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. 

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.

I have a few new sea horses on the go at the moment, stalled unfortunately by the sewing machine needing a serious service.  But that’s all sorted, just some problems with tension it seems and it came back to me all shiny and clean, LOVELY to sew with now.  It even came home with a little stitch swatch thingy to show just how clever it is…

How cute is this flyer??

Crafternoon Tea is coming up again so put it in your dairies and get yourself along…

Saturday 16th January 2010, from 10am-3pm at the Holy Trinity Church, cnr. of Sandringham and New North Roads in Kingsland.

We all went along to the New Zealand Carnivorous Plant Society annual show last weekend and it was cool.  Rob took a few photos of the display plants and I took home the deadly sundew above, it is a Drosera binata, it is a native, and is so beautiful.

I was really keen to see some native carnivorous plants, and to bring one home was great!  They had some healthy pitcher plants, and other sundews and of course impressive venus fly traps, plenty up for sale and the growers had so much knowledge to share.  I will be at the next one for sure.

So elegant!

A few weeks ago we went to Kelly Tarltons, it was fun, the stingrays were amazing!  But I felt pretty bad for the penguins, such a small and indoor space for them, at seemed grim really.

But the smaller tanks with seahorses, eels and other smaller fish were cool, these were the most memorable tanks to explore when I was a kid, almost like real rock pools.  Above is a photo of a mermaid’s purse, the name given to the egg case of a skate, ray or small shark, I was so excited having only seen photos and dried ones from other people’s collections.  The cases are usually found tangled in seaweed washed up on the beach and it is so named as the oval case has a loops somewhat like handles on either end, that entangle the egg case in seaweed so it stays put. The one in the photo still contained the embryo, which amazingly was moving around, so cool!

This is so exciting!  Wellington Creative is bringing the documentary Handmade Nation to New Zealand for three screening sessions, two in Wellington and only one here in Auckland at the Academy Cinema – so get there!

Mermaid’s Purse will be there with a wee stall of a select few items hand picked especially for film goers, visit the website (above) for the trailer and more info about the film and we might see you at the Academy on Tuesday the 4th of August at 6.30pm.

Auckland miniatures club put on a weekend display out in Ellersie, here are some photos of my favourites…

So cool!  This was actually in a small suitcase a beautiful dining car on the Orient Express.

If you like this then here are the details for the North Shore Club:

North Shore Miniatures Club Miniature & Furniture Display & Sale

Venue. Albany Village Hall
Address. cnr Library Lane & Main Albany Highway
When. Saturday, 18 Aug 2007 to Sunday, 19 Aug 2007
Phone. -
Contact. Debbie Lovelock
Email. debbie.lovelock@clear.net.nz
Type. Community
Details. Among the highlights will be a Tree house based on ‘Crabapple Cottage, a Magnificent French Folly, an eight foot square medieval castle, a replica of ‘Queen’s Head’, a working Flour mill, the club’s latest creations as well as some old favourites. Sales tables will include overseas items offered by dealers and club members’ works
Schedule Information. 10am-4pm
Pricing Information. Ad $5, Snr $3, Ch $1

More old school…