Saturday, July 21, 2012

My room

I was answering a post at Frugal Kiwi and decided to actually do a proper inventory of the stuff in my room along with its history if I think it is interesting enough.  I'm not going to do this all at once though - that would be epic!!

I'll start with the front wall. There is a large double sash window looking out onto Baldwin Street and the small garden (weed and bulb bed) with a picket fence in need of a touch more white paint. The curtains came with the house and are the only ones I actually kept.  I use them to pin up larger pieces of work in the evening.  They spend all the cold parts of winter closed as these are not double glazed and they take up half the wall. 

On one side is an upright oak desk gifted to my Dad by an elderly client who I used to talk to a lot on my way home from school. (She was often out in her garden)  I was sad to lose her.  This contains oddments and photographs mostly.  At present the top is home to a couple of moth eaten maiden hair ferns which got forgotten and which I am now nursing back to life. There is a shell and a set of cups and saucers, a fire alarm that needs a new battery and some elderly and retired hand knitted socks that have been washed (I will felt them a bit more and cut them up for flowers) and a small being made from an orange pom pom. There is my nice new apron I got from the apron swap over at 'Down-to-Earth' and the handbag I use when I think I might get a sketch done (its got my art notebook and aquarelle pencils in it) hanging off the side.




Next to that and mostly hidden by the dining room round table that used to be my sisters is an old book press that my grandfather got from somewhere. There are three chairs with the table.  One came from Dad's office (oak upright) one came from my sister with the table and the third was recycled from the local rubbish dump for $2.  The fourth person uses my computer chair.

Then there is the old two seater couch which is in the process of falling apart and has been used by three generations of cats as a scratching post.  There are two dragon cushions on that which were originally given to my mum by a Chinese friend from Hong Kong. Above that is a lovely pen and ink tree sketch by a very good friend from art school (about 30 years back!) and one of those small wooden things that hold tiny bits and pieces.  They are;

A wooden animal from a stall
A miniature car that used to be in my handbag for wriggly kids to play with
An ancient tiny cocoa tin
A row of ducks my Aunt gave me
A pottery chinese pagoda thingy belonging to my grandmother - she used it as a pot plant decoration along with a bridge.
A porcelain house
A clay duck and boat made by James when a lot younger
A wax dragon - also James's work
Two chinese pottery boys
A brass tea set (eastern style)
A wooden boat - William this time
A wooden duck from the Steiner fair
A porcelain lady - I made this one.
A wax question mark! William never could decide exactly what it was he made
Another small car - more recent and one of a set
And a knitted chick by my Mum which had fallen onto the floor when I took the photo!

All this in about a foot square!

Hidden in the corner is a Kauri chest containing mostly knitting needles and embroidery cloth and on top of that is a basket of ufos and another fern - this one is in good order despite being 36 years old.  All the ferns are in pots I made during my years as a potter.

All this along just one wall!!!

Enjoy,

viv



Saturday, July 14, 2012

Cover


I took some photos of the finished hot water bottle cover - it came out really interesting.  I made an I cord for the neck.  Amazing what can be done with a large number of ends. The whole thing is just double crochet stitches with a shell edge and at this point I am almost out of coloured ends. The second one will have to be made in the scrap ball of homespun which is also quite large thanks to the weaving ends from a friend.

viv in nz