Mixed bag.... quite literally

As we get closer to the end of the year I feel the need to tie up loose ends, you know, those projects you started but stalled upon. Of course, I could just not bother and dispose of the evidence that I even made a start but I know that's cheating (isn't it?) In fairness, the bag wasn't a project - it was a promise. I have made lots of things this year that my friend has sold on behalf of the charity 'Combat Stress' and when the news is full of Iraq and Afghanistan it re-inforces my desire to help her out. She does such a lot for returning soldiers who struggle to cope with civilian life and whilst I don't kid myself that my sewing makes a huge difference, it does help out. I promised to make a handbag for a raffle tomorrow in aid of the charity and faffed about until yesterday, changing the material, using different handles and then thought 'Stop, get on with it' and of course went back to my original plan (why do we always do that...) I am very pleased with the end result. It's a lovely bag for the summer and I hope it raises some money.

The wool is a long term thing though. I spun both of these hanks earlier this year. The brown mix is a wool and silk blend with a lovely handle to it so I started knitting a scarf for my sister-in-law for Christmas. This has stalled big time, so, sorry Kay, no scarf this year. I got waylaid by crocheting the boucle mix that wasn't even a present idea! Of course , I started with no plan and just kept on crocheting until I ran out of fibre... except I ran out before I'd completed the third and final row... Plan B was a rosette made out of the excess. It looks.... different. Should have carried on with the knitting.

The other week, an artist friend of mine showed me some jewellery she was making with a very lightweight air drying clay. Naturally, I had to try it. I thought it would be interesting to make collagraph plates with so made a few small ones using some alphabet rubber stamps and the ends of icing bag attachments to make marks with. As I don't ever ice anything I decided I'd use them somehow!

This is one of a couple I made and then dry embossed. The idea was to make tags for presents but only works if your friends have names with letters that read both ways. After I ran them through the press I inked up one of the small plates but I had too much going on with it to get a good idea if the clay works as a medium. Going to do a few more next week and use the time between Christmas and New Year to experiment.

I never make New Year's resolutions but if I had a wish from Santa, I'd like him to make me more focussed next year and more disciplined. Maybe that way I won't start so many things that don't get finished!