liquorice

The Weekend

On Saturday the weather was beautiful and I did inside cleaning (Yuk!) and looked at this book as a treat and reward as the cleaning progressed.

As I looked at the pictures and the colours I wished I was a fast knitter, maybe aiming for perseverance could be a plan!!!!!

A couple of my favourite pages. I just love the colours and the combinations.  Maybe a vest - the one with the crochet back and knitted front could be neat.

And then Sunday came - I had thought I might spend some time in the garden and outside - but it was not to be.  Me and the cats hunkered down for a day inside.

Basil and Humphrey on the bed and Zorro in the hot water cupboard.

Seaweed Dying

This piece has been dyed using sea weed grass wrapped really tightly and tied.  In the detail on the right you can see the effects of the tying on the cloth.  The other end is very pale and quite ethereal looking. 

This piece has been dyed using seaweed leaves.  I had some sort of "necklace seaweed" which had leaves as well as bobbles and so I cut off the leaves and got these impressions.

This is a detail and shows the marks from the leaves quite clearly

Stitching

I have been stitching away at this tag. It takes an awfully long time but I found a frame today and that makes things much easier.  Also I am on holiday for a couple of weeks and I can stitch all day if I want to!!!!!!  It's interesting as I stitch I think about a tagger working so quickly and secretly, maybe alone, outside with his spray can and here I am working so slowly and not secretly but nobody really knows and inside in front of the fire and generally alone................... I thought I might try a couple of bright coloured ones.

Last Week

Last week started like this, a gorilla day.  I always look but I have yet to see one, maybe a gorilla suit could be in order.  The other thing I think about is looking like Signourey(?) Weaver as I walk out the door to be greeted by a gorilla.  But no it is still the same old me!!!!!

Making a Bag

Today I made this bag from some of the silk that I had dyed.  I used Melissa's pattern from her tutorials.

This is a close-up of the other side which shows the dying in more detail.  I am pretty pleased.

More Tivaevae

This is my Tivaevae practice on an oldish t.shirt.

This is my practice from yesterday.  I was shown how to stitch edges.  The stitching is so textural.  I am really keen to try a cushion cover.

And Zorro in the basket.  He just loves this basket and has claimed it as his.  He only just fits and I leave it in the sun for him.  Sometimes Humphrey tries it but Zorro prowls around until he leaves and Humphrey doesn't look nearly as comfortable as Zorro.

Maple leaves

When we went to Rotorua I found my Aunt had this beautiful maple tree with absolutely pink leaves.  I got a plastic bag and collected leaves to take home to dye with.  I imagined this beautiful riot of pink that I could cut, stitch and embroider and send to the realatives as a reminder of the wonderful time that we had had.

What a disappointment!!!!!  Maybe I waited too long before I used them?  Maybe I shouldn't have used hebes in the pot water.  What a lot of "maybes" there are.  The prints from the leaves are quite lovely but not a pink in sight!!!!!!

Today!!!

It was a beautiful day, got up and went to the gym - so good !!!!!

Came home and found a large dismembered rat on the bath mat in the bathroom - so bad!!!!!

Thought I had time to do shopping before I got to work and bought a lovely purple velvet jacket - so lovely!!!!!

Came out of the shop with my bag of goodies and I had a parking ticket - so annoying!!!!!

However I am the champion fly killer in our office with a score of four - so proud!!!!!

A Treasure

The other day, after a big storm, I found this huge piece of bull kelp with little collections of goose barnacles on it's branches.  It filled the boot of my car. 

Now it is in my front yard and I am thinking it will be good for dying and printing.  Some of the branches are about 20 cms wide.

And then I think it will be good for my plants in my garden.

Friday

On Friday I went over to Porirua to visit my friend Rachelle.  She lives in Titahi Bay which is out on the west coast from Porirua ...not far.  I had the most wonderful day.

I went and started to learn Tivaevae and I am going back next Friday to learn more.

My first efforts at stitching.  I think I finally got it pretty right but with lots of mistakes on the way.  The back looks much better than the front actually.

The back.

We went to Trash Palace - a great recycling shop and then to lunch at Pataka.  There was an exhibition of contemporary Pacific Island art and I was so lucky to have Rachelle to guide me through the work.  Then finally we went and walked on Titahi Bay.  What a wonderful day!!!!!!