Anyone can learn to make a plaited kete, one of the oldest and most popular of Maori art forms, from the leaves of New Zealand flax (phormium tenax). Te Mahi Kete gives detailed, step-by-step instructions, illustrated with numerous line drawings and black-and-white photographs, for preparing the flax and plaiting two simple types of kete. It also shows variations in technique for starting and finishing, making the handles and incorporating a decorative pattern.

SELF - SUFFICIENCY

There are several different methods of preserving fruits and vegetables and all give delicious results.

Jams, jellies, fruit butters and curds, bottled fruits, chutneys, pickles and salted vegetables are all practical and economical ways to preserve seasonal produce.

And you don't need a load of kitchen gadgets and equipment to get started: a heavy-based pan, a funnel, a sugar thermometer and a selection of glass storage jars are all you need!

Most fruits and vegetables can be used for preserving, and what better and more satisfying way to use up home-grown or local produce than to puree, pickle, bottle or salt it and consume it throughout the year!

Ingredients, popular fruits and vegetables, sugars, cooking techniques, along with storage information and helpful hints and tips followed by 60 delicious recipes make this book your one-stop guide to successful preserving.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY: Carol Wilson is a food writer, cookery consultant and member of the Guild of Food Writers. She writes for a number of food publications both in the UK and the US and has written several cookbooks as well as appeared on TV cookery programmes.

SELF-SUFFICIENCY

With the textile industry able to make cloth more quickly and cheaply than ever before, why make your own?

The answer is simple: nothing could be more different and unique than hand-made textiles.

Weaving your own textiles for use in clothing or furnishings is a rewarding and satisfying activity - with the added benefit of knowing that the whole process can be done just as well by hand, using almost no energy but your own!

This book looks at where different fibres come from, how to grow and harvest your own vegetable fibres, and how to prepare them for spinning.

The principles of spindle and spinning wheel spinning are covered, along with home dyeing using natural dyestuffs, and hand weaving with or without a loom.

Finally, there are a number of simple projects, such as a rug, shoulder bag, bed cover, and jumper and mitts to put your newly learnt skills to the test.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY: Penny Walsh teaches and researches traditional techniques of dyeing and spinning, adapting them in the light of contemporary advances whilst retaining the quality of colour and texture.

She uses as ecologically sound ingredients as possible and renewable sources, and endeavours to source animal fibres from breeds that are becoming rare because they are not commercial.

Over 50 full colour photos present intricate pendant designs hand-crafted from New Zealand Paua Shell accompanied by practical advice on the equipment and methods required to hand-craft objects made from this beautiful, naturally-occurring material. The author dips into a rich store of Maori symbology and traditional iconography, touching on the significance of designs such as dolphins, whales and whale flukes, cats and dogs, other native animals, the koru, the silver fern, fish-hooks, circles and some astrological and religious signs. Interesting information on the biology of several paua species, differing shell grades, restrictions on collecting and the traditional use of paua shell complement valuable advice on conceptual designs for pendants and jewellery, working with hand-tools and power-tools, vital safety issues, buying and selling paua and New Zealand paua shell suppliers.