tiny happy

Meet my new friends, Frog and Toad! I finished knitting them a few weeks ago, and they're now safely at home with a friend who loves them. Based on the beautiful 1970's children's books by Arnold Lobel, this pattern was a lot of fun to knit. It did stretch my skills somewhat, considering the eyes are steeked, everything's worked at a taught gauge on double-pointed needles and even the kneecaps have short rows! I think the designer is super clever and I'm so happy to have made them.

For Frog I used some Zealana possum-merino DK (so he's a bit fuzzy) and for Toad I knitted up some of my mum's DK handspun in a natural brown shade. I used 4ply Shetland yarn for their clothes. You can find my Ravelry notes here if you'd like more details.

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Also in this post, I thought I'd share a new batch of cyanotype postcards I made. Because my botanical prints were not super crisp, I decided to use watercolour paint on each one, and it was an enjoyable project. These have all been packaged up to send to friends. Long live snail mail.

Also pictured above: winter morning light in the kitchen (it won't be around much longer, so I wanted to capture it on the dining table) and some winter blooms and buds. Daphne and freesias are such a favourite and really brighten up every August.

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Something keeping me happy this week is thinking about a concert I went to at the weekend with some friends. Troy Kingi and his band performed work from his Golden Ladder album, written with Delaney Davidson. It was exhilarating to be listening to live music again and I can't stop thinking about the songs. What an experience! If you don't know Troy Kingi's work you might like to start with this funky song… All Your Ships Have Sailed. His new album, Pu Whenua Hautapu, Eka Mumura is such a treasure too.

Finally, I was lucky enough to take some leave from my day job last week. It was such a treat to catch up with friends, finish a couple of books, and check out some local exhibitions too while everyone else, it seemed, was at work! If you are in the capital sometime soon, I highly recommend popping into Te Papa to see Robin White's retrospective exhibition Something is Happening Here. I loved it, especially her collaborative barkcloth work made in the Pacific, and seeing videos of her process. I also love her early watercolour and screenprints. 

If you'd like to watch a video clip of the making of the work 'That Vase', you can see it online here.

Thank you as always for reading! See you again soon,

Melissa

Kia ora from a wintry and wild August! I hope you're keeping cosy, wherever you might be.

Thought it was time to share some of the things I've been working on lately.

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My friend Nikki kindly gave me a sweater-in-progress, after I admired it on Ravelry. It's the Trove Sweater, an all-over colourwork design from Pom Pom magazine #30 and she had knit the body and half of a sleeve. I couldn't believe my luck as the colour choices are divine – true sea-glass vibes – and she also included enough yarn to complete it.

It took me a while to match Nikki's gauge through swatching. But over the course of a few weeks, I completed the sleeves and the finished sweater is so good! Thank you, dear Nikki. Keira and I are both enjoying wearing it – it's super cosy and the fit is great for both of us (even though I'm a bigger size than K… how can that be?)

Here are my Ravelry notes, along with a link to the pattern, in case you're keen to knit it too.

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The other photos are just a few snaps from other things happening in August (that don't include the day-to-day reality of going to work, of course, as that's not so photogenic…)

There's a frog-in-progress (I'm making these wee guys for a friend), some ghostly coriander sun-prints (made from my gone-to-seed herbs when the sun was only out for a very short time), two new books I'm reading at the moment (How to be a Bad Muslim by Mohamed Hassan and How to Loiter in a Turf War by Coco Solid) plants and flowers from everyday life.

I hope you are doing very well, friends! Have you made yourself some new pillowcases or a good batch of lemon curd for your morning toast yet?

XXX

Melissa

(a repost from 2006 – my early blogging days!)

I've been eating this and helping to make it, for as long as I can remember. My grandmother made it for us when we were really small, and I loved it so much I learned to make it too. 

Here's how I make lemon curd (sometimes called 'lemon honey'):

5-6 juicy lemons

125g butter

2 cups sugar

4 free-range eggs

Beat the eggs briskly with a whisk and set aside. Grate the rind from all the lemons and set aside, then squeeze them and strain the juice. Set up a double boiler (I use a saucepan inside/on top of a bigger one filled with water) and inside it melt the butter. Stir in the sugar and lemon juice, until sugar is dissolved. Then add the beaten eggs and lemon rind, stirring all the time. Adjust the heat of the double boiler so that the water is moderately bubbling, then cook the lemon curd, stirring well all the time) until it becomes quite thick. It will thicken a little more on standing and when it's in the fridge, but you're aiming for a thick, smooth custard type of texture. Pour into sterilised jars. (Makes about 2 large or 3 small jars)

There are lots of ways to eat this but on toast is the best (in my opinion). You can also sandwich it between cake layers, or use it in other baking.

It's best to keep it in the fridge, both before and after opening. 

Today I thought I'd share a super simple and practical tutorial. Make yourself a pillowcase or two, finished with French seams. The beauty of this method is that a case can be made from one length of fabric and it's super simple to do.

I've also included instructions for shorter lengths of fabric, in case you don't have a piece long enough. Here's another tutorial I wrote (in 2014) that works well, but I think this method is simpler and neater.

A pair of linen or cotton pillowcases makes a great practical gift, too. I made these blue pairs for friends recently. For the pair on the right I used some beautiful block-printed cotton I found at the op shop!

You'll need:

1.6 metres of cotton or linen fabric (to make a matching pair of pillowcases) or less if you will use more than one piece of fabric.

Sewing machine, thread, tape measure, scissors, iron

Method (from one piece of fabric)

Wash and press your fabric and cut a length measuring 50 cms X 160cms. * Take one shorter edge, and press under a 1/4'' hem. Fold edge again and press. Stitch folded edge in place. Repeat on other side so that both short edges are folded and hemmed.

Lay the length of fabric out on a table. With wrong sides together, fold one short edge over to make a 6" (15cm) pocket. Still with wrong sides together, fold the fabric in half width-ways. One hemmed edge will lay on top of a folded edge. Pin along both side edges and stitch in place using a narrow seam allowance. Press seam and trim any excess close to the stitching line.

Turn the case inside-out and press the side seams again so they are flat and neat. Stitch them again with a slightly wider seam allowance, to create an enclosed seam (for this seam, I line my presser foot up against the edge of the first seam as a guide).

Turn right side-out, and push out corners, trim seams and press again. All finished!

Method (from smaller pieces of fabric)

If your fabric is not long enough to use the first method, you can piece it together so you can use a smaller, favourite piece on top and another fabric on the bottom of the case. Instructions for this method below.

Of your top fabric, cut a piece measuring 50cms X 90cms. Of your contrasting fabric, cut a piece measuring 50 x 75. With wrong sides together, sew these pieces together at one short end. Press and trim seam, fold with right sides together, and stitch again to enclose the first seam. Press.

Now continue to construct pillowcase in the same way as above, starting at *. Remember to fold the envelope 'pocket' from your feature fabric end.

I made this sunflower pair using this method, because I only had 1 metre of the block-printed fabric and wanted to showcase it. I used some green cotton for the back of the cases.

I love this time of year for its quietness. Winter in Wellington is not quiet in the way I remember Norwegian winters being, with their sound-proofing blankets of snow laid down fresh each morning. Here, winter storms batter the house constantly and the windows rattle at night. But there are quiet things: the delicate crackling and popping of the wood stove when everyone else has gone to bed. Cold Saturday mornings when no one is rushing off in their cars. A general quiet, turning inward I see in the people I know. Energy preservation for the next season.

I hope you are keeping well and warm wherever you might be. I thought today I'd share some of my latest projects. The silk dress right at the top of this post was not finished recently, but rather in the autumn. The fabric is a fine black silk chiffon I bought at The Fabric Store a year ago. I was dreaming of a silk dress but didn't feel ready to cut into it for a while. In the end, I decided to free-style the design, cutting it from the fabric length that I had (which from memory was 1.5 metres). Because the fabric is sheer, I decided on a triangular design for the bodice, which I could have planned more carefully but it turned out fine in the end. The dress is finished with French seams and hand-sewn bias edgings throughout and the hem finishes at my knee. I have only worn it a couple of times but I layered it with tights, boots, a black slip underneath and a long black cardigan. I love dressing in black from top to toe on occasion – it feels very natural and cosy to me.

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The chrysanthemums at the top of this post were brought home on Arlo's birthday by Tom. He always brings back a bunch of blooms on the kids' birthdays, and we set up a little shrine of sorts. This year we were lucky to have Arlo home from university on that day and celebrate his 19th in person. He's a good sport about me bringing out the baby photos every year on his birthday.

Among his gifts, I included a new hat made using the Brume pattern by Melody Hoffman (Ravelry link here). I chose a lovely squishy wool yarn from Miss Maude in Greytown, bought in Wairarapa when I was there at a book festival for work. The yarn is called Sesia Pura Lana Ecologica and it's from Italy. I think this new hat will be pretty cosy and possibly essential for the Dunedin winter time.

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A dear friend of mine has just had a new baby, and I've included a picture of two little sets I made for her that I know have now arrived safely. One set (in grey alpaca) is intended for winter use, and the patterns are the 'baby bear bonnet' and the 'hodge booties' (a free pattern on Rav). The cream set is a bit bigger and knitted up in a cotton-merino for spring and the patterns I used are the 'Anker's bonnet' and 'Greemy baby booties.' Ravelry link here.

I've also included photos of a recent read mentioned in my last post (So far, for now, by Fiona Kidman) and yet another granny square on the go – this one was being worked in a cosy corner of our local laundromat. Our own washing machine was out of action for a while, but I loved my laundromat time – warm, friendly, and an excellent opportunity to fit some crochet into the day! 

Finally, I'll leave you with a beautiful quote I rediscovered recently:

"Any human anywhere will blossom in a hundred unexpected talents & capacities simply by being given the opportunity to do so"

– Doris Lessing

Happy solstice – summer or winter! And mānawatia a Matariki! This post is coming to you from a cosy spot by the fire close to the shortest day of the year. It was dark by 5pm today, and cold, too, but I love this time of year. Everything outside is fresh and damp, and the smell of rain and wood smoke is everywhere.

With the shorter days and a generally busier schedule than usual, I've not found as much time for my usual favourites like knitting and sewing. I've started taking a bit of crochet with me on the bus and it's amazing how much I can get in little increments – waiting for the bus, sitting on the bus, zooming home after work. I'm making a granny square blanket from 4ply leftovers – more info in my Ravelry project page here. I think this is going to be an extremely long-term project for obvious reasons! I do enjoy using up my leftover yarns and choosing the colours for each round of each square.

In my last post i wrote about sun prints and how I've had a fair few 'failures' along the way. I've started to use watercolours on some of the less than crisp prints and it's such an enjoyable process, to sit down and hand-colour the prints to make cards and other things. I've included a picture above – the plants used here were (clockwise from top left) kōwhai and clover, hellebore leaf, kawakawa and pink hibiscus.

It's made me think about how I might manipulate the cyanotype process further in order to combine other mediums in these pieces. So far, watercolour has worked best and it's especially pleasing because I use watercolour paper to make the prints.

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I realised I never shared here my fluffy pink sweater! I knitting this in the autumn and held together a strand of possum-merino DK yarn on a cone that I've had for a long time, and a strand of cream mohair/silk yarn. The design is called 'Magnolia Bloom' by Camilla Vad. You can click here to see my Ravelry project page for more info, including a picture of me wearing it!

It's a lovely chunky garment- very warm and soft as you might imagine! We're definitely entering sweater season now, so I'm grateful to have it.

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I've just finished reading So far, for now, which is a collection of memoir essays by an author local to me, Fiona Kidman. She's one of my favourite NZ authors, and I really enjoyed these beautiful essays, which touch on lots of different aspects of her life, from childhood, her father, the death of her beloved husband, and their political activism and community work. 

Through the headphones, I've been enjoying so many new-to-me songs lately – including some by Thundercat, Kendrick Lamar, Jay Som, Aldous Harding and Khruangbin.

Here's a song that is especially dear to me this winter: Holding Hands, by Magic Lantern.

So much love to you, wherever you might be,

M X

Even though winter has officially just begun, the short days and general grey-ness has really settled in and the shortest day is near. Looking at these recent projects, I realise I must be trying to conjure up some warmth and light!

A rather joyful discovery in my life has been cyanotype printing. I had tried this before, years ago, with a kit I bought from a science materials-type store. But after watching a few online tutorials and reading a bit on the subject, I bought some bottles of Jacquard printing solution (like this) and have been experimenting with this fun and rather old technique. If it's new to you, here's a good explanation.

I must admit I've had more failures than successes. I've used the wrong type of paper, over-exposing, and under-exposing, not securing my printed matter properly and the wind moving it around, and more! But like with everything I try, it's an extended process of trial and error! I'm still not completely certain about the best length of time to leave my prints in the sun, but I have created some lovely little postcards and prints I'm happy with to send to friends and save up for future correspondence. 

The things I have learned about the process are:

• a rougher watercolour paper is best in nearly every case. It holds up to the process and the texture helps with clarity of prints
• it's simpler to make a print with pre-pressed plants, leaves and ferns
• clothes pegs are great for securing the layers of board, paper, plants and glass
• it's tempting to wash and wash the finished print but that can damage the finished piece, so a quick rinse or soak is enough.

I will no doubt keep practising. I'd love to make layered prints and also to print on fabric, but have so far found that to be a trickier process. I might need to wait until spring for some decent sunlight!

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I'm lucky enough to have a subscription to Skillshare, which is an online programme packed with video classes and talks from all sorts of people around the world. I stumbled upon a class by Penny Dean about creating a custom watercolour palette.

After coveting a special watercolour travel set, I realised I could make my own by buying an empty folding palette and adding in watercolour pigments from tubes I already had. I made a little chart to remind me which colour is where. The method for creating your own set is pretty simple. You lightly scour the plastic before squeezing in pigment, then let it dry for a couple of days. It's quite a thrill to have this custom set. The first thing I did was try a bit of 'negative painting' of plants.

Then a quick painting of Paekakariki beach, from a photo I took a few weeks ago when Tom and I headed over to Kapiti for the weekend. It's such a beautiful spot at dusk, with the wet sand glistening and Kapiti Island quietly watching over everything. 

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Finally in this post, I've included my latest knitting project – a pair of socks for Tom. He is very knit worthy and loves to wear handknit socks. but it's been a couple of years since I made him any. His old ones had worn through. For these, I used some sturdy grey Regia sock yarn and colour-blocked that with dark green, mustard yellow and navy sock yarn left over from other projects. My Ravelry notes are here (including a link to the free pattern I used).

It's great that my favourite musician of all time Kate Bush is back in the news/charts since her song Running Up That Hill featured in a Stranger Things episode. It reminded me that her album The Sensual World is my favourite winter-weather soundtrack. I recommend playing it through your headphones on a wild Wellington windswept walk… it doesn't have to up a hill but it probably will be! 

Take care,
M XX

I'd say the heading on this post pretty much sums it up! Winter has tentatively arrived here in Wellington, but here are some photos from the end of autumn. 

I found a trio of books from the 1970s and 80s by the NZ painter and journalist Shona McFarlane in a second-hand shop. They kept my spirits up while I was isolating in my room with Covid (all recovered now, and feeling very fortunate!) McFarlane died in 2001, after a long career as an artist, writer and also TV panellist and arts administrator.

Her books are very witty and quirky, with stories about travels with her politician husband and the funny things people said and did. She loved to paint vegetables but also did interesting portraits, landscapes, stained glass and etchings. In one of the books, next to a portrait of brown onions she wrote: "still life is to feel the shape, weight and silence of things. To reflect on the perfect nature of humble ordinary things and portray them in a state of unfussed clarity. An onion is a beautiful fruit of the earth." 

Her writing and everyday paintings reminded me to get my nature journal out and record a few things that were popping up in the garden over that time. I'm still enjoying my painting but finding that I definitely need to practice more! 

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I wanted to show you a picture of my favourite new plant – a variegated ficus I bought from my local florist Next Stop Earth in Newtown. I bought another for a workmate who was leaving us and couldn't resist getting another for me. She sits on a shelf in our bedroom and I admire those leaves every morning – they could be painted with watercolour!

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I've also been enjoying the odd bit of knitting, as always. I made a little set for a new baby from creamy alpaca yarn – the hat is the 'Baby Bear Bonnet' pattern by Pernille Larsen and the slippers are called 'Greemy Baby Booties' – there are links to both patterns here on my Ravelry page.

I also knitted something for me – a new hat for winter. The design is by Melody Hoffman and it's called the 'Brume Hat.' I used some beautiful Australian DK yarn that was a gift from my friend Lizzie, held together with a strand of mohair. The result is super soft and cosy and I'm almost wishing for cooler weather so I can wear it (not really… I'm not a big fan of proper winter…) Here are the Ravelry details.

And speaking of Lizzie, she sent me some yarn the other day – Cloverleaf Corriedale naturally dyed with onion skins, which is very local to her.. It's so golden and beautiful! And she also included a tin of beautiful hand balm. Might have to make another hat with the yarn, I reckon.

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Early winter is such a good time to stock up on books and other indoorsy things. I'm currently reading Hannah Gadsby's Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation which is making me feel and think all the things. Also recently finished Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie which was simply an amazing piece of writing.

I'd love to hear what you're working on, reading or listening to these days? I hope this finds you very well, dear reader!

With love,
M

Kia ora, how are you? 

Thought I'd pop on to share some of my latest projects – I seem to be having longer and longer gaps between blog posts this year! Thank you so much if you still visit this space and read my thoughts.

Keira turned 17 a couple of months ago. I offered to knit her something and she requested a brown, loose-fitting sweater, and chose the Kelowna pattern by Good Night Day – there's a Ravelry link with more info about my project here, but you can also find the pattern on the designer's site. 

For Keira's version I used some brown alpaca yarn she picked out from our local craft store. It's an alpaca blend and very light and airy. I held two strands together throughout, so that the fabric wasn't too holey – and I think the result was just right. She is happy with the shape and fit so that's great! And even better, she wears it all the time. I think the Kelowna sweater pattern would be a great project for a new knitter – it knits up quickly and is very simple. It has a great boxy shape. I'd quite like to make one for myself in black – but have to find the right blend of yarns I think.

In other crafty news, we received some beautiful photos of a cousin's newborn baby wrapped up in a crochet blanket I made for him, and the parents said I could share them here. Check out those tiny and perfect toes! The blanket itself was just a giant granny square, and i used various DK weight yarns in blues, browns and peachy pinks. Most of the yarns were wool and some had possum blended in (baby's parents are keen trampers and conservationists, so it seemed right to use that yarn!) I also love how soft and lightweight it is for babies.

For a friend's birthday recently, I made her a little set using small pieces of hand-dyed linen leftover from other things. I sewed these together and constructed a 'petal pouch', which is a pattern from the first edition of Making Magazine and a lavender sachet which turned out quite large and possible too lavender-ish – I probably went a bit overboard with the dried flowers! It was a fun little set to make, though.

And my watercolour learning continues (albeit very slowly). I've been practicing watercolour skies – and trying to paint one every day. I thought they did look quite beautiful en masse though – a wall of watery sky.

I hope you are keeping healthy and safe and is well in your world?

Take care,

Melissa

You know it's been a while since your last post when the title of it is 'late summer things.' I think it's fair to say we're in late autumn now, with darker and cooler mornings and evenings. 

It nearly seems too late to post my last summer knit – but I said I would – so in the first two photos above you can see my completed Helle Top, which is a pattern by Ronja Hakalehto. I enjoyed knitting it, though haven't had the chance to wear it much, as it's definitely designed for the warmest days of summer. It's also a tad roomy, while at the same time not having great 'chest coverage' – I might have made a mistake or perhaps my gauge was off. In any case, it will a nice piece to wear over dresses perhaps, or even with a t-shirt underneath. More notes on my Ravelry page here.

I really loved the yarn – I tried Kremke Soul Wool Reborn Denim for the first time. It's a yarn made from recycled jeans, using even the threads and labels from discarded garments. It is soft but structured, and has a nice weight to it, too. I'm keen to use it again. I bought my Reborn Denim from Yarn On in Hamilton.

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I started something new towards the end of summer: art classes. I've always wanted to learn to paint, and I finally enrolled in a watercolour class at an art school here called Inverlochy. I'm not sure why I chose watercolour, except that it's always seemed like a bit of a mysterious witchy medium to me. Turns out it is really quite technical and there's a huge amount to learn. I'm really enjoying it though, and trying to practice whenever I can. So far we've painted coloured glass bottles, a group of lemons, trees and many skies. The teacher is Denise Durkin and I'm super inspired by her skills.

One way I'm practising is to keep a small journal to record things growing in the garden and other seasonal happenings. The other morning, the angled sun was reflecting off the (dusty) bedroom mirror before it came through the windows and it was so beautiful! I went and got my paints, and managed to quickly capture the first sky colours before it got too light. That is something especially beautiful about watercolours – it's a really immediate and (deceptively) simple medium.

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And finally in making news, I made another dress like the one in my previous post, but this time using some slate grey linen fabric. It's oversized and roomy, and the comfiest dress I own. I'm sure I'll get lots of wear out of it through the cooler months with tights, boots and a cardigan. The pattern is McCall's #6979.

Music-wise, I am loving this song (and entire album, really) by Leon Bridges and Khruangbin, as well as this favourite older Frank Ocean album. In March I read A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit, which is a beautiful collection of deep essays about loss. 

I hope you are doing very well, and I'll see you again soon.
Thank you for visiting here, as always!

Melissa