Marika
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marikapea.bsky.social
Marika
@marikapea.bsky.social
550 followers 160 following 2.9K posts
Book nerd, library yeller, kitchen witch, puzzle dork, embroidery novice, prairie settler, leftie queer, lapsed poet, kinda Blind
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marikapea.bsky.social
Getting over yet another illness, I finished embroidering the last of the four seasons this week
Another swirly sky landscape embroidery with purple grey cloud swirls, a tree with stripes of dark brown bark and bare looping branches dotted with green buds, and green-brown-tan ground. Everything is stitched in stripes of split stitch in wool-silk crewel thread in a four inch hoop held in front of a shelf.
November 6, 2025 at 11:20 PM
marikapea.bsky.social
Reminded of this seasonal touchstone
www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazi...
Screenshot: Poetry Foundation November for Beginners By Rita Dove Snow would be the easy way out—that softening sky like a sigh of relief at finally being allowed to yield. No dice. We stack twigs for burning in glistening patches but the rain won’t give.
November 6, 2025 at 9:37 PM
marikapea.bsky.social
Made some winter, a little preemptively.
A slightly abstract winter scene, with a sky embroidered in spirals of white and grey, and snowy ground in stripes of white and blue and off-white, and a bare tree in shades of nut brown stripes. All threads are wool/silk crewel thread with a light sheen, plus a fine faint silver sparkly blending filament in a few spots to emulate snow. Embroidery is in a four inch hoop held against a bookshelf. Same scene, tilted slightly to show off the silky scheen to the thread.
October 22, 2025 at 11:00 PM
marikapea.bsky.social
I just wanted to look up the tasting notes for the amaro sample I got at the wine store WHAT is going on with this copy???
Screenshot: Watch our brand video [weird graphics] AMARO CAMATTI is our traditional amaro obtained from the infusion of FLOWERS, HERBS, AROMATIC ROOTS, through a secret manufacturing process exclusively owned by our FAMILY BUSINESS Best enjoyed while at sea, AMARO CAMATTI is perfect for athletes as it’s a comforting, heart-warming amaro offering a pleasant feeling of relief
October 15, 2025 at 9:31 PM
marikapea.bsky.social
I have to know but I'm afraid to find out
A bag of Miss Vickie's Ristoranti cacio e pepe flavour potato chips.
October 14, 2025 at 9:59 PM
marikapea.bsky.social
Oh interesting, I'm on top of the rest but this is definitely the most conservative take I've encountered about when to remove from heat (and the one I'm the sloppiest about). I do think I let mine get too hot so will experiment. Firm agree on your coffee choice!
Lavazza creme e gusto espresso.
October 13, 2025 at 4:26 AM
marikapea.bsky.social
Touch grass, but make it Frank O'Hara
Screenshot from the Poetry Foundation: "However, I have never clogged myself with the praises of pastoral life, nor with nostalgia for an innocent past of perverted acts in pastures. No. One need never leave the confines of New York to get all the greenery one wishes—I can’t even enjoy a blade of grass unless I know there’s a subway handy, or a record store or some other sign that people do not totally regret life. It is more important to affirm the least sincere; the clouds get enough attention as it is and even they continue to pass. Do they know what they’re missing? Uh huh." [from "Meditations in an Emergency"]
October 12, 2025 at 12:02 AM
marikapea.bsky.social
A lot of long meetings lately, so I made another, more seasonal Post-Impressionist skyscape embroidery.
A small round embroidery in stripes of wool-silk blend split stitched thread on cotton depicting a sky in whorls of blue, the edge of a tree with a swirling vivid orange canopy and dull green grass. Colourful seed stitches fill the sky and grass like leaves falling from the tree. The same embroidery at an angle to catch the gleam of light on the thread.
October 1, 2025 at 10:56 PM
marikapea.bsky.social
Good morning
September 28, 2025 at 4:59 PM
marikapea.bsky.social
I'm especially devoted to Vaseline Advanced Repair lotion. I usually buy the lightly scented version, which is light and pleasant. It takes maybe 3-5 minutes to absorb and then no greasiness or smell. It's my post-shower body lotion and my go-to at-home hand lotion. There's an unscented one too.
Screenshot from Vaseline website of a bottle of Vaseline® Intensive Care™ Advanced Repair Lightly Scented Lotion.
September 18, 2025 at 4:56 PM
marikapea.bsky.social
This cold is taking forever to disperse, which is very annoying, but I did make this, which started as a little doodle that I just kept adding to.
A small embroidery hoop featuring a sky scene stitched in swirls of blue, white and grey, Van Gogh-like, with touches of yellow in on corner to mimic sunlight. The horizon is stripes of vivid and yellowish greens, and along one side is a tree, in stripes of brown and tan and burgundy with a swirling canopy of dark and bright green. Everything is split stitched in wool/silk crewel thread. The same embroidery but tilted to show the gleam of the silk blend in the thread, which throws the stitching slightly out of focus.
September 17, 2025 at 10:23 PM
marikapea.bsky.social
Finished stitching this and now keep staring at it, wondering if I dare rip out and restitch the messy dark green sections on the bottom left.
A finished embroidery of tesselated waves in shades of blue, green, and lavender, with pale grey outlines and stripes, all stitched in wool/silk crewel thread split stitch. The stripes are quite wonky in the bottom corner.
September 15, 2025 at 11:35 PM
marikapea.bsky.social
Getting to the home stretch on this
Tesselated wave crewel embroidery from previous posts, now mostly filled in except a few sections outlined in pale grey.
September 10, 2025 at 11:32 PM
marikapea.bsky.social
We got a big chill here this week and the fall plumage is out
Feet in dandelion yellow ankle boots standing on a tactile pavement in a similar tone. Also sporting red knit stockings and the hem of a navy corduroy dress.
September 8, 2025 at 1:06 AM
marikapea.bsky.social
Went for another tandem bike jaunt this morning, now sunning ourselves beside the local swimming hole
Two Canada geese on the grass in the sun Canada geese swim across a small pond beside a fountain while more geese mill around the grass beside a bench
September 7, 2025 at 4:05 PM
marikapea.bsky.social
The fibre fest didn't have as many embroidery-adjacent supplies this year, but I did get a palmful of Czech glass buttons and a vintage emery strawberry.
Said handful. The four buttons are various sizes with coloured glass and gold swirls and floral details. The emery strawberry has a red and gold check pattern and a green button and string loop top.
September 6, 2025 at 8:31 PM
marikapea.bsky.social
After two years of hunting for the perfect project bag, I found this Charley Harper print cutie at Fibre Fest.
A fabric pouch with a zip top and a bold Modernist leaf and lily pad motif on the large side pockets. The bright red interior of the bag, with an embroidery project inside and a pocket full of notions. Label inside reads Two Bees handmade creations.
September 6, 2025 at 7:53 PM
marikapea.bsky.social
I also got back to the waves today
Tasselated wave pattern with two more sections filled in with lavender and pine green striped with pale grey wool/silk crewel thread. The image is almost half full.
September 1, 2025 at 12:35 AM
marikapea.bsky.social
I did a little colour study embroidery this past week to work on my long and short stitch and colour blending. Very fun; think I'll do more of these
My hand holding a small embroidery hoop with a full coverage gradient from orange to deep blue crewel wool done in long and short stitch.
August 31, 2025 at 8:05 PM
marikapea.bsky.social
Finally finished the hoop wrap on this.
An embroidery of a spiral in alternating black and colourful split stitch, threaded with silver metallic. It creates and rainbow gradient from purple in the centre to red at the edges. The hoop is wrapped in black wool. The spiral rainbow embroidery, shot from the side so you can see the sheen playing over the surface.
August 22, 2025 at 5:14 PM
marikapea.bsky.social
You can perhaps see that partway through stitching, I started doing the stripes on top of the bed of split stitch colour instead of stitching them in as I went, and stitching this section of blue was particularly wonderful--the thread just glows.
A close up of one wave shape, outlined in pale grey stem stitch and filled with azure blue split stitch. The thread is overdyed, which creates little dappled patches, and the silk/wool blend gives the whole thing a shine and texture that the light plays off.
August 21, 2025 at 9:32 PM
marikapea.bsky.social
Just finished a particularly lush bit of blue
A continuation of the hoop of tesselated waves in different colours of crewel yarn, with two more sections filled in with lavender and bright blue, each striped with pale grey.
August 21, 2025 at 9:24 PM
marikapea.bsky.social
Anyway I went on a little side quest to get some more wire threaders today and was seduced by the most beautiful perle cotton I've ever seen in my life
My hand holding a ball of overdyed perle embroidery cotton, size 8, Valdani brand. It is the most beautiful soft blue, with a sheen and variation that makes it look an ocean in summer twisted into thread. There is a package of colourful wire needle threaders underneath.
August 20, 2025 at 1:21 AM
marikapea.bsky.social
The lovely bakery near me has the most baffling drink specials
A sandwich board that reads "Try Yellowjacket as our summer special (orange juice + espresso + chocolate)" with an illustrated glass of orange iced liquid with a dark brown float sinking into it, plus a bendy straw, surrounded by orange slices.
August 19, 2025 at 2:20 PM
marikapea.bsky.social
This day felt 7000 years long, but a fistful of autumnal crewal threads were waiting for me in the mailbox.
Five twists of Lichen and Lace hand-dyed wool/silk embroidery yarns lined up on a black and white blanket: amber (a deep mustardy gold), marigold (a sunny pale orange), rhubarb (variegated faded red, orange, and a hint of gold-green), rosewood (a deep overdyed maroom), and shoom (white streaked with deep brown and the odd bit of bright yellow).
August 18, 2025 at 10:22 PM