Author: NLS
Fungi Growth on Dying Birch
April 26, 2019
Kalanchoe pumila and a Succulent Start
I was at the neighborhood Farm Supply picking up a few plants for the gardens when I found this bit of a succulent.
It was on the shelf next to the six pack of Kalanchoe pumila I selected. I took it with me when I checked out. Before I finished asking if I could have it, the person working in the garden center said yes.
I placed it on a pot of soil and hope that eventually some roots will emerge.
Placed five of Kalanchoe pumila in the garden.
I liked the plant so much, I potted one up to enjoy in the house.
2019 April 27
Volunteer
April 18, 2019
April 22, 2019
Who is left to connect me… Patina
I decided to assemble Who Is Left… and then patina the bronze safety pins and welding rod. I am hoping for the addition of a weeping green, but the wool limits what I can use.
The patina is a solution of dissolved kosher salt in white vinegar.
I folded and rolled the piece in the solution. Then hung it to drip dry.
Bronze Dagger, Vinegar and Salt Patina Used on Upper Portion
This is a fun little piece that has been on the wall of my studio for several years. It is part of my Cleanse Your Palate series.
The series is based on negative words and the punishment of washing out your mouth with soap.
I made cups of dried plant materials and fiber. Made silicone molds of the cups.
A clove glycerin soap cup was pulled from each mold.
The wood used for the shelf is from an old garden swing. I carried the wood around for a decade before it found a home in the cup series. The oxidized wire was found in my dad’s shop. Perhaps I learned to save everything, just in case, for some day, from my dad.
A few pieces from the series can be seen on my website, Girl Artist.
Who Is Left to Connect Me… In Progress
Safety Pins Used–263 small, 9 gourd. The knitted brown pieces are much thinner than the cream and tan pieces. Next time I should use the same stitch for all.
Cut a length of bronze welding rod for hanging the piece inside box. Current Dimensions–10″ x 20″.
Next–Patina the metal and build a cedar box.
As stated in a previous post, the quote is from Henning Mankell’s, Firewall.
Who Is Left to Connect Me to My Earlier Life?
The quote is from Firewall, part of the Wallander series written by Henning Mankell.
Tomorrow is the anniversary of my mother’s ischemic stroke. An event that changed everything.
Last year was a challenging year. My younger sister survived her third surgery for oral cancer, but while in recovery had an ischemic stroke. She did not survive.
Two months later my mother had an ischemic stroke. For a few weeks the prognosis was positive-negative, hopeful-no hope. Before summer I lost the two most important women in my life. The women who knew me when I was a child. We grew and changed together.
I am working on a memorial series. Typically I my series have 11 pieces. Several pieces are in progress but not quite completed. Partly the delay in completing work is the result of recovering from hand surgery. Still do not have my fine motor skill and manual dexterity in my dominant hand.
I using fiber to embroider on hardware cloth for my code blocks. Holding a needle for extended periods of time still causes hand and finger pain. Needed to figure out alternative ways for making things. Since I can loom knit, decided to give that a go. This will also be the first piece in a long time that does not have hardware cloth. It is a good thing to break a dependence on a material.
Who is Left…, will still have a metal component. The plan is to use safety pins to assemble the blocks. The safety pins will also add the possibility of green patina running down the piece.
Blocks
There are three colors of wool blocks: 41 tan for dashes, 51 dark brown for dots, and 52 cream for spacers. The 144 blocks will be laid out on a 9 x 16 grid.
Knit Pattern–Dash 41 Tan Wool Blocks
Cast On E-wrap
Knit E-wrap
R1 Skip, K5, Flat Knit
R2 Skip, K, S, K, S, K, Flat Knit
R3 Skip, K5, Flat Knit
R4 Skip, S, K, S, K, S, Flat Knit
Pattern rolls.
Knit Pattern–Dot 51 Dark Brown Wool Blocks
Cast On E-wrap
Knit E-wrap
R1 Skip, K, P, K, P, K, Flat Knit
R2 Skip, P, K, P, K, K, Flat Knit
R3 Skip, P, K, P, K, K, Flat Knit
R4 Skip, K, P, K, P, K, Flat Knit
Knit Pattern–Spacers 52 Cream Wool Blocks
Cast On E-wrap
Knit E-wrap
Only Knit Purl Stitches
R1 Skip, K, P, K, P, K, Flat Knit
R2 Skip, P, K, P, K, K, Flat Knit
R3 Skip, K, P, K, P, K, Flat Knit
R4 Skip, P, K, P, K, K, Flat Knit
Knitted Swatches with Cotton Cord Separating Blocks After First Fulling
Blocks for Code
The scraps are random sizes, might be fun to stitch together to make letters in a different code piece.
Been thinking about learning to use my mother’s sewing machine.
The blocks were fulled, not felted. Loops for pegs still visible.
Safety Pins
I ordered two types of bronze 3/4″ safety pins from amazon:
Household Mall 3/4-Inch Safety Pins, Bronze (1440 Pieces)
Firefly Bronze Metal Gourd Pin (1000 Pieces)
Received the Household Bronze pins. They are beautiful!
Waiting to assemble the piece until I see the Bronze Gourd Pins.
10 April They Arrived…
The extra space in the curve of the pin might work better with the thickness of the wool blocks.
The safety pins would be lovely for use in the i-cord bowl series I am planning to make. The title is Collected Memories. Got the idea when going through my parents’ collections found in random drawers.
A few years ago I dinked around with the idea of i-cord bowls. Wasn’t the time to develop the work. Maybe I was waiting for bronze safety pins.
According to the email I received from amazon, I may not receive the gourd safety pins until April 12th. So, I patiently wait for the order to arrive.
Blooming Kalanchoe beharensis Fang
Earwigs love to live in the top leaves of the plant. I use a soft brush to remove them and their debris.
And to remove debris that collects on their leaves.
Relieved My Little Japanese Maple Did Not Die
Did my Japanese Maple Die?
Before I left for a week in August, my little Japanese Maple looked like this–
I came home to find it looking like this–
Concerned that it might dying. I removed all of the dead leaves, and waited.
Relieved that today my little Japanese Maple now looks like this–
Senecio Jacobsenii, Weeping Jade After Days of Rain
When the Weeping Jade was planted in the garden.
After Numerous Days of Rain
