The absence of colour

All this year I have been exploring colour, the moods and emotions that are evoked by certain colours and my response to them.  But have you ever thought about the absence of colour? 

I was amazed to learn this week that the riot of colour we are enjoying this Autumn is actually caused by the absence of chlorophyll (the green colour in leaves).  So the lovely pinks and reds in my picture were always present in this little tree but were completely swamped by green.  They only become apparent when the tree moves into its dormant winter state and stops producing chlorophyll. Amazing!

Thank you BBC4 The Great British Year, I have changed my view of colour.

Study in blue

This simple embroidery is a lovely way of using up odd bits of knitting wool and fancy yarns.  I have kept it to just two different stitches, straight and French knots, but by varying the length of stitch and the width of the yarn the effects are quite dramatic.  It's worked on hessian which has the advantage of being a very open weave: the warp and weft move to accommodate huge slubs but then close around finer threads.

It's very therapeutic - not only because it used up so many bits but it doesn't require much thought or planning. I did it as a demonstration piece at Yarndale 2015 and most of it was completed whilst standing up, talking to visitors. 

Fields of green

It's been a weekend of sheep and other woolly critters this weekend at the fabulous Yarndale event in Skipton. 

I made this little picture for Skipton Embroiderers' Guild stand where they created a continuous wall depicting lots of sheep and fields of green. We were hoping to inspire people to take up stitching again by showing the diversity of styles and skills of guild members.

Mine is a bit of a cheat with a piece of map copied onto calico and layers of sheer fabrics to make the sky and hills. I still couldn't capture the view as I left the show on Saturday evening with the sun setting over the hills. Magical!

Pearly white

A simple collection of vintage mother-of-pearl buttons stitched onto linen. Made in celebration of my wedding anniversary, 21st September.

Each button has it's own unique colour and lustre.  I bought most of them from the lovely ladies who trade as Lolly and Win but I didn't have quite enough so I added a few little gems from my inheritance (Gradma's button tin). 

Small colour, big impact

The lovely Pennine hills turn purple in August (and September since we're a little late this year). It's all thanks to the tiny little flowers of the moorland heather. The effect is stunning! 

The landscape transforms from a bleak no-mans-land into a carpet of bouncy purple shrubs.  The best time to see it is in the late evening sunshine when the hills appear to glow - it makes my heart sing!

Turkish Blue

I'm just looking back over my holiday photos and remembering the brilliant blues I found in Turkey.  Bee boxes stacked on the side of the road, crystal clear water, nazar eye beads to ward off evil and blue tiled mosques.  Happy memories.

Purple Basil

This morning's foray to the local market yielded a huge bunch of purple basil.  Large serrated leaves that are almost black in colour, flecked with splashes of green. I made it into a salad with tomatoes, dates, olives and a sharp flavoured soft cheese, drizzled with local olive oil.  Perfection!