Posts from ‘May, 2012’

I’m not quite done – they still need mulched around the edges – but all three raised beds are in and filled and planted. Tomatoes, peppers, and lots of things from seed. Some of the seed was several years old; no idea what will actually come up. By a conservative estimate, I moved a thousand […]

The World’s Smallest Pea Patch is getting an upgrade this year (and no, I’m not changing its name, even though it no longer is true). But isn’t this sharp: I have one more to install, giving me three 4x4ft raised beds. The first one is nearly full of perennials already. I transplanted in the strawberries, […]

I made every last one of my major spring deadlines, both planned and unexpected. (A few minor ones slipped, but let’s not talk about that.) Here’s one: These sprang bags went in the mail to Peters Valley Craft Center yesterday. I’m teaching a sprang and tablet weaving class there at the end of June (you […]

I had to take my car in for some work today. Nothing major, just state inspection and such, so I thought I’d work in the bookstore/coffeeshop while I waited for it. The mechanic opens earlier than the bookstore, so I took a stroll around the enormous parking lot complex while I waited. I had no […]

I get Google alerts on my name and on “Phiala.” The latter turns up all sorts of random things. Today I am a bag: the Phiala satchel. How they chose that name I can’t begin to guess.

Time and again I go searching for textile history information and end up on Thora’s annotated bibliographies. Or, if you’re not in the SCA, Carolyn Priest-Dorman’s annotated bibliographies. Thank you, Thora! You’ve pointed me toward any number of resources I never would have found on my own. And now, I’m off to the library to […]

My current favorite hiking destination: Spring Creek Canyon. Scenic, close to home, interesting things to look at. And it quite looks like a canyon, too, at least in spots. You’ll be utterly unsurprised to hear that most of my photographic efforts have gone toward pictures of plants and fungi. But this last trip we saw […]

Laura would like me to know that wasp nests can be used for artistic purposes, and that I should rush out and save it from slow decay. I have to admit, those are rather nice. But I’m afraid after a winter in a tree it’s not all that artistic. If I take regular photos of […]

The giant wasp nest finally fell. It looked like that October and hung on all winter, progressively raggedier, peeling around the edges, but still attached to the maple. It was during the wet and windy snowstorm, I think, but I didn’t notice the carcass right away. Now it’s slowly turning into pulp in my front […]