A while ago I bought a pop lock to see if it would fit with how I work (but mainly because it was pretty). I was cautioned against it since I had a flicker brush, which does the same thing & is more versatile/ergonomic, but I will definitely use this when working on the couch.

Completed singles of the merinoXleicester and pure lamb leicester I processed recently. The plan is to ply these 2 ply to match some other natural wools in my stash so hopefully I can make a garment using all natural coloured wools.

Completed houseplant blackwork. I really love this overall design, it’s so sweet!

I’m in end weaving hell. My plan is to get all these ends woven in before crocheting the border.

Here’s a dumb blocking solution for when your floats crinkle the work because your tension was stuffed up by not managing to find a comfortable tip/cable length combo for the garment size.

Completed biscornu with included lavender/camphor laurel sachets for scent. These are slightly larger than my hand, which combined with the included scents makes them perfect as a focal room decoration or used in wardrobes to deter moths (moths hate lavender and camphor).

Once all the plants were done I discovered a booboo - one plant on the right side had been stitched 3 squares too high by accident which threw everything off. I had to restitch a plant & modify the border.

If you’ve ever wondered if swatching is essential, check this out. Both handspun yarns seemed pretty equivalent, however, swatched felt & draped different. Also discovered I was taught as a kid ‘normal’ yarn overs wrong (left photo) - wouldn’t have known this if hadn’t swatched!

WIP of the donwell cable scarf. This is the second time I have attempted cables and I’m finding this cable pattern much more pleasant/simpler to do than the previous cabled scarf I did. The cable repeat is very simple yet it’s creating such a lovely centre honeycomb pattern.

Some more progress on the plant blackwork. I’m really enjoying doing each little motif, it’s very relaxing.

The problem with the size cowl I’m doing is I just couldn’t find a good combination between my needle tips & the commercially available cable lengths which didn’t stretch or compress the work too much. I finally bought shorties to use instead & golly they made the difference!

Recently I welcomed Eris to my horror family. After travelling all the way from Canada, with a pit stop in the USA, she was desperate for a fresh look for her new adventures. So I hit the sewing machine and whipped up a little outfit. 🐈‍⬛ Eris is made by @homemadehorrors

A short while ago I ended up in hospital due to unplanned c-section because my kid decided to do a dramatic debut entrance to the world. Whilst trapped in hospital land, I finished pre-preparing the 32 additional sun motifs, ripped back, & started extending the blanket.

Complete ‘scrappy’ style reversible bibs. I had a lot of fun sewing all my quilting scraps together into a large fabric & selecting offcuts from my stash to construct these.

Completed stack of swaddles (pattern is the Pod Swaddler by Whiletheysleepdesign on etsy). Body of the swaddles made from printed quilting cotton & poplin, whilst the blanket is cotton blend sport mesh to allow for breathability. 🐴 Ambrosia made by @homemadehorrors

Completed ‘Garland Hood’ featuring additional pompom, with matching lace fingerless mitts. Garments were knit using aran/chunky weight spindled handspun in a wool/sari silk neps blend. My lovely model was told to ‘look feminine’ 😂

Made up this cute rattle for my friend. I’m planning to make a different animal for myself later as well.

Decided to use up a bunch of little scraps from way back when I was doing mini quilted things, to make up some bibs for me & a friend. I didn’t realise that the two ginormous pieces of constructed fabric would result in 11 bibs!

Completed vintage bunny tapestry. I’m so chuffed with how this turned out & I have to say that I’m definitely going to be steaming every tapestry I completed from now on! Steaming really helped to even out the stitches and fluff out those stitches that got a little twisted during the make.

Had this itty bitty piece of fleece that I don’t have a use for, so I offered it up to someone for use as a hair-like material for their faux taxidermy art. I combed the washed locks & sewed into lines. I think the resulting product will be pretty effective as ‘hair’!

Did some beading to relax. Made up a bunch of baby dummy clips/teether necklace/teething rings for me & our friend, plus some knitting/crochet markers (some of which I’m keeping).

Making up some pod swaddles for me and a friend. I edited the pattern slightly so the inside blanket has a lapover at the top so you can tuck baby hands into it which prevents potential escapes from the swaddle as they wiggle when asleep.

Started on this sweet little plant themed blackwork. I have 3 different tonal greens & 2 browns so this piece will have a pop of cute colour.

Had some yarn left over so I made a matching pair of fingerless gloves & a pompom for the hood. Just have to wait for everything to dry now.

Well, I’m annoyed. Despite matching the pattern gauge, the resulting blanket is nowhere near the purported 110cm final size even without the bobble border & there’s no way this will increase by 25cm via blocking. Had to work out colour pattern for additional rows.

Working on a balaclava style cowl/hood using some aran/chunky handspun from a few years ago. I really needed a quick knit, palate-cleanser knit & to finally use up this yarn!

Homeward stretch now with just the background left to do. I’m doubtful I’ll have enough green, so I’m planning to stitch top down which will allow for a smoother transition to my spare skeins (which are different dye lot) amongst the plant details, should I need to do that.

Completed ‘Everest Scarf’ in spring green corridale, DK weight handspun. This is the first project I’ve ever done involving cables & I’m so stoked at how lovely it turned out. This is destined to be entered into a competition occurring next year.

Blanket is coming along a pace! Only 2 more rows to go before allthe squares as per pattern are attached. Looking forward to doing the bobble edging.

Blocked the everest scarf made using handspun corridale. I am amazed at how blocking has really made the cable design pop! The two handspun swatches are for the next 2 projects (another different cabled neck scarf & a cowl/hood piece).

Made a comfy, custom cushion for the top of the nursery chest. The inside of the cover is lined with ripstop nylon so the foam insert is protected from spills.

I’m making good progress on this scarf. The first side is now completed & I have to repeat for the second side before grafting both fabrics together.

I’ve been improving my craft room to make my small space more functional & less likely to clutter easily. This custom corner shelf now houses both my rotating spindle stands, inkle loom, my drop spindles, & my floor spindle.

I have been lusting to do the hazy sunshine blanket for ages, so finally splurged on the pattern & yarn kit. The yarn is…weird?…it’s a cotton chainette with blown acrylic colours trapped in the chainette which is ridiculously soft. Regardless, I’m loving how it’s turning out.

A little decorative scarf using some handspun. I’m up to splitting for the keyhole section. This is either destined for the 2026 Royal or will be entered into next years local competition - totally depends on how another keyhole scarf I’m planning next turns out.

Completed newborn/baby jumpsuit. This was such an adorable pattern to make & I’m looking forward to dressing my kid up in this.

I’m making excellent progress on this tapestry. It’s a little over halfway done now!

What started out as an aesthetic decision to frog back the salmon sheep to eliminate the extra white row when the chart repeated, turned into a frustrating foray into repairing multiple issues (random dropped stitch, surprise extra stitch, stitches over stretched around cable).

I’m really surprised at how quickly this newborn sized star jumpsuit has come together. I’m really looking forward to dressing my kid in this.

I will always love how round & plump a 4ply yarn is. These have been plyed and wet finished, so I’m just waiting for the skeins to dry before I can start using them to make a crochet beetroot bag.

My wool threads came in & I’ve started on the bunny tapestry - this is a weeks work, doing a little before/after dinner daily. It’s a vintage tapestry by D’Art which I scored partially completed on ebay. I ripped all the old, musty threads off to start fresh with new wool.

A little video of spinning up the singles for the chunky green yarn. Wheel is a Daedalus Starling.

Bought a hand steamer to try out steam blocking. This shawl was the perfect experiment as I didn’t want to compromise the softness of the cotton yarn by wet blocking.

A colleague has asked me to represent her local group in next years local agriculture festival competition, as they don’t have anyone who does fibre arts. I’m prepping this merino to match a yarn I made last year. It’ll be the leaves of a crochet beetroot bag.

A weeks worth of progress on the simple ‘quick win’ shawl. I’m loving how the colours gradient is coming out of this skein, it’s very satisfying.

Finally finished measuring all these skeins & had some nice weather to photograph. All of these are completed from the start of the year with some skeins destined as gifts, some for small projects, and some were just for the fun of the fibre.

Start of another shawl, this time using Hobbii’s Sultan Deluxe brand cotton yarn in the Cactus colourway. This cotton yarn is so soft & the colour transitions are lovely. The pattern is a free hobbii pattern, so really quick, easy, and (importantly) mindless.

I need to make around $1400 to get me through the month. Sales have been very bad. I hope for things to pick up for Pride Month, but for now, I really need money. Please consider purchasing from my shop, joining my collectors club, getting a commission or making a donation. lnk.bio/verdantsculpts

Finally finished this piece. It’s the Genmaicha Tea Shawl pattern by RedTeapotAtelier, completed in a thread stranded Hobbii limited edition Black Friday cake colourway. I’m so enamoured by the beautiful ombre (reminiscent of my wedding dress!) & the colour block lengths to size match perfectly.

I’ve been travelling around Aotearoa (New Zealand) with family & I took some crochet along. Here we were on the Coastal Pacific train going down the south island.