Blog

It's still cold here without the occasional warm days. In spite of this, the brave daffodils, tulips, scilla are holding on. Some are even blooming.

Scilla

For the first time in ages, I'm growing sweet peas. Thought they are prefer cool temperatures, I don't think they'd like to be outdoors in 20 degrees and ice.

The sun is so beautiful and srtong in March. I'm always amazed at the way the March sun shows the tiniest details. Sunrise in the plant room is a quiet joy.

I've been working with osage orange sawdust and silk thread. Here the sink is soaking in rinse water.

Here it is hanging to dry in the plant room.

The yellow color seems to deepen in the air.

Snowdrops

Daffodils

Silk, indigo and weld

Everything changes. The morning light is different now.

Determined daffodils

Tulip snouts

 Old and new

Flying north

Daisys' favorite weather!

Icicles on the neighbors' house

Seeds packets and Valentines' cards

Waiting for spring

A little snow and ice fell overnight.

Yesterday I made a path through the mud with old Christmas tree branches. The birds are making their own path of footprints.

Walnut brew left outdoors

Indigo dye project left out overnight

Sweet, furry Daisy seems to like the cool on her tummy.

Finally finished!

 I let distractions keep me way behind schedule.

  Once I finally buckled down, completing the final three was pretty easy.

They'll be early for next year.

It's so cold that I'm restricted to indoor projects. This has put a halt to most indigo dyeing since I can't air any wet textiles outside. They freeze almost instantly, and trying to unpin them from the clothesline is really hard.

Frozen hemp

Right now my outdoor dye-work is limited to hurried picture-taking.

Just when it seemed too cold for anything but cozy indoor projects, an outdoor wonder appeared.

 When the ground is frozen and the world is ice cold, I toss seeds and crumbs to the birds. Today this fine feathered beauty was waiting and watching the festival of sparrows and pigeons from the power lines

 Those feathers!

I think this is a red-tailed hawk.

What surprised me the most was that the birds on the ground didn't seem to mind him at all.  Also that he simply watched them for nearly an hour.

December has been filled with beauty and busy-ness. Happily, I've been able to squeeze in some of my favorite projects, including the dyeing of more silk threads.

After soaking in alum

Indigo

Indigo and weld

Cochineal, madder and indigo

Baby pastels (indgo, madder, weld, walnut)

More madder and cochineal

  Coreopsis flowers, weld and madder

Walnut hulls

Cochineal and madder

Walnut, cochineal and madder

Cochineal and snow