I did make this on Sunday evening though - not sure quite how long it took and I don't think I will bother to make its partner!
I used the cut off sleeves of one of my daughter's sweaters left here for me to take to the charity shop but of course being a sleeve it got wider towards the finger end and although I did compensate in some way for this by taking it in a bit along the seam it is still too wide at that end and I think my blanket stitch has stretched it further - no gold stars there then!
I spent last evening with my crochet hook as I had an idea to make another necklace but using lots of motifs in different colours - failed again as I didn't have the colours I would have wished and am determined not to go out and buy any more yarns - my stash is big enough as it is. Why is it that however many buttons/hanks of wool/pieces of material one has there never seems to be quite what one is looking for amongst it. Wouldn't it be great if we could get together over a coffee and exchange our bits and pieces - someone else's scraps always being more exciting than one's own!
This is my next project - some lovely leather pieces. We have Pittards leather factory here in our town and their shop is full of lovely leather things and tables laid out with skins and smaller pieces of beautiful leathers for sale quite cheaply. I want to make a bag from these as I love their colours together. Watch this space!
My other project progresses slowly. We spent much of Sunday out in the garden and have cleared a small area which we think will do to start off with and now have to finish digging it over and adding compost as well as laying the paving stones to make a larger area for a bench.
Having woodland on our boundary is lovely but the weeds and brambles do come through to our side of the fence of course so much of the afternoon was spent trying to hack our way along the outside of the fence pulling away the weeds and brambles as well as cutting back our rosa rugosa bushes which are in danger of taking over too! Will that count as creativity I wonder as if so I am in credit for my 20 minutes!!
Really love your leather peices. How lucky are you to have such a fab suply so close. Good luck with the bag. Please show and tell once it's done. I'm sure craeting a garden counts in your 20 minuters. Look forward to seeing it full of flowers/veg :-)
ReplyDeleteA x
I think the mittens were a great idea. Recycling is really important - perhaps the yarn (was it a ribbon type) that you used for the blanket stitch was too thick? Try some stranded embroidery thread - two strands, perhaps, or some of the perlé cotton you have for the necklace - or even a very fine crochet hook...
ReplyDeleteThe garden is coming along already. They look like nice paving slabs. I think gardening counts as creativity so you've done way more than your 20 minutes!
ReplyDeleteCute mitts and I look forward to seeing what you make with those lovely leather pieces.
Jeanne x
Good luck with the garden - we too have hedgerow as part of our boundry and it's a full time job in the summer to keep all the ivy and brambles at bay!
ReplyDeletex
Oooh lovely leather - I used to make little fringed leather and suede bags in the late '60s - yes I am THAT old!!! Love your sweater sleeve mit - I made mine with the cuff at the hand end and then just turned a hem at the sleeve end - it worked OK and meant it was a snug fit across the fingers. Its on my blog in December I think.
ReplyDeleteJane,
ReplyDeleteMy gran used to make gloves for Pittards! I can see her now, sat on the sofa, sewing the pieces of leather together by hand with meticulous stitches. Must get to the glove museum by you one day. It would be fascinating... but let's not digress from your handiwork... love the ideas of the wristwarmers from sweaters and what about dyeing those skeins of silk in the wrong colour? I bet you have the stuff to hand somewhere...the bag from the leather is also a fab idea.... or make your own book and cover? ....keep going, it all looks great to me! Lesley x PS If you ever get a scrap meet organised I'll be there (with shed loads!)
Great progress with the vege garden. Can't quite see what your soil is like, is it good? You've done a good job removing all the stones and at least you don't have to clear weeds from there so you will have a good start.
ReplyDeleteTurning over that soil may be a big job though. Hope you have some gardening gloves to prevent blisters.
Cheers
Helen
Creating a garden is one of the best projects I can imagine; good luck with that.
ReplyDeletePS. I haven't had time to blog about the award you gave me yet. Sorry; I'll try to do it this week.
Don't be so hard on yourself. You look to be doing great things. Some didn't work (in your eyes), but you learnt along the way. Can't be bad, can it?
ReplyDeleteThat bag is going to be lovely, but stop feeling guilty! That's the down-side of challenges, but you shouldn't look at it that way.
ReplyDeleteEveryone likes a bit of this and that - love the sweater wrist warmers, the colour is very fetching.
ReplyDeleteLove your recycled sweater wrist warmers - brilliant idea! I think gardening does count as twenty minutes a day, but I think i might count anything that didn't involve work, house work or chores of any nature :-)
ReplyDeleteDon't be hard on yourself, I too have broken the 20 minute pledge. Perhaps we should both wear Bad Girl badges - only we'd have to make them first!!!
ReplyDeleteLove your wrist warmers, you'll need them if you're in the garden in this weather. xx
I think clearing a space to grow your vegies is creativity alone!! Your craftiness dazzles me with joy :P
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely week
Lucy xx
You have been very busy, with gardening! It does take time. We have so much to do in our back garden...Lots of bad weather stopped us from progressing, I am hoping for a lot less rain this year so that we may get on with it. I love the necklace, I saw something similar in one of my crochet books but have not attempted one yet.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing what you will do with the leather.
Warm wishes
Isabelle x
Great post Jane, great scrap swapping idea, you're right, there's always something we don't have, but really need, in our vast collections of 'stuff'!
ReplyDeleteLoving the garden xx
I would say most definitely that gardening constitutes craft time, they can be such works of art. Is Pittards still going in Yeovil? Haven't walked past there in quite a while, it would be great if they are still going and employing local people.
ReplyDeleteBrenda