New(ish) colour combinations.

Sometimes I feel as though I have been staring at my basket of wool for too long and I am beginning to tire of the faces looking back at me. That's usually about the time I embark on a trip to town to visit my favourite shop, '11th Ave Wool'. However, keeping the rest of the world company, we are having to tighten the purse strings (I wish I had a purse with strings) and limit these exhilarating kinds of excursions.

Last night when I began to hit the brick wall of hexagoning (which is an essential part of the process otherwise I would never get to bed) I had a chance encounter with some very soft colours and suddenly, with energy renewed, went a little free-form. I am now feeling pretty happy with this new combination and can't wait to do a bit more circle work.

By the way, is there anybody out there who also thinks electricity is really a scientific word for magic?

My Creative Space... night and day.

I feel so good. From the tips of my toes to my innermost cadbury creme egg soul I am tingling with the satisfaction that comes from tidying up my craft table. In fact, I tackled the whole upstairs room and turned it into some sort of grown-up haven that you imagine in your wildest dreams. When I ascend upstairs, I really am travelling upwards to the heavens. It is glorious.
I thought I had better include my night-time creative space too, the turquoise table that is providing the legs for my hexagon blanket. Each night as I sit down on the big, blue couch, I feel as though I am embarking on a giant and extremely tactile puzzle (except nicer than a puzzle because you know that one day it will leap up and enfold you in its warm embrace and let's face it, that is something a puzzle will never do).

For more creative spaces, disapperate (I don't have time to look up the official Harry Potter spelling) here.

If Cath Kidston Made Yarn...

I sometimes think when combining colours, "what would Cath do'? And I also imagine (or more truthfully fantasise) about what Cath Kidston yarns would be like. The wool above is my best interpretation from the yarns I have. Pink is impossible to match - most have too much blue in them and green is very difficult and the yellow one can only dream about. Maybe a petition should be started and we could bombard her with our requests for a Cath Kidston range. I know Vanessa from do you mind if i knit has similar thoughts.

These are my rejected colours - they look just fine when I am not trying to find CK colours but somehow, in this photo they emanate an air of dejection. I am sure if I instead said the colours had been chosen for a crocheted mug cosy they would suddenly present themselves as nurturing and warm. All about perceptions I guess, oranges and apples.

Floating Ideas.

Yay, it's Tuesday again, the loveliest morning of the week with children freshly packed off to their various educational opportunities. I am supposed to be tackling two of the most highly neglected rooms in the house but really my mind is in a centrifugal process, hurtling lots of ideas around. I will stop it in a couple of minutes and see what ends up sticking to the sides.

Up above my highly intelligent words, two cushions that I printed many moons ago are in orbit. They are in review again as I am thinking craft-pack thoughts. The green bottle on the table has been included in a post before, it is Jonno's invention for fine wool that keeps unravelling. I re-posted it because I like the colours and it reminds me of thinking outside of the box. Time to stoke the fire. Tootley hoo.

Home Scenes

The house needed a bit of soul put back into its neglected womb today so the oven was switched on, a lamb casserole was prepared for slow cooking and a batch of biscuits were made with Hugo's quick, sticky-handed help. Wet, clean clothes have been hung on a rack in front of the fire and mounds of dishes washed.

Hugo put his hands on his hips and walked around the room saying "I can't believe it's so clean. I can't believe it". He then spent the rest of the morning with a bowl of musli, cardboard tube, tractor and cows playing the 'feeding out game' - the tube was his "rolled oat telescope".

How great is it bunkering back down at home after a few weeks of flurry. I'm flurryless.

My Omokoroa Market Stall

All lined up full of promise, oblivious to their destiny.

Hmmmm, let's just say lucky I was selling bags of pine cones as well crafty pieces because those pine cones alone sure made the market worth going to. There were lots of car boots brimming with stuff, plant stalls and produce.... I think I was a bit sore thumby with a table of crochet, bibs and secateur holsters but I can handle that. I'll keep going once a month and try to convince a few other crafty people to run stalls too... I am just a bit exhausted from it all though... maybe I have a touch of consumption. Definitely no hurling of cooked eyeballs but not much love slung either (apart from the pine cones - the weren't slung, I mean they were bought/sold/loved). I am thinking about becoming a pine cone merchant.
By the way, Rachel from The Two Windmills is having a terrific giveaway so click on over there and enter (and give your winnings to me - only kidding... haha...hahaha....haha...).

Shell Stitch Crochet Necklace.

Here is another crochet necklace I have been working on. I promise, promise, promise to do a tutorial on necklaces soon (probably after this very markety weekend) but just need that good slice of thinking time first. And a little photo of a 'just woken up Hugo having a late lunch'. Napping does make for an apple cheeked, shiny faced little fellow.