frustration

the posting has not been regular as I wished, the move has gone as smoothly as is realistic to expect. I am currently in Christchurch - where my eldest daughter is studying, I am enjoying the quiet time walking in the beatiful parks around the Avon River, the weather has been gorgeous and the atmosphere conducive to the design process, my head is full of ideas - now I just have to get them onto paper.

I had news today that our wireless router has arrived and is at the courier depot, so will be ready for me when I get home, all that is left is to get the broadband actually connected, which is apparently a formality...we'll see!

Today I visited the local craft store and purchased organic plant material, so that I can experiment with dyeing the organic merino yarn, I'm looking for colourfast, even coverage and an elegant palette. I don't want to use poisonous metal salts to fix the colours, so will have to keep careful records and put the samples through some punishing laundering. Commercial dyes often use a lot of dangerous chemicals which can end up in the environment, I agree that babies look gorgeous in bright colours, but there is an element of subtlety and sophistication to plant dyes, which adds a new dimension to the preciousness of heirloom garments.