across the water, the moss drips

Ferried across
a water passage,
in a sea of change.
Last year we drove here the long way,
exploring and finding it on accident.
This year I returned with a purpose.

The shop was as cozy as I remembered,
warm and welcoming,
full of ladies who create with their hands
and talk and laugh and pamper the shop dog.
If I squint I can pretend it is a century ago,
and we have gathered at this barn to knit.
But I don’t know how to knit.
So why am I at a yarn shop–again?

This radiant lady is Katy Flynn, Seattle designer and lovely friend

This time, car loaded with friends who must see this shop,
I hoped my memory hadn’t over-shined this place,
but here it was still:
Baskets full of dark dark green mohair, loose through my fingers;
nearby, the northwest jungle of the Hoh rainforest.
There, the moss drapes from the trees like great green fingers.
A collection had formed in my mind: Moss.
Now I knew where to source my moss.

 

Clever idea from trove boutique

It’s a cufflink holder!

Let’s all celebrate embroidery for a moment, shall we?

A little pop of color mid-winter never hurt anybody.

Anthropologie in downtown Seattle, by the way, has a brand-new display in the window that is FABULOUS, a giant painted dropcloth map of downtown Seattle. And inside, giant canvases of indigo. Whoever did the displays, bravo. I asked the lady at Anthro what they’re going to do with it when they’re done with it. She didn’t know.

I like that Anthro supports local artists for their window displays.

guess what i found?

Is it a murky underwater seascape?

No, it’s silk, hand-dyed.

And there’s blue, too…

This one is mohair locks.

And this……………

This is my moss. The moss I’ve been looking for.

You see, for weeks, I’ve been taking photos of moss all over the city. Bursting up between sidewalk cracks, carpeting rocks…

In Seattle, green velvet carpets the pavement and bejewels the trees.

This lovely green stuff is going to feature prominently in some upcoming stuff. Stay tuned…

If you’re interested in visiting the woman who dyed these gorgeous things, she lives in historic Port Gamble, WA. You can also check out her website, where you can learn more about her technique. In person, Heidi was very helpful and willing to answer lots of questions. She does custom colors!

planning a trip to san fran

washington state ferry textiles

port townsend

 On my last week of teaching, I told my husband I wanted to process everything by getting in our car Saturday morning, and driving. I wanted to drive without a plan. Maybe see the ocean, maybe not. Whatever happened would be okay. The road was the important thing.

So we drove. And this is where we ended up.

We stayed the night, at an old hotel on the old main street–
the first vacancy sign we saw.

At night on our patio, we saw more stars than either of us have seen in a long time.

And in the morning, we woke up and realized this was our view.

 

We walked around the town. Although it’s now a sort of Seattle weekend getaway destination, you’re still reminded on every block that this is a sea-town.

 

 

 

 

Right in the middle of town was a gravel parking lot, and boats and other vehicles that look like they’ve been turned into homes.

 

We drove back towards Seattle.

In Port Gamble, an even smaller old Washington boom town, I popped into a shop that sells wool. I thought I might just get a gift for my sister Karen, who knits. Little did I realize, I was about to discover my new source for all things gorgeous and hand-dyed and furry-looking.

More on that big exciting thing soon…

It’s a Washington State Ferry holiday elf!

I stood at the back of the boat, and watched the Salish Sea and the Olympic mountains recede, and thought of the 11 years I’ve called myself a teacher.

Then I walked to the front of the boat, and watched the Salish Sea and the Cascade mountains advance, and tried to guess what’s coming.

But then I remembered,
there is no past, there is no future.
There is no sea behind me, or ahead of me.
I am in the sea,
I am here in the present and all else is an illustion.

I am on the boat, slicing through the water of time.

Then I walked back to my car, where it was warm,
and my husband was waiting for me.
We tipped our seats back, and enjoyed each other’s presence.

Frosted leaves

I’ve been going on walk-abouts around my work neighborhood lately, noticing all the things one finds on the ground in the pacific northwest during autumn/winter. First there were the leaves, vivid like flames. Then the moss, growing in velvety clumps through sidewalk cracks. Finally, last week (and for a short time only) there was frost, lacing leaves and branch tips.

Elegant cloak

I’ve been thinking about cloaks a lot lately…i’ll be making one for a friend just as soon as i hit winter break!