Golden Cross mine

With a sky that blue who could stay in doors behind a sewing machine?  Went walking around the Golden Cross mine tailings damn  - that's the water you can see in the background, not the pond by mamma sheep. 

 Mining company is prospecting in the hills and rather than put a road in through the bush they are helicoptering their gear in and out.  See the pilot hanging out the door.

 Of course, on these walks I have lots of time to sit while the real photographer works.  This old tree trunk was a tiny world all on its own.  My macro skills (non existent it appears) couldn't capture all the weird fungi and tiny plants.

 Are these rock formations?  No, same trunk above.

And after all that exertion pizza, desert and coffee at the Falls Bistro.  Yum!

Just so this post is not completely devoid of fibre, a sock.
Pattern:  Kalajoki from Ravelry I think.
Yarn: handspun corriedale, sliver from Anna Gratton.

And quick update on the shoulder.  I had the second cortizone injection and things are much less painful and therefore more stretch while exercising and at physio.  I've started going to the local thermal pool and swimming 30 minutes and then 10 minute soak in the hot hot pool.  Life's tough!

Update from Blue Monday

Here's the fabric from the previous post.  Third row of blossom down, third from left - it dips, its not straight but overall, considering the mess, I thought not a bad fix.
I do like how the flower nestles in the arch of the wave.  That didn't just happen.  Quite a bit of unweaving happened to achieve it.

Blue Monday

It seems the weaving Goddess (is she Arachne, Athena or Penelope) deserted some of us yesterday.  Meg didn't do too well and neither did I.

I was weaving away, slowly to protect my shoulder, just past the 3.2 metre point when my tie on unrolled from the back beam and ... twang ... two of the bundles of knots came undone and threads everywhere.  I did what any self respecting weaver would do, after venting the God's pedigree, I had a cup of tea.  I'm working on a project which needed 4 metres of continuous cloth, no joins, not negotiable.  Took a big breath, I have to to get in back of the loom, and started sorting the mess.  No photos, too ugly.  The cloth is no longer perfect and just hoping the wet finish will help.

I better go back to it; just 30cm to go.

"Japonisme"

Exactly 28 days from today is the opening of the exhibition "Japonisme" which Alison Francis and I have been working towards since the beginning of the year.  Panic ...

Have you wondered why I'd be experimenting with metres and metres of shibori fabric and not show what I'd done with it, sewing projects never shown finished and all the diversified plain weave experiments - cherry blossom indeed.  I assure you each has slowly (very slowly) been morphing into a creation or garment and gradually a body of work is coming together.

We will be exhibiting at NorthArt in Auckland, opening on 14 October and showing until 4 November, 3 weeks in all.

Japonisme is a term coined to explain artistic "borrowings" from the arts of Japan.  Japanese works of art became "catalysts" for new designs.  East meets West if you like.  Japonisme is not trying to imitate but it is "taking the essence and reinterpreting it".

I'm very proud ...

of my husband.  He's been attending the Tauranga Photographic Society of New Zealand for nearly a year now and while we were away they had the annual competitions.

An outline of how the club works is two meetings a month.  Artist starts in grade C and works up to grade B and A  by accumulating points for work submitted for appraisal, one meeting in print format and the second meeting in digital, a total of 100 points in either format before moving up the grade.  It can be entered as a set subject or artists choice.  Or you can just go to the meeting for fun.

So, Peter being a newby, is in grade C.  Not only did he bring home a trophy for overall points in C but 8 certificates in all including second overall in Landscape print and Landscape digital.  Guess the practice he gets on many walks and travels is paying off.  I'm happy so long as I take some knitting along.

If you go to the above link for the Society and click on Club Trophy Results 2012 and look for Peter Dudfield's work in print and digital.  Well done Pete.

Shoulder

So I saw the surgeon about my shoulder a few days ago.  I guess I had had hopes of a miracle and felt let down.
All he was interested in was how high I could lift my arm then sent me for an xray.  (Why that couldn't have been done at the time of the ultrasound I don't know!)  Back to surgeon who told me my shoulder is frozen.  Well, what's new.  I new that.  I wanted it fixed!
Told to go back to xray for an appointment for more cortizone which it seems a radiologist has to do.  Oh good, I said, my physio hoped that would be suggested.  It was only then that he had the courtesy to open the letter my overworked physio had taken precious time to write - grrr.
No, can't do the injection today, no radiologist working who can do that.  Wait until after 14th Sept when the new roster comes out!  (Was rung yesterday and will have it done Tues 12th.)  When I've had the cortizone I see the surgeon again though I don't know why as he can't make a decision as to whether to operate or not until the shoulder has thawed.  I would have thought by now a hospital could be more organised and co-ordinated.
Each procedure means a 100 kilometre round trip and a day off the loom, time I can ill afford at present.
Thank heavens the NZ tax payer is funding most of this by way of ACC.
One question the surgeon did ask was do I work after asking me my age.  I was pleased to say I am a weaver and work for a shop in Auckland.  Over a certain age ACC won't fund the procedures as you are considered "on the heap".