spring cleaning (3 of 3)

okay, so maybe three photos of my handmade cordage is a bit much. but i was excited about it. the colors. the functionality. besides, spring is stuck here. nothing, literally nothing, is happening. i don’t remember a spring like this ever before. the snow melted, the rains came. and then nothing. overcast days and cool temps have suspended everything. an anxious pause. at first everyone was complaining. now we just kick the dirt, and look at our feet in awkward silence.

twisted and braided over-wintered garden leaves

spring clean-up (2 of 3)

this is the twisted and braided ‘cordage‘ i made with yesterday’s over-wintered garden leaves. i put the word cordage in quotes, because i did not actually ret (soak and soften) the leaves to separate the woody tissue from the fibers. nevertheless, i am happy with the results, and may play with making proper cordage this summer. i have a side yard full of nettle which is excellent for extracting fiber–sort of like flax. one of the rules of STILL is no non-natural subjects (except for sea glass ;-) but i am often finding that i’d like to bind some of my compositions with something, especially bouquets. how tempting it is to reach for the florist wire. alas, i never do. but i will allow this cordage–even though it is manipulated, it is still entirely natural. i feel like a carpenter with a new tool in my toolkit.

twisted and braided over-wintered leaves (mostly lily)

too pretty to toss

as you know, i am as fond of the winter garden as i am of the summer garden. and like my puggle, jack, i am especially fond of seeing what turns up after the snow melts in april. these over-wintered leaves (mostly lily i believe) were just too beautiful to toss on the compost pile. i brought them inside, and spent the next couple of hours twisting and braiding them into cordage. i will share the results in the coming days.

over wintered garden leaves (mostly lily leaves)

a tumble of parasols

these goatsbeard parasols seemed fitting while i wait for the spring rains to do their job. let’s go photosynthesis. giddyup.

goatsbeard parasol seeds (salsify)

a little twisted

i brought home some palm fronds from california this week. the gentle twist of these fonds remind me of my beloved vine tendrils. clearly i have a fascination with twisted subjects. what does that say about me? a little bit twisted perhaps?

dried palm fronds from palm springs, ca