My first “Water” swap package has been received and feedback was left at Swap Bot. It seems to have been well received, thankfully. I really wish I had taken photographs before sealing up the packets as I really did like some of the pieces and was well pleased with my attempts at needle felting which I included.

To tell the truth, it hurt a bit to part with the felts – I was pleased as Punch with my efforts. That’s the best way, isn’t it? To give away the ones that we like the best and not keep them for ourselves. It leaves room and drive to make some more art.

Talking of making more art – I was keen to get some of my blue prints and Shibori done within the PS3 Water period. It ain’t going to happen, though. Logistics. Like the lack of sun and windless days in Orkney. Actually, my fist challenge will be to find a way of drying my prepared fabric in the dark. I’m not at all sure how I can make that happen.

I might try an ad in the local shops to see if anyone can loan me a UV sun lamp… that would take care of the exposures, but still leaves the dark drying problem to be solved.

Here’s a PS3 Water ATC that I completely forgot to send out. Digital, from an original photograph – prints available on request and I will limit to an edition of 4.

It’s called Sea Fever and that is Mr Plumbum in the shot. Comment below if you want one, or use the form on the Contact page.

I have just received a copy of Papermaking and Bookbinding: Coastal Inspirations by Joanne B Kaar who lives over the Pentland Firth from me. This book is both more and less than I had hoped/expected – but very inspirational and extremely useful and I am now fired up to do something other than knitting. Perhaps this blog will come to life for a time.

I  have lots of new toys, and plans to send for some further supplies and I shall be blending current pastimes with new ones and seeking some kind of synergistic output. Hah! Sounds good, does it not?

Anyway – at long last I am going to try paper making. I really am. I am poised on the very edge and raring to go. I shall also be trying the paste method of silk paper-making and doing some cyanotype printing (though it’s aimed at fabric rather than paper) and marbling (ditto), and some Shibori indigo dyeing. I shall be quilting for a while, using some of the outputs of these experiments. Then I’d like to return to some book-binding, which I enjoyed very much. I think I see ways of combining all these crafts. Perhaps.

In the meantime… I knit

and I spin – here’s my Project Spectrum “Water” yarn.

Perhaps there is just time to make some blue and purple papers before the end of the month… if I can just get hold of some dyes in time.

This is what kept me busy for much of this weekend. Click to see it at Flickr – my certificate for this year’s Sanday Trowie Festival.

I had fun with this.

The Flickr page describes the project so I won’t repeat that here.

I have just printed them off and guillotined them and they will be presented this afternoon at the Arts Festival and Farmers’ Market.

My beloved arrived home safely yesterday and thus I got my belated packages in the post this morning. By coincidence, both incoming swaps arrived in my mail today too.

This collaged card “inspired by the colors [sic] and movement of water” came from WeBees

and these two indigo-dyed shibori cards came from RChrispy

I particularly love the top one and am inspired to try the technique myself. I have been after an indigo dye kit for some time but didn’t quite know what to do with it. Now I do!

I spent some time Googling Shibori after I received the cards this morning and was particularly taken by these amazing works. I shall be exploring this site later on. My twin sister’s tie-dye grandpa vests of the Sixties never looked anything like this!

[ASIDE: I really miss Grandpa vests. They were the most comfortable thing that I ever wore. My favourite was a turquoise blue one that I dyed with Dylon. I never tried tie-dye, though - that was for arty people like my sis ]

Well, times change and I cannot wait to dye some Shibori cloths and then use them in multi media work or maybe quilts, seeing as how I have to learn to quilt in the coming weeks…

This make me feel better about the quilting. I could never see the point in cutting up loads of tiny pieces of manky patterns and then painfully sewing them all back together again. I mean, where, exactly, is the point in that? Talk about making work for the sake of it! Quilting per se is quite interesting, see for instance the articles by Cassiana at Too Much Wool – such as this one, though I do not stitch myself, and quite frankly have not been in the least bit interested in learning to do so hitherto.

BUT…

I begin to see the attraction now that I have these two ATCs in my hand. Blue and white, not loads of colour – just blue and white… with patterns created by me, and by the random grace of Nature herself. I imagine, at this stage at least, that I would want to quilt not to a set pattern but use the dyed patterns to inform the stitch lines instead.

I don’t know if I shall have time – but I think I’d like to do this. I’d like to dye some Shibori in time for my piecing lessons. There is a… a… a something… forming mistily in my mind.

It feels more like Art and far less depressing than patchwork quilting

And perhaps, if I can find a source of Grandpa vests… I might just have my own Sixties revival.

Once again, I have packed up my ATC swap packages and forgotten to photograph the contents. A pity, because I quite liked some of these…

I have been in the workroom and trying to make ATCs for the current PS3 “Water” swap. I actually made a couple that I quite like! There are a few days left in which to have more attempts, but I have some work to do and don’t know how much more time I can find.

In fact,  this blog (and others) are going on a sabbatical. I have a job of work to do that will involve a lot of keyboard time and I need to reserve all useful arm time for that. No spinning, no knitting, no blogging, no email – just screen shots and typing. I’ll be back when I am done.

Maybe.

I am contemplating the demise of Demiurge – there is little activity here and I may need to rationalise my efforts soon.

Speak up if you think this space worth saving. I’ll hear you.

Playing with some ideas ready for the ATC swap for PS3 “Water”

The image came from play, and the quotation from a search for Water quotes.

Between earth and earth’s atmosphere, the amount of water remains constant; there is never a drop more, never a drop less. This is a story of circular infinity, of a planet birthing itself.

- Linda Hogan, “Northern Lights,” Autumn 1990

I will most likely print this as a postcard an enclose with my swaps – it doesn’t feel right for an ATC and I think it would lose something by cropping to ATC dimensions.

Image created in PS and further edited in PSP.

Today I had a meeting to go to. After being closeted in a more than intense relationship with my PC for the last couple of weeks, I decided that I needed to go on my bicycle.

I am so pleased that I did!

The weather was Ok, nothing to write home about, slightly damp at times, some hazy sun, enough wind to make pedalling difficult when the wind was against me… which meant that it was a slow ride, and all the better for that. I had time to take in the fresh air, the light, and the flush of wild flowers. I saw the Irises beginning to bloom, noticed the drifts of Thrift on the margins of the Peedie Sea, spotted the purple Orchids in the fields by the road… glorious!

The vast majority of the wild flowers here seem to be yellow: dandelions, buttercups, marsh marigolds, flag iris, something-as-yet-unidentified (by me, at least) that grows everywhere by the edge of the sand… Every shade of yellow imaginable, in huge drifts everywhere you look.

I certainly picked up some inspiration for PS3 “Air” while I was out.

It is impossible for me to go out on my bike and not come home feeling exhilarated and happy. This is such a gorgeous island.

I feel refreshed, regenerated, and a little distressed. Distressed? Just before I went out, I found one of these in my front garden, flapping around. I picked it up, to find that it had but one wing – the other having been torn right off, poor thing. I found a nice dark box to keep it safely in and I rang our Ranger for advice. He said that he would come round and pick it up and dispatch it for me, if necessary.

It was a beautiful bird, and really gentle.

The Ranger found the bird to be in generally good condition other than its injury and hoped to save it. He tried to find somebody to care for it but a lethal injection was advised.

The theory is that it hit a power line.

So that’s today: fresh air, things of the air, and Air theme colour yellow.

Not a very crafty post, but that’s the way it is sometimes. Perhaps I’ll make a little piece and dedicate it to the former Arctic Skua that both distressed and delighted me and made me feel just a little privileged to be able to handle it.

We took the dogs in the bay last evening. I hesitated on the way out of the door – should I take a camera or not? In the end, I left my cameras behind and took charge of the pup – leaving Mr L to the important task of giving the new camcorder its first outing.

I wish that I had taken a camera, though – the beach was covered in fascinating weeds of every green and brown hue you might imagine possible – so much variety of shape and texture and colour, everywhere that I looked. Perfect colours for PS3 Earth – even if they were all very much in and of the Water!

I may try to get out this evening and take a camera with me, though the tide may be a little late for the light.

Once the iMac turns up and we get to grips with the editing suite, I may post some footage of the dogs on the beach. There were Terns last night, too. Even if we didn’t successfully capture them on camera, we are certain to have grabbed the audio – they do screech, so!

I blogged the incoming yarn balls from the Swap-Bot swap over at Woolgathering – it seemed appropriate to show the photos there.

Completed the packing of the PS3 “Earth” ATC swap this afternoon and will just squeak under the wire with them if I get them to the post office tomorrow.

Starting to make headway on the mess in my workroom but not much chance of making space to work in for a few days yet.