Shortest Day of the Year

Yesterday was one of my sons' birthdays and he turned 41.

Today the winter solstice is upon us. I look forward to tomorrow when the days are noticeably longer and from what I just read we have a full moon happening too, so the night sky will be bright.

Having a full moon and the winter solstice so close won't occur again for another eleven years. Where will I be then and what will I be doing?

Well for sure I won't be taking on any new things to do in my spare time. In my next breath I have to say what spare time?

It has been a very busy year with full time work, family visiting and finding our way around the island in just our end of the island.

Right now I should be out in the barn studio plugging up holes so I can get it all primed and painted before the new floor goes in. There really is a lot of work to do yet, but once it's done then I can get out from under the extra things I have in my 8X8 house studio.

I will have the Varpapuu and Thought Products Cassandra looms outside while the Glimakra standard stays in the house. My small Lervad loom is in here at the moment. The Glimakra loom has hand towels on it. Two shades of green in a Taquete pattern.

I still continue my knitting with a couple of Icelandic sweaters lined up in queue with a Fair Isle sweater. When those are done next will be a Norwegian sweater.

Merry Christmas to all.

More in 2019.

Life in PEI After Almost a Year

Here we are in our little house by the sea, our dog Joey at my side as I write. It has been a lovely day-very warm, sunny, dry as in no rain for a few days and actually quite humid. Joey and I were out watering the flowers, new plum tree and veggie garden in the early evening.

We could hear the crows conversing across the way at Winsloe House mixed with the voices of children staying at the guest house. The wind was calm with the little breeze causing our Canadian flag to wave gently as I sat and knit on socks for Warren at the patio table on our front porch and watched cars go by. The Islander neighbours waving and the tourists just driving by.

I promised myself I would be painting here in PEI and I can say I am living up to my promise. Before I came outside I took time to glue down a watercolour onto a prepared board and box frame. This is a country scene of a barn up the road a bit.

I have a new acrylic painting hanging in the kitchen picturing our house and barn.

Another one of the same house nestled in some trees as seen from the edge of the field beside us ready for another box frame.

Time to get going on the next one. This time I'm thinking it might be a watercolour of a plant in the garden. I'm not fully committed to that idea yet.

The watercolours are not being put behind glass; not for now at least. I'm exploring alternate ways of preservation. 1. Fixing with a UVLS spray and then rubbing on Gamblins cold wax medium.  2. Fixing with a UVLS spray and then varnishing with Kamar Varnish. 3. Fixing with a UVLS spray and then painting on Minwax Polyacrylic Finish. All are being displayed on box frames which lay flat to the wall.

I purchased a high end Logan mat cutter. I just need to locate mat board. Art supplies are best ordered online. The art supply stores are not good here. There is Michaels and a small art gallery that gives lesson through the winter in Charlottetown which is 45 minutes away-neither with much of a selection.

I am working full time at Belfast Mini Mills, so though I really enjoy working there, my time to paint, spin and weave is very limited. I meet all kinds of fibre loving people and it is a really a great pleasure to be working there. I work with wonderful people.

We have had family visiting start a couple of weeks ago and it will continue for the summer. Now to get my hubby over the flu he has before more visiting starts.

Lervad Manual

Hello again.
I've been busy with a new job. Yes I found something wonderful to do and now I am working full time again... and I really like it... a lot!

And I have been brushing up on my water colour painting which I set aside to become a Master Spinner for a few years. Well I'm back at it!! I'm very happy to say I haven't lost it.

I will be painting a lot, and selling them with a mat and a backing - no frame.

I had an inquiry last night from a lady in Belgium, I believe, who is in search of a manual for a Lervad loom. I have both a Lervad loom and a manual, though it is in the Danish language, as that is where the loom originated.

I'm happy to share it with anyone who needs it. I will attempt to have it on the blog here if possible, but it seems I am unable to do that. So if you need a copy, just email me.

Enjoy! and I hope it helps someone. If anyone translates it into English, please get back to me. Thanks.

Kitchen Work Area Finished

Progress in the kitchen:
Before --

 

 

 

 

Kitchen Before

After --

Work Area After

And now the other part of the kitchen is in progress --

With Primer. One coat. The wood is still showing.

Primed and taped. No flash on this one.

First thing tomorrow is another coat of primer, then later in the day I get to the fun part -- the actual paint. It's called 'Tradewind'. The color is by Sherwin Williams, but I had it color matched at my local hardware in town. Pearl finish. Light Reflective Value (LRV) is 61.

Why So Long Between Posts?

Christmas and New Year's Day have come and gone in our new home. Winter is wearing on, the days have more daylight again and I am as busy as ever.

The work part of the kitchen is in a controlled uproar with painting in progress. The project has been divided into four or five sub projects so I don't get overwhelmed with all of the work to do. I only have so much energy at my disposal.

I have the ceiling almost finished-I thought two coats of white over a darkish yellow would be enough, but no, one more layer is needed. The first section of the cupboard painting has the upper base ready for the doors. The inside of the five doors are finished. Tomorrow I will get two coats of  paint on the outside of the doors, let them dry overnight, then attach the clean hardware and remount the doors to the base cupboards. The idea of doing the kitchen in mini projects is to be encouraged by the finished look of the cupboards in each section that I can quickly go on to the next part of the project. So bit by bit and it will be completed.

Before

A little peak during redo. New paint surrounding window is nice and bright.

Old dark finish. White is primer.

 
Knitting this week...

I finished a sweater cardigan last week in which I used Briggs & Little yarn that I have had in my stash for a few years now. In its previous incarnation, I had been knitting a seamless sweater in a quite tight gauge and had been unsure whether or not I really liked it. Turns out I really didn't, so I frogged it back and decided to adopt a pattern from a Craftsy class to better suit my measurements. I used a rather close fit for the ease allowance. It was not the fit I am comfortable with, so I modified it.

Rather than rip it all out, I used a contrasting colour for the button band and the insert described next. I opened the side seams of the body and also the entire underarm. Eight stitches were made up in a rib strip of fabric, also in the contrasting colour, that went the length of the entire side seam from beginning of rib at the bottom of the sweater to the cuff. Then I sewed it into the sweater. I should also mention the sleeve part of the insert was knit in yarn to match the sleeve colour not the contrast colour.

Better pic coming after buttons are on.

The yarn used for the insert is identical yarn, but I dyed it using a percentage acid dye and it is a deep tone of violet. The colour of the sweater is not one I am particularly fond of either, so it just might change colour at some point with a weak acid dye.

Then I looked at the whole sweater and thought this is such a dull colour that it still needs a little accent so I added an afterthought pocket. I again used the contrasting coloured yarn for pocket trim and pocket lining. At the knitting store I picked up some buttons to match the sweater. Hope I have time tomorrow to sew them on. I need the sweater to be complete.

Sweater is completed

Knitting group at Knits and Notes...

Every Wednesday, weather permitting, I go to the knitting group in Montague at the Knits and Notes Store. The owner, Troy, hosts the group in a room at the store and someone brings goodies and we sit around and gab and drink tea and coffee while we knit on our projects. It was a lively group this morning and lots of fun despite having to frog a few rows of lace work in my new red sweater.

After knitting ended, my friend Linda and I headed over to Belfast Mini Mills and we browsed the store for weaving yarns and roving. The weather was good and the roads were freshly sanded and salted for the drive. We had a little chat with owners Linda and Hazel, then headed home. I love that store!

Water Colour Painting Class...

Tuesday evenings, if the weather is clear, I go to the library in Murray Harbour for a painting class with Mel Giddings. Mel is a local artist, who has kindly consented to share his knowledge of water colour painting to teach a class at our local library.

I have committed to bring painting back into my life and this is a good way to get back into it. For the past few years, with my job taking so much of my energy, I hardly had any time to even think about painting. The class has about ten local people participating, five that I have met before here at my home when I hosted a knit and spin get together around the kitchen table. A really nice evening with another great group of people.

I must organize another knit and spin very soon.

Here is a little portrait of Joey.

And some landscapes.

 That's all for now.