Post 531Bags, Books, Birds and Braid

 

This little honeyeater has been zooming in and out of my balcony all week, attracted, it seems, mainly to the pink flowers. It spends a few seconds gathering (I assume) nectar, checks out a couple of other pots, before flying off.  I have no proof it is the same bird, but that's my working hypothesis.

There has also been a flock of white ibis feeding in the Square each day. I know they are colloquially known as bin chickens, but they have been nowhere near the bins and seem to be finding what they need in the grass.

 

WES Group on Wednesday was fabulous. Janet, who is a weaver more than an embroiderer, talked to us about Japanese braiding, backed up by an astonishing selection from her private collection of kimono, obis, silk panels and bolts as well as braids. She even brought along a marudai and demonstrated.

The box of braids on the right are some Janet has made herself.

There was a buzz in the room as people examined, commented, questioned - and tried braiding using threaded Kumihimo disks Janet had brought along, already  up. I was pleased to  grab lunch and debrief with a friend afterwards - I was on such a high. 

Back at home I had a parcel bonanza . The bags I had had printed as an experiment, using photos of the embroidered version, were waiting at the Post Office. I was delighted with them.  They are robust and clear. Interestingly, the photograph prints differently on the back and front (the white photo background is retained on the right, but not on the left). I prefer the left, but, hey, I'm not complaining. It was good enough for me to go ahead and order some for my Early Women of Books bag. I've written the project up in my embroidery blog. A second parcel is part of a gift for a friend, so remains a secret for the moment.

The third was from Shetland, a book and a Knotted Basket Kit. The book was the prompt for the order, but I couldn't resist the kit when it didn't add to the postage. I think tackling it  requires a friend and a pot of coffee! 

The bonanza continued on Thursday and Friday.  Thursday brought another book in the Early Books theme. Not to everyone's taste, I admit, but when you're on a good thing....

Friday, however, was the most exciting. The pants I had ordered as part of my ArteOtomi binge arrived. I knew when I ordered them, that I would need to alter them. They are wrap-around and I was expecting to have to let out the waist by moving buttons. I tried them on as soon as they arrived. The design is interesting, The front and back are separated above the legs. The back wraps around at the waist with long strap extensions that button in the front. The front has very long straps which wrap around the back, returning to tie in the front. To my surprise I had to move the buttons to tighten, not loosen, the waist. I could do with a bit more length from waist to crutch, but it isn't uncomfortable.

The other adjustment was leg length. I made a 7cm tuck above the embroidery - leaving the fold on the inside. I think one leg is marginally longer (or I'm lopsided!) but I'm not going to redo it. They are surprisingly comfortable, and they have pockets! However, for visiting the bathroom, I’ll take jeans any day!

Saturday zipped past catching up on some overdue proofreading for my brother. Sunday morning was Book Club in a Norwood cafe. We have been looking for a new cafe to meet in since our original one was consumed in a major redevelopment. While parking on Sunday was good,  noise levels weren’t, largely thanks to hoons in cars, so we’re back to meeting in homes. We still had a great discussion and sharing of books. I'm glad I read No 4 in the Jack Hawkesworth series, rather than No 5 which was set. Crime in reproductive medicine interests me more than crime in sport!

On Sunday evening Katherine was made a lay canon of the cathedral in a fairly simple service. Wow! I’m very proud of the title mother-of-the-canon bestowed on me by one of her local parishioners on the way into the cathedral! 

Anglican Canons are appointed to a cathedral, part of the Cathedral Chapter consisting of clergy and lay people appointed from the Cathedral and across the Diocese to foster the work of the Cathedral in its mission as the mother church of the Diocese, to provide advice to the Bishop and Dean in regard to the mission of the cathedral in the City of Adelaide, and the Province, and the State of South Australia; and to encourage support for the maintenance of the fabric of the Cathedral.

Niamh is now in Indonesia on a school trip. I do hope she is enjoying the experience, practising her Bahasa and having fun.  There was no Monday dinner at my place this week given school holidays. Veronica and I are headed up to Aptos Cruz later in the week for an adventure, but in the meantime she is studying and working.  I’ve made a huge pot of soup to keep me going.

I spent much of Monday finishing the latest Amanda Hampson, which began, I thought, slowly, but finished really well. Set in Sydney in 1965, this transported me back to the world of my adolescence.  My mother worked at the Qantas staff canteen at Mascot airport, which was eventually closed in favour of outsourced catering. I knew these women.

I'm now back to reading The Bone Chests.

I have finally finished the first 80 rows of the cardigan I am knitting and now begin repeating them. On the measurements, another 40 rows should take me to the sleeve decrease, so I am on it.

I've also cut some linen printed with flannel flowers to make two more tote bags.  I have a metre of each fabric, from Ink and Spindle. Each metre will make 4 tote bags with plain linen sides, base and lining.     

The linen is beautiful in its own right, so I’m not planning to colour it in with thread, just embroider the centres of the flowers to add texture.I wasn’t aware that one flannel flower variety has a pink tinge and pink centres. 

 They are one of my favourite flowers, but I’ve only ever seen the conventional white with green centres. I thought the pink would work well on the cinnamon colourway. I think I was right. 

I reckon it only needs one embroidered centre on each side of the cinnamon coloured bag.

Today on the way to Aquafit, I  dashed to Dymocks bookshop, a few blocks out of my way, to buy a copy of the first in a series I read about in The Guardian yesterday. The second and third are about to be released so I thought I’d test out No.1. I got the only copy in the shop and made it to AquaFit in time. Back home and showered, I sat on the back balcony with soup and began reading. The doves were idly curious, but not interested in the narrative, which, so far, is engrossing. I am at page 120 and the murder has now happened. When I post this I will keep reading.

It is the time of year when it's pleasant sitting in the sun, following it from the back to the front of the apartment. While I check the plants, they don't need the intense watering of a month or two ago. Electricity bills are down too. 

I got news today that my GP of some 20 years is retiring. As a result, the practice is merging with another and a 2009 medical graduate is taking over her patients. I like my GP, but she has the right to retire and the merger sounds positive. I'll know more after my next appointment in May.

Change is unsettling. I'll stick to my stitching and reading while observing the birds.

Post 510 Busy and Blessed

It's been a busy, lots to do, running around, kind of week - and no sign of it letting up! For the first time, I have deferred other pressing commitments to write this post! There are wind-up events, exams, visits, appointments galore - and the Adelaide 500 car race diverting traffic and blocking off city streets. 

The December WES meeting involves Margaret M and I putting together some examples and information about (mainly) Shetland knitting. It's crunch time for this, so I have been working up an example as well as working my way through my numerous books on the topic, to prepare a summary. I enjoy this, but it is time-consuming. On the weekend I finished the Shetland Wool Week hat in the Jamieson and Smith wool. To link the technique to embroidery, I am working the same chart in cross-stitch. I'm in the process of writing this up in my embroidery blog, so will make do here with a photo of the finished hat. Margaret and I get together tomorrow to organise our presentation.

The basket in the background is one I bought at Gallery M, which I managed to visit last Friday to see the Hand Spinners and Weavers exhibition of braids, Knot just Braids, which finished on Saturday. 

I am so pleased I managed to get there. It was a fabulous exhibition. Janet, a member of WES Group, had a series of Kimono cords, each attached to a spectacular kimono - a very clever idea.      The signature piece of the exhibition was a screen of cords made by individual members of the Guild.                                                                                

The work was diverse. I loved the braided pots - and the drawstring bag.

The final JEMS meeting for the year was on Saturday, with the usual shared food celebration. It's been a good year for JEMS. The group is strong, the atmosphere relaxed, the projects tailored to individual interests and needs.         

Sunday was the Guild's pre-Christmas Market Day. I managed to pick up a few more plants and one of the DMC Motifs booklets. The latter series is always useful for ideas. 

I broke up the large spider plant I bought and added the pieces to my wall garden where they will provide coverage. 

The snake plant has nicely rounded out my indoor window stands. The older one, on the right, needs repotting, as do a few of my plants. Maybe next week.

Unfortunately one small cactus left quite a few prickles in my hands as I placed it in the car. Magnifiers and tweezers seem to have finally removed them.

The 3 year-old jacarandas outside my apartment are coming along, one (right) has a very definite lean - over the road and a parking spot. While the shade is good, it might need a judicious prune before it gets much bigger.   

Speaking of parking, there were loud noises from the street on Thursday night, just after dark. It sounded like an aggressive car alarm. When I eventually went to look (at the end of Would I Lie to You) there was a tow truck trying to pick up a parked car (the leaning jacaranda is in the foreground). The process took about 40 minutes. 

The single tow-truck operator made incremental adjustments to his tray, the car and his ropes, while clearly trying to reassure the distraught car driver. It was skilled,  physical, work in a confined space -  a drama injected into my life. How many life stories did it feature in, and how very different might the perspectives might be?

I got back to swimming today. I've now managed to shift a few things to clear Tuesdays of appointments, so I can prioritise AquaFit. All clear now until well after Christmas.  It tires me out, but is really great to be back in the water. I have ordered a towelling dress to make the journey home a bit drier.  

Last night's dinner was lamb shanks, beans, broccoli and a new potato and cheese bake. This recipe layers potato slices (no mandolin in sight!) with spring onion, cheese, cream, salt and pepper, with a layer of cheese on top. I suspect roast potatoes are healthier, so I will be a bit sparing in serving this one!

Today the last of my bookmarks arrived. I'm pleased with them - especially the silhouetted birds. I might add some tassels to the jacaranda ones.

Alison is in town later this week for work - and it's her birthday week, so there is much excitement and planning for weekend celebrations. It's like a little miracle. So joyful, and grateful.

I have a couple of beanies to replace for Christmas and finally caved in to the recent offer of Cotton Crush from Bendigo Woollen Mills before it sold out. I've been trying to use up the pastels I have had since my grandchildren were babies. I'm making inroads, but have been yearning for bold colour. Now I've got it. 

A couple more books arrived. This one is for me. It is fascinating. The writer is expert in recording and researching marks carved into the walls of English churches - marks to request help or protection, indicate association, or supplication. I rang an old uni friend as soon as I read the introduction. She's ordered a copy too. 

It's been a hard week - indeed a hard year - in relation to road accidents, with some high profile examples impacting a significant portion of a local population, my own family included. Our Covid numbers are also on the rise. One of my Pilates group has been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and at least one of my neighbours is ailing. There is a lot of sadness to take on board. It is sometimes hard to work that through. 

My optometrist appointment last week resulted in a new spectacle prescription and the continuation of my low-level steroid regimen, which is keeping my eyes healthier and functional.  This blog is one way I nurture my mental health. I recognise my privilege. I  endeavour to use it well - and I count my blessings.