tiny happy

big world, small world

Hello! How are you?

The world feels so big right now - we're sharing the experience of sheltering in our homes during this pandemic and tracking the numbers of those suffering every day. But at the same time, our own lives are smaller than ever. Staying close within ''our bubble'' as our Prime Minster would say, and reducing contact with others as much as possible.

I hope you're feeling well and happy. And safe, wherever you might be. 

Of course, in a time like this, those of us with indoor hobbies like textile crafts, listening to music and reading will find life a bit easier. I've never been more grateful for my bookshelf, and craft supplies and the like. I hope that you're able to access the things you need to keep you comfortable and happy right now, friends.

I've also been lucky enough to be able to keep my job, but just do it from home. So while it doesn't feel like I have lots more time on my hands, I do have the time that I would have spent commuting to and from work, and the time that would otherwise be spent at events, parties, kids' activities, etc. So I have found that I've finished off some projects. 

I wanted to share some pictures from my week with you. Some were taken on my early-evening walks around the neighborhood. Yesterday I came across a huge wall of mint-green succulents I'd not seen before. And the day before, I climbed a small hill to look at our suburb from a new angle. Small but beautiful novelties.

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In my last post, I showed the start of an Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise Jacket I was making from some handspun yarn. I finished it last week. Such a clever design, and a fun knit too. I have tucked this aside for one of my nieces. It will be on her way to her as soon as we are able to post things again. Hopefully before it's too small for her!

And in extremely practical craft news, I finally replaced a peg bag that had been left outside too often and was completely worn through. For the new version, I used some blue striped linen and a kind of envelope opening in the front. There's a small hole in the top where a wooden coat hanger can be fitted so the bag can hang on the washing line. The simplest make but also one I'll use nearly every day! I'm quite fond of projects like that.

One stormy day on the weekend, Keira asked if she could do some knitting with me. It's a very rare occurrence so she was probably bored. But I was happy to document the moment nevertheless. You can see that she opted to knit her first sock - she's using some self-striping Opal sock yarn and the magic loop method. I'm making a pair of Hermione's Socks.

I also finally got an artwork framed - you can see it hanging in our kitchen in the photo above. The piece is by Tom's maternal grandfather who was an artist and designer based in the UK and working mostly between the 1940's and the 80's. This particular piece depicts a place he visited in Majorca, Spain, and worked in graphic pastels. I'm so happy to have it framed and on the wall, and in such a busy part of the house so we can look at it every day.

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A few links you might like:

The other night, some friends and I stayed up late to listen to some music together (through our screens) - Nadia Reid Live. You can listen again here, if you like!

And this coming Thursday evening (NZ time), you can hear part 2.

If you're a sock knitter, you might like to download this beautiful free pattern: Woodland Walk Socks. I'm thinking about casting them on too.

Audible have made a selection of their audio books free to listen to, including classics, folk stories, and children's books. You can find them here.

A very simple and cheap dinner we made the other night: red lentil soup + ciabatta. We used this recipe for the soup and this tried and true method for the bread.

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How are you filling this time spent indoors? Are you working on any new or interesting projects? Perhaps you're trying to finish off some neglected ones, or work your way through a book you've always meant to read. I'd love to hear from you, if you have time to leave a comment below!

Sending lots of love to you.
M

comfort in plants

If you're reading this blog, the chances are good that you enjoy a bit of textile making, music, books and the like. There has never been a better time to get stuck in to these activities, but I so wish it was for a different reason than keeping away from each other to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Wherever you are in the world, I hope you're well and safe, and not feeling too lonely. I'm sending love and good vibes from my screen to yours!

I thought I'd share a few photos from life here lately:

+ + In amongst so much sad and frightening news, there was something joyful: I had a beautiful wee niece born this morning. It will be a while before I meet her in real life, but in the meantime I'm knitting her some winter clothes and admiring her through photos. In the first photo above, you can see I'm knitting her a Baby Surprise Jacket, from a 1968 Elizabeth Zimmerman pattern. I've not knitted this before, and I must admit I'm finding the pattern a little trickier than others I've tried (it was written in a time when knitters were expected to know a lot more) and I'm using a ball of handspun gradient merino wool that was a gift from my Mum.

= = I've been finding comfort in my pot plants - i'm getting a nice wee collection of indoor ones, and trying to remember to look after my outdoor ones too. Question: how many indoor plants are too many? 

+ + This time of year is such a special one. I love the early-morning sky outside the bedroom window (fiery-red/maroon on a clear day, and sometimes a pastel pink gradient) and it's also Keira's birthday. On the weekend, we celebrated her 15th! Three of her cousins came to stay and the girls went to see Aldous Harding and Weyes Blood as part of the NZ Festival.

In these strange and uncertain times, here are my suggestions of comforting things to listen to/try/do:

This beautiful knitting pattern, by Japanese designer Eri, is free to download until Sunday.

This vegetable lasagne. I'm going to make it tonight.

The Gentle Knitter podcast on Youtube

Until March 31, all of Whitney Hayward's knitting patterns for Harrisville Tweed are free to download. There are some real beauties! I love this hat and this cardigan, especially.

Make a needlebook for a friend or yourself? Here's a pattern I wrote for Sweet Magazine a while back

Moonchild, NPR Tiny Desk Concert

Some nice, simple, free sewing patterns from the Fabric Store

Pressing flowers and leaves (you could make gift tags or cards like these or  these)

Life-long favourite piece of music to listen to in anxious times: The Lark Ascending, Vaughan Williams

I'd love to hear what you're up to these strange days, friends. I'm feeling deeply grateful for human connections and the internet, and where these two combine: our amazing online community of makers and writers. X X X

a new shelf to put things on

Kia ora! I hope this finds you very well.

I've been a bit quiet on the blog front, mostly because I didn't feel there was much to report. I have been slowly knitting on a top/sweater that I think will be just the thing for autumn. But as usual, it's taking me ages to finish it, but I suppose that's what happens when you only knit in front of your evening episode of Breaking Bad and at no other time. (Tom and I are watching the last season because we seem to have missed that when we watched the others years ago).

The design is called Virginia, by Jonna Hietala and it's a pattern from Laine magazine, issue 6. I loved it the first time I saw it - just the simplicity of the design, the wide neckline, and the way the hand-dyed yarn really is the star of the show. The yarn I'm using is some DK-weight that Mum and I dyed together while I was staying with her over the New Year break. We were going for a peachy-brown tone, but ended up with more of a rose colour, which we then over-dyed with darker browns and pinks a few times. The end result was this variegated plum-chocolate-rose vibe and I really like it! I have no idea how I'd get the same colour again though, so hopefully I'll have enough yarn to finish the garment.

I'm just working the bottom twisted rib section now, then will pick up and knit the sleeves. It would be lovely to have this for autumn wear - I think I'll enjoy wearing it with a long linen skirt or trousers for work.

It was really fun to have a go dyeing yarns with Mum. She has a great set up for it - a lovely big stove top and space to store the dyes, and we dried the skeins on the deck in the sun. It gave me even more respect for the people I know who dye full-time for their job - it must be so tricky getting the colours to be uniform every time, and to organise everything! I feel I would soon have a lot of yarn tied up in a terrible tangle, if it was me.

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Also in January, we were the unlucky recipients of a burst pipe in our spare room (this is the place where family and friends often stay when they're in town. It also houses our laundry and I had some craft supplies stored in there too). The water sprayed everywhere, meaning we had to strip everything back to the joists behind the walls, and the concrete floor. We've just now managed to get it back to how it was and in the second-to-last photo I've included a shot of a very pleasing wee bookshelf that Tom built! I popped a few of my favourite books from the past year on it. This little scene is so pleasing, it's almost possible to forget the other elements of the project that need sorting out. Focus on the bookshelf!

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And lastly, look at this lovely wee gift I received from my friend Lizzie. She lives near Melbourne, and the card features a painting of the town she lives in. She also included a super sweet linen pin for my cardigan and a ceramic star she made too. I'm hoping to see Lizzie 'in real life' very soon. X X X

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Some other things from this week:

I've started work on a Tamarack Jacket, after dreaming of making one for a long time. Set myself the challenge of using only what I had among my existing supplies. I hope to have some progress to show in my next post!

I've known of the music of Anais Mitchell for years now, but have only just found her NPR Tiny Desk Concert. If you like folk music and story/songs, I think you'll love listening to this.

RIP, Jeanette Fitzsimons. You were a true inspiration.