Knitted flowerpot from a recycled M&S biscuit tub
My fantabulous friend Ruth had a birthday and asked her friends to give her plants, as she's stocking up her garden. I have known Ruth for years and thought that I'd like to give something more than a plant, so I decided to make a flowerpot. I had saved some plastic tubs that some flapjacks and mini cakes came in, because I knew they could be reused somehow.
So I decided to knit an outer shell to cover the tub. I made it with acrylic yarn so it could be removed and washed, and would withstand being left on the patio. But it looked a little plain, as you can see.
I then decided to embroider some cherry blossoms on the outside, to jazz it up and make it look special. I added some matt glass seed beads in a vibrant red to bring the whole project to life. I think it looks really sophisticated with a red pelargonium inside.
This is one of my favourite projects, because I think the results show that recycled stuff doesn't have to look cheap or all earth-mother-hippy-ish. I can't imagine how many of these tubs get thrown away every day, when they could be used to make something really pretty. I reckon there's loads of ways they could be customised, so I will have a think about how I can decorate the next one. And of course it's another excuse to eat loads of flapjacks and mini swiss rolls. "But I NEED to eat them because I need to use the tub. Honest!"
