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Tuesday 21 July 2009

Recycling & Freecycle

Howdy Folks,

Hopefully you had a good productive weekend. Creating things, making things and sharing things. Well this weekend saw The Big Lunch happen on Sunday, 19th July, 2009. Did you take part in it ? We did, more by happy accident than good planning. I had looked at the Big Lunch’s website a couple of months ago but didn’t make any plans at that time. Hopefully this will become an annual event and more and more people will set up their own lunches.

So What is The Big Lunch ?

Basically, it's a party in your street, in everyone's street. On 19th July we're asking the people of Britain to stop what they're doing and sit down to lunch together. Why? Well for lots of reasons really but mainly to put a smile back on Britain's face.

You can find more details at www.thebiglunch.com

Anyway our Big Lunch ended up being served slightly later and so became the Big Dinner. We invited our neighbours and ate good seasonal food. Home grown potatoes with fresh broad beans, spring greens (strange time of year I know). Interesting fact did you know spring greens are the tops of turnips or swedes and extremely nutritional. We had a steak casserole with chanteray carrots and turnip bake, yum yum.

My youngest child made a coffee and pecan cake – fast becoming his signature dish. We had good conversation, good food & wine and most importantly a good time. Unfortunately I forgot to take any photographs.

Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats

Crochet Rag Rug - Progress Has Been Slow

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The biggest problem here has been trying to source more fabrics. I went to the charity shops at the weekend to try and find more bright fabrics to add to this rug. Whatever happened to jumble sales? also known as rummage sales in the USA. The prices in charity shops are so prohibitive and in essence defeat the object of the game, which is to recycle previously cherished fabrics.

This is one of the reasons I revisited www.freecycle.org I haven’t placed a ‘WANTED’ post yet but will do so in the next couple of days. So much of the fabrics and textiles we use and dispose of end up in landfill sites. Which is a crime in itself.

Did you Know?

The UK generates between 550,000 and 900,000
tonnes of textile waste every year. Most of this
waste comes from households, with textiles making
up about 4% of the contents of the average bin.

It is estimated that 400,000 to 700,000 tonnes of
textiles are landfilled every year, a waste of valuable
resources worth an estimated £400 million.

At least 50% of the textiles going to landfill could
be recycled, but in fact the amount of textile waste
reused or recycled annually in the UK is estimated
to be around 250,000 tonnes.

Certainly something worth thinking about.

Last night I measured my growing crocheted rug and it now measures 54”.

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Next week I will produce instructions for my pattern for a circular rug. If you are going to crochet along start cutting your strips of fabric now.

I believe that the technology of crocheting with recycled yarns has many application other than just rag rugs and I’m already mulling over the various ways this could be applied creatively. The postman has just delivered two new crochet hooks which makes the possibilities limitless.

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These crochet hooks are 15mm and 20mm. The above rug was created using 10mm hook which may explain why my hands are so stiff in the morning. I will let you know how I get on with the various sizes of hooks in due course.

Flip Flops and Fit Flops

Before I go I just wanted to mention my wonderful Fit Flops. Which have to be the most comfortable Flip Flops on the market.

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The product literature makes fairly amazing claims for what can be achieved by wearing Fit Flops. They are the shoe with the gym built in check them out here www.fitflop.com

I can’t make a full review of their capabilities just yet but they certainly have reduced any swelling or water retention on a hot day.

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Until the next time I hope that you are busily creative and happily hooking away.

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