Getting things done

Progress on the house (and the summerhouse) slowed right down last year and this year we have had a very busy season, with workshops or other textile events almost every weekend since we came back from Japan in January. Yesterday was another fun World Textile Day at Bridge of Allan near Stirling, and today was one of those rare things -  a Sunday at home!  It was quite hot and sunny for Perthshire too.  Glyn got on with building the scaffolding for the chimney repairs/repointing, which is a rather urgent job.  We got the lime mortar colour matched last Autumn, so now we have the good weather, he is ready to go.  Don't worry, we are only a 1 1/2 storey cottage, so it isn't working high up.  Earlier, he had the Land Rover Discovery in bits and the bad news is that is has got a cracked cylinder head, so we might just sell it now as 'spares or repair'...

After a delicious meal last night at an Italian restaurant in Bridge of Allan, I did my own version of anti pasto tonight.  It was a bit more international, with a French walnut salami among the meats, Greek olives, Italian salami and ham, and Polish pickled salad, served with Italian white wine.

A white ago, our old plastic laundry basket cracked into several pieces.  This is one of the replacements.  I have nicknamed it 'Glyn's pants pod' - ! I crocheted it from T-shirt strip 'yarn' I bought at the Knitting and Stitching show at the end of April, using a 10mm and 12mm hook (Clover make these big sizes).

It was hard work and slow to crochet, but I'm pleased with the result.  I had to increase at eight points on every alternate round to make the base, and decreased a bit at the top, to help with the shape - hence the 'pod'.  The 'basket' is quite soft and floppy, but fine when filled with laundry.  

The top is slipstitched around twice.  This gives it a really good, solid edge.

For the other laundry basket, I got one of Bob's African baskets.  I thought I had a photo of these but I can't find one.  They are very flexible baskets made from woven grasses, with leather handles.  We got the 16in market basket because, full, it is about one load for our washing machine and is easy to carry, but he also sells a specific laundry basket.  It is so much nicer to have handmade baskets for laundry, rather than something mass produced.