tiny happy

We have some hellebores in our garden but their season is ending. I love them a lot. I went to embroider some but instead the thread became something that looks more like dahlias, but that's okay because I love them too. 

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Speaking of embroidered flowers, I'm planning a small-ish shop update with a spring theme. I'm thinking early October, but I'll give an actual date in my next blog post. Thank you to everyone who has emailed to ask about this and also to those who have expressed interest in buying my work – I really appreciate it! When it comes to making and selling my work, time is not on my side during the working/school year. But I have a few things in progress and it will be fun to celebrate spring by making a small collection of work for the shop.

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This week I made a soft corduroy bear for a new baby, and wrapped it up along with a book that was a favourite when my kids were smaller – The Kuia and the Spider by Patricia Grace. The illustrations are by Robyn Kahukiwa and are really evocative, I think.

I must have made fifty of these toys over the years, for nieces, nephews, my own kids and friends. The pattern is in this book. The design is purposely simple, to allow for maximum customisation (or not). My niece Phoebe sewed some fetching linen pants for her bear and I've also seen one with a beautiful hand-knitted scarf. I usually 'under-stuff' them so they're soft and squishy and nice to hold by the hand.

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Thank you for your podcast suggestions in the last post! Here is a list of them. I also want to add one I like, it's called Art, Life, Music and it's a Radio New Zealand programme featuring interviews with artists and writers who talk about their favourite music. I especially liked listening to Dunedin artist Kushana Bush – and have you seen her paintings? Amazing. 

Here is our collaborative podcast list (please feel free to add more in the comments section):

Journalism/news/crime

Caliphate
This American Life
Teacher's Pet
My Favourite Murder
BBC World Service: Documentary and Witness
The Daily
Stay Tuned with Preet
Gone By Lunchtime
Black Hands
Dr Death

Humour/comedy

The Guilty Feminist
The Alice Fraser Trilogy 
Adrift
Answer Me This
No Such Thing as a Fish

Arts/science

On Being
Love Stories with Dolly Alderton
99 percent Invisible
Radiolab
Dispatch to a Friend
Tea and Tattle
The High Low
Dispatch to a Friend
Lost in Translation

Music

WTF with Marc Maron
Song Exploder
Desert Island Disks
NPR's Fresh Air
Art, Life, Music

Craft (most of these are on YouTube)

Pompom
Fruity Knitting
The Green Bean
Curious Handmade
Yarnchix
Yarns at Yinhoo
Kammebornia
Truly Myrtle
The Gentle Knitter (this is one of my all-time favourites!)