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We have been travelling this week, to a favourite city and a new one. On the way we stopped in a book store for maps and I happened on How to Sketch People by Matt Pagett for such a sale price that I could not resist. And it is a perfect find to begin a trip where I hoped to push myself to sketch more. On the first pages he states his view of sketching: A sketch, as opposed to a drawing, its close cousin, can be characterized by a rapid yet considered execution, an instinctive response to a subject, a certain roughness, life caught on the fly.  And on the next page: …the moment I stop to look and think about what I see, it always comes with a mixture of surprise and relief. All the inner brain workings now relate to the outer world, and within that newly created space is some kind of harmony. It seemed a kind of permission and encouragement for my rough and wonky sketches. An invitation to harmony.

Se here they are. The first a 5 pm sketch in Montpelier VT after a long day of driving. The sun was still lovely on the Unitarian Church. Monteplier has so many wonderful buildings. I hope to catch more on the way home.

These photos are taken with my phone, so not the best. From Montpelier we made our way to Portland. I fell in love with the Custom House in the old port. Its stately towers can be seen from the water and from much of the city. The view from the front…

The back…

And a quick sketch from a bench on the street while practising capturing people walking by…

And a double page sketch of the wharf behind the fish store and a couple of sketches made while eating a lobster roll. The lobster disappeared too quickly to sketch!

Here is a new coated cotton tote in the Raanu pattern–a series of bright stripes in red, yellow, green and black. This is one of my favourite Markmekko prints because it looks great in all four seasons and, of course, the coated cotton wipes clean with a damp cloth.

This tote has a black leather base and wide leather carry handles with a 12 inch drop. It closes with a durable metal zipper with a leather pull tab. Inside it is lined in dark denim with an orange waxed canvas double zippered pocket and a large canvas pocket with birdbrain graphics. The tote measures 17″ wide, 14″ tall and the base is 5″ deep. This is a great bag to carry all you need for work or for the weekend.

Here are a few small mats I’ve been working on inspired by my summer on our lake. The terrain is rugged with rocks in beautiful colours–it is the Pre-Cambrian shield after all– and tenacious pines bending out over the water. These pieces combine wool strips left over from other projects, as well as  yarn and fleece.  It’s a great joy to sit on the verandah, listen to the water lapping, the loons calling and hook the views around me.

I’ve been at the lake for much of the summer —  and it’s a good summer to be there. Temperatures in Ontario have been averaging around 30 degrees centigrade. While I enjoy exploring the area around the lake, including local villages and provincial parks, I spend most of my time on or near the island reading, rug hooking and sketching.

I love the landscape of our lake and explore it by kayak and canoe. It is especially beautiful in the late, late afternoon. I’ve been doing some of my favourite scenes in my sketchbook and with my rug hook. Big thanks to Jen Manuell of Fish Eye Sisters who, in spite of all the incredible work of setting up her booth at the Haliburton show, remembered to bring me some slubby yarn for my landscape hooking. The Haliburton Art and Craft show is a wonderful chance to see high quality Canadian work–and congrats to Jen who won best fibre artist in the show!

Below Skull Island tree almost hooked and in the sketchbook.

I am working on a new lightweight large travelling tote. You can see below the start of it below, dark moss waxed canvas with lovely smooth caramel leather base and a brass heavy-duty zipper closure. The carry handles are repurposed from another bag and there will also be a canvas and leather shoulder strap. I’ve said before that a travel tote needs more than one carry option when it is full. This one has two big exterior pockets and then four more pockets inside, one of them a zipper pocket for security. The lining is a wonderful canvas stripe I bought in Ireland and the pockets are bright orange waxed canvas. I like a bag with a great interior.

This is the prototype and I plan to make some others using Marimekko coated cotton–in new patterns. Coming soon!

Today I received five pieces of hooking from Matangwe, Kenya. Those of you who follow this blog know that I spent my February in Matangwe from 2012 until 2015 teaching the women to hook rugs. I knew that the women with whom I had worked had the skills to make great rugs and I hoped that they would continue to produce high quality pieces of work on their own. Their lives are not easy and they have much work to take up their time. So I was delighted to receive a few pieces today and I hope that the women will continue to hook so that other volunteers will bring more pieces back. Every piece sold in the gallery last year and there will be much interest in these new pieces.

The colours and designs are wonderful, evoking the Kenyan countryside.

When I have the time,  I take the secondary roads rather than the four lane highway. I love to see the countryside and the architecture of small towns. This past Sunday, the last day we have had with any sun in southern Ontario, I was driving to the town east of ours to pick up my grandson. I left early so that I could sketch and I had enough time to do one sketch as I was parked on the roadside, and one in town, parked in a vacant parking lot. I forgot that I had non-permanent ink in my Sailor pen, so it caused some smudging and running…but here they are…a document of my morning en route.

My sister and I are long time New Yorker readers. Recently we have added more of it to our world: the daily calendar of great old covers, the daily email articles and now New Yorker radio hour. There is nothing I enjoy more than listening to good radio while I am hooking on my big rug. I’m an avid follower of Serial — listened to season one in under a week once I discovered it–but for season two there is a two-week wait between episodes. Welcome Nyer radio. It’s weekly and has about five pieces in each episode. Great informative listening.

But back to the covers…the other day my sister wrote to me about Friday’s cover, the inimitable George Booth’s 1984 red head at the piano, below. We both love George Booth, especially his wonderful dogs. The Radio Hour just had an interview with him–he is now 90– and that took me to this article from 2014, Beware of the Dog with some of his best covers. my all-time favourite leading off. I hope you will check out the links, and tune into New Yorker radio hour. You are in for a treat.

Another black 1510 backpack is ready to go. This one has all the features of the 1510 including the back pocket with zipper for security, the double bottom for durability, adjustable shoulder straps and a convenient grab handle. It secures with leather cords as well as a tab closure. This is simply great leather with a polished look. Inside this one is lined in water-resistant black waxed canvas with two bright red leather pockets and a clip for your keys. The leather under the flap is repurposed from a man’s jacket and the knob closure is from a vintage belt. Width 12″. height 13″ depth 4″.

I’ll have another backpack in great cognac leather in the on-line store very soon. And if you are interested in a black one similar to this (with a different vintage closure) just let me know. Also in the works are a distressed cognac tote and a new small shoulder bag. I am hoping the latter part of January and February will be a productive period. And I haven’t forgotten the Annie rug–hope to photograph this weekend. Thank you all for your interest.