Walking In Warm Woolens

California Wine Country Morning Sunlit Tree Photography | Whims And Fancies

 

 

Last Wednesday morning I was up around 3:30 AM to view the lunar eclipse.  I was mostly outside until the total eclipse finished, shortly after 6:00 AM.  After being in the crisp, cold morning air for so long, I was too awake to go back to bed.  My husband was up with me.  So once the first rays of daylight started showing across the eastern sky, we put our hiking boots on and hit the trail.

 

The frosty ground was lazily lit up by the morning sun, turning it dazzling white.  As the frost slowly melted, the ground was filled with myriad sparkling diamond-bright water droplets.

 

 

California Wine Country Mustard Flowers Photography | Whims And Fancies

 

 

The yellow mustard flowers were peeking through the bare grape vines.

 

 

Menelaos Fingerless Mittens Knitting Pattern | Whims And Fancies

 

 

It was cold, so I got to wear my new mitts.  I made them using the Menelaos pattern.  The pattern has the design only on the back side of the hand, but I wrapped the design around on the palm side as well. I used my own thumb technique too.  The pattern is very easy to follow and makes very cosy mitts.

 

 

Hat And Fingerless Mitts Knitting Pattern | Whims And Fancies

 

 

My husband quite often drops by the local yarn store to pick up small surprises for me.  I made the Paragon Toque with the red yarn that he got for me, but there wasn’t enough to make a set of matching mitts.  He and the proprietor of the shop picked out the grey yarn for me.  I was a little sceptical at first, but I love the set now.  They kept me warm all throughout the hike.

 

 

California Wine Country Morning Fog Photography | Whims And Fancies

 

 

The valley was filled with morning fog, looking like a white sea.  This is the turning point of our hike.  Needless to say, we were extremely tired from waking up that early and after such a long hike, but…what a view!!  I love our local parks!

 

-Soma

 

Related Links –

Photos of the January 2018 Lunar Eclipse
Paragon Toque Pattern
Menelaos Mitts Pattern

 

I am linking up with the linky parties on my Events And Links page.  Please pay a visit to some of them.

 

 

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Playful Pieces

Cello watercolour with Schemincke Horadam paint | Whims And Fancies

 

This was supposed to be a painting of a violin, not a cello. Actually, it’s not the right depiction of a cello either. Going against all my instincts, I didn’t fuss with the shape. I made it somewhat symmetrical so I could start playing with my new paint.

My husband recently gave me one of the best sets of watercolour paints.  The new paper I used didn’t work very well with the heavy wash, but I had fun watching the paints flow into each other on wet paper, followed by the salt creating a mottling pattern when contacting the wet paint.

The painting will be tucked away in a box within the next few days, but for the moment it can bask in the glory and virtue of play time.

 

Violin Drawing In Prismacolour Pencils | Whims And Fancies

 

I drew this one for my icad project on an index card last year using Prismacolor pencils.  I think I will paint another violin using acrylic.

 

Fingerless Mitts | Whims And Fancies

 

I have unravelled this pair of mitts more times than I care to remember. Finally, I decided that the Eye of Partridge stitch worked well with this yarn. Since I got the idea from Et Frais, I bought the pattern to support the designer even though I didn’t follow it. I played with the thumb area until I was happy with it.

These mitts are nothing special, but they will add colour to the still chilly, grey mornings around me.

 

Morning hike in the mist | Whims And Fancies

 

When I go out around dawn, it’s overcast most days around here with extremely low light. It always looks great around me, but capturing that low-lit atmosphere in photography is quite another matter. So I take many photos, toss out several, and learn in the process. The mist was being very elusive; this was the best I could capture that morning.

 

Tall Grass Husk | Whims And Fancies

 

I like tall, dry grass, but I am finding it to be tricky to capture in a photo. It either ends up looking like a giant mess or just background noise. Still, I kept on taking photos hoping to find an angle or composition that would work.

One day, my perseverance paid off. The morning dew was still on them, backlit by the rising sun.

 

Sunburst Star Quilt Pattern | Whims And Fancies

 

I love the One Monthly Goal link-up since it commits me to playing with a previously-forgotten project. My goal for July is to make this sunburst star block. I can then use it on another project that I have in mind, which will require a bit of playing around with size and fabric.

 

All the pieces in this post are results of playing.  You see, I grew up under the doctrine that every piece of work has to be great.  Although “Practice makes perfect” was preached regularly, the emphasis was always on creating the best on the first try.  Over time, the word “practice” got associated with “failure” in my head.

As I got older, I turned practice into playtime, be it maths, science, programming or art.  Without the pressure of perfection, I started having fun.  That enticed me to play more and I got better.

So I will keep blowing raspberries at those voices in my head that are telling me I am wasting my time and continue to play. I urge you to do same if you were subjected to the same doctrine growing up!

Happy Playing,
-Soma

 

 

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