Colour naming

When listing new items on Etsy it's often difficult to think of different names for colours that buyers may search for. 

A comprehensive list of colour names would be very useful - and here it is on Wikipedia.

The colour names are alphabetically listed with samples and their values in the first section, then in the second section they are grouped by colour - very handy!

Mitts and Cuffs

I'm not sure why but I seem to be in handwarming mode despite the warm and sunny weather!

Actually I knitted these items a short while back, but then hung around waiting to finish off the sewing, beading, finding ribbons, etc.

First up are the gooseberry fingerless mitts.

I absolutely adore the colour of these, and the flower is so soft you can barely feel it.

The mitt is knitted in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran (currently one of my favourite yarns) and the flower in Debbie Bliss Angel with various glass beads sewn in the centre.

Delicious!

The silk bell lace cuffs are another luxury, this time for a special occasion.

Have you been invited to a summer ball, wedding, etc? Then these are for you!

Handknitted using shimmering Jaeger Pure Silk yarn with ribbon bows and a crocheted edging incorporating silver lined glass seed beads.

Beautiful.

Dyeing to show you...!

Sweet crochet

I have been included in a sweet crochet treasury created by Etsy seller LunaDiArgento - thanks!

Contemporary home crochet

I discovered some great crocheted homewares with a contemporary feel using the Google image search - see what you think.

From Gretel you can purchase this crocheted rubber bowl - funky!

Maybe you'd prefer a crocheted light shade from Room #39.

This would leave great shadows on your walls!

 

Finally there is an amazing offering from our very own Marks and Spencers store - a colourful crochet beanbag:

Silk Indulgence

To further indulge in my current obsession with silk, here is my latest treasury featuring amazing silk items from UK Etsy sellers... Enjoy!

Peek-a-boo Project

Mmmmm... Handmaiden Sea Silk in shade "Nova Scotia"... 8/0 lined glass seed beads in turquoise and lime...

Can you guess what it is yet?!

Swimathon

We're so proud of our 10yo and 12yo daughters this evening.

They have each swum over a mile in our local baths to raise money for their surf life-saving club.

The whole group of youngesters did exceptionally well; they just kept going for a whole hour.

We're all amazed -  including the children! Well done!

Amazing Fact Number 389

Richard I of England - aka Richard the Lionheart - died on this day in 1199.

However his inspiration continues!

Crochet vs plastic shopping bags

I've been inspired by the current Etsyhookers team challenge - to crochet something themed for Earth Day.

I've recently been encouraging the rest of my family to make more use of our reusable shopping bags rather than collecting endless quantities of plastic bags.

Here are some of the reasons why, courtesy of Wikipedia:

"Due to their durability, plastic bags can take up to 100 years to decompose. On land, plastic bags are one of the most prevalent types of litter in inhabited areas, becoming an eyesore to local residents. At their worst, plastic bags can clog drainage systems and contribute to flooding, as occurred in Bangladesh in 1988 and 1998.

When plastic bags are washed out to sea, they pose a threat to animal life. In the decades since plastic bags first came into wide use, there has been a dramatic increase in the quantity of plastic bags found floating in oceans around the world. Once in the ocean, these bags can strangle wildlife or, if ingested, can choke or cause wildlife to starve to death. Some marine animals including sea turtles, and dolphins have been killed as a result of ingestion of plastic marine litter, including plastic bags. As they slowly decompose, plastic bags break into tiny pieces and leech toxic chemicals into soils, lakes, rivers, and oceans."

Along those lines I decided to crochet some net bags using oddballs and oddments of cotton yarns I have in my sprawling yarn stash.

Here's a preview of one of them - it's appalling light for photographing anything inside today though! Better photos to follow.

Happy Mother's Day!

It's Mother's Day here in the UK, so I hope everyone has a wonderful day, whatever you're doing!