Color Inspiration at The New York Botanical Gardens

A recent Easter weekend trip to the
New York Botanical Gardens. 

A wonderful way to welcome Spring. The riot of color is amazing. From the Spring bulbs to the extraordinary Orchids. A feast for the eyes.

  More to come. Stayed tuned! Enjoy!

Dying for Spring...

OK Mother Nature has been fooling with our weather again. It was WINDY and COLD this weekend with RAIN and SLEET....So, I dabbled in the dye pots....one of my favorite things to do. I had some orders to fill for some students and customers. Here are some of the results....

I dyed this skein of RAGG 2 ply in the microwave. Here it is cooling on the back deck. The yarn is Briggs and Little 2 ply RAGG.

This is what it looks like dried and twisted. It is a nice soft spring green.

I used Wanda's float or wandering method to dye this . It is a lovely parade of browns. The wool is Dorr natural.

Here it is dried and ready for hooking. It is simply delicious. I hope the richness and variation of color and value comes through. Yummy!

This one does not have a before. I got carried away and forgot to take the photos of it in the electric fry pan. I used a spot method to get this wonderful beauty. Inspired by maple syrup and sugaring off. The yarn is Briggs and Little 2 ply Heritage natural.

 

Another one that escaped the camera. What can I say my hands were busy....LOL. Anyway, I dyed this one in the electric fry pan as well. It is also spotted with several colors to yield this softness. The yarn I started with is  Briggs and Little 4 ply washed white.

Spring!?!

In Montreal we have been seeing some signs of Spring! In the park yesterday I saw crocus on the sunny side of the park.

Also, I heard them long before I was able to see them..Canada Geese...These are one of my definite signs that Spring has really sprung! I will say that and we will have more snow, as we did this morning mixed with rain.

Oh well, you know what they say "April showers bring May flowers." Bring it on!

 

Obstacles.....

Bye Bye Winter....

Welcome back the light.....so long winter blues.... I really think winter does a number on my body, mind and spirit..... Thanks to all of you who have emailed me or phoned me to ask if I was still alive and kicking...I will try to be more present on my blog.

Have a look at some antique rugs from Quebec, Canada. These are from my personal collection. We think these were hooked in the 40's - 50's and 60's. The style is typically Quebec "paysage" or landscape. The first two are hooked with cotton cord or yarn on fine linen, while the third is hooked with mystery fiber on burlap.

Happy First Day Of Spring!

Making/Finding Time to Make Handmade

In the midst of all of the preparations for the amazing race to "THE DAY" (read christmas)... I found some time to make some homemade things - (I took the Handmade Pledge in 2010 and tried as much as possible to adhere to my pledge. So as I have 5 min. today, I thought I would share three little christmas ornaments I punch hooked with Amy's No. 14 punch hook with you. They were given as gifts to three of my dearest colleagues. Most of the 2 ply  wool yarn is Briggs and Little Heritage that was hand dyed by me. Enjoy!

Happy New Year