My Month in Makes... September

I've had a very busy month of making, I think encouraged by my excitement for my new studio, I feel renewed making-enthusiasm! I'm still plodding along with my 2015 blanket, my squares are up to date but I have fallen behind somewhat with my joining... I'm sure I'll soon catch up though. I've managed to find a little bit of time to make some things for me too, I knitted a tiny gnome from the pattern from Mochimochi Land, and I've been cross-stitching roses from the Cath Kidston "Stitch" book on to a gingham tote bag. For my little shop I've been making Christmas Robins, lots of new jewellery and spent lots of time playing with my lovely new badgemaker! I've been using vintage sewing patterns to make letter badges, and some with sewing instructions, and illustrations from the cover envelopes, as well as some with vintage floral fabrics and embroidered linens. 

It's been a jolly productive month! 

Taking Stock...

My Taking Stock list for September (how is it September already?! I don't understand...), thanks as always to lovely Pip at Meet Me At Mike's for the inspiration!

Making : Little hats, millions of pompoms, my 2015 blanket, and shiny new jewellery!
Cooking : Junk food for healing power after two weeks of head-cold-lurgy in the household
Drinking : Tea, both regular English Breakfast, and Mango and Strawberry!
Reading: the Harry Potter books, again.
Wanting: to spend more time in my lovely studio
Looking: at the Plums at the top of our tree, and wondering how we'll get them down...
Playing: mix tapes from my husband, and vinyl from my collection!
Deciding: to finally purchase a Play Purse
Wishing: for days out
Enjoying: the autumn chill in the air
Waiting: to make plum jam
Liking: my new-to-me Dr Marten boots
Wondering: about the world
Loving: the increasingly large bundle of Big Knit Hats in my stall!
Pondering: my future and my new studio
Considering: what my next project will be when the Big Knit is over.
Buying: lots of things for my studio, mostly paint and screws but also pretty frames and huge mugs for tea
Watching: "Agents of SHIELD", "The Simpsons", "Jurassic Park"...
Hoping: I won't burst with excitement before we see Jack Off Jill next month.
Marvelling: at the changing seasons
Cringing: at things that happen
Needing: more hours in the day
Questioning: everything...
Smelling: lovely flowers
Wearing: pretty dresses and skirts, converse, boots...
Following: the progress of the plants in my raised beds
Noticing: the change in the air as Autumn arrives
Knowing: that things will be better soon
Thinking: about having a sofa day with my book and a cat and a big cup of tea
Admiring: lots of patterns for winter woollens
Sorting: through years of accumulated designs, postcards, bits of paper and fabric and knitting, deciding what will live in my studio
Getting: tired easily as I try to fight the last of my cold
Bookmarking: patterns to try and shops to buy from
Coveting: lots of lovely crafty books and pretty yarn
Disliking: the short days and dark evenings
Opening: bags of screws, tubs of paint...
Giggling: at the things that people do.
Feeling: like I need a day out...
Snacking: on cereal. I feel like I'm about eight years old...
Helping: as best I can as always

My Week... mostly a studio update...

This week has been totally focussed on my lovely new studio. I've made it pretty and I have tried to find snazzy ways to display my work, and in turn been inspired to make new jewellery to display. It's wonderful to feel so creative, I think I've been distracted for a little while now, but I think I'm back on track now. I read something somewhere about staying creative, how you never run out of creativity and how being creative leads to more creativity (that's a lot of "creative" in one sentence, my apologies) and it's something that has stayed with me, and I'm trying to live by that idea. 

My next job in the studio is one that I'm very excited about - I will be putting up my peg board above my desk. It's so exciting because I've never really been able to put all of my bits of paper, postcards, jewellery experiments, fabric samples, knitting swatches etc in one place before. It will be a place for all of my inspiration, and I'm so excited - when I was at uni, the Fine Art students all had their own allotted wall space, but over in Applied Art we were much more nomadic, we couldn't really leave things around the place, and these days I have my stall, but it's not really private enough for me to feel comfortable with customers coming and going, so this will be a first for me. 

My Pretty Studio

I've been busy working away on my pretty studio, and it is starting to feel like home. I've added some vintage embroidery in hoops, and a happy string of pompoms, I've filled my vintage cabinet with crochet cotton, and added some chintzy floral curtains. It is so cosy, I think I could happily be there every single day, making pretty things and enjoying the cosiness. 

My Week...

Last week was quiet and spent mostly at home. I did visit the local Antiques Emporium, and enjoyed the magnificent hybrid-taxidermy and looking through bundles of random bits and bobs. I also went along for a meeting with my crafty co-conspirator, and we plotted yarny world-domination over tea in pretty china. 

Unfortunately the rest of the week involved getting over a rather unpleasant head cold, but I did manage to fancy-up a gingham tote bag with some pretty cross-stitch roses.

My Week...

This week has passed by in a blur. I've been busy making my studio pretty, but also trying to balance that with the other things that need to be done, like preparing for the festive season - picking out supplies for upcoming makings, and starting work on stock. I've also been trying to keep the Big Knit makings under control, and spent an evening sewing pompoms onto pompomless hats that had arrived. My life as a full-time-crafter is one that I enjoy so much, but I must confess that the last week has left me feeling somewhat overwhelmed.

New Beginnings...

I mentioned in passing that I would be taking on a studio space, a place where I can work and make pretty things. So I thought I'd share a few photographs of my new project, as things begin to take shape and I start to make it my own. 

A tiny bit of imagination and it was apparent that this could be a somewhat splendid place to work, all full of light with it's very own window and front door. The walls just needed a splash of paint...

And with that splash of paint, I began to see my little space take shape...

And with the addition of a chair to join my desk, and a cosy blanket and a little happy string of granny squares, it starts to look like home. 

I have lots more to move in yet, cabinets and my workbench, and a handy board to put all of my ideas on, maybe a little shelf for my sketchbooks, but it will soon be a jolly happy little place to spend my days.

My Week...

This week has been full of jolly adventures. We spent Sunday at a vintage fair, with rides on the Merry-Go-Round (my pony was called Tulip) and mermaid spotting, wandering around the shiny vintage cars and mooching around stalls full of curious things. We had a picnic and rubbed the noses of Shire Horses and chatted with a lovely lady spinning beautiful yarn. It was a splendid day. 

The other highlights of the week were pretty spotty cake (thanks to my lovely mother-in-law, it was delicious!), knitting a tiny gnome, making many, many badges for a fair I went along to, and cuddling up to a certain Norman who sneaked his fluffy way into bed to read some Harry Potter with me. The fair was lovely, there were lots of other stalls with pretty things, and lots of tasty vegetarian and vegan food which we've enjoyed all weekend, and there were owls. They were the best.

My Month in Makes - August

I seem to have re-located my making-inspiration this month, and have been ever-so busy with lots of different things. I've made a few new pieces of jewellery, as well as working on a couple of designs that aren't quite ready to go out into the world just yet. I also acquired a new toy that I had been coveting for some time - a badge maker. I am utterly smitten and have been making lots of tiny badges. 

My crochet blankets are coming along well - I am working on my fifth large square for my cosy big-square blanket, and I'm up to row fifteen of my 2015 blanket, although I'm falling behind a smidge with my joining. 

I've been making teeny three-round granny squares and pompoms which are for something new - I will be getting the keys to my very own studio soon! So it will need prettifying with yarny goodness. It's a little bit scary (terrifying) but very exciting too. I'm going to be painting the place soon, looking forward to moving in.