Too many pompoms??

                  We've been away for a lovely week in Cornwall, but more on that next week...


                                Before going, I was working on my latest scrap yarn basket

                        With the basket completed, I decided it needed a little something extra!!

I made a pompom using my smallest pompom maker, using a few different strands of different coloured yarns. However, putting it next to the basket, it looked enormous! I had to rethink, and remembered seeing a technique online using a fork, so gave it a go

It worked well, and was easy to do, just  a bit tricky to get the scissors in to make the cuts, but the size was much more suitable!

You can see the difference in size. The fork is definitely a good way to make cute tiny ones!

So the next question was how many?? Just a single bunch each side?

Or a bunch either side of the handle on both sides?

Is there such a thing as too many pompoms?

What do you reckon, which do you prefer??

Whilst away I took the Mandala with me. Although its a huge size so not very practical to travel with, I didn't really have a portable project to take with me. Not only that I wanted to get back into the swing of doing it, and correcting my mistake.

I made a start on the train journey, as its a long 7 hour trip

Took relaxing moments in the garden

And worked on it in the evenings whilst watching the Olympics

So now I have competed week 12 and made a start on 13, but still quite a way to go yet!!

I'll just leave you with one last image, where Ive given my pompom image the Prisma treatment!

Mandala mistakes and Basket beginnings...

It's been a hot muggy week here in the UK. Not that i'm complaining about actually having some summer weather, but I am thankful to now be living by the sea. It's enabled us to pop out across to the beach when ever we needed a spot of cooler air

This included an evening stroll at dusk, although it was the lure of getting a magnum that did get us off the sofa!

We had our usual beach walk when we had the day off together. It was a beautiful day, but with a lovely sea breeze it was comfortable to walk in

As we'd been out for a while we ended up stopping at a garage and getting ourselves a late lunch. We sat on the beach to eat it, you really can't beat that view!

Hubby had a great haul that day, and some good size pieces too

A range of colours. White, green, olive and pale blue

I was having a 'blind' day, but at least I managed to find a large pale blue piece

I had a work meeting to go to in Stratford. It turned out nothing like I could have imagined as we spent 2 hours around the Olympic park 'team building'. It was so much fun as we worked in teams, had clues to find and had to show photographic evidence. It meant I was able to visit somewhere ordinarily I wouldn't normally have gone to.

The mandala has been continued and been growing, with thankfully some quicker easier rounds. But I've hit another mistake!

I'm so frustrated! I'm not quick at crochet, and I have limited time, so to have to undo a whole round which I need to do is a little bit heartbreaking!

The problem is I didn't know I had gone wrong until I was at the end of this round! I'm supposed to have 31 of these lilac stitches in each section, but somehow the last section has 33!!

So I've chucked it aside for the moment, until I can bear to undo and redo, and made a start on a new basket. As you may recall last time I intended to do another (but slightly different) scrap yarn basket. Its not quite gone to plan, I have said before they do work up organically, and take their own shape. Well this one certainly has. For some reason the base on this one didn't come out flat like all the others.

Its like a ceramic bowl with a base, so if it wishes to be a bowl, then a bowl it may be!!

A week of mixed crafts...

We went out on  a most enjoyable beach walk last week, and yes the sun did put in an appearance. Despite the tide being in we still had a search for treasure. I wasn't able to find any glass at the beginning, but I took joy at all the other wondrous things that get washed on to the beach. For the first time I found some good pieces driftwood

Its amazing how time flies and how many metres you walk when you are completely absorbed in nature around you. The only problem is having to walk back again!

Along the way I did manage to find quite a few pieces, in fact I managed to beat hubby on quantity this time, but he came up trumps with our best find so far, an absolutely beautiful cobalt blue piece

This week I've dabbled in a few crafts. I have of course continued with the mandala rounds. It is now bigger than our patio table and to take this picture I had to stand on some steps

I have now completed week 11, a whole 76 rows!

So many different stitches, make great texture

I bought myself a little pack of  acrylic paints as I wanted to experiment to see if the paint would take on the chalk pebbles, and I was very pleased to find that it worked!

Hubby's Uncle gave us some of his home grown rhubarb, my favourite fruit

So I made good use of it and made a scrummy crumble

I made a start on a new basket, after seeing that I hadn't made one for too long.

As I have a ridiculously large stash of acrylic yarns I fancied trying a scrap yarn basket. As I wanted a complete random mix of colour I put two strands together, and went up a hook size. Its tricky to make it random when you're used to pattern, and matching.

I kinda like how its turning out though

Treasures and mandala madness continues...

So it was back to work this week, and the weather hasn't been the greatest, its been quite changeable.
On our day off together, despite the grey skies, we were determined to make the most of the beach.

We felt it would be a good treasure hunting opportunity as the sea had been churning well. And it was, we found plenty of pieces, but we hadn't anticipated on the strength of the wind nor the chillyness!

Apart from a lone dog walker we were the only ones braving the elements. Its normally me that struggles with the cold the most but the quantity of finds had me in a determined state of mind. We were in much need of a warm up, so we stopped for hot chocolate before we headed back.

By chance I came across some super cute mini glass bottles at The Works, perfect to display our pretty sea treasures.

              I took time out after work to visit the art instillation that's temporarily on our beach.

Its cleverly mirrored so you get to see unusual reflections.

The only problem, as they've been up awhile, they've been up against the elements so some of the mirrors are too dirty! 

I have continued to work on the mandala. I'm happy that week 11 is much less taxing

I wont go as far as saying easy, as I still managed to make a mistake!

I was so annoyed with myself, it wasnt really down to lack of concentration this time, but as i just pick it up in the evenings, I stop and start around the circle. For some reason I had the wrong stitches in my head so basically just made it up!!

                                 Looking back at my June pictures, I was shocked to see that

I hadn't made any baskets for the whole month! The Mandala and its massive rounds have literally taken up all my craft time, but also I thoroughly enjoy making it, I do though, need to find a way of fitting in some smaller projects too!

Textural mandala...

Not too much to show as its been another week dominated by work.

I'm still continuing with the Mandala.

The rounds are slow now, but I'm thoroughly enjoying it! After a couple of pattern repeats, it usually stays in my head and I get in the rhythm, but at times I think I must have nearly gone fully round, only to find I'm only halfway!
As promised ive managed to get a full picture, its getting harder to do so now as it increases in size!

I am really loving all the different textures that are coming through with all the different mixes of stitches, and I'm learning a great deal, trying stitches ive not used before...

I am going to be making some more baskets. I have got a few ideas that I want to try, not sure which one will be first, ill see how it starts to work up

We managed one brief seaside walk, but it was deceivingly chilly!

The waves were crashing well and it made them all frothy!

We got a new (well new to us) piece of furniture delivered this week. Its going to be great to finally sort through all our dvds and cds and be able to have easy access to them.

Sadly I don't think ill get much crafting time the week ahead either as I'm travelling northbound for a training course, but ill see what I can fit in!