Inspiring Colours

 

 

I have been keeping this beautiful stash of Drops Paris cotton yarn under wraps for the last couple of weeks but as the kids are back at school today it is getting it's long awaited unveiling. Not only am I inspired by the vibrant and mouth-watering colours but I bought it in the Drops sale which means I got so much more for my money, and that's always a good thing. When I ordered the yarn I had imagined that I would make bunting but then I saw an amazing mandala pattern created by Dedri at Look What I Made (www.lookwhatimade.net) which she has also provided squaring off instructions for ....  I can feel a cushion coming on!

 

I am hoping that Dedri won't mind that I have shared her photo with you here, someone so talented deserves their work to be seen and her blog has so many other wonderful free patterns that you deserve to know about it too.

Let's hope mine turns out just as pretty... we'll soon see.

Happy Heart Wreath

A few weeks ago a friend told me about an alternative to the naughty step. Instead of the step being a place of punishment, it is a place for them to gather their thoughts & settle down. When the little ones get upset, whiney or over-hyped, simply tell them that you love them but in their current mood they can't be a part of whatever is happening & that they should go to the Happy Heart Step until they have a 'happy heart' again - they can leave whenever they feel ready. The amazing thing is it worked immediately! Until now my bairns have been sat under a chalk board heart but I thought they deserved something far more pretty & inspiring ... so here goes.

 

Start by gathering together the materials & tools that you will need:

 

A piece of wire or a wire coat hanger (I used a piece of 1.5mm recycled electrical cable, it's quite bendy but once it's in place it is fine).

A pair of sharp scissors - my beloved Fiskers.

Scraps of fabric cut into 1" x 8" lengths

 

I made the heart shape frame simply by bending the wire into the required shape & twisting the ends together a couple of times, I didn't even remove the insulation from the outside for this project. The fabric scraps will hold the twist secure.

 

Cut sufficient fabric lengths for your project and tie each one around the wire frame making sure the tail ends are approximately the same length, I used a double knot to ensure they were secured and alternated the fabrics. It doesn't matter if the scraps fray a little or are cut askew, it is a rag project after all, but it is important that the knots are pushed tight up against each other to ensure a full looking wreath.

 



Once you have gone right around your wreath shape, fluff & plump until your hearts content to get the finish that you want & if necessary reshape your wire - this is easier done from the back as you can see the frame clearly. It's then up to you to adorn the wreath with whatever you have to hand or to suit the season or your décor. I chose a fuchsia pink bow to accentuate the mid-point of the heart and used some 3 ply gift ribbon tied on for the hanger.

All that now remains is to say "et voila!"

Pretty, inexpensive & fun to make!

Let's Go Fly a Kite!

Last Thursday 'Ethel' was at Dance Camp at the leisure centre and so the Peerie Man and I were at a loose end. The sun was out and it was quite warm but the wind wasn't really making for a playing out in the garden kind of day. After a couple of hours of what shall we do next, finally a light bulb came on! If it's too windy for playing, it's the perfect weather for flying a kite, and not just any kite, the kite that Grandpa had sent us a couple of weeks ago that I had stuffed into the back of the coat cupboard never to be seen again. It's not that I wasn't grateful for the thought but I have never flown a kite and had no idea where to start. So we dragged it out, along with flip flops and a picnic mat & as the instructions said not to fly near people or overhead cables we set off for the biggest expanse of open sand we could think of, Norwick Beach.

 

We carefully unpacked and assembled the kite, not easy on a wind day, and set about trying to get it wind born. Peerie Man held the kite high above his head (about 3') and I trotted off down the beach the prescribed 20 metres, PM let go, I tugged on the rope, and NOTHING. We tried a few more times until PM got bored and wandered off and left me standing there with the kite flopping around on the beach like a stranded fish. In desperation I shortened the string to about 10' and ran as fast as I could, dragging the limp rainbow taffeta behind me & WOAH, within seconds it caught the wind & soared straight up, the string unwrapping itself at break neck speed until it was fully unwound, and there it stayed for over 15 minutes, a ting speck of colour in the gloriously blue sky!

 

 

After a while Peerie Man asked me to reel it in, I think he was frightened of losing it, so I pulled it down to half height, and as the wind became less intense it began to duck and dive. The artic turns spotted it and came in en masse for a closer look but soon disappeared when they realised it was no threat.

 





 

At this height it was much more manageable so with me holding on with him, my little prince took the controls and giggled with pleasure ...

 

 

... before running off to play in the surf!

 

 

Leaving me to fly the kite alone and wondering why it has taken me 40 years to start enjoying my childhood ...

 

 



... and learning to appreciate something a simple as the shadow of a kite.

 

So thank you Grandpa, you might be over 600 miles and 27 hours away but while we were playing on the beach with your kite, you and the barefoot little boy from your childhood in Malaysia we playing along side us x.

Bread Maker Brioche

They say that 'necessity is the mother of invention' and that was truly the case today. 'Ethel' is addicted to brioche and it is one of those items that is particularly expensive on the island so when she saw a recipe for it in the bread maker book she begged me to make her one ... and here it is, for less than £1.50.

 

It smelled absolutely divine while it was baking, just like warming croissants, and the crust spread with butter was to die for. 'Ethel' slathered hers with chocolate spread and had a large dollop of homemade vanilla ice-cream on the side - yummy!

On The Beach ...

Yesterday afternoon was warm and sunny so we decided to head off to our favourite haunt, Norwick Beach. Hubby packed his new fishing rod & I took a couple of balls of Jamieson's Soft Shetland, my hooks and a secret stash of marsh mallows for an afternoon treat. Whilst I started work on an ear warmer, R set up his rod and Peerie Man and 'Ethel' played happily in the surf with visiting bairns. As usual it wasn't long before some holiday makers came along and we began chatting about everything from the Shetland weather and the Scottish Referendum to the places we had in common back 'south'. The crocheting progressed more slowly than I would have liked but who ever eventually buys it will have something made with sun, fun & laughter.

 

 

The colour of the yarn is Water Cricket and although at first it appeared to be predominantly mustard and khaki tones, as the light of the day changed, firstly the blue, then the green and finally the purple flecks became vibrant little gems gleaming out of the subdued background. I wanted to use a stitch that gave the band some texture and delicacy but without diminishing the warmth it would give, so after pouring over my little stitch book I decided to use Paris stitch. It can't be seen on the photo above but once completed I will photograph it again in close up. A plus of Paris stitch is that it gave the band a naturally scalloped edge which means that I won't have to edge it afterwards like I usually do.

 

After all the other folk had gone home I scoured the beach for drift wood and much to the wee ones delight we set up a small fire on a large rock and toasted marsh mallows on metal skewers. 'Ethel' thought it was all very 'Barbie Life in the Dream House', the rest of us just thought it was delicious!