Endless Spring

This feels like a summer of old. I'm impressed with our extended spring. I wish it could be endless and take us right back into fall. ;-) We have had rain, and we've had some real cold snaps, almost to frost warning levels. Gene had to go out and scavenge up some more wood to heat the house. There is nothing like having the A/C in the bedroom window and the heat turned on. And this is so much more typical of what our mountain weather should be. I'll take it!

Oh and yesterday, not more than a half a mile up the road, I sighted a cougar on my way down to town. It was early in the morning, around 6:45 a.m. and the cat was heading into a deep ravine where some true old growth timber still stands. There is no mistaking the tawny coloring, the haunch and the very long tail.

The crackle warp on Fiona the wolf pup has been woven off.



 It was a shortish warp.  Four napkins and   a runner for the holiday pile



 and the last of the warp a small dresser scarf for my nightstand.



 I liked the crackle in small doses. Not in my wildest dreams (or nightmares) could I imagine doing a solid crackle piece. Three shuttles in rotation endlessly would send me over the edge, but these small touches were fun, challenging and pretty enough to keep me sane and enjoying the process.



 I am prepping a new warp for Fiona, linen and hemp, white and lime green. For those with a Handwoven magazine collection, the pattern is from Nov/Dec 1992 Textured Mat with Lace Bronson pg 65. It's not a large warp but it is a slow one with the center part being 5 white and 1 lime times 20.

This Tina Givens modified Peplone duster finished off my cut out stash.



 The linen was originally from Mood fabric in NYC, brought in to Fabric of Vision last summer after a trip there.



I grabbed 3 yards the moment it hit the floor. It was a dream to sew and a dream to wear especially for our cool days up here. I spent my sewing time this past week filling my buckets up again with cut patterns. I gathered some of the smaller yardages for cami's, cut two at a time. A couple of left over linen fabrics for cropped Peplone jackets, a nifty fall weight Esme in two fabrics. This fabric was one of them, I think I had shy of 3 yards but it was an end of the bolt purchase on 75% off and had this blemish right across what was left.



 I managed to work around it. There is also a crossover T using an interesting border print and a deep cherry red/burgundy pair of linen pants.

I found some nice hot weather lettuce starts that I'll throw into the little garden, tuck them under the growing tomato plants. The flower garden is doing well but would really like some sustained heat and sun to really bust out.





 The Takilma Gold sunflowers are a show stopper though.



 With luck it will be a warmer ,sunny weekend and give everyone, plant and animal a little boost.

Parting shot: Study in grey.