tiny happy

beautiful materials

I thought it might be nice to share with you some of the very beautiful materials that have come my way in the past little while.
I always enjoy seeing others' supplies... it's a type of vicarious making, I think. So hopefully you don't mind me chatting all about this crafting-to-come!

It was my birthday recently, and my Mum (who is also a lifelong passionate maker) gifted me some of her great handspun yarn (you can see that in the last photo above). It's a gradient, beginning with a deep blue and melding into shades of honey-yellow. 

I think it would make a beautiful version of Elizabeth Zimmerman's baby surprise jacket, and i think it should be the perfect amount to make one for my new niece or nephew who we are expecting at the end of summer. I've wanted to make one of these cardigans since someone kindly made one for Keira when she was a baby.

Mum also sent me an amazing knitting book: Rowan: 40 years, which is a big hard-cover volume filled with stories about the history of Rowan and patterns from the past four decades. I've snapped two of my favourite designs: the colourwork dress because it is glorious but I will probably never make it, and an asymmetric seed-stitch cardigan design called 'Mist' by Kim Hargreaves. Even though the pattern was published in 1999 (the year I left home!) I really love this and can imagine wearing it all the time. But do I want to knit that much seed stitch though...?

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The fabrics you see above are some that I bought myself. Not that i needed any more presents! But I couldn't resist them. The striped linen was bought with the idea of making a top (the 'Array Shirt' from the most recent Making magazine) and I had the idea of making pillowcases with that beautiful Liberty lawn print. It's black with small flowers, bamboo and ferns and the print's name is Stanley. There's a good chance I will find it hard to cut into.

Finally, my generous and clever friend Nikki gave me two skeins of her beautiful mohair-silk in a deep inky-blue/grey. The colourway name is 'Grey that will go with that other grey.' She knows me well! I'm not sure what I'd like to make with this yet, but a big part of the joy is thinking about the possibilities. Thank you, Nikki!

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In other news, I found a beautiful new-to-me podcast on Youtube: Ina Knits: One month of Hygge which is a series of videos by a crafter living in central Norway. Ina says this November project is a way for her to enjoy the best things about an otherwise rainy and dark month where she lives. Watching these clips was like travelling back to Norway for me (we lived there for a year and half ten years ago) and even the plants, buildings and frosty grass looked familiar and brought back memories.

I hope you have a lovely weekend.

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fort sweater + summery things

Hello! I hope you're well and this week has been a good one for you and yours. 

It really feels like the beginning of summer here right now - and that just coincides with a warm winter sweater I've just finished knitting for my partner Tom. My timing is always a bit strange. Never mind, summertime in Wellington does have its wintry moments.

Tom chose the pattern and yarn. The design is Fort Sweater by Brooklyn Tweed and I bought the yarn (Cascade 220 100% wool) at my favourite shop: Holland Road Yarn in Lyall Bay. You can find more details about the pattern on my Ravelry project page.

I couldn't be happier with the finished sweater, and am so pleased I measured and swatched several times (I really wanted it to work out once I realised how long it would take me to complete!) Tom is also happy and has worn it nearly every day since it came off the needles. He appreciates my knitting so much - it makes me want to knit lots of other things for him. :)

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In other spring-related news, I found a great old 1970's basket at our local op shop. I remember these from my childhood and always associate them with kind mums, nice snacks and interesting craft projects waiting within and have secretly always wanted one. So far I've only taken it shopping once, but maybe I will keep my new project in it, ready for weekend picnics and bus trips. 

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A few weekends ago I explored the historical Bolton Street Cemetery garden with Tom's mum Clare and Keira. It's quite a special place, steeped in colonial history with many heritage roses and other old plants. One particular grave was completely covered in tiny lily-of-the-valley plants which reminded me that my great-aunt Sylvia had once sent me one of these plants, dug up from her garden and wrapped in newspaper when I was quite young. It made me feel grown-up and important, that I might be able to look after such a special thing.

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needle punching poppies

Hello!
It's been a while since I wrote here... for some reason I couldn't seem to get started. Blog-writer's block? Or something. I hope you are well, dear reader, wherever you are in the world.

In the wintertime i bought some supplies for needle punching, after I got a strong desire to make my own rugs and mats from wool. I still want to, but so far I've only managed to make a small cushion with the tool I bought. But it does have poppies on it, and it's quite practical as a chair pad so I'm pleased with it.
 
I bought my Amy Oxford needle punch tool from this shop, after I met the owner Claire at Soul Craft in Melbourne in June. She was selling them along with lots of other lovely supplies. Tom has now made me a good frame for future needle punching (I used an embroidery hoop up until now which isn't ideal but does work) and I have lots of ideas of future projects. I'm just lacking the time, really. But that doesn't stop me dreaming about it!

Speaking of Soul Craft, I loved this recent post of Felicia's called Overthinking Our Stories. She writes about being brave and ambitious in our making lives. I love it!

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It was my birthday recently and I got some really nice gifts, including making-related things. Among them was the latest issue of Making Magazine which is like gold to me. Thanks Mum! 

Along with a great needle punch project in there, I am hoping to make some of the garments within its pages. I think I would wear the Array Shirt a lot in the summer (you can find some pictures, plus an interview with the designer here) and there's also a couple of beautiful knitted cardigan patterns. And a small knitted sheep. I'm now wondering if I have enough time to knit sheep for all my nieces and nephews for Christmas (along with these amazing toys, also designed by Susan B. Anderson.)

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I've also been doing some embroidery in the evenings of late - I had a little waiting list for project bag orders, and I wanted to get those done. Above you can see some colourful daisies embroidered in clusters, but I've also been stitching buillion roses and leaves, ferns and dahlias. For that sort of work I really like to have music to accompany me. I've been listening to the latest Kurt Vile album and Julia Holter.