Progress on the Yipes, Stripes rug: 13/16 of an inch (21 mm)!
The fully-bloomed flower spike of the bottlebrush seen earlier!
The ocean has been rearranging the beaches, again. That storm drain is usually buried! Sharp Park Beach, looking south towards Mori and Pedro points, in the pouring rain.
First of all, my cat wants to welcome you to 2016.
Second, I needed a project to fill time and quiet my twitchy fingers before the next build. Although I fully intend to get back to the Animals rug, last seen somewhere around here:
It’s been hibernating in an old soft cotton pillowcase for like a year. I love this thing, but stitching it requires a lot of concentration. But as John From Cinncinati suggests, I need to get back in the game. My ideal project right now is something I can fit in between work, and not have to read or follow a chart. While still deriving all the benefits miniature needlepoint stitching brings me.
So I came up with this, sized to fit on the 49-count silk gauze remnant I have on hand. Behold, the beginnings of the Yipes, Stripes rug.
It will be 2.5 x 6 inches (6.35 x 15.25 cm) when done, using Gütermann silk thread. I’m making up the design as I stitch along, although variations of the black and ivory motif will recur. Feels good to be nimbling up my fingers again :)
This is an emerging crimson bottlebrush (Callistemon viminalis) flower spike I noticed this morning on the tree overhanging my trash/recycling/compost area. What a marvelous image to hold for the new year!
Here are two more janky models of build ideas.
I’m really interested in this one, with the slanted roof balanced by a very large triangular dormer (is that the right term?) opening the main room ceiling. I envision zinc vertical panel roofing, a windowed front, and old oak beams, rafters and posts. Lots of reclaimed and re-purposed building materials.
This one, right away I want to add three or four feet to the overall height. And skylights in the main room and a tall fireplace surround on the far wall. Still liking the idea of a semi-enclosed porch and entry way. This roof has an extension running along the back; why I’m not really sure. No deck, leaving more room for landscaping on the project base.
But what I’m really obsessed with now is prefab modular homes, specifically the work of Blu Homes. Feast your senses and design sensibilities. I expect you’ll be seeing a lot of their ideas coming through this next build.
Enjoying sketching and roughing out little idea models for the lamentable 2016 HBS contest base kit. The concept above is very similar to 2012’s MiniTown Loft, my first-ever build, which became Loft No. 1961. For visualizing ideas I work in points and picas (six picas = one inch), because I am a graphic designer and picas are our native measurement system. And, one pica = one foot translates very handily for working in 1:12.
After building — and subsequently giving away, but not before I crated it and moved it across the US — one monster A-frame, I now confine my projects to 20 x 26-inch (51 x 66 cm) hollow core birch-ply drawing boards, with a turntable attached to the underside. They’re sturdy, lightweight, have a nice finished edge, and are reasonably priced. The size restriction helps me plan the site landscaping, which I enjoy as much as building the structure and furniture.
Another thing I’ve realized is that I like to keep a representative amount of recognizable original elements from the base kit. Not sure why. The contest rules are deliciously wide open, so maybe that allows me the freedom to embrace some pre-defined design limitations, and parameters of practicality. Plus, it’s just so amazing to see what everyone comes up with :)
As a wonderful kickoff for this project, a dear family member, who is a custom cabinetmaker, asked me if I wanted any of this stuff that his shop was tossing out:
These four-foot lengths of oak (cut to 1/4 x 3/8- and 9/16-inch, quite near standard dimensional scale lumber sizes :)
and all these veneer scraps, if you can call three- and four-foot lengths scrap. Only one is labeled (upper left, teak) but they look to be perhaps alder, koa, purple heart?, mahogany?, red oak, birch, spruce… I have a labeled sample kit somewhere, I’ll have to cross-reference to identify. Then he casually mentioned he’d be glad to look out for and save me miniature-suitable wood scraps! I see a yummy wood giveaway in the future to share this bounty. Many, many thanks, T. Happy boxing day.
Well. HBS/miniatures.com has announced the base kit for the 2016 Creatin’ Contest build: the Backyard Bungalow.
I’m not swooning.
The description reads “Small in size but big in style, this little building can be used for about anything you can imagine!”
And that’s good to remember. Dimensions are 12.5 inches wide x 11 inches high x 20 inches deep, with 8 of those inches being the front porch. Not shipping yet, but we can pre-order.
Ready, set, go, miniaturist citizens! We have big magics to do!
Too windy to take the finished build down to the beach, so I’m hoping to add the ocean in post-production. We’ll see if that happens :)
Earlier in the month, I took various shots from the cliffs down the road for backgrounds.
Looking north towards the Marin headlands and the Golden Gate
After printing out the various Sea House insignia on vellum, I sanded the inkjet out of them before gluing to the hut siding, to get a weather-beaten painted signage look.
The banners announcing the Winter Fair are new, so they get to be crisp, like the oft-painted outdoor furniture.
The tree photo above the couch is of a Monterey Cypress near Mori Point that I am very fond of. Oh dear. There must have been a temblor; I just noticed some of the wool bolsters from the top shelf are on the floor!
Here’s a better view of the Argo Wool Works stuff (and the Peacocks rug).
Cheval Noir (shhh, we’re pretending they’re local) is pouring some of their wine, and later there’s going to be fish chowder and persimmon pudding.
And all the bustling seems to have awoken the tiny Rancor, oh noes!
We’re going dark for now.
Wee wool pillows, bolsters, rugs, throws, yarn, roving… :)
Also hoping the power stays on!
What is the sound of a digital clock ticking away the minutes to a deadline? Like the buzz of tinnitus? Or water drops in a still, clear pool? Here’s what it looks like: total bedhead me chopping tiny firewood and kindling and stacking it in place. I’m not freaking out. Well maybe just a little, for how weird the back of my hair looks. Onward!
There’s a break between storms this morning, and we have seriously big waves (18–30 feet/5.5–9 meters) and we have persimmons (3 inches/8 cm)!
Or… persimmons about .25 inch (6.5 mm) depending on what part of the universe you inhabit :)
My inspiration (and breakfast):
Thanks, Vicki, for sharing your bounty.
nancyland.com 