A pretty and easy crochet edge.

A few ladies have asked for a tutorial on this crochet edge.  This will maybe suit beginners as I cannot read patterns!  I learn mainly by watching you tube videos and I get on very well with Attic24 where she writes the instructions up with photos and I seem to be able to follow fairly well.

This is the edge I am working on sets of hand towels right now.  I really am doing a bulk lot!  I copied it from a lovely bath mat my sister in law gave me.

It is VERY easy.  If you can do chain and a double crochet you are set that is all you need.

The first row I work through the fabric you are working with.  Towels tend to have a border so I use this as my straight line to follow.   I just guess the spacing.  Some people use a ruler and a fade out pen to mark spaces.   You need a crochet hook small enough that it will go through the fabric ok.  Towels are good as they are quite soft to work through.  If you do not want to do this you could work your first row with the yarn and a darning needle and work a blanket stitch.  This would be about the same in appearance too.

The ply you use is up to you... on pillowcases I have used quite a fine yarn and various cotton and silky textures.  Same with handkerchiefs.  On a towel or face washer I use five ply mostly and cotton. Obviously thicker yarns will give a chunkier edging.  A fine yarn will look a little more delicate and lace like.

The second row you work six chains then secure your chain into every third stitch on your foundation row.  This creates a row of arches... 

A few arches before the end of the row I will weigh up the spacing and make adjustments so they will look pretty even yet end perfectly on the last stitch.  I call this creativity! 

So now you have a nice row of arches.  Turn your work and crochet three chain. 

Now into the first arch and under the row of chain crochet three double crochets.  Then do one chain and three double crochets into the next arch and so on... you have groups of three DC in each arch and a chain between each set.

At the end of a row I crochet 3 chain and secure it into the end of the last row to kind of finish off the row neatly.  

Now turn your work and crochet three chain.   This row we are working three double crochet into the first space between the groups below.  This is the space made by that one chain between each group.  So do three double crochet in under that gap... then one chain and three more double crochet all in that one space.   You can see below...

After your second group of three work three chain... stretch those chain right over and skip the next space and go into the alternate space... you are completely missing a whole space.  Now repeat and work 3 dc, one chain and 3 dc into that space... then three chain, skip over the next gap and go into the flooding one... all the way to the end.

It can happen that you have a funny number and need to end your row with a half rather than full set of DC.  If that happens don't worry!
I think this is a case of you will see what I mean when you get there!  At the end secure your arch down with a single crochet to finish, work this into the last stitch below.

Now turn your work and work three single crochet.

The final row... into each space between your groups of three (the single crochet you did last row is the gap between your groups of three) this is where you will now work five double crochet, one chain and five double crochet all into that one space.  After your two groups of five then secure the arch you just created by going under the chain space below and working one single crochet.  Then go straight to the next gap and work five double crochet, one chain and five double crochet.  You can see in the picture you are just working straight on top of the row below only with more stitches.  

When you get to the end secure to the row below to finish it off neatly. 

This is really nice on hand towels and very quick.  It would be nice on the opening end of a pillowcase... the ends of a fleecy or wool scarf, even along a curtain for your kitchen window.

This was an earlier post on some ideas with Crochet edgings... Crochet edgings and things to make 
over with them.   This post also shows how to work a foundation stitch plus an edging I used to do at one time!

I am not sure but it might have been Cookie who worked a pretty edging around the bottom of a cardigan or sweater.   This could also lengthen a skirt.

If you have trouble following me don't give up there are countless easy crochet edging tutorials on you tube where you can follow along.   I was very daunted by patterns until I realised I can do the stitches it is all in the order.  As you can see I am no perfectionist.  My motto is get going and keep practising!

I know quite a few of you have recently taken up crochet and can now do an edging.  So a multi row edging would be the perfect next thing to try!

I hope this helps someone! xxx

The Christmas Challenge. A tutorial...

My Christmas cupboard is full! Now I am storing things underneath and on top! This is a good feeling. Last year when I finally went through everything at the end of November I had my presents,  things for charity gifts and things to get me through the busy December and January birthdays that our family has. It was really good. So I think I am on track for a repeat of that!
I have been still working on crochet around towel sets and bathmats.

Last week I got a lot of questions on crochet edgings. So this week I am going to go on with that and I hope it helps!

Firstly go here to a post I wrote a couple of years ago. It shows some things you can add edgings to plus a basic tutorial on how to do a simple edge and how to get that foundation row done.

Since then I have seen so many new things with a crochet ending including tablecloths, napkins,  bath mats, pretty bibs (burp cloths) curtains, skirts, scarves and many more!

For the basics start with my old post and what I say here will be in a addition.

Firstly there are extra ways of working your foundation row. The main thing is finding something that will make holes easily through your material. Some things are much easier than others. Towels are usually easy as they are soft. If you want to do an edge around thick cotton or denim you are going to need a super fine hook, skewer, darning needle or something like that.
After I wrote this Glenda told me there is a device you can buy that makes the holes for you! Vicky also suggested to run things through the sewing machine with no thread to make your holes and regular spaces.

Rosanne and Vicky both work their edging and sew it all on afterwards meaning they don't need to do the foundation row. So there are many options and you can do what you think is easiest.

Most times I let how something is made dictate where that first row will go and how wide it is. If there is a hem or border then I work my holes just under that line where there is a single layer of fabric as you don't want to be trying to get a hole through layers. Hems and borders helpfully give you a lovely straight line to follow too.  Some ladies mark out their holes/stitches by measuring and placing dots. I don't I just go by my eye. So thats up to you.

When Mel was here we were studying a bathmat that my sister in law gave me with a beautiful crochet edge.  We decided it looked easy enough to copy so I am going to share that here.

As with all patterns it is going to look finer and lacier with a fine cotton and chunkier and thicker with a thick cotton. This is the bathmat I am copying:

I had a towelling bath mat and 5 ply cotton so thats what I've used.

The first row I just did a basic double crochet into my hole, one chain then a DC into the towelling and worked that all around. I used my really fine crochet hook for this row.
I just choose one that will go through and also pick up the cotton ok.

The next row I changed up to a medium crochet hook. On this round I worked one double crochet into the first chain of the foundation row. Then three chain and skipping three chain spaces I worked a double crochet into the fourth space. So it formed bridges and pillars like this:

Easy! The next row I worked three double crochet into each "bridge" and one chain  between each set...

The next row...

This ones a bit different. I worked three double crochet, one chain and three more double crochet into the first "bridge" then one chain and skipping one whole bridge and going over to the alternating one repeat the there double crochet, one chain and three double crochet into that space... and work around doing this skipping a space each time...

So now you are starting to get a scallop edge. You could even finish it there if you are fed up by now!

The final row really makes it though! 

This time work five double crochet, one chain and five more double crochet into the very top chain space of you last row of arches.  It is one arch on top of another. Then work one single crochet in between each set to secure your arch in place. And repeat. . This gives you a very big scallop to finish.

I really love the result and can see it on pillowcases, sheets and kitchen towels!
It is really just a series of easy rows. And possibly not even correct but what I could make of the bathmat edging by looking at it closely.

I think it was Mark Twain who said "the more you explain it to me the less I understand it". lol
If this applies please try you tube or find some tutorials as if edgings appeal to you they are easy and fun.
I have imaginings now of making covers for food with these edges and gingham curtains with this along the bottom! It costs very little to really add a lot to something!

Also remember when women ran a row of lace along their pantry shelves? Imagine working crochet edgings for this!

Vickie from Vickie's Kitchen and Garden did this. I love it! She had plain metal shelves and take a look at what she did!

Thank you for letting me share this Vickie! Her blog is really good to follow as amongst other things one of her regular features is current listings of wonderful free ebooks. I follow on Facebook and then never miss the books I want to add to my collection. They are amazing!

So there are many ideas for your crochet trims and lacy edgings. As usual it is a case of too many ideas and things I want to do and not enough hours!

What are you working on and adding to your gift cupboard? I hope the week is going well! xxx

PS next week we will start Show and Tell again! Thank you for the photos already! Please feel free to post pictures on the Bluebirds Facebook page or email me at brinkzi21@hotmail.com
I love to see what you're working on! xxx

The Christmas Challenge. Crochet edgings.

We have lots of signs of spring! Today is just beautiful! It is so bright and beautiful I instantly feel more energetic.

I have added quite a lot to my present cupboard. Some things I've made plus some bargains.  I have got to the point where I am getting excited to get it all out and be wrapping! But I need to hold off for a few months yet!

Over winter I did a lot of crochet and many rugs. I hope to give some of these to charity at the beginning of next winter plus several are baby presents for babies on the way. During the challenge I had a couple of people say that they have no one to give their handmade work to. So give to charity and the needy is my answer to that.

Now I am changing to working edges on towels, bathmats, hand towels and face washers.  We are working towards a new bathroom so some are my new bathroom glory box items!  Lots will be gifts.
Tomorrow I am having a friend come over for the afternoon as she is wanting to learn edgings and can already crochet. This is so easy to do and transforms things.

I would like to do across the fold down of a sheet. Lots of times I have worked around the edge of pillowcases. So much to do... not enough days!

This is just a good way to take regular things and make them over. Like the old tablecloth Rosanne cut up into kitchen towels and worked a crochet edge on. So inexpensive and such an amazing result. Other possibilities are hankies, serviettes, tablecloths, scarves, blankets, baby socks ...  curtains!

Here I have added embroidery in one corner. I did a muslim face cloth (could also be a baby wash cloth), a hand towel and a face washer. As I have soap in my present cupboard I will match soap up to these. I also made powered puffs so these all kind of go together which is good!

I did whole sets so there is a bathmat as well...

I have a few white sets to go then I have a pale blue set with blue cotton.  Watching the Olympic Games has meant I have got quite a bit of crochet done!

These are good sized projects to take away on holidays, do in the car etc.  Kitchen towels are lovely as well. If you know someones bathroom or kitchen colours you are set!

I might try and do a tutorial but it would be the blind leading the blind since I don't read patterns or speak crochet language!  To get a frill I work three double crochet into each chain space... if that is any help!

Grub roses are the handiest skill to know and very easy to learn. That is fiddly to show but if you like them please promise to learn. Try you tube. Once you have done one you can churn them out as they only take a few minutes each! Plus once you know you can use the same stitches to make little bees, bunnies and various other things. It is so much fun to learn and so handy!  I had to brush up my skills again to start embroidering for the baby. But it didn't take long to get back into it.

Which leads me too...

Lucy is expecting another baby! Our whole family is so excited! My fingers will be worn to the bone from embroidery now!
If anyone would pray for her as she is suffering terrible migraines to the extent that finally the Doctor sent her to a neurologist. He thinks he can help her but not while she is pregnant as none of the drugs are safe for pregnancy. She is having two migraines a week and only one or two days a week without a headache.  I used to be like it and so was my Mum. We both have improved with age and get less. When the girls were little the local Doctor would come to my house after the surgery closed to give me an injection. It was terrible! So it makes me feel sick as I know what it is like.  She had a couple of good weeks and this week has migraines again.
Thank you.

I hope your week is going well! I want to soak up some of this sunshine. Each day I am doing a few things in the garden.

What are you working on for your gift cupboard and current presents?  Do you change crafts as the season changes?
As the year goes on all this work is really adding up! xxx

Simple crochet edgings and things you can make over with them.

Recently I posted about elevating simple things with braids and trims as an easy way to make gifts.  It's fast and very pretty to add a little row of trim around the edge of a tea towel or along the edge of a pillowcase... lots of easy projects.

Braids, ribbons and trims are gorgeous but mostly are going to cost more than my preferred edging which is to crochet an edge myself around whatever I am working on. 

This is very easy. If you can crochet at all you can do this. You need to know how to chain, single crochet and double crochet. If you don't know these three stitches ask someone to show you or go to You Tube and look on learn to crochet tutorials. Find a teacher you like and understand. You can learn these in an afternoon of evening and then practice them a little bit. Otherwise if you know these three stitches you are set!

This is so useful. It makes lovely gifts and things for your home. Plus it is fun to do!

Some possibilities are edging on hand towels and face washers...  

This makes lovely gifts and is quick and easy.

Edging on tea towels/kitchen towels... this is really pretty.

A soft cotton edging on hankies or muslin face cloths (below) or muslin baby wraps... 

Around the edge of pillowcases. I made these pillowcases from old sheets and the hydrangea ones I made my daughter as hydrangeas are her favourite flowers...

Other possibilities are an edging along the top sheet of your bed or of guest sheets. An edge worked around a throw rug or shawl...  An inexpensive project is a piece of polar fleece as a rug and work a lovely edge around this. Or make a table cloth as a gift and napkins and work pretty edges around them. This looks just beautiful.

Just now I have been working around tea towels as a gift...

and frilly edges around pillowcases...

Now I am not much of a teacher as I cannot read patterns! (you have been warned) But I will try to teach you simple edges and these are the two I use the most. Alternatively try You Tube and find edges you like and learn a few easy ones. It will be such a handy thing to learn. 

In most of these projects I have used cotton thread and in either 4 or 8 ply. For more delicate projects you can get fine cotton in balls, I get DMC cottons from Spotlight. There are no rules! A thicker yarn will give a chunkier result a finer yarn a delicate result. Crochet needles come in all sizes... you will need a very fine needle and then a medium one as well. I have used... a size one hook for the first round to get through tough cottons etc and a size four for most of my edges crochet and on towels this will go through the first round quite easily as well.

Some fabrics are easier to work with than others. Mostly towels are easy as the fabric is soft to get your needle through on the first row that goes through the material.

So a small crochet needle will go through this fabric. But on cottons often a small needle just wont go through! Then you need a super fine needle for this first foundation row. So try a needle out on your fabric and see whats needed.

Whatever you are working on this first row forms the foundation. You might want to work all around something like a face washer or just do one edge like a hand towel, thats up to you.

This is for my frilly edgings as seen above. Your first row looks like this...

With a very fine crochet hook I have gone through the fabric every 8 millimetres or so and then worked one chain then gone in again to the fabric. I usually make the stitch about 1 cm deep. You need to stretch the stitch out so the fabric will sit flat... not bunch up which it will do if you don't allow that stitch to have enough yarn to sit flat. I go carefully the first stitches to get that right and check the fabric is going to sit flat under that stitch. Then you are off! 

An alternative to this is to work a row of blanket stitch with a darning needle around your project to form that first row. It looks almost the same. Another alternative is to use something sharp to go along and make the holes for your foundation row... ie a skewer or large needle then see if you can get your crochet hook through them and work your first row. 

The second row looks like this...

This row I have worked a row of double crochet into the foundation row. I work one dc into each stitch below it. 

The next row looks like this...

This is where the frill starts to form. This row I do three chain and then a double crochet into the stitch below, then three chain and skip one stitch below and into the next stitch below... 3 chain, skip a stitch below and into the next and repeat right along... this makes a row of little bridges....

Then the last row...

Ok this row you are working to make petals into the arches of the last row. Into each arch you do one single crochet, 5 double crochets then one single crochet. This makes a petal. Then repeat right along. 

This gives you the frilly edge pictured on my frilly things above.

For a simple flat edge like on my face washers or muslin or the blue pillowcases... 

Just do the foundation row. The the next row do single crochets into four stitches in a row below... then do five double crochets into ONE stitch below. So you are going along 1,2,3,4 singles which makes a row of four then all those dc into one stitch makes an arch of stitches, then 1,2,3,4 single crochet and repeat. This gives you an up and down pattern that is pretty. And thats it, it is all done in two rows. If you will look at the wash cloths you will see it and hopefully understand what I mean!

Working around a wash cloth is a good way to try it. Often things like towels etc might have a border worked into them and other things light have a hem or seam. These are often handy as a guide to a straight line to work along.  I sort of assess each thing as I go. The tea towels I am working on now have about a 1 cm hem... so I work my first row just along that hem on the side of it that is only one layer of material. You do not want to try and work through multiple layers of fabrics. Have a look and work out what is going to be easy on what you are working on.

I find small projects like these really handy, I can take them anywhere with me. They are really economical. And in a lovely linen store I saw a set of six napkins with pretty edgings that were tied up in a bundle with ribbon. The set was $80. What a perfect gift! Sewing up some napkins from some vintage cotton sheets or some gingham would be so quick and easy then crochet around them. You have gone from a bit of inexpensive fabric and a couple of balls of cotton to a beautiful gift! This is an upcoming project for me. I love table cloths and napkins! Nothing makes a table look prettier! 

Today is the last day of the month, I don't know how the month went so fast! I use this day to see how I did on all the things I hoped to do and plan a little bit for what I want to achieve in October. October is Christmas cake making month amongst other things!

As the year is flying by it's also time to get busy on Christmas presents and save save save by spreading things out. This has helped me so much over the last few years. And it has made Christmas so much better, with out the stress of too much to do and too many expenses. 

I had a wonderful September, I hope you did too! xxx

She works with her hands with delight.

Lately I've posted a lot about handiwork, crochet, little acts of charity that can mean so much to someone and how busy hands make happy hearts!

My happy memories of beautiful things my Nan and Mum made for my babies and the hand made gifts of knitting and sewing from my Nan's friends.  All these years later I still appreciate them so much. 

A week ago I was at the farm and as always every time Mum sits down she picks up her knitting. My parents are farmers and have not slowed down. They both work harder than most people in their twenties!

When Mum sits down she is still going! Mum makes knitted rugs, hats, jumpers, all kinds of things for everyone she ever hears of having a baby, for the Nuns to give to anyone in need, for the premie babies in hospitals, for cancer patients... for anyone.

Recently she gave knitting to a mens shelter in the city. Well, a funny thing happened. She was watching TV and it had a story on this mens shelter. A man was being interviewed and he was saying how the shelter had given him help and he had turned his life around. He was wearing one of mum's hats! She recognised it straight away! That was lovely, there it was!

Hospitals often need hats so tiny for really premature babies. There are so many needs. 

Mum has a simple philosophy and Nan was the same. If you are sitting down you might as well be doing something useful. It calms you. It helps people. It makes you happy. 

And it works! 

Mum says "some people do nothing you know" as if shocked by this. Mum and both my Nans' come from a belief that everyone can do something to be helping someone else. it doesn't have to be huge, it might be making a pie or minding a baby or sharing spare eggs but they were always helping someone.

(baby rugs)

When Nan's neighbours arrived in Australia traumatised from escaping war Nan took it upon herself to teach them English and show them the ropes! And best friends were established!

                                        (these are cotton hand towels)

For Mum one of the main things is knitting for others. Our own gifts of helping could be anything but I think we all have certain gifts that we can use to help. Nana B, hers was cooking. She always said "an ounce of help is better than a pound of sympathy".

The day I took these photos Mum was sorry her supplies were "depleted" as she has just send away heaps of stuff and was starting again. So this is "all" there was. Yet it was mountains!

What is your gift of helping? Just listening to someone who needs someone to talk to is an act of charity, especially when maybe you really don't have time but you do it anyway. Or you check back later to see how they are. The ways are endless and most of us do many things a day without even counting them as kindnesses, it's just how we are.
But we don't know what it might mean to someone.

And like in the movie Pollyanna there is nothing that cheers us up like helping someone else. It's a miracle worker. 

"She works with her hands with delight" turns out to be as good for ourselves as it is for others. 

In Mum's cupboard she has baby layettes that her Great Gran made and Chloe and Lucy both wore them. And my Great Gran made a set of lemon hens and chickens. I played with these and adored them and Mum still has those. I feel their love and presence in these beautiful things they left being for us. What treasures! 

There is just something that says love about handmade things. 

Building up your gift cupboard.

After my crochet blanket I needed a new project to get into! Also I need to build up my gift cupboard as we are now in the second half of the year, which means one thing.... Christmas.

I have a good supply of cottons, some that Mum gave me as a gift. It is lovely cotton. So I decided to make useful dish cloths, cleaning cloths or wash cloths. They have turned out very thick so they could also be used as pot holders I think.

I saw this lovely pattern but had no clue on how to do it. I followed this tutorial on You Tube and it took me about half an hour to learn it....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJMnfzE3U1Y

Really it is easy. If you can chain and double crochet then you are set. If not learn those first on You Tube or get someone to teach you and practice a little bit. It is really good fun and easy to get the hang of.

My plan is to give these away mostly in sets of three, tied up prettily, and paired with either soap or a a bath bomb or with kitchen things to set a theme.

While the weather is cold and windy it is so nice to be happily working away on something nice in spare moments and in the evening. And it's amazing how doing things now adds up so that at Christmas you find you have a great supply of gifts. I can't even estimate how much money this saves. Something huge!

I am going on with some pale blue yarn then doing some in a natural raw looking yarn which I will tie up with string and I think they will look very "french kitchen" (I hope!)

Last week I was talking about how important it is to keep our minds thinking on nice things. I really find handiworks and sweet projects help with this. They make us happy! I also worry less about Christmas and Birthdays etc as I know my supplies are increasing and the cupboard isn't bare!

And on that I have exciting news... I am almost finished my first e book! This is a first for me and something I have been working on. It is about how to save an absolute fortune by making your own gifts and how to stop dreaming of cutting costs and making gifts and start doing it. It is a step by step guide to help you work out what you can make that you will be proud to give and that come Christmas time you have done all the work already. All you have to do is some wrapping! 

Many families could save thousands by making some changes to their habits. And free themselves from so much financial strain. We love Christmas and love to celebrate but it does not have to involve credit card debt! 

My friend Helen loves Christmas more than anyone I know! She starts early and just is in heaven! But she does not break the bank over it, they celebrate whole heartedly but without the financial stress. 

So my ebook is really partly inspired by Helen. All joy and no stress. We absolutely all can do it!

Have a wonderful week. Next week I will take you on a tour of my new kitchen and the changes we have made! xxx

The happiness factor of creating something.

I started a really big crochet project in the first week of May. We were going on our few days away to Tumby Bay. I remember the trip was six hours drive each way and I worked on getting this going all the way and way home. That 12 hours got me going!

I can crochet in the car as I don't have to look at it. If I have to look at something I would feel car sick. So crochet is a good car activity for me. 

Anyway, last night I finished it! It covers our queen sized bed and drapes down each side and down the foot of the bed. This is the biggest thing I have made! It is very warm which is perfect timing as it is freezing here now. It is also very heavy, you have to be determined to roll over under this! 

There is quite a bit of sparkle through it and it is about 90% pure wool so I am happy with that.

Now what next? 

I know having things to work on just increases my contentment factor no end. It does me good. It keeps my mind on nice things, calms me down and give me lots of pleasure. I have been able to give a pink blanket to Kath in the nursing home and she loves that rug and it is on her bed every time I go there. She tells everyone who will listen that I made it for her! And I have been able to give one to charity too.

Sometimes when you can't do much you can make something. When I was younger my Nan's great friend was Mrs. Mann. Mrs. Mann was wonderful! She was an older lady and she was in a wheel chair and eventually lost her legs. But she was always happy! I put this down to she was always busy and so kind and generous. She knitted like you would not believe. When I had Chloe then Lucy she knitted them the most glorious little dresses. True heirloom things, that I have kept until now. What a wonderful lady she was. She just blessed people and gave continuously. I wonder how much her knitting made her life of suffering and in a wheelchair better? She was so productive!

Another of Nan's best friends was Loris Smith. Loris was also the most cheerful lovely lady. She walked with crutches as she had polio when young. Loris sewed beautifully. Well, all Nan's friends looked after me apparently as when I had babies she sewed me layettes of little singlets, soft gowns and all sorts of gorgeous things. It was all so beautiful. I also kept her things. I used everything and I admired Loris so much for her kindness, she was also so productive and so happy. She also inspired me to learn to sew.

So my theory is productivity helps us be happy. I am sure of it. These ladies both had disabilities yet it no way hampered their productivity. In fact they were more productive than most people. And happier!

Another was Mrs. Birze. She had come to Australia fleeing the war and knew no English. They moved in next to Nan and Pa. Nan helped teach her english and they became life long friends. Her stories were the first I knew of the horrors of war. She made a wonderful life and spun wool and knitted the finest things. (including the most divine lacy skirt for me) And she was another happy lovely lady who blessed everyone.

So there is something to this! 

You don't have to be great at anything as we all improve as we go. And many times we have supplies we could use to make something without even spending any money to get started. Plus people to help us improve our skills. 

Every time I improve my own skills I feel happy and excited to keep going!

So later today (after painting two kitchen walls) I am learning a new stitch on You tube for my new projects.

Even Andy, who is a man after all, admired the finished product and was shocked at it's size. I have been working under it for so long but he hadn't seen it spread out! 

Mum produces so much knitting for family, friends, charities. You would be shocked to see the volume! No one ever has a baby without lovely rugs and hats etc given to them. She sends supplies with the Nuns who visit people so they have something to give when there is a need, knits for premie babies in the hospitals, cancer patients and hopeful great grand children.

When the weather is like it is now, stormy, wet, freezing, I am more than happy inside and in my spare time and evenings working away on a project. Never bored and never do I think I might go to the shops for an outing or other pitfalls that you can fall into if you are not busy and content. Truly my happiness factor is highest when I am producing something. If I stopped it would be a bad sign! 

Get stuck into projects and save money on gifts as well. Turn things you have into something special. It's amazing what you can do. it is like with baking, a few ingredients that are almost worthless become something fantastic with a little effort. Now wonder this makes us feel good. 

I can't wait to get to this evening and start my next project!

Sharpen your skills.

Learning new skills and being capable are valuable things. At all times this is true but I've been reading peoples responses to the budget and cut backs and it has me realising that in harder times basic skills are so important. Being able to make a meal cheaply, budget, mend, fix,hem your jeans, hand wash, garden etc all help us weather the storms. Being capable doesn't happen over night and we all learn continuously and over time, it never ends.

There is a verse or saying about having a teachable heart. There is a desire to learn new things, improve things and get better. My friend Helen has a teachable heart. She is always watching you tube videos and reading recipes and so on learning new ways to do things. And she will tell me her discoveries and I will tell her mine. Many times they will be ways to save money, especially in the kitchen, but they could be anything! It is a joy to have that moment of understanding something new and benefitting from it. A teachable heart is such a wonderful thing that it is probably worth an entire blog post another day!

Previously I've spoken of the women in my life who have taught me new skills, from my old neighbour Dorie to my Nans' and friends. I have been very lucky that way. But I believe we are surrounded by ways to learn new things and it is easier than ever. (due to the internet, you tube, libraries, courses....)

Many times when stuck with something, learning a new skill will give you a solution. Maybe learning ten new skills will give you ten solutions!

If the budget is just not working and food is costing too much due to bought lunches and take aways learning to use a crock pot might be a solution. If bunches of herbs are setting you back learning to grow and harvest them is a great solution. Some of my big savers were learning to cut my own hair, make my own gifts, mend and fix things and so on. The thing is to consider that there may be a better way, a cheaper way, a more efficient way and that what we are doing now possibly could be improved somehow. The exciting bit is to see a big saving or a big breakthrough come from a new skill.

Laine said she used to watch day time TV and read trashy books. I found it hard to imagine as in the end she was so industrious but thats how she started out. She was also the worst cook. When she married Art the first meal she cooked him he threw up afterwards! It was terrible! So she decided to learn and did so much to become a good cook. She would go to the library as if she was a Uni student and get books and study them and practice. She would ask other women to show her how they made this or that. This reminds me of when I would ring up Mum or Nan and ask for instructions on how to cook something!) If she had a guest she would get them to teach her what they were good at. That woman took gathering new skills very seriously. Then she started on herbs and gardening. She encouraged her children to continually work on their skills and especially according to their talents.

This is so smart! The Bible says that someone skilled in their work will stand before Kings and great men. Well, this you see all the time. 

The other day I had a Joel Osteen message on face book. It said to be careful with how you spend your day and be careful who you spend it with. That just hit me. The more I think on this the bigger this statement gets!

Helen and I are always taking about economical food shopping and economical cooking. I am going to do a few posts on some really economical meals as these can really stretch the weeks budget. Especially the ones that also give you lunches for work or school as well. They are a big saving. We both watched Save with Jamie as if we were going to be tested on it. I like to keep a note pad and take notes of great ideas. His clever ways to make multi meals and throw whole pumpkins in the bottom of the oven while you are cooking something else so you have soft useable cooked pumpkin was just so brilliant!

Yesterday I went to see Mum and show her my finished last rug and the blanket I am working on. She loved my finished one and adored the one I'm working on and loved the colours! Chloe was there and also went nuts over this ones colours. The one I am on now is the full width of a queen bed and will be the full length. I am about one third the way and it is very heavy already. But I also love how it is looking and feeling.

Mum immediately swooped with a needle to sew in some of my loose ends (there are many!) laying aside what she was working on. She can't resist. This suits me, sewing the ends in is a huge job! Mum is also a great sewer upper of things and has been stuck with many finishing off projects over the years for us all!

So, there we are chatting and working and it occurred to me that I should take a photo. As this is learning and sharing new skills. What a lovely thing!

There are many times we are all working on our projects talking together. I mentioned yesterday that I remember being about four and I would knit a row but I could not turn corners, lol. Mum would have to "turn the corners" and Chloe was the same, I would have to re start her each row. Also I remember the first rug Mum made me, it was pink and white large squares and it covered my bed. It was knitted. I loved it.

Mum now would probably cover a football field per year with what she knits! And she still works full time she is not retired, she mostly knits at night.

Mum had tried a new stitch from a book and was showing us that. And I had shown her the bobble stitch I had learned (called Pineapple stitch) 

It really is true that busy hands make happy hearts. You can kind of see it even in the pictures. Except Mum is going oh no is my hair alright? and so on...

There is a sparkle through my rug it is hard to show and it is just a little bit but it is lovely.

Now is a great time of year to teach kids knitting or crochet or maybe Tom Boy stitch. I notice in Spotlight they have Tom Boy stitch kits. They are fantastic. It takes a little time to sit down and teach these things but it is worth it. 

This all amounted to a lovely afternoon. And we went our separate ways to work on our projects in the evening. After solving a few world problems and soup recipes etc!

It is a lovely day today as well, sunny and mild. We have had a big clean up of autumn leaves and general tidy up. I hope you are having a beautiful weekend. xxx