tiny happy

frogs + buds

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

august dispatch

Kia ora from a wintry and wild August! I hope you're keeping cosy, wherever you might be.

Thought it was time to share some of the things I've been working on lately.

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My friend Nikki kindly gave me a sweater-in-progress, after I admired it on Ravelry. It's the Trove Sweater, an all-over colourwork design from Pom Pom magazine #30 and she had knit the body and half of a sleeve. I couldn't believe my luck as the colour choices are divine - true sea-glass vibes - and she also included enough yarn to complete it.

It took me a while to match Nikki's gauge through swatching. But over the course of a few weeks, I completed the sleeves and the finished sweater is so good! Thank you, dear Nikki. Keira and I are both enjoying wearing it - it's super cosy and the fit is great for both of us (even though I'm a bigger size than K... how can that be?)

Here are my Ravelry notes, along with a link to the pattern, in case you're keen to knit it too.

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The other photos are just a few snaps from other things happening in August (that don't include the day-to-day reality of going to work, of course, as that's not so photogenic...)

There's a frog-in-progress (I'm making these wee guys for a friend), some ghostly coriander sun-prints (made from my gone-to-seed herbs when the sun was only out for a very short time), two new books I'm reading at the moment (How to be a Bad Muslim by Mohamed Hassan and How to Loiter in a Turf War by Coco Solid) plants and flowers from everyday life.

I hope you are doing very well, friends! Have you made yourself some new pillowcases or a good batch of lemon curd for your morning toast yet?

XXX

Melissa