Crochet Mad! (but especially to go with a woven shawl)

It has been a bit depressing, looking at all the beautiful things on Etsy and looking at the pile of scarves I need to get finished, the 2 baby blankets and all my shawl flower pins that have been carefully wrapped in plastic awaiting finishing – but, I’m getting there!

Hannah has been co-operating this weekend, and as well as making a beef and guinness stew for dinner I also got some pins finished – unfortunately it is taking me ages to get them on to Etsy, and further more has anyone else ever thought that Etsy is lacking a European grouping for shipping options? (I feel a twit now, I’ve just found they have put up a European Union option…ah well, you live and learn)

Extreme Weaving – Not for arachnophobics

I had to put this post in, as to me it is a beautiful little story – not to mention expensive, (and some might say creepy). So, as we approach Hallowe’en, here we have a lovely story of silken spiders and weaving.
A wee bit on the expensive side for anyone thinking of getting some of this yarn, but it’s definately a renewable, natural fibre!

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113223398

Family project: Flowers, pom-poms and Glockenspiel-bangers

What to do when time is short, looms are not set up and you have lots of loom wastage from expensive wool? The answer is learn to crochet…(or have a mum who is a master crocheter!)
This turned into a real family project;  My mum crocheting and trying to explain to me how to do it (a bit of a lost cause, but never mind!), my dad and I making the wooden pins, myself making the pom-poms (making the centre of the flowers) and my sister providing the beads. My brother’s contribution was to name the wooden pins “glockenspiel bangers”.  Hannah contributed by keeping us all running in cycles to put her doddy back in her mouth, change her, feed her or try and get her to sleep. 

The ones picture below were the prototypes (my cousin is the owner of that now). The first of 8 off the full-family production team is now on Etsy