Oh the cute!

Lui and I have a cute new book to share with you today. Yes, you read the title right, it's called Crafting With Cat Hair. Yes, that does mean you use your kitty's excess fluff to make cute little things. Don't shave your cat though - the book's author expressly cautions against it.

The first project you can make is a cat hair finger puppet! Customise it using your cat's own colours of fur! I do think this is super cute, and I'd like to make a little mini Lui. Probably I would just use shop bought wool roving, since Lui's lovely black and shining white fur combines to a not very attractive grey mass.

Step by step instructions are included for collecting cat hair. My favourite is this: "Even if you usually forgive your cat for scratching you, you should still do your best not to get scratched in the first place." Good advice.

This book is translated from Japanese. Japanese craft books are the best! They have nice projects, cute turns of phrase, and beautiful photographs.

And at the back of the book are bios of all the kitties who contributed their hair for the projects!

Don't you think you should go and order this book right now?

On my reading table

Dreamhunter and Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox

This gorgeously written "duet" by NZ author Elizabeth Knox deserves to be more widely known. It tells the story of the Place, a sort of no-man's-land where dreams can literally be caught as if catching a cold. Only dreamhunters can cross the border into the Place. There they camp, sleep, and if they are lucky and sleeping on the right spot, they will catch a wonderful (or frightening) dream. Once loaded with a dream, the dreamhunter will "perform" the dream nightly at one of the opulent dream palaces - these are where the rich and fabulous members of society go, clad in silk pyjamas and fashionable nightgowns, to retire to their private suites and be swept away in a dream not of their own making. Dreamhunters can become wealthy and famous, but they are also held in a superstitious awe, since not everyone can or wants to be able to enter the Place.

Cousins Laura and Rose come from the most famous dreamhunting family, and are awaiting their Try to discover if they have the ability to enter the Place. Set in a sort of alternate Edwardian era, the girls also attend school at Founderston Girls Academy, prepare for balls and have tea and cream cakes at Farry's Confectioners. The writing is lush and descriptive, and the story is intelligent and complex. It has some interesting twists and turns, but everything fits in somehow, somewhere. I've read this duet several times now for the beautiful visuals and the wonderful characters who now feel like old friends.

Good books.