CASHMERE - Oh Baby!

What I have been making lately:
Darling little baby blankets from upcycled 100% cashmere sweaters. So soft and sweet,
and adorned with needle-felted hedgehogs, mushrooms, acorns, and flowers.

Why upcycle wool sweaters? Because I am not a great knitter, BUT I love wool fiber,
and sweater material is not sold by the yard. SO.... I make an eco-choice: I take old
sweaters, felt them by washing them in a hot water bath, and then I re-purpose them:
I cut them up, up, and up, and then I sew, sew, and sew the pieces into new creations.

 

Must be my persnickety-ness, but I love to cut cashmere squares for patchwork!

 

Needle-felted Hedgie close-up...

Erin Flett - textiles

I just discovered this Maine textile designer, Erin Flett. Her bold, colorful pillows are pure fun! Gotta go to Etsy and check them out some more. — Enjoy browsing Erin's work!

Return to Fabulism? - I say it never left....

I just read this article on the Guardian:

Does Téa Obreht's Orange prize signal a return to fabulism?

Fabulists are authors of fables. Fabulism is a term used to describe books of Magical Realism written by authors who are not Latin. And as far as I can see it, fabulism never left. Books infused with magic and surreal elements blending with a realistic atmosphere are everywhere and loved by many. It's a world phenomenon to seek magic and enchantment in our lives, and a very healthy perspective for all cultures. I say, keep reading and championing Fantasy in Fiction! 

To see that fabulism is still alive, a few authors of mention: Catherynne Valente, and Elizabeth Hand, who both live in Maine! See also Little Hands Clapping by Dan Rhodes. Please comment if you have other authors to suggest.

SHERLOCK

We're really digging the BBC Masterpiece Theater series Sherlock.

It's Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson's adventures in 21st Century London!
Equally mysterious, funny, stylish, and gripping, it's a contemporary remake
of the Arthur Conan Doyle classic. The two actors play their roles to perfection.
It's great watching the decadent, yet brilliant, Sherlock obsessively using his skills
(powers) of Scientific Deduction to solve London crimes.

We're anxiously awaiting the next batch of shows!

(BTW: the actor Martin Freeman who plays Watson has been cast in Tolkien's  
The Hobbit, directed by Peter Jackson. Freeman seems an excellent choice
to follow in Ian Holm's hairy-hobbit-footed steps!)

Upcycled Wool Sweater Cottages

My latest creations: sweet little soft sculpture cottages made from repurposed
wool sweaters. (Some come with bunting pennant flags hung along their facades.)
These look great propped alone on a shelf - all pert and winking at you. Even better,
they love nestling all in a row as a stylish little village (many, many winks).The colors
and wool patterns were great fun to put together. They are hand-stitched, stuffed
with carded sheep's wool, and have a tiny Maine beach stone embedded inside.

Plush softie abodes for your eco-home pleasure:

Another lovely handcrafted-in-Maine company to indulge in:  Pleasant River Soap Company.
With scents like: Fennel Poppy, Lemongrass, Lime Rosemary, and Maine Woods,
I can't decide which of these all natural soaps I want to try first!
Gorgeous branding / packaging design... (can't help noticing that.)

Celebrate Maine and get clean while you're at it! Well, get dirty first. It's that time of year, lots of gardening going on: hands and knees not quite spic and span these days, right?

Down on our beach for spring...

It's so wonderful to be all together on our lovely beach with baby G in the spring.

All the familiar bits of the beach are there as usual, 

and yet the scene is altered in that wonderful way 

that only the shifting tides can create: Sand drifts 

are shaped anew, and rocks and washed-up logs 

have stationed themselves with new dynamics. 

There's bright sea glass poking out from the grey 

shale to collect, and new flat rocks for Punky Rowan 

to paint. Can't wait now for warmer weather for swimming 

and to bask in the sultry sun-drenched sand by the 

dappled aqua water and get into some serious seaside 

day dreaming.... 

Darling Gwyneth is 6 months old

Here is the 6-month-old birthday girl with 

lovable Calamity "Clamcakes" as we call her - 

our 15-year-old tuxedo cat.

Punky Rowan got a new kitten for Easter. 

She named her Sukie. Adorable:

URBAN PANTRY

You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces -

just good food, from fresh ingredients.
   -Julia Child

Soon I hope to own this book:

Urban Pantry: Tips and Recipes for a Thrifty, Sustainable and Seasonal Kitchen

The author Amy Pennington buys everything in bulk and stores them in glass jars. This is my goal too; little by little I hope to turn all my pantry shelves into bulk storage and canning jar havens. I would use these awesome Weck jars too.