Working hard…

but not necessarily on the nice things! I haven’t had time for any sewing, knitting, crochet – well I have but I’ve been too tired to do any.

We’ve just had our busiest week of the year at work, getting all the final shows ready. Now, you might think that putting work on boards and plinths is easy but we had to lug those boards and plinths in to the rooms and paint them after removing all the tables and chairs and general accumulated rubbish. It was a week of moving and shifting and we’ve got more to do next week taking them all down and putting more shows up. Phew, it’s hard work and we’ve been too tired to do anything when we get home.

We also bought a wii. I know, a bit late to the party but I really wanted the wii fit because we’re all a bit lardy and there is no way I can afford to join a gym or want to suffer the humiliation of jogging in front of other people. At least when I catch sight of myself in the mirror as I fall over trying to perfect my yoga I can comfort myself with the knowledge that only I can see me. The only annoying thing is that my brother has lost 5lb in 3 days and I’ve put 1lb on!

It’s been a bit rainy lately and I haven’t been in the garden much so imagine my surprise when I checked my vegetables this morning and there was actual produce! God bless plants that look after themselves.

Peppers

Tomatoes just starting to flower

Savoy cabbage

Maize

My pride and joy, a teensy cauliflower the size of a tennis ball

Strawberries and blackberries

Goosegogs and apples

Broad beans and runner beans

Yum, yum, yum!

Beccy

Crochet flower cushion…

This is a practice for Christmas presents (I know, it’s June, but if I don’t start really early I’ll be doing it all last minute!)

The pattern is Fanciful Flowers Potholder by Claudia Lowman.

I used an old jumper for the back but it is a bit too stretchy – next time I’ll crochet another circle (I’m just too lazy to do it just now for this one) I also won’t use white for the base but it was an odd ball I wasn’t likely to use for much else and this was only meant to be a practice run.

Sewing the back to the front face-to-face was a bit tricky because of the different weights and the extra row of petals on the edge of the front getting in the way.

It worked out ok though! When we got rid of our old sofas I kept all the cushions with a view to reusing the stuffing for this sort of thing. Don’t you just love it when your hoarding tendencies are justified? This cushion cost about £1 to make (if I don’t bill for my time) but it’s worth much more because handmade is pretty much always better.

Next time I’ll crochet the back, use a darkish colour for the base layer, and I might stick a great big button in the centre. All in all I’m pleased with how it came out and I’m looking forward to making lots for prezzies!

Beccy