Snail Spirals

The needle felting went well! I used up the scraps of handspun turquoise and cranberry yarn (the spinning waste and tails I snipped off after weaving in the ends and couldn't bear to throw away) and made this:



I was going for a random, swirly look, just playing around to get the hang of using the needles. Making dots is great fun, and spun yarn (as opposed to unspun roving) makes great lines.

So random, right? Imagine my surprise when I folded the piece as it will be folded for making the little purse, and saw this...



Is it just me, or does this look like a Picasso-ish face??!! This is not the kind of thing that I would ever have planned on purpose, but I love it! That squiggle in the lower right corner even looks like an ear! Ah, serendipity.

Just a couple pictures to close... As I was felting away yesterday afternoon, there was a thud on the window. I peeked outside, and a Golden-crowned Kinglet was lying on the ground. It was on its back, but it looked like it was trying to turn over. I went out and helped it. I put it on the deck rail so it could sit for a while and get its bearings. These are such sweet little birds. Luckily, it was only stunned, and flew off after about five minutes. While it was recovering, though, I stealthily snapped a picture or two.



And lastly, look what I discovered while watering the plants on my kitchen windowsill this morning!



That's a bloom spike on one of my Phalaenopsis orchids! It's the darker-purple less-stripy of the two unnamed Phals I showed last May. Hooray!