Post 502 A lot about nature

The big event of my week, stitch removal, went smoothly, except that while I had assumed  I could resume Pilates immediately,  the nurse requested another week for fear of disturbing the wound, dislodging the dissolvable stitches which are underneath. I also need to delay my return to swimming. The wounds are still covered, but can get wet.

In lieu of Pilates, I managed a visit to Colleen Morrow's SALA Exhibition at the Hughes Gallery. Colleen is primarily a printmaker, but also a long-term textile and craft collector. She was the convenor to the World Embroidery Study Group before me. Her exhibitions always include opportunity to buy jewellery and textile treasures she has collected on her travels. I managed to resist adding to my own collections, but since Friday was the twins' birthday, I added a couple of necklaces to their gifts - and a couple of containers to put them in. When I got home I had another hard look at my walls, and found a space where I could hang one of Colleen's prints. I went back the next day and bought Two Green Parrots and a Ginger Jar. I have put out a call to my picture hanger, but have a fear he may have retired.

I needed to pick up the print as the exhibition closed,  midday Saturday, when I had planned to be at the Guild's Certificate Course workshop. Fionn was also playing in his team's football final at Campbelltown in the mid-afternoon, all a bit of a squeeze.

In the end I worked around picking up the print, calling at the Guild after I had done so. The roses were putting on a show - and scent- and the cotoneaster is at its best. I'm not so sure about what I assume is mistletoe decorating the palm tree in the adjacent property. It looks good but maybe isn't helping the tree.

Although I willed Fionn on, I missed the football. His team won and he kicked a match-changing goal. The story will be retold for decades to come.                                             

Saturday night dinner was at The Greek to celebrate the twins' 16th birthday. It is such a privilege to be part of their celebration. 

Sunday was Book Club. We found a new venue, after finding, on arrival, that the coffee shop we had booked was closed. More stimulating discussion when we adjourned a couple of blocks away.

Over the weekend I made time to stitch up the 15 Christmas gift bags I had cut out a couple of weeks ago. I needed a little bit more plain  green ribbon to finish the last 3 bags and got that today. They look splendid. 

I also dug out what fabric I had left with motifs for kids - pirates, kangaroos, sheep, chickens and vehicles - and turned it into bags. Someone will use them and I am unlikely to use the fabric otherwise. 

My other project of the week was constructing a needle holder from a used lipstick. The absurd detail is in my embroidery blog (it is, after all, an embroidery tool). As the blog post suggests, this is not the solution to too much plastic.  The process, I suspect, uses too many resources to be justifiable. A couple of friends have suggested easier ways of cleaning out the last lipstick smears.  I have another lipstick almost used up. I might have another try. However,  the really sustainable footprint must be found at source. I will continue to reuse, but try not to buy  products that take forever to break down.

Today my carpets were meant to be cleaned. This involves a lot of preparation on my part. All small furniture and all rugs have to be removed -  quite a lot. These also have to be put back afterwards. My family were going to help remove them after dinner last night. The company that cleaned the carpets last year had inundated me with rebooking calls in June. Eventually I made a booking, via email, for September 26. The rebooking calls continued. I stopped answering.

On Monday I phoned. After several recorded messages I got a person, who knew nothing. His supervisor checked the records and discovered they did have the work allocated, for half an hour later than the original booking. She realised I was annoyed and offered to cancel. I accepted. I will not use them again. There has to be an easier way. I have checked  out the pros and cons of buying a carpet shampooer  and worked out where I could store one.  

This morning, mulling the decision over in my mind as I hung out a blanket I had washed, I heard bird arguments. A noisy miner was trying to discourage a couple of lorikeets from feeding.  No chance. As I grabbed the DSLR, the noisy miner gave up. The lorikeets were well hidden in the leaves. I concentrated on one of them, angling through what gaps I could find in the tree, contorting almost as much as the feeding bird. I took 68 shots, expecting to discard most of them. I ended up keeping 54.

Some of them, like the one below, are interesting for the patterns they form, rather than the bird itself.

There's an art work in there . 

As I convinced myself enough was enough, I noticed a dove on a lower branch, taking a rest from the quarrels of the bird world.  

It woke,  looking a little as if it were contemplating the challenge of bringing peace to the world.

 A drop-off I had promised Veronica was in the same direction, as was Spotlight, so I did a round trip, picking up the ribbon I needed at Spotlight and finally the book in Port Adelaide.       

I'm hoping the book might be of sufficient interest to the World Embroidery Group to make it the basis of a meeting next year.

I decided not to stop off and buy the carpet shampooer on the way home, but I may well buy it later in the week. I suspect cleaning my carpets myself, section by section, over several weeks, might prove less stressful than the big invasive clean. 

The best news came at the end of the afternoon. My Guild friend Margaret has 1) recovered from Covid and 2) mounted the Shetland shawl she has just knitted for a new baby in her extended family, on to the hap stretcher. She managed to fix the wonky screw. She sent me the photo this evening. Isn't it fabulous! It's 1.4 metres square. It is a real treasure and heirloom. Exactly what the hap was made for. So good to see it in use.

As I brought the blanket in, the whole flock of lorikeets were partying in the trees. This time I took 133 photos and kept 48. The shutter speed got longer and longer as the light faded rapidly.

It has been a strange, unpredicted week. I learned a bit about myself, my tolerances, expectations, limitations and priorities.

I can meditate on that while knitting.

Post 291 Productivity - or obsession.

Today was a stitching day. I didn't quite plan the direction it took - but I got carried away. My window cleaners was here before 8.30.  I worked on the sashiko panel while they worked on the windows, and kept going  after they left until it was finished.

 While I was working on it, I was thinking about a gift for a friend I will be seeing tomorrow. We usually exchange presents but she has sent me a card this year and I am not sure if this signals a change in practice. She likes bespoke Christmas tree ornaments so I try to make one for her. I had no good ideas this  year. This morning I found the pattern for a set of tiny Bucilla stockings in cross stitch that I had made years ago. I still had the grid from the recent Certificate Course Workshop on Large Cross Stitch Projects so got the idea of using it to make a tiny stocking for my friend. I thought she'd like one on Joy.

It took me quite a while - several hours. I used DMC Etoile stranded cotton. The sparkle in the thread lends a lift to the embroidery. The word "Joy" is a bit strange. If I were doing it again I'd redesign it.  As it is, I think it's at least indicative. 

It was after 5 pm by the time I finished the cross stitch. I fortunately had the cardboard, template and felt backing stored with the pattern, so I cut out one cardboard and two felt stockings, then the embroidered aida. I folded the aida over the cardboard with some wadding in between. Reluctantly, I followed the instruction to glue it to the cardboard. I also glued a red felt stocking to the back. This is where the instructions end. The stocking is designed as a hanging ornament only. This seems like a waste to me, so when I made the original set I added another felt stocking to the back to form a proper stocking in which a little gift can be placed.  

It's a tight fit, but a chocolate Santa just fits in. A candy cane would be easier, and look better, but chocolate tastes better - and I have one to hand. A twisted chord finishes it. It looks as good as any I made in the past. The Etoile thread I think.

When I got to empty my mailbox there were several Christmas cards and the book I had ordered on my brother's recommendation. It does look interesting. I now have a pile of books waiting to be read.

As if that wasn't enough stitching productivity for one day, I took a plunge and made a little needle keep to put in one of the pouches I've been making. I was given one of these and have wanted to make some for a while. The base is a wine bottle top or something similar. The advantage is that it is shallow, and needles do not disappear into it. I was hoping to make two, but settled for one today!

While watching Morse tonight I folded the sashiko square from this morning into a pouch and added a zip. Like the last one, I put the zip in by hand. It appears to be strong.

The furthest I've been today is to my letterbox. I'm writing this while Lucy Worseley's 2019 Christmas Carol Odyssey is on TV.  

I want to go to bed but it is really interesting - and the carols are lovely.