Bamboo yarn slinky hat

Not everyone wants a beret - can you imagine that?!

So I made a lacy black bamboo yarn slinky cap for my niece. To my joy, she loves it.

If the girl ever sends me a photo (sigh) I will show that too.
It would be good to show the cap on a person instead of a car bonnet or country fence-post.

Berets

Berets look great on most people, I recently discovered, but my family don't own berets - well, they didn't until I decided to fulfil their unvoiced need.

A basic pattern is easy to reconfigure.











Make up a lace pattern.

Mix and match yarns.

Make up a different lace pattern to match another loved person's individuality.

Or keep it simple.

Just remember to always use the very best yarn you can afford.

Your hands and their heads will thank you for it!

Water bottle carrier

I walk along beaches and around parks so I always carry a bottle of water with me. This holder is crocheted in acrylic and I used Tunisian crochet for the sturdy handle.

I normally sling it over my shoulder so the bottle tucks against my back near my arm, thus leaving both hands free.

Have I thought of a full water bottle being a potential defence against a menacing animal? Hell yes!

The Scarf

I rarely knit now that I have discovered crochet, but I made an exception for this gorgeous scarf which I made from pure wool and mohair. It is a simple straight scarf, wide enough to fold in half lengthwise, with a moss stitch border and garter stitch. This will keep the brother's neck warm!

I went beserk and crocheted him some slippers too.

Isn't he a lucky bloke!!

More Hats

Friends are about to visit a cold place so I made them hats:

the brim should protect his glasses from rain

such a pity the subtle colours don't show

Big fun hat

This crocheted hat is bucket shaped with slightly denser brim, so you can curl up the brim or wear it down or poke it into a trilby style.

 I had fun with it and sent it to a friend.

I like making hats

I made a hat with Australian alpaca yarn for my sister Helen.

She loves it, so warm and comforting.

I made a hat for my friend Carol

but it is too small and I have lost it anyway so I am making her another;

I made a hat for her son

I made a hat for his sister

which I will post tomorrow and make them happy, I hope.

Banana Pancakes

2 large overripe bananas, mashed
2 large pinches mixed spice
1 large egg, raw
1/4 cup self-raising wholemeal flour
1/8 cup cornflour
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup muscat (or mead or port or anything similar, wonder how Midori would go?)
rice bran oil
Mix together all ingredients except oil to form a thick batter, heat lightly oiled frypan and cook dollops of mixture until cooked on both sides. I used 1/4 cup measure as scoop and the mixture made six [6] banana pancakes. Add whatever takes your fancy (if anything) - fruit, honey, yoghurt, ice cream, chocolate ...

Per basic pancake:
166 calories
5g fat
24.4g carbs
3.7g protein
3g fibre

Ah January

New year, new friends - so I made slippers for the whole family, nana, mum, dad and two young girls.

 

These are for Abbie, she likes blue.

 

Bella prefers purple.

In each case, I combined a beautiful Australian alpaca yarn with an acrylic of their colour choice to form the slipper then added the beaded cuff in a cotton/acrylic combination.

The slippers are very warm and fit snugly and the girls like them - they should have a lot of fun "accidentally" sliding on the shiny floor tiles at their house.