Kia ora, hello! It feels like a wee while since I was last here. I hope you're doing well.
Spring is beginning to, well, spring in these parts, which is to say that just as the blossoms bravely appear on branches, they're whipped off again by the wind! That's Wellington life in September and October. It's lovely to have more light though, which makes it easier to get up and out the door on time.
I finished knitting my Felix pullover - I think I showed you an in-progress shot in my last post. Felix is a pattern by Amy Christoffers, worked in aran-weight yarn. It's quite a boxy shape, with eyelet detailing on the armhole shaping seams. I used some beautiful earthy-pink DK yarn from Wild Earth Yarns (it's super affordable - you can find it here) and to make it aran-weight (and add a bit of luxe) I held that together with a strand of silk-mohair yarn (hand-dyed a creamy colour by Miro Yarns).
The finished garment is lovely - super warm and cosy and I know I'll get a lot of wear out of it next winter. It looks even better on Keira so part of me secretly hopes she'll get wear out of it too (she never wants me to knit her anything 'to order' these days, but quite often wears things I've made for myself...)
Last week I made a few things for my etsy shop - some botanical-embroidered pins and a few project bags. These were all made from vintage and other recycled fabrics - most of them featuring lush floral and botanical prints, paired with corduroy, linen or velveteen! Thank you very much to everyone who supported my shop and bought one! I've had a few queries about when I'll update the shop next. I am working on some things, but they take me a long time! I hope to have some new project bags and perhaps a few pins listed in there by next week.
I recently came across a beautiful Instagram account: Willow Crossley Creates. Do you know it? Willow is a florist/gardener/designer who specialises in beautiful and slightly wild arrangements. You can find little video demos on her page, here. Hope you enjoy!
Finally, and also on the botanical/spring theme, I wanted to share a beautiful and uplifting book I found at the library: On Flowers, by Amy Merrick. It's just a beautiful collection of images and words about one of my favourite subjects: flowers! I recommend it if you're after some beauty.
Have a lovely week, dear friends.
M
