Knitted flowerpot from a recycled M&S biscuit tub
My fantabulous friend Ruth had a birthday and asked her friends to give her plants, as she’s stocking up her garden. I have known Ruth for years and thought that I’d like to give something more than a plant, so I decided to make a flowerpot. I had saved some plastic tubs that some flapjacks and mini cakes came in, because I knew they could be reused somehow.

So I decided to knit an outer shell to cover the tub. I made it with acrylic yarn so it could be removed and washed, and would withstand being left on the patio. But it looked a little plain, as you can see.
I then decided to embroider some cherry blossoms on the outside, to jazz it up and make it look special. I added some matt glass seed beads in a vibrant red to bring the whole project to life. I think it looks really sophisticated with a red pelargonium inside.
This is one of my favourite projects, because I think the results show that recycled stuff doesn’t have to look cheap or all earth-mother-hippy-ish. I can’t imagine how many of these tubs get thrown away every day, when they could be used to make something really pretty. I reckon there’s loads of ways they could be customised, so I will have a think about how I can decorate the next one. And of course it’s another excuse to eat loads of flapjacks and mini swiss rolls. “But I NEED to eat them because I need to use the tub. Honest!”



Scarves are among the easiest things to knit, so they tend to be ubiquitous amongst knitters, especially as gifts. But this scarf is very different, very special, and one I will never forget knitting.
My fantabulous friend Digger brought me some knitting magazines from her trip to Australia, and this is the second project I’ve finished using patterns from those mags. As usual, I couldn’t resist changing things up a bit so instead of using super-fine mohair for this shawl, I used a beautiful
The result is like a really stretchy net, so I can imagine using this technique for something like a toy ‘hammock’… I used to have one hanging over my bed when I was a kid, filled with soft plush toys. I guess you could also make a handy string bag using the same approach. Or – God forbid – a string vest (aka fishnet tank top, for you American readers!)
So I decided to go back in time and take a photo of my very first knitting project, which I still have. It’s now well-worn, with little fluffy bits all over, and it looks quite amateur-ish when I look at it. But here it is: a duck-egg blue & chocolate brown stripy scarf. It’s a basic garter stitch pattern from Stitch & Bitch, adapted with stripes. In the photo it’s sitting on my lovely wool coat that is an amazing peacock blue colour… shame the colours didn’t come out too well because it looks navy rather than teal.
Public libraries are great. I had forgotten just how great they are until I started working right next to the wonderful and fantabulous 
