This week?

So where have I been?

Not much crafting has been done this week... a bit of knitting and tiny bit of sewing. But mainly going into town and organising documents and bits and pieces for enrolling in Vet Nursing. Looking forward to having it all sorted soon! Went to visit a friend... did a lot of walking... did some singing at choir.... costume research etc...

Right now I've just come back from a long walk up on Signal hill, it was lovely. Such a perfect sunny day for it. Mainly walked up mountain bike tracks, which is not really a good idea as they can come whizzing down the hill at you. That didn't happen though :) So much pine pollen everywhere, it got on our shoes. You could see it falling through the air. Lucky we aren't allergic. I would love to go for a walk like this in the bush every weekend in a different place. I feel so blissed out now,tired but content and very relaxed. Everyone should do this at least once a week!

Found this band which is brilliant:

Grizzly bear - Veckatimest

Plenty of dreamy harmonies to sing along with... 

Have also been listening to the new Goldfrapp album - Tales of us

Have really needed some new music for a while now, this is quite good. Especially the song 'two weeks'.

Been looking at 90's fashion for an upcoming play I'm costuming for. It almost makes me nostalgic, but I was too young to really remember what it was like!

Although I remember how popular these were:

Righto well I feel too sleepy now to write anymore... time for a nap I think.

Back again soon with more craftiness :)

N

What I'm doing now

Hello!

Looks a bit like a polaroid photo doesn't it?

Today I got the urge to do some dyeing, and boy am I pleased with the results! This is cotton thread my mum bought me while in Thailand. The dye is Procion MX, a dye I've often had trouble with. However this fibre really took the colour well, and is lovely and vibrant. Reminds me of inks I used to play with as a kid, especially the bright lobster red colour. The purple colour separated somehow into a semi solid, but that's fine by me. More interest that way. I intend to weave them on my inkle loom to make belts, straps and laces for clothing.

 They got a bit tangled as you can see, I should have tied them up more thoroughly... but rinsing them in water got most of the tangles out and the long strands looked amazing full of water, like liquid silk.
I also dyed some of my socks in these same colours. Cheerful things they are.

I am addicted to colour aren't I?! This is the star quilt in progress, I just had enough diamonds to make them all 5x5 segments. I'm feeling a bit lazy about sewing all those pieces together however, I think I need to be in the right mood. It'll be fantastic when it's done though, it's a bit of guess as to how it will look though! I haven't the space to lie them all out together, so I've only seen one segment at a time. But the random look is what I'm going for anyway.

See those ridges? My favourite bit. Nice texture but it stretches vertically a bit too much!

This bag I am rather pleased with. Maybe not the shape so much, but the colours rock! Hence the change of blog colours to match. I'll line it with some stiff fabric and hope that it becomes a better shape.

Certainly not modern, but full of classics. Someone really liked cliff richard!

Learning accordion songs! My busking gets a bit boring when I only know 6 songs solo on accordion, so I'm learning some new ones to improve my repertoire. I'm learning 'somewhere my love' from  Dr Zhivago and the Doctor who theme too of course. It's hard to find songs to play on the accordion... My bass clef reading skills are improving though, and I've learnt a new oomp pah pah technique which is getting my fingers in a muddle, but it sounds great!

Cables, short rows, lace, ladders, stripes...

And machine knitting, getting back into this again too now! Given up on the double bed knitting, it never worked properly... but trying out some new pattern techniques and trying to use up some scraps of lace weight yarn. It seems to produce the best fabric when you use two strands together. Everytime I drop stitches, there is much swearing! The book makes it look so easy to get them back on the hook, but in reality they tend to unravel before you get the pick up tool in them. Hand knitting is easier in that respect. But I'm enjoying doing another craft, it's good fun. If I use up all my scraps of yarn, that is all my yarn, can I buy some new stuff with my saved busking money?? Please?

So that's what I'm up to lately... off to the theatre tomorrow to sort out some more costumes which will be good. I think I will even ride there, the weather is meant to be nice. If I get into Polytech next year I think I'll set up my bike properly. Get a bike pump, wet weather gear, flashing light, fluoro vest etc. I think I might even sew some waterproof saddlebags for it.

Need to henna my hair again too.. there is about an inch of regrowth and it looks a bit worn out. I cut my hair recently too! Had a bit of crazy moment and cut 3 or so inches off it! Like the new look, less tangles, shorter drying time etc.

Felted slippers have offically died, and I have no replacement! Feet are cold... no felt-able yarn around, unless I unravel something... I could... I've got an old worn out hot water bottle which I could use as soles this time and avoid the dreaded unravelling! Thank god it's nearly spring, can't survive without those slippers...

That was a good amount of random musings wasn't it? I need something to get me out of the house I think... Get involved in some group or something. I hear there is a home brew club at the uni, I could certainly join that! Was looking forward to hosting a party this weekend, but not enough people have said they'll come. They miss out! On home brew and delicious home-made pizza. Which we will enjoy anyway :)

Listening to this song, always make me smile:

Tere Bina - Nusrat fateh ali khan

Think I will get the fire ready, it's getting a bit chilly!

N

What a productive week!

Phew! I feel like I've got a lot done in the last week, and certainly the last few days... The weather, which is bright and sunny, has put me in a positive and energetic mood.

I've finished these:

Oscar's PJ pants, whipped up in 30 min.

Oscar's weeping angel hoodie :)

A spring dress for me!

I've also finished a pair of fisherman pants for myself and a dress for my niece Eloise, not yet photographed.

Recognise the dress? I was working on it in Autumn but put it aside to work with once the weather has warmed up. Not sure about the red panel in the front but it makes it fit so much better, it was way to small for me before.Wish I had waited and got a better pattern before using this fantastic fabric, but oh well. It is nice and cheerful and comfortable. It is a bit billowy hence the belt.

Here is a photo of the summit scarf I finished a while ago on me:

May have ended up too long after blocking, but who cares.

Doctor who poster! Check it out :) Hangs above our bed. There are few quotes we don't recognise, no doubt they are from the 7th series which we are slowly working our way through now.

 

 

 

Look there's K9!

And here are some long overdue photos of the local pigs! May I introduce the charming and handsome Romeo...

 

 He's a bit of bully to the other two when it comes to getting food, but he's a big softy really.

This one got the big chunk of silver beet! Lucky thing :)

Oh to be a pig and wallow in mud and lie in the sun and get fed yummy scraps...

So a brief post, off now to make beer and dinner, tomorrow more stuff to do!
It's good to be productive for a change. I can't stop :D
N

4 Years!

Yesterday was our 4th anniversary :)

Love this man! Makes me laugh like a loon.

He loves the hoodie I made him with the print of a weeping angel on it. His reaction - brilliant; aRHGHHJJHHHHHHHHHHhHHHH!!! Knew he would like it!
 He gave me a giant poster of Doctor who quotes and pictures, a bottle of gin and some magic card booster packs. Ooh gin, my favourite. He also got a handmade nightshirt out of the softest flannel. Was a shocking day weather wise, but we had fun anyway :) Hail, sleet, rain, thunder and snow. The wind! Howling gale force south westerly... We managed to get to the bus stop okay, though hail can be slippery stuff!

I wore this dress:

With a lot of layers under and over it to keep warm. Thankfully the restaurant was warm enough to wear it by itself, shock horror - bare arms in August! I will wear it much more in summer definitely....
Oscar looked rather fancy himself in his woollen suit, silk tie, green waistcoat and 70's shirt. Should have got a snap of that.. Why do I never take photos of things on special occasions? I always get wrapped up in the fun of the events I guess :)

I also made a little something for my niece to wear, and I'll make sure to get snaps of her wearing it this weekend. Hope it fits her....

Next week is full of fun (not) diplomatic things like renewing passports and visiting the doctor for tetanus shots which are compulsory for Vet Nursing. Also a fair amount of busking on the cards and a band practise too. But really looking forward to this weekend away! Surprised at how much I've enjoyed learning Vierne's Solem mass. Such strange chords and accidentals which make for rather creepy music.

I feel the need to get out the crafts that I've neglected lately, that is, machine knitting and inkle loom weaving. I don't do either enough.... Found a yarn company based up in Napier that looks really good. Wish I had known about them when I was up there in the summer. Reasonably priced, natural fibre yarn and in undyed bulk lots of 1 KG! Wooo! Think that when I have used up ALL of my yarn (which is barely anything to be honest) I will buy some and make something special out of some handyed yarn. Could also do with some lace yarn to knit blanks and dye with. It would be awesome to be able to knit thicker yarns on the knitting machine, but it only just handles a  sport weight yarn.

More posts soon revealing what projects I've finished lately :)

Finished this week:

• Oscar's weeping angel hoodie
• Oscar's flannel night shirt
• Eloise's 1st birthday present
• Silk anniversary dress
• Finished bottling all the F batch of beer.

In progress now:

• Cabled vest - still working away slowly at this one. Still enjoying the lovely yarn and pattern.
• Crocheted felted hand bag, about to start today
• Cashmere hat
• Star woollen quilt
• Need some more projects now that all those other ones are finished, don't I?
• Thinking of making more felted slippers, but making them big socks and simply felting them down to fit. That way they cover our ankles better. And extra re-enforcing on the soles so that they don't wear out. Mine have worn through two repairs now. I can feel the cold floor through them!

Now off for a walk to stretch the bones and back to some relaxing and well deserved crafting of things for me!

N

Anniversary!

So our anniversary is coming up this week and I have plenty planned in surprise for Oscar. It's all under wraps, but I can't wait to show you what I've made.

I can reveal the dress I've made myself, not such good pictures though as I forgot to change the white balance setting on the camera. The bodice made of a beautiful two tone silk that looks purple from one angle, salmon pink from the front and orange from the other angle.

Please disregard all the junk in the background, the fact is my sewing room is half storage room as well:

So pretty! Love the sectioned circle skirt, in fact it is made up of four semi circles. Plenty of movement and should really be used for dancing in!

In other news I went busking the other week and made myself 21 bucks busking on my own with the accordion. :) Bought myself a little treat of sushi afterwards and the rest goes towards bus fares. I'm intending on cycling into town more often when the weather is good from now on. It is rather exhausting however and when I get home I usually just crash on the couch with a cup of tea!

It also snowed again... I'd gotten used to seeing forecasts of snow and nothing happening so I was pleasantly surprised when I woke up on friday morning to find it everywhere. It melted by midday but our snow man still hasn't fully melted away.

Note: You can see we used up most of the snow in the backyard just to make our snow cat...

The peninsula:

It was so much fun running around in the snow, and the flakes were quite heavy too. There was a dog running up and down the street barking at us because we were so noisy! I found it really tricky to walk up the steep footpath to get the top of our street, my shoes have no grip and I was sliding down :0 So took the easier and more grippy driveway instead. Bring on more snow I say! And let it stay all day :)

Choir trip to Timaru this weekend and looking forward to getting away from home and seeing my family up there. A rare opportunity to see them and my niece is growing up so quickly. Also looking forward to hearing the amazing church organ play while we sing Solem mass. Don't think much of masses (choirs often have to sit through them) but enjoy the sound of the music.

More pictures of anniversary presents, me wearing my dress, meals I've got planned etc. soon.
Ooh it's going to be fun! :D

N

Mechanicals and some projects

Bit of a confused and comical bunch aren't they? The mechanicals were brilliant in their play within a play, flipping hilarious! 

Oscar miming a lanthorn (lamp). He played a very drunk Satrveling the tailor and did brilliantly to get mentioned in two reviews even though his characters was very minor :)

Thisbe being attacked by a terrified lion! Mechanicals costumes were pretty basic, but loved the additions for the little play. Unfortunately bottom wasn't there on the day of the photo shoot so there are no photos of his lovely mask.

Theatre aside now, back to our place - lovely Cylcamens friends gave us on the opening night. Such a rich reddy pink colour! They seem to wilt in direct sunlight so I have moved them to a more sheltered spot. Fussy plants, but worth the effort I think :)

Now don't worry, I'm not that sad that the plays over. I'm quite enjoying the free time in the evenings now and getting back to some of my own projects!

This is a project from way back at the start of the year - quilted knitting machine cover which I don't think I ever photographed in it's finished state. Lovely and colourful and does it's job well. There's something very satisfying about using up all those scraps to make something functional and pretty.
Everyone of those fabrics has some kind of story behind it, that's what I love about quilts. They're a collection of memories.

1940's style vest in progress - just need to attach the cuffs and find some buttons to go with it. Funny construction! Had to figure it out myself after returning the magazine pattern to the library. Love the interesting silhouette it creates with those curving sleeves and straight body shape.

Wow, this photo shows just how lovely the weather has been lately with that lovely bright lighting. We've been spoilt with warm and balmy sunny days. It's only August! But yeah, this is a cake I baked when a friend came over. It's chocolate and coffee cake. I may becoming addicted to coffee, but not regular coffee. I can only have decaf and that'd fine by me. I'd rather have tea for a boost during the day. No coffee is just for taste. In cake, as a hot drink and as ice cream - mochachino ice cream from the rob roy dairy (2.00 for two massive scoops of the best ice cream) Three bucks gets you 3 scoops, it's too much. Then you can get 4 scoops, not something you want to eat all by yourself although it has happened before...

 A quilt I'm currently working on, picked up from quite a few months back. I think I finally have enough fabric to put this one together. Love the idea of a woollen quilt, nice and soft and warm and cosy. I've made two baby sized blankets but not an adult sized quilt. They work out quite nicely though.

Projects on the go:

• Star diamond quilt - 10%
• Oscar's anniversary presents - 80%
• Dress for me to wear on said anniversary - 10%
• Red 40's style jacket - 90%
• Cabled vest - 70%
• Cashmere hat - 75%
• T-shirt crochet bag - 50%
• Sunshine cowl - 10%

Projects I want to start:

• Cycling vest
• Elo's birthday present
• Felted handbag - crochet in thick bright coloured stripes.

That's all for the moment. Glad I am actually using this blog again now :)
N

More costumes

Today was a lovely sunny August day, I spent most of it sitting outside chatting with my friend Stasa and her wee boy Matai. It was so warm and pleasant and I'm noticing all kinds of signs that tell me that spring is just around the corner. Birds chirping cheerfully, bumblebees zooming around now out of hibernation and early flowers peeping out and shoots appearing. I can't wait for spring to be in full swing. It's always been my favourite season :)

Well here are the shots of the Athenians costumes:

Fancy eh?
I loved putting such regal costumes together- a nice contrast from the natural fairy costumes.
The ladies dresses we beautiful but the trains on the back of their dresses proved to be a problem, they got stepped on by the men! Enjoyed making that black and gold tailcoat as well. Think I will make myself one too.

That's all today, tomorrow some shots of what I'm crafting at the moment. It's so nice to have the evenings back again. Tomorrow I'm off into town to run some errands and get the costumes all organised again. Hope this glorious weather continues!

N

Costumes!

Well last night was the last performance of Midsummer's Night Dream! I feel proud and happy to have been a part of this production and am sad to see it end, however I know there are new projects to do now :) I'm looking forward to having my evenings to myself again and going to bed at a better hour.

As there are so many pictures of the costumes (and there are 22 characters!) I'm going to post the pictures grouped in three parts, Fairies, Athenians and Mechanicals.

First fairies! The best bit!

A dark and magical Oberon played magnificently by my friend Dean. He loved his costume so much he bought it! I'd say this was the most fun of all the costumes to make :)

 The fairy called Moth played by Lani. Look at those swooshing wings!

A mischevious Puck! Costume made by Sofie.
 

 Juliet as Cobweb the fairy. Loved putting her costume together, a slip with various decaying sleeves and a ruff, bustle and a lovely woollen shawl.

Our lovely queen Titania with her jealous Oberon. What a crazy dress that was to sew! The base dress was okay but sewing all those drapey bits was a nightmare! It looked beautiful though and worked well with her character I think.

Cobweb and me! Not the best shot of my costume really, you can't see the fern spirals.

  A good shot of the set and Titania with her fairies. Not sure where I am in this shot!

Pretty fairies :)

A better shot of my costume... so brown and vivid! I'm Fern the fairy, an added fairy that brings a New Zealand element into the play.

Peaseblossom! My mum designed and made this dress and she did a brilliant job.

 Moth showing off her wings and drapey parasol. The funkiest of all the costumes I reckon, I love that shirt front with the tassels!

 Mustardseed, lovely sparkly dress that used to be a skirt. She also have bloomers underneath that never showed. Love the cute little lace up underbust.

 Eh! A shot of me with a fern spiral showing. I had one on each hip. It was really great being a fairy, I enjoyed the singing and the movements we did. It was fun to prance around on stage even though we didn't say much!

Shot of the whole cast and the director. Lovely people! Glad to have worked with them all :)

More shots of the Athenians to come in the next few days as well as the mechanicals too.

Now I'm off to do some long awaited crafting, perhaps a new knitting project and a bit of baking.
Not much to do now the play has finished except for choir and the next play (modern costumes, 5 characters and minimal sewing involved). Next year is set to be different though - I'm applying to study Veterinary nursing at Polytech! Excited to go back and study something that I'm passionate about. I can definitely see myself working at a small animals clinic or more likely a rural practice working on farms and such. I'm just hoping I'll get in! Keep you posted on how that goes....
N