slowly back to normal

One week after returning to NZ things are starting to become normal again. The last days were filled with tidying up and replacing things the house sitters broke or used up. Every year I think it cannot get worse but I am wrong. I really need to find a different way to care for our pets when we are away. It is not nice to come home and find almost all food gone, the wardrobes full of mould and non paid power bills of more than $600. We are not going this long next year and I think I will pay somebody to feed the animals and otherwise just leave the house empty.
Tonight is the opening of a new exhibition at Origin, Agnes Hauptli, a great weaver. I am looking forward to see all her wonderful things. And tomorrow I am working again, so life becomes normal again.

Eco Colour

Today arrived India Flint's book EcoColour, wow, that is so inspiring!! That will have to go in my cabin bag for the flight back to NZ. Time will fly by reading this book :)
This book gave me a bit a lift and also that the sunshine came back this afternoon, after I didn't have such a great night by receiving the news that my cat had to be put down. I will miss this fluffy fellow very much.
I couldn't resist yesterday to do some more felting and made a simple bag:

It is still drying. I am thinking about to embellish it with some attached felted flowers and some beads. The wool was wonderful to work with. Its Gotland lamb wool from my daughter's sheep, very soft and it was felting quickly.

finished scarf

The scarf is only lightly felted, it could to with a little bit more, but I didn't want it to become stiff

one week left

Just one week left until we return to New Zealand. I am starting to organize things to take home and so I don't have much time for felting. The weather is too bad anyway so I can only do small things inside.
I am knitting a scarf which I want to felt very light after finishing

The colours are not good in this photo, I will take another photo tomorrow at daylight and that will hopefully show the true colours. The yarn looks a bit like Noro, but it is a cheapy from Rellana.

And I have started to crochet a top, to have some work during the long plane trip. They don't allow knitting needles anymore on the plane but crochet hooks, so that will keep me entertained.

The material is a mix of acrylic and cotton and it is really nice to work with.
I am still waiting for the book of India Flint which I ordered. I hope it will arrive in time that I can take it with me. I am looking forward to do some experiments with NZ plants. I have done lots of natural dyeing here in Neunkirchen many years ago. Now I want to try other plants. Some years ago, I tried the tradescantia ( wandering willy, a true pest in NZ) and it produced a nice creamy colour:

On the right side is the undyed yarn and left is the dyed yarn. I have some old pamphlets about dyeing with Nz plants, so I will give it a go.

more crazy birdies

I had still some unfinished birdies waiting for some colour. So I spend this afternoon on the sofa between all sorts of coloured rovings and finished the birdies. They haven't got chaines attached for hanging at the moment, so the photos are not very clear. Anyway they are now laying here close to the computer and watch me typing ;)

cat heaven

My son asked me to felt a den for his cat.  I used white NZ merino, which I have a lot here at the moment. The inside is skyblue and the outside has some leftover silk tops integrated. And of course in a cat heaven there has to be a mouse.......

new flowers

After the disappointing knit felt experiment I did some new flowers. They are quite big and will be nice as brooches or for hat decoration. They still need some finishing with pearls, I just haven't got them right now.

knit and felt result

I finally have the results of the knit and felt experiments and I am not very pleased with it. It works well, but the bags are very stiff. I prefer softer felt.

It was an interesting experiment anyway