Rope No.52

Plant - Hard Fern
Location - This seems to be everywhere when you look out for it, this was a
grassy bank beside a burn near forestry plantation
Notes - I have been looking for other ferns to work with but there don't seem
to be any quite so widespread and in enough quantity, I only ever take a very
small amount of a plant in one place and only if there is plenty of it to spare

Rope No. 51

Plant - Grass which I can't identify just yet
Location - Grows in hummocks, very white at the edges of bog and grassland
Notes - These were very sticky, had some sort of rasping edge to the leaf even
when dead, can cut easily, strong but not so easy to flow through the hands
as the moor grass

Rope No.50

Plant - Larch
Location - This is the plantation forest larch, twigs found on the floor of the wood
Notes - I will be revisiting a number of plants, making thinner or thicker ropes; I have
decided to make 101 ropes for the exhibition, displaying them as one piece.

Rope No.49

Plant - Bog myrtle Myrica gale
Location - Edinburgh Botanic gardens
Notes - This is so different growing here sheltered, it is twice the size of the
plants that I am familiar with.

Rope No.48

Plant - Taxus family Cryptomeria japonica var. sinensis
Location - In the Botanic gardens in Edinburgh
Notes - totally new plants for me to explore, variety and shape I only take
small bits which are lying on the paths, scattered by the wind 

Rope No.47

Plant - Grass from South Africa Dierama pulcherrimum
Location - Botanic gardens in Edinburgh
Notes - The contrast and variety of plants here is stimulating, from native bramble,
birch and buttercup to palms, conifers and cacti.

Rope No.46

Plant - Japanese red pine Pinus densiflora
Location - Botanic gardens in Edinburgh
Notes - Taking a break from taking my work down I wandered round the
garden, there is always more to explore. I noticed this lovely delicate pine
with long needles and thought of the Japanese people and what they are
going through at the moment.

wall of rope

This the ropes so far in my studio, think I will be displaying them as a long wall construction.
There will be a short break of a few days as I will be away in Edinburgh, I may find interesting new plants to work with.

Rope No.45

Plant - Kelp
Location - Seashore, already half dried out
Notes - This made with just two lengths of Kelp and keeping the fronds, I will observe it at it dries completely

Rope No.44

Plant - Purple moor-grass
Location - with the heather in the bog
Notes - This is one blade of grass, will try this with other plants too

Rope No.43

Plant - Small fern, will identify it for the label
Location - Growing on rocky slope in the garden
Notes - I am intrigued to find small plants with strong stems to make some delicate ropes

Rope No.42

Plant - Bog-rush
Location - Hillside beside the sea, rough grassland
Notes - making a variety of ropes and strings, textures, thickness, strengths often using the same material to make these in different thickness's

Rope No.41

Plant - Bog-rush
Location - Hillside beside the sea, rough grassland
Notes - Enjoying a brief spell of sun after wind, rain and snow

Rope No.40

Plant - Strawberry runners
Location - overflowing from their fishbox
Notes - Surprising how flexible and strong these still are being last years growth

Rope No.39

Plant - Lovely fine grass, think it may be Mat-grass as the sheep don't eat it
Location - growing in the wetter bits of the heather and sphagnum bog
Notes - The multitude of colours and textures amongst this bog makes it a feast for the eyes

Rope No.38

Plant - Purple moor-grass
Location - White lines of dry grass flowing amongst the heather
Notes - I love working with this grass, it it long, strong and flexible even after the winter months

Rope No.37

Plant - Montbretia
Location - This grows in clumps and the leaves die back in winter, these are brown and some are a delicate shade of green
Notes - I am taking a few days to make some thinner ropes or string using different flexible grasses

Rope No.36

Plant - Grass, this has nice fine leaves like a fescue, will identify it when it is flowering
Location - Verge of the road, grassy bank
Notes - You can get lovely long thin stalks in the summer but these have reduced a bit
now and aren't as nice as I thought they would be to work with

Rope No.35

Plant - Soft Rush, this grows in clumps all around
Location - Invades this heather moor
Notes - I picked these a few days ago and allowed them to dry so that
the shrinkage wouldn't affect the rope as much

Rope No.34

Plant - Another Moss Hylocomium splendens I think
Location - With the Hair Moss, Heather and some rush
Notes - Thought I would try this as it seemed a mat like structure, a lo and
behold a small bit of rope, this surprised me and I am not sure this will stay
together
Snow today again with cold winds but bright in between....

Rope No.33

Plant - Hair Moss, Polytrichum Commune
Location - Sheltered spot amongst the heather
Notes - I love this material, it is soft, long, flexible and works in lots of different thicknesses
as well as being a great rusty orange colour and smelling of earth

Rope No.32

Plant - Larch
Location - Woodland with larch, scots pine and with heather and blaeberry undergrowth
Notes - Beautiful long gently curving larch twigs, which at this time of year are really supple

Rope No.31

Plant - Hard Fern
Location - Sheltered banks with heather and under shrubby trees
Notes - I wanted to make a thinner rope than the last one but this material
seems to need to be a certain thickness. Some plant materials can be made
into ropes of very different thicknesses but not Hard Fern at this time of year,
I might try it again later in the year.

Rope No.30

Plant - Fern, I think Mountain fern
Location - In clumps in slightly sheltered spots amongst the heather
Notes - Really noticing the light of the new season, a gentleness and
subtlety especially today muted greys in slowly shifting layers

Rope No.29

Plant - Seaweed, Kelp
Location - Seashore, high tide line
Notes - This gets washed up around this time of year and forms lovely
lines in different colours on the shore line. The kelp stalks shrink by a
huge amount and turn black when brought indoors to dry completely.

Rope No.28

Plant - Seaweed, wrack
Location - Rocky seashore, towards the high tide line
Notes - I am balancing the short window between it being too brittle and dry,
and being pliable but not shrinking too much. I am also beginning to think
of these ropes as a form of self portrait and deciding the quality of each
one when I make it.