tiny happy

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 you are in the world. 

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This week I finished a pair of socks that I had been working on for quite a long time. The yarn is from Dark Harbour Yarns and the colourway name is the rather glorious 'Rare and Exotic Beast – grey with bits.' I've made this pattern lots of times and I love the design – it stays up, keeps its shape, and is nice and simple too. But I might try a different pattern next time. I'd love to master 2-at-a-time socks.

I do like to have a sock project in progress at all times though, as it's the perfect thing to fit in my work satchel for the odd bus knitting session or when I'm waiting to collect kids from somewhere.

This pair is a gift for a sweet friend of mine.

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This week I read a very small book: Notes of a Bag Lady by Margaret Mahy, a favourite NZ writer who died in 2012. In this essay, she describes how writing has given her many different ways of seeing the world and trying out different personas, from a detective to an adventurer, a princess and a witch. She eventually trained and worked as a librarian before writing full-time. 

Notes of a Bag Lady is a very funny piece of writing but, being a devout librarian fan, I particularly loved what she had to say about her profession and thought you might too:

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…I saw a picture in which the prim austerity of a female character was emphasised by the fact she was a librarian. Over the years librarians have been given a repressive image. Time and again they are shown as humourless women who, being largely sexless, have never escaped into the halcyon work of housekeeping and hanging out napkins.

Of course many people are unaware that Casanova was not only sexually prodigious but also progressed to become librarian for Count von Waldstein in Bohemia for 13 years, though admittedly this was towards the end of his career. We have no evidence that he progressed to be an efficient cataloguer.

Casanova to one side, I am here to assert that librarians stand dancing and pivoting on the tenuous ridge that separates chaos from order. That dancing librarian makes so much of the world accessible to others.

– Margaret Mahy (a small extract from NOABL, Four Winds Press, 2003.)

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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 hope you are well, dear reader? Thank you for the lovely comments on my last post. Interesting that knitted rabbits are on your mind, too. I have started work on my angora version and will report back soon.

I also made the kimono jacket I mentioned in my last post. I used the Kochi Kimono design by Papercut Patterns and some drapey linen and it's already proven to be a useful garment to wear to work.

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This week I've re-discovered some music I hadn't heard in a long time: Joanna Newsom's Divers. I love this album, and was very pleased to find the entire thing online as I seem to have lost all the music I purchased on i-tunes a few years ago. 

I'm reading Women in Clothes by Sheila Heti, Heidi Julavits and Leanne Shapton partly because of the beautiful cover design and the fact I love hearing about other people's clothes, and partly because of a terrible Guardian review that made this book compelling reading for me. 

Do bad reviews tempt you to read or listen to something, too? I'm not sure if this is a normal reaction.

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I wanted to tell you about some very simple, but delicious biscuits. I recently found a copy of this book that I thought I had lost. It's filled with recipes from old community cookbooks from around New Zealand. The recipes are lovely, and remind me so much of my paternal grandmother, who was a proper old-school Kiwi baker. But the scanned pages of old books, and historical insights are what make Ladies, A Plate extra special.

Anyway, I made some 'coconut whispers' from it which are very simple little cookies, a bit like macaroons. You can find a very similar recipe here. I flavoured mine with the scrapings of a vanilla bean. But you could use anything – almond extract or lemon or maybe rosewater? You can see them above in a great old biscuit tin that my friend Anna gave to me. Old-fashioned biscuits in a proper old tin. Must be time to put the kettle on.

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 comes to making, which has been a bit sad and strange. Doesn't often happen to me! No matter how busy I am, I still dream of projects and keep my sketchbook around. But not this winter, for some reason. 

Here are some photos from the past few weeks:

A crisp early evening from our front door step, with a pearl moon out early.

A batch of crumpets made on a quiet Saturday morning (so yum toasted with butter and with a cup of tea alongside… I used the recipe from a book I mentioned in this post, The Little Library Cookbook by Kate Young).

A stack of new linen in berry colours, sent by Susan of Loop for some new project bags to send to London in the spring. And a very sweet little pair of Japanese scissors for my embroidery toolbox, she sent as a gift. I love these! Very, very small but also sharp. And with a leather pouch to keep them in.

Other things I've been doing lately have included reading: I finished Motherhood by Sheila Heti which I really enjoyed. It explores the deepest thinking about the meaning of being a mother, or not having children, as the case may be.

Knitting: still working on the same slow projects (could these be the source of my dampened enthusiasm with making? Hmm). Hope to finish both garments soon, and move onto new things.

Projects planned for spring:

+ One of these Kochi Kimono jackets, in a fine black linen (I think it would be a very useful work garment, or to wear while lounging around anywhere else! 
+ A couple of tops like this one, for the warmer weather (do you like how I'm writing as though winter is almost over? It's not even close!)
+ Knitted rabbits. I have some soft natural angora yarn and would love to knit up a couple of soft rabbits for my baby nieces, but I haven't found a pattern like the idea I have in mind. I am going to try to make my own.

What about you? How are you feeling these days, and what projects are you planning?
Thank you for visiting, as always.

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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 Maureen Lander's Flatpack Whakapapa weavings.

On Saturday the winter sun was shining brightly on the Whanganui River and we went kayaking for a bit and for a walk along a wild surf beach thick with driftwood that led to a cafe and garden filled with giant succulents and cacti.

Did you know that last year, in a world first, the Whanganui River was granted the status of legal personhood?

Inspired by that trip, and a recent book of poetry I've been reading called Flow, which charts human settlement in this part of NZ, I've been working on some small stitched pieces that are a bit topographical in nature. 

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 with coffee on a cold afternoon.

Aren't those skeins of yarn so pretty? I did a swap with Deb of Revive Designs yarn and she sent me these hand-dyed yarns in soft pinks and greys, which make up a kit for a Juniper shawl. The pattern is by Libby of Truly Myrtle. I really like it but I am such a slow knitter, it might not even get started for a few months. 

My knitting life seems to be focused on simple and quick projects most of the time, I think because by the time I get home from work at night my brain isn't up to much. Also because my family love their handknit hats and accessories during the winter. This week I finished this hat for Tom in a navy blue merino. The pattern is 'Windschief' by Stephen West. You can find the details (yarn, pattern link, etc) here on Ravelry.

Last night I went to the launch of Tayi Tibble's first poetry collection Poūkahangatus. Tayi and I work together and she is an inspiring woman. Reading her poems feel like a bit of a punch in the heart but they are also funny and very clever. This morning there's an interview with her on The Spinoff – if you like poetry, and/or lipgloss (she includes some good tips towards the end) you should check it out.

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Have a lovely weekend!

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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 of Plastic Free July? I wanted to get involved by making lots of shopping bags from recycled fabrics, and maybe doing some giveaways on here. It might all have been a pipe dream though, as I've found myself a bit busy of late.

Never too busy to go plastic-free though… and I did find the time to make myself a new shopping bag. This is made from striped denim and lined in vintage cotton cut from an old curtain. I used this pattern from my blog – maybe you feel like making one too?

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Tomorrow a friend and I will be heading along to Capital Fibre Fest in Upper Hutt. It promises to be a fun event with heaps of spinning, weaving, knitting and, of course, yarn shopping. You should check it out if you're free tomorrow in the capital.

The other thing I wanted to tell you about was Nanette by Hannah Gadsby (on Netflix). You've probably already seen it by now. Or, at least, heard all about it. I watched it last week and found it really did live up to the critical praise – I thought it was amazing. Moving and funny and intense. I think you will like it.

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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 Sarah Kensington, are really beautiful. Lots of inspiration for sketching, gardening and stitching! (If plants can grow in an urban environment, they might be able to survive our place!)

Also this week, I finished a hat for Arlo – it's just a simple watchman-style cap in navy blue. I used this pattern from Purl Soho. Have you seen how many amazing (free) knitting and sewing patterns they have these days? 

Things I would love to make: this diagonal slip-stitch throw, a double-knit blanket, classic cardigan in cotton or alpaca, boot socks (Keira has requested a pair of these to wear with her Doc boots) and baby fair-isle cardigans (for my nieces).
My mum has made this wrap, (in minty-green cashmere) and it's so beautiful – it's on my dream-knit list!
I also love this optic throw, but can't see myself ever finishing something so ambitious. What a beautiful piece though.

I rediscovered my headphones recently and have been enjoying listening to the new Father John Misty album through them on my walks around the city. This is another beautiful song I love at the moment – and I'm going to see her live on the weekend – lucky me!

Hope you have a relaxing one. XX

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 far… I hope to finish it in time for his football game on Saturday.

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I found a stack of UK Embroidery magazines in a second-hand shop – someone's entire collection from the 1960s-90s had been donated. I bought one from each decade. It's the magazine of the UK Embroiderer's Guild and it's lovely to see that they are still going strong with the ethos of encouraging original work. In the 'Summer 1966' issue there are articles on embroidered camel harnesses, Romanian religious iconography in textiles, embroidery as a career, inspiration from Māori carving and free-form stitching for texture.

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The hexagon patchwork quilt I started working on back here is still growing, albeit very slowly. It's nice to have a really long-term project like this on the go, I reckon. For the hexagons, I've mostly used old clothes such as shirts that have worn-out collars or pasta sauce stains but the cotton fabric is still in good condition. Some of the hexagons are cut from pillowcases and scraps leftover from other things I've made.

I don't work on it very often, but I'm always so happy when I've found an hour or so to sit quietly listening to a podcast and doing some hand sewing. I've now started sewing the hexagons into long strips which I then attach along the edge of the large piece, to help keep it manageable. 

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Have you read good lately? I've just finished two books by Zadie Smith: Swing Time, which I thought was excellent, and a collection of her essays, Changing my Mind.

I've also recently read Autumn by Karl Ove Knausgaard which I also enjoyed, though parts of it were a little silly, I thought. I'm going through a non-fiction/essay phase in my reading at the moment. Next on my list is Encyclopedia of Trouble and Spaciousness by Rebecca Solnit.

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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 to hang out with my friend Lizzie and Kate James, both of whom are inspiring artists. I loved listening to them talk about their work and plans. 

On my last evening there, I had a glass of wine with Jen and Jon of Grainline Studio and Andrea Mowry and that was such a treat.

Above you'll see the only photos I managed to take while I was in Melbourne. I'm quite hopeless at documenting things – probably because I get really immersed in what I'm doing and forget all about it. But anyway, from the top:

a ++ my view from the plane window, a glimpse of Melbourne…

b ++ another view: this one was from my hotel room and looks rural, but it was just down the road from the event. It's hard to express how much I loved staying in this lovely hotel room by myself, but with friends down the hall to visit each evening.

c ++ a quick snap of my teaching space before the first workshop. We had big wooden tables with jars of bright poppies (the main festival room had tables absolutely lined with these poppies). I taught three classes over the weekend, and loved meeting so many joyful and creative students, keen to stitch together and get to know each other.

d ++ this is a sample I made for one of my workshops, to show how some of the stitches we learned could be applied in a cluster, to a piece of clothing or another project. I used some blue linen for this, and it's a free pattern from Peppermint Magazine you can find here.

If you'd like to see some better photos of the festival, including some of the embroidery that students made, you can search the hashtag #soulcraftfestival on Instagram (or click here).

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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 it Away: Thoughts on Making and Giving' which pretty much sums up the content.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to really think about making, and why we give our work away, or don't, as the case may be. I also spoke to some friends who had interesting thoughts about this topic.

In preparing for it, I looked through lots of old photos to find things I've made in the past – many of which I'd completely forgotten about.

That's another good thing about having such a huge blog archive – there's no way I would be able to keep all this stuff in my brain – but looking through all the clothes and toys and embroidery, etc brought back lots of happy memories. You can see some of these long-forgotten projects above.

From top:

+ a project bag I made for my sister who knits when she isn't gardening
+ hand-painted cups (so many of these made over the years)
+ a butterfly cardigan (can't remember who I made this for or why)
+ toddler coats (some of these I sold in my etsy shop, and some were gifts for friends' kids)

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There are so many amazing things to enjoy at Soul Craft Festival! I'm actually quite jealous of the attendees. I'm excited to be teaching but would also love to wander around the market and demonstrations and listen to the talks and drink coffee and knit and chat with everyone. Hopefully I will squeeze in some of that too.

There are still a few tickets available (you can find them here) and you can choose whether you attend for one or both of the days.
See you back here next week.

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