photography

Water girl

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Since traveling downstate, I’ve been ON the water, while we sailed the east end, IN the water, when I swam in the ocean off Fire Island, and, yesterday, BY the water of Manhattan.

I was in THE city and walked along the Highline Park, which is a reclaimed, elevated railroad track that spans about 20 blocks, just off the Hudson River. The gardens are spectacular and surrounding graffiti, whimsical.

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I continued south along the Hudson River Park, which is at the water’s edge

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and paused for a while to begin knitting a(nother) pair of Hedera Socks by Cookie A, one of my favorites. I think I’ve given two pairs away so never have any left for myself. It’s still available free from Knitty and has an easy lace pattern.

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Finally, I wandered through Soho and the Village.

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What’s a water girl doing in the mountains?

Creative geniuses

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I am so lucky to have my daughter and three friends visit me at Camp Adirondack.  They are experiencing it at its best, despite the fact it’s still black fly season and the pine pollen is falling in clouds.  They’ve hiked locally and afar.  We went for a sail on a blustery day, played board games and of course have explored arts and crafts. Now they’ve crossed the border and have headed to Montreal.

In anticipation of their visit, I invested in a //ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=islandnorcoul-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B002EDNZD0&asins=B002EDNZD0&linkId=&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true” target=”_blank”>Harrisville Designs Pro Loom and a couple of bags of 10″ loops.  The larger version is an improvement (in my humble opinion) over the original 7″ design.  I never could have imagined the fun they would have with it or how competitive they would be – hoarding loops and judging the finished products.  In a couple of days, on their own,  they have explored color work, texture, twill and sett.  It’s amazing. It may have allowed them to appreciate the thought that goes into even the simplest project.  Plus they have a useful reminder of their time in the North Country.

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I also played with some yarn necklaces before they got here because there were a few – and why not celebrate them all – birthday celebrations.  We saw a version of this in a craft store in West Virginia and it looked easy to replicate.  I bought a little jewelry making kit and practiced bending and twisting wire.  I think the wrappings are smooth enough and hopefully won’t gouge anyone.

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One morning, during breakfast, my neighbor pulled up in his tractor to tell me there was a fawn next door.  We must have walked by it the previous afternoon and had no idea it was there.  We returned with cameras and found this beautiful little fawn lying in the grass.   We gave it a wide berth and I  used my zoom lens to capture its image.

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Their weaving enthusiasm inspired me to complete a scarf, which had been languishing on my rigid heddle loom since December.  Now the loom vacuum is begging for another project.

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Over the past couple of days I have scored a Louet Drum Carder and Brother Serger.  So much experimenting to do.

Ship shape

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Thirteen boat cushions are complete and mostly a success. There were a only few minor glitches.  But they brighten the boat and aren’t ripped.  Hopefully only my eyes will focus on the errors.  Next time I’ll do even better.

IMG_9543Tim got to use my favorite gift for the boat.  I bought it when we were living aboard a boat with a ginormous mast.  As the lighter of the crew, ahem, I was the chosen candidate to be hoisted to the top to do various repairs.  Then I found the ATN topclimber.  Now Tim can climb himself up the mast and I just have to stand by and watch in case he comes tumbling down.  Best purchase ever.

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The boat is afloat and my mind turns to the garden and my loom.  I’m planning a dyeing garden, that’s dyeing in the color sense not the end of life.  Who needs food when there is fiber to be dyed?  Actually, I may have bitten off more than I can chew because I’m planning three gardens.  A raised bed mostly for veggies, a flower garden for cutting and dye and a perennial garden to keep the butterflies and hummingbirds happy.

IMG_9567We may be beyond frost but one never knows in the Adirondacks.  The hummingbirds are back at the feeders and I witnessed a near hummicide the other day.  Two birds met at the feeder, flew into one another, held on and spiraled to the ground.  Then one pounded the other for about three minutes.  They both were males so I guess they were staking out the territory.  One pinned the other to the ground, pecked at it, sat on it and covered it with its wings. Very dramatic. Not so sweet after all.

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Winter wrap

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Christmas brought an ice storm to our region.  Then it warmed.  The sparkly, ice laden branches dripped ice and it sounded like it was raining.  My neighbor’s birches haven’t straightened up yet and I hope they survive. I’m conflicted because they look so pretty  as bowers.

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Now the temperature is plummeting again.  Our roof has been making some sort of explosive noise now and then.  Not to worry?  I didn’t see any big snow heaves on the ground and am not sure what causes it.

The cold weather, of course, gives me the opportunity to stay inside and play.  I was on my own for a few days last week and confess I stayed in long johns and slippers for most of (more like all of two) the day.  I managed to put winter garb over my warm clothes and ventured out with microspikes on to take some photos.  The base surface is a sheet of ice.  These thaws and freezes have acted like a Zamboni to make a smooth treacherous surface.  Microspikes are little crampons which slip over your boots (or crocs to the hot tub) like galoshes.  They allow me to walk the ice almost fearlessly.

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I had a few requests for knitted gifts and tried my hand at slip stitch knitting.  Both hats have a twisted braid brim and I think I’ll use this instead of turned hems (my second favorite hat brim) whenever I can.

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Then I’m back to the loom where I have a few towels to finish weaving.  I was dismayed to find my warp was crooked because the warp stick got caught on something.  So I get another wonky towel.  I give away the good ones and keep the “seconds”.  If you saw my linens, you’d think I had no idea what I was doing. Do I?

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At least I’m not getting blisters on my keister anymore thanks to a little cushioning on the weaving bench.  Now I look forward to a new year filled with unions, reunions, births and PROJECTS!

Tucked away

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We spent at least five hours yesterday tucking in the boat for the winter. It had been hauled out of the water and perched, just a little wobbly, in its cradle.

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It takes a full size ladder to reach the deck because it has a five foot, fin keel. Our mission was to cover the boat with an oiled canvas tarp, which seemed to weigh just under a ton!

We had to try to drape it just right so the snow slides off it and doesn’t build up on the deck. We should visit it often during the winter to make sure this doesn’t happen — but we don’t.

Lucky for me, I got to spend most of the time under the cozy tent we created while Tim tied lines under the boat and was very busy.

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I managed to enjoy the view and take some pictures, in between sewing the canvas with an awl and stabbing myself in the thumb.

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It’s a good thing I was under the tent because it started raining and I got to make sure it kept me dry, while Tim did his thing out in the elements. I even caught a faint rainbow.

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And we did it just in the nick of time because last night it snowed in the mountains. We could see it as we looked back from the ferry to Vermont.

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Through the lens

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I finally had a chance to look at some of the photos on my camera – not my iPhone, which was the only electronic device I had on the island.  It’s easy to post from but I keep my words brief.

We were up in the lantern room at Seguin on a foggy day and I had fun with the prisms.  It’s a first order fresnel lens, large enough to stand inside when you had to change the oil, or now the light bulb.  It was built in Paris and imported and has nearly 300 separate pieces of glass.  Someone polished them to a sheen this summer with the Lighthouse keeper formula: distilled water, rubbing alcohol, a drop of dish soap.  Works like a charm.  I forget the official proportions though.

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I’ll enjoy looking at these photos forever.  I think the person who shined it spent a brief time on the island while her father was a keeper.  So she had the chance to clean the lens I am sure her father shined in the past.