The winter is finally setting in here and that means... knitting. In one of my previous entries I posted a link to the big project I am working on (the 4th Doctor scarf). Currently I am just over halfway (it has become taller than me already), but new knitting/crochet books and gadgets might have distracted me from that for a bit.
Over Christmas some very patient relatives have attempted to teach me some crochet (with limited success), so when I found a lovely pattern for potholders that involved relatively simple knitting and only chain stitches from the crochet realm, I pounced on it. After labouring over that for a few hours, I was rather pleased with the results. I finished the second one late last night (few things are as tempting to delay sleep for than a very-nearly-finished project).
The pattern called for thick knitting cotton (for a 5mm needle). I ended up going with 3-3.5 mm cotton in green and blue and using both colours at once on a 4.5 mm needle (though I set up using a 4.0 mm needle as 4.5 proved slightly too wide for the first row). The rest is alternating between knit and purl stitches to create the cross pattern and finishing off with a loop of loose crochet.
The pattern called for thick knitting cotton (for a 5mm needle). I ended up going with 3-3.5 mm cotton in green and blue and using both colours at once on a 4.5 mm needle (though I set up using a 4.0 mm needle as 4.5 proved slightly too wide for the first row). The rest is alternating between knit and purl stitches to create the cross pattern and finishing off with a loop of loose crochet.
The people I share a house with are very fond of candles. This means a large surplus amount of unburned wax which is left when the wick has burned all the way through. So off I went. Using a bowl and some oven tongs to hold it above a pan of boiling water that was slightly too big for the steel bowl (yes, it looked as ridiculous as it sounds), I melted some candle stubs au bain marie and poured it into a glass container that looked thick enough to avoid disaster when burning the candle. Stuck in a wick, secured with a clothespin over the container and let it cool off. Now there must be better ways to do this, as my candle collapsed a little in the middle like a poor imitation of a failed souffle, but it smells wonderful.
A number of years ago I encountered a lovely scrub, but the price tag was a little... daunting. Then there was a mother who wanted nothing for her birthday but a home made sourdough bread (forgot to make pictures, but the bread was delicious with the added benefit of now having a starter stored in the fridge for further use, http://www.virtuousbread.com/). This having coincided with me running across some lovely scrub recipes and voila, a present she couldn't refuse (recipe found here: http://www.leesvoer.net/ff-wakkerscrubben#more-2368 . Coffee and sugar in equal amounts, add as much oil as needed to mix well and add a bit of honey).
http://www.pinterest.com/leesvoer/zelfgemaakte-kado-s-waarmee-je-niet-voor-lul-staat/ <-- start here and get clicking, it's quite addictive.
Over time, I might have to make *all* the things.... time permitting of course.
