Knot again!?!

I’m a little knot crazy at the moment and this neck tie is perfect for such a fixation!

I came across Boodles yarn at Hobbycraft and bought it without thinking what I could make.

After some time scouring Google and Pinterest, I came across this tutorial.

It comes together quickly and if you haven’t got a clipboard, just weigh the end down with some heavy books!

I lost track of the knots and had to unravel twice – so best to go somewhere quiet! (easier said than done with a 6 month old baby!)

There's no reason why you can't add more strands of yarn and make this a bulkier tie. Or even a use a thinner yarn for a more delicate look - perfect for Spring.

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Get Knotted

Another use for old coffee jars ... 

This knotted twine lantern has a nautical feel and is a great upcycle craft.

Craftberry Bush's tutorial is fantastic and I used it as a guide to create my lantern.

I did a trial run with some wool and once I got the hang of the knotting, I got out the twine. 

Rather than use a separate piece of twine around the top of the jar (as in point 1 of the tutorial), I just cut one of my 6 pieces a little longer and looped it around the top of the jar before knotting.

Once my knots had reached the bottom of the jar, I simply tied opposite strands tightly together. As most jar bottoms are concaved, these knots wouldn't impede the lantern should it be standing.

A doubled-up piece of twine tied to the top of the jar gave my lantern its handle.

Looking forward to making more and hanging them around the garden this Summer. Though they're beautiful lit indoors too.

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Love Birds

Some time ago I saw bird seed wedding favours on Etsy. They looked simple, but very effective. I thought I'd have a go at making some and created this Valentine garland for our feathered friends...

To make :

I added 2/3 cup of boiling water to two sachets of gelatine (9g each). I stirred until the gelatine had dissolved. I then added 2 cups of bird seed and mixed well, coating all of the seeds.

I packed the mixture evenly into my heart cookie cutters, finally placing a cut piece of drinking straw into each mould, to provide a hole for the twine.

After an hour or so in the freezer they had set and were ready to come out of the cookie cutters and thread with twine.

 
Happy Valentines!


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Santa Baby

Our baby boy is very tiny and as he was premature and growth restricted, it's difficult to get clothes to fit him nicely - especially hats! What with Christmas coming up, I wanted to create a festive hat to help keep him warm when out and about. 

This quick make is perfect for the forthcoming week.

This YouTube video helped me make the basic beanie hat...

I added simple ear flaps (decreasing stitches) to ensure he'll be nice and snug. And a long chain from each flap created an easy tie.

A simple (though far from perfect...) pom-pom added the finishing touch.

Happy Christmas! 

We know that ours will definitely be a very happy one!

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Say Cheese!

What with Christmas and our little boy home from hospital, I know I will be using my camera a lot.

I haven't looked back since buying my DSLR. I am always happy with my images and it does so much of the hard work for me.

Most DSLRs come with a standard lens, but like me, many people choose to buy extra lenses - all for different desired shots - hoping to get the best results possible.

Retailers like Clifton Cameras sell a huge range of lenses, including Nikon lenses (like mine). Knowing which one you need can be difficult, so here's a quick guide...

WIDE ANGLE

These lenses capture more of the horizon in the frame, so they're great for those breathtaking landscape shots! The mm represents the focal length, with 21-35mm defined as wide angle and below 20mm classed as super-wide angle.

A fisheye lens is an ultra-wide angle lens that will give a fish bowl effect to your photos. They are great for capturing the sky beautifully! Check out this shot from Scott L Robertson Photography

MACRO

These lenses are made for photography on the small scale. They magnify the tiniest details and are great for capturing every detail. Often you'll also require a tripod - a steady shot will reduce the risk of blurred close-ups. Nikon have put together a great gallery of macro images - see it here

TELEPHOTO

These are great lenses for drawing focus to your subject and they have a shallow depth of field. Those between 50 - 100mm are usually used for portrait shots, while those exceeding 100mm are great for zooming in on wildlife.

PRIME/ZOOM

Prime lenses have a fixed focal length, unlike zoom lenses which can alter theirs. Prime lenses are often lighter and smaller than zooms and make focusing and taking brighter photos easier. This is thanks to their large apertures. Zooms however offer more versatility and are an ideal purchase for the beginner.

If you have a thirst for more knowledge, then I would definitely recommend a photography course. I went on a course back in March and you can read all about it here