It seems like a lifetime ago now, the warmth and romance of Florida. It's taken an age to settle back into Northern Irish life, but our adventures there inspire us ever on.
(Yep, MyTarPit did paint the sign.)
There was Weaving Day: A day I spent encouraging already accomplished weavers to weave differently.
The clay loom weights we'd made had fired well, so we decided to build a loom in the ancient oak trees.
We dragged some dead wood to an appropriate spot.
Did some light pruning to make uprights and a cross beam which we lashed to a horizontal limb.
And tied a warp with crochet cotton to match the weights.
Separating out a shed.
And weighting the warps.
I wasn't sure how these women - all of whom have way more weaving experience than myself - would react to my shennanigans.
I needn't have worried. They began weaving grasses, peacock feathers, spanish moss, ribbons - in fact everything that I'd provided.
The results were rather pleasing. A mixture of rustic charm and summer colour on both sides.
We left a few weights on to balance the piece visually. Everyone seemed pretty pleased with the freedom of weaving outdoors and with the spontaneous nature of working together under the trees. It was incredibly liberating. Weaving is usually so precise.
Spanish Moss Sculpture Prototype:
I've also been wanting to try out weaving a stupa from willow and moss. It'll be large enough to sit beneath, so that the moss deadens all sound and you're enclosed in a rich, earthy silence of green.
The spanish moss growing in abundance at Oak Hammock Farm gave me the opportunity.
It was the wrong season for bendy willow whips, but I was able to find some slightly pliable dog fennel to try a prototype.
I wanted to suspend the structure down amongst the ancient oaks.
It took a good bit of effort to haul it up.
But only a 5th of the way into weaving, I hadn't counted on the fact that spanish moss drives mules WILD with desire. Shiloh helped himself and well, it was never finished.... but I plan to weave a full one now I've learned from my mistakes. (Namely letting a mule into the paddock!)
Weaving on a Triangular Loom:
I'd never tried this before, but it was great. You create warp and weft at the same time.
I wove with my hand-dyed handspun. It's so quick. There's no tying off or threading heddles.
I'm really pleased with the final piece, which is a lot less open-weave now washed.
Alfalfa Graffiti: - Artwork That Will Grow.
Ever wondered what'll happen if you mix up a paper pulp with sprouting alfalfa seeds to a sticky paste and then spray it at high pressure through a stencil? Nope? Well we did. Watch this space because we plan to create more living, growing artworks. (Unfortunately the Washington DC snow killed it off before it got started. But come spring time... we're gonna go freaky.)
MyTarpit Release: Floating down to Cuba.
Key West - home of sea-worn wood and salty seadogs.
Our surroundings inspired the hub to paint up a wakeboard he'd picked up floating in Lake Tahoe, on the other side of the USA.
As it had come to us as flotsam, it seemed only right to release it in the same way. Will it ever make it to Cuba? Who'll find it?
And Finally: Well it wouldn't be me if I didn't add a few carousel images. Enjoy....
New York, January. -22 degreesC.
An empty carousel spinning.
A beckoning menagerie hare.
And good friends to ride the carousel with.
Perfection.
