and then you can add….

I had another idea about making an infinity scarf from odds and ends of fabric (original post here) — ADD SOME POM-POMS !!!

The idea struck me in bed at about 5h30 yesterday morning. The earliest opportunity I had to track down something suitable was at 12h30. I found a few metres of this:

and stitched a strip of it down the last seam of my next scarf.  It looks like this:

wrapped twice, and wrapped three times:

I am very chuffed with the effect. You could use a strip of lace or fringe or even some piping, depending on the sort of contrast you want.

Right, that’s it. I have two markets this weekend, so I’m logging off and logging out otherwise I’ll never be ready in time.
Back soon x

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how to make a fabric infinity scarf (in less than 15 mins)

Here’s a dead easy something to make. All you need is some fabric, needle and thread. I used my sewing machine as well, but if you’re Amish you can stitch it by hand.

I used:
3 pieces of fabric – two were 13cm wide and one was 16cm wide, but they all need to be the same length: 180cm.

1. With right sides facing, and with a 1cm seam allowance, sew the long sides of the pieces together. All of them.

2. You’ll end up with a tube.

3.  Push your arm through the tube…

4. … and pull the end of it through to the top.

5. With right sides together, you’re going to sew the raw edges together, leaving a 10 to 12 cm gap.  (You haven’t turned the tube inside out yet).  It’ll look like this (the arrows are to show you where I left the gap):

6. Pull the cowl through the gap in the seam til it’s all right side out.  Slip stitch the seam closed.  Give it a light press, and it’s done!

At this length, and especially if you’ve used stretchy t-shirty fabric, you should easily be able to get it round your neck three times, if you want to. I generally wrap mine round twice, but you can also fold it in half and pull one side through the loop for a different look.

 

  

and if for some reason you don’t want anyone to know it’s you, you can flip one loop over your hair and smack on some sun gogs…. 

Back soon x
PS. I’m not sure about this new blog theme. Any comments?

novelty yarn – quick and easy

It’s hard to resist a new novelty yarn.  I know I can’t, I wouldn’t even waste an splurt of energy on trying.  I’d had an order for some men’s slouchies in various shades of grey (not a colour I generally keep at home), so I popped in to Roger at Orion to stock up on the weekend.  And there was a new delivery of yarn, not even unpacked yet… yum…

It’s called Elle Baltic and it comes from Saprotex in East London (E L on the South African coast in the Eastern Cape, that is).  Roger had two colours so I grabbed the one with pinks and blues mixed up, called Potpourri. R40 for a 100g ball. As you can see, the yarn consists of two separate strands that are bridged at regular intervals. Makes for a very chunky look.

I used a  10mm hook and made a simple cowl.  Trebles seemed to work best, anything shorter and I think the stitch would have been too squished. I have no idea how many stitches I started with, nor how long it took, and I also know that it’s got a built-in twist because I really wasn’t paying attention (episode 7 of True Detective – who would take their eyes off Mr McConaughey, right?) – but I’m very happy with it.

      

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warming up

Such a sunshine-y couple of winters’ days here…sitting on the patio crocheting:

looking at the weeds…and doing nothing about them! (You pull them out, they just grow back again, right?)

Finished Katie’s order of two cowls with matching fingerless mitts, in Pure Gold Double Knit -cherry red:

For the first one, I used the wonderful black and red eyelash yarn that I won on Daniella Joe’s blog a while ago, and also edged the mitts with a row of that. Very quick and effective – I love a bit of flash! Thanks again, Patricia, I would have been stuck without having that on hand :-)

The second one got the row of holes, and so did the mitts around the wrist part.  Weaved the last end in around 3.30pm and then just a quick drive down the M3 to Bergvliet and the parcel is now with a friend to be taken up to Johannesburg tomorrow.

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Carol’s debut

When Anne and I were trying to come up with ways of zooting up our market display, I suggested that we get a head (to put hats on, you know). Megan overhead this and made gagging gestures. Anne sniggered disparagingly. Even Rob seemed grossed out.

But a couple of weeks ago I found Carol languishing forlornly at Milnerton Flea Market, and the guy said he only wanted R50 for her, so – end of story.

So you know what? that’s fine, they can laugh all they want, and maybe I won’t even take Carol to market now, especially not if they’re going to call her rude names like Chuckie-on-a-stick or whatever, but I will use her for my blog. And facebook. And as a decoy when I have to drive somewhere on my own at night (I’m not kidding, people do this in this country, the idea being that if hijackers are on the prowl, they are less likely to pick a vehicle with two people in it; my mother has a broomstick with a Chinese wig and a bowler hat that she props up on the passenger seat, and so far it’s worked well for her).

Anyway, here’s Carol, in all her glory.

She is wearing the cowl I finished this afternoon, inspired by the lovely lady on a smoke break the other day (Purple it is!) and also by Stitched Up Mama, with her landscape textures…

 

And yes, there are fingerless mitts to match but, like the rest of us, Carol also has her limits.

Back soon x