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