Vivod: Fun with Fimo and Photography

I have been enjoying my last few days off before I return to the normal routine next week. This has consisted mostly of photography, cooking, wool projects and...Fimo!

Ok, let's start with the Fimo. As I've mentioned, I follow a few other blogs, one of which is Attic24. This is a fellow crocheter and, on a few occasions, her pictures have included her crochet hooks. They are fab little red and white spotty handled hooks that I was rather keen on. More recently she included a link to let us know where to buy them (A lady on Etsy). I had a look and found that this woman makes these quirky crochet hooks to order using polymer clay. (Still following?...good) The cogs began turning. Slowly. I have Fimo, I think, well at least I used to (another story), but I just needed to find it. An hour later, with the landing now covered in opened boxes and various other items that had previously been neatly stacked under the stairs to the loft, I found 6 packs of Fimo! Of course, whilst I had Fimo, I had never actually used the stuff before. Some quick googling provided 'an idiots guide' and I was soon on my way to creating my first customised hook. It was then baked, cooled and varnished and turned out like this...

I was pretty pleased with my first attempt so I dug out my only other 2 metal hooks, made a cuppa and did a couple more...

And look at these results (and the enhanced quality in the photographs)...

Of course, I have now ordered more hooks and Fimo from Amazon, so that's next weekend sorted!

Do you like the photos? (I know they are flash ones but its mid winter - it will get better!)

Pictures will not now be containing pictures of my hands for a while either as we are currently enduring a short period of 'Giving the cat 2 pills per day'. Its day 3 - pill number 5, and I have about 7 scratches on my left hand already. Oscar likes to fight with local cats but does come off worse sometimes. On Christmas day he arrived home with head wounds but appeared to be ok initially. Then his head swelled up! The vet said 'Just give him 2 of these per day" (this was after witnessing his reaction to being examined and potentially shaved (which the vet gave up on in the end)!), and then added 'Oh, and could you just bathe his head wound daily too'. The said vet had obviously been to vet school for years and was a pro at this, and yet wasn't really attempting any of this himself either! I, on the other hand, mess about with data and reports all day at work...not exactly experienced in the whole vet skills thing. 'Just' - is he taking the mic?! Anyway, I love that cat, hence I am persevering! Its not pretty to say the least, and Oscar is not the least bit impressed with the whole ordeal (you can just about see the hole in his head on this picture)!

Cooking. Well - I have been cooking and I have been learning. I have mostly been learning that when a recipe states 'the curry will be hot if you use the whole chillies and to reduce this you should....' you shouldn't really disregard this, thinking 'bah...what they class as hot and what I do are probably different'. They are right. It was hot! Very hot! Child #3 managed to eat the chickpea curry only with the aid of 3 glasses of milk throughout. Child #2 only ate half of it, and then drank half a pint of milk. Oh well - I kinda liked it hot! I also made lentil soup, and salsa too this week...