And then there were two...

Stinkhorns, that is - and they do smell, but fortunately they are well away from the house, and it's not the sort of weather for flinging the windows wide open.

 

 

 

 

I have, at last, started to do a bit of mindful needlework - albeit following instructions. I've been interested in baskets since going to the Lois Walpole exhibition at Walford Mill ages ago, but I've only just got round to trying coiled ones, although they are probably the most textile-y baskets.

I followed the instructions in 'Practical Basketry Techniques' by Stella Harding and Shane Waltener. I've been reading Waltener's blog for a while and love what he makes, so when I realised he had co-authored a book, I ordered it.

I had to try the coiled basket - remnants of tapestry wool? Yes, far too many. Cotton cord? Yes, bought to make coiled baskets and never used. The colours were picked almost at random, but they make me think of sunrise, so it's become 'Dawn'. There is another one in the pipeline with a plastic bag core... And I've just discovered that Harding has an exhibition at the Aspex Gallery in Portsmouth at the moment - serendipity.

And finally - today's app is 'Camera Bag'. It's a fairly basic program - a dozen filters, a variety of frames and preset crop sizes. If you don't like the way a filter looks the first time you try it, you can tap a button for a random change.

The preset cropping sizes are interesting because you can end up with a size you might never have tried otherwise - like the portrait below.

 

It's not a bad app, but I got it when it was free, and I wouldn't want to pay full price for it!