borrowing a phrase from amanda.

a new toque for A...

after finishing the elk, which tested my sewing dexterity and made me wish for more hands more than a few times, i needed something mindless for a couple of nights. enter a new hat for the man. i pulled out some noro silk garden from the stash, and set to work on what i initially intended to be a simple 4x1 cable toque. but it turns out i needed something just a slight bit more than mindless, but not much more.



enter the spiral cable toque. this hat starts out as 4x1 cables, but then starts a set of double cables at three points on the hat which slowly spiral upward. i think it adds a bit of interest while still being a subtle detail. i love a good cable, but i didn't want something too busy that would compete or get lost with the natural striping of the noro, as i tend to dislike extensive patterning (cables, lace) with variegated yarn.

A has more hats than just about anyone i know, and he would be happy to have a different one for every day of the month. in the colder months he is sure to wear a toque almost every single day (and in the summer he incorporates a similar tactic with baseball caps - one would think he might be balding, but no sign of that so far). so he benefits well from a partner who likes to knit, and i suppose in turn i benefit from a partner who i know appreciates my knits. this silky hat is his first new one of this cold weather season, but i'm sure there will be more. (slight tangent - there's already been much discussion about his new blue jacket arriving soon, and which of his old hats will match it and what new hat(s) might need to be made. i'm hoping this one will work too. who knew a boy could be so concerned about colour coordination?)

i've had a couple of requests on ravelry for a pattern for this, and i think i might try and put one together. the hat has a pretty simple construction, but i think the decreases could be a little cleaner than what i worked out on the fly. will keep you updated. oh, and because i'm too lazy to include them here, full details on the hat can be found on my rav project page.

respite

i guess i shouldn't have been so quick to lament november's coming arrival. the day brightened up slightly in the afternoon allowing me time for a quick walk after work. in the waning light i tromped through the trees, my feet quiet on a thick bed of maple leaves. the creek rushed by and the steady hooting of an owl far off in the trees reminded me that halloween is just around the corner. bundled in my thick sweater i returned home with rosy cheeks and a chilly nose, my head a bit cleared. happy october to you!

wet days...and an elk!

it's rapidly turning into november around here. i don't mean this just by what it says on the calendar, but also by what mother nature is throwing at us outside. i'll be honest and say that november is my least favourite month of the year. i enjoy the wild southeaster storms that blow through here much of the darker half of the year, and enjoying rainy days go with the territory of living on vancouver island. but there's something about november that seems to signal 30 straight days of gloom, with nary a spot of blue sky to be seen. i'm sure this isn't actually the case, but it does have a bit of reputation. today is certainly one of those days, despite it still saying october in the date book.

november's seemingly grey days may seem even more intolerable as they are the shoulder days in between seasons. the snow is only starting to appear intermittently on the mountain tops, and the ski hill won't open until mid december. with few breaks in the rain, and increasingly shorter periods of daylight, there is little chance to venture outside and explore by foot or bike through the mud. this is when my general nature to be a hermit seems encouraged by the elements outside.



but (and a cute butt, see above), i am not the only one finding shelter for the winter. the roosevelt elk of the island tend to migrate into the forested lowlands at this time of year, to escape the coming snow and forage for food where greenery can still be found. and so i decided to make this little guy (although he might be happier in a cozy home than in the wet forest!).

this roosevelt elk is hand stitched from some donegal tweed from a reclaimed garment, with an underside of washing linen. i stuffed him with local raw wool, and then embellished him with silk noile bum (gotta love the white rear ends of elk), and cotton fleece to give him his thick neck ruff. his head is topped off with some antlers constructed from silk shantung. can we all just agree that antlers are a big pain? this is not to say they aren't interesting to make, and i'm happy with the result, but working with those little pieces definitely tests my dexterity (and my patience). i'm learning a lot more with each animal i make, about hand stitching, about body construction and materials, and an even greater appreciation for the creatures that surround me on this island.

he's in the Fog and Swell shop now.

as a footnote - and i'm not sure if i've already mentioned it before - but in my goal for reusing materials i've been given a great source for scraps of high end fabrics. years ago when my sister had her wedding dress made by a dressmaker, she discovered the woman had endless piles of scraps from the dresses and garments she made. all these little pieces of silk, satin, lace, cotton, linen and so on had no use for her. and so every once in a while my sister brings me a bag of scraps to pore through, and salvage little treasured pieces to use. i'm so happy to make use of these little pieces here and there, and you can see above that some of these pieces were used in the elk's antlers.

cooking and crafting...

i'm all for a crisp fall day, but there's something to be said for a day like today as well. a storm is brewing outside, and it feels dark for 3 o'clock. wisps of smoke are curling from the neighbour's chimney. here inside it is quiet as i'm all by myself for a bit, and the kitchen is warm with the oven full of autumnal treats. i'm baking some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and also roasting a butternut squash to make soup for dinner, and some yams to make sweet potato biscuits to go with the soup. i think A's picking up a movie on the way home for a cozy night in.



i've put a few new items in the Fog and Swell shop, some hanging ornaments with a bit of west coast style. i made some ochre stars and a couple of seashells, from wool and silk, respectively. i am working on some bigger pieces, but it's fun to make the small pieces in little batches. i hope to put together a few more as the holidays approach.

today i'm knitting a cozy toque for a friend, a bit of colour work in brown and aqua. seems a good task while enjoying the indoors today. what are you doing for the weekend?

mountain high...

i woke up this morning to crisp blue skies, and knew i wanted to go to the mountains. a chest cough and stuffed nose seemed to preclude any real exertion, so i planned for a sub alpine walk instead. a half hour's drive and i was at the local ski hill, which also offers easy access to the east side of strathcona provincial park. paradise meadows is the start of trails into the remote backcountry, but also has some shorter loop trails to explore the sub alpine environment. i obviously wasn't the only one with this idea on a gorgeous october day, as the parking lot was packed. i rarely venture up to this little corner except when the hills are blanketed with white and i'm ready to strap on my snowboard, but i was happily rewarded with beautiful fall colours across the meadows. i always forget that it's here, that within such a short drive i can go from sea level to over 1,100 m (3,600 ft), without all the legwork (although there are days for that too).





even with the sun shining bright, it was colder up in the mountains, and any spot not yet touched by the light showed a dust of frost. a skim of ice across the small lakes and creeks reminded me that winter is just around the corner, and it won't be long at all until there is snow up there and not just on the higher peaks.



i explored up the trails to battleship lake and back, wishing in fact that my chest wasn't aching, and that i'd brought more suitable hiking clothes and a snack, so that i could venture further into the alpine. but today wasn't the day for that, and that was okay.





on my way back i paused at a bridge to change camera lenses, and sure enough, a couple of whiskeyjacks (grey jays) came to visit. they abandoned me quickly upon realizing i had no food to share, but it always enchants me how comfortable they are moving well within reach of my hands, hoping to sneak a treat. there were other small birds flitting through the trees, and many squirrels trilling away as i moved along.





now home again with the light fading, i think it's time for another warm mug of tea, and to curl up on the couch with my stitching.