Hello all

Just as I am playing the Minimalism Game and reducing the stuff in my life- its going well by the way – I hear a fluttering of felt wings…

I should have been suspicious that day in Windermere. The sudden extra weight in my backpack. 

That strange bird on a train

It could only mean one thing. The return of Gert! …hope she paid for her ticket. At first I thought that she’d heard about my house clearance and had come to protect some of her assets. 

But no. A whisper had spread around the world of felty creatures that there is a new kid on the block and she’d come to sneak a peek and welcome Drekie

who is in the early stages of being ‘sculpted’.

I’m working my little dragon friend from basic white fleece and once I’ve got a shape I’m happy with – its lovely that needle felting is so forgiving – I’m going to give him a layer of coloured fleece. Thinking shades of Herdwick (I’m not going anywhere with the shades thing…) with a dash of something brighter (red?) thrown in. I’m glad Gert returned to see him. And while she’s here there are a couple of other projects she can keep an eye on.

In the midst of all the getting rid there have been a couple of up-cycling opportunities.

First there was the crochet basket I made. It was always a bit too saggy but now I’ve run my stash down its completely flopped – in at least two senses of the word (are there more?). I was on the point of throwing it (I’m being ruthless) when I looked at the base. I loved its symmetry and noticed the pleasing fleck of green that gives it a tweedy look.

It couldn’t go. Instead I rewound the sides and ended up with a sizable ball of multi-strand yarn 

that I am now using to continue as an ever increasing circle to make what should be a cosy rug. 

I’ve upsized the stitches from UK double crochet to UK half-treble but I’m not quite sure. What do you think? Mmmm I’ll keep going and see if it blossoms. I can always pull it back…..

While on the rug front. Remember my t-arn rug?

Well the upside of clearing the airing cupboard is that it is revealing old t-shirts

that soon will be part of the slow-growing rag/t-arn rug. Is that a trag?!

Before I make up any more dubious words and ruin the beautiful English language I had better scarper…

Until next time. Moke (and Gert).