Friday 27 May 2011

Why is it..?

.. that I have found a great yarn and the colours I like but now can't find any reliable UK stockists?!

I'm referring to Crystal Palace Panda Cotton, which is a lovely soft blend of cotton and bamboo with added elastic for a little bit of stretch.

It's perfect for summer pull-on fashion mitts and  hairbands that don't give you a headache from being too tight!

I've had a bit of a frenzy using up what I have of the yarn, resulting in a few new listings in my Etsy shop - the kids strawberry lime mitts and strawberry lime hairband to go with the teen/adult mitts already there.

If anyone knows of a good UK or even European stockist of this yarn please let me know!

BTW: I have an offer on if you buy the hairband with either pair of mitts - buy both together and I'll refund 20% of the total item cost!

Tuesday 24 May 2011

200th Sale Offer

My Etsy shop has had 199 sales, yay! I'm keen to cross the 200 marker, so I'm offering a very special deal:

Be the buyer of the 200th item from my shop and buy any other item (lower or same price) at the same time for half price and also get free shipping on both!

Friday 20 May 2011

Sad times

We've had a very sad week. Last Sunday morning one of our lovely kitties, Poppet, didn't come back home for her breakfast. After much searching, we found her little body on a grass verge at the side of the road. She had been hit by a car and had died of head injuries.


My daughters had chosen Poppet and her sister, Tiggy, from a litter of kittens when they were just 1 week old. We had visited them every week, playing with them and watching them grow, until they were old enough to come and live with us, just 11 months ago. 

We had loved and nurtured them both, and seen them develop into beautiful, healthy, fun, loving cats, with completely different personalities.

Poppet was the more timid one initially, but had grown into the adventurer, exploring everywhere, running up trees with amazing ease. She was incredibly gentle, playful, and loving. We were all devastated by her death, and we miss her terribly.

Her spirit was released, and we still glimpse her out of the corner of our eyes now and again. Hopefully she will stay and play for a while yet, and then maybe find another way to be part of our everyday lives again.

Her body has been cremated, and the ashes are coming back home today, so that they will stay in the garden where she loved to explore so much.

Sad times.

Saturday 14 May 2011

The Bond is back!

I'm so pleased that I've finally managed to get the time and space to get my Bond knitting machine back up and running.

It's been at least 10 years since I last regularly used it! Thankfully it's all in great order and working faultlessly.

I think machine knitting must be a bit like riding a bicycle as I haven't fogotten how to do most of it.

I've already finished and listed my first completed project - the lovely half-sleeve shrug.

I used a gorgeous variegated purple mercerised pure cotton yarn, machine-knitted the main body, handknitted the ribbing, and crocheted the lower edging and flower brooch pin.

It's a great little cover-up for summer, and my eldest daughter is already requesting one for herself!

Monday 9 May 2011

May's Emerald

Apparently emerald is the birthstone for May, and the green-themed treasuries have been popping up all over.

I've been included in a few lovelies - check them out!





Friday 6 May 2011

Princess Garter revealed!

Finally the Peek-a-boo Project is finished!

I'm very proud to present the Princess Silk Beaded Garter.

I have crocheted this in my own design using the luxurious HandMaiden Sea Silk yarn in shade "Nova Scotia".

It is threaded with gorgeous turquoise and lime satin and organza ribbons, and incorporates dozens of tiny glass seed beads around the lower edge.

The ribbons hide co-ordinating turquoise elastic for comfort. It was tricky finding narrow elastic in the right colour, but JosyRose had exactly what I wanted at a great price.

I'm so pleased with this project. There is a lot more of this yarn left, and I'm hoping to come up with a more lacy ornate design next. Watch this space!

Wednesday 4 May 2011

Yummy new yarns

Remember the dye pot I showed you? Well here are the results:

Superwash Bluefaced Leicester sock yarn in shade "Emerald Isle" - so vibrant!

I used 3 shades of Jacquard dyes mixed in different ratios.

There are just 3 skeins of this delicious colourway currently in my shop, so don't miss yours!

The following day I got the dye pot out again, with 2 skeins of British Bluefaced Leicester aran yarn to transform.

This time I was looking for some slightly softer shades, and played with 2 of the Jacquard dye colours in the blue range.

Out of the pot came "Mediterranean Mood" - still vibrant but a softer tone - and again currently available in my shop.

The shades in this yarn remind me of the beautiful sea we saw around Turkey when we honeymooned there back in 1996!

Tuesday 3 May 2011

Off to sea!

Well not quite, but nearly...

A couple of days ago we went on a boat trip from Truro to Falmouth with friends. 

It was a great day out, and the first time we've done anything like that with the children.

The route is down the river from Truro to the estuary at Falmouth, and takes about 1 hour each way.

Along the way we heard commentary picking out places of interest, one of which is a mussel farm!

Anchored ropes hang down into the river and the mussels attach to them. They take around 2 years to mature, then they are scraped off, cleaned and sent to restaurants and shops.

Amazing what you learn on a day out!