Not knitting ...

Being on a short break from the needles doesn't mean I'm void of projects to work on. Au contraire.

I've picked up the third of the medieval needlepoints by Candice Bahouth. This one is a pheasant (squirrel and rabbit are done) but in fact, there is no pattern for it in the book. There is a picture of a finished canvas on the cover of the book and it's just clear enough that I can follow it. Since it's in the same series as the other three patterns that are in the book, the palette is similar and I don't have to guess too much. It's quite a nice looking pheasant and in my opinion, it's a little bit more challenging than either the squirrel or rabbit:


My favorite time-of-day to needlepoint are in the morning, either with, or just after coffee; and also at night after the day's work is done. Ciello has shown a keen interest in every task I pick up and the needlepoint is no exception. I'm becoming smitten with the adorable little creature.

Also in the works are a couple of scarves using some yarn I spun up last summer. The fiber is wool/silk from Ashland Bay. The weaving pattern is called "Gothic Cross". There are a few versions of the draft based on the order of treadling one uses. The one I chose is more open and less condensed than the others I've seen. It's difficult to distinguish the pattern in pictures of the unfinished cloth:


But progress has been a tad slow since Ciello's arrival due to the fact that it's considerably cooler upstairs where the loom is. I can't take him up there and I'm not keen on having him sit in a cage all alone while there's a flock of birds in one room and me in another. Poor little thing. But I have a plan: Some years ago I purchased 2 very large and beautiful bird cages. They are meant for large parrots to give you an idea. They almost went up for sale when I made the move but I ended up taking them with me and now I'm glad I did. I'm going to move one of them into the bird room and Ciello will be able to spend time in it whilst being protected from the other bird's possible aggression. When his feathers are grown in I'll slowly start to introduce him to the flock.

Since it is so cool upstairs but nice and cosy down here with the thermo set a little higher for Ciello, I moved my work equipment down to the kitchen table for the duration. It's quite nice to work without a blanket over my legs! Especially seeing how it was -16 degrees this morning when I got up. It was 10 this afternoon, a full 26 degrees warmer, and it felt positively balmy!!