Solar Flares

Has anyone been lucky enough to see any Northern Lights yet?  It's been a bit cloudy in the evenings here, so any charged ion particles (I love Professor Brian Cox) have been hidden from view.

However, the solar activity has spread to my work-table!  I was asked to make some Sunburst Earrings for my sister-in-law after she saw the green and purple ones on Folksy.  She wanted red ones, and guess who didn't have enough red seed beads?  So.  Where could I find red seed beads before sis-in-law went home to Scotland?  My local pound shop came up trumps once again.  A multi-strand beaded bracelet had three strands of red seed beads mixed in with some larger plastic discs - saved!  Duly purchased, cut up and re-threaded.  I hope she likes them!

Sunshine Sunbursts

A beautiful sunny day in Little Owls land today - and I wanted to celebrate!  These earrings are based on a traditional mandala shape, which apparently is frequently used in Buddhist and Hindu religions.  They have spiritual significance in establishing a sacred space.

I've been asked to make a pair of these for my sister-in-law in red with silver fittings - I've sourced the beads from a local charity shop.  I wish I could buy time at the charity shop, too, though.  As soon as I get them finished I'll post a photo so you can see how they turned out.

Have a lovely day.

It's been a funny old day!

First thing today I was faffing.   Yep, just sitting here thinking about all the things I wanted to get done; well, I've done some of them!  Not all, I hasten to add, but some.  The college project has been started, my parcel has been posted, and I have taken pics of the two scarves that have been sitting on the dining room table, waiting for a dry day so I can get all arty-farty with them.  Ready for my close-up, Mr de Mille!

I can feel another of these coming on, so maybe the moss green chunky will have to wait a while ....... a satisfied Little Owl this evening.

Not enough hours .....

..... in a day to get through everything I want to do!  I sold my blue-trimmed traditional-style baby shawl yesterday, so there are only two left in my Folksy shop; a mint green trimmed and a pale yellow trim.  So it's off to the post office shortly with a parcel.

Thankfully the weather is lovely this morning; sunny, breezy and mild so the walk will be good.

I had planned to start a major college project today, so I guess that will have to be rescheduled - and I have been asked by a family member to make her a pair of beaded earrings, which I have yet to start. And I have two big skeins of gorgeous mossy green chunky wool that are calling to me - no idea what they want to be, but I'm dying to get started, whatever it is!  There are two crochet scarves waiting to be photographed and listed on Folksy, and I found a super-easy pattern on www.knittingpatterncentral.com for a long-sleeved shrug that would be perfect over a sleeveless tunic I have been planning to make from a vintage 1960s pattern ... and yesterday I found a large bag of multi-coloured glass pebbles that I have a few ideas for as well!

Note to self - stop faffing and get on with it!

Springtime is on the way ....

.... and doesn't it cheer a body up?  Everyone seems so much happier when the sun shines.  Every morning when I walk my dog, Dougie, I notice different signs that spring and summer are waiting in the wings: daffodils, snowdrops, crocus and lots of new birds' nests.  It's about this time of year that our annual frog migration takes place, from who knows where, to the lake in the nearby park.  Some kind people actually go out every evening with buckets to collect the frogs that are trying to cross a busy road, and take them to the lake safely.  Dougie doesn't quite know what to make of the frogs we encounter during our evening constitutional - goodness knows what the frogs make of him!

And why are the frogs on the march?  Because it's time to think about maybe making a few extra little froglets!  The urge to create is very strong during sunny days, with rising temperatures and longer daylight hours.  Have you noticed a desire to get making? Do you have twitchy fingers? Feel like dusting off the sewing machine/finding a matching pair of knitting needles/gluing things to other things, just to see what it looks like?

I came across this while I was attempting to tidy my bedroom this morning: carefully folded in tissue paper ready for a lucky new baby.  I have listed it in my Folksy shop, Little Owls, and I'd like to share it with you.  It was made a little while ago, but it's still a lovely piece of work.  I think traditional items like this still have a place in our modern world, don't you?