Unbought Delicacies: 08/07/2012

Saturday, 14 July 2012

Home-made egg candler

Had this made for me; I had money put aside to buy one, now I need one, but this one appeared. Used it this afternoon on the Dumpy eggs, works well. So far, one looks infertile, one dodgy, but the rest seem promising. Next candling at 14 days, will report back.

I thought it looked a bit industrial, so I yarn-bombed it lol

Simple and thrifty coffee pot cosy

Pattern can be found here:

http://figheade.blogspot.co.uk/

Orders taken too, if you would like one, just leave a comment or contact me by e-mail - any design/colour possible - for barter :)

Thursday, 12 July 2012

The simple satisfaction of homemade

Teh thrill of actually being able to produce my own knitting wool will never leave me, I'm pretty sure of that. Yesterday and today I've been spinning up some Shetland/silk blend

As you can see, it's now well on its way to becoming a hat. Very pleased with it, it' s just lovely to knit with, with the added satisfaction of being totally unique and made by me. Top that.

Found this charming wee project

http://www.allaboutyou.com/craft/pattern-finder/crochet-patterns/crochet-for-women/make-a-bluebird-brooch-48646

Wednesday, 11 July 2012

Nantucket lightship baskets

I came across this again this morning, andhave spent a happy half hour reading about it all; it's been on my favourites list for a while to catch up on, fascinating stuff, well worth a read. Lovely baskets too :)

http://www.nantucketlightshipbasketmuseum.org/BasketConstruction.html

They are still being made in a similar vein: http://www.jymm.com/

Tuesday, 10 July 2012

It's not often that I quote from the bible!

I came across this today, though and liked it, so I thought I'd share:

¹¹and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, ¹²so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody

Thessalonians 4:11 - 12

Monday, 9 July 2012

Keeping it simple..........

........... an ongoing attempt to simplify, a long-term project, life may never be simple enough, but I'm getting there.

Yesterday was a simple Sunday at home - baked blueberry muffins and made pizza for supper; picked raspberries in the sunshine; sorted some knitting wool and fleeces out; washed dishes - that was about it, interspersed with cups of tea and sitting out in the sunshine that appeared mid-afternoon,albeit briefly. Recharged now.

I have found such joy

I have found such joy in simple things;
A plain, clean room, a nut-brown loaf of bread,
A cup of milk, a kettle as it sings,
The shelter of a roof above my head,
And in a leaf-laced square along the floor,
Where yellow sunlight glimmers through the door.
I have found such joy in things that fill
My quiet days: a curtain's blowing grace,
A potted plant upon my window sill,
A rose, fresh-cut and placed within a vase;
A table cleared, a lamp beside a chair,
And books I long have loved beside me there.
Oh, I have found such joys I wish I might
Tell every woman who goes seeking far
For some elusive, feverish delight,
That very close to home the great joys are:
The elemental things- old as the race,
Yet never, through the ages, commonplace.

~ Grace Noll Crowell

Ideas for handmade gifts

Small knitteds - gloves, scarves, hot water bottle covers, hats, tea cosies, phone covers, little toys,,cushion covers, bags. Some of these can be felted/fulled for extra interest.
Edibles - chutneys and jams, pickles, nice teas in a vintage/retro tin, sweeties, toffees, mustard, home made wine and liqueurs, home dried fruits, ketchups.
For the home - trimmed tea towels, handknitted dishcloths, quilted wallhangings, small samplers, restored picture frames, pot pourri, lavender bags, covered coathangers, little scented bags for hanging on handles, framed photos of family,etc you've taken yourself, pincushion,needle book, scissor keeper, book of promises (eg babysitting, 1 hour's housework, the ironing, etc)
Bathtime - homemade soap, bath oils, bath salts, knitted washcloths, herbal bags for the bath, hand sewn toilet bags, trimmed hand towels, homemade lotions and potions packed in pretty jars and bottles.
For the garden - home saved seed in handmade decorated packets; homemade handcream, exfoliating soap, wheat bag for those digger's aches and pains!

Handmade books, personalised printed notepaper and envelopes.
Hamper of bits and bobs from the above lists, packed in a pretty lined basket.

I'll add some more as and when I think of them; These can be used all year round and easily tailored to the recipient - everyone loves a homemade gift. :)

Inspiring thoughts.............

I saw a man, an old Cilician, who occupied an acre or two of land that no one wanted.
A patch not worth the ploughing, unrewarding for flocks, unfit for vineyards;
he, however, by planting here and there among the scrub cabbages or white lilies and verbena and flimsy poppies, fancied himself a king in wealth, and coming home late in the evening, loaded his board with unbought delicacies.
Virgil

I had no theories to prove. I merely wanted to try living by my own hands, independently as far as possible from a system of division of labour in which the participant loses most of the pleasure of making and growing things for himself. I wanted to bring in my own fuel and smell its sweet smell as it burned in the hearth I had made. I wanted to grow my own food, or forage after it. In short I wanted to do as much as I could for myself, because I had already realised from partial experience the inexpressible joy of doing so.

Harlan Hubbard, Shantyboat: A River Way of Life

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