a change is as good as a holiday

I’ve got a few problems with my back at the moment (well, my back, hips, and shoulders actually, but my osteo is on to it) so I’m taking a little break from knitting this week.  There was actually much frantic pre-wedding knitting last week, but I’ll fill you in on that another time.

I’ve had a rather fun time indulging in some non-knitting crafts for a change; I missed out on the opportunity to get in to crafts as a kid so I’ve been relishing the chance now!  Lots of cutting and sticking and gluing is very good for the soul.

I’ve recently moved in to a new flat with a huge shiny fridge; this was in contrast to my last flat which had an integrated under-counter fridge.  So I find myself with a need for fridge magnets – lots of fun to make!

I wasn’t thrilled with how the first few turned out, as the fabric is a little bit flimsy.  (I’ve made loads of fabric buttons before, but with a slightly heavier weight fabric, and they’d turned out much better).  Then a stroke of genius hit, and I whipped out the starch that I’d bought for my wedding garter.  Much nicer!  You see those crinkles around the edges?  Later versions are now nice and smooth.  I’ll keep the second-rate magnets for myself, and make nicer ones for friends.

I’ve also had an absolute ton of fun shopping and crafting and wrapping little goodies for a swap organised through the Blog Hub group on Ravelry.  Neat little packages of brown paper always make me smile, and I even found a use for some of my little samples of hand-dyed yarns:

I have a tendency to get a bit carried away and over-think things,  but I’m pleased with how the parcel turned out. I really hope my swap partner likes it!