tiny happy

 
These pictures were taken on a little trip we took last week with the kids.

We hadn't travelled much in the central North Island of our country, so we decided to make our way to some new-to-us towns and stay in some different places. We visited tiny churches and expansive beaches, and explored geothermal pools and a wide range of cafes and tearooms. 

In the first picture, you can see the wild arum lilies that seemed to be growing along most roadsides and even the edge of beaches. These are quite a pest because they smother native plant seedlings, and are poisonous to animals, but they are quite pretty en masse… 

Another highlight was visiting the St Mary's church in the little town of Tikitiki. The church was built in 1926 as a memorial to Ngāti Porou soldiers who fought and died in WW1. The church has beautiful carved and woven panels and stained glass windows that mimic the woven Māori designs. And on the church pews there were lovingly made cushions in all different colours and sizes, crocheted, knitted and patchworked. Most were embroidered with family names – it was pretty lovely.

I found some treasures on my travels (luckily my family tolerates stopping at secondhand shops 😉 that I'll put in my next post. 

Hope this finds you well, lovely reader! 

I think I'm turning into one of those people who is always knitting socks – not that that's a bad thing! I love to always have a pair in progress and begin them as something to do in the car or on the bus. But then I get completely obsessed with finishing them, and find myself working on them in every spare moment.

This latest pair is for Keira – I knitted them from some beautiful hand-dyed yarn that was a gift from my mother-in-law Clare. She chose it from the yarn store Cruella's, which is a little knitting haven in Nelson. When I un-twisted the skein to wind it into balls, K loved the tie-dye style (she has a duvet cover that is quite similar) and so I had to get started on a pair right away.

I have now properly committed to using the magic-loop method for socks, which I find much faster and simpler. Not sure why I put off practising it for so long – I could have many more socks finished by now…! 

And finally, I just wanted to show you this little enamel pin I bought myself yesterday, from the Sew Indie NZ stand at Fabricabrac (I also have plans to visit the S.I online shop – she stocks heaps of brilliant patterns as well)

I know these as un-pickers, but our school sewing teacher always called them 'quick-unpick'. I also think this would make a great tattoo.

Hello and happy end-of-school-term, if that's applicable to you. We're very happy to see the start of the spring holidays roll around here. The kids are visiting their grandparents and cousins this week and couldn't be happier about that. And we have a plan to go away for a few days with them next week which will be fun.

I made a bag for my little sister who had a birthday recently. She has a new baby so I thought a nice big bag with lots of pockets was in order. I followed the instructions for the 'Zip Pocket Tote' in Anna Graham's book Handmade Style and am really happy with it – I chose heavy black linen for the front of the bag, which also creates an outer pocket, and vintage dotty fabric for the inside.

There are lots of other projects I'd love to try in Anna's book, too – so I hope to get to those soon – maybe tomorrow if I'm lucky?

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The photos above were taken on a walk home from work this week. It still feels like a luxury to be coming home in the light of the day, rather than trudging along at nightfall.

The street numbers have been spray-painted onto a rock wall, no doubt to help the postie and newcomers locate hilltop homes without having to climb a hundred stairs in vain. And the beautiful pink anemones belong to a nearby stranger, but I take a photo of them every year.

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Hello! I hope your September is going well so far. It feels like a 'yellow' month – the kōwhai trees are all in flower, even the little one that grows beside the steps up to our place. And the mornings are getting warmer and brighter too.

My Dad sent up a bag of his homegrown lemons and limes with my sister when she was visiting recently. The limes are the beautiful yellow Tahitian variety, rather than the small green ones you see in shops – so they look a bit like small lemons. After admiring them on the windowsill for a week or so I decided to make them into marmalade, because we are all quite big fans of morning toast + marmalade around here.

I used this recipe, doubled, and it turned out better than I expected. It made about 15 jars all up, so I think we (and friends) will be in a good marmalade situation for a very long time. 

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Tom and I have been watching a Martin Scorcese documentary about George Harrison (in installments, as it's rather long) called Living in the Material World, and that has led to a renewed appreciation of his songwriting. I'm really enjoying the G.H album All Things Must Pass and recommend it if you're after some new (old) songs.

Another new (to me) favourite is the thoughtful knitting podcast East London Knits which is hosted by designer Renee Callahan. There are so far 13 episodes up on YouTube, and most include interviews with well-known designers and craftspeople.

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What are you enjoying these days? Wishing you peace, happiness and marmalade on toast,
M

There are hellebores in the garden. I planted three varieties last year and am so happy to see them flowering, although I can't remember the names of the different types. Some have green petals with a pinkish tinge, and some are very dark purple with a greenish tint, almost as if someone has painted them with watercolours.

There's hasn't been much time for my usual crafty projects of late – although I have been steadily knitting away on a jumper (it's this pattern on Ravelry). I'm blatantly copying a garment made by Bonnie and even using some beautiful dark brownish-grey possum blend yarn that she gave me after I admired her version of this pattern.

It was warm enough for a little outdoor knitting today on my lunch break, where I was joined by a brave blackbird watching me from its spot in the hedge and a prevailing feeling of hope for a warm summer ahead!

Keira and I have discovered Gilmore Girls on Netflix (only 15 years late to the party!) and watching an episode after dinner has become a cosy winter routine… and probably the reason I've been able to knit a fair bit of this jumper. We're not even through the first season yet – and there are seven altogether!

I had to include a picture of this beautiful vintage photo/artwork given to Tom by our friend Anna – it's Queenstown in the 1960s, I think. A portal to another world, currently living on our mantelpiece.

It's September! Our clematis (it's this native NZ variety) is out and looking beautiful, draped like fairy lights along the fence.

And I finished a knitting project – it was a small one but seemed to take ages. Socks for Arlo – in rather boring but (I think) pretty wearable colours. You can see the yarns used, pattern, etc, here on my Ravelry page.
I wasn't sure if he would be in to hand-knit socks, to be honest. But since I handed them over, he's wanted to wear them every day, so that's a good sign.

I do think I should probably branch out and try a different sock pattern (Keira's asked for a pair of these, named after her heroine, Hermione) and I will, but I really do love this basic pattern that I usually use. The whole sock is ribbed, so they tend not to fall down or lose their shape. And it's a simple pattern to do, without being too boring. I've made a pair for my partner, my kids, my sister and my dad. So I highly recommend it if you're looking to get started knitting socks!

In the middle photo above you can see a little stack of beautiful vintage fabrics sent by my friend Helen. They're just sitting, washed and ready to be sewn up into … something. I hadn't felt like sewing in ages but am enjoying looking at these and making a plan for them. Will be sure to report back on progress soon.

I hope you have a lovely week,
M

I've been inspired to dig out my set of watercolour paints lately. Keira is especially keen on drawing and painting, and makes time to do some everyday. I love it too, but never really make the time. Recently we had a quiet morning at home together, so I made us cups of tea and brought some cuttings in from the garden to draw. 

My rose painting became a card for a friend's birthday, and the other paintings (hellebores, daphne, etc) are in the sketchbook awaiting more work. 

I hope you've had a lovely weekend too, with time for one of your favourite activities. Are you a watercolour-dabbler or birthday-card-maker yourself?

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Some current favourites of mine include:

This delicious butter chicken recipe, which is the kids' favourite thing to have for dinner. Because they are both vegetarian, I make it with paneer instead of chicken (adding the cubes of paneer about 5-10 mins before serving) and served with rice, green vegetables and fresh coriander from the garden, it has become a bit of 'special' meal at our place.

Midnattsol (Midnight Sun) – a rather grim and thrilling TV series Tom and I are watching late at night – it's a Swedish/French production and focuses on dark happenings in a small Arctic mining town. 

This newish album Life Will See You Now by Swedish folk/pop musician Jens Lekman. It's a real beauty. There's an interview on Radio NZ here you might like if (like me) you are a fan of Jens' existentialist and happy/sad music.

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Hello! 

This has been a week of extreme weather – four seasons in one day, some days…
I did bring in some lovely little blooms today after spending an hour or two in the garden. Daphne, freesias and hellebores. Winter flowers seem extra-sweet.

It's also been a day for baking – Keira and I made these chocolate biscuits for her to take to a friend's house. I first typed out the recipe here back in (gulp) 2007… my blog really is getting quite old isn't it? I still make these cookies in the same way, but use a little less butter and sugar these days. In the photo above you can see I'm also about halfway through knitting a sock… my goal is to finish that this week. I feel as though I've been working on that pair all year!

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I like this list, and think it's perfect for this time of year (and this time in the world, come to that): Ten nice things to do for the favourite people in your life, put together by the clever Pip. 

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Here's a song I've been listening to through my headphones this week: Fruit flies by Gabriel Garzón-Montano.

Hope your week is a good one.

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Hello! I hope you've had a good week, whatever you happened to be doing.

Mine started well, because I bought a big bunch of daphne from my favourite shop and it's been filling the house with its beauty ever since. I love the scent, and for me it's a sign that the coldest and darkest part of winter is over. Before buying the daphne, I had been to the dentist and the mechanic, so it was perfectly timed for maximum cheering effect.

I've also been working on a new knitting project, helped along by Bonnie who kindly shared some of her beautiful possum yarn and pattern tips with me – and a decent afternoon knit session yesterday allowed me to do most of the raglan neck shaping on my in-progress jumper. I really hope this knit won't take me too long – I'd love to be able to wear it before summer arrives. (I'm a very slow knitter).

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Through my workplace, I was given some tickets to see the NZ Symphony Orchestra last night – violinist Karen Gomyo played the first Bruch violin concerto and it was pretty divine. Even the kids, who brought their books along to the concert, promptly shut them once she started playing. This is another performance of the same piece – by Janine Jansen.

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And one more thing – if you have Netflix you might like the Norwegian 'slow TV' programmes that are available on there – some are about the art of firewood, some are scenic travel trips, and one is about knitting. I only watched some of it but will definitely go back and see more… I really loved it. Topics explored include: a yarn store in the Far North run by a motorbike-loving knitter, old Norwegian hand-knits and how they have been mended, knitting techniques/tutorials, the stories behind the different traditional colourwork sweaters and trying to set a world record in knitting a jumper from pre-shearing to the finished piece, to name only a few.

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Confession: I love cheese scones. I don't know how popular they are in other countries, but savoury scones appear in most cafes in NZ, and i'll usually order one to have with my coffee. Plain and date scones are usually on offer as well, and sometimes you find 'savoury' scones filled with random bits of cooked vegetables, which have their place I guess. But I think well-made, plain cheese scones (still slightly warm and spread with some butter) reign supreme.

For a while now I've been trying to perfect my scone-making skills, and that has meant experimenting on the family and my workmates. I'm happy with my current recipe and method, so I thought I'd share it here. If you don't like the idea of cheese in your scones, just omit it, along with the seasonings, and be sure to serve your plain scones with jam and cream.

My idea of the perfect cheese scone is something that's well-cooked but not at all stodgy or dry, well-seasoned and almost flaky in texture, and not too big (it shouldn't be a task to eat). You could cut them into rounds but I just cut the dough into rectangles for ease and speed. It's also important to use really flavoursome cheddar cheese if you can.

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CHEESE SCONES

In a large bowl, sift in 3 cups plain flour, 4 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp mustard powder, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp cayenne powder. Crack in some black pepper and mix well.

Cut 75 grams cold butter into cubes. Rub into flour mixture with your fingers or a pastry cutter, until the butter is the consistency of breadcrumbs. You could also use a food processor for this bit.

Line a metal tray with baking paper and preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celcius.

Grate cheese- I use 1 cup of cheddar (usually 'Mainland Tasty' because I love the texture and flavour but you could use any type) and a little parmesan cheese as well if you have it. Stir the grated cheeses into the flour mixture. Then tip in 1 1/4 cup of plain milk. Stir lightly. Tip the dough onto a board and knead lightly (try not to overwork it). Add a little more flour or milk if needed.

Shape into a rounded rectangle (about 1.5 – 2" high). Cut lengthwise, then into 5 pieces width-wise. Top with extra grated cheese.

Transfer to the papered tray then bake for 10-15 minutes, or until just cooked. Cool for a while before slicing in half and buttering.

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