Making Good Use

Sew Hip Issue 3 Giveaway

I'll spare you the details - non-confirmation of a subscription (a Christmas present from my lovely Mum - thank you very much, Mum) and impatience on my part being the component parts - but I've ended up with two copies of Sew Hip issue 3.  So I thought I'd offer one as a giveaway.

There are some great sewing projects, including this rather splendid hippo.

A Union Jack pillow

And, right up my street, a knitting bag made from charity shop material.

There is also a pattern to make the skirt on the cover, an interview with Hilary Lang of Wee Wonderfuls and loads of other great articles and ideas.  If you'd like to enter the giveaway please leave a comment on this post.  I'll draw a name from the 'virtual hat' on Saturday 17th January. I'm happy to post anywhere in the world.

As If By Magic

As I've been going through plastic washing-up brushes at the rate of knots, I thought it was time I knitted myself some cotton dishcloths to use instead.  I've been knitting them to sell for the past two years but hadn't actually got round to using them myself.  I found a great pattern from Homespun Living  for a waffle dishcloth, as recommended by Down to Earth.

I was really pleased with how it turned out but kept thinking how much better it would look made in a crisp white cotton instead of the traditional cream which was all I had.

As if by magic, a box arrived this morning all the way from Australia.  I couldn't believe it when I opened it up and found four balls of white cotton yarn and four balls of a rather nice coffee colour cotton too.

The parcel had come from The Shopping Sherpa - so thank you very much TSS for your incredibly well- timed and extremely welcome parcel. 

Just the Ticket

I had a lovely surprise packet arrive from Maureen in New Zealand yesterday.

There was a lovely handmade card, a piece of pohutukawa blossom print fabric (Maureen thoughtfully included a note telling me what it was) - very cheerful, just the thing for brightening up a very grey and foggy morning, and the most gorgeous little woven bag which Maureen made herself on a cardboard loom.  She said it was her first attempt at weaving with a cardboard loom and the result is incredibly professional.   Thank you very very much Maureen, it was a lovely surprise to receive such a nice package.

The bag is fantastic and will be just the ticket to store this little beauty in, which was a surprise Christmas present from P.

Super Simple Wrap

I've been wanting to knit a wrap for ages, something simple to keep my back and shoulders warm in the evenings.  Knowing this Mum very kindly gave me some beautiful Rowan Cashsoft Chunky wool for Christmas.

It's the most gorgeous old rose colour and is wonderfully soft to the touch.  All I needed was to find a pattern that would be suitable.  I had thought about making something up as I was going along but didn't want to make a hash of things with such lovely wool.  A quick trawl through the wonderful Knitting Pattern Central  and I came up with this pattern.  The needle size was the same as for the Cashsoft Chunky and I even had a button that was the right size (bought 18 months ago from Get Knitted).  So now all I need to do is print off the pattern and away I go.  The wrap looks large enough to go around even my broad shoulders!

De-clutter Crazy

There's something about being away from home for a while that makes me look at things with a fresh eye when I get back, especially at New Year when I'm thinking about new starts and new ideas. 

For a long time I've been selling any books that were no good for Amazon on Greenmetropolis.  I liked their ethos and although I only 'earnt'  £3.00 per book sold (and from that I had to deduct second-class postage) it was quite a nice steady little supplement to my earnings.  Now, I don't know what has changed but over the past couple of months I've only sold two books, and it had got to the point where the piles of books for sale on Greenmetropolis were growing ridiculously high again (I did have a major cull of the books I had listed for sale on there in the summer too.)  Whilst I was at my Mum's I had one of those 'eureka' moments and thought if I get rid of all the books cluttering up the dining room, clear out the accumulated cr*p from the desk drawers, swap around said desk and a large bookcase (also crammed with non-selling Greenmetropolis books), then I could make room for a small area where I could keep my sewing machine out permanently, which - fingers crossed and with a fair wind behind me - might actually mean I get to use it more often.  That anyway is the plan.

At the moment the dining room looks like a bomb has hit it.  There are a couple of boxes of books already sorted out (I'm double checking them on Amazon before I finally donate them), half-empty shelves in two bookcases and books, books, books wherever I look.  Luckily a charity sack came through the letterbox this morning from the British Heart Foundation (who will collect books - many charity sacks are for clothing only) so they'll be getting a sackload of books on Friday.  The rest of them will be destined for the local hospice charity shop warehouse who are very good at collecting larger donations, and who never seem to mind taking books either.  I shall breathe a huge sigh of relief when they are finally gone and the dining room will probably seem twice as big when we're not tripping over teetering piles of books. 

Having been well and truly bitten by the de-cluttering bug at the moment I've also been throwing things from other drawers and cupboards willy-nilly - including some scarily out of date herbal medicines.  I'm always complaining that our house is too small, but I think the real issue is we just have too many 'things' in it.  I'm really looking forward to getting rid of some of them over the next few weeks.

Catalog

Just before Christmas I was really lucky and won an uber-generous giveaway from Flibbertygibbet - a copy of 'Catalog, The Illustrated History of Mail-Order Shopping'.

 

The book is chock-full of fantastic images from the last 125 years of catalogues. 

There are things I really wish they made these days, like these coloured toasters - fab.

Things I would have really coveted when I was little.  Gender-specific and stereotypical they may be, but I would have loved this toy kitchen and laundry set when I was a child.

Unusual items like a pop record with knickers box set.  The knickers look a bit 'Bridget Jones' to my mind - comfy but not really what a teenager would want.

Then there are the snigger-factor adverts - I'm not sure the word 'shag' has quite the same connotation in America - as well as the question of hygiene with so much pile surrounding a loo.  And just in case you can't see from the photo - the shag is 100 per cent nylon, mmm lovely - static!

99 Things

This meme seems to be going the rounds, so I thought I'd join in.

Things you've already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven't done and don't want to - leave in plain font

1. Started your own blog. Duh.

2. Slept under the stars.

3. Played in a band.

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity.

7. Been to Disneyland/world. (Disneyland California - 1982, Disneyland Paris, twice - 2008)

8. Climbed a mountain 

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo. But not for an audiance

11. Bungee jumped.

12. Visited Paris. 30 years ago, would love to go again one day.

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.  No - but have seen one in the mountains in Switzerland- fabulous spectacle

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. Sewing?

15. Adopted a child.

16. Had food poisoning.  Oh yes, that'll teach me for eating out-of-date potato salad.

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.  Nope, but have seen it from the Staten Island Ferry,.

8. Grown your own vegetables.

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.

20. Slept on an overnight train.

21. Had a pillow fight.

22. Hitch hiked.  Nope, far too much of a wuss.

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. 

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb.

26. Gone skinny dipping.  No fear, not at my size!

27. Run a marathon.   Never, otherwise next stop would be cardiac care ward.

28. Ridden a gondola in Venice.

29. Seen a total eclipse.

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.

31. Hit a home run.  Nope, but was dab hand at rounders (which I think is essentially the same) when I was a child.

32. Been on a cruise.  Must be getting middle-aged as this quite appeals to me now.

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.

35. Seen an Amish community.  No, but really would like to.

36. Taught yourself a new language. What, with an ungraded French 'O' Level - no chance.

37.Had enough money to be truly satisfied.

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing.  Ooh, no, vertigo!

40. Seen Michaelangelo's David in person.

41. Sung Karaoke. But only amongst friends.

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.  Nope, but did see some wonderful geysers in Iceland.

43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.

44. Visited Africa.   It's mainly Morocco that appeals to me.

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.

46. Been transported in an ambulance.   Yes, but luckily I wasn't the patient.

47. Had your portrait painted.

48. Gone deep sea fishing.

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person. 

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Only got as far as the first platform when vertigo set in.

51. Gone scuba diving.  (Actually no way, but can't get the bold to go off for this one)

52. Kissed in the rain.  Probably at some point - I do live in the UK after all.

53. Played in the mud. Probably as a child

54. Gone to a drive-in theatre.

55. Been in a movie.

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class - Tai Chi

59. Visited Russia.  Many years ago when St Petersburg was still called Leningrad.

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout cookies. Uh, no. And we refer to them as biscuits anyway.

62. Gone whale watching

63. Gotten flowers for no reason.

64. Donated blood.

65. Gone sky diving.

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.

67. Bounced a cheque.

68. Flown in a helicopter.

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar.  Absolutely no way, I don't 'do' fish.

72. Pieced a quilt.

73. Stood in Times Square.  What a wonderful place. 

74. Toured the Everglades.

75. Been fired from a job.  No, but have walked out of a few. 

76.  Seen the changing of the guard in London.

77. Broken a bone - luckily not, but can't get the bold to go off.

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.

80. Published a book.

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car.

83. Walked in Jerusalem.

84. Had your picture in the newspaper.

85. Read the entire Bible.

86. Visited the White House.

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.

88. Had chickenpox.

89. Saved someone's life.

90. Sat on a jury.

91. Met someone famous.  Used to work at the Theatre Royal in Bath so met lots of 'luvvies' then.

92. Joined a Book Club.

93. Lost a loved one.

94. Had a baby.

95. Seen the Alamo in person.

96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake.

97. Been involved in a law suit. I

98. Owned a cell phone. I do own a mobile phone

99. Been stung by a bee.

Happy New Year

Thank you so much to everyone who left a comment on yesterday's post, it was lovely to hear from you all. 

This has been my first full year of blogging and it has been absolutely grand. I've 'met' so many lovely people and it has proved to be a joy in so many unexpected ways.  In the 'real world' 2008 has been a bit of an up and down sort of year but in the 'virtual world' it has been nothing but a pleasure.  I always look forward to a new year - the excitement of a blank canvas to do with as you wish and so many plans and schemes to dream about - and I'm very much hoping that 2009 will be a bit less topsy turvy for me than 2008 was.  Happy New Year one and all - may all your dreams come true in 2009.

So There I Was ....

.... having a quiet five minutes yesterday evening, reading another of the books I'd been given for Christmas.

 

I was particularly enjoying the chapter about crafts and how they have become much more popular and fashionable since the advent of blogging.  I got to page 101 where there is a list of craft blogs to check out and I nearly fell out of my chair with excitement, there - amongst such craft-blog luminaries as Wee Wonderfuls, Loobylu, Molly Chicken and Apron Thrift Girl - was a mention of Making Good Use.

I could not believe it and much squealing with excitement ensued.  I spent the rest of the evening in a state of mild shock.  I have no idea why India Knight would think my blog was worth mentioning - although I'm very pleased that she did - but have been wondering why my viewing stats had rocketed lately.  I think I may have found the answer.

PS.  In case you can't see from the cr*p photo, the mention of Making Good Use is the second one down on the page.  The description reads 'Jaunty British blog about trying to be thrifty and green, with a big crafts emphasis.'  I particularly like the word 'jaunty' - a word that seems to be very underused these days.

PPS.  What I've read of the book so far is very useful and highly amusing.  Another one I'd recommend.

 

A Bit of Inspirational Reading

Amongst many other lovely things, I had a really inspirational book for Christmas. 

I devoured this in less than 24 hours as I really couldn't believe that anyone could possibly live on so little money for a whole year - but she had, and without cheating once.  I'd read about Kath Kelly in the papers a couple of months ago and had mistakenly thought she'd managed to live on only £1 per day by being a bit of a scrounger but that really was not the case at all.  In fact, she made it very clear from the outset of her year of frugal living that she absolutely would not do that. 

Many of the things she does during the year I would be too much of a wuss to try - like hitch-hiking to get to other parts of the country, or going to university lectures to take advantage of the free buffet on offer afterwards.  But generally it is a truly thought-provoking and inspirational book with lots of ideas that anyone could put into practice - for example, taking an inventory of exactly what you've got lurking in bathroom cabinets, wardrobes, larders and pantrys before you go out buying yet more things that possibly you've already got enough of, something I've definitely been guilty of in the past.

It was especially interesting for me as she was living in Bristol during that year (she's since moved to Somerset) so I knew most  of the places she was referring to.  I think the fact that she was living in a large city did make some aspects of her frugal year easier as there would be no way I could find free buffets or gallery openings on offer in the small town where I now live.  On the other hand, living in such a large metropolis did mean that she had to cycle a long, long way to get out into open countryside to go foraging - something that would be much easier for me, I could practically walk to open countryside.

Reading such an inspirational story is just right for this time of year with New Year almost upon us and I'm hoping that I can cut my spending down a lot further in 2009 now that I've read this book.  Like 'The Complete Tightwad Gazette', it's the sort of book that will be useful for years to come as whenever I'm getting tired of being frugal I'll only have to leaf through it again to get plenty of excellent tips and inspiration to give me renewed determination.