Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Birds I've met recently

I've found out why I keep hearing birds chirping at all hours of the day and night. One of my neighbours in the next block keeps some cute little finches or such. Here they are out for some sunshine and fresh air.  

 I keep trying to get a good clear closeup picture of these Intermediate Egrets but I only ever see them when I'm travelling to work or coming home from work in the car. They are strange and graceful birds in their own way with long long legs and necks. They are all white but get dirty brown heads from poking their heads into the mud to get breakfast. They look quite funny in flight as their legs and wings and necks all look too long for them!

 This is Miss Pigeon. She is a young pigeon who lives near a cafe I like to go to (she still has her brown baby eyes). She has the most amazing collection of feather colours I've ever seen on a pigeon.

 A pigeon tree aka lots of pigeons on a lamp post. The pigeons like to hang out on the lamp posts in the morning, surveying traffic and grooming themselves. Every so often a squadron of them flies off to do a circuit of the neighbourhood. I like to think of the pigeons watching over us and making sure we are safe.

A woodpecker standing on a tree trunk. This one was mostly black and white coloured and had a little crest on his head. He was very busy and didn't stop to let me take a good photo. Looks kinda like a Heart Spotted Woodpecker though I'm not sure if these can be found in Singapore.

In other bird news, there are pigeons nesting somewhere near my apartment. I hear them cooing in the morning and evening. Such a sweet lovely sound!

March Making

I thought I'd share some things I've made recently. Though I've been sick, when I've had the energy I've been making all sorts of things.

 I've been busy making baby vests. I'm stockpiling them in case there is an onslaught of babies soon.


 Actually I just really like making them as they are quick to make and I get to play with colours and stripes. My jogless stripe knitting in the round is getting pretty good now.

 I made a bag out of two remnants I picked up in the fabric store in Montreal. Total cost for this bag is CDN $2.00 plus some black thread. The outside is a crunchy sort of vinyl and the inside is a lovely cotton.


 I like the lining as it gives some excitement to what is otherwise a very plain bag. I'm considering turning up the edge of the front flap so that the lining shows a bit to make the bag less plain.


 The nice thing about making your own bags is you can decide exactly how long the shoulder strap should be. 


 I tried making a crocheted shoulder bag before I attempted the sewn one but a few days into it I realised that I didn't like it. I'm going to undo it and try again.

 I made a tunic top from the Japanese book 'Drape Drape 3'. The pattern is very simple - just two pieces and has a really nice drape to it. The lace has a slight stretch and is slippery so I had to sew the front and back pieces and the neckline by hand first as I couldn't pin it. I then zig zag stitched it together with a jersey needle on the sewing machine.

 I assure you it looks less like a Kaftan when worn on a human. Its actually quite stylish.


 This dress I made from a jersey knit pillowcase (for an extra long pillow) from Muji. The dress is just a simple rectangle and I unpicked along the seams for armholes and a head-hole. I then reinforced the edges where I had unpicked by handsewing some stay stitches. I left the neckline and armholes unfinished.


I wear it with tights and a belt. I like stripes!