p.s. sorry about the tacky lime green superimposed lyrics.
Lace knitting tips
1 month ago
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
And then I organized a bookshelf by colour.
This is surprisingly easy to do when you have so few books. Since I really consider this collection to be an item of furniture in my sparsely decorated living space, it also makes things look neater and more organized. Generally, I would only organize books by topic, but this is so much nicer to look at.
Paint a Painting.
Last July, I took an art course at the Haliburton School of the Fine Arts. It was a week long course in impasto watercolour printmaking. Bronwen was also at school that week, taking a book-binding course. We stayed at a cottage and had a great time. I'm going to apply for another course for this summer, but I can't commit to anything yet since I don't know where I'll be.
My favourite print, and my class friend's print on my wall in Cornwall.
Close-up of the friend print.
Two of my little square prints near the window in Cornwall.
My giant pile of paper and a week's worth of prints in my portfolio.
And now, for some process shots. This is what it looked like when I was carefully peeling a print off of our 3000 lb per inch printing press.
Myself and one of the instructors, at the press in the hallway of the school.
Some of our work drying on the felt drying boards.
On Thursday, we all walked around and saw what people were making in the other classes.
Weaving was right across the hall from my class.
Bronwen's bookbinding class was at the highschool in town.
Her mini book.
A wooden bird from the birdcarving class, which I greatly admire.
All kinds of amazing art supplies everywhere.
Things to shape jewellery in silversmithing class.
Glassblowing class.
And some of their creations.
My favourite print, and my class friend's print on my wall in Cornwall.
Close-up of the friend print.
Two of my little square prints near the window in Cornwall.
My giant pile of paper and a week's worth of prints in my portfolio.
And now, for some process shots. This is what it looked like when I was carefully peeling a print off of our 3000 lb per inch printing press.
Myself and one of the instructors, at the press in the hallway of the school.
Some of our work drying on the felt drying boards.
On Thursday, we all walked around and saw what people were making in the other classes.
Weaving was right across the hall from my class.
Bronwen's bookbinding class was at the highschool in town.
Her mini book.
A wooden bird from the birdcarving class, which I greatly admire.
All kinds of amazing art supplies everywhere.
Things to shape jewellery in silversmithing class.
Glassblowing class.
And some of their creations.
Record Player.
For my birthday this year, I received this cute little record player. I love it a lot and I listen to one of my 8 records pretty much every day. I can't have a lot of records yet because they are heavy to move and I'm trying to not bring any more objects into my little house right now.
My favourites albums are: Fleetwood Mac - Rumours, Winter Gloves - All Red, and The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt.
p.s. the All Red album is cast in red vinyl. Someday, if I think of it, I'll post another picture.
My favourites albums are: Fleetwood Mac - Rumours, Winter Gloves - All Red, and The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt.
p.s. the All Red album is cast in red vinyl. Someday, if I think of it, I'll post another picture.
Small baby puppy.
Today I saved a small, white baby puppy that looked like this, only a bit dirtier:
We were driving to the Sugar Bush to get some maple syrup and go for a wagon ride and on the way there the little puppy was standing in the middle of the highway. Luckily, my friend saw it in time and managed to stop. I was on the road-side of the car, so I checked for cars (there were several stopped in both directions), got out, and got the puppy onto the side of the road and grabbed it's leg. It bit me, but I was wearing super fuzzy alpaca mittens and it's tiny teeth couldn't get through and it didn't like the fuzziness. Then it realized (probably because of my beautiful knitwear) that I was nice person and it jumped up on my leg and wagged its tail and wanted me to help it. I noticed that the puppy had chewed through the piece of clothesline that it had been tied up with. And I also saw that its tag had a phone number, but a guy came running out of the house to collect the puppy. I hope he clues in that his dog could have gotten hit or caused a bad car accident, but based on the condition of the puppy, I don't think he really thinks about responsible things.
The time at the sugar bush was also eventful. We made taffy by rolling syrup in snow. Then we investigated the sap-collecting system. All of the blue tubes take the sap from the tree directly to the sugar shack, where it is slowly boiled down into syrup. They weren't boiling today though, since it was so cold the sap was frozen up.
We also went on a sleigh ride. The horses names are Cruiser and Cory. They are 9-years-old.
We were driving to the Sugar Bush to get some maple syrup and go for a wagon ride and on the way there the little puppy was standing in the middle of the highway. Luckily, my friend saw it in time and managed to stop. I was on the road-side of the car, so I checked for cars (there were several stopped in both directions), got out, and got the puppy onto the side of the road and grabbed it's leg. It bit me, but I was wearing super fuzzy alpaca mittens and it's tiny teeth couldn't get through and it didn't like the fuzziness. Then it realized (probably because of my beautiful knitwear) that I was nice person and it jumped up on my leg and wagged its tail and wanted me to help it. I noticed that the puppy had chewed through the piece of clothesline that it had been tied up with. And I also saw that its tag had a phone number, but a guy came running out of the house to collect the puppy. I hope he clues in that his dog could have gotten hit or caused a bad car accident, but based on the condition of the puppy, I don't think he really thinks about responsible things.
The time at the sugar bush was also eventful. We made taffy by rolling syrup in snow. Then we investigated the sap-collecting system. All of the blue tubes take the sap from the tree directly to the sugar shack, where it is slowly boiled down into syrup. They weren't boiling today though, since it was so cold the sap was frozen up.
We also went on a sleigh ride. The horses names are Cruiser and Cory. They are 9-years-old.
National Parks Project - Kluane
Okay, so I was away Friday and I didn't have much to say yesterday.
Then this happened. And once again that Canadian gemstone (thanks Gord Downie), the land of the midnight sun, the coldest, brightest, most terrifying place I've ever been, turns dark to light and magics everything there is from bad to good.
The film itself is incredible, but the extra footage, especially the part filmed at Silver City (an abandoned mining town on Kluane Lake), is really something else. Watching this makes me feel like I'm standing on the edge of the Alaska Highway again, knowing that I am just a small blue thing, nothing compared to the place or time around me.
I'm so glad this is happening and we're really starting to celebrate some of these places in ways that involve things other than oddly-designed, inaccessible silver coins and giant, inflatable beavers. I hope this catches on and millions of people watch these films.
Then this happened. And once again that Canadian gemstone (thanks Gord Downie), the land of the midnight sun, the coldest, brightest, most terrifying place I've ever been, turns dark to light and magics everything there is from bad to good.
The film itself is incredible, but the extra footage, especially the part filmed at Silver City (an abandoned mining town on Kluane Lake), is really something else. Watching this makes me feel like I'm standing on the edge of the Alaska Highway again, knowing that I am just a small blue thing, nothing compared to the place or time around me.
I'm so glad this is happening and we're really starting to celebrate some of these places in ways that involve things other than oddly-designed, inaccessible silver coins and giant, inflatable beavers. I hope this catches on and millions of people watch these films.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
One of the nicest gifts i have ever received.
On Mondays, Res Con at Parks Canada gets together to Stitch'n'Bitch. We all knit or crochet and chat about what's been going on.
Tomorrow, one of our members is moving to a new job, so we had a little going away lunch celebration. Two of the members made us all matching angry knitting beaver t-shirts. They are completely beautiful. My new favourite t-shirt:
Tomorrow, one of our members is moving to a new job, so we had a little going away lunch celebration. Two of the members made us all matching angry knitting beaver t-shirts. They are completely beautiful. My new favourite t-shirt:
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The first bit of Hillside 2011.
The Hillside crew has been releasing little tiny snapshots of this poster over the past few weeks. Today they unveiled the entire thing. I really like the bee a lot and I think this is a cool style.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Overexcited!
Today I have something to post about that is even blog-theme related! And it's something that I am very excited - overexcited, even - about.
This past Saturday, March 19 the National Parks Project went live with the release of their interactive website and first two films: Looking Around Without Blinking (Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site on the Pacific Ocean) and Wapusk (Wapusk National Park in the Hudson Plains of Manitoba).
I've mentioned this before, but the introduction to the website (narrated by the one-and-only Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip) explains it all, "In 1911, Parks Canada was founded, becoming the first National Parks Service in the world. On the eve of its centennial, Canada's finest artists embarked on an historic expedition to capture the majesty of the landscape in music and film. Thirteen filmmakers, thirty-nine musicians, thirteen National Parks of Canada."
The website itself can probably be considered one of the most creative and beautiful bits of the internet. I've explored the entire thing, film, pictures, artist bios, outtakes. It's really an incredible amount of work. I can always appreciate learning about the story behind the science, or in this case, the artwork.
The first film, Looking Around Without Blinking features some incredible underwater shots and a series of old-growth rainforest shots that are so still and silent you'll almost be convinced you're looking at a photograph or a painting. The cinematography is incredible. My favourite second is when the hiker disappears behind a tree. The film is set to a soundtrack created by Sarah Harmer, Bry Webb (of the Guelph-based Constantines), and Jim Guthrie.
In the second film, Sam Roberts and Kathleen Edwards manage to make the inner workings of a polar bear exclosure, deep in the heart of the Wapusk backland, sound like the most beautiful place in Canada. It's really incredible the things those two can do with a wide-open landscape and a fence full of inspiration. This film also features of couple of park wardens ensuring the protection of the traveling musicians from the park's namesake polar bear population.
Seriously, go check this thing out, you will not regret it. Two new films will be released each Saturday until the end of April. Also, since the music-making was so plentiful, the soundtracks will be released as the National Parks Project Album on May 3. The songs don't seem to be up on the website yet, but I'm going to say I'm pretty excited to hear Wapusk's I'd Lichen it to Moss track.
p.s. The mac and cheese failed today. It needs three hours on high in my slowcooker, not two on low. Probably should have tested that out previously. There was so much food, it didn't really matter. The party was very nice and went really well and my special favourite red mug was a candy-apple hit.
This past Saturday, March 19 the National Parks Project went live with the release of their interactive website and first two films: Looking Around Without Blinking (Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site on the Pacific Ocean) and Wapusk (Wapusk National Park in the Hudson Plains of Manitoba).
I've mentioned this before, but the introduction to the website (narrated by the one-and-only Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip) explains it all, "In 1911, Parks Canada was founded, becoming the first National Parks Service in the world. On the eve of its centennial, Canada's finest artists embarked on an historic expedition to capture the majesty of the landscape in music and film. Thirteen filmmakers, thirty-nine musicians, thirteen National Parks of Canada."
The website itself can probably be considered one of the most creative and beautiful bits of the internet. I've explored the entire thing, film, pictures, artist bios, outtakes. It's really an incredible amount of work. I can always appreciate learning about the story behind the science, or in this case, the artwork.
The first film, Looking Around Without Blinking features some incredible underwater shots and a series of old-growth rainforest shots that are so still and silent you'll almost be convinced you're looking at a photograph or a painting. The cinematography is incredible. My favourite second is when the hiker disappears behind a tree. The film is set to a soundtrack created by Sarah Harmer, Bry Webb (of the Guelph-based Constantines), and Jim Guthrie.
In the second film, Sam Roberts and Kathleen Edwards manage to make the inner workings of a polar bear exclosure, deep in the heart of the Wapusk backland, sound like the most beautiful place in Canada. It's really incredible the things those two can do with a wide-open landscape and a fence full of inspiration. This film also features of couple of park wardens ensuring the protection of the traveling musicians from the park's namesake polar bear population.
Seriously, go check this thing out, you will not regret it. Two new films will be released each Saturday until the end of April. Also, since the music-making was so plentiful, the soundtracks will be released as the National Parks Project Album on May 3. The songs don't seem to be up on the website yet, but I'm going to say I'm pretty excited to hear Wapusk's I'd Lichen it to Moss track.
p.s. The mac and cheese failed today. It needs three hours on high in my slowcooker, not two on low. Probably should have tested that out previously. There was so much food, it didn't really matter. The party was very nice and went really well and my special favourite red mug was a candy-apple hit.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Annnd,,,,I almost forgot...
to post on the second day of my self-inflicted posting challenge. I actually just woke up and got out of bed to post this because I wasn't going to be able to fall asleep thinking about my Day 2 Fail.
Luckily, there are still a few minutes to midnight.
Tomorrow, the staff at my workplace are throwing me and my coworker a going-away potluck lunchtime party. I'm pretty nervous about feeling sad at my party. I really love my job and I don't want it to come to an end. I'm not actually going away right away. My coworker will be leaving next Saturday, though, and we decided a joint potluck was most appropriate at this time.
I'm going to wear a nicer-than-usual top, take my fanciest church plate with gold-rim and Guelph Presbyterian printed on the front, my bright red handmade mug, and my travel cutlery from New Zealand.
I'm contributing mac'n'cheese to the lunch. I don't really know why, but I've been craving it for a couple months now, I just haven't brought myself to make an entire dish of it for just myself. So, my friend gave me a bunch of slowcooker recipes including one for mac'n'cheese and I'm going to try it out on my coworkers. It only takes two hours to cook, so I've assembled all the ingredients and I'm going to plug it in tomorrow at work. I didn't want it to turn into mush overnight.
Here's the recipe. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow:
Cook covered for one hour on low heat:
3 c cheddar cheese
1 c provolone
1.5 c whole milk
1.5 c heavy cream
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp mustard powder.
Add and cook covered on low for one more hour:
2 c elbow noodles
1 c sour cream.
Luckily, there are still a few minutes to midnight.
Tomorrow, the staff at my workplace are throwing me and my coworker a going-away potluck lunchtime party. I'm pretty nervous about feeling sad at my party. I really love my job and I don't want it to come to an end. I'm not actually going away right away. My coworker will be leaving next Saturday, though, and we decided a joint potluck was most appropriate at this time.
I'm going to wear a nicer-than-usual top, take my fanciest church plate with gold-rim and Guelph Presbyterian printed on the front, my bright red handmade mug, and my travel cutlery from New Zealand.
I'm contributing mac'n'cheese to the lunch. I don't really know why, but I've been craving it for a couple months now, I just haven't brought myself to make an entire dish of it for just myself. So, my friend gave me a bunch of slowcooker recipes including one for mac'n'cheese and I'm going to try it out on my coworkers. It only takes two hours to cook, so I've assembled all the ingredients and I'm going to plug it in tomorrow at work. I didn't want it to turn into mush overnight.
Here's the recipe. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow:
Cook covered for one hour on low heat:
3 c cheddar cheese
1 c provolone
1.5 c whole milk
1.5 c heavy cream
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp mustard powder.
Add and cook covered on low for one more hour:
2 c elbow noodles
1 c sour cream.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Posted 1.
Here goes. A blog post every day for 30 days. May 20 - April 18. Content to be determined. Length of posts to be determined.
Latest inspirations:
cool indie-art stores in downtown Toronto,
hip, Canadian graphic novels about hockey and rural-Ontario living,
long-term photo-art projects, like Back to the Future by Irina Werning,
and everything the Born Ruffians have ever done.
Latest inspirations:
cool indie-art stores in downtown Toronto,
hip, Canadian graphic novels about hockey and rural-Ontario living,long-term photo-art projects, like Back to the Future by Irina Werning,
and everything the Born Ruffians have ever done.
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