Coiling Around

Today I went with 5 of my fellow weavers & spinners to the home of one of our guild members, the Indomitable Mary, for a workshop with fibre artist Marilyn Moore. The Coiled Brooch class (scroll down to the second offering) was the one chosen for us but I thought I would have preferred the pine needle basket with lid instead. However, I was determined to get a chance to get to know Marilyn a bit better. I’ve met her several times over the years at various conferences but never took a class with her before. She was great and it was fun! This is what I made:


My colours, doncha think? Copper, orange, and black. And yes it went with my outfit today too! I was even wearing my lace leaf socks since I knew I’d be running around the house in my sock feet so I could show them off. Smirk! Notice I made a necklace instead of a brooch. I'll get more wear of of a necklace. I also bought both of Marilyn’s 2 CDs: Introduction to Coiling and Pine Needle Basketmaking that she’d brought with her. I’ve done both before but I really enjoy the jewelry aspects of these traditionally basketmaking crafts. Something small enough to finish in this lifetime! (Though I love the process of coiling. Yes, you already know I'm weird.) I bought 2 more pieces of the polished hemp twine that forms the centre of the coil and have lots more colours of embroidery floss in the stash. And of course beads. The necklace is knotted from waxed linen cord and I have more of that too. My friend Marie plans to get more of the polished hemp in to her home-based shop so I won't be limited to the two bits that I bought from Marilyn if I want more. I’m already seeing many different designs in my mind’s eye that I’d like to try. But first I’d like to rest my poor wrists and neck for a while first. That was quite a workout for them.

Mary’s house is too cool so I was happy to get a chance to visit it. But I forgot my camera so I can’t show it off! Snug up against a mountain, down a very long windy one-lane road, hard up against the water (Deep Cove), and she even has the bedrocks inside her house! Guarded by a gargoyle (that I think is related to the one over my computer monitor). The walls are all angles and windows and there’s wide steps down to the kitchen/living area and a circular staircase up to the loft bedrooms. It has the feel of an island hideaway but no ferries to bother with. However, that long and winding road (5 miles of deep forest) does really isolate the houses tucked in this corner of heaven. You wouldn’t want an emergency to happen because help would be a long time coming. You can’t have everything I suppose. Darn.