January 2010

Audrey Josephine Ellison born 1:07 PM, Thursday, January 21st.  8'10" Mother and daughter doing fine.

Here is a pix of Ethel and Iliana holding new baby.

After that, the news becomes more mundane.  I've been working on some basketry.  Ruthie from my Textile Guild gave me some yellow twig dogwood trimmings, so I made a basket using them and a little purple plum:

I plan to give it to Ruthie as a thank-you gift.  Tomorrow, I start a three day workshop on Shaw for beginning weaving.  Even though I have been weaving since the 70's, it has been over ten years since I had anything on the loom which has been in storage since we sold our house in Seattle in 2001.  The weaving class uses a table loom, but I believe the enthusiasm engendered by that class will propel me into starting a project on my 4-harness floor loom.

This month as been mild and relatively dry.  Roger has gotten lots of pruning done, including the crab apple in the courtyard and this hawthorn next to the house:This was one of those, got to do this task before this other task that I really want to get done happens.  In this case, a friend asked if I could use some willow.  Of course I said yes, but it was too branchy for basket work, so I decided to use it to replenish the wattle fence behind the kitchen garden. 

This couldn't happen until the hawthorn was pruned so that branches wouldn't hit the new fence. The wattle fence acts as a reflector of afternoon sun.  See the new green branches on top of old faded willow.
I've also been working on the living bench project near the rv.  It's looking good but I will wait with pictures until new branches make it more impressive. 

I've am grateful for the mild weather this month as I have been walking every day.  Next week will be busy with three days on Shaw and then a trip to the mainland to see our new little granddaughter.  January will be gone in a flash.