A Parade of Paper Boats

Every time I get together with folks making things on a general theme or using the same materials, I marvel at the variety in their expression. I just visited Joanne's paper boat site: joannebkaarpaperboats.blogspot.com/ and was amazed and amused. The tropical folks have some excellent exotic materials--Gambi fibre and fermented persimmon juice--who knew?

Meanwhile, I created my first fabric boat last night (old pajama fabric--not so exotic as whatever Gambi is) and looked for starch in the grocery store. How long has it been since you starched anything? Personally, I think it was 1968 when I stopped spraying starch on the button and buttonhole parts of shirts and cuffs. These days, of course, I am mostly swaddled in wool.

I aspire to make a boat that will actually float--not just look pretty. I am worrying in my head over leftover yogurt containers--there are some peedie ones--that might act as hulls, but the starch was a way of joining them to fabric and making the fabric --at least briefly--sea worthy.

As we trolled the grocery aisles yesterday, my friend suggested a trusty margarine tub--that looks a fine hull, I must admit.

All this thinking about paper boats is a nice diversion from the snow and the cold. The original ship, whose anniversary we are celebrating, the Westland, traveled to New Zealand. Yesterday I went to the funeral of the last surviving member of the Broch Home Guard. My best ship will be named for him. I'll blog more about that soon but the sadness is still too heavy, so I'll putter with paper boats and knitting and my heart will mend itself.