Tsundoku and slow stitching

I learnt a new word today/ Tsundoku. Apparently it's when you buy lots of books and pile 'em up with the intention that one day you'll get around to reading them. Yup, I know that feeling. I've books that've been patiently waiting their turn for ages, while others get consumed straightaway. I'm currently reading and really enjoying a bit of magical realism. 'The Thief on the Winged Horse' by Kate Mascarenhas.

Sometimes stories based around magical realism can be way too cutesy and 'ooh, look at me, aren't I quirky?!' but this author's judged the tone just right.

I spent some of this morning packaging up sari/boho style fabric for my Etsy shop - link here - then felt at a loose end. I wanted to do something crafty, but couldn't settle and get stuck into any one particular thing. I took a second look at this fabric postcard which I wasn't totally satisfied with, so I pulled the cardboard off the back and added some detail.

I'm still not 100% happy with it, but it's better than it was. I think I'll just send it to someone as a postcard and then I don't have to see it anymore! Yesterday evening I also added more stitching to this slow stitched piece.

Finally, here's the blue fabric postcard I completed yesterday, and the first I'm entirely happy with.

The silk was beautiful to stitch into, and I wish I'd more of the batik. If I was ever lucky enough to come into money - not that I ever play the Lottery or have rich relatives about to pop their clogs and leave me a massive inheritance - I wouldn't waste the cash on a flashy car or a top-of-the-range designer kitchen. I'd buy fabric. A whole roomful of it. Silk and batik and Kaffe Fassett and Liberty Tana Lawn, Anna Maria Horner and all the other material I covet. I'd hoard Chinese brocade and Indian block prints. Oh, and wool. Mohair, angora, Rowan kid silk, nubbly tweedy yarns, handspun yarn in sumptuous colours.

Oh well, we can all dream, can't we?

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Taking a blog break ...

Hello! And goodbye, at least for now. The blog's on hold for a little while as I'm easing myself into 2026 gradually. I'm still stitching and reading and enjoying life with Badger the cat. Even though he treats my sofa like a giant scratching post!

Badger!

Here's Badger, looking like the little cutie-pie he is. He's settled in so well, is absurdly affectionate and eats anything and everything I put in his food bowl. The only fault I can find is that he likes to sharpen his claws on the side of my sofa. This is despite having two scratching posts, one of which is part of a cat tower that's taller than I am! I may have to try trimming his claws, but I don't know how Badger will react to that. Anyway, expect to see more photos of him, so sorry in advance for any of you who aren't feline fans. Apart from gazing in admiration at the cat I've continued to experiment with embroidery. I really can't decide whether this mainly pink piece of stitching is something I like or just a dog's dinner of a mess. This is another embroidery I've been stitching. Frankly, at the moment it looks like it should be lobbed straight into the bin. I'd painted with a mix of watercolour pa...

Final post for 2025 (I think. I mean, unless anything amazingly wonderful happens that I can't keep to myself any longer ...)

The days are marching by at record speed, and I've finally - possibly - bought all the presents I need to buy and written all the Christmas cards I need to send. I decided not to put up a full-sized tree this year as I'm convinced Badger the cat would simply view it as a climbing frame, and I'd find it toppled on a daily basis. Instead, there's a small green tree, and a simple white twiggy one that has lots of vintage baubles dangling from it. To be honest, I prefer the twiggy one, so the green tree might be permanently retired from now on. I've not gone crazy with the decorations, but there are various strings of fairy lights that look so pretty when they're lit. I have - between internet shopping and baking mince pies - made a little fishy pin cushion, decorated with seed stitches, French knots, chain stitch and stem stitch. I'm on the look-out for grey tweedy material to make another fish as I think that'd look better than plain ...

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