Reclaimed wood projects...

At the beginning of every December, despite a full time job, M says to himself, 'now what can I make this year?' Previous years have seen him out in his workshop in all weathers making such things as a dolls bed, a dolls clothes wardrobe, a tanker, a crane, treasure chests. Obviously, he's had to do slightly more grown up things now that the children are 15 and 18.

Luckily Ella dropped a hint back in October that I managed to store in my usually quite useless memory bank. She said she'd like a letter rack to keep important correspondence in and maybe a bit of stationery too.

This is what M came up with using timber from an old piece of furniture. We already had the draw pull, and I had great fun making the rustic stationery with a rubber stamp set bought in Italy. It's now pride of place on her desk so I think she likes it.

The photos don't really do the finish on J's shoeshine box justice. It's waxed and buffed and very tactile to run your hand over. Although J resisted the 'how to polish your own shoes' lesson from M, he eventually came round and now has a shoe cleaning routine which he won't thank me for sharing; every Friday after school he puts an old tea towel on the kitchen island and applies the polish, then leaves it to soak in (so he says) and then he comes back later to buff them up. (The fact that he then leaves them next to his uniform from that day fully expecting to wear it all on the following Monday is just a small detail that I'm working on.) He was really pleased to have his own supplies and box for this 'operation'.

There is one more woodwork project to show you but I need a half decent photograph first. It was a joint effort, M did the woodwork and I did the distressed paint finish.

These gifts are a bit like my Pom Pom hats, not instead of a proper present, just a fun extra gift.

This year I'm going to suggest to M that he starts the woodwork in October to save the last minute panic on Christmas Eve!

Off the hook 2015 and a Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! J :-)

Random goings on...

There's a whole lot of 'whitening' going on here. I had a burst of energy with a large tin of white paint yesterday and today, faced with the same all over again (the second coat) I'm feeling less than energetic!

It's the dining room floor to ceiling row of cupboards getting the white paint make over. When I opened up the doors to paint I discovered a can of white spray paint (one of the sections is art and craft materials, that's what everyone has in their dining room cupboards right?). The little straw decorations had a quick spray on both sides and now I like them a whole lot better. They were originally for the children's miniature trees when they were small (they might become a garland now). They are too old for miniature trees now but woe betide anyone who suggets they are too old for chocolate advent calenders!

I seem to be getting more spring cleaning done in the run up to Christmas, even though no-one is coming to stay, and I think it's because I'm trying to create just a little piece of the magic that we had as children, and beyond. Real trees were a must and always Dad's job, with our help;

Us: This one Dad, this one

Dad: No, it's too big

Us: No, it's peeerrrrrfect Dad!

Dad: No, it's too big, I'll have to put it on the roof of the car

Us: Yes, good idea, just like the movies!

Dad: Your Mother won't be happy if it's too big

Us: We'll say you chose it!

Later: Dad chopping a foot off the top to get it into the living room...ah, happy days.

M and I went hunting for battered old wall light fittings last week. We need replacements for the awful ones M chose before I met him in our conservatory (even he admits they are awful) and some for our bedroom. Despite several huge junk shops to search through we didn't find a single light fitting but we did find my new potato basket (very handy for storing pineapples in). M wasn't impressed that it cost ten whole pounds, whereas I was over the moon that it only cost £10. It's huge for a start (that clock is huge too). A brand new one, much less sturdily made would no doubt have cost much more.

Meanwhile, there are more hats! I'm really pleased with this grey hat, just off the hook. I used Rowan cocoon which is a chunky yarn with quite a dense feel to it. A little hairy too which was a bit of a pain but well worth it because it's made a hat suitable for freezing conditions, yes this is definitely the warmest of all the hats I've made. Two more have rolled off the production line since this one but more about those next time. (Psst, they're knitted!)

Woolly souvenirs...

I've pretty much given up waiting for a brighter day to take photos. These are the best I can do for now. I think there was a second wool shop in Barcelona somewhere but I was pushing my luck making M and the kids wait as long as they did while I chose some yarn. In fact we have a funny photo on someone's phone of Jake sitting amongst baskets and piles of wool in the middle of the shop looking suitably unimpressed.

All You Knit is Love is the place to go in Barcelona for yarn. It's true that they are very friendly and helpful. Only Miguel was there on the evening that we visited and he was having to cope with a gaggle of what looked like school age girls wanting a selfie with him. He seemed happy to oblige. Needless to say I did not feel the need for a selfie!

All my yarn purchases were hand dyed and spun in Barcelona. The brick red skein is 100% Alpaca and much cheaper (roughly £7) than it would have been in the UK. Although we didn't pass a workshop of this type there were many varied skills on display until late at night. Bookbinders, carpenters, dressmakers, jewellers, to name but a few. It all looked rather idyllic but I suppose the reality is that all these craftsmen and women have to compete in a large city to make a living.

We had one afternoon of rain in Barcelona and stumbled upon the most friendly cafe (it was our experience that not all cafes are run by friendly people). They were so welcoming and helpful despite the fact that we dripped copious amounts of water all over their beautiful wooden floors. Hot soup, filled rolls and quiche were the main choices. It was superb, such a simple operation but perfect. Out of 7000 cafes in Barcelona they had reached number 32 on Trip Advisor after five months. Proof that keeping it simple really does work. Foreign menus can be so overwhelming when you're trying to choose both food and value for money, not to mention keep four people happy.

I must tell you about the wonderful felt shop. It was in the El Born area not far from where we were staying. This turned out to be one of our favourite parts of the city. It was Halloween night and all the children were dressed up and traipsing round with their buckets. It was warm enough to eat outside and there were fireworks going off too. Then to top it all off I spotted a shop that looked like something Santa would have subcontracted! A little old man in a small shop stuffed to the rafters with wool felt! Heavenly. I did make a few random purchases. I think my jewellery making is about to branch out into felt brooches! I couldn't resist the sheep. They were only €1 each. E decided to have two for her room too; Miguel and Ricardo, named after two of our taxi drivers. Don't ask.

The little wooden earrings were from a small craft event we stumbled upon in El Ravel. The seller/maker was lovely. E bought some Frida Kahlo earrings and she's done the whole 'like' on Facebook thing and she's chatted to her since we got back to the uk. I haven't a clue how that works.

Then finally I've added to my foreign crochet magazine collection. They all have diagrams so I'm never too worried about the language. From my Italian magazines I've made quite a few random motifs which I'm sure one day I will make up into a shawl pattern. These latest ones are German and French. The latter is particularly gorgeous. I love those little capelets (maybe not with the ears though). I clearly need more hours in a day!

(The wool shop has a website http://blog.allyouknitislove.com with a number of free knitting patterns in the right hand sidebar. The alpaca skein I purchased will make the Jovana hat if my knitting skills are up to it!)

Macrame owl keyring...

I'm probably better off sticking to larger scale macrame, man this was fiddly! I think I might try a wall hanging size owl next, even though we are really not the macrame owl wall hanging type of family. Go with the flow I say.

The tutorial is on YouTube. I couldn't tell you whether the soundtrack is in Bulgarian or any other language for that matter. There may not even be a soundtrack. I couldn't hear one. Fear not, if I can do it without verbal instructions I'm sure you can. He/she (probably women's hands) used a much finer, more silky looking cord. Mine is rough parcel string. Even with this difference the suggested cutting length of 30cm seems way off to me. On my first attempt I cut 40cm and it came nowhere near so I started again with metre long lengths and that was just right.

You'll notice that the stage by stage photo's stop after the beak row. I got totally absorbed and forgot to take any more!

I should really have 'borrowed' one of the kids cork notice boards for this. There was a lot of pinning which I discovered was essential to stop the rest of the work moving around. I eventually forced large pins into my wooden work surface (not willing to brave torrential rain to find a few more rusty nails in the shed!). The tension made for very much easier knotting.

The tutorial has at least four or five of those downward diagonal double half hitch rows (at least I think that's what they're called) but with this bulkier parcel string I knew I should stop after two to leave room for the 'legs'. I learnt something new on the legs, oh and the feet, I think that's the bit I like best, they really look like claws.

I had planned on adding this little fella to my bunch of car keys but a certain someone has already snaffled it for her school bag. I guess I will just have to make another!

Macrame plant hangers...

I found myself in Coalville, Leicestershire this week. M had a job to do there and I had two hours to kill. What the place lacks in architectural charm it makes up for in friendliness, and I never really mind when there are plenty of charity shops to browse.

I found a couple of books (see above) that I thought would at least be worth a flick through whilst I had a coffee for my last half an hour (Coalville is not that big!). By the end of the coffee I was keen to get my hands on some string! Those colourful balls were just £1 each. I've taken 32 metres from each of the orange and duck egg and they still weigh a hefty amount so I think they will do two or three plant hangers from each ball.

The books were absolutely rubbish in helping me get started on plant hangers. They both seem to focus on the fashion side of things and have some extremely outlandish designs that I hope will never catch on again. I can't imagine they were admired in the seventies...

No! No! And no! Ugh! The stuff of nightmares. There are some reasonably artistic and tasteful wall hangings in both books, an awful lot of belts, strange clothes trimmings, but overall there is good reason for only the plant hangers to have made their way back into fashion! Useful and in my opinion beautiful. E is very fond of plants and has run out of window sill space for them. After a bit of practice I think I will be making a few for her room.

The orange plant hanger was a trial run. I was amazed it even held the pot quite frankly, but it does and very securely (I walked it through the house looking for suitable hooks). The duck egg one is a more adventurous, thought out second attempt. I think there's going to be quite a bit of experimentation going on.

Although I couldn't get into a local autumn fayre at short notice (tables book up a year in advance and I'm down for next year!) we did go along to see what the craft standard was like. It was a mixed bag. We came home with an armful of books for £1 including a fantastic crochet stitches book. I bought the white plant pot (above) for 50p and the best but of the day was the large bag of old wooden curtain rings (25) for £1. As you can see they are perfect for macrame plant hangers!

M asked me how I remembered how to macrame. It's a bit like knitting, there are only two knots you need to know to create all the variations. Remembering the variations seems to be one of the things etched on my mind. I've told the tale before... When I was unceremoniously chucked off the nightdress sewing class in school (I got through a lot of sewing machine needles) my teacher literally put me in the corner with a large ball of twine, a pot of wooden beads and a flimsy 'How to Macrame' booklet. Something in me didn't want to be humiliated twice so I was determined to complete the plant hanger project successfully, and I did. It was much more elaborate than the orange one I've just made. I wish I still had that booklet!

Chuck it together day...

It's a mini heat wave here in the uk. I say mini because it's really not that much of a heat wave and probably won't last all that long either, but we like to be dramatic and call it a heat wave nonetheless. It's 97 degrees apparently. Woohoo!

The dogs are lying under the apple tree in the long grass. I have water bowls everywhere.

It's slightly cooler indoors so I'm doing the sensible thing and staying out of the midday sun.

I'm still a bit uncomfortable with post op wounds so I decided to whip up a couple of skirts on the sewing machine, elasticated waists that I can sit just where I want them to. The first one won't be worn outside these four walls for the simple reason that I wouldn't be seen dead in florals! I just happened to have a large piece of cotton perfect for a skirt. I used it as my practice piece...

I cut a long rectangle which was the length of the skirt plus a bit for hemming and waist and then cut it double the length of the waist measurement so that I'd have a bit of gather. A bit like the curtain rule which is one and a half times isn't it? I didn't iron it or pin it, shock horror! but it turned out just fine. It taught me that the measurements were just about right and to make the tube for the elastic a bit more snug.

Skirt number two was made using the fabric in the photo above. I don't really do bold patterns either but this one is more my taste colour wise, there's dark indigo and grey in those circles and the fabric has a linen feel though I've no idea what it's actually made of. I bought it years ago and I've forgotten what the original intended use was. I did all the ironing and pinning and proper hemming on this one and it has turned out ok. It would be nice to know how to do fancier waistbands but I think that's one hobby I can resist.

So, two chuck it together skirts, which is a bit like my philosophy with lunches lately. No thought as to whether anything goes together, just chuck it all on a plate and go!

Tomorrow I'll be chucking it all in a cool bag to go. Another county cricket match. Local for a change. Sun hat at the ready! Watching cricket in the sun is a rare thing!

Catching dreams...

I treated myself to the latest Mollie Makes issue recently. We had a little trip West to stay overnight in a hotel the night before a county cricket match. I knew I wouldn't be able to get much proper reading done (when I spotted Jake pack his foam cricket bat and ball!) and besides, the dream catcher free gift had Ella's name written all over it.

Sure enough, as soon as she spotted the half finished project she said to make sure I finished it because she reeeeealllly liked it! Had she seen me start it she might have suggested adding beads she said. Not a bad idea!

The colours aren't my taste but I'm tempted to try and make a rustic one using hemp yarn or something; just need to locate a 10cm hoop! Not holding my breath.

I've had some very strange dreams lately. One involved a glass walk way situated slightly below a tropical bright blue ocean. A kind of vicar walked along this 'jetty' and fully expected people to believe that he was actually walking on water. I told the person I was sitting next to, or at least thought to myself, I can't quite remember, that it was an illusion and if you looked carefully you could see the glass jetty. At the end of the walk way he reached down into the water and pulled up a vase, placed it on the jetty and placed the bunch of flowers he'd been carrying into the vase.

I have absolutely NO idea what the heck that was all about. No idea at all. It's true I used to think like this when I was as young as five. We would be told religious stories at school and I'd be left thinking that they just didn't add up, maybe it was just an extension of that? Quite the strangest dream I've had for a while.

Wondering...

We were wondering today, E and I, just where those lovely small, slender wrists and hands came from. It certainly wasn't me. This happens a lot, this wondering. About her Dad. How can I tell her that he used to hold his hands up to mine and be constantly amused that mine were so big? How can I tell her about the hours I used to spend watching his hands pluck strings on his guitar? How can I tell her that those hands of his made the most beautiful marquetry boxes that I sometimes helped him design? How can I tell her that it breaks my heart to remember the two of them walking down the garden path when she was two, hand in hand, each with a watering can in the other hand, sharing their love of gardening?

E recently admitted she had reached that age where she'd quite like to ask him a few questions. So would I. Not even questions really, just another perspective. It's clear from the outside just how much she's inherited from him. They were always like two peas in a pod. It's the rest that I'd like him to make sense of for me. She is an incredible human being with so many amazing qualities, quite a few frustrating ones too, but I see those as short term phases. If he were alive today he'd totally understand her.

I stood in an art gallery this morning and It was weird because the space used to be his offices. I feel like I'm living a whole other life, in a time travel kind of way, if that makes any sense. A parallel universe maybe. Lots of 'if only's' which aren't useful.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, E asked for her own set of made to measure leather bracelets, and of course I was happy to oblige (more road testing ya know!). I made a whole bowl full of those wider leather wrist cuffs by upcycling an old belt with the same bead and lace fastening and she snaffled one of those too! I traded photos for my blog for leather goods. A fair deal I'd say because it's a devil of a job trying to photograph your own wrists!

Distracted...

It's a bit of a mixed bag this British weather at the moment isn't it? Saturday was a glorious quick-get-the-cricket-chairs-out kinda day. OK so there was a bit of 'on and off with the coat' but for the most part we sat and watched a whole match without diving into the car for warmth and shelter!

Sunday was a washout. Cancelled match. Cancelled gardening. Cancelled good mood.

Today I consulted my trusty iPod for a weather breakdown and it looked like the best slot for dog walking without getting drenched was between 9am and 10am so with breakfast barely digested I bundled two clean dogs into the car, trundled up to our favourite spot, walked in fantastic sunshine, swam in lovely clear blue lake (them, not me) and bundled one angelic intelligent dog (H) and one stupid and stinking dog (R) in the boot to trundle home. The season for eau de fox poo has started with a vengeance. In case you're not familiar, this is a scent that still makes your eyes water whilst driving at fifty miles an hour with all the windows down. Cough cough.

We all had a laugh about the fact that another dog has won Britain's Got Talent. Ours have talents but I can't really repeat what M and E said they were here! Mind you Harvey makes an exceptional cricket fielder if you can persuade him not to collect the ball before it has reached the batsman!

So, with the bare minimum of housework out of the way I've been sitting at my sunny desk whacking holes in leather again! It's so therapeutic. I got sidetracked today and made a couple of leather bracelets for myself. It started out as an experiment in fastenings which happened to work first time so I ended up making three. I whacked holes in the dark brown one for a pattern effect, I can see me getting carried away with eyelets too. These leathers are so soft. I can't imagine them being able to cope with the demands of a sofa, but they are indeed upholstery leather offcuts. They smell great too, I guess I'll have to make some to sell alongside the earrings now.

Maori and Marmite...

Well, I'm still here. I've lost count of how many overs of cricket I've watched now. I started to keep a tally but that got boring. Bank Holiday Monday was spent watching three 20-20 matches. For those of you who have no idea, that's 120 overs of cricket which took approximately from 11am through to 8.30pm. Ugh. Jake played in the first of those and the last, so at least I had the pleasure of reading my book whilst snug in the car (with the slightest hint of sun behind the clouds) for the entire second match.

Oh and what a book. The first I've really enjoyed for a while. I dusted it off and read the first few pages. It didn't look promising. I read a few more pages and thereafter it was one of those unputdownables. That isn't a word but it should be. I didn't even realise until a little way through that there was a handy glossary of Maori phrases at the back. It doesn't spoil the read if you aren't fluent. I'm guessing it's one of those books that's a bit like Marmite. You'd either love it or hate it, I loved it, and I love Marmite too!

The Bone People will be a hard act to follow.

As well as reading good books and watching cricket (and washing mountains of kit) I've been steadily working on my earrings. I'm getting more technical but often the simpler designs are the best. I enjoy the designs that involve whacking holes with my hollow punch set or setting eyelets best! M has started on these rustic display cases for me (crap photo's, sorry!). Currently waiting to be hinged together and fitted with a clasp and carrying handle. My contribution was measuring out and screwing in all those pesky hooks. Fifty per case and there will be two cases eventually. I've made almost fifty pairs for one display case and I think I will bite the bullet and book a small local craft fair when I've made enough to fill the second case. I'm doing some simple necklaces too. Since acquiring some leather offcuts most of the designs now incorporate leather. It won't please the vegans (as Ella pointed out) but at least they are industrial offcuts and therefore a recycled product of sorts.

Ella wore the black and silver leather pair (pictured top right in the last photo) out for the day last week, and again today and they looked quite eye catching. M did mention that for every pair she decides to snaffle it's a pair I can't sell but we told him that they needed to be road tested first!

I haven't dreamt up a name for this little sideline of mine yet. Eventually I will be able to move my little wooden table and tools into our shepherds hut and spread out a bit. It's taking over our sunlounge/living room at the moment. If they actually sell I will stick with it and do a few fairs per year. If not, my hut will become a crochet and reading den (and spare bedroom for guests!).

We attempted to kick start our hut building by buying some authentic wheels from ebay. Unfortunately the seller turned out to be a time wasting idiot. We have at least been refunded. Back to the drawing board. I'm reluctant to use ebay again so we will be visiting a few salvage yards soon. M won't hear of buying a hut kit, more's the pity. At least this year he has admitted that we need industrial hedge trimming gear for our beech and laurel hedges, and help with filling in an old pond/flower bed to create a third parking space for Ella's new car.  I'm secretly hoping we can also have a new path laid so that I can hang the washing out without wearing Wellies to tackle the cow parsley lawn. This is where Jake playing men's cricket comes in very handy; there's not a trade that isn't covered amongst the various teams he plays for. Landscape gardener? Tick.

Felted bowls and new plants...

I had an urge to make a felted bowl with a motif in the bottom, as you do. The colours in my 'wool for felting' box were not very inspiring. In fact these photographs make the body colour look grey when in fact it is a minky brown.

I clearly didn't pay too much attention to the neatness of the star before I felted it and so I'm calling this bowl 'prototype one'. The brown has felted so much better than the yellow and yet I remember the yellow was actually sold as 'wool for felting'. Maybe another wash would do the trick. I'm quite happy with it the way it is for a prototype though. Next time I will tidy up the star before turning it into a circle.

I made two tiny felted bowls a while ago (I don't think I blogged about them) and they sit on my bedside table containing various bits and bobs. At first I didn't think bowls made of felt would be useful or durable at all, but of course they are. In fact E has requested felted pot covers for as many of her succulent collection as I feel like making. She has a whole window sill of them.

Talking of which. It pained E to hand over a large Echeveria in a gorgeous square planter for Mother's Day. I had dropped hints about preferring plants to flowers and I think they enjoyed choosing one each. J chose an orange tree! It has at least a dozen little oranges on it and gorgeous smelling orange blossom. I'm terrified I won't be able to keep it alive. It's on the warmest window sill for now but I don't think a woolly pot cover would go amiss!