I just wanted to share with you some lovely, crafty things I’ve had for my birthday. Even at my age (I’m not telling what that is) I’m spoiled rotten with thoughtful gifts.

Mum and Dad bought me this linen yarn, which is a gorgeous pale blue with gold running through it. Growing flax, which is where linen comes from, is kinder to the environment because its much more resilient than cotton and needs less fertiliser. I think I’m going to use it to make a shawl for my brother-in-law’s wedding in September.

They also got me this pretty pink album which is made from 100% recycled cotton pulp. Its perfect because I’ve been looking for somewhere to put the flowers after I’ve pressed them in the fab flower press I got at Colwick car boot a few weeks ago.

From my middle sis and her clan I got some gardening and cook books as well as a fab book called ‘Waste Not Want Not’ which is full of  ideas on how to re-use things in the home. There’s a whole section on what to do with old clothes so I’ll definitely be reading that part closely. They also gave me a box of yummy Green & Blacks organic choccies which apparently Murphy decided to ‘help’ me with whilst I was out at work this morning. Here’s the evidence…

From my big sis and everyone at ‘number 75 & 21′ I had three tubs of lovely crafty items she had been collecting for ages – ribbons, buttons, colourful yarns and gorgeous fat quarters with bunny prints.

A really special gift from them came in this pretty old tin…

… full of buttons which my brother-in-law’s dad, Norman, had been keeping safe in the loft. They belonged to his wife Mary. Mary isn’t with us any more and when we lost her it was devastating to the whole family as we’re all so close.

So, as you can imagine this is extra special to me and I already have ideas about using these buttons when I’ve gotten much better at dressmaking and made some lovely clothes.

I’m a very lucky girl not just to get prezzies but to have loved ones who are so thoughtful. Thank you x

Read up on colour symbolism and you’ll find that the colour orange is associated with happiness, heat and flamboyance.

Despite my declaration for a love of orange there is a distinct lack of it in my wardrobe and in our home. I’ve even taken a little tour around the house to see if I can actually find it anywhere. As of today the things around me that are orange are some body scrub, the spines of 3 penguin books…

a jumper, a bunny food bowl…

and this ball of yarn and ribbon…

That’s really it, nothing more. So I guess I need to make something. Well, I have been. Using the Happy Hookers crochet book as mentioned in my previous post (‘The ripple effect‘) and this very yarn I followed a pattern for a lovely little clutch bag. In this wintry weather I thought a crochet bag in a warming orange would be just the ticket. But look what happened….

Can you see that when the bag is laid out flat it changes shape? Rather than being a rectangle, its more like a trapezium. I followed the pattern to the letter (except I added a few extra rows because I wanted the bag to be a little deeper) but my tension changed through the fabric. I guess at the beginning I was making looser loops and stitches because I was cautiously labouring over each one but as the pattern progressed I became faster, more confident and tightened it up.

That’s a biggie to look out for in crochet. If the tension isn’t consistent you’ll end up with a really bizarrely shaped item.

I am going to unravel this bag and start again. I don’t mind, I’d rather get it right and use the opportunity to hone those tension skills.

Watch this space to see the finished product and in the meantime hop on over to the ‘Resources’ page where you can find some interesting colour links.