Monday 24 January 2011

Girl Bands




Here are some update pictures of the decorated girl's hair bands I recently threw together using oddments of yarn.  I'm quite pleased with them, they were so easy to make and quick too.  They were made with some very easy crocheted flowers which I then attached to a crocheted cover that I run over a plain cheap plastic headband. 
I've done some with a flurry of daisies, then some with just one flower.  Some have beads added to the 'stamens' and on one I added a simple row of chains with the tiniest piece of wool leftover to create a vine adding a few beads as I attached to the main band. 


I then made a larger corsage flower, after a couple of attempts I was happy with it.  This one seemed to be even more appealing to the girls.  Tillyflop said she would like it just on it's own without the covered band.

Variations....................




 You get the idea..!

Honeybee and Tillyflop were so pleased with the corsage it ended up being used as a corsage to be worn on a boyfriend cardigan and then being added to a floppy slouch bag with floral ribbon.  

LB



Monday 10 January 2011

A pocket full of posies.

Following my recent spurge of spring cleaning, I’m tackling one clutter zone after another.  First was my cutlery drawers, then the black hole that is our coat/hat/scarf wall in the hall, next my ottoman in our bedroom and now I’m braving my wool stash.  No-one can actually see the stash as I quite shamefully pile it behind an armchair which sits in the corner of the lounge.  

As anyone with a bungalow will tell you, storage cupboards and storage space is of short supply and I’m constantly battling to find hideaway places to store things, so it’s no surprise that I squirrel away all my yarn in this unconventional place.  

Although I am a little ruthless when it comes to keeping things… I hate clutter… the one exception to my frequent clearouts is my wool stash, I simply can’t get rid of any of it.


Some of the wool I’ve had for years, some of it I dare say I’ll have for many more years yet despite how much or how useful any of it may be, I keep it all.  Truth be told I have much more stashed in my loft space which is made up of mainly mohair and ribbon wool from the 1980s, the various bags of bits in my stash are what I consider to be either fairly recent or wool I can’t bear to banish to the loft space.  Much like my time tidying the cutlery drawers I enjoyed going through the various bags and it was almost like Christmas again for me, finding yarn I forgot I bought. 

I completely forgot about the few balls of Rowan that I couldn’t leave in John Lewis which was on sale.  I think I had this earmarked for a tank top for the little man but now have different plans.

Lovely hubby surprised me with a camel cape I’d been eyeballing on retro-to-go which is crying out for a matching scarf of sorts.  I’ve been working on a design for a tartan inspired scarf/wrap, so think the little man can live without yet another tank top and the Rowan can be put to better use, update pictures to follow. 

Planned a good six months worth of knitting/crochet from the rest of the stash but annoyed at the amount of oddments I have left which once again I can’t stomach to throw away.  

Some are less than 5 metres but I can’t help but think they will come in handy at some point.  After sitting with a massive bucket of coffee later I come up with a way of using them.  Credit where it is due, the idea came to me from my little man who was pottering about whilst insisting on wearing one of the girls headbands, something that none of us are very happy about not least because he constantly snaps them. Headbands! 

Messing about with some of the bits, I cobbled together some flowers to cover a standard plastic headband which can then be adorned with lovelies.  


It’s a work in progress and I think I may try a couple more incarnations, the possibilities are endless!   Want to try some with bows, some with buttons and maybe a 'woodland' theme with cute little ladybirds or acorns.
 
 
To my amazement, both girls like them.  I expected my youngest girlie 

I’ll post some more pictures when perfected and if I can work out how to get them on this blog (I am new to this)














LB

Tuesday 4 January 2011

Does anyone actually Spring Clean in Spring?


Following a rather sickly and messy Christmas I particularly enjoyed my annual enthusiasm to start afresh in 2011 and have a Spring Clean before the New Year began.  It’s something I always do towards the end of December each year, some years I make more of an effort than others and as far as December 2010 went, a minimal effort was made, but made nonetheless.
It’s quite amazing and also a little pathetic how much satisfaction I felt after cleaning out and rearranging my cutlery drawers.  Finding once again the little gadgets and gizmos I’ve accumulated over the year, the clever little garnish widget from Lakeland rediscovered and now placed in full view in the top drawer because this year I really will use it!
I’m sure I’m not the only woman who has at least one drawer in her kitchen which seems to accumulate all manner of miscellaneous items through the year, and despite it clearly being a job I don’t do often (hence the two bottom drawers jamming by mid October) once I start to empty all the drawers and sift through the piles of bits I enjoy it.  Little reminders of the nearly finished year are brought to mind; the mass of pink and blue candles from birthday cakes, the St George flags from the World Cup BBQ and the variety of seasonal cookie cutters I haven’t been able to resist from Valentine’s day, Easter, Halloween and of course yet more Christmas ones.  All bringing back happy memories and making me smile.

Once done I whizzed each drawer open with ease and looked over my highly organised bits and bats all good to go for 2011, sadly I don’t think my better half or Mother felt as much excitement as I proudly displayed my work to them but I certainly felt upbeat, fresh and that a good start had been made.
With this renewed energy I thought a New Year was as good a time as any to start something new, a blog perhaps?  Although a little embarrassed at being what seems the last person in the world to have a blog, I start.  So Happy 2011 to anyone who may stubble across my ramblings and I hope your year has started well.
LB

Jackbit - BBQ Pulled Pork

Every now and then Sainsbury's will have an offer on shoulder pork which isn’t my favourite cut but is great to buy at the right pr...