Life gets in the way…

I’m afraid life has got in the way of blogging this week.  It’s also interrupted knitting, sewing and just about everything else!  However, when I got home from work this evening there was a packet on the doormat containing these and that has spurred me to my keyboard…

They are by ‘Pilot’ and they’re called ‘Frixion ball’ and claim to be an erasable rollerball pen which leaves ‘no eraser debris’, requires ‘no chemicals’ and ‘erases cleanly’ just with the use of friction.  I’ve heard that they work well on fabrics.  Don’t worry I shall report back once I’ve had a chance to check out if they live up to the claims!

I also thought I’d share another of my non-crafting photographs.  I do seem to be blogging about photography a lot more than crafting at the moment and I hope no one minds. 

This is part of a flattened out cast of a frieze called Trajan’s Column.  I found it right at the top of the Science Museum in London where it forms a tiny part of the History of Medicine area.  I’m not normally a fan of this sort of thing and often find the faces to be a bit brutish, overly stylised or emotionless.  The man in the centre however caught my eye as being different from those around him.  He seems sad in a sort of resigned way.  The frieze depicts first aid being given to Roman soldiers 1900 years ago, so I guess sad and resigned is rather apt.

Feeling Clever…

Isn’t it amazing how something as easy as copying and pasting html code can make you feel clever.  If I’ve done it correctly then you should now be able to see some snazzy animated photo buttons on the right of my blog which I believe will automatically update themselves over time as I update my smugmug galleries.

So just to really tempt the html code fates I’m going to try and paste them below as well.

Now off to make a cup of tea and tell the dogs all about it.  They will naturally confirm how clever I’ve been in the hopes that it will get them a doggie treat…

It’s a small world

As I type I’m watching the Horizon Special on the earthquake in Japan.  It’s easy to concentrate on the statistics and talk of tectonic plates in an attempt to dehumanise the events.  Sort of concentrate on the science as a way of avoiding some of the human truths.

 

We all live on a planet which forms a single system.  We can do amazing things as a species, more than any other which has evolved on this blue green orb which speeds it’s way through the heavens.

Yet the simply truth is that mother nature can kick our butt with frightening ease.

(photos taken at the Science Museum in London)

The Wild Hare and a Happy Dog

Today I ended up discussing hares with my friend Maytheweed.  We were looking at some art work depicting them and wondering if we should put our hands into our pockets and cough up.

As part of the conversation I commented that while I really liked one of the pieces, I’d rather spend the money on getting one of my hare shots printed up on canvas.  She wasn’t sure which image I was talking about, so here it is.  I just love the tilt of his head.

It’s a wild hare which I photographed last summer in a field in Perthshire, Scotland.  You can find it along with some of my other animal images in my Animal gallery on smugmug.

I love photographing animals and I often take my camera out with me while walking the dogs.  Much to my delight my furry friends don’t get fed up of my lens being pointed at them, which is a good things as I do it a lot.

These two shots were taken in Ipswich during the lovely sunshine last weekend.

Given Jakes broken leg last year I feared he’d never be up to a trip down the woods again.  Seeing him running about certainly brought a tear to my eye.  It’ll be a while longer before I’ll be throwing a ball for him, but he’s running round and enjoying himself.  Seeing him so happy is all the reward I need to erase the memories of all those sleepless nights.

I’ll be quilting again soon…

Recently I made my first quilted items and I love them.  Two quilted cushion covers, they were so much fun.  I made them out of a couple of Charm Square packs bought off the internet, so there was minimal cutting out needed.  Then I found some fat quarters of the same material in a local fabric shop.  So, given how much I enjoyed my first quilting experience, I decided it was time for some online shopping.  I had the material already after all.  But lets be honest, cutting it up into small squares by hand with a pair of scissors simply wasn’t going to be accurate enough.

Result…  I obviously ‘needed’ a cutting mat, rotary cutter and ruler.  Give me a little while and I can usually justify ‘needing’ anything I actually want hehe…

Soon the goodies were on their way via the post and today I picked the last one up from the sorting office.  The A2 cutting mat didn’t want to fit through my letter box for some reason, funny that.

So I suppose I should really decide upon a design and sizing for the runner now before I start playing with my new toys…

Clock of Ages

If you had a clock that was designed to run for 10,000 years what would you call it?  I’d go with the ‘Clock of Ages’.  Well there are plans to build a purely mechanical clock that will run that long and the first prototype can be found in the Science Museum.

It was built by The Long Now Foundation which seeks to promote long term thinking.  As I wandered around the museum last week there were only 4 exhibits I went back to, and this was one.  I’d never heard of it but was attracted to it’s stunning face, that’s what prompted me to wander over to it’s glass case.  I just love beautifully made mechanical things.

I hope they get to build the big version which will be called the ‘Clock of the Long Now’.  Just thinking about it brings to mind all sorts of fantasy and post apocalyptic plots and story lines.  How cool would it be if this clock turned into a sort of Stonehenge for the people of the year 5000……

Fibreholics…

I’ve been looking forward to writing this blog for some time.  I’m joining Fibreholics as a contributor.

You can find out about them on their website.  It’s a way for people to sample many independent dyers at the same time, you simply buy a sample bag of fibre or yarn.  Each bag contains lots of different samples.

The bags become available every 2 months and often sell out fast.  The next round is due out the beginning of April and will contain some Fantasia Yarn.  Or at least it will provided the post man gets them there in time!

These are some of the sample skeins they’re all Ariel sock yarn which is 100% Blue Faced Leicester.  I’ve become rather attached to these little fellows and have taken to referring to them as my baby pet skeins…. Happy to go to new homes, don’t require much in the way of feeding or walkies, just the occasional fondle hehe…

Location 3 – Mistley Towers

Remember I mentioned a third location when I went out Luna Watching?  Well this is it.  Mistley Towers.

I’ve been thinking about photographing it for years.  So while I had all my stuff in the car (including two doggies) for photographing the moon, I decided to make this location number 3.

They originally formed part of a church (St Mary the Virgin) and stood at either side of the front.  Not a standard church design in my experience, especially in this part of the world.  It was designed in 1776 by Robert Adam for Richard Rigby who apparently wanted to turn Mistley into a spa town.  Not entirely sure why as the Essex coast doesn’t say spa town to me, but then I’m living here over 300 years later.

Anyway the towers are now Grade 1 listed and form a well known local landmark about 100m or so from the Mistley Thorn of Mathew Hopkins Witchfinder General fame.  I drive past them on the way to some of the dogs favourite walks but I think they look best at night.

Luna Watching

So did you have a look at the moon last night?  Wasn’t it beautiful!  Just after 6pm I packed the dogs and camera into the car then headed out.  I’d decided upon 3 locations for the evening and started at the one closest to home.  I had to smile when we arrived and I saw someone else with a tripod, obviously with the same plan.

The hope was to get some shots with the moon close to the horizon with the river Stour in the foreground.  WWWWeeeeelllllll it didn’t work.  British Rail (or whoever operates the trains in the local lines) simply didn’t play ball, between rogue trains and power lines I couldn’t get the shot I had in my mind.

Still such is life, so onto glamourous location number 2.  I say glamourous as it was actually a muddy field a few miles from the village where I live.  It’s advantage however was that there were no power lines and I could set up right next to where I parked.  The dogs selflessly agreed to guard the inside of the car (which was nice and warm) while I set up and tried again.  This location was to be a straight moon shot.

A definite improvement on the shot at Scone don’t you think!  For those of you who might like to know, this was at f/11, for 1/90’s, ISO100 and with a 200mm Lens.

So I’m feeling very happy to finally have a Luna shot I’ve taken myself.  Of course I could have continued fiddling about with the camera and taking more shots, but to be honest all I wanted to do was gaze up at this amazing wonder.  Eventually however, the cold seeped in through all my layers of clothing and it was time to get back in the car and turn the heater up full blast.  The car’s thermometer was displaying –3 degrees C, and I believe it.  I did make it to location number 3 but that’s a whole other story and a very different image.

Glorious Luna

Are you fascinated by our moon?  I am.  I think it’s amazing.  I’m not old enough to remember the moon landings but it didn’t stop me being mesmerised by them as a child.

Tonight will be the ‘largest’ Full Moon since the early 90’s.  If you are so inclined you can read about it on the Guardian Science site (and loads of others if you google it).  Basically the moon gets closer and further away from the Earth as a natural part of it’s orbit.  This means that to us it really does appear larger at some times than others.

For someone who loves Luna as much as I do, I have remarkably few photographs of it (or should that be her).  This is about the best and was taken in August 2009 at the Scone Palace Runrig concert.  Hand held as the camera was held up over peoples heads, it’s not really a surprise it isn’t very good.

So tonight I shall be joining photographers all over the world by heading out with my tripod and a flask of tea.

Many people try to photograph the moon, but few get results they are happy with.  So here’s a few tips in case you’re also feeling inspired.

• Get your camera off automatic mode.  Modern cameras will do all sorts of things for you, including working out all the settings to take a photo.  Unfortunately the software bases all this on averages.  So when presented with a dark sky and a small bright disc, the camera will try to average it all out.  This will overexpose the moon and you’ll lots of detail.
• If your camera allows you to shoot in RAW mode then do that.  You will record much more detail allowing you more options when you get your image onto your computer.
• Use a tripod and cable release if you have them.  If not then prop your camera on something (beanbag, coat, wall) and use the timer feature.  This will help to prevent ‘camera shake’ by your hands/arms moving ever so slightly while you take the shot.
• Take lots of photos.  The chances of getting THE shot on the first click are not good.  So take plenty.  Change the settings and cover all the bases.  It’s better to take more shots than you need than not enough.  It’s going to be about 20 years before you get another chance.

Above all if you do go out have fun.  I know that’s my plan….

 

Past and Future…

Well I know I posted a few days ago, but I’m feeling a little negligent towards my blog.  I normally have ideas for two or three blog posts at any time but at the moment, zip, nadda, nothing…..

I’m blaming tiredness.  I have to blame something, so it might as well be that as my brain just isn’t working.  So instead I thought I’d share a photo I took this week.  It’s part of an old engine and it has a steampunk feel to me.  Then I’m going to allow my eyes to drift shut and embrace sleep.

Taking advantage of modern technology

Given my recent problems with my phone line it’s brought back to life all my anxieties of loosing data in the digital world.  All those precious photos lost in computer crashes and failures.  Photos of loved ones I’ll never see again…

So fuelled by all these fears I’ve been doing some digging online for possible solutions.  My main concern is photos as these are what I get most upset about when lost.  I’ve tried various solutions in the past but none have really been able to quieten down that nagging little voice that sits on your shoulder whispering horrible things in your ear.

Part of that solution (which I’m currently trialling, but fairly sure I’m going to stump up the cash for it) is called Smugmug.  This is an online site aimed primarily at photographers to store and display their work.  Thing is they allow unlimited storage and unlike some sites, will also store the full size image and allow you to download it again later.  As such you can use it as backup storage as well.

Of course you need a user name and given I have Fantasia Yarns I decided to go for Fantasia Photos.  So I shall be spending quite a bit of my near future sorting through images and uploading them.  This will include quite a lot of photos of yarn!  (See I can make this craft related if I try).

If you’d like to check out the site you can find it here.  Or if you’d like to check out my photos you can find them here they’re not all yarn related but an increasing number of them will be over the coming days...

A link with the past

Like many families we have a few family heirlooms.  Nothing spectacular, but they provide a link to the past.  Most of them fall into the category of jewellery which I imagine is the same for many families.

One, however, is a little different.  A silver thimble which once belonged to my great grandmother, Sarah.  It passed to my grandmother, and then my mother who has now decided the time is right to pass it onto me.

It might not be the most ornate or financially valuable (in fact I’m fairly sure it’s not worth much at all), but it’s now one of my most prized possessions.

We know it is pre 1910 and we believe it was given to Sarah when she worked at Blacketts in Sunderland as a seamstress.  It’s always been referred to by the family as ‘the silver thimble’ although I believe it probably has a steel core and then silver outside.  It’s certainly quite heavy.

This tiny little thing makes me feel very strange inside when I hold it.  It’s a direct link back through time to my forebears.  It’s not a fact, or a date, but a tangible object which has been used and loved.

I remember my grand mother using it when I was a child.  Even to my young mind I could tell there was something special about it for her.  Later as I grew I realised she treasured it because of the link to her mother.

Now it has passed to me and I find it’s stirring all sorts of emotions, the strongest of which is wonder.  I wonder at the ability of such a small, mundane, inanimate object to affect me.  It triggers a desire to know more about it’s history and also my own.  Did Sarah have any idea when she received this tiny bit of metal that one day her great granddaughter would look at it and wonder about her life.  Was it something she was happy to be given as part of a sparkly new job, or did she not really want the job at all.  Of course I’ll never know the answers but it doesn’t stop me wondering about it.

Here it is with a much smaller, lighter thimble which my mother used when she still sewed.  ‘The silver thimble’ is all well and good but was simply to big for her finger.  I must have inherited her hands as I have the same problem when I try to use it.

The Antiques Road show is due to go to Layer Marney Tower in May where my friend Maytheweed works.  I wonder if it would be possible to take it along and see if I could find out more about this little piece of metal which has touched my heart so deeply.  Then again, does it really matter?  Whatever they say won’t change the link if forms with my past, and that’s the magic this thimble holds over me.

Oh and Fire the cat seemed to enjoy watching me take these photos from his bed next to me.  I simply couldn’t resist taking a photo of him as well.

Pyrite Ammonite

Remember I mentioned a fossil from the Bead Fair?  We I finally got round to photographing.  It’s a pyrite (fools gold) fossil of an ammonite and I’ll admit I had never heard of pyrite fossils before.  In fact I initially thought it was a con!  However after a little bit of digging (mobile phones with internet are so wonderful for this) it appears to be genuine.

The blurb says it’s from Michaelov in northern Russia near Finland and formed in sediment which was rich in quartz, magnesium calcite, aragonite, marl and chabazite.  I’m taking that all on face value as I really don’t know.  The man I bought it from said it was 160 million years old and that seems to tally with the info I’ve found for these fossils online.

Regardless it is very pretty and will probably end up hanging on my wall as a decorative piece rather than being worn as jewellery.

Musings on a modern world

Earlier in the week my phone line went down.  It started with the voice line turning into cracklesville and I couldn’t get a dial tone.  This was quickly followed by the internet becoming more twitchy than a fluffy cat sat in the middle of a dog pound that had run out of food.

The result is no voice calls and the internet has become so intermittent its not really worth the bother.  At first – being a thoroughly modern girl – I fiddled with the connectors and, after assuring myself it wasn’t something I or the beasties had done, called the phone company.  One hour, two companies and six operators later they decided an engineer needed to come out because ‘I had a fault on the line.’  Funnily enough I seem to remember that being my opening comment to all 6 people I spoke to.  Still I suppose they’re just doing their job.

So you’d imagine faced with 4 days or so without modern communications (my mobile signal is terrible at home as well) I’d simply reach for my knitting and think nothing of the passage of time.  But not so.  Even if you discount the internet for work (yes I often work at home on an evening) I found myself all twitchy.  No Ravelry, No blogs, No Mysewingcircle…… NO INTERNET SHOPPING!

It’s not until we have something like this taken away that you start to comprehend how much it has infiltrated our lives.  Isn’t it silly that I feel aggrieved I can't shop online for stuff at 3 in the morning.  These photos are all images of some fabric I bought recently on a late night shopping trawl of the internet from Gone to Earth.

They’re designed by Tanya Whelan and I’ve not seen them in the local fabric shops.  Years ago I either wouldn’t have been able to buy these, or would have needed to do it mail order, possibly via a catalogue.

The plan is to make them into a quilt for my garden hammock.  I love my hammock.  It’s wonderful and I could rave about it for pages on end.  Yet, for reasons I won’t go into, I couldn’t really to use it last year.  However I’m hoping a nice new quilt to throw over it will allow me to bask in the summer sun once more with a nice cold drink.

So it was I decided (flushed with the success of my quilted cushions) to add a garden hammock quilt to my list of things to make.  The hunt for the fabric was on…

I’ve chosen these patterns as I want something floral but with a slightly vintage feel.  In my minds eye I see the primary colours as blue and white with just a little bit of another colour for accent.  While I was looking around I worried that many of the fabrics would be to bright, or the pattern too busy.  I want the quilt to be beautiful but not compete with the real plants and flowers close by.  Thanks to the modern world of communications when I found these beautiful fabrics I was able to order and pay for them at silly o’clock.  Within a few days they were delivered and now they are tucked neatly away in my blanket box waiting to be turned into my new garden quilt. 

It amazes me how much we come to accept and expect the convenience of technology.  How it has so quickly become the norm, and how much I miss it when it’s gone.  I really hope that engineer turns up soon and put’s me out of my misery…

The Trouble with Tribbles…

Anyone remember Tribbles?  Those furry little things that do nothing but eat, reproduce and trill when stroked from Star Trek.  Well recently I decided to make a furry doorstop for my bedroom.  I’ve been using one of my beautiful old stone hot water bottles for the job but I’d much rather have it in the bed with me warming my toes.

It was something I’d been thinking about for a while but I simply wasn’t sure what to fill it with.  I mean the obvious thing would be sand but that seemed as if it would be very messy.  Besides I worried that sand might seep through the seams.  Then I came across a posting on the Flossie Teacakes Blog where she mentions using rice for the job. Rice! And so I dug out the white fur fabric that I used to make my furry pillow cases and got cutting.  I decided upon a pyramid design and added a tab of white satin ribbon neat the top to make it easier to pick up.

Thing is it’s so cute I’ve now decided that I want one for the bathroom and I’m imagining eyes on the front.  Maybe I really have produced a Tribble and soon my home will be over run with them.

The cats and dogs are very intrigued by it.  Although as yet the dogs haven’t decided exactly what it is.  It’s been sniffed and snuffled at, and even used as a head rest, but the best bit is that it’s performing it’s door duties admirably and freeing the hot water bottle to fulfil it’s design purpose as well.

 

 

What do you read? – Dear Friend and Gardener

What sort of books do you read?  Do you have favourite authors and if so are you faithful only to them?  Perhaps you dot around from one genre to another?

Some bloggers I follow occasionally talk about what they’re reading.  This is usually (but not always) restricted to books related to the main focus of their blog.  Given how I enjoy reading these posts, and have even discovered some new authors this way, I thought perhaps I should do the same.

So here is the first up.

It’s called ‘Dear Friend and Gardener’ by Beth Chatto and Christopher Lloyd. 

I am fortunate enough to live quite close to Beth Chatto and visiting her nursery and garden is something I do perhaps four or five times a year.  It has nothing to do with their excellent cheese scones, honest!  Now in her late 80’s she has written many books on gardening and won numerous Gold Medals at the Chelsea Flower Show.  When you sit in the nursery tea shop it is difficult to not be impressed by those Medal Certificates displayed on the walls.

The garden is beautiful and once you realise that it has all been created from scratch it’s even more inspirational.

The book is a series of letters between Beth and another famous gardener Christopher Lloyd of Great Dixter.  So far I’ve not managed to visit that garden but believe me, if I ever find myself in the vicinity I’ll be there like a shot.

So why is this one of my favourite books?  Well, that’s difficult to explain.  I like different types of books at different times, dependant upon my mood.  There are times when I want something that will rivet, thrill and engross me, at others I want something to make me laugh.  Sometimes however, I want something safe and comfortable I can read without fear of upset.  The literary equivalent of that cosy armchair and blanket which you can snuggle into with a steaming mug of hot chocolate on a cold winters evening.  This book gives me that feeling.

There is a warmth between the correspondents which draws you in along with their obvious love of plants.  The idea of writing letters to a friend seems slightly old fashioned in this modern world of texts, emails, facebook and twitter.  Yet whenever I read this book I really do wonder if our reliance on these near instantaneous forms of communication has somehow taken something away from us.  A level of joy and eloquence in communication which seems to have been lost.  Perhaps quality really is more important then quantity.

 

I’m finally tweeting…

Up until now I’ve resisted twitter.  It’s always appeared rather confusing compared to the likes of Facebook and every time I’ve looked at it I’ve decided to close down the computer and put on the kettle.

However this time I was determined to be brave and persevere.  So far I’ve made it farther into the world of tweeting than ever before.  Of course this only means that I’ve managed to set up an account and make my first tweet, so it’s not as impressive as it sounds.

Unfortunately Mara is taken, as is Mara72, ditto for Fantasia and so I’ve gone for fantasiayarns and I believe it’s common to put an @ sign before to show it’s a user name.  So if I’ve got this right I’m now @fantasiayarns

Unfortunately the gadget that places the ‘follow me on twitter’ little button on the side of your blog doesn’t seem to be working, boo hiss… So I’ll just say that I’ll add it when it’s fixed but in the meantime if you’re a twitter user let me know!

Assumption is the mother of all…..

(I’ll warn you now this is a serious rant on my part)

Recently I saw a documentary on Caster Semenya, the South African runner who was subjected to a media storm in 2009 over her ‘gender’ and suspended from competing.  I sat in amazement, staring at the screen while expert after expert babbled on and on about how there is no scientific test for gender!  It seemed fairly obvious to me, if she was born with girlie bits and no boy bits, she’s a girl.  At no point was it ever suggested that she had knowingly tried to deceive.  The authorities kept going on about hormone levels and medical disorders potentially giving her an unfair advantage.  ‘Unfair genetic advantage’ was a term used a lot.  I found it interesting that all these ‘authorities’ were men.  Has anyone suggested that some of the really tall basket ball players shouldn’t be allowed to play because they have a genetic advantage (being tall), or Michael Phelps the swimmer should be disqualified for having large feet?  Yup, got it in one….  no-one is suggesting that at all.

Caster Semenya (photo taken from the Guardian Website – hope they don’t mind)

So what exactly was the problem?  Well as far as I could tell, some people consider her a little butch in appearance.  Now I’m sorry if I’m up on my soap box about this, but that really gets my goat.  Who is to say what a woman should look like? 

The media? They’d have us all skinny with boob implants.  Take a look at how women are represented on the tv or in magazines.  If you’re attractive, you’re thin in their world.  I work with teenagers and I know how many of the girls suffer from incredibly low self esteem simply because they don’t look like Kiera Knightley.

Hmmm so what about the Sports organisations?  Well Caster Semenya was 18 at the time and I remember all to well how I felt at that age.  Constantly worried about my appearance and desperately trying to conform to the ideals of how I was supposed to look.  The slightest comment could knock my confidence out the street, round the corner and then propelled it far out to sea where it was set adrift on a small rickety raft and left to die.

Thing is throughout the documentary I just kept wondering how those officials would feel if someone questioned their gender.  We all know how sensitive your average man is about his manliness.  In her mind this young woman is female,  she’s always been a female, and yet here were a bunch of people saying she wasn’t because she could run fast and didn’t look like their idea of a girl.  I just saw a teenager in a pink girlie top.

Anyway I shall stop ranting now and if you’re still reading I’ll just say thanks for letting me get that off my chest (a chest I might add that has not been and never will be surgically enhanced).

Blocked Branching Out

I don’t know if you remember me mentioning a scarf I was knitting out of a blue silk?  We’ll it’s now finished and blocked!

I’d never done spray blocking before but it went smoothly (if you don’t count having to chase animals off while it dried) and relatively quickly.

In fact I’m rather pleased with it, especially given I’ve been so exhausted this week after going back to work.

But what better way to cheer yourself up than by adding another scarf to your wardrobe.  What could be better for keeping your throat warm?  Of course given this weather I need a scarf ALL the time hehe…

I’m also planning on updating the Folksy shop later this evening (if I can find the energy from somewhere).  But here’s a sneak preview….

Right I now need a cup of tea or a nap – possibly both……

A bag for the fair…

Recently I’ve been looking for a shoulder bag.  I have a lovely tote bag which was a present from Maytheweed, but since it says ‘I knit so no one has to die’ on the side it’s not really suitable for strolling down the High Street.  I’ve been wanting something a little more dressy.  You know the sort, big enough to get all your stuff in without having to resort to a rucksack.  Well given my monumental failure to find anything that was just right I decided to make one instead.

It’s very much based on the free pattern on the Lula Louise website with a little bit of tweaking.  For instance I used an interfacing to give it more rigidity and also added an interior pocket.  The fabric came from a local fabric shop and was even in the sale.  Normally when I wander round and just look for what I like you can guarantee that I’ll gravitate towards the most expensive stuff they stock.  So I was delighted to see this was in the sale.

You can probably just see that the fabric has a pattern and I knew straight away I wanted this to run vertically on the bag rather than horizontally.  This necessitated buying much more fabric in order to cut the pattern in the correct orientation.  The side effect is that I have quite a lot left over, which can be used for something else.  How tragic is that hehe…

Named the ‘Cream Rose Bag’ for obvious reasons it’s first outing was last weekend to the Bead Fair.  In general I’m was very happy with it, although if I was to make another I would look into one of those magnetic bag fasteners, just for that added piece of mind.