It’s totally faker crochet! If you are a purist…power to you. Hook yourself some little caps for soap.

I confess I find the gifting of handmade items something of a challenge. It’s one thing to give something you’ve painstakingly hooked, or stitched, or knitted, or sewn to someone else who makes things & appreciates them. It’s quite another to gift the same items to folk who’ve no idea of the time involved. Faker or not – it’s all the same to them. So…at this time of year when you’re crafting to give I heartily recommend the faker route.  

I got lucky at the oppy a couple of weeks ago & picked up a set of 6 crochet coasters which were a bit stained & yick. I slung them in the washing machine & stared at them for a while & wondered if a soap cosy might be just the ticket? Loofah & soap in one…yep! Time to have a crack folks.

Five minutes flat per soap…maybe less.

A little while ago I picked up these beautiful crochet cushion cover/cosy pieces at the Op Shop for the princely sum of $2 a piece!

They are stunning & the work that has gone into making them…incredible.  If you’re all about the hook & proving your eye straining worth then go for it I say.  You’ll earn my respect.

BUT I’m all about the smoke & mirrors & figured I’d have a go at a bit of fakery based on the original.

I love the combination of natural & white.  I’ve used a thrifted/opped table cloth & a hotel grade (also opped) sheet.  The sheet further adds to the fakeness of the whole deal as I didn’t even have to hem the envelope closure.

I ripped the sheeting to size & whipped a pair of these up in under 20 minutes.  I figured this bit of magic might be something you guys would like to have a crack at.  I think that they would make excellent Christmas gifts. 

The Date hates the pretty girly lights, hates the TV cabinet & chair but surprisingly doesn’t mind the cushions!  He still thinks the room’s too girly but I’m not convinced.  I prefer fresh.

or buy one if you feel so inclined.

I had no end of trouble with the making of my own video. There was much swearing & carry on I can tell you. 

It’s three strikes & you’re out around here.  The Flip has been benched!  So…I’ve ended up with a how to make up the cuff.

There are a swag of videos on youtube demonstrating broomstick lace & you can check those out right here.

I’ve had a number of “can I buy” requests. Historically, the making for money thing hasn’t been kind to me…it’s taken the joy away.

BUT the requests got me thinking & then I came up with the “more than one & less than a few” idea. I was so enormously chuffed with myself that I decided to actually make a couple for sale.

The Sometimes Shop will be stocked for one week only & then they go to the present cupboard (more affectionately termed the craft-skeleton-hiding-cupboard).  Free Postage within Australia.

Ambient light in 5 minutes flat!

The jar lights I made created quite a bit of interest.

The benefit of using LED lights over tealights is safety & if you’re having an outdoor party you don’t need to worry about weather as the light would of course be protected by the lid of the jar.

Edit: I used large jars which were purchased very cheaply from a homewares store but used kitchen jars would work too. If you want uniformity with the the lids then perhaps a coat of paint?

The LED battery operated lights that I used were purchased from Bunnings. They are OSRAM brand “Dot-it” lights. They are around the $10 mark but they do just go on & on & on. I’ve also seen them at lighting shops.

I’m seriously considering setting up something in the garden similar to this brilliant piece of garden art…

freshly installed
& 3 months later

which was inspired by Margie’s project here.

Of course, you don’t really need a how to…it’s a speed demon type project. Forge ahead, have a crack & you can’t really go wrong.

& because I wanted to try out the embed feature through Google Docs…

you just need to click the little icon in the top right (open in new window) if you want to print the pdf.

If you liked this idea you might also like the wrapped tealights.

for anyone…anytime.

It doesn’t rely on tension, hook size, type of yarn blah de blah.

You just need to worry about making sure the rectangle of fabric measures…

circumference x head height = super cute ‘x’ stitch beanie

I was lucky enough to have recipients easily lassoed by the measuring tape but if you’re making for a gift you might like to refer to this excellent size chart found via google this afternoon. Thanks Bev.

I knew the heart wasn’t going to fly so The Big Girl & I went for something très sophistiqué. The kid hasn’t taken the beanie off since it was gifted. Both The Little Guy & The Date think it’s fabulous (& those fellas are a tough craft audience).

There’s a pdf here if that helps you out.

It goes without saying that you don’t have to be able to crochet to make this beanie. You could follow the same formula & use some lovely wool jersey & the machine. That’d make it super quick.