The clematis that grows in our back fence has burst into flower this week, which is a very promising sign that winter is on its way out. The Māori name for this plant is Puawhananga, or 'flower of the skies' which I think is more beautiful than 'clematis.' I hope you are well and keeping warm, wherever…

Hello! Signs of spring are starting to appear here. I love these little blue flowers, the names of which I always forget. They don't seem to mind though and cheerfully come out of their bulbs regardless. The days are getting a little longer too, and the general bite of winter is not so sharp.  I…

Hello! I feel like I haven't been here in ages. I've had a small, unintentional break from my usual weekly blog routine that can be pinned down to a general midwinter murk and lack of non-working time. I hope this finds you well, dear reader! I've also found myself losing my usual verve when it…

Last weekend Tom and I took a small trip out of town, with our warmest clothes, a big stack of library books, a bottle of wine and some craft projects (me). Whanganui's Sargeant Gallery has always been one of my favourites so we visited the Edith Collier exhibition (look at these beautiful paintings!) and the…

Keira made some delicious ginger crunch for a school cake stall, and since then we've had to ask her to make it for us a few times, too. This recipe is here, and it's very delicious. Although we reduce the sugar by quite a bit and it still works fine. The perfect treat to go…

Hello! I hope you're keeping well and warm on these midwinter days. I thought I'd share some photos from my week. This is pretty much what I've been up to: admiring the first daphne blooms, sewing, embroidery and quite a lot of work, but I don't have a pretty image for that.  Have you heard…

Street Flowers by Richard Mabey is a beautiful book from 1976 and was gifted to me this week by my friend Helen. It's about the devices used by plants to survive in difficult surroundings: mass production and distribution of seeds, extra-fast growth and killing off of other nearby plants. It's really interesting and the illustrations, by…

My son Arlo turned 15 this week, and I promised to make him a new hat for his collection. In the first photo above you can see where I've got to with that, which is not terribly far. I'm using Quince & Co Chickadee yarn and this Purl Soho pattern. It's knitting up beautifully so…

Last weekend's Soul Craft Festival was a beauty. It was pretty special to be among so many friends and friends-to-be, surrounded by people who love making things and talking about making things as much as I do. As well as seeing Felicia and Claire and the rest of the hard-working team, I was lucky enough…

At this weekend's Soul Craft Festival, I'll be teaching some embroidery workshops over the two days. But I'll also be giving a talk. I know! Public speaking is not my favourite thing, usually. But when Felicia asked me last year whether I'd be up for it, of course I said yes. My talk is called 'Giving…