Predominantly Pink

Whilst the supermarket shelves were being denuded of loo roll and pasta ahead of lock-down, and most people were making sensible domestic and culinary choices for the weeks ahead, spent staying safely at home, I was at the local craft shop ensuring I had the necessary supplies to make a project bag!  Endeavouring to view my enforced isolation in a positive light, I could see an opportunity for my sewing machine and I to become better acquainted.  Also - Maddy had given me this beautiful bundle of  Liberty fabric strips for Xmas and I was keen to start making use of them.

The pink art nouveau style print really called to me so I delved into the fabric box to see what treasures might coordinate and was able to put my hands on some dark teal and pink spotty cotton.  I bought a zip, thread and fusible fleece and was good to go.

As the Liberty fabrics are long and narrow, I chose to follow the Squishy Bag tutorial by Erika Arndt which uses strips of material for the outside with a contrast lining.  I was especially happy it included the words 'easy' and 'beginner friendly' in the description!  

The seam ripper had a fair bit of use to correct my wonky sewing but I gave myself a thumbs-up after improving the box bottom liner - all the more impressive as it's inside and will be seen by precisely no-one!  No scrap of precious Liberty fabric went to waste thanks to this tutorial for a scented sachet by Bev at Flamingotoes.com.

Considering the construction involves quilting and zip insertion, I think the bag turned out fine.  It's even got  a wee handle.

Knitters (and crocheters) can never have enough project bags.  They house the yarn, pattern, needles and notions for a particular project and keep everything tidily together whilst the work is in progress.  My new bag now needed a project and I was dying to start knitting a jumper with some of this wool from last year's Aberdeen Yarn Fest.

I had four skeins of a luscious merino/silk blend DK hand dyed by Sheila, an indie dyer from Livingston, also known as Dye Ninja.  Her colours are beautiful and she specialises in small batch, hand dyed luxury fibres*.  My yarn is scrumptiously soft and drapes like a dream.  I chose to knit the Arcade Sweater by Isabell Kraemer.  It's knit from the top down so you can try it on as you go.

Sheila's Dye Ninja colourway is named 'Flowering Cherry' - appropriate for this time of year as there's a cherry tree right outside my craft room window.  Though ours isn't the typical cultivated pink variety but a Scottish native wild cherry, or gean tree, which has white blossom.  Seen here from my window at the end of April, and from the garden in mid May (by which time Geoff had power washed the whole patio!) 

I nipped on with my knitting, completing my jumper in the months of lock down as the gean tree finally blossomed with all the promise of spring.  

I grew up on a street lined with flowering cherries.   A sudden strong wind could abruptly finish the blossom, leaving petals strewn like confetti, and no more flowers til the following spring.  As a child I remember quite a philosophical discussion with my father as I bemoaned the short blossom season.   Dad asked if I thought it was better to enjoy brief beauty or long term mediocrity.  I was at an age when I still wanted it to be Christmas every day so I pleaded for long term beauty.  With 50 more Christmases behind me, it's December again before I know it and  I'll admit to slightly guilty relief as I tip into bed on 25th December, exhausted but content that it's only one day and it's all over for another year!  

At my age I'm happy to enjoy the seasons, and the blossom, and accept their transience.

Whilst feeling incredibly lucky just now to be able to enjoy country dog walks from home, and enjoy my neighbour's cherry tree shown here in full bloom, it's impossible to be unaware of the loss and  suffering in the country due to Coronavirus.  I noticed that a ward at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary was appealing for pairs of hearts to bring comfort to families unable to be with loved ones at this time, one heart remaining with the patient while its twin would be given to the family.  Pattern is Hearts by Amanda Berry.

In colour psychology, pink is a sign of hope.  It is a positive colour inspiring warm and comfortable feelings, a sense that everything will be okay**.  

If that's the case then I'm glad my crafting world has been predominantly pink lately.  Even our evening sky has been joining in.

Photo from 21st May 2020 by my friend Vicki who lives just over the hill - used with kind permission

* Dye Ninja has a sale on merino and camel/silk yarn throughout 2020 to help crafters keep crafting in this difficult time so pop along to Sheila's website and drink in her beautiful colours.

** https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-pink.html

Keeping my spirits up

I've had a go at making my own gin.

Before you are awed by my ingenuity at whipping up a home distillery whilst we're living in lock-down, I should point out that I was given a Kitchen Provisions Gin Kit for Christmas.

My old Dad, who was fond of a dram, liked to quote WC Fields, saying: "I always keep some whisky handy in case I see a snake...which I also keep handy"

The only requirement to make your own gin is that you possess a bottle of vodka which, handily, I did!  Everything else is included in the box so I was ready to get cracking.  

I'd like to impress you by pretending it was a really complex procedure but in reality, there's some simple measuring and pouring and err.... that's it.  Oh, I got to pick which botanicals I wanted from a choice of three deliciously scented sachets.  Then you just have to let the infusions work their magic for 12 hours.  Yes, whisky lovers, you read that right - wait 12 hours.  Not 12 years.

After some straining (that's filtering with a wee sieve, not me training for the Olympics) my very own gin was ready to drink.  If I had the chance to write the pretty label again I'd be more careful not to smudge it next time.

I'm quite partial to a gin, as our drinks cabinet can testify.  Some craft gin bottles are lovely too and making them into lamps, once their precious contents are consumed, has become quite popular.  I've tried lampshade making before (see this blog post).  When friends from Dumfries came to stay, and gifted me some delicious Hills and Harbour Gin from their native Galloway, we remarked at the time what a nice lamp the empty bottle would make.    

It's not just actual spirits keeping my spirits up -  crafty projects are just as vital to me and keep me buoyant.  I'm not a monogamous crafter - there's usually multiple items on the go.  Today I'm mid-way through knitting a shawl, a sock, a jumper, a bralette and I'm also crocheting a blanket.  Staying home by myself, with my husband offshore again, I've needed these diversions even more to help me feel settled through these troubling times.   A lack of craft supplies during lock-down is never going to be my problem, as I alluded to here , though even I was surprised and delighted when I discovered I had a lamp shade making kit from Dannells Needcraft lurking in the depths of my craft cupboard.  

Just like the Kitchen Provisions gin kit,  Dannells supply virtually everything you require.  This time I only had to supply the fabric.  Half the fun of embarking on a new project is sourcing just the right materials so I enjoyed rifling through my fabric box for a suitably sized rectangle.  Sometimes, however, the perfect materials just present themselves.  Like many others, I've been tidying cupboards during the enforced stay at home.  One victim of my wardrobe purge was en-route to the fabric stash after I decided I probably wasn't going to wear it but loved it too much to throw away.

It's a mohair scarf I bought from a charity shop a few years ago because I loved the vivid turquoise shades.  I aksed Google about the manufacturer and discovered that Glen Cree Mill, located in the town of Newton Stewart in the South West of Scotland, made mohair blankets and scarves, as well as some garments, under their own label and for prestigious clients like Liberty of London.  The distinctive logo shows a bell hop, laden with luggage, travelling rug over his arm, harking back to a grander era of holidays and voyages.  The mill sadly closed in 1986 and has subsequently been demolished.  Today Newton Stewart is the home of the Crafty Distillery which makes Hills and Harbour Gin.  Seems like these two were meant to be together.

Seeing the scarf beside the bottle, I knew I'd found my lampshade fabric.  

There's an excellent instructional video tutorial to accompany  Dannellls lampshade kits and soon I was sticking, trimming, sticking again and rolling to create my very own lampshade.  Rolling was tricky with my wee hands but the Hills and Harbour bottle proved to be an excellent pattern weight.  Perhaps the contestants on The Great British Sewing Bee should take note.

Dannells advise in their video tutorial against using certain materials and wool gets a mention in the tricky category so I was apprehensive how the mohair would behave during the final stage when the fabric has to be tidily tucked into the rolled edging.  

I needn't have worried, the nifty tool provided for the task did the job - and the lampshade was done.

Now I just need to decide where to put my new lamp.

Bedroom or dining room?

Hall or lounge?

Whilst sipping my homemade gin

Spirits up?  Bottoms up.  Cheers!

 

A Cleaner, Greener Me

The re-emergence of toilet paper onto our supermarket shelves has coincided with the first tulips flowering in my Aberdeenshire garden.  Whilst seemingly unrelated, a single tulip bulb in 17th century Netherlands was once worth more than an unskilled worker earned in a year.  Eight rolls of Andrex recently accrued bids on Ebay in excess of £65,000 before the listing was taken down for profiteering!  One of these is greener and the other is about being cleaner but that's not what I'm on about today.

While we are living through the global corona virus pandemic, and currently experiencing lock-down, we're all being urged to shop as infrequently as possible, and then only for the basics.  Loo roll is a basic - a single use item that most of us can't imagine living without.  However, it was viewing Sir David Attenborough's Blue Planet II series, first aired by the BBC in 2017, which made many of us really think seriously about our impact on the world's oceans and resolve to reduce the amount of plastic we use.  Perhaps even stop consuming single use items altogether.

With that in mind, I'm reviewing my own changes in shopping behaviour since Blue Planet pricked my green conscience. This is my personal quest to reduce land-fill in some small way, not by telling you what you should do, but rather to show you alternative products and how I've adapted to using them.  Let's start with make-up.  Or rather, its removal.

I like make-up.  Even home alone at this time, when I'm not seeing anyone other than the dog, I'm still applying a little slap, perhaps because without it my natural Scots pallor makes me look ill!  Each night I ritualistically remove it.  Where previously I had used two cotton wool pads and plastic bottles of eye-make-up remover, cleanser and toner, I now use only warm water and one of these fleecy wee pads from Danielle Creations.  Purchased two years ago at a nearby gift shop, they are still going strong as you can see from the photo on the right taken yesterday.  I've also got a turquoise facecloth from the rather disconcertingly named Erase Your Face range for my morning facial ablutions, this time purchased at a local chemist.

Learning of my desire for less plastic in the bathroom, my daughter Eilidh bought me a Ditsy Cloth.  Like the Erase Your Face range, the Ditsy Cloth is machine washable and has also survived over two years of regular use.

I was delighted to find more re-usable make-up remover pads at a recently opened plastic-free shop near my home.  Bare is a zero waste store based in Ellon, Aberdeenshire which offers a wide range of refillable whole foods, household goods and ethically sourced products.  Right up my street!  On my first visit I was able to buy basmati rice cheaper than the supermarket, delicious peanut butter churned  directly from their fun vending machine as well as these pads to augment the four I rotate regularly.

At the same time as I ditched the cotton wool pads, I chose to swap plastic bottles of shower gel for a good old bar of soap.   Whilst at Bare, I also purchased a loofah.  Younger me would have run a mile rather than use this scratchy beast but now I rather like the prickly cleansing sensation it creates, whilst of course being vigilant to let it dry out between uses so no nasties build up!

Avoiding excess moisture when not in use is also key to longevity for shampoo bars, another favourite must-have in my plastic-free cleansing armoury.  I started again about two years ago at high street chain Lush where the helpful assistant recommended lovely pink Jason and the Argan Oil.  Smells gorgeous!

I've since purchased Seanik and Soak and Float, both following discussion with knowledgeable assistants about suitability for my sensitive scalp and fine hair.  The bars are dearer than a bottle of shampoo but they last for ages, especially if treated right.  Never let them sit soggily in a shower puddle!  I also bought a cute tin from Lush which is great for storage and transporting shampoo bars on holiday where, incidentally, they don't need to be declared with other liquid toiletries.  A win for your carry-on suitcase!  I also cut mine in half as recommended.  You don't need to use the whole bar at one time and this extends its life too.  My Lush shampoo bars last for months and months.

I have short hair so, naturally, don't use as much product as someone blessed with long, flowing tresses.  However, I do wash my hair every day so give my shampoo bars a run for their money.  Whilst it may not be deemed desirable to wash one's hair so often, the result of not doing so leaves me looking, first thing in the morning, like the unhappy love child of The Joker and Grandpa from The Munsters - so everyday hair-washing it is!

My daughter Maddy gave me these delicious bars of shampoo and conditioner from Ethnique.  Again, I cut the shampoo bar in half and I've been using the section pictured in the dish for over six months now.  I don't usually care for fruity scents but that Heali Kiwi is lovely!

As solid shampoo becomes more popular, it also becomes more readily available.  Aberdeen maker Surya Luna supplies natural skin and hair care products to independent shops as well as attending local craft markets.  I bought  a top-to-toe bar from Geek Bothy in Kemnay, along with a cute soap dish to help keep it dry between uses.  I loved the fragrance of the Bliss scented bar and the convenience of using one product for both my hair and body.

So - I've dispensed with products in plastic bottles for the shower and in my facial cleansing routine.  The cotton pads are gone and my soap dishes are enjoying a renaissance.  The latest realm of reusable products I'm trying is feminine hygiene and I recently sent away to Eco Dreams for these pantie liners.  I've had them for over a month now and feel happy that another single use regular from my shopping basket is a thing of the past.  Goodbye disposable liners!  Eco Dreams kindly included a couple of cute re-usable facial pads with my order and I love them too.

It wouldn't be a blog post from me without a hand made item, so here's some re-usable pads I've made myself from this free pattern by one of may favourite crochet designers, Helda Panagary.  Such a handy pick-up-and-go project too using only small amounts of cotton yarn.

For all of us, daily TV and radio bulletins bring news of worldwide illness and huge loss from this terrible virus.  Like many people it has made me anxious and unsettled but I'm fortunate that crafts I enjoy like knitting and crochet soothe my restless soul.  The knowledge that I've switched to certain re-usable everyday products helps me too as I know I won't run out and cause myself extra stress whilst shopping.  I hope I've inspired you to try some out as well.

And the fact that there's now toilet roll back on the shelves?  Well, that's one less stress for all of us!

Happy Bunny Project

Time spent alone without a craft project is my idea of a total nightmare.  Since the Coronavirus pandemic took hold, many folks (who don't routinely have an emergency crochet project in the glove compartment) find themselves facing weeks of isolation and unexpected free time.

Being alone with little to do is not going to make anyone a happy bunny.

I'd recently knitted this little rabbit so the pupils at my school Knitting Club could see how easy it is to make.  It's like crafting magic because this wee fellow is created from a simple garter stitch square.  There's plenty of instructions online but this one by Studio Knit is really clear.  An ideal project for beginner knitters.

I'd just watched this sobering video in which Italians share messages warning others of the impact of Coronavirus.  It emphasises the seriousness of our situation and the importance of having stuff to do when faced with isolation.  I smiled too, though, at the guy advocating new hobbies.  "Play guitar" he says, "Actually... learn how to play guitar.  Cause right now you suck at it."  

And I thought - what if I could enable someone, who's home alone with time on their hands, to learn to knit?

And that's how the Happy Bunny Project came about!

Amid a shortage of some groceries and a dearth of toilet roll, it's a bit of a standing joke just now amongst crafters on social media that those who knit, crochet, sew or indulge in any textile craft are never going to run out of supplies.  As a magnet for rejected knitter's paraphernalia, see this earlier blog post about a bag of unwanted yarn. I readily put my hands on wool and needles.

I also located my huge bag of toy filling, needles for sewing up and some wool in other colours to embroider bunny's face.  The local bank is generous with its change bags so I filled unused ones with enough stuffing for at least one bunny.

I found a few big-eyed needles in the craft room but procured some more from Poundland (along with a treat or two to include as well).

Those unused paper lunch sacks from last year's church outreach initiative proved perfect for keeping everything together.  Finally, I compiled an instruction sheet with links to online resources and popped one in each bag.  I'd enlisted the help of  my daughter, Eilidh, to create the bunny illustration (which I love) and printed it onto stickers for the outside of the lunch sacks.

I was able to make ten kits.  With school closure imminent, I took them into work yesterday and left them with this note for staff and pupils to uplift.

There's a hashtag to use for anyone wishing to share finished projects #happybunnyproject and I'll be delighted if bunnies start appearing over the coming weeks.

If you'd like to make a kit to share with anyone currently isolated, I'm happy to send you the graphic and my instruction sheet for you to personalise.  Reach out to me neveratalooseend@gmail.com or through Instagram @neveratalooseend

Note : I am currently in good health and washed my hands lots while I was making these kits!

#happybunnyproject

All wrapped up

I made my own beeswax wraps this week.

It was such a simple process, I don't know why I didn't make some as soon as I bought this kit from Mimi Hamill last May.

Maybe it was the glorious half metre plus of fabric included in the kit.  Created by Mimi, an Aberdeen based surface pattern designer whose scarves are fabulously colourful, I knew I needed to make something else to show off this joyous material.  But first, the wraps -

I've been using beeswax wraps for over a year now in an effort to reduce my reliance on single use clingfilm.  I've bought some (and been gifted them too - thanks Steph) from Good To Bee and Joanne de Pace so I just cut some squares of the fabric into the sizes I find most handy using my pinking shears.

Then there's some not too arduous grating, baking and wafting.  Mimi's comprehensive instruction sheet is laugh-out-loud funny!  And I'm done.  It's a wrap.  Or several.

Meanwhile, back at the craft shop, these balls of Rico Ricorumi fell into my shopping bag in the way that sweeties placed near the counter are designed to entice children and hopeless chocoholics like me.  A classic impulse purchase!  These wee balls of cotton yarn make me so happy, just to look at them together.  When I got home I realised they reminded me of Mimi's fabric and, if I just went back for another couple of colours, I'd be able to make myself something lovely.

Putting the skills I learned at Fiona Meade's mosaic crochet workshop at  Baa wool shop in Stonehaven last spring, I decided to crochet another purse from this pattern by Icelandic mosaic crochet queen Tinna Þórudóttir Þorvaldar.

This clever design starts with some chain stitch around the zip.  The back side of my chain stitch is not a thing of beauty so lining the bag would be the ideal way to hide my embroidery embarrassment and use my beautiful Mimi fabric.

Two easy side seams on the machine and some gentle hand sewing later, ta-dah, I have a new lined crochet purse.

So, not only are my half-lemons and onions and itty bitties of cheese stored thoughtfully in the fridge now in their beautiful beeswax wrappers, my make-up has a new portable purse with a lovely lining. 

All wrapped up.