January week 2

ILLNESS STRIKES!

Yes that’s right… I got the flu… and not the mythical man-flu either… proper flu! Talk about bad timing for my 2019 crafting plans!

The aches and pains of flu combined with a hacking cough and running nose are hardly well suited to crafting, so I’ve sadly spent four days in bed without a knitting needle or crochet hook in sight.

But fear not dear reader, as I regained some strength towards the end of the week there’s progress to share with you as well as an update on a sustainability workshop I attended at my local yarn shop.

Week 2 – 7th to 13th Jan

So what did I work on this week?

Some progress has been made with Oswald the owl… I’ve reached the bottom of the wing and despite the pattern looking a little more complicated at this point, it’s actually a bit easier to knit as I’m in a groove now with the bobbins!

I’m going to try to knit a little on him every week and hopefully he’ll be done in no time at all!

The cardigan for #niece1 has benefitted most from my time this week as I enjoyed working on something simple that didn’t need too much concentration while I built myself back up. I finished both fronts this week and cast on the sleeves so I’m hoping that this will be the first item I finish in 2019. Watch this space.

Last week I included a great little coffee place that I found in Manchester to sit and knit, so this week here’s another recommendation. The difference this week is this is one of my favourite places in Cardiff to visit Brød the Danish Bakery in the Pontcanna area of Cardiff is amazing. Pastries to die for, excellent coffee and a European/Scandinavia vibe that is perfect for knitting, it’s a definite recommendation from me if you’re local and have never been, or a ‘must visit’ if you come to Cardiff.

And finally…

My local yarn shop – Ammonite Yarns – is based just outside of Cardiff in a little village called Pontyclun. Ammonite is jointly run by the lovely Jenny and Ruth and they have a yarn club which I’m a member – the Fibonacci Fibre club! The Fibonacci name is in reference to the Fibonacci sequence of which the ammonite shell is a naturally occurring example. On Saturday they held the first workshop of 2019 for members on the subject of sustainability.

There were various sessions throughout the afternoon including felting and repurposing T-shirt’s. I took part in the wash cloth session making cotton face cloths and pads to remove the need for the sponges or face wipes, and also the wax wrap session to remove the need for cling film or foil!

I’ve heard so many knitters extol the virtues of dish/face cloths as easy projects to whip up but it’s always been something I’ve walked past… but taking a step back to think about the ease with which a cotton project could be whipped up as well the environmental benefits we could get from just a little change in attitude it’s definitely something I’ll be considering again. Here’s a little face pad I crocheted up!

Wax wraps were something I’d never heard of but seems very Victorian Kitchen (and who didn’t love a bit Downton Abbey – #teamservant!). Used instead of cling film or tin foil these are a great way to create something sustainable to cover jars or wrap up food to keep in the fridge.

We took a piece of cotton, applied a small amount of coconut oil (for flexibility) then covered in grated wax. Some heat from a moderate iron and voila – a wax wrap! This is definitely something I can see a benefit in using at home to create reusable covers for sandwiches for the office and cheese in the fridge!

This was a workshop run for the club members but I hope Jenny and Ruth consider running it again in the future for the general public, sustainability is such a hot topic at the moment I imagine there will be a demand from others to learn some simple tricks to help do your bit at home!

Well that’s it for this week… over 60 of you interacted with my first blog which was more than I ever expected so thank you! If you’ve any thoughts or questions especially on the sustainability front as a crafter then please leave a comment, I’d love to know what you think!