Taking it easy

rapsbirk

Time to Photoshop!

As I’ve mentioned I’ve been a bit beside myself with my injured thumb, a limping old dog AND cat, headaches and various other creativity killers. Halfdone paintings sitting around that I was working on at the time but can’t for the life of me remember what plans I had and/or feeling reluctant to dive back in for some reason. And just feeling the usual irritation creeping in when I don’t get to make stuff with my hands.

So instead of struggling I figured I might as well make it easy for myself and see where that got me going. I’ve been digging through the old photos that I have backed up on the computer (I also have 2 large binders of negatives that I never got round to scanning, too bad really), picking out and playing with Photoshop making “fake” paintings or weird effects. Just trying things out. I’ve been wanting to make collages as well, but holding my stylus for cropping out items is a bit of a strain.

And it’s paid off, because I have enough images now for my picture blog to last for the rest of the year! I know it’s technically cheating, not actually doing one a day, but surely I can’t be the only one…. Anyway it works better for me to do stretches of one thing, and my temper isn’t as bad when I’ve been doing this 😉

Daisy layers autumn lake Sweden

Let som en pletdanish

Som tidligere nævnt har jeg været lidt ved siden af mig selv med min stakkels tommelfinger, halt hund OG kat, hovedpiner og diverse andre eksterne kreativitetsdræbere. De malerier jeg lige var beyndt på kan jeg pludselig ikke huske hvad handlede om og jeg har en eller anden sær ugidelighed mht at gå i gang igen.some reason. Og ja, så bliver jeg bare sådan lettere irritabel når jeg i længere tid ikke laver noget med mine hænder.

Så i stedet for at kæmpe for sagen, besluttede jeg at gøre det nemt for mig selv og se hvor det førte hen. Jeg har gennemrodet alle backup mapper på computeren efter gamle fotos (jeg har også to store mapper med negativer jeg aldrig fik scannet – egentlig rigtig ærgerligt!) og bare leget med Photoshop, lavet effekter og falske malerier og andet sjovt. Collager er også noget jeg vil i gang med igen, men det er lidt hårdt at holde på en tegnepen for at fritskrabe objekter.

Om ikke andet har jeg nu billeder nok til resten af året på min billedblog. Jeg ved godt det er lidt snyd ikke at rent faktisk lave et om dagen, men jeg er nok ikke den eneste… Når først jeg kommer i sving med et projekt holder jeg helst ikke op lige med det samme. Med bedre humør i bonus imens. 😉

Late dye harvest

Eager to try drum carding my Dorset fleeces (with a bit of Suffolk mixed in, they had not been separated) I decided last weekend to make a final raid on the dye garden to make it more fun than just white (I do still have a bag of white from last year of what I think is Suffolk). I know I said I was done, but I got two more fleeces, didn’t I. Same sheep – this time I only kept the best bit, perhaps a third of what I was given rather than 2 thirds. I haven’t weighed it though.

lateharvest3

And it turned out both the weld and the woad were still fine to use, green and fresh. I had dried some bundles of tansy hanging them from the stable ceiling – and left them there, so they are now covered in “dust” – mold spores. I decided to boil one bundle anyway and put some fleece in. Giving out colour just fine, but I’m chucking the other three bundles.

The last batch went in with some onion skins that were sitting on the kitchen counter anyway and a few cochineal sprinkles on one side, which oddly enough didn’t do much besides turn the water red.

lateharvest1

I used rather a lot of fleece in the woad vat, so apart from the green that didn’t turn out too interesting. But I can always dye the yarn again, or, if we don’t have any frost, go look for more plants in a few weeks.

Earlier this year I handcarded the part of the fleeces that I had acid dyed, and it took me FOREVER. My test bat on the drum carder last week took no time at all, no effort, no tired hands – so I’m very optimistic I can get spinnable fiber relatively easy. I’ll first card each shade on its own to straighten it out a bit, then I may blend.

lateharvest2

Sen farvehøstdanish

Jeg har jo længe gerne ville karte alle mine gratishamme, som jeg har plantefarvet gennem de sidste par år i bundter, både fordi de fylder ret meget og fordi det er en stor opgave når de er så fyldt med fnidder og knuder. Og så sagde jeg ja til to hamme mere i år, dog blev de sorteret med ret kræsen hånd.

Det sidste uld ville jeg også lige have farvet, så det er lidt sjovere at arbejde med, så en tur i haven og hente både vaid og vau, som står fine, friske og grønne endnu. Jeg havde hængt bundter af rejnfan under staldloftet til tørring – og derefter ladet dem hænge så de nu i det fugtige vejr er blevet helt dækket af et fint lag støv, eller rettere mugsporer. Jeg proppede det ende bundt i en gryde, og det farver fint, men de andre ryger ud. Og en bunke uld røg i en gryde med gårsdagens løgskaller.

Jeg fik proppet lige lidt rigeligt i gryden med vaid, så bortset fra de grønne nuancer blev det lidt kedeligt – men enten kan jeg jo overfarve garnet eller også venter jeg med at karte den bunke og ser om det evt. holder frostfrit en måneds tid endnu og måske jeg kan finde flere planter? Ellers har jeg faktisk en spandfuld blå farve stående fra sidst.

Tidligere på året håndkartede jeg jo den del af hammene som jeg havde pulverfarvet, og det tog en evighed. Men det testbat jeg kartede på maskine sidste uge gik som en leg, så håber på jeg kan få de her kødfår i hæderlig stand rimelig nemt og hurtigt. Jeg tror jeg først karter hver nuance for sig og så kan jeg blande i anden omgang.

After the storm

Absolutely not the worst one in the history of mankind, but probably the one that did most damage in our 11 years here.

drivhus

Riding ring fence broken. My little greenhouse was torn to pieces. Roof damage to the barn (flying tiles) and for myself a mangled right thumb. My stupid horses who were calm as can be in the pasture, but too fat to remain there all evening (as well as too near the disintegrating rooftop), decided to freak when I wanted to approach them in the paddock to come inside for hay – ground slippery as soap and down I went, thumb first…. Typing feels very odd without it, am constantly reminded to lift my cup with the other hand, and well, apple sauce, forget it, I can’t peel anything. Knitting? No way. Same goes for writing and drawing. I guess an overstretched ligament. Bummer. I iced it all evening, but it’s still quite swollen today.

I haven’t tried spinning, my left is my forward hand, but I think I probably handle the fiber more than I know with my right. Think I need 2 thumbs for teasing clumps of fleece for carding too? Perhaps I could pick up my lefthanded writing again which I practised when I broke my wrist 5 years ago. Just for laughs.

Guess I better visit the library…

Everyone else ok out there?

indoor weather

Stormskader

Så blev det lille blæsevejr overstået med flyvende tagsten, væltet ridebanehegn, krøllet drivhus og en forstuvet tommelfinger.

De tåbelige ponyer syntes det var en meget farlig ide at skulle ind i stalden (i ly for de flyvende tagsten) og folden var som sæbe, så jeg fik lige trukket tæppet væk under fødderne og landede med højre tommel “brækket” bagover.

Strikke, skrælle æbler til det der mos jeg har truet med, tegne, skrive, glem det, jeg kan ikke engang holde på en tom kaffekop og påklædning foregår temmelig kreativt.

Det ligner vist en tur på biblioteket…

Jeg håber alle derude i det danske land er intakte både indendørs og udendørs?

Monday morning

before the storm

After a fine weekend getting a few of the outdoor chores done, Sunday afternoon began to drizzle with high winds promised for Monday and Tuesday, possibly even a storm at some point. Must remember to fetch some more firewood! Sofa, blanket, fire, tea, knitting, a movie – not such a bad autumn vacation if you ask me.

I tried to play with some long exposure photography, only to find out that both my old tripods (one of them I bought used in 1987!) are dysfunctional. One is missing the gizmo that attaches the camera, the other one swivels horisontally by the slightest touch and won’t lock in place. I guess I have to do a bit of shopping with winter and low light on the doorstep if I want to try more than snaphots.

long exposure leaves - no photoshopping!

I also managed to harvest and use dye plants from the garden, but more about that later since the wool is still drying. I had to make quite a thick layer of fleece to fit everything on the clothes rack, so it’s going to take some time. That means the carder is also resting, because however long I’ve wanted one I don’t actually have any recently planned projects for it, and I’m rather in a picture mood at the moment. (until I’m not)

There’s a tweed yarn planned which involves carding silk noil into longer fibers, but all fiber I have is already blended or white, so that requires more dyeing. Well, technically I could start on the part of the fleece that was dyed last year. But that actually requires me to remove all my paint stuff, and I don’t want to right now. I think next week will be a good week!

But apart from 20-odd bushes that need to be moved, I think I’m pretty much done with reporting on outdoor activities this year. Time to look closer at the painting, the yarn and the Photoshopping. Suits me fine, I couldn’t care less about the garden right now…. Just need to make that apple sauce – perhaps today?

The little house in a field

Mens vi ventdanisher på storm

Den lune weekend blev til regn og rusk, heldigvis kan jeg sidde inde med god samvittighed, da vi fik ordnet et af efterårets udendørs projekter. Må huske at få hentet mere brænde inden det går rigtig løs!

Legede også lidt med lange eksponeringer, men begge mine gamle fotostativer er i stykker, så jeg må vist ud at shoppe lidt igen, hvis det er noget jeg vil bruge i den mørke tid.

Og så nåede jeg endda at høste og bruge lidt farveplanter fra haven, men mere om det senere, for ulden er våd endnu. Jeg har ikke så meget plads til at tørre uspundet uld indendørs, så det ligger i et ret tykt lag og tager sin tid. Så kartemaskinen står og venter – selvom jeg har ønsket mig en meget længe, så har jeg ikke nogen aktuelle projekter på listen bortset fra ovenstående. Noget tweedgarn ganske vist, men det kræver mere farvning før jeg kan karte.

Ude mangler vi vist kun at omplante nogen buske, og så er jeg bare helt klar til indendørssæson med maling, garn og Photoshop. Tænker slet ikke havetanker lige nu. Skal lige have kogt den planlagte æblemos, men det er jo heldigvis også indendørs. Måske i dag?

Drumcarder – I haz one

I’ve been so amazingly lucky recently that family members have chosen to share some abundance with me. Not only did my mum replace my 10 y.o. camera with a shiny new modern gizmo, I also have a new fiber tool. While being an owner in itself doesn’t ring my bells very loudly, I’m whooping at the thought of all the stuff I can DO with these toys. Never mind that I’ve hardly had any new clothes in a decade, I’m warm, clean and not too offensive.

The large drum is easily removed and replaced, so you have the option of coarse or fine cloths. I’m mordanting the last of my Dorset fleeces to be dyed and then everything gets run through the machine. Among other things.

I’ll be in the wool room if you need me. (aka living room aka paint stoodio)

drum carder

Kartemaskine

Lykkens Pamjulefis, det er mig! At blive tildelt overflod bare for glæden ved at give og modtage, ikke for ejerskabets skyld som sådan, men alt det man kan udrette med det rigtige værktøj og godt humør. Og nu mangler jeg hverken det ene eller det andet! Den store tromle kan nemt skiftes, hvis man vil have en grov- eller fintandet.

Så hvis ikke I kan se mig, så ved I nok hvad jeg laver… Der er sat en gryde bejdse over med det sidste Dorset råuld og så skal hele balladen ellers igennem maskineriet. Og naturligvis foreviges med det fine kamera, jeg har fået af min mor, da det gamle var ved at stille træskoene.