13

I'm not superstitious,
at least I think I am not.
Many people though think of Friday the thirteenth
and think it's bad luck.
But for me today was just a fine day
as good as any other day in the last few weeks.

Though I must say there was one particular
February Friday 13 that turned my world upside down :
28 years ago I went to our GP
because I felt a little lump in my right breast.
She sent me to the hospital right away.

I'm really LUCKY that I can say
"and the rest is history"

13 days later I had my operation
and sadly, after just a few weeks, chemo therapy too
BUT
I was lucky and am still here !

And I'm glad I can say that I had a perfect Friday 13 today !

But girls, please
don't forget to check your breasts every month !!!

weaving and mending

I once saw some weaving on forked twigs
(sorry I don't remember her name,
otherwise I should tell you)
In the garden I used to be on the look-out
for some good twigs to give it a try.
I finally did !
(I think the twig was a bit of my rambler rose
that tends to grow so vigorously
that I have to cut it down real hard
or otherwise the Malus will collapse under the weight !)

(I only have pictures of the finished piece :
after an update my phone refuses to speak with the pc
to upload the pictures I took from the start)

Front and "back" side

It was really fun !
For the warp I used cotton
and for the weave wool (sock yarn leftovers)
The weaving is about 9 cm.

*

My mending basket is still really full
though I did already some overdue work.

So today I was darning more socks !
Hmmm, I didn't find the right colour . . .
but because the holes are always at the bottom
I don't really mind.

Done !
and the crystal ball (really handy inside while working)

tells me I will enjoy these socks for some time !

more colour . . .

The white start of my "Tabula Rasa"-project
has changed to a bit more colourful snippets.

I've thought about the gradual change in colour
and I've come up with a rough scheme now.
The white of the wintry start of the year will
be followed by yellow.

Why ?

THIS is why !!!
When most of the cold is over
the Aconites push their bright yellow heads
through the old Ginkgo leaves that cover the ground !
Yes, way before the Snowdrops, though they
come soon after.

 

And because the weather here in the southwest of the country
is very mild right now
even the first small crocuses are showing !
(the northeast had LOTS of ice, snow and even black ice last week !!!)

But    YELLOW  it is
for the next part of my 15 cm whide strip !

I found a bit of my "Magic Thread" for an extra swirl
(which will appear in the work from time to time
though there is only a small ball left)

*
(SOOOOO many other ideas are whirling in my head
and I've started a few backgrounds already
but
I can't seem to decide what to do next with them)

last day of January

 The first month of this year is nearly gone.
We had a bit of ice and also snow,
though much less than in the north of the country.
Birds are still coming to the garden

but the first Aconites are already above the ground since the 16th !

My mending basket was overflowing and I finally started
on the fingerless mittens daughter made for me last year :

I repaired some stitches and knitted the top again on thinner needles.

And oh my, I really needed those on the Sundays
that I was working on the big "slavery-project"
because it was COLD in the big hall !!!

This BIG project has finally come to an end !

Here they were still filming the last steps of this GIANT tapestry.

But tomorrow we will celebrate the completion of the 35 meters
 with a joint festive lunch !

In February this monumental tapestry is exhibited
in de Grote Kerk, Den Haag (13 - 22 February)
After that it will make a tour along the cities where the work was done :

Rotterdam, Delft, Dordrecht, Gouda, Leiden.

2026

A brand new year has started
so time for some new work to start too :
a 15 cm wide strip of cotton
that I randomly filled with white snippets
the "Tabula Rasa" of the new year 2026
Colour and stitching are my "plan"

Hmmmm
In fact I know that I'm not quite disciplined enough
to keep up a looong challenge
. . . . .
so what am I doing now ???

I started a "year long" circle embroidery
(and didn't even finish the first month)
I started on a pillow case with the TAST instructions
(and that is an UFO too)

Well, we'll see where it will lead me
(or where the ship runs aground)

In any case :

the white matched nicely !!!

(to be continued, I hope)

almost '26

The second half of December
rushed by
with a good book (that I borrowed from granddaughter)
wrapping presents
preparing and eating Xmas dinner with family
and visiting a birthday party
. . . . .
only tree days left until 2025 is over

All that remains for me to do

is to wish all of you, my sweet blogging friends
peace

health
warmth
joy and happiness
and lots of creativity for

2026

wool and paper !

Quiet.
Not done much stitching,
(skipped quite a few Stitch Club workshops)
making a painting on commission,

 been reading a (thick) book.
And also waiting for special paper to arrive from Thailand
and wool from Germany,
all of that for a brand new felting course
with Fiona Duthie (Canada)

I've "known"/followed Fiona for a long time
and did my first-ever online felting course with her :
"Surface design"
(but sadly never met in real life)
The "Fiber + Paper" workshop was a long time on my wish list !!!

Though getting back on track after my Pink Ribbon Challenge
took quite a bit longer than I expected,
I have now completed some of the course assignments  !

Working with paper, wool and water
requires a very gentle treatment
or the paper will tear or not adhere !

starting with a 30 x 30cm square and 10 grams of wool

adding writing and prefelt.

The last assignment was working with a resist
to make a bowl / vessel.

(from 27 cm resist to +/- 16 cm)