Suffolk puff ball necklace

I was recently wasting time mooching through Pinterest and I came across this link

suffolk puff necklace
Definitely pick my interest, especially as I had a box of Suffolk puffs I had made a couple of years ago, I had made a blue and white necklace/scarf with them which I really like but was a little fragile.

Basically I just had to undo them, stuff them and do them up again,
a good sitting in front of the telly job.
But just one long string as in the link wasnt going to work for me.
I suit shorter necklaces up round my collar bones,
other curvy ladies will know where I am coming from....
So I added a couple of beads at each end and knotted it.
neeeahhh, not sure.

So off came the beads and the ends sewn together, and amazingly it was the perfect length.

ta da!

Love these colours and the size of it, think I will be wearing it a lot this summer

Though I must not leave it on the bed, or I will loose it!

Perfectly camouflaged.

You can see they both came from the same fabric stash.

Actually used some of the original Suffolk puffs to secure my quilt.

Really pleased with how they both turned out.

The fight against plastic, part one

Over the last 8 months or so, we have all become so much more aware 

about trying to reduce our use of plastic. 

We are trying too to do our part. So far I have swapped to a bamboo toothbrush, we use shampoo bars, toweling pad for removing make up rather than cotton wool and we have always washed and re used small plastic food bags and tin foil.  

Then on the internet the other week

 I saw that the washing up sponges that we all use are another no-no, 

they are are a disposable plastic item that cant be recycled.

Then I was browsing on-line and came across a great knitting site Yarn Yarn 

Gorgeous silk sari ribbon and peace silk are on my wish list, but it was the hemp yarn that pulled me in, it was being advertised for making your own exfoliating mits. 

I thought that it also might work for a stronger dish cloth, almost a scourer?

Well hemp is interesting to knit with!  

You will end up with very soft hands, and when its just a small square, its very possible.

Well am very pleased with how it turned out, and it does work, though my husband says when it is wet it looks like a drowned rat!!!!

The best thing as it is a natural fibre it can be easily washed and when it is too far gone it can go in the compost bin and help the veg patch!  (Did you know that's what they used to do with very old and grubby rag rugs? ) And then I can just knit us another....

So tiny, so perfect

I was in London over Christmas and was able to visit Loop up by Angel tube station. What an amazing wool shop, stunning yarns in silk, wool, linen, cashmere etc. Also some gorgeous scarves and necklaces by Sophie Digard, i love her work so much, they aren't cheap and they shouldn't be, but one day, one day.

I got to the till, was getting some beautiful silk for a summer scarf. When i saw these tiny boxes. Their contents I totally feel in love with.

Tiny, tiny scissors! They are perfect, and work really well. I couldn't leave them, well we all need to buy our selves a Christmas present dont we!

at last, after four years........

As some of you may remember back in 2015 I started a big project, it had actually been the Christmas 2014 when I started the first square.  Well Christmas(ish) 2018 I have finished it!

The whole thing is handsewn, 

 had tried years ago to do some patchwork by machine, 

but I didnt feel I had enough control.

I am so pleased with the finished quilt, I love the colours and the look.

With hindsight it maybe be it was too big a project for a beginner, but I stuck with it.

The only problem is I feel with such a busy bedspread we should have plain curtain at the windows.  But that will be have to be a job for another time.

so much love in those sawdust hearts

You may remember that back in July I submitted a sawdust heart to WW1 heart project , well last Monday we were up in Yorkshire visiting Ollie, and we were able to go over to Scarborough to see the exhibition. It is on till the end of November and if you are in the area I definitely recommend it. My husband came to support me in a project I had been involved with and he really was moved and very impressed. This is the Link.  The heart above is one of the originals from the Great War and this was the one that inspired Helen Birmingham to start this project.

She made 1,568 sawdust hearts - one for each day of WW1.

Nearly all were returned by crafters all over the British Isles, 

and they were displayed in groups of 25.

What was amazing was how different they all were, as well as how moving they were.

From the traditional....

....to impressive embroidered boats

patriotism from north of the boarder

raw resent memories

simple images from children

complex works of beading

my favourite!

family tragedy

stunning embroidery and design

one to attempt to read later...

and Chris found mine first, I walked past it twice....no excuse...a bit embarrassing

Very proud to be the most southerly pin on this map of British crafters!