Restraint

I really need to learn some restraint.  For the past week I have been immersed in a little crochet project - I fancied a bag.  I had seen a fairly straightforward pattern posted on the web that had photos showing finger and stitch positions and everything - how hard could it be?   However, what I hadn't banked on was my inability to stop making it bigger - I increased the stitches so many times, that my bag is now the size of a small wheelie bin.  And obviously is way too big to be a bag. 

It is rather beautiful though - I love it.  I have decided to use it to house all my scrap wool - not that there is much left now as I've used most of it on the bucket.  It's quite floppy - next time I know to use a smaller hook than appropriate for the wool - apparently this makes the stitches more stiff, so it would stand better.  It's only a bucket shape at the moment as the bottom is stuffed full of wool and the top has been Andy'ed.  When he saw my pitiful attempts to get it to stand up, he went out to see what his "man shelves" in the outhouse held and came back in with some wire which he had twisted round on itself to make a large circle.  We then spent a good twenty minutes weaving and folding and cursing and cutting and, hey presto, a bucket.  It's fab and I love it!

In the meantime, Shannon has been very busy on sewing up these gorgeous flowers which now are gracing my mantelpiece, until I can get them to the shop.  She's also emailing me on, what seems like, a daily basis asking for more hexipuffs and granny squares.  She's insatiable! 

I am quite busy at the moment.  Andy has asked me to make a Man City blue pouffe and to embellish it with a club motif - I have been on ebay to see if I can find a Man City badge which I can sew on the top, but no luck so far.  If ebay doesn't come up trumps soon, then I shall have to go on the Man City website.  I have started the pouffe, but am aware that it probably needs to be a bit meatier than my first effort.  So, while in Norwich yesterday, Andy and I had a good hour or so in Loose's Emporium on Magdalen Street and popped up to the flea market too, looking for pouffes.  None of them were quite what I wanted, but I'm thinking that might be the way to go next - at least then, you have the correct shape and meatiness and I would just need to make the cover.  I can see many contented Saturday afternoons spent mooching around the flea market from now on.  Happy days!