Wednesday 8 July 2009

New and Lost Crafts & We Have a New Friend

Since I started making a granny square a day in May I have not stopped crocheting. I made 80 granny squares (and may make some more), I crocheted washcloths and potholders. I keep buying yarns, because they don't count in my fabric diet. This is my newest potholder; the other side is in the darker pink. I found the pattern through the potholder swap I have been following on Candace's and Terri's blogs.



Last weekend my daughter Kaija was in London, and she found this book for me:

Lost Crafts. Now I can learn about making rope, laying hedges, making corn dollies, milling grain, fishing with creels, brewing beer, making clogs, weaving, building with wattle and daub, thatching and wheelwrighting, just to mention some. I took some lovely pictures, but blogger wanted to show them all the wrong way round, so you can only see the cover. Melanie seems to know about all these things, but soon I will have some knowledge of my own! The back cover says this book is perfect for browsing, daydreaming, inspiration or action, and I think it is just that.
And now to our new friend. You can see him in the next picture, in the middle area. Click the picture to see better!



A fearless blackbird has made friends with Mr. Kotkarankki first, and today he accepted me as well. Mr. K has been working on an expanding project to create us a nice place for afternoon coffee/tea in the garden.


The old place was here but the trellis was taken down long ago, the Clematis didn't survive there, and it is not nice to sit there so close to the street without some kind of fence around us. This will be the new place, too, but with lots of changes. I will show you later how far we get this summer.

During the last days Mr. K has been taking down the bushes and weeds from this impossible-to-maintain-nice slope, and the blackbird is ready to take the delicious worms. When Mr. K has filled the wheelbarrow, the bird changes places with him so he can take his dirt or bushes away.
The bird has never before had such easy access to nourishing food!

We know it is not the right season to move around bushes and bulbs, but now is the only time he can work on this project. If the plants survive, they will be planted again in their new places when the landscaping project is so far, and if not, we need to buy new plants. I re-planted over 300 narcissus bulbs today in boxes to wait for September, when they can be planted in their new places. They have experienced this some years ago, too, so I believe many of them if not all will make it to the next year.

6 comments:

  1. Perhaps Mr. Blackbird see you as a food provider. Love your new potholder.

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  2. Do share with us what you learn about the Lost Crafts. That looks like a fun book.

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  3. I really like that potholder pattern, Ulla! Ah - Mr. Blackbird knows a good thing when he sees it - just don't "bake him in a pie" as the old nursery rhyme suggests - LOL!
    The crafts book is realy neat! I have a friend in England who is restoring his wattle and daub house from the 14th century!
    Cheers!

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  4. I'll bet Mr K could learn to build with wattle and daub, and I'm sure we could pick up wheelwrighting in no time.
    What a lovely place that is going to be to sit! I do hope all your little bulbs make it. You might be surprised how hardy they are. One summer my brother dug up a whole bunch of hostas and irises in late June and brought them to me.. I left them sitting in buckets for a couple weeks before I could find the time to put them in the ground. Surprisingly they all make it.. and are flourishing!

    Can't wait till Melanie sees your new pet. :-)

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  5. Hia Ulla, as long as frost doesn't get to the bulbs they should be fine. What a brill exciting project you are starting. It will be fascinating seeing how you progress. I always thought that blackbirds were clever critters- he's definately on to a good thing with you and Mr K

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  6. PS the book looks wonderful- I haven't done all of those things though, honest. :-)

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