Thursday, December 11, 2014

warmth and dirt

i like black and white 
skinny stripes
 my daughter hannah knit me a hat
for my birthday
and
i've been twining thread.
dogbane fiber
chose me when i was thinking of what could get me out 
into the meadow
before the snows.
not milkweed this time,
dogbane.
 do you see this lovely book?
made by elina lundahl
this book entices me, 
and elina's blog informs.
 isn't it fine?
and this little one i like
but has several editorial slips.
and
these are models of bindings
made by j. a. szirmai who wrote
the archaeology of medieval bookbinding.
 they inspire me
as did my medieval binding teacher jim croft.
i was listening to dr. kimmerer 
(the author of BRAIDING SWEETGRASS)
talk yesterday during my snow day
(for some of you, 
a snow day is a day off due to
 TOO MUCH SNOW)
 ~as i twined yesterday~
it grew and grew
 this fiber wasn't neatly harvested
or harvested early enough
 but it holds together
and i was keeping my fingers employed
 as the big snow came down and the wind played tricks.
and i listened and thought,
hands informing heart informing brain...
then,
an opportunity came along during the afternoon
which was inspiring.
(keeping it close for now)
  the snow came all day yesterday,
and today my neighbor fred from down the road
swung by 
and plowed out my driveway
 he won't take money
but i will repay that kindness
when and how i can.
reciprocity.
only about a foot, 
but heavy, wet, and slippery
this snow.
here's the dogbane 
and two small pieces of my hosta paper
with applied ochers gathered over the weekend from a road cut 
over by richville.
i think there are possibilities
for north country dirt!

10 comments:

  1. I'd say your dirt has some mighty fine pigment! Stay warm and enjoy your dirt (and snow :)

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  2. love your B&W hat, the ahnd twined string, the blanket of snow and the introduction to Elina's book blog!

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  3. valerie, yes, lots of iron in our soil and road improvements have benefits
    mc, i love making string with soft fluffy fiber. elina is a very fine bookbinder.

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  4. love it all. mud dyeing sounds like fun - back to my childhood mudpies (before T.V., computers and the like). Reciprocity - YES!

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  5. jean, i love earths, but have had trouble making pots...maybe leaning on a cliff and rubbing mud into paper is more my thing!

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  6. Hi V - looks like winter iOS setting in for your guys - all the indoor winter creations to the fore; and of course fires and wine. Peace. B

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  7. So many fascinating things to see and learn about on this post, Velma. Those book bindings are really wonderful, and inspiring, as you said. I love your twined dogbane, and what you said about hands informing heart informing brain... The ochre color is your dirt is also lovely on that handmade paper...

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  8. barry, ah, work and fire and wine. don't forget those skis.
    sharmon, thank you, there is beauty in that soil, in so many ways...

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  9. I love that hat Velma and am hoping that it is only the snow keeping you quiet. Go well.

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  10. fiona, it's a nifty hat, and wise you, i am swamped

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