tiny happy

(first photo from d.o.c)

The weekend brought a camping trip: five kids and six adults off on a boat to Matiu/Somes Island, which is a predator-free reserve in Wellington harbour. I forgot to bring my camera, and would love to visit the island again to take pictures and sketch, write, etc. The island is home to lots of differend bird, lizard and insect species, and it has the most amazing views of Wellington city, especially at night.

The trip was in honour of a good friend of ours turning five- he is into pirates, ships, treasure, etc. The kids wrapped up a beginner's 'atlas' for him, and I embroidered this black hoodie with a white design: a piratey skull-and-crossbones and his initials. Ahoy, my hearties…

(click on the photos for bigger versions)

I found this book at the library the other day: Clothing for Everyday Wear: Stylish Dress Book, by Yoshiko Tsukiori (Laurence King Publishing, 2013). Each page has that beautiful Japanese styling- and the instructions are in English. Would love to get stuck in to a project this weekend (soft wool pants like the ones directly above)… but if there's not time, I will probably just admire the photos.

(Photos by Felicia Semple)

Pretty excited to see that registrations have opened for this year's The Craft Sessions retreat in Melbourne's Yarra Valley. It's a (slightly) longer, and just as gorgeous line-up this time around, and I'm very excited to be teaching two classes this year.

Read all about what's on offer at this beautiful event and join the FB page here.

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The young people around here have been showing an interest in making food. As well as their own school lunches (ahem, yes, I did encourage that), they've been learning how to cook a few simple dishes, and a few Sundays ago, K made this stack of waffles (eaten stewed fruit, yoghurt and enthusiasm.)

Since B has started living with us, we have had a good supply of fruit and herb teas in the pantry. Keira had a friend coming to visit, so she made her this special rhubarb-mint drink. The 'recipe': Make a big pot of tea (we used 'rhubarb', 'apple' and 'peppermint' teas) and stir in a big spoonful of honey. Stir for a while then leave the mixture to cool for a while. Pour into a jug and add lots of ice and mint leaves. 

Inspired by the autumn clouds overhead, I made a new batch of baby shoes for my etsy shop earlier this week. This pair is made from Lesley's Maze & Vale hand-printed linen ('stormy weather') and the reverse side has blue and grey stripes.

End of the week…. here's a beautiful song to listen to…

– Casting on a new knitting project: autumn is creeping in…

– Enjoying some copies of Dumbo Feather loaned by a friend,

– Compulsively listening to Sufjan Steven's new album: Sisyphus (and discovering he has a blog…!)

– Sewing a few small items from old fabrics.

– Thinking about this sculpture by street artist Isaac Cordal: Politicians discussing climate change.

– And, related to the above thought: this PledgeMe campaign ends tonight– Kai Cycle: Aiming to be Wellington's first closed loop food system. Awesome.

Still can't believe these colourful flowers (asters?) came from my garden this summer. I embroidered a few felt pins in their honour.

Keira turns nine today. These days: she's kind, always drawing comic strips and reading and writing long stories about kids having adventures. She's a junior conservationist and violin player, rock climber, vegetarian, and really a person who amazes me. 

I tried to take a 'birthday portrait' in black and white but it's hard to get her to pose for more than a few minutes. Most of the shots I got document her running away from the camera.

This is what I've been busy with lately: growing vegetables. Well, mostly salad stuff if I'm honest: rocket, iceberg, mesclun, cos, beetroot, spring onions, and all the herbs I can think of. 

Tom built three raised garden beds, using old weatherboards found under the house. We've had some sun and warmth lately, and the seedlings took off. All resulting in big salads for the dinner table: comprising different leaves, petals, and edible flowers.

So grateful for the space to grow these. And sun, and the time.

– watched the sun set slowly.

– went to a party and ate some crayfish.

– had dinner with friends.

– got started on this book, which intrigues me.

– went to hear Alison Bechdel give a talk yesterday, after years of being a serious fan.

– stewed a lot of rhubarb, ready for the week's breakfasts. Everyone around here loves eating rhubarb.

Hope you had a great weekend!