It's a process. But I've been looking for some sort of anchor point. Or a way to say it's done. But then, in a clear moment, I realize there is none really. It's all process. Like season. OK. Just tell the story.
It was -3 this morning. Colder than predicted. So I cannot know. I can simply go. I slept warm. It's chilly in here. So what? Another layer. It did stop snowing.
The warm air rises. There are 2 ceiling fans to push it down and around. Soul-o wakes me up when the fire gets low. Pretty funny. As if to say, "Hey! Don't you think it's a bit cold in here?" We go downstairs, have a snack, load up the stove and go back to sleep.
I have suddenly refocused on wool while unpacking. Wool. Winter. Way back when I was Weaving. And there are sheep next door.
Gosh I missed you, wool. I need to add you to the glossary.
I gathered some of my wool threads, for some small weaving, but there is a process I would like to share, related to my sweater mending. My thoughts have been packed away for a while. I'll talk soon.
I love your new home, Jude. You’ve often talked about the basket. And perhaps your new round home is some kind of a basket for you now.
Wool has something comforting. Like a big hug.
Yes, a basket indeed. Been thinking that.
Wool really is a comfort. cloudlike and warm.
I’m thinking of knitting socks this winter.
I really need or want to learn how.
If you’re just learning I recommend learning continental style. It’s much faster knitting. Or Norwegian I learned thru YouTube with Arny and Carlos. And circular needles with magic loop knitting two socks at a time.
Audiobooks and knitting… bliss.
That’s my goal this winter too.
Oh Soul-O 🥰 He is so darn cute…waking you up when it’s cold….so smart.
Sheep are amazing. I had a little flock of 8 from the age of 8 until I left home at 18. I love their smell…such comfort in it.
Yuletide greetings from us to you xx
yes, sheep and I think llamas too!
Your house looks beautiful. We have a metal grate opening in the floor above the wood stove where we sleep. We were up at 2am to restock the stove too.
Yeah, I sleep above it. Stays pretty warm. But baby, it’s cold outside!
sheep next door? hey, ho! the pattern of cordwood ‘n mortar resembles different moon phases. the ceiling feels like being under a large mushroom. pure storybook. can hardly WAIT to hear about your sweater mending process ‘n to see your wooly weaving… sweet dreams!
a mushroom, nice image!
It looks cozy. When my husband and I lived on the family ranch, we had a wood stove (and sheep). The house would get so hot, we’d sometimes have to open windows. Me and the sheep became friends, and little newborn lambs actually smell quite wonderful. Merry Christmas to you and Soul-O.
yes, once the cracks are sealed up, I imagine these thick walls will hold the heat nicely. I love sheep.
Wish you would do a video of sweater mend
And….Sheep!
Gonna try.
Baaaa! 🐑
So wonderful to be welcomed into your new home!
👋
Wishing peace and joy in your new home this Christmas season.
✌️
Soul-O has a wonderful new feline jungle jim. I’m looking forward to your adventures in wool..
Hey ho!
You know how I feel about wool. 🙂 It’s the best for wearing in the damp-cold weather too. Love how your ceiling looks like a wheel.
I do!
And I do need to learn how to knit… I did a bit way back in grade school.
I love the wheel too.
Your new home is so beautiful. I am looking for something equally cozy in Michigan where I go to visit relatives. Just a small place with the bare essentials is all I need. Hmmmm……
This place is bigger than I need, but I fell in love.
I can definitely see why… such a beautiful place to enjoy and create in…
It’s different, I’m so tired of sameness.
OH! I love seeing your new home! I hope you will take more pics and show us around. I’ve never seen a round house before and it looks amazing, all the beautiful textures everywhere!
I thought it got unusually cold really fast!
warm hugs 💛
It’s different, round, but I’m already used to it.
It got really cold, really fast. But it seems a slow warm up is coming tomorrow .
Jude~ I’m already so in love with your home. And I say “home” on purpose, for this seems to already be more than a house. What a magical place for you and grand playground for dear Soul-O.
Seeing that basket of wool yarns had me weaving in my head…a beautiful assortment. Your blanket is a dream to look at and makes me wish I was not allergic to wool. ha.
Stay cozy,
Nancy
Yeah, I get itchy if it is directly on my skin for a long time, but as a layer it’s ok.
Jude how do you keep the moths out of your wool basket? I love to have it out to inspire me but have been keeping it tucked away in containers.
I mostly keep mine in a cedar chest from my grandmother. But when I am using it a lot, rummaging through a lot, an open basket in the sunlight seems to be ok.
thanks jude! be well.
If you get moths in your wool, put it in your freezer for three days, should kill the eggs I have read. Or outside if that cold for three days. Still some mending to do on the sweater and crafts!
ha! ok, certainly clod enough here for now.
It’s a beautiful structure Jude! I love it! I’ll bet your heart rate increased when you stepped inside. Yes to wool, wearing it and working with it. I’m looking forward to reading your process for creating woven patches. I have a basket of mending but seem to avoid it, not really sure how to make it as attractive as that done by the mending gurus on IG. I’m in awe of your resilience Jude. And Soul-O, he’s precious.
For me, the beauty of memding often simply lives in the usefulness and the holding together.
Are your windows single or double paned? I have often placed nails or screw in hooks along the top and placed a blanket or whatever that fits over the panes.
Just a thought.. it does help block the chill.
Maybe even use your windows as you had you large cloths on the walls
before. Wonder if you miss them as inspiration and feeling of contentment.
The wi dows are good actually, there sime structural issues, gaps that need to be addressed, but I’ll get to it. There are a lot of windows!
I use the canned expanding foam in emergencies. It fills gaps and you can slice or wipe away the protruding that escapes from the
cracks. Just an idea for immediate drafty areas.
👍
♥️
❤️
What a fascinating structure (so much more than “just a house) … and oh how I love the raw wood framing the windows (reminding me of our sweet Hill Country home) … I’m thinking that large cloths hung over the windows at night and pulled aside to let sun in during the day would be both wonderful to look at and added layer of insulation from the cold (easy for me to say, much more challenging to actually do, I’m sure)
yes, I have considered that, and yes, easier said than done, little by little.
i feel new energy just from seeing the photos of the inside of the house. and the bowl of wool !!!!
so looking forward to seeing what you will be weaving.
there is new energy, or maybe just the release of stored up old energy. Wool is perfect right now.
wow the craftsmanship of the interior! looks like it may have started as a yurt and was added to and added to….the top picture is so peaceful.
I was surprised the first time I cam inside. I thought it might be too rough. But it is very nicely done.
Some years ago, I listened to Brenda Dayne’s podcast. She always closed with “If you’re cold, put a sweater on. That’s why we knit them.” I’ve always done that, but it has stuck with me for years. I am happy you and Soul-O are beginning to adjust.
Ha, yes! exactly. If you want to know the weather, step outside!
We have landed so to speak, this is our world now.
Wool is my love language.
🐑 🤍 🧶
I want to learn it
❤️
Interesting. I too seem to be gravitating towards wool a bit- knitting -can’t knit much because of Arthritis in left hand, but I can weave. So I pulled out an old mirrix loom that was partly warped and began. Feels good. the wool, the colors of the earth (nice soft colors here in New Mexico) Don’t know where it’s going, but I’m going- landscape-ish perhaps. It’s been a long time.
weaving is at the core of my love of cloth. I might have a lot to say.
Yay! Say it.
😀
I love your new home! Even seeing a little of it in photos, I sit here imagining it inside and out in the beauty of all four seasons. And that piece in the last photo is awesome! Soul-O, the feline thermostat, knowing when to wake you, so helpful.
it is so nice to be always looking outside. watching the changes.
That last photo, I forgot about this piece and it seems so important right now.
He is my good frirnd.
I was just thinking how I wanted a small wool scarf!
Cold here, but nothing like up your way! 🥶
Seems like soul-o has got the hang of things in his new home. 😁
It’s even cold for this neck of the woods.
Cats adjust quickly to environment.
not always to people, ha!
I too, am gravitating from fabric to wool. A seasonal, comforting thing maybe. Yuletide blessings to you Jude. As the light returns, so may the light shine again on your days.
lots of light here even on dark days.
Wool definitely fits to the season.
I LOVE wool. And that piece in the last photo is beautiful, as is the sweater star. I always say I’m going to do some sweater mending, but don’t. I guess it takes time away from painting. I have two really nice wool scarf/wraps that the mice got into. I have them out to see if I will get to mending them in some nice way. Maybe when you share your process, I will get inspired. I can mend while listening to my audio book in the evenings with the fire and Rhu.
Yes!
Mending is soothing.
I did mend a pair of pants today… warm and wanted to wear them, but the crotch suddenly had come apart. It was nice sitting in front of the fire, sewing. So maybe I’ll get those scarves done, after all!
Can’t wait! Be well in your new home.
I feel healthy!
You must be, as moving is very hard on the body😂 did it 6 years ago and I vowed, never again. It’s sometimes a chore to keep the house in order. Darn body parts failings d haven’t received a recall notice so I “keep on truckin’” as we used to say😂😂peace to you in your new abode😊
I am in love with wool, have been for a while now. Your house looks like a wonderful space.
I have always oved wool, somehow I drifted away for a while.
It is a great space. So open.
Can’t wait for you to show us how you work with wool. I have also gotten away from it and miss it. Yes, the whole transition is perpetual. Best to you.
still sorting and unpacking, forgot how much wool was here. Some was never unpacked from the last move. It’s time.
it’s when the cold creeps deep into your bones that it becomes hard. i find that at 68 it’s more challenging than it was before, and our cold isn’t quite as deep it was back a while. wool. yes. i used to go to the barn on cold nights and the sheep, their warm breath and wooliness helped. but always there was the deep snow and cold walk back to the house. blessed wool. blessed warmth and home.
I was used to more heat, because the man, skinny, was always cold. But I have adjusted back. 60 is actually ok for me if I dress in layers, I want to do some spinning again.
I love that house!
Me too!
Wow, what a wonderful space! It feels so warm & alive (in spite of the actual temperatures!). Wool is one of my favorite materials ever . . . is some of your yarn handspun?
yes, I used to spin a bit, not great at it but I will try again.
Love all those circles – stones, a radiating ceiling, balls of yarn. A great place to unpack your thoughts in the dark season.
Love that unpacking image!
not stone actually, cordwood and mortar. Holds the heat well but need some maintenance…
Wishful Woole…
Warmth imbued.
🤍🩶🧡💛❤️
my mind has warmed, I think it makes a difference.
Anxiously await to read and learn about your small weaving techniques. 🙂
I look forward to sharing.
Oh, Soul-O; watcher of fire ! And your home looks like one giant cat jungle gym! Ha!
Wooly layers are good, & sheep next door! ( How cool is that!?)
I put another blanket on the bed last night (we got below freezing, rats! 🫤I’ll be on plant damage patrol today) –by Christmas Day we’ll be back up to 70.
Oh, the silliness!
Stay warm & let me just say; it’s nice to hear from you, Jude!
Cat Heaven, he stays up all night running around and jumping here and there.
Crazy weather, even here.
Love your wisdom and your work You give hope. Thank you
Just Going can teach us.
You may find seasonal window film (on at least the lower windows) helpful to keep the winter chills away. It made such a difference in my homes. Happy December!
Yes, there is a lot to do here, will get through this season, get a feel for what’s needed. In relative terms, I’m fine. Happy December to you!
I breathe more deeply when I see yo your artistry. Thank ❤🌹you.
Thank YOU!
I wondered about the cold with all those fabulous windows surrounding you.
Let there be layers! And wool! And Soul-o fire-watching!
May Solstice bring light and longer days to your Season.
It’s not the windows really, the structure needs some calking. But I’m fine. Snug as a bug in a rug.