Crochet Project: Butterfly Mobile

I made a butterfly mobile for a colleague this evening.  I think that she now may be Tom's least favourite person, but that can't be helped.  At her scan this morning she was told that she is having a girl, so now we all know that we have to buy her pink things!  I don't expect that the others will make her anything, but I think every baby should have something hand made.


The butterflies are from this pattern: http://www.crochetville.org/forum/showpost.php?p=2075057&postcount=1


Rather than hanging them from a circular frame, I chose to use bamboo skewers to make a 'Gods Eye' and then croched chains to hang them from, joining to each butterfly with a sc that encompassed the black chain of the body and one or two of the dc underneath it.  This also stops the body from moving around so that the antenna don't move out of place.  The other end of the chain was just slid onto the skewers.


The central chain is 15, the next 25, 35 and so on.  I then chained 70 twice, attached the chains to the opposite ends, (outside the chains that hold the butterflies) and then tied the two in a knot to hang it from.  The two loops at the top I sc'd around, to create a sturdy-ish loop to hang the mobile from.  The weight of the mobile and the nature of the frame stops the chains from sliding off the ends, even if a butterfly is tugged.


I would suggest, if anyone else wants to try this, making small playdough or plasticene balls to stick on the end of the skewers.  I did carve the pointy end off, but it's still not exactly 'child safe'.  I originally thought of blu-tack, but that might be toxic so I think playdough would be safer as that's designed for children.


Sorry that the pictures aren't as clear as they could be, my phone is not the best.

Writing Box

I bought an antique writing box from eBay, after an evening of arguing with Tom over the layout of the flat and the lack of a table.  To be fair, the flat is so small that a table would be wildly impractical, and in theory the writing box will give me a nice sloped surface to write on.  In practice I am waiting on Tom to make a repair to one of the wooden panels that make up the writing surface before I begin to use it as I don't want to stress the panels or the leather.


I am mostly happy with the writing box, but slightly disappointed by the lack of secret drawer - the description on eBay was not a full one.


Still, its a solid box, and I believe I got my moneys worth. The next step is to get it repaired and start using it!

Ebay and Leather Bound Eco Friendly Journals

Ebay is at the same time fantastic and terrifying.  It means that craftspeople who do not produce enough to afford the rent of a shop have a far wider customer base than would have been possible thirty years ago, and it gives the opportunity for unwanted presents and inherited furniture to find new homes.  It also means that the little niche shops that are just scraping by are finding it harder and harder to compete with the online prices.

But my intention at the start of this post was not to rant about the tragedy that in 20 years time there could be no independent shops left on the streets and we will do all our shopping online – because that is the shape of the future, and all the complaining in the world isn’t going to change anything.  We can only change things by our actions, and the sad truth is that things are often cheaper online, and I am a pragmatic person who will go for the cheapest or most convenient option.  When the closest crystal shop is a 30 minute drive away and ebay is 30 seconds away, it’s not too hard to predict which option I will go for!

The ebay shop run by WiccaWorld (http://stores.ebay.co.uk/wiccaworld) has the most beautiful hand made leather journals.  What really impressed me with the shop was the way the owner went the extra mile to make sure that the journals were entirely eco friendly.  I admit, I was tempted the most by the massive alter tome.  (If only I had £100.00 to spare...) The massive size evokes the middle ages and film sets, books that big just aren’t common anymore!  I can imagine filling it with water colour images and copperplate handwriting.  Their smaller journals are just as attractive, and if the pictures are to be trusted, the detailing on the covers is fantastic.  I have just about made up my mind to treat myself to one next payday.