*crickets*

Well hello blog. Long time no see. Remember me? Here's a photo in case you've forgotten.

Yes I know. It's been worse than silent here.  *crickets *  I’m surprised I have remembered the password let alone how to write a blog post. You’ve been long neglected dear blog. I don’t expect you to forgive me but it would be great if you could take the time to at least listen to my excuses.
 

I got a full time job! Hooray! I’m working in a library surrounded by books which is just perfect and I also get to do crazy craft with kids...like this....ninjas and rocket jet pack!

AND sing silly songs  AND yes! I even get paid for it. I know. It’s hard to believe.  I love it.

Here's me on my first day smiling my face in half. I wore my 'specially bought Our Lady of Guadalupe frock.

Starting a job after being home with kids for over 9 years has been *ahem* challenging. And I will write more about that...later.

To add to my new roller coaster life there has been the school fete. In the past I have made things for the Made in Merri craft stall and the enviro stall and shown off my creations here for you all. This year I made a little...

button necklaces...

 pom pom hair bands and clips...

crochet card boxes and bowls...

 

 

 

but I was also one of the dynamic duo of gals who coordinated the WHOLE SHEBANG!It was huge! An organisational (nightmare) feat!  (stay tuned for the sitcom "Fete Mums") But it all came together and we made $70,000 for the school. A great achievement and I was so glad to put in the hard work and be involved.

And just because I wasn’t quite busy enough I also formed a band to play at the fete. We’re called Best Western and we did a short sharp set of Country duets.

So yes blog. I’ve been busy! But I’ll try and swing by and tickle your fancies when I can!

I've made it and I'm wearing it...

What do you think? Thanks for all the help - you were right. Stripes were the way to go! I ended up putting in the pink because I was worried I wouldn't have enough of the other colours and I like it. It's a heavy, fringy colourful, warm poncho and what was it the pattern said? It has a little touch of Mexico about it.

Flourishing Fringes!

yes...there is quite a bit of fringing in this poncho...yesterday was a day of endings. I finished the poncho with a thick flourish of fringing and I finished the book I was reading ("How to be Both" by Ali Smith)too. Now I have a bit of a combined post-craft-project/post-good-book blues....

70's Poncho Patterns

This is one of my favourite pattern books.

I just love the styling of this shoot - lazing about and crafting in the adobe hacienda with your long hair free and flowing. Although they do look a bit like they are imprisoned and waiting for the magnificent seven to rescue them*. A poncho sweatshop?

Looking at the patterns I realise that the old poncho is a very decadent item of clothing. Some of them have 7 balls of wool - just in the fringing!!!
Was wool really that much cheaper in the past?

Oh and I love that the poncho can also be a skirt. Ah the seventies. All long hair, boots and swathes of wool fringing.

*I would happily be rescued by the magnificent seven myself - especially Yul Brynner in that black shirt. Come and Save me Yul! Who-hoo!

Poncho Dilemma

Help! I have a poncho dilemma!

I am planning to crochet this poncho.
I've even bought the wool and all - Cleckheaton Country 8 Ply in Dijon mustard.

So why haven't I started?

Well I'm not sure about the colour. And then Lincraft had Cleckheaton Country 8 ply on sale so I bought some in different colours that I thought looked good with the mustard.

Now my dilemma: Do I make it in one colour ...

....or multi coloured stripes?

I do love colour. And like to wear lots of colour. Perhaps without the pink??? I don't know! Help!

Ministry of Tarnation and Titbits: Office of t-shirt transformation

More craft archiving from the school environment stall adventures in recycling.
Today's department is all about T-SHIRTS!

Cotton, stretchy, colourful t-shirts.

Rules and regulations:
1. You can cut a t-shirt into yarn or "TARN" because it doesn't fray but rather stretches into a lovely curled tubular yarn. And then well, you have yarn and can do all the usual amazing things with yarn!

2. Ribbed necks make excellent bag handles.

3. hems are little casings waiting to be transformed into many things. Don't throw out the scraps!

First off. Making continuous tarn-yarn from a t-shirt is a great trick. Here are some how to links:from Instructables and Mollie Makes

Once you have the yarn-tarn-tarn-yarn then you're off and running!
You can crochet bowls....

or bags......

or make pom poms....

or vague useless tassels that just hang around.....

As for the leftovers:

Short yarn can be looped over a chain to create a tassel necklace

leftover bits of hems and necks can be made into little flowers for hair ties and clips....

And I very much enjoyed sewing little rectangles of hems together, in contrasting colours fringing them and using the existent casing for necklace making.

But wait! There are scraps! Sew little scrappy bits along a thread with a needle.

Use a wooden bead at each end to hold into place and left over tarn for the necklace and voila. I think I used every last skerrick!

And for the best and easiest no-sew-no-fuss bag check out this tutorial

These sell like hotcakes at the fete!

Here is a linky dink for more jewellery ideas here

I'm a Basket Case!

I'm recycling anything I can get my hands on for the school fete environment stall. My fabric stash is now pleasantly depleted! Much of it was scraps, old curtains, small pieces, tablecloths, sheets - stuff I didn't want to sew but couldn't throw away.

 

 

Basically, I find this basic sort of crocheting very easy and well...basic. Which is sometimes good for my buzzing brain. Because really. Basically, I am a basket case.

Everybody loves String!

Who remembers the episode of "The Goodies" about string? Remember the song? All together now,



" String ,string, string, string,

everybody loves string!

String, string, string, string,

everybody loves string!

Pull up your pants,  pull on your vest, everyone agrees, string is best!

String, string, string, string,

everybody loves string!"

 

I've been singing it in my head for days now. The hand dancing is optional. I vaguely remember that string was evil in that episode and taking over the world?

String took over my world for a few days while I made a string bag. Because string bags are handy! Expandable! Collapsible! Sustainable!

However, this crochet version was LABOUR INTENSIVE to make. So I don't think there will be matching string pants to pull up or string vests to pull on any time soon! Phew!