stay home & feather
Inspired by our October road trip from the Cape to Storm King, this year Santa, we are asking for multi-sensory treasures that channel that East Coast vacation vibe…
ANTHONY PETO Giraffe Hat / HOUSE OF ANANSI PRESS The Lost Words, Written by Robert Macfarlane & Illustrated by Jackie Morris / HOME DEPOT Seven Seas Cylinder Pot / MIYA Blue Sumi Plate / WORLD MARKET Jute Flower Chair / M CARTER Wave Stripe Beach Bag / FURTHER Glycerin Hand Soap
Another fun purchase finally finds a home (and a sexy new friend) on the walls of Social Nesting HQ, and just in time for summer…
When I spotted this pair on Etsy, I could not resist falling in love.
These boys are adorable, a little reflective of the Social Nesting team (notice how one is looking at the other like: “Gurrllll…”), and so sweetly made by embroidered portrait and textile artist shop Polykatoikia.
But like much of our collection, it takes a while to get any new art purchase up.
The natural fit was alongside this gorgeous seaside goddess we got from Zara Home a couple of years ago. She does look lonely, and who couldn’t use a couple of beach buddies.
So to make her feel a bit special, they were positioned to give her the eye (and wouldn’t you in that polka-dot halter one-piece? Hubbah Hubbah!)…
…but (like the SN Team) in a totally non-sexual way and with only admiration and not a trace of lust.
And now they are one big happy wall-adorning family having a beach blanket Babylon of a good time.
A free project from the new craftastic Pompomania!
As promised in our last post, the lovely folks at Quadrille and craft author Christine Leech have kindly provided a wonderful sneak-peak at one of my favourite projects from the book: the beautiful blush-kissed pear!
NICE PEAR
This pompom pear is unbelievably tactile. It looks best when trimmed hard, so do not be afraid to go at it with the scissors.
YOU WILL NEED
– DK-weight acrylic yarn in the following colours: pomegranate, shrimp, meadow, lime, walnut;
– 7cm (2 ¾ in) and 9cm (3 ½ in) diameter pompom makers;
– Scissors;
– Glue gun;
STEP ONE: For lower part, using a 9cm (3 ½ in) maker, wind 100 wraps of pomegranate in a wedge, leaving one quarter of maker empty at both RHE and LHE.
STEP 2: Wind 20 wraps of pomegranate and shrimp together over previous layer, covering wedge.
STEP 3: Wind 30 wraps of shrimp and meadow together over previous layer.
STEP 4: Wind 15 wraps of shrimp, meadow and lime together over previous layer.
STEP 5: Wind 20 wraps of meadow and lime to fill gaps at each edge, then 50 of meadow and lime to fill maker.
STEP 6: To finish, fill other half of maker with meadow and lime. Complete pompom and remove it from maker.
STEP 7: For top, using a 7cm (2 ¾ in) maker, wind 40 wraps of shrimp, meadow and lime across three quarters.
STEP 8: Fill maker with 120 wraps of meadow and lime. To finish, fill other half of maker with meadow and lime.
STEP 9: Complete pompom using three strands of walnut to tie it together. Remove it from maker.
STEP 10: Trim flat base of smaller and top and base of larger pompom. Fix together, matching speckled areas.
STEP 11: Trim the pompoms into a neat pear shape. Keep trimming until you are happy with the shape.
STEP 12: For the stalk, plait the three walnut strands together for 3–4cm (1 ¼ – 1 ½ in). Knot and trim.
This is so easy and such a knockout addition to any fruit bowl!
Thanks again to Christine and Quadrille for letting us share this!
For more fabulous pomprojects, order (UK) or pre-order (USA & Canada):
Pompomania: how to make over 20 cute and characterful pompoms, by Christine Leech, shot by Joanna Henderson. Published by Quadrille
Elias shows you how to single-handedly tackle a simple take on knitting (without a needle in sight)…
Like any new craft we are about to tackle, we went to town collecting yarn and needles in anticipation of all the creative knitting projects we had on the brain. Then we realized that it takes forever to accomplish even the simplest knitting project (let alone the fuchsia mohair onesie we had planned), and after dropping our thousandth stitch, we abandoned traditional knitting for good.
That did leave us with a surplus of beautiful yarns, and truly, there were only so many reindeer heads we could wrap before it started to get creepy.
Thank goodness, then, for finger knitting. We were so surprised not to have come across it sooner, and even more surprised that more of our friends were equally unaware of what a fab five-finger funniest finger knitting truly is! So here, friends, is our two minute guide to using up that yarn!
He’s at it again, and this time with one of our oldest and most favourite quick transformations.
The first time we did this was over 20 years ago and we had loads of fun with it on our decorating trip to Australia. We guarantee the speed, ease and impact of this project never fails to impress.
