The Crochet Coral Reef installation is over and has been taken down…  good news is it is not over!  Glenys is keeping our Seagardens Aotearoa project alive. 

This is one of the pieces I have been working on for Desire Lines, a group exhibition happening in July this year.  Actually I’ve been quite frantic and distracted by the Crochet Coral Reef Project happening at the Auckland Museum as well, so these little babies have been on the sideline, but serendipitously both projects work really well together and I want to make even more weird crochet forms!

For Desire Lines I have been thinking a lot about how we humans mess with our environment and the possible ramifications of our destructive behaviour.  This was highlighted by the recent  toxic sea slug scare in 2009 after a few dogs died apparently after eating the little slugs on beaches around Auckland Habour, these sea slugs now are possibly an ever-present danger! Not that anyone wants to be panicking about it all.

This news of toxic sea slugs reminded me of John Wyndham’s novel, The Kraken Wakes, (here’s a good review by another reader..) one of my favourite reads.  The deep sea trenches are colonised by aliens, aggression between ourselves and the aliens ensues resulting in catastrophic environmental changes, remarkably similar to what we are experiencing due to global warming and the damage we are doing to the marine environment.

So little is known about the deeps and the creatures that inhabit them, yet we continue to overfish and degrade the oceans.  Perhaps it is no surprise that there may be creatures that can be a threat to ourselves and our enjoyment of the marine environment?  Or perhaps after thoughtlessly dumping toxic, and even nuclear waste in the oceans, the sea itself or the animals that inhabit them are now becoming more toxic to our own life?

A bit low res, but here is a photo of the Crochet Coral Reef at the Auckland Museum.  The exhibition will close on the 16th of May so you have a few more weeks to contribute and go and visit, also entry is free until the end of May this year for lucky Aucklanders.

Here are a few photos of the new pieces I have completed…

I’m just so excited about this one, the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef project is at Auckland Museum right now!  This afternoon I dropped in to do some work with the lovely ladies busily hooking away and spreading the stitchy love.  I brought in with me the little one above, I had finished it off today and couldn’t wait to see how the project was growing.

So if you are even slightly crafty and nerdy, or into maths or art, or craftsy community projects, or the environment and ecology (that should actually be all of you) best you get yourself along to the Auckland Museum over the next few weeks to have a look at the crochet coral reef that is growing on a wall in the oceans gallery.  Better yet, take your crochet hook and some fibre and get making!

For a really good clip about this international project (and a much better explanation about the mathematics behind the hyperbolic plane than I can give you!) go to this TED talk.

Luna’s Lorax was spotted trying to protect a stump in the garden, alas he was too late for this one…

Soon we will be planting out our annual garlic patch, in the meantime the vege garden beds are a bit over grown, but the herbs are doing well.

Calendulas are popping up everywhere, and the rhubarb and comfrey is springing back to life.

The red kale is looking lovely, so good for a salad!

The front herb garden is looking quiet, with the purple sage, angelica and occasional pansies doing well in spite of the chilly and more shady winter months.

Sue Pickernell did a beautiful job of installing The View From Here at the Reclaim to Fame exhibition last week – here are some photos.  If you’re on Waiheke this month do visit the gallery, the exhibition theme was around the idea of our footprint, and all work submitted needed to be at least 80% reclaimed material.

The View From Here is made entirely from Foodtown plastic bags, and yes, it took months and no I did not count the number of bags I used…

With the last issue of World Sweet World came a recipe for cold cream, it can be used as a cleanser, moisturiser, and an all over body butter.

The woman who supplied the recipe is Rachel Fabish, and I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if I noted it here, I’m also very keen to make my own beauty products and save on packaging and all those additives.

So here are some photos of the process, unfortunatley Luna woke the moment I reached the ‘move the mix off the heat and continue mixing until it thinkens’ stage – so I think it is not quite as smooth as it may have been.  Also, the rose water has started to separate slightly, and I’ll be interested to see if that maybe as a result of the interruption too – as I will be making it again – such a nice idea for a gift!

So here’s the ingredient list:

6 Tablespoons olive oil

28 gms bees wax (or 1 Tablespoon candelilla flakes) for my first batch I used bees wax as I was unable to source an alternative..

2 Tablespoons Rose water

Essential oil (I had lavender at hand)

Put the olive oil and wax in a glass jar in a pot of hot water and heat gently until the wax has just melted..

Next, warm the rose water, remove jar from heat and slowly add the rose water to the mix, this is when Luna woke up… so I had to stop and get back to it..  I stood the jar in a dish of cold water to speed it up, and added the lavender oil.  Very quickly it thickened, and also began to separate slightly, it is still very nice to use, although a tad heavier than the facial moisturisers I have been using.

Rob bought me a copy of issue #2 of World Sweet World magazine at the last Craftwerk we went to – and it’s great!  I love it so much I have even subscribed, and for $30 a year who can complain?

World Sweet World is all about sustainability and creativity, two of my favourite things.  Issues profile crafters and artists, and other clever people making a positive contribution to our world, they even share some of their crafty ideas so you can make some fun stuff you can use or give as gifts.

As a craftster, it has been very inspiring for me, especially as I have a wee baby, not so wee any more, but she does keep me busy.  In the latest issue there are some interviews with other craftsters, also mums, who manage to get busy making their work while caring for their children… if they can do it so can I!  And the dishes will stay stacked beside the bench while I sew…  ah, bliss.

The recipes are also inspiring and easy to make, thanks to the easy bread recipe (issue #3) by Jo Sweeney a clever lass living and working Raglan making ladies accessories.  And the delicious walnut slice (issue #2) by contributed by Anna Ridley has been a great quick bake for unexpected visitors…  anyhow, I’ll be ordering a copy of the first issue, and I can’t wait!

So go on check them out, maybe at the next good crafty event, or just visit their website:

World Sweet World