Hat Delivery Day

On Monday, we woke up early and packed up 5830 little tiny hats and went on an Adventure to the big city! 

 We were made to feel so welcome at Fruit Towers, and I was so pleased to be able to take my lovely mum along! We were shown the pen where all the hats will be kept, and had photos taken, and we were loaded down with lovely juice for the journey home. 

 (The hat pen - Before and after our hats were added...)

We also had a little mooch around London. It was just a lovely day.

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! 

My Week

After the many and various shenanigans of the last two weeks, this week has been one for time at home. There has been the mass-pompom-production that comes with this particular time of year - I spent time sat in the garden with my family whilst making them, and binge-watching tv shows whilst making them, and dreaming about making them. We are edging ever closer to our target of five thousand tiny hats, we are just shy of three thousand at the moment with almost two months still to go, I am pretty proud of how we're doing, and hope it makes a difference to lots of people. 

The quiet-time at home has given me an opportunity to see all of the little creatures enjoying our garden, we've had beautiful butterflies and busy little bees. I hope they like the flowers we've chosen for them. Inspired by the summery florals, (and because the weather is disappointingly wintry) I have been making little tiny cross-stitch samples, using the lovely Cath Kidston "Stitch" book as my starting point. I made a tiny frame brooch that I'm sure I will thoroughly enjoy wearing. There are big changes happening in my little world at the moment, and the hope for the future has given me some inspiration to get making. I am trying to grab it with both hands. 

My Week...

This week has been a strange one. It's been complicated and I hope the coming week is a better one. There have been nice bits though - I got to spend some time with my lovely family, had a knitting session with my friend over a cup of tea, and went to see David Starkey with my husband.

My sister came home from her holidays in Whitstable with something very special for me - a SunJelly coral Dorothy bag (I love that it has a name) and my little cat was very interested in it. I also had a very kind present from my dear friend - a pretty plant and some gorgeous Rose chocolate. 

My crochet blanket is progressing nicely, I'm trying to find time here and there to add to it. I am trying to make the best of the days that are hard. 

Make on Monday

Today was something shiny and new - Make on Monday. It was the first ever, and I'm pleased to report that it went rather well. My friend and I have been plotting this for some time, joining forces to offer our crafty skills in a lovely local cafe. Becca is one of my go-to friends for knitting advice, and she has a great business called Alterknitive. 

So we packed up our bits and bobs and set up in the Baby Bird Cafe with lots of books and hooks and needles and yarny-goodness. 

We had a visitor each, Becca helped with increasing and cable knitting, and I gave a bit of advice on stitches, different UK and American abbreviations, and pattern reading - we made granny squares, following the pattern as we went along. I felt pretty proud. 

We have the next Make on Monday dates all booked in already, I have such high-hopes for our joint adventure.

Thoughts on Being 30 (and a half)

Today is my half-birthday. I am Thirty-and-a-Half and I've been doing some thinking about the whole "being thirty" thing. Now, I can't say that reaching this particular milestone was terribly bothersome to me - twenty-seven was rather more unsettling and I have no clue in my head as to why that was, but thirty was just fine. But I've been thinking about life, and how things change, and how I've changed over the years and I thought I would share some of my conclusions...

I've decided that I'm messy, and I'm busy, and really I'd rather be crocheting than tidying.

I have fewer friends now than I've ever had, because not so long ago it became apparent that fair-weather friends aren't worth the energy, and so there are less friends, but they are good friends. They are the people that know me best, that I could share anything with, that I would do anything for. I love my friends, they are the best! I make an effort to spend as much time as I can with my family, I love them very much, and after living away for so long I make the most of the time I have with them. My life is sweeter for having my friends and family in it.

I am finally reaching a point where I am happy in my own skin. I like my short hair, and I wear what I want, and I love bright coloured clothes and pretty prints and sweet little shoes, and I love big clunky Dr Marten boots, and some days I love Kawaii cuteness and my little pink basket and everything has to be pink, and other days I love Granny florals and my knitting bag and dainty little teacups. Some days I want to go on adventures, and some days I want to hibernate. And that's just fine. It's taken a long time to get here. 

My life as a full-time crafter is a happy one. I don't earn nearly as much as I did working in retail management, but my goodness, I hated working in retail, and I love what I do now. I make my own schedule, I work harder than ever but I have flexibility and I am so proud of my sweet little shop. I wish I could keep a sketchbook more consistently, and I wish I was a little braver at knitting, but I love my little brightly coloured shop, and all of the quirks of being self-employed. 

I must confess that I don't always find life easy, I still don't feel like a grown up, and sometimes I wonder how other people make life look so easy, and seem so capable, and yet I feel so awkward all the time. Of course, I'm sure to other people I seem utterly confident and capable and they probably feel just as awkward as I do on the inside, but still, some days it's really not easy. I watched a Ted Talk recently about how to "fake it 'till you make it" (I've only just discovered Ted Talks and they're really rather interesting, as usual I'm a bit late to the party...) and it really made sense, to keep coming across as confident until eventually you become it... I'm still waiting for it to happen, but the nice lady assures me it will. 

There are lots of things that make me happy - cats, tea, flowers, art galleries, knitting and crochet, cake, silly tv shows, cardigans, old movies, notebooks, pretty jewellery, buttons, taking photographs, reading lots of books, floral fabric, walking in the countryside, going to see my favourite bands, letters, the Harry Potter Studio Tour, vinyl, the seaside, London, museums, charity shopping, vintage brooches, cassettes, my favourite songs, pretty clothes, vintage toys, visiting new places, my garden, art books, home. All of these things are part of what makes me who I am. 

Patrick Caulfield - "Vases of Flowers" 1962 

If you've made it here, to the end of my rambling then thank you, I'm not sure if any of it means anything or is of any value or consequence to anyone but me, but I wanted to share anyway, if only to get thoughts out of my head. 

My Month in Makes - May

I've had a jolly good month of making, finishing two pairs of socks (chunky and 4ply), a small blanket, some little crochet pots and a feather-and-fan lace scarf that has been on the needles forever.

Row eight and nine of my 2015 blanket are all done and attached to the other seven rows. Still in-progress are two pairs of socks - I'm at the heel turn point for the lovely grey and pink ones, made with yarn that I picked up at WonderWool so they are very special, and my first ever toe-up pair are very nearly done (thanks to my friend Becca who passed on the pattern to me) and I might well start another pair! I will share the pattern for the pots at some point soon, they are rather fun to make!

My Week

What a jolly exciting week it has been! We had a trip to Ruthin, and a day out in Birmingham, and on Wednesday evening we ventured to Manchester to see Babes in Toyland, and I met lovely Kat Bjelland who was ever so sweet and stood chatting with the gathered fans despite the freezing late night air. The support band were amazing too, called Skating Polly, I think they will be one to keep an eye on. 

On Monday I found myself a lovely thrifty bargain - one to add to the list of all-time-favourite thrifty-finds - a dear sweet tapestry granny-purse. It was £2 and is perfect. It has been a really wonderful week. 

Brooch a Day in May

These are few of my favourite brooches, the knitting brooch was a present from my mum and the other brooches were so very exciting when I made them! 

As the end of the month approaches I feel a little sad that my challenge is nearly over! 

My Week...

My week started rather well with an evening in Liverpool Philharmonic for Laughterhouse Comedy, the highlights were Mark Thomas, who was the reason we went along, and discovering The Boy With Tape on His Face - he was so funny I almost hurt myself, have a look on YouTube, there's no way I can explain...

I spent Monday planning crafty stuff with a fellow crafty person, as well as getting a quick Toe-Up Sock demo (it turns out that I always cast on using a Cable Cast-on, who knew?!) and working with a self-employed friend for company in a lovely cafe, which helps with self-employment motivation! I took an afternoon off on Tuesday with my lovely dad for a trip to Ellesmere, he saved me from a hissing goose, and although the ice-cream stand was closed, we consoled ourselves with delicious iced-buns from the bakery. Thursday was our Emma Bridgewater adventure followed by Cream Tea, which was really very splendid. 

We have hugged our little ginger cat extra tight this week, after a dear friend lost her little Marmalade companion, my heart is broken for her. 

My Week

I do so enjoy a week that starts with a Bank Holiday, and on Sunday we used the time wisely to pop along to the Machynlleth Comedy Festival to see Rob Newman, and visited all of the lovely shops and a delightful cafe for Butterscotch and Walnut cake and tea - they had the most beautiful teapot and mismatched crockery, it was heaven! I spent the evening finishing a scarf I started a very long time ago, and I feel pleased to have completed my first ever lace pattern. I've also been working on Granny Squares and socks this week, made with my lovely WonderWool haul, I was too excited not to dive straight in! 

For Bank Holiday Monday we went on a city adventure to Liverpool, we went along to the Leonora Carrington and Cathy Wilkes exhibition at the Tate, which was really very interesting and I'm already planning a return visit. We had a lovely wander around the shops and had lots of tea. 

On Thursday we voted in the General Election, and although I don't want to mull on Politics here, I feel more than a little let down by the result. I had hoped that five years of aggressive targeting of the most vulnerable in our society would have been enough to change the way people voted, or that it would have been enough to convince people to take an interest and actually go out and vote. I worry for our NHS, for our elderly and vulnerable people, for the people who can't make ends meet no matter how hard they try. I worry that hateful propaganda has poisoned people who should know better, that we will go backwards instead of forwards in eradicating intolerance. It has taken me a day to be able to articulate these thoughts - yesterday was just too sad. 

My Week

I am ever so glad that I made the most of the beautiful weather at the start of the week - today is dreary and rainy and Wintry, but I am making the best of it with plenty of tea and knitting. I spent most of the week in the post-WonderWool wind-down, enjoying my lovely new stash and mooching around the online versions of the beautiful stalls I had visited. I took time to knit with my WonderWool buddy on Monday and we discussed the day and our plans to use our lovely purchases. I spent a little time tending our garden, so pleased that my husband had the foresight to plant beautiful wallflowers and tulips. 

On Thursday I went walking with my dad and his little dog, wandering through the woods and along the canal, stopping to admire the bluebells and wild garlic that lined our way. We mooched along and chatted and managed to avoid the April showers, and it was just lovely.

My Month In Makes...

This month saw a sock knitting innovation - I picked up some Drops Big Fabel chunky sock yarn, and using a combination of two patterns I made some cosy socks! I used the Quick and Chunky Sock Pattern as a starting point, and took some bits from my favourite Beginner Sock Pattern, and now I have two pairs of very gorgeous socks, that take very little time to make! I've started another pair for my sister too.

I finished two pairs of 4ply socks - some stripy ones and some Frankensocks, and I'm working on a third pair, with Drops Fabel yarn that looks like fancy Fairisle. 

I'm making progress with my 2015 blanket, I've finished seven rows now, and I love it so much! I finished my granny square blanket, and it's currently on my sofa being adored by my kitties. At the beginning of the month I started a new stash-buster blanket, I'm not using a pattern, just making it up as I go along, and it's coming along rather nicely. 

It's been a lovely month of makings!

WonderWool Wales

On Sunday we ventured into the beautiful Welsh hills for our annual visit to WonderWool. I love this gathering of like-minded folks, where everyone is passionate about craftiness, the atmosphere and enthusiasm. There are so many talented makers there, so much beautiful yarny goodness. 

I always love seeing the beautiful fluffy critters - Alpacas, sheep and Angora bunnies, happily enjoying the attention. There were huge installations too - Alison Murray's Gingerbread house covered in cakes, with knitted walls and a cosy bed in the corner, and the Giant Cardigan for Cardigan by Lisa Hellier. It was all so very impressive and inspiring! 

I didn't take a shopping list, but of course I expected to buy sock yarn - I found bargain Araucania Ranco merino 4ply in grey pink, and some beautiful Merino/Cashmere 4ply from Rosie's Moments which was my special purchase of the day! I also picked up a Kool Aid dye it yourself kit from Rosie's Moment, I am so excited to try it out! I just love the idea of dyeing my own sock yarn before knitting it up. I found some beautiful hand-dyed wool from Eliza Conway, I went for mustard, olive and turquoise, and was kindly given a purple ball by a friend. I didn't really have a plan for it, but I bought plenty so I'd have enough for a project. It was 50p for each 50g ball so it was pretty bargainous! 

I'm already looking forward to next year, and I can't wait to start using my lovely new stash! 

My Week...

The past week has been one of time spent at home - Enjoying our garden, chatting to our hens and our little bunny Clarence, sitting out in the sunshine knitting. We have baked, and tended our little patch, and taken things slowly. 

I went for a little drive to visit my parents, where there was more time spent in the garden and knitting, going for long walks with their little companion - a small terrier called Jock. He's rather cute and very excitable. It has been a splendid week, and although it looks like a change in the weather is upon us, I have made the effort to enjoy the glorious sunshine. 

My Week...

What a week it has been. There have been so many adventures and happy days. We started the week with a visit to the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio Tour, and of all of our adventures it remains one of my favourite places. The highlight was seeing the Hogwarts Express, it was splendid. We ended our trip in London, mooching around Covent Garden and Soho in the rain, and it was like coming home. 

There have been visits to Shrewsbury, for shopping  and more mooching (and a delicious Vegan breakfast at Optimum Joy, a new favourite place!) and a trip to Chester with my lovely mum and dad for even more shopping and lots more mooching, and I've even managed some knitting time - a pair of chunky socks. 

Happy Easter lovely folks. 

My Month in Makes... March

March has been a busy little month of making, here are my finished bits and bobs, as well as the "still in progress" things...

Row four and five of my 2015 blanket are finished and attached, my granny square blanket is at the edging stage, and I have two pairs of socks on the go, as well as a second sock that needs casting on... I finished the knitting bit of a Miss Marple bow scarf but it needs fancifying, and I knitted a Ravenclaw scarf for my special adventure to the Harry Potter Studio Tour. I also had a go at the Mollie Makes cross stitch jewellery free-gift, although I adapted the patterns a bit and played with the colours. I also made myself a bunch of laser-cut brooches, ready for something special I have planned (I will share more about that soon!), so all in all I've been a busy bee. 

Have you made anything nice lately? Please share some links, I'd love to see!

In My Tool Bag...

Every so often, in my many and varied wanderings around the internet, I come across blog posts and photos and facebook bits talking about "tools of the trade", or "have a look in my handbag" and I always rather enjoy them, so I thought I might take a moment to share what is in my essential carry-around crafty kit.

This is my little zippy bag, made some time ago in a "learning to put in zips" adventure. The fabric is from a Laura Ashley sample book, and it never fails to makes me smile.

On first look, it's rather a messy, bursting at the seams sort of affair. I must confess that I hadn't realised how much was crammed in until I emptied it out. 

I have a bit of a bad habit - hoarding crochet hooks. These are just my carry around ones, there are many many more at home... Anyway, my essentials are all here, and it would seem that four (!) 2.5mm hooks are essential. I might need to thin them out a bit...

I have a little selection of Bamboo and plastic hooks in there, although I'm not a regular user of either. I also have some of the tiniest hooks in existence, so small that they are hard to see, and I use them mostly for crocheting sewing cotton.

I have some knitting bits and bobs too, my most favourite being my Yummy stitch markers, they're supposed to be for zippers, but they're perfect for knitting.

These are my random carry-arounds - two pairs of scissors, tweezers, sewing needles, tape measure and pompom maker. I would be lost on a day to day basis without these things!

I have a little tiny zippy bag inside my main zippy bag, also made as part of the big zip adventure. I keep bodkin needles in there, and lots of stitch markers that I made with vintage buttons. 

So there we go, the contents of my crafty bag. 

My Month in Makes...February

It took me by surprise to find that suddenly it was time to turn the page of the calender and welcome in March. February's makes were seasonally appropriate - scarves, socks and blankets, lots of cosiness. 

In February I finished one pair of socks, and two bow scarves, and I'm still working on my granny square blanket and need to make a second sock to finish two pairs. My 2015 blanket has passed the sixty-square point now and it's ever so pretty. 

The pattern I used for the bow scarf is over here and my trusty sock pattern is here.

My Week...

There were so many adventures and fun things last week that I barely know where to begin. We went to the Theatre, and the Seaside, to new favourite cafes and old favourite cafes, to a museum that we'd never been to before, visited three towns in one day, and did quite a lot of charity shop mooching. 

I managed to squeeze in some craftiness - I finished a pair of socks (they'd been on the needles for ages and I'm rather pleased to have them finished), added a row to my 2015 blanket, made another bow scarf and fancified the one from last week. My best crafty moment of the week however, was not my own - happiness of happiness, my mum finished her first ever sock! It's utterly glorious and I hope I have started her on her way to  a sock addiction to match my own.