#gnome made

[yellowgnomeboots]

I can recommend this pattern for beginner crocheters like myself who are a bit scared of trying something big or fancy but don't want to just make something useless or waste yarn.

Free Leaf Cable Tie Crochet Pattern

Crochet the eco-friendly cable tie and do something good for the environment. Get this free cable tie crochet pattern by Supergurumi. #amig

Here's mine - the yarn I used for the leaf was a bit thin for the hook size but still looks like a leaf.

I don't know why the photo is so awful. My leaf is not as great as theirs, but its actually pretty good - kind of halfway between how terrible my photo looks and how cool theirs does.

There's links at the top of the pattern page to all the techniques (USA terminology I think) with clear photos, and you get to try a bunch of different stitches all within one tiny project which I found useful for finally starting to remember the difference between them.

[yellowgnomeboots]

I made a cake, because I am genius!

Or actually just a person that managed to overcome their fear and self-doubt and panic their way through a cake recipe.

Well, actually panic my way through modifying a cake recipe because I'm physically incapable of following instructions as written - even when I've only ever made 4 cakes in my entire life.

Chocolate, raspberry and beetroot.

Haven't tried it yet though...

[yellowgnomeboots]

I made my first macrame thing! I've only procrastinated on this kit since June, and on macrame generally for a few decades.

The first thing in the kit is supposed to be earrings, but I don't need earrings so I just did one and added on a bit extra, and hung it on the wall.

Gotta say, it was probably one of the easiest things I've ever done.

[yellowgnomeboots]

I made some blackcurrant and blueberry jam today, because its really hard to tell the difference between blackcurrants and blueberries when they’re frozen in a bag.

[yellowgnomeboots]

Trying a dye experiment today. There's this one native tree where the leaves make PINK contact prints. There's not much that makes pink. I accidentally collected a leaf once, but have since been unable to identify the correct species to do it again. There's two quite similar trees, differentiated by how lop-sided the leaves are, and apparently on whether their leaves contain a secret pink dye. Unfortunately, any individual tree or leaf might just happen to be more or less lop-sided.

Today we went to the same park where I originally got the leaf (about 5 years ago). I got leaves from three trees next to obvious landmarks and am testing them now and hopefully one will be correct.

[yellowgnomeboots]

I have a drop spindle spinning problem. I cannot spin thicker than this:

I think it was a bit thicker when I started maybe but I'm almost spinning slubby thread here now. I tried looking up how to spin thicker but everyone else seems to have the opposite problem.

[yellowgnomeboots]

Went to my perfume workshop, so now I smell of various scents, primarily base notes.

The lady said my perfume was "well-blended" which I believe means I did it correctly.

It was both difficult and easy.

It was two hours long but felt like about twenty minutes and I could have gone for hours.

[yellowgnomeboots]

Making dark chocolate and dried cranberry cookies. I'm giving in to my overactive bored brain and letting it have it's way despite my exhausted body that hurts to move having to carry out the actions.

I made too much mixture so I'm trying thick "make a ball and squash it" cookies, and then trying them as "chill and slice" cookies, and we'll see how each turns out.