Two more projects completed...

Well, I didn't expect it to be going this well at this early stage, but I have another couple of projects finished from my 50 Things Challenge list.

I've been wanting to create a slightly larger hairclip (& something other than the Daisy clips I sell on Etsy already) for a while now. I love wild roses, so I thought I might have a go at making something reminiscent of a dog rose (isn't that a terrible name?!). I've used some pink and white wool-rich felt to call to mind the petals and yellow and orange embroidery thread for the stamens in the centre. The stitching is put on pretty randomly - it's not very tidy in nature after all (it's a good excuse)... I like them a lot - although they look a bit foolish on me, and I don't really do pink, so I might well make myself some red poppy clips at some stage. More stuff for me!

When it comes to size however, the clips don't come anywhere close to the tweedy corsage I've also finished. It's grey & black and therefore much more my kind of thing. It's also pretty huge and certainly a statement. I think it would look fantastic on a big winter coat. Anyhow, I wont go into too much detail now because I want to blog on it tomorrow - the photos really don't go with the pretty pink wild roses.

More hair stuff... working on ideas for the shop

This is really experimenting with stuff that I might or might not sell in the shop. I have lots & lots of gorgeous 100% wool felt to use and thought these clips might make a good thing to sell as ready made items & as kits. I am very pleased with these - I didn't have any yellow embroidery thread so thought I might try the orange instead. I actually think it looks great - bringing out the depth in the yellow and I love the contrast it makes with the absolutely fantastic green colour of the clip cover. Anyway, here they are:



The only thing I find difficult about them is that it is so hard to cut small bits of felt very accurately. It takes a lot of patience which is something is not a specialist subject of mine!

I am also working on some tote bags with some furnishing fabrics I got reduced at John Lewis. I am very pleased with the colours & they way they co-ordinate - especially as it was pretty much dependent on what I found in the remnant bin. The other ongoing project I am working on is some large drawstring bags (pump bags we used to call them at school) which I want to use for storing son of my sons' toys. They have lots & lots of little bitty things (they have phases of being absolutely fanatical about jigsaws & they love Playmobil) so it would be very good to find a better way to store them rather than all jumbled up a various boxes. If they work out well I am sure that I will probably think about doing them for the shop too - maybe with some applique felt decoration - can't keep me away from felt at the moment!

I spent some time this morning chopping off the front of lots of Xmas cards that we seem to have been saving for the last 4 years! I am trying to be organised about recycling them as decorations/Xmas cards/gift tags... terrifyingly organised for me in fact. We are going to take this years cards and decorations down in a minute. Sad it's all over for another year.

Crocheting... here's my first ever pattern!! And some business news...

I have made myself a hair tie which I guess some people would call a scrunchy, but I wont because I bloomin' hate that word... It just brings back awful memories of the 80s, spiral perms & hoooooge quantities of hairspray. Yikes.

Anyway, I have long hair for the first time since I was about 6 and so am always looking for bits & bobs to tie it back. Put that together with my enthusiasm for crocheting circular things (so much easier than straight lines!!!) and it seemed obvious to create myself something a little more attractive than our postman's 'generously donated' (i.e. chucked on the garden path) elastic bands.

Here's a pic of what I came up with:


It's not a great picture but I really want to do this post now so it will have to do for now!

The pattern:
(Using British crocheting stitches rather than American)
Take elastic band or other stretchy circular thing of your choice and some yarn and a hook of your choice - this is a very flexible pattern...

Round 1:
Use a reef knot to create the 1st stitch on your hook then use the elastic band as if it were a chained circle and create a circle of double crochet (dc). Keep pushing the dc stitches together to get as many stitches as possible on there, so that when the band stretches it wont look too gappy. When you have squeezed on as many dc stitches as possible join the round with a slip stitch.

Round 2:
Chain 2, then make your 1st stitch in the 3rd stitch away from your hook. Now treble crochet twice into each dc that you made in the 1st round. Join the round with a slip stitch.

Weave in the ends and taadaaa! You're done.


This is one of the ideas that I have been working on since Christmas for our shop. Obviously, since we were selling Xmas decs things have come to a full stop with people making purchases and so we have had lots of times to think & develop our ideas for how things are going to go forward. I would very much like to open an Etsy shop and stock it with things produced by me, dh (and possibly other people too) and also kits too. Using Ebay was good as a temporary measure but I don't think people necessarily come to it for the sort of stuff that we want to sell. I've got lots of ideas for simple stuff to put in the shop - tote bags, drawstring bags, blankies, hairclips and hair bands, bibs, card toppers (using S's lino cuts), maybe my girly felt bags too. It's very exciting but it does mean we have an AWFUL lot of work to do.