ÿþ<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> <html lang="EN" dir="ltr" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-16"/> <title>News from the Treetops Studios - 2010</title> <meta name="description" content="Elaine Dendy and John Dendy live and work in their Saanichton home studio, north of Victoria, near Sidney, Brentwood Bay and the Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island. We design and produce unique, exhibition quality, outerwear for women."/> <meta name="keywords" content="hummingbird"/> <link rel = "stylesheet" type = "text/css" href = "../home.css"/> </head> <body> <div id = "pagebox"><a name="pagetop"></a> <h2>THE TREETOPS STUDIOS - SAANICHTON</h2> <p id = "navbarup"> &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="../index.html">Enter</a> &nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="../home.html">Home</a> &nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="../tour/tour.html">Tour the Studios</a> &nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="../fabart/fabart.html">Fabric Arts</a> <!--&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="../visart/visart.html">Visual Arts</a>--> <!--&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="../workshop/workshop.html">The Workshop</a>--> <br /> <a href="../study/study.html">The Study</a> &nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="../gallery/gallery.html">The Gallery</a> <!--&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="../commune/commune.html">Our Community</a>--> <!--&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="../links/links.html">Links</a>--> &nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="../gglsrch.html">Search</a> &nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Contact">Contact Us</a> </p> <div><p>&nbsp;</p></div> <!-- explicit vspacer --> <h1>WELCOME TO THE TREETOPS STUDIOS</h1> <div id = "textimgbox"> <div><p>&nbsp;</p></div> <!-- explicit vspacer --> <a name="maintable"></a> <div id = "roombox"> <div id = "roomtable"> <table border="1" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="10"> <colgroup align="left"> <col width="125"/> <col align="center"/> </colgroup> <tr><th><strong>Back Issues</strong></th> <td><a href="newsfa03.html">2003</a> - <a href="newsfa04.html">2004</a> - <a href="news05.html">2005</a> - <a href="news06.html">2006</a> - <a href="news07.html">2007</a> - <a href="news08.html">2008</a> - <a href="news09.html">2009</a> - <a href="news10.html">2010</a></td></tr> <tr><th><a href="#31Mar">31 March, 2011</a></th> <td><a href="#31Mar1">Starting Up 2011</a> - <a href="#31Mar2">A New Knee</a> - <a href="#31Mar3">Winter Works</a></td></tr> <tr><th><a href="#31Dec">31 December, 2011</a></th> <td><a href="#31Dec1">A Cool Spring</a> - <a href="#31Dec2">Summer Renovations</a> - <a href="#31Dec3">Life After Renovations</a></td></tr> </table> <a name="31Dec"></a><h4>31 December, 2011</h4> <table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5"> <tr> <td colspan="2"><a name="31Dec1"></a><p><strong>A Cool Spring</strong> &nbsp;&nbsp;<img src="../images/n11e3.jpg" class="elmfltright" width="295" height="302" alt="Fingerless Mitts"/> Well, "Hi there, folks!" Why are we going back on our aim of never having to catch up with months of missed 'News' from the Studio? Because, it has been 'one of those years' again. Elaine's new knee is coming along nicely. But still stiffer than normal. Lots of hours at the local recreation/rehabilitation centre. Fortunately, there are two first rate 'rec centres' within a few minutes drive here on the Peninsula.</p> <p>The downsizing that we had settled on through the winter continues at a good clip. As many of you will know, outside of the garage sale season it is mostly a cool-blooded process. Rummaging through seldom visited nooks and crannies in the house, opening boxes with cryptic labels from the second millenium, making those triage decisions: 'must stay - must go - don't know'.</p> <p>The weather stayed cool right through the spring. The demand for Elaine's knits stayed warm. This image of a little ring of colour and pattern samples for 'fingerless mitts and gloves' gives you an idea of the breadth of the clients' interests and, of course, what Elaine can do with 'a little imagination'. Most have been ordered in synthetic yarns. But there are a few pairs out there in alpaca. They are all hand knitted - usually while watching old movies in the evening or while John is driving the car. The knitting bag goes everywhere with us. &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#pagetop">Top</a></p> <p><img src="../images/n11f3.jpg" class="elmfltleft" width="411" height="303" alt="Tea Cosy"/>A question for our readers. Is there a safe way for Elaine to knit little things while she is on the machines doing the rehab routines for her new knee? Just kidding. We had a friend who, in a distracted moment, stepped off the moving belt of her treadmill and put her foot down on the stationary plate at the edge of the machine. With the other foot still on the belt, she was thrown off onto the floor and injured.</p> <p>It wasn't an 'all mits' spring of course. Elaine experimented with a series of knitted tea cozy patterns. The example on the left is in a synthetic chrome green coloured yarn with the patterning and the bow tie in a warm off-white. This tea cozy pattern also appeared in two other colourways, brown and blue, with the same off-white accents. Towards the end of the summer the experiment broadened to include accents in space-dyed and heathered yarns and an order for one in purple. The softened contrast in the patterned yarns stole the show in all four colourways. &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#pagetop">Top</a></p> <p><img src="../images/n11g3.jpg" class="elmfltright" width="188" height="302" alt="Pale Pink Mobius Wrap"/>Perhaps the rush for tea cozies had something to do with the continuing cool weather. There were almost no days this summer where the temperature went above the seasonal average. The gardens and lawns required very little care. Elaine got only three or four 'beach days' - code for an afternoon in the sun, and occasionally in the shallow water, at Elk Lake a few miles to the south of us. It was bit of challenge, in the loose sand with a cane and all. And getting in and out of her low-slung beach lounger with a recently repaired knee takes an occasional leap of faith - literally.</p> <p>The knitting bag went along to the lake as well. It was just the weather to start preparing for a surge in demand as temperatures fell late in August and the first hints of autumn rains appeared. Perhaps the time to put on a light but warm mobius wrap? In a delicate lavender shade like the one on the right? Whatever the reasons, from the late summer onwards the call for simple cool weather accessories, including a surprising demand for alpaca and alpaca-blend items, has continued without a break. Mitts, gloves, headgear, leg warmers, shawls and wraps are the picks of the season. To the point that Elaine may not be caught up with her last orders by the time I get this 'News' uploaded to the website at the end of the year. &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#pagetop">Top</a></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><a name="31Dec2"></a> <p><strong>Summer Renovations</strong>&nbsp;&nbsp; Over the past couple of years we had been talking with a renovations team that had done some good work with the 25 to 35 year old houses in our neighbourhood. Except for the windows and the appliances, we wanted a pretty thorough renovation of the ground floor. The image on the left below shows the white oak 'engineered flooring' - a 3mm veneer of finished white oak on a plywood underlay - going in. It also shows a pretty good example of the chaos of a 'renovation in progress' Fortunately, the studio area downstairs has a separate living space. So, we retired to the lower level for the twelve weeks the reno took. The image on the right below shows a very cramped version of life at the Treetops Studios.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><img src="../images/n11h3.jpg" class="elmfltleft" width="278" height="302" alt="Laying White Oak Flooring"/></td> <td><img src="../images/n11j3.jpg" class="elmfltright" width="276" height="302" alt="Elaine's Temporary Studio"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><p>The living room, dining room, bedrooms and the hallway and stairs down to the studio area are now in the oak. The kitchen, sun room, bathrooms and the entrance areas from the garage and the front door are in ceramic tile. It took a bit of looking but we found a tile with a very pale surface in a random mottled pattern of raw sienna and a blue ochre. It has the, unexpected, quality of reflecting a cool and very pale blue cast in bright daylight and a warm and equally pale raw sienna cast in artificial light.</p> <p>Some of the changes we made were precautionary. Living on the Saanich Peninsula and doing the things we like to do, we are going to age very slowly. But falls are one of the risks of aging that a renovation can address. The tile has a very fine grit mixed into the ceramic. A bare foot will not slide across it, even after two showers have have left a skim of moisture on the floor of the bathroom. To a similar end, we replaced the standard shower and tub arrangement in the en-suite bathroom with a low relief 'step in' shower stall.&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#pagetop">Top</a></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><a name="31Dec3"></a> <p><strong>Life After Renovations</strong>&nbsp;&nbsp; Almost nothing of the original 1983 ground floor decoration has survived. Beyond the change in flooring, the overall decorative theme has been changed to a classic pre-War 'white on white' bungalow interior with wide plain covings and mouldings - all in a gentle mid-lustre white - and walls in a modern low-lustre white acrylic with just a hint of raw umber. As you can see from the image on the left below - of the front entranceway seen through the french doors leading out of the living room - the arrangement captures a very large amount of the light in a bright morning. The viewer is looking southwest, out of the morning sun, and two of the three skylights on the ground floor are contributing to the lighting. </p> <p>The image on the right below shows the effect the decoration plan has in the master bedroom. The viewer is looking southwest, as above, but it is now mid-afternoon. The direct sunlight is tempered by the greens of the trees along Graham Creek, just behind the studio, and the wood tones of the bedroom furnishings. A warmer and much less formal presentation: restful, as a bedroom should be. The little group of stuffies, locally known as 'the kids', on Elaine's dower chest are enjoying a well-earned siesta after three months of renovations.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><img src="../images/n11k3.jpg" class="elmfltleft" width="234" height="302" alt="Front Hallway"/></td> <td><img src="../images/n11l3.jpg" class="elmfltright" width="227" height="302" alt="A Quiet Room"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><p>The changes in the kitchen don't show here. But they were the climax of about fifteen years of accumulated alterations. Without intending it, the kitchen had been our testbed for the renovation. As appliances wore out and at each repainting we moved away from almond and red oak and closer to the 'white on white' colour plan. The new, soft white, cabinets are tight to the ceiling, no dust - more storage. Pull out drawers have replaced cupboards below Elaine's waist level. Much easier access. We decided that the strict 'white on white' theme would be a bit too stark for the kitchen: a room that should be warm and welcoming. Elaine chose a mid-range yellow ochre for the walls and a tile mat of variegated earth tones for the splash panel behind the sink and counters. &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#pagetop">Top</a></p> <p><img src="../images/n11m3.jpg" alt="Baby Set Prize" class="elmfltleft" width="406" height="302"/> Perhaps you are getting concerned that we did not 'get out more often' through the post-reno period. Not a bit of fear! Within two weeks of the end of reno work Elaine was showing in the needlework competitions at our local Agricultural Fair and demonstrating in the tents with our local llama and alpaca society. The receiving set on the left is clearly intended for a new baby girl, perhaps the new great grand daughter we are expecting at the end of February. She would need it up in New Liskeard. Elaine is experimenting with different ways to assemble a small knitted sweater. Hence the diagonal seams in the front. The crocheted bubbles at the neck and the strong contrast in the wide edge bands are an experiment too. The judges approved. A first and a second.</p> <p><img src="../images/n11n3.jpg" alt="Short Kimono Prize" class="elmfltright" width="320" height="302"/>The knit and crochet woman's top on the right is a new take on the short kimono. To prevent the neckline from sagging away towards the shoulders as the collar piece is raised and lowered around the neck, the left and right front pieces are actually one knitted piece that passes over the shoulders and joins the back piece in a straight seam across the back at about the level of the shoulder blades. The width and tension of the crocheted bands at the edges of all the pieces define the shapes and help to control the drape of the garment. The judges liked the approach. A first. &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#pagetop">Top</a></p> <p>OK! Nice work Elaine. But where is John in all of this? Busy of course. Mostly the 'heavy lifting'. But a nice job came to him. All he had to do was say 'yes'. The Canadian Army is producing a pamphlet on diminishing the adverse impacts of military training on the western environment. Their web research for images of the things that could 'get in the way' led them to John's images of wild life around the outside of the Treetops Studios. In return for the photo credit, they get to use last year's image of a <a href="news10.html#08June2">Pacific Sideband Snail (Monadenia fidelis)</a> 'in hand' - so to speak. Glad to help of course. John spent 22 years in the regular army and then retired to work 12 more years as a government economist, eventually an environmental economist. It is a small world and one that we have to care for.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><p>So, we are back into the upstairs and well launched into the renewed 'downsizing' campaign. We bought in a lot of boxes from U-Haul to store things during the renovation. Now, as we empty them they are getting filled up again with the things that are 'going away': to e-Bay, 'Used Victoria', garage sales, 'take it away' please, kindling, junk. And with that prospect before us, it's time to wish you all the best in the New Year. As always, take care of the those you love and help someone who needs you. &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#pagetop">Top</a></p></td> </tr> </table> <a name="31Mar"></a><h4>31 March, 2011</h4> <table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5"> <tr> <td colspan="2"><a name="31Mar1"></a> <p><strong>Starting Up 2011</strong> &nbsp;&nbsp; Well folks, this has certainly been one of those 'la Ni&ntilde;a' winters. SNOW! As I write, some of the ski resorts in the coastal mountains, here and on the mainland, are looking forward to staying open right through the Easter weekend. <a href="http://www.mountwashington.ca/">Mount Washington</a>, a few hours north from here has something like a thirty foot base. And the slopes north of Vancouver on the mainland, where the organizers for last year's Winter Olympics had to work hard to provide snow for the alpine events, are all about twenty feet deep in white.</p> <p><img src="../images/n11a3.jpg" class="elmfltright" alt="Pond Hockey" width="348" height="302" />There haven't been any dramatic storms right around here, but the past four or five months have been unusually cold and snowy. We missed our usual February warm-up. It finally began to warm up about mid-March. All the early spring flowers are late again and all coming up at once. I mowed the lawns last week. But there was still frost on the roofs on the morning of the 26th. Two of the regulars at our hummingbird feeders may not have survived but an Anna's and a Calliope are still with us.</p> <p>Of course, compared to the rest of the country it has been an easy winter. That's why we are retired here, isn't it? The image on the right could have been taken almost anywhere in Canada on a cold day early in the spring. It was actually shot near here during one of our cold snaps this winter. Pond ice thick enough to skate on is a rare treat on the Saanich Peninsula. Elaine and I were on the way into Victoria but we had a camera in the car and turned off to catch the event. The conversation among the local old-timers was that ice this fine had not been seen in a generation. Not quite central Manitoba at 10F below and blowing snow. But given that most of the players you see here will grow up to live in big cities, this may be the only 'outdoor ice' chance they ever get. The Canada Geese and Trumpeter Swans that usually winter around these drowned fields had gone off to forage on drier ground. Sensible, but much less fun! &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#pagetop">Top</a></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><a name="31Mar2"></a><p><strong>A New Knee</strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;We are always making alterations, large and small, to the way our 'home studio' is laid out and how we share the space and the work. Over the years Elaine's side of the studio has expanded to take up most of the <a href="http://www.treetops-studios.com/home.html">'down-slope'</a> level. The catch is that Elaine has suffered with joint problems for at least twenty-five years. Most recently her left knee has been giving her trouble, to the point where going up and down stairs is a nuisance.</p> <p><img src="../images/n11b3.jpg" class="elmfltleft" alt="For Sale" width="376" height="302" />Last spring the doctors put Elaine 'on the train' for a complete knee replacement. It had always been our agreement that if the stairs became a real problem we would sell the studio and move on to something else on one floor - hopefully still on the Saanich Peninsula. We looked at a few places over the winter. Several were quite appealing. But there would be no way to fit the present studio into any of them. We did decide that if there were to be a move in our future we should start downsizing right away. After all, there will eventually come a time to go.</p> <p>Well, on February 8th the train pulled in to the surgery station. The whole process has taken a long time but Elaine is recovering nicely thank you. The downsizing idea has stayed with us. The photo on the right above shows a surplus router table being photographed for placement in our local 'buy-sell' listings. It is amazing how much 'stuff' is still in the house from John's parents. It will probably take us as two years to weed through it all. About as long as the new knee process from start to finish. Fitting! &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#pagetop">Top</a></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><a name="31Mar3"></a> <p><strong>Winter Works</strong> &nbsp;&nbsp;The post Christmas-New Years period has always been a quiet time here at the Treetops Studios. Elaine gets the last of her orders delivered. Then the work areas get a good shaking out, inventory lists are revised and plans made for at least the first half of the coming year. The plans usually include a mid-spring tour down as far as central Oregon to the visit with friends, replenish stock and maybe spend a few days on the beach at Yachats.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><img src="../images/n11c3.jpg" class="elmfltright" alt="Elaine and Saby" width="275" height="302" /></td> <td><img src="../images/n11d3.jpg" alt="Mobius Wrap at Bambino's" width="227" height="302" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><p>This year has definitely not started in the regular pattern. We knew that there would have to be some adjustments to allow for the knee surgery and the pre-op and post-op routines. What we didn't predict has been the continuing demand for several items that had already sold very strongly during the holiday season. Small scarfs and wraps, particularly the Mobius Wrap, and fingerless gloves are still in demand. It may just be the wretched weather of course. But we know that in at least two cases the orders were sparked by holiday season clients' answers to that wonderful question; "Where can I get one of those?" At March end Elaine was just finishing two multi-item parcels, one for a private client already planning for Christmas 2011 and a second for a local boutique that started carrying Elaine's knits just before Christmas.</p> <p>The boutique is <a href="http://www.bambinosincadborobay.com/">Bambino's</a>, in Cadboro Bay Village, a still not completely urbanized waterfront enclave in the southeastern corner of Greater Victoria. Inside it's crowded with interesting things - a good half hour or more of leisurely looking. The owner, 'Saby', is smiling on the right in the illustration at the left above. One of Elaine's Mobius Wraps is on display in the illustration at the right.&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#pagetop">Top</a></p></td> </tr> </table> </div></div> <div><p>&nbsp;</p></div> <!-- explicit vspacer --> <div><p>&nbsp;</p></div> <!-- explicit vspacer --> <h4><a name="Contact">Contact Us</a></h4> <p>Elaine Dendy <a href="mailto:e-laine@shaw.ca">e-laine@shaw.ca</a><br /> John Oliver Dendy <a href="mailto:dendy@islandnet.com">dendy@islandnet.com</a><br /> URL: <a href="http://www.treetops-studios.com/index.html">http://www.treetops-studios.com/index.html</a></p> <!-- #BeginLibraryItem "/Library/copyright.lbi" --> <p>Copyrights for the entire site, unless otherwise stated :<br /> Text and Photography - &copy; 2001-11 John Oliver Dendy<br /> Design and Art - &copy; 2001-11 John &amp; Elaine Dendy<br /> Web Layout - &copy; 2001-11 John Oliver Dendy</p><!-- #EndLibraryItem --> <p>Revised 9 January, 2012</p> <p id = "navbardown"> &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="../index.html">Enter</a> &nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="../home.html">Home</a> &nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="../tour/tour.html">Tour the Studios</a> &nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="../fabart/fabart.html">Fabric Arts</a> <!--&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="../visart/visart.html">Visual Arts</a>--> <!--&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="../workshop/workshop.html">The Workshop</a>--> <br /> <a href="../study/study.html">The Study</a> &nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="../gallery/gallery.html">The Gallery</a> <!--&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="../commune/commune.html">Our Community</a>--> <!--&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="../links/links.html">Links</a>--> &nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="../gglsrch.html">Search</a> &nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#Contact">Contact Us</a> </p> <p> <a href="http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=referer"><img src="http://www.w3.org/Icons/valid-xhtml10" alt="Valid XHTML 1.0 Strict" height="31" width="88" /></a> <a href="http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/"> <img style="border:2px blue ;width:88px;height:31px" src="http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/images/vcss" alt="Valid CSS!" /></a> </p> </div></div> </body> </html>