Charity shop beads!

I got a new book called 'Bead Simple' and it inspired me to look in charity shops for beads, epecially as I walk past several on my way into town. I went into Oxfam on Gosforth High Street today and found a necklace for £1.99 with transparent blue plastic beads on it, quite unusual. Success. I'll try and remember to post a photo once I've turned it into something else. I suppose I could be doubly charitable and give the reworked thing back to the shop to sell again. That would be very philanthropic of me.

Knitting

I've expanded my horizons and learnt how to knit. I did learn when I was little but I wasn't very good and I immediately forgot how. I took it up again quite recently and I've been really enjoying it, mostly because I'm much better at it than I was when I was little. I haven't taken many pictures of the things I've made so far but this is a brooch I made using the 'yarn over' technique and sewing on beads:





And this is a hat (with my sister inside it) which she requested. You can't see very well in the photo but it has ears, it's a panda.

My grandma's birthday necklace

It's nearly my grandma's birthday so I've made her a necklace using some beads I bought from a newish bead shop in Jesmond called Le Beado. Le Beado gets bonus points for its comedy name, though it loses some for having all its beads in pots that you have to take to the counter to be counted out for you instead of in tubs you can rummage in youself, which is much nicer. Anyway, here is the necklace:



I strung the little beads in the hole in the big ones. At the same time, I made this for myself, which can be worn as a bracelet or as a necklace: