Bootcuffs-gone-wrong cowl

This is the story...

I wanted to make a pair of bootcuffs out of some leftover yarn (Rowan Lima Colour and Lang Minerva Merino). Their colours turned out too different to be acceptable though. I hadn't realized that this kind of variegated yarn doesn't have a recurring colour pattern.

What to do, what to do....??

I decided to make a cowl out of the two pieces of knitted fabric, by sewing them together. It's a nice and soft fabric and feels great around my neck.

But still, I found the seams a bit weird. Perhaps a few buttons would make it work? So I searched my button box for some buttons that would fit together and sewed them onto the seams.

I think it works, it's not haute couture off course, but nice :

Cheery flower chain

This flower chain I crocheted some months ago for a friend who could use some cheering up.
It is based on a pattern I found in "Haken in kleur" ("Crochet with color") by Kazuko Ryokai.
The pattern (on p. 84) is called "lariat" or "bloemenketting". It was a fun project, although it meant weaving in really a lot of ends...
I used all kinds of yarn leftovers, mostly cotton, some wool.
It turned out quite nice I think, and in fact, at the time, it cheered me up as well.

Please give bees a chance

I love bees, especially bumblebees. Every time I spot one of these flying teddybears, it makes me smile and I want to see what they are up to. But pollution makes it hard for them to survive and the global bumblebee population is declining. In my own small way I wanted to raise some awareness for this. Craftivism is my kind of thing, and since I recently discovered the joy of embroidery, that's what I did. With a model from Making Magazine, issue 2 as a guideline, I embroidered this bumblebee onto a piece of fabric, cut from an old pair of linen trousers. I’ve hung it in front of my window, hoping it will make just a tiny little bit of difference…