Good old polka dots

I'm going to ignore the crazy long gap between this post and the previous one and just launch into writing this post.

I recently got a new oxygen concentrator. The old one was only just hanging on, puffing out next-to-no oxygen, and one day I realised that my bead making had slowed to my Hot Head torch days speed. I mean, I know I work slowly but this had become utterly ridiculous and making something as simple as a spacer bead was driving me mad. Encasing anything had become an almost impossible mission.

The new (well, reconditioned) oxygen concentrator is a beast. It's like having a new torch and it took me a while to get used to it. The flame is actually hot!

Last week I made some of my favourite beads - red with white polka dots.

These have cores of CiM Foam which I encased with a thin layer of Effetre red 076 and the polka dots are Effetre white 204.

I made a few of my 'classic' sets too. 

These green ones are CiM Peat Moss over CiM Foam with decoration in Effetre white...

...these ones are Effetre steel grey 088 over CiM Foam, again decorated with Effetre white...

...these lilac ones are CiM Yours Truly over CiM Gelly's Sty with decoration in, you guessed it, Effetre white (it's a favourite of mine)...

...and to mix it up, these have Effetre black 064 cores enacsed with Effetre light blue 052 with Effetre light periwinkle 360 decoration.

Some of the above beads are still available in my shop.

In crochet news...

I'm fully addicted to making shawls now. I crocheted my first one just over a year ago and I've not stopped since.

I like the way that a shawl can double up as a scarf but the best bit is how they make you feel all period drama when you drape one over your shoulders. They make you want to say "A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!" in your best Mrs Bennet voice.

All of the shawls pictured here are currently available in my Etsy shop and in the crochet section of my website shop. In both cases I'm set up to ship within the UK only but if you are outside the UK and you'd like to buy one, do let me know and I can give you a postage cost.