58 Comments
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Gwen Schnurman's avatar

I LOVE LOVE LOVE your window covering. It makes my heart soar to look at it. Strange isn’t it? It’s just fiber to cloth to covering - but makes me think of the natural world.

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Colleen Ware's avatar

Oh I so agree.

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Sarah C Swett's avatar

Thank you Gwen! I love thinking about it that way -- and I agree!

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Marilyn Robert's avatar

I love "I wonder what it's like to read - can I learn?" And beautiful curtains and the making of them. I'm thinking that is a lake by your new place.

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LaceLady's avatar

This is just so delightful to see and read!

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Sue Clement's avatar

I love seeing you and Beryl settling in, to our home and new environment. New water to explore!

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Kate Macdonald's avatar

Mountains! Snow! A lake! I'm delighted that you carved out time to make a thing, so satisfying!

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Nan Cristine Palmer's avatar

So much fun and SEW inspiring! Love your sweet drawings and what thoughts your pup has! Sharing with my dear hubby Dave who has shift from using his loom to hand weaving small baskets, trivets, and shallow bowls.

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Sarah C Swett's avatar

Hand woven baskets, trivets and bowls--how lovely sounding --and utterly satisfying to get ever closer to the work of our amazing hands.

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Kelly Bell's avatar

My goodness, you’re on the water!? And isn’t it so lovely to Make a Thing for your new place?

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Sarah C Swett's avatar

There is a HUGE lake about a mile from my house. Or at least one tiny piece of it is about mile from my house. It's kind of amazing.

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Kelly Bell's avatar

Same same! Riffe Lake, in my case! How lucky are we?

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Sandy S's avatar

As one who is always having to adjust the lighting to either read or work on some project, I am drawn as to a magnet to the perfect lighting you have created!!!! Absolutely love your first addition to your and Beryl's new abode!

Interesting that Beryl is considering reading. My cat Cary now well into his 2nd year of life, is taking up talking. No sound yet, but he mimics my lip movement when I talk to him!! He adds a lot of upper lip licking which is what caught my attention. He most certainly wants a lap top of his own!

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Colleen Ware's avatar

How fun. What a delightful cat Cary seems to be. My kitty Tillie definitely thinks I should speak "cat", and lets me know very plainly (even throwing her food can at me -by the lid -), and swatting my foot if I don't stop spinning and spend time with her. So maybe not human/cat voices, but definitely physical communication.

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Sandy S's avatar

Hi Colleen, Your Tillie knows how to get your attention. Our world has become so full of distractions. I see how our pet and children too! get ignored while we are endlessly involved with other things. So, I like that our pets have ways to 'say' "Hey! What about me?" I used to have a sweet dog named Alice who would sleep next to the desk holding my PC. Occasionally she would lift her head and look at me and then flop her head back down and SIGH! Oh yes! our pets do have ways of getting their point across. Luckily, Cary likes to fetch little bits of crumpled paper. So we play fetch when I am feeling guilty about being on my laptop too long. SIGH :-)

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Sarah C Swett's avatar

The lighting in that work room really is amazing, even on cloudy days (at least so far). And I agree- it is lovely for the eyes and the soul!

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U.L.'s avatar

Nothing store-bought could have offered anything of even close to equal joy and asthetic value as what you have produced! What a lovely way to move into a new place. Wishing you all the best!

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Ellen Stoune's avatar

That window covering is beyond gorgeous! What tickled me most? The library card! Oh, how I love the library. I get giddy every time I visit. It's just the most amazing thing to be able to walk wanting to know things or just enjoy a nice story and walkout with an armful. The bliss!!! Congratulations again on your new home and the fresh feeling of thinning the things.

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Sarah C Swett's avatar

My new town has an AMAZING library a ten/ fifteen minute walk from my house and I feel super lucky about that. though I've always been an avid reader, the urge has escalated since I've moved in and I'm really happy about it. Because you're so right. NOTHING like the world of books--and getting to experiment with a whole armful just for fun.

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Freyalyn Close-Hainsworth's avatar

Is that sea or lake? Either way, it all looks very chilly.

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Sarah C Swett's avatar

A very big very deep lake. And YES, most chilly right now. The ice just recently melted. But It'll be swimmable by summer. And I have coracle dreams for some of the tiny calm edge bits....My son picked this town about 15 years ago just after graduating from wooden boat building school. There was also a job that actually paid him, but the lake was the big draw.

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Melody's avatar

Is that Pend Oreille or Coeur d'Alene lake? I used to live in N. Idaho and loved the way the mountains plunge into the lakes. And a most satisfying project, just love it.

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Sarah C Swett's avatar

Pend Oreille! And yes --the moutain/lake thing is pretty dramatic, even as Sandpoint itself is super flat. Where in North Idaho did you live?

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Melody's avatar

My first thought was Pend Oreille! I lived in Spirit Lake from the late 80s to the early 90s, about 7 years total. Had some wonderful artist friends I met at craft fairs that lived in the surrounding area, most of them had bought land and were building their own homes. Good times.

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Melody's avatar

Did the Sandpoint arts & crafts festival for many years.

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Joanne's avatar

Oh, what lovely shades. Oh, what lovely light. Perfect for making the house feel like home. That's terrific!!

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Sarah C Swett's avatar

Thanks Joanne!

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Caroline Ross's avatar

Absolutely stunning blind. ahhh

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Cheryl Silverblatt's avatar

What a beautiful spot you've found -- Beryl showed it of beautifully. You already look cozy and content. How perfect! I'm so glad. Cheryl

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Sarah C Swett's avatar

Thanks Cheryl! I feel super lucky to have landed--and am SO happy to be on this side of the packing/unpacking thing. Still arranging and "cozifying," but it feels manageable and interesting, with room for yarnish work in the midst (which was the point). LOVE to you

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Liz Whitehead's avatar

The water makes Beryl’s fur look extra-blue! And I love the blind, and the drawing of the charka wheel. I haven’t tried it for spinning paper but now I will.

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Sarah C Swett's avatar

The Charkha works really well for spinning paper, at least for me. No draw in so no tension and (I think), less breakage than a flyer wheel. Also fast!!!!

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Liz Whitehead's avatar

I used the charka and followed your instructions in ‘of coffee filters and rabbit holes’ and got a beautiful fine 18” strand of spun paper with the bit I had already prepped for spinning. Yay!!!! I’m using the wrappers my toilet paper comes in.

Thank you Sarah!!!!!

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