Advance copies of my new book arrived from the printer last week. How excited was I to go to the Fex Ex office to pick them up? Very!

Here it is

It turned out to be a timely arrival. The LA Yarn Crawl was happening and I was able to  show it to knitters at my event at Compatto where the projects were on display. It’s always fun to see people react to your work. I watched a man (there were a few men, all knitters) thumb through it, his facial expressions changing with each page. He loved it, and ordered a signed copy.

The Leia Bonnet on the cover is one of my favorite projects, so I decided to make a pattern for a larger version to fit girls and bigger girls. I’ll be publishing it as a PDF in a couple of weeks.

The new hat on my lovely friend Anna

and her daughter Stella, after whom the hat will be named

I’ll be publishing Stella the PDF on Ravelry soon.

You can order Knitting Gifts For Baby here.

Best wishes,

Mel

We are living small. Our possessions tucked tightly into a container on a ship crossing the Pacific Ocean, we’ve been living out of one suitcase for five months and now realize how much is in that large container and how much of it we really don’t need.

So, here we are in a small apartment in Santa Monica. adjusting to a new kind of life with a bare minimum of stuff and trying not to buy more, even as need arises.

There’s our $5 yard sale chair with a ball of shocking pink Manos Maxima, bought to make a hat I’ll show you soon. …a new design in the works

Our formica table found on Apartment Therapy (love that site) with another new hat-in-progress

our bookshelf

borrowed sofa bed and glamorous bedside table: Miele vacuum cleaner box

knitting news:

I’ll be teaching a class on the Everyday Cardigan in May.

place: Compatto Yarn Salon, 2112 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica. 310.453.2130

time: May 7, 14, 21, & 28 from 6pm-7:45pm.

and more knitting news:

I’ll be showing the projects from my new book, Knitting Gifts for Baby, also at Compatto Saturday afternoon April 13, 2 to 5 pm. If you’re in the area, come and see them in person. The book is due to be released in May, so this will be a preview. I’m quite excited about this book. Love babies, love baby projects. More to come on that.

Oh yes, the book is available to pre-order on Amazon here.

I know, I’ve been a truant blogger of late. My excuse is something to do with upheaval. Thank you to those who have asked me if I’m planning to continue. I am.

Before I left New Zealand I ruminated to the point of obsession on what I would miss once I left. I thought if I did this ahead of time I’d avoid unexpected attacks of sadness. No matter how much love your new home there is always something you will MISS. For me, it’s people. My dearest friends are there and it was very hard to leave them.

This is Dave Harré and his wife Barbara, two of the most extraordinary people you could ever meet.

They have several kids and grandchildren, all of whom lead fruitful and busy lives of their own, but can often be found helping out around the family homestead, or cooking one of the delicious meals that are always offered to the revolving parade of visitors. Everyone is welcome at Dave and Barbara’s house. And what a house it is. A 19th century homestead in Oratia on the outskirts of Auckland. Dave likes to restore and protect old things. The house is one of these. It was his family’s home, where his mother supported the family by running a restaurant on the premises. It’s a beautiful old villa set back from the road.

There is always a project on the offing, and collections of things that might be needed for that project

A recent undertaking was the wallpapering of a bedroom. Barb was papering the old fashioned way, on scrim.

Dave loves to restore things. He once heard of a prayer house that was tagged for demolition, rescued it and placed it on his land. He organizes recitals there in summer time. But trams and trains are his passion. He has already restored one and given it to the city of Whanganui. This is a train carriage he brought all the way from Arizona. He shortened it and is turning it into a self-powering tram, the track for which is being laid across the lawn. It will be a moving guest house when it’s finished. I can’t wait to try it!

his workshop

The whole property is in a state of elegant and controlled decay. That’s the way they like it. Location scouts do too.

Everything is perfect in its wildness. Whenever I’m there, I get inspired by the way nature is left to take it’s course with the minimum of interference. No perfectly mowed lawns or  preened flower beds here.

A vineyard on the property. The wine is good, and the bottles recycled.

Betsy trying her come hither look.

Let’s go inside the house. The dining room is lined with native kauri planks, on the walls and floor. Sitting at the table you feel like you’ve dropped in on another century. When I first met Dave it was at this table, over which hung a flickering light that was powered from a dam on a stream that crosses the property.  His very own hydro-electric power. Dave is inventive and prescient. He was doing things the authentic, slow way before the green movement was in diapers.

early New Zealand pottery

hand made textiles on every chair

tivaevae

Dave is a francophile. He ends most statements with total! pronounced the French way, and keeps this 2CV, bought during a family trip to France where they lived for a year in the Pyrénées.

No story of Dave would be complete without this one: on a trip to visit his nephew in Paris, he was wandering home one evening and found a pile of stuff discarded from a nearby building. Never one to lose an opportunity for a good fossick, he rescued a set of architectural drawings of a neo-classical house and this coat. Both came home in his suitcase. This is his attempt at a Napoleonic pose, sans chaussure.

A sense of mischief keeps Dave younger than his years. So does his generous spirit. When I was there taking photos for Everyday Finery, he appeared at lunchtime with a pot of hot soup for our whole team, models, photographer makeup and me. Thank you Dave. You’re a treasure.

Dave and Barbara created a folk art museum on their property which you can visit by appointment. It’s open Sundays 1-4 pm, at 527 West Coast Road, Oratia, Auckland. Phone number is 09 813 3884

Well, January was hijacked by the flu, so I have been silent. I really didn’t think a flu could be as bad as it was. I kept hoping it would be over in a couple of days, but oh, no. It’s a sneaky little virus that keeps returning for impromptu visits when you think you’re finally rid of it. But rid of it I now am, in Los Angeles too, and enjoying the sunny weather.

Now for my news. Knitters have been emailing me to ask when South Seas Knitting will be back in business. I’m sorry to say that it’s not going to be returning. David and I have made the decision to return to live in California for a variety of reasons, the most important of which is our kids and David’s Mum. We want to spend more time with them. Los Angeles will be our home once again.

What am I going to do with my incredibly large stash of yarn? I do have a plan. I’ll keep you posted as soon as I settle in here.

For now, I’d like to share with you another beautiful place in Woodstock. We love  that town and found ourselves heading back there after a snow storm.

This cottage was just across the road and down a bit from the last one and every bit as charming. We met the delightful owners Phil and Sarah, an English couple, in Brooklyn.

I’ll start with the outdoors:

Phil and Sarah’s place (which you can find here and here) is called Bearsville Retreat. It’s two small houses with a gorgeous swimming pool which we didn’t see because it was covered in snow!

It’s next to a family farm where they sell their own fresh maple syrup tapped from trees on the property, and where the owner rebuilt board by board the red barn that his thrifty father had taken down and stored.

a snowbound scottie

and a real dog, Rosie

bothering chipmunks under the house

from one apple tree to another……do you see why I want to return in spring?

to sit in this glider

or read Mrs Dalloway while sipping iced tea?

Stepping inside we took off our brand new sorels.

everything I love: color, crockery, hand made things

books

and a clean, well-equipped kitchen

We loved this place and I really do want to return in spring to swing in the hammock under the apple blossoms.

We said our goodbyes to Phil and Sarah

and they to us

Driving back to Brooklyn, David decided to take the New Jersey route which involved crossing Manhattan. By the way, the Apple navigation app works great. Ours has an Aussie accent because Davids’ phone was bought in NZ, so we call her Sheila and she guided us with 100% accuracy from start to finish with no annoying bells or “recalculating route” delays. She just gets on with the job and doesn’t make a fuss, a typical Down Under kind of a gal.

Crossing Manhattan, past the Chrysler building!

across the 59th Street bridge…….feelin’ groovy to be almost home

and what a view. I’m a nervous nelly in the passenger seat, but I sure was glad David was driving on this gorgeous day.

Happy New Year! I hope you rang in 2013 with friends and family wherever you are in the world. David and I spent the evening in Manhattan listening to the Fab Faux, the excellent band who play Beatles music word for word and note for note, sticking faithfully to the sound, and the same instruments, without bothering to try to look like them. David has been wanting to see them for a long time, so this was our chance and they happened to be playing Rubber Soul, my favorite album.

We’re enjoying our time in NYC so much!

I’ve always wanted to visit legendary Woodstock, and so we did. Driving just over two hours north of New York City, you enter a large hilly region (the Catskills) covered in trees.

We used airbnb to book a charming guest house which turned out to be an old barn on a property which was formerly the home of Lee Marvin. There’s a lovely big old white clapboard house where the host and hostess live, and then there’s this:

Don’t you love it when you arrive at a destination and the place you’ve booked is even better than you’d imagined? Such is the case with Woodstock Guest House.

Bev, our hostess, loves antiques and is part of an antique business across the Hudson river in Rhinebeck. The cottage is decorated one part French chic and one part Americana.

Now let me take you on a little tour:

inside the front door –

bulbs in the window to make you feel like spring is just around the corner –

more greenery to lift the winter spirits –

The light is pretty cold in these photos. That’s because the days were gray until the last, when the sun came out and the weather was shining blue, gold and glorious. I’m a spoiled Los Angelean/Aucklander, and “cold” is not usually below 50 degrees Fahrenheit in my world. It wasn’t always the case, though, and this visit to Woodstock reminded me of my childhood in Christchurch, of my bike rides to school on frosty mornings along Riccarton Road.

Stepping out of this little cottage brought back those much tougher days and with a little, “you can do this, don’t be such a wimp”, I stepped outside and enjoyed myself. Truth be told, cold is invigorating as long as you’re wearing warm clothes.

Here’s Moira the resident Irish wolf hound who bounded over to greet us every morning –

I digress. We haven’t finished our tour of the interior.

This is the upstairs where the walls and floor are painted white. I do love this look. It’s so romantic, and I wasn’t surprised to hear that a couple became engaged there before we arrived. Perhaps I should mention the king size bed which is not quite in the picture because I was being my naughty holiday self and hadn’t made it yet…. it’s the most comfortable one I’ve even slept in.

The little writing nook should you choose to add to your diary –

The view out the windows is stunning.  Can you imagine what it’s like in summer when the trees are given back their greenery? That’s a bird feeder hanging from the pole outside the window. Bev told us the local bear likes to bother it.

We loved our stay here. Restaurants we enjoyed were Cucina, a cozy but elegant place situated in an old house, and The Bear Cafe, a Woodstock tradition located beside the creek. Bread Alone was a treat, too. They make the most divine walnut and fruit bread rolls which, with a bowl of turkey chili, solved my hunger problem when we arrived from the city having skipped lunch.

fence behind the shops –

This was Moira’s countenance as we left. Goodbye Moira, we’ll be back!

As I write this, David and I are planning to visit Woodstock again. We love it there.

My love of Bath pre-dates Colin Firth. I’d read only one Jane Austen novel the first time I visited and it was not the one set in this beautiful city. Years later, when I saw this version of Persuasion, I was reminded of how much in love with it I’d been back when I was camping in a VW Kombi and making a flying (no, make that chugging) tour of England and Scotland. On this visit, I had a few days explore.

The rain continued. Our hosts at Bloomfield House seemed surprised that we made it through the puddles. There had been havoc in the train system, and many of the roads were blocked.

On our first day we went looking for a Jane Austen museum, but beware, there is not one. There is a Jane Austen Centre, privately run, not the same thing at all. Posters of Colin Firth abound, and the nice ladies at the ticket booth wear droopy velvet jackets and ill-fitting bonnets. We decided to take ourselves on a walk along Royal Crescent, the famous row of grand houses where Persuasion was set, and which was used as a location for  The Duchess.

When Jane lived in Bath from 1801 to 1805 it was relatively new, having been completed in 1774.

I was intrigued by this house on the Crescent. Who dresses their servants in olive green satin waistcoats, I thought, until I realized that it’s a small hotel.

The charm is in the simple details, isn’t it?

On the street, a restored Morris Minor complete with luggage rack. I have a soft spot for these cars. They’re solid and reliable and stylish in a nerdy way. A cream one was my first car.

It pays to encourage your children to love good food.

When mine were growing up I confess, I did resort to McDonalds if someone in the back seat was ravenous. They tease me about it now, but I also cooked for them most nights. These days I’m proud to say that they are both keen cooks, far more accomplished than me and I benefit because they take me to really good places to eat.

So, one stop on our culinary tour of Bath was Sam’s Kitchen, which serves locally grown delicious food, conversation, music and and really good coffee.

Here’s Sam himself (it was Movember).

On the counter a recipe book caught my eye. It was co-written by Sam’s partner Emma, who turned out to be the beautiful mystery woman sitting on a sofa tapping away at her computer. Of course I bought a copy and asked Emma to sign it. I’ve been cooking from it  constantly since I arrived in Brooklyn. Highly recommended:  Emma’s black pepper curry (page 270) and swiss chard with pinenuts, raisins and cinnamon (page 204).

The author.

Sam’s Kitchen is on Walcot Street, which is lined with artisan and independent businesses, and buildings like this old corn exchange.

Also on Walcot Street is Meticulous Ink where they make hand printed stationery. A small gold leather address book came away with me just because I still prefer to keep my contacts in a book.

Here’s Athena, who own the business with her partner Charlie.

And on to the  Roman baths, a fascinating place where you learn about details of Roman life in Britain. My favorite artifacts are the notes written by people who lost their possessions at the baths, including a cloak and in one instance, a slave!

In the meantime it rained and the Avon swelled to the point where the riverside walkways were underwater.

I had to walk across this bridge to look through the lovely shops located along it. What a magical location.

We  reluctantly left Bath (and with it, Pete & Polly), and India and I flew to New York, where I’m now staying in Brooklyn, knitting when I have time, and finding all manner of wonderful things which I will begin to write about next time.

Happy holidays!

xxMel

What can I say? It rained, mostly. England was a having week of storms and it was my luck to be there sight-seeing. It was wonderful, though, despite a chest cough and lots of huge puddles of unknown depth that caused us to take detours.

Leaving London, our first stop was the New Forest, where I’d heard about the free range ponies and was excited to see some. The rain meant that we couldn’t go walking, so we stayed cozy in our inn, The Pig in the Forest. What a beautiful, rambling place, exquisite in every way.

Here’s one of the sitting rooms where we sat and played scrabble before dinner. Each sitting room had two fireplaces  around which guests gathered in individual parties, making it quite a intimate experience. I loved the bookshelf wallpaper.

and the hand printed wallpaper at the front desk.

Here’s more of the sitting rooms. I love the English style when it’s not too chintzy. My favorite detail was the floorboards. Wide and rustic but not so much that you might stub your toe.

The outdoors beckoned but it was raining mostly. Note to self: next trip to England, bring a raincoat.

The hotel describes itself as “a restaurant with rooms”. It’s all about the walled kitchen garden, which you can visit, and they serve entirely local meats and produce. Here’s the dining room in the morning, ready for breakfast.

with hand painted floor tiles, locally made.

Regretfully, we spent just one night there.

Next time I’ll spend a whole weekend so I can ramble about in the forest and talk to the ponies.

In the morning, off we went to the south coast and Lulworth Cove, where I half expected to meet some pirates.

The road down to the cove was so tiny that once we’d driven down, there was no place to turn around and Pete had to back the car back up, no easy feat in the rain, with three women’s luggage blocking the rear window of the station wagon.

The stream next to the road, where the ducks were happy.

A few miles on from Lulworth is this spectacular place.

You can walk across the green hills, following the coast. I have to say, I respect the English so much for the care they take to protect their precious countryside. These hills were remarkably free of buildings.

Here we are, me and my family, at Durdle Door.

Next stop Bath, my favorite town.

I love the Victoria and Albert Museum so much, I could spend days there. This is never possible, but even a hurried visit inspires. Dare I say you could almost limit it to the gift shop and walk away happy?

I almost didn’t make it past the fashion exhibit in the entrance:

It doesn’t get any better than this, a fine, fully-fashioned wool swimsuit

and a pair of platforms from the 1930s, perhaps worn with the swimsuit? The uppers are striped denim fabric, the wooden soles hinged for ease of walking.

Who can resist red shoes, especially wing tips?

18th century fabric slippers,

no doubt worn by a contemporary of this lady, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire

This may seem ridiculous after the sublime beauty of hand made shoes, but I do admire this radical Commes des Garcons knitted ensemble for its 1980s daring.

also, this sketching fashion student in fabulous purple tights

No visit to London is complete without a walk across the Millennium Bridge in anticipation of a visit to the Tate Modern.

London is better than ever. There’s so much good food, design, and so many beautiful shops.

The first thing I noticed was the creative store names. Broadway Market in Hackney has a gorgeous combination of the trendy new and the traditional. Hand made was everywhere.

In East London  Labour and Wait was my favorite store. Housed in an old pub called the Dolphin, it specializes in functional items which are everyday classics and therefore will not date.

These Welsh blankets caught my eye and having caught a cold the minute I arrived,  I walked out with several large polka dot handkerchiefs.

The canal near Broadway Market, packed boats of all shapes and sizes

and the floating hat shop.

More boats, on the canal in Victoria Park.

My visit to Loop was a highlight. I’d heard so much about it. The shop is several floors, all artful display, gorgeous yarns and helpful, friendly staff. Bravo, Susan!

I loved this garland across the stairs to an upper level. Felted balls and scraps of fabric = charming!

What’s really wonderful about London, and Brooklyn, New York, where I’m currently enjoying myself (will discuss this later) is that there are so many beautiful, independent stores that seem to be thriving. Owners of small businesses put so much heart, soul and in many cases, creativity into their work, it’s up to us to support them, don’t you think?

Here I am, back to blogging. It’s hard to keep up when you’re on the move, especially when you’re coughing, sneezing and in bed (London) and navigating severe weather (Dorset). At last I’m in one place for a while: Brooklyn, NY, combing through my photos and wondering what anyone might want to see from my travels.

I’ll start with Los Angeles, that much-maligned and misunderstood city. It’s been variously described to me as a place where everyone wears Uggs and short denim skirts over fake-tanned legs, and a “sewer pit – how can you live there?” I’ve come to think that those so opinionated have not spent much time there, or have seen only Disneyland and outlying  outlets stores with a dash of Vegas thrown in. LA fans admire the glitz of “tinseltown” (I’ve never figured out where that place actually is) but there’s more to it than glamor: scratch the surface of LA and you find wonderful people and cultural riches.

This is always the point where I get excited nearing the end of the long flight from NZ: the plane cruises toward the city framed by the grand coastline and the Santa Monica mountains:

and here is where you sigh, and wish it wasn’t quite such a car-dominated place:

But you arrive, the immigration man is very friendly, you spot your first LA icon, the Encounter restaurant, and you’re on your way:

You go directly to Santa Monica beach, and the pretty walk streets dotted with craftsman houses:

cute little rentals and motels where noir novels and screenplays have most certainly been written over full ashtrays:

and it wouldn’t be LA without palm trees and Beverly Hills:

My workshops at the gorgeous Knitculture were very fun.

Here are the knitters at the stranded knitting class, intrepid types all:

and here I am with Allyson, who was knitting the Tangerine Tights in black (!) for her 18-year-old daughter. They’re a little hard to see here, but she was almost to the waist:

I also had a most enjoyable morning meeting knitters and old friends at Compatto Yarn Salon in Santa Monica. No photos from there, but it’s a lovely store with a beautiful selection of yarns and very friendly staff.

In between workshops, David and I drove to some favorite places. Folks, this is not a Prius dealership, it is a parking lot in Topanga Canyon. LA loves the Prius, I’m pleased to say, because I love it too:

One evening we drove up to Santa Barbara to see The Wrecking Crew, a documentary David was itching to see, about the brilliant session musicians who played on most of the hit records of the 60s. I was especially thrilled that it contained interviews with Carol Kaye, the only woman in the bunch, whose bass lines make songs like Sonny and Cher’s The Beat Goes On, the Beach Boys’ Good Vibrations and Help me Rhonda recognizable from the first notes.

The movie screened in a quintessential Santa Barbara Spanish Revival building:

 My next mini adventure was in in England. Coming soon…..