"Winter into Spring" (greens)

The colors this spring have been intense. I don't know if it's because winter seemed to last forever or if it's because I'm just noticing more. Some days I'm nearly breathless with the beauty. Every day something new blooms along the trails or in my garden. It's been very hard for me to stay inside to weave.

I was supposed to be working on a commission. I had double-dyed a very, dark grey that helped me focus, since I really wanted to work with it. (Sometimes its the colors of newly dyed reed that inspire a basket.) The shape I started to weave was too shallow for the commission, so I changed ideas. Here's what I made. In retrospect, I see the linear, neutral colors of winter accented with the fresh, green leaves of spring (with a little orange for interest).

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After 30 odd years of making baskets and many more of gardening, the idea that I can live a life weaving together the colors I see around me, me makes me pause and think. My life isn't perfect, and I'll probably never have a lot of money, but I appreciate that I have eyes that can see, hands that can make things, and an imagination that keeps me curious and motivated.

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And ... I share this time with Kitt and Emma.

I went to the woods to weave

Last Sunday I went to a social media "tweetup" with David Mathison aka @BeTheMedia. After lots of talk and a latte, Emma and I retreated to the woods to regroup. I needed time to think about the information and to consider the possibilities. We sat in the sun and I wove a wreath using Aspen leaves. (Maple leaves with all their beautiful colors work well in wreaths, but they dry out and become fragile much faster than the Aspen leaves.) A few days later I went back and collected a more leaves and created a spiral turning back on it's self. Here is a photo of the finished spiral.

Emma and I visited Helen Dimos's garden

Emma and I were invited to a Helen's garden over the weekend. After I took photographs, and she "tended" to details, we sat and watched shafts of light penetrate the deepening shadows. (Emma had been off leash the whole time and no plants were destroyed! I was proud of her.) The day before we went to visit, it had rained. Helen gave us these peonies to take home.

Emma with Anemones and Ginger

The "fluff" to the left of the flowers is Emma's butt. Gardening with a dog has mixed rewards.

Getting ready for Craft Boston

We're a little distracted right now, so we hope that you'll come back in a few days when we have a better handle on things. In the meantime, if you go to:

http://www.craftboston.org

http://tinyurl.com/c8gll6

you'll see what's been keeping us so busy.

Thanks, Kari and Emma

kgl.edbd