New Year and raring to go!!

Really?

I have loads of ideas swimming around, the Vampyress Loo Roll Doll and the Flapper Loo roll doll might make it to the crochet hook today, as might the fern inspired wrap/scarf that came to mind whilst driving through the bush clad hills of the Taranaki yesterday 

 

Forgotten World Highway - Stratford to Tauramanui

The most remote pub in New Zealand

And the shawl made of flowers? Well, some of the flowers are made :-)

Then there's the mosaic on the outside table that is half done and I'm sure I could finish today if I put my mind to it. 

 

It does seem like I'm raring to go, it is after all Saturday morning at 8.30 and I'm up, showered and having coffee whilst blogging so who knows what the day will bring?

A Flower Necklace

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas with their friends and family.

Yesterday I wore my orange frock and needed just a little something to joosh it up a bit. So of course out came the crochet hook, some embroidery thread and a button and voila :-)

An Iconic Kiwi Christmas Tree

The Pohutakawas are all out and blossoming around Auckland. 

They seem extra red this year and there are dozens lining the roads

These pics are from one in the front garden

And in crocheting news, a couple of starfish wash-cloths from a retro pattern. 

I'm celebrating my pattern reading prowess :-)

 

Retro Crocheting

Found this fabulous collection of crochet books from the 60's and 70's in a shop in Paeroa when we were on the way home from Tauranga earlier today. 

Can't wait to try and read some of the patterns so I can recreate a little piece of retro crochet :-)

On a similar vein, it seems that Loo Roll Cover Dolls are finally making a come back, I've sold 3 in the past 3 weeks.  That's as many as I've sold over the past 2 years altogether!

Holidaying in the South

We had a week in the South Island last week. Amazing!

NZ Fur Seal on Farewell Spit

We went to the southern most point of the New Zealand and the northern most point of the South Island. 
We saw the cleanest water spring in the whole world bubbling from the deepest spring in Australasia, the deepest lake and the longest suspension bridge in New Zealand, a 140 billion year old petrified forest and a beach of gem stones.  
We drove on one of the largest sand-spits in the world, where we saw fur seals, whales and birds from Siberia.

Purakaunui Falls in The Catlins

The most photographed Waterfalls in NZ

Seeing such amazing things is a great reminder that New Zealand is a beautiful country of amazing contrasts

Snowmen for Summer

Childhood in the northern hemisphere means that even 25 years after moving south, Christmas still conjures up images of snow scenes.  

I can't share with you the Christmas pressies I'm making for my friends because some of them read this blog and I'd hate to ruin the surprise. So I thought I'd share the amigurumi snowmen I've made for my co-workers.

I'm fairly happy with the result. As usual, no pattern means they are all different, and I was a little miffed when I realised I had to do the sewing bit (I always end up with more holes in my fingers than in whatever I'm sewing!)

I'm pretty impressed with how organised I am this year with Christmas presents. How are you going?

A visit to the Art Gallery

Auckland Art gallery recently had a refurb with a new bit added.   It's a very cool airy open space, loads to see and even better it's free! :-D

 The flower chandelier, the flowers open and close, it's enormous, I loved it, bit too big to have at home though!

 A room with mirrors and stripes, it gives a feeling of infinity.  

A Belgium artist made it in the 70's.  It was really interesting, though it did give me a bit of a headache and vertigo

I think the same artist that made the chandelier did this one.  

It's at the entrance of the art gallery, this photo is from above