Relax

When I was making a little gift bag as a thank you for a friend I had just read a blogpost about eye pillows. I decided to make one for her and while I was at it I made another one for myself.

I used this pattern of Leigh Laurel Studios cutting five bits of fabric of 6.3 x 11.4 cm and one piece of 26.7 x 11.4 cm. With seams of 0.6 cm it turned out just wide enough. I filled the pillow with 20 grams of lavender and 160 grams of flax seeds.

When finished I lay down and covered my eyes. How wonderful: the cool dark weight and the lovely smell are very relaxing. Next time I'll add another centimeter length or, even better, I change the 2.5 cm into 2 cm at both ends. But this pillow is definitely something to make again.

Tutorial for shambala bracelet

So many plans and so little time. Months ago I bought a piece of cord and some beads to make a shambala bracelet. As I a child I used to macrame whole tapestries and I wanted to try this technique again. Last night I finally did.

I found several tutorials on the internet, but ended up doing it my way. This is what I did:

1. tie a double knot in the end of a piece of cord of 40 cm (16 in)
2. fasten this on a clipboard
3. fold a cord of 1.60 meter (5.3 ft) in half to find its middle
4. start with 15 square knots at 8 cm (3.2 in) from the knot
5. add one bead, make 3 square knots, add another bead, make another 3 square knots and add the last bead
6. make another 15 square knots
7. make a circle of the short cord by holding the ends together each pointing in opposite direction and make 20 more square knots on both ends together
8. finish by making a knot in each end of the long cord very tightly to the bracelet or make two tight knots with both ends, and make a double knot in the end of the center cord

Would I do it again, I would change the fifteen knots in the beginning and the end into twenty, and the twenty on the two cords together into ten. Just as many square knots, but keeping the ends a bit more out of sight.

It was fun! Hope you enjoy it too.

Just a knit and a purl - tutorial for easy knitting

Easy knitting: just a knit and a purl and not too big a project. That’s what I aimed at designing these four different patterns for potholders. It's a project for beginners. By using double yarn however it looks quite advanced.

The four patterns vary from super easy to a challenge for beginning knitters. What you need is three skeins of cotton in different colors, knitting needles 4.5 (US 7) and a crochet needle 4 (US G/6, UK 8). The pattern is available in English and in Dutch - see Free patterns on the right.

You can choose to make all four different potholders or stick to one and the same pattern. Also you can mix the colors according to the given pattern or give it your own personal signature.

The knitting is easy, the result quite impressive and you can give it your own twist. Have fun and show me some pictures when you’re done :)