Fine Craft

We are now in Cocoa, Florida, just past Cape Canaveral.  The space coast of Florida is delightfully mild, and we are beginning to thaw!  Saturday was the first day of sunshine we’ve had since getting onboard Pandora, and the feeling of warm sun on my face was glorious!

We left New Smyrna yesterday and arrived in Cocoa mid afternoon.  Both towns are very charming with pretty parks right at the water’s edge, pretty pastel colored low, stucco buildings and historic bungalow style houses along quiet residential streets.  Cocoa’s waterfront park was teeming with families yesterday, and I realized it’s a 3-day national holiday this weekend to commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr.  And even though the town was bustling with folks who could enjoy their Sunday without worry of what Monday would bring, the residential streets were still very quiet.

This first image is actually a small church on the corner of the street with so many pretty bungalows.

It’s funny to me that when I get ashore I spend a lot of time walking through residential streets and snapping photos of houses and gardens.  I think I really miss life on land!

Along the waterway near New Smyrna there are lots of small estuaries, full of mangroves, and nesting/hunting grounds for a wonderful selection of water birds and sea life.  While we were underway, Bob saw a number of baby dolphins swimming alongside their mothers. And we saw colorful crabs tucked into the roots of the mangroves.  I did not know crabs came in such brilliant colors!

I love how pelicans fly in formation together.  Bob took this photo right before sunset when the pelicans are glowing with the last of the light.

We waited ages for this ibis to take flight, and then when he did all our photos are blurry!  It was a beautiful sight!  You’ll have to trust me on that!

Isn’t this crab amazing?  I had dreams last night about giant crabs in vivid colors…..

The highlight in the town of New Smryna was a beautiful gallery of pottery and stained glass right along the residential street at the edge of the harbor.  It is called Clay Gallery, and you must pass through a stunning garden before you get to the galleryn entrance.

What a lovely spot!  And they have a wonderful beehive oven, very similar to what Bob has been wanting to make for our house.  Great inspiration for him to get started this summer! I particularly love the shells imbedded in the mouth

I have been avoiding my computer problems by knitting.  I have been knitting for a ridiculous number of hours each day and am racing through the front of the pretty “For Irene” sweater by Carol Sunday.  I knitted the back of the sweater while traveling in Portugal, in the fall, then put is aside to finish up the Merle sweater to wear during the cold weather we’ve had while onboard. I got myself in trouble at the beginning of the front of “For Irene” doing the short rows, and with internet so unpredictable on a boat, and with the fear that I might wait days for an email response from Carol, I decided to call her!  I felt quite uncomfortable about this, but I really needed to keep knitting so I wouldn’t have to face the overwhelming job of sorting through photos and files on my computer.  She actually has her phone number posted on her website, and I could not resist getting instant gratification for my questions.

I want to wear this sweater to a wedding in the spring.  The wedding is 3 months away, which may sound like ages….but not in my circumstances!  I need to know if the sweater will be flattering on me with enough time left over to determine if I can find anything to wear with it as we travel south along the coast.  That’s a tall order! So 3 months is not that much time to pull an outfit together from a boat!  I don’t have the luxury of a car, so I only have access to whatever is available in the little shops along the coast.   Mostly these shops have beautiful clothing for beautiful people…..who wear a size 2!

Anyway, Carol actually answered her phone!  And she was patient and friendly with my questions.  And of course, my problems were entirely my fault, nothing to do with the pattern.  I cannot convey how thankful I am for her immediate help because I had an entire day of knitting and managed to start the front over again and make it all the way past the armholes!  I am making this sweater in Phildar Cotton 3 because I want to wear it in the milder months.  The colorway is “Eben” (#223), a warm medium brown, which I hope will look nice with either cream or pale blue silk pants.  I am changing the pattern a bit below the armholes (it is a top down pattern) by increasing one stitch at each edge every 8 rows, and then every 12 rows, to create more of an A-line tunic. I also intend to change the sleeves to 3/4 length, so I can actually do stuff while wearing the sweater.  I love the idea and the look of sleeves that drape below the wrist, but it just doesn’t work for my lifestyle!  I cannot cook… or eat… while wearing long, flowing sleeves, and there you have it!…in a nutshell!…. why I don’t wear a size 2!

I sure hope I like the finished garment!  It’s so nice to have a flattering sweater that you have knitted for yourself!

It has been cold and damp ever since we moved onboard Pandora. ….and there has been fog!  When it is pea soup thick and we can’t see anything but a bit of water on all sides of us, I can imagine that we are in Maine in June rather than Florida in January!  Then out of the gloom I’ll see a bit of salt marsh and realize we really are in the south.

Bob took some lovely photos of the marsh as it materialized now and then out of the fog.

 

He is using our GPS to navigate the narrow channel of the ICW (Intra Coastal Waterway) and radar to find other vessels that might be crossing our path.  There are lots of bridges along the ICW, many of them draw bridges that only open at certain times, so approaching them in fog is a bit dicey for my liking.

We ran aground at one point on a hump that was right in the channel, and we got stuck for about 10 minutes, just long enough for me to begin to make peace with staying put until the next high tide.  That would have been a good long time since we were traveling on a falling tide that morning.  Bob used the engine to get us off, which always means stirring up a bit of mud from the bottom as he powered off the shallow hump.  It creates a bit of stirred up water and mud and certainly a lot of noise.  I took a photo of this pelican who didn’t seem to mind all our noisy, turbulent endeavors.  I guess he’s seen it all before.

 These photos made me realize that I’d like to do a series of small tapestries of the beautiful landscapes we travel through on our winter journey.  Of course I’m a bit worried about colors!  I brought a lot of yarns along to work on a particular image I’d planned before we left, and I don’t think any of them will work for creating these foggy landscapes that are so compelling to me now.  That will be a challenge!

I should finish the aplaca/silk infinity scarf today.  I hope it will go in the mail tomorrow (my birthday!) in time to reach my sister when she returns from celebrating her birthday!  We are almost twins, a decade aparty!

Our boat Pandora went in the water a few days ago in St. Marys, Georgia.  This is a lovely southern town, the epitome of old southern elegance and gentility.  We enjoyed walking along the waterfront, through a lovely town park, and along the main street and quiet residential streets… when it wasn’t raining!

There was a wedding in the park on Saturday evening.

There are camellias in bloom all over town.  Some of them are very tall.

Lunch at Riverview Café turned out to be a fun surprise that the owners are Greek and have a menu full of delicious Greek items!  I have not had Greek food since moving to the Connecticut River! We got a piece of baklava to take ‘home’ with us for after dinner.

Most of the shops in town are closed on Sundays, but the one that was open may be the gem of the whole town:  Cottle and Gunn.  I was ready to move in and never leave!  Both owners were in the shop while Bob and I were there and the four of us had a lively conversation.  These two women collect lots of vintage furniture from the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, along with plenty of vintage household items to complete the look.  They sell a line of chalk paint and milk paint and are quite creative at ‘repurposing’ some of the furniture to be whimsical, fun pieces that would transform any room into a fairy tale.  I wanted everything in the shop!  Barring that I just wanted to move in.  They invited me to come back with my knitting to sit and talk to them!

 Along with the vintage items, they also had a beautiful collection of locally made things by various craftswomen.  There were some beautiful baskets, and some very creative sewn accessories.  When I get home in the spring I think I will call them to order this fun spool of colorful paper dots.  I don’t know what I’ll do with it (beyond using it for a garland on a Christmas tree), but I think it could brighten a room all year.

 It is raining a lot, and it is chilly.  We left St. Marys yesterday, in late afternoon, and motored the short distance to the northernmost coastal town in Florida, Fernandina Beach.  We’d love to go ashore and explore this quaint looking town, but it’s cold….and still raining! So we had a quiet dinner onboard last night with baklava for dessert, and this morning we are heading south in a gentle rain and fog.  The salt marshes are beautiful in the fog.

I have been working on an infinity scarf .  It is a heathery shade of pale plum “Misti Alpaca” by Berroco, and the pattern is also by Berroco.  It is called “Wallis” and it’s available as a download through Ravelry.  Rain is still in the forecast for most of today and tomorrow so I should be able to finish this project quickly since it’s too chilly and damp to go ashore, and the alpaca/silk blend is warm and soft in my hands. The color of my yarn is a paler version of the woman’s blouse in this photo. I’m hoping to get it in the mail soon for someone very dear.

 

Well, it’s full on winter now, so we have cast off the moorings of our safe warm home and headed south for better weather, but rougher living!  Our boat Pandora is on land up the St. Marys River in Georgia.  Bob left her there in October and she had her hull buffed to a gleaming shine, and she had some mechanical work done as well.  Now we are provisioning her and getting ready for the trip down the coast of Florida and possibly over to the Bahamas.

It’s not unusual for the temps to dip below freezing in winter in southern Georgia and northern Florida, and that is exactly what has happened.  When I realized this was going to happen I decided it would be an excellent opportunity to wear the Wool People 7 sweater “Merle” (designed by Amy Christophers) before I lost this opportunity.  If not now, I wouldn’t wear it ’til next fall.  I only had 1 1/2 sleeves to go, and it went quite quickly.  I am now happily wearing it!

I’ve got a number of projects to keep me happy while we are away.  This is the first year I’ve brought a lace pillow onboard.  I have a little book of lace hearts and I’d like to make 2 or 3 of them.  I am on the last bit of my first heart, and it has been an easy project.  Whew!  I was beginning to feel that I was never going to gain any proficiency at making lace.  It does help to work on beginner projects!

I also have about 8 very small knitting projects on board.  A pair of gloves (almost done with the first glove), a pair of mittens, two pairs of socks, a moebius scarf, knitted slippers, and a small handbag….hmmm…that is only 7, so I have forgotten the last one.

I also have five sweaters onboard this year.  The first one is the “Merle” which is finished (shown above!)….so that leaves the other four.  “Arabella,”  another Wool People design by Anne McCauley, which I am knitting with Cascade Yarns Venezia sport, which is a blend of merino and silk.

I also have with me the wonderful boatneck sweater by Carol Sunday called “For Irene” which I am knitting in Phildar Cotton 3.  I’ve got Alice Starmore’s “Mary Tudor” with me, which I’ve neglected for over a year, so maybe I will make some good progress on it.  And the last sweater is a casual sweatershirt type design that I picked up at Halcyon Yarn the last time we were in Maine….possibly more than 3 years ago now.

I’ve got two tapestries with me too.  I’m not sure I have the proper yarns for them, which is a big worry.  I also forgot to bring any bobbins!  I know I could weave without bobbins, but it wouldn’t be pretty and I do want to do the best work I can.  A good friend from the Wednesday Group has sent me a package of bobbins!  They have arrived at the local cruising station, and I will get them today.  What a good friend!

Pandora will go in the water on Saturday or Sunday, depending on temperatures rising and no rain!  Then we will be off living like nomads.  Today I am provisioning food and household staples for the next 4 months.  Wish me luck!

 

The weeks have been ticking by, and I’ve had SO much to post and no ability to do it!  For these past 6 weeks, I’ve felt like a woman with her hair on fire!

Posting has been virtually impossible (and continues to be):  my computer is full, my iphone is full, and Dropbox is full!  How could this happen all at once?  Clearly, I am that kind of person who just glides through life enjoying my high-tech toys, who then completely falls apart when these tools require some effort on my part!  I have resisted the urge to simply pay for the upgraded Dropbox.  UGH……

So, in addition to having clogged up all my precious tools, it’s also been the holidays and I’ve just had minor surgery!  While the surgery was minor and completely successful, general anesthesia always takes its toll.  I’ve been blissfully relaxed and able to sleep ridiculous amounts of time, and I’ve been quite fuzzy brained.  In a number of ways, it’s been a blessing!  I’ve had a no-stress holiday since I couldn’t get up enough energy to jump through all the hoops or even worry about what lists I should make!

A terrific perk to not worrying about Christmas preparations was that I took a whole day to go into New York to see the Pieter Coecke van Aelst tapestries at the Met.  It was so inspiring and overwhelming and just plain HUGE.  Isn’t it marvellous how they displayed the tapestries coming out from the walls?

But, on the other hand, there is so much I would like to catch up on here.  I had such amazing experiences in Portugal, and I want to record them.  There were so many opportunities to experience textiles.  I spent a day in the lace museum at Vila de Conde and another day at the lace school that is part of that museum.  I saw wonderful textiles everywhere!  Each part of the country has its traditional embroidery techniques (and pottery designs too!) which are easy to find.  And I visited the eastern city of Portalegre where there is a tapetry studio for large works created by well known modern Portuguese artists.  I have lots of photos and lots of stories about these wonderful places, and I hope to make some space on my computer so I can begin to document these adventures!

Meanwhile, it’s that lulling time between Christmas and New Year and Bob and I are throwing our stuff together to head south and move onboard our boat Pandora, that is waiting for us in St. Marys, Georgia.  I am taking some guilty pleasure from spending some time washing and ironing all the linens we have used over the past week.  I am setting the table for my return in May, and have a new embroidered tablecloth from de Viano do Castelo in the north of Portugal.  Take a look at that link for some gorgeous examples of the handwork of the women in this area!

 Here is a close up.

A few other things that have given me a grateful holiday spirit:  Approaching the end of my Merle sweater.  Huge thanks to Jared Flood and Harrisville Designs for making such a lovely yarn (Loft) for knitting!  Thank you to Amy Christoffers for this beautiful design.  I have knitted it a intriguing color called “Button Jar” which is a complex green, hard for me to describe….muted with wonderful flecks of a bright warm blue, like sky blue, and sunny yellow.  It has been a dream to knit, and it looks pretty good on me too!  Unfortunately, I am having no luck getting the colors to be accurate.  This is too washed out.

 When I return home in May I will be ready to finish weaving this medium weight linen fabric that has huck motifs crossing each other in a plaited effect.  Pretty cool!  It’s a huck threading based on a plaited twill that Laurie Autio designed on her computer, and I am translating into cloth. This design was part of a hand out that Laurie gave us at our November mini-workshop at the Handweavers’ Guild of Connecticut.  This fabric will become a hefty tote bag lined with some fun plaid linen fabric from my stash.  It will be a summer bag and I hope it will be finished in time for summer in New England when I return!

This is the fabric on the loom….the color is somewhat too cool.  The real thing is a bit warmer.

And this photo is of a sample that I cut from the loom, and now the colors are too warm!  Reality is somewhere in between…. Also, the huck motifs running in one direction are a noticeably different color than the motifs going in the opposite direction, but the photos do not demonstrate that.  Having the warp and weft in contrasting colors emphasizes the plaited efftect.  While I chose a medium contrast of colors, the photos just do not pick it up.  The real deal is much more effective!

Wish me luck getting my computer files under control so I can post some videos and photos of the beautiful handwork of Portugal!