shetland ~ hand dyed wool

hello! it's another spectacular day in the shetland isles! today our field trip is taking us to hoswick, a small hamlet in sandwick, about twenty minutes from lerwick...

where we gathered to try our hand at wool dyeing

with the fantastically talented and charming niela nell! 

while niela described the technique we'd be using, we also learned about where her inspiration comes from. here in shetland, (it is everywhere)

hard at work. we were each given a large undyed white double knit sock blank to design any way we wanted

and play ~ we may have enjoyed a bit of sherry, cheers! (photo by pat philbin) (look at all the beautiful colors!)

more wonderful designs

more inspiration

my attempt at a speckled effect (top left), meant to conjure images of a meadow of wildflowers found everywhere here

  (photo by pat philbin)

the latest in dye wear :)

next we went to niela's studio! 

lovely niela nell in her beautiful shop

just walking through hoswick with my hansel hap shawl...

(photo by kathy cadigan)

our finished sock blanks

looking very different after it was dry!

back at home, began the long process of separation. next i soaked the hanks and hung them with weights to smooth out the kinks, after drying, the last step before knitting was to wind the wool into cakes

finally, it's on the needles!

and then, finished! this is simmer dim, the shawl our group decided to make with our hand dyed blanks, a wonderful pattern by gudrun

 favorite souvenirs!

photographed here with my croft house cushion designed and knit by the extraordinarily talented ella gordon. i had hoped to find one of her cushions on this trip and was thrilled to discover one!

more favorite souvenirs!

ella and her cushions in the shetland textiles book

and a few more journal (iphone) photos to share, this is the cover i embroidered

and the back. so thrilled to find that we went to all these places i stitched. the area we stayed is not 

on here, i think i might add it. burrastow was located on the west side, across from lerwick

it looks a bit different now, it's a little scruffier and a lot fuller. 

thank you for coming along, your interest and kind comments are SO appreciated.

xxx lori

uncommonness

'what is this honey?  i asked, peering down at the tiny, lump of dirt, moss and spines on our porch...

chuck had been working around the yard, and when he got to cleaning out the eaves, he found a tiny garden growing. two teensy cactus nestled in a bed of moss. he gently scooped (rescued) the wayward plants out and brought them inside, for me. thank you little birds for dropping your seeds, thank you cactus for persevering (we don't have cactus here!) and thank you husband for knowing i would LOVE this.

X   X   X

i've done very little shopping to get ready for my trip (i'm going to the shetland islands if you are new here ((welcome!)). next week!!) but today, i bought a top, this summery lace inset lovely from 'odd molly'. and, at home, i couldn't resist any longer and had to cut this rose growing in my garden...

to enjoy inside, all these blossoms on one stem! 

this is the business end of the rose. the thorns had to be removed before i could hold the stem for photos. i think they look like little shark fins ;)

and it seems my knitting looks like a baby sting ray! maybe spending too much time at the beach and pool, hee hee. but grateful for and enjoying these summer days. i hope you are too! (unless you are having winter, then i hope you are enjoying that!)

 xxx lori

please mama?

'please, mama? can i? huh?' 

we went back, to the lake, with larger lenses and big hopes of capturing the tern again. well, that was not to be (this time!), but we saw other amazing things. like baby birds, tiny swallows, sparrows, wrens and ducklings! this photo is over cropped, but i really wanted to share just the teeny baby duckling and it's mama, while they stood together on this submerged log. right outside the image is another adult mallard, and the ducklings two siblings, paddling furiously away. this wee one seemed to be asking (a perfect caption left on instagram, thank you sonja) could he go too?  :)

early bird gets... the early bird

we coordinated a day off together (LOVE when that happens!) and planned for some early morning birding up the coast...

it was also an opportunity to try out my new super lightweight tripod (hoping this one pinches fingers a bit less too!)

here is the little guy we came to see

and photograph

but these birds had other ideas (like flying away)

the california least tern

the behaviour we were really hoping to see was...

mating couples feeding on the railing

'where is my lunch!?'

here it is, i am here

with your lunch

i brought you a delicious yummy fish to eat

here you go...

wait! you haven't eaten your yummy lunch yet!

oh drat! wait for me! (this pair, disturbed by passing fisherman) flew away.



we came to see the california least tern. we hoped to see them feed on the rails here at oso flaco lake. it wasn't so simple. the pretty birds flew off at the smallest motion by us (of course) and so we would wait, and then tiptoe as close as we could to watch and take photos. and hope passersby wouldn't frighten them at inopportune times...

terns are seabirds in the family sternidae that have a worldwide distribution and are normally found near the sea, rivers or wetlands.

    

we will have to try this again...

these two were not shy at all

hee hee

a tiny wren

 -->  feathers

mallard grooming station

little duckling trains of all ages put-putted around the lake

ten am, time to go. we've already been out a few hours, and we're a long way from a hot cup of coffee.

next time we will remember the thermos, we hope  ;)

xxx lori

p.s. my last post, thank you.