Supporting local crafters

I've made a Cool Cornish Collection Etsy treasury to help support and promote my fellow crafters around the Truro and Newquay areas of Cornwall.

Take a look - there are some great items there!

Bridal garter commission

I was recently asked by a neighbour to make a bridal garter for a relative of hers who is getting married. I've been meaning to crochet something like this for a while so this was a good kickstart!

I was given a length of plum satin ribbon and the leg size. Luckily I already had a pack of size 9/0 glass seed beads in the perfect matching shade. 

I used the same silk 4ply yarn that I have recently used to make the bridal accessories, and set to work with an idea in my head and my crochet hook in my hand.

About 7 hours later I had the finished bridal garter, incorporating the plum ribbon, some backup elastic, and 200 seed beads, all hand-threaded and crocheted in.

My neighbour is thrilled - I hope the bride is too!

Blog Feature

One of my unisex cowls has been including in a great feature on the Filigreephotos blog.

It is showcasing many items from various Etsy sellers with the theme "Cozy".

There are sections for all ages from babies to adults, plus gadgets and home cozies too,

Perfect for the time of year soon to arrive!

Crantock Summer Craft Fair

Just wanted to post a quick note about an event I'll be attending tomorrow: it's the Summer Craft Fair being held in the Village Hall at Crantock near Newquay, Cornwall from 10am to 4pm.

If you're in the area, drop in - it'd be great to see you!

Treasury-itis

Etsy seem to have made it easier to make treasuries recently.

You can now copy and paste item URLs instead of having to search for the listing id. This makes it much quicker and far more addictive!

Here's my latest called Misty Morning.

Such beautiful items inspired by the misty autumn mornings to come...

Front Page News!

Woohoo - my Starfish Crochet Necklace was in the treasury by CardsAndCraft that made it to the Front Page of Etsy this morning!

I'm so excited as this is the first time any of my items have been on the Front Page. It certainly helps get them seen!

Sunday Showcase

I am very pleased to find that I have been featured in a Sunday Showcase on the fabulous Gifted Designs blog - take a peek!

Shannon has included my Flora Crochet Coaster Duo in a lovely bright selection of items from different Etsy sellers.  Great full summer colours!

Dusting off the sewing machine

Quite literally. I hauled out my sewing machine from under the piles of yarn today and gave it a good clean before embarking on a mini project.

My daughters have both now got to the height where they no longer legally need car booster seats, but for my youngest the seat belt can be a little uncomfortable against her neck sometimes.

I looked around for seat belt pads but wasn't keen on any of the designs, so decided to make my own.

A short while later I have used up some leftover patchwork fabric, quilt wadding, and velcro, and we have the pads installed in the car.

They can be taken off easily using the velcro strip fastener and machine washed when they get grubby.

Very comfy they are too. :)

To reskein or not..

I've been dyeing yarn again recently. I love doing this but my dear family endure the strong vinegar smell with varied comments!

Since receiving my fabulous wooden swift for my birthday last year, I have rewound each skein after dyeing as I think it looks better. 

The colours are spread more evenly and I think the pictures give a clearer indication of what a knitted item will look like as the colours are in short repeats.

Plus I do actually enjoy reskeining the yarn - the swift is a joy to use.

You can see my latest two yarns - Hydrangea and Nasturtium - in my etsy shop.

New widget!

Craftcult have brought out a fab new widget called "Pocket Shop" to show off items from your Etsy shop - see below right for my version.

You can choose from various skins to suit the look of your blog or site, and choose either a sliding or fading animation.

Try clicking on the mini tabs and you'll find a ton of info about the shop including feedback from previous buyers.

Most excellent!

ukhandmade Wedding Gift Guide

The ukhandmade Wedding Gift Guide is out now! 
 
I'm so excited as my luxurious beaded angora/merino handwarmers were selected to be included.

Crammed full of beautiful items available for you to purchase, all handmade by talented uk designers and artists.

Even if you're not planning or going to a wedding, take a look - it's fabulous!

Medieval Joust

We are on holiday from work this week so on Wednesday we went to a Medieval Joust!

Pendennis Castle

The event was held at the glorious Pendennis Castle at Falmouth which of course is located to give the most fabulous views over the surrounding sea and land.

Falconry display

There were falconry displays with fascinating talks about how the birds were used in days gone by, for example to catch animals to feed families for free.

Nonimus

Music from the time was provided by the talented Nonimus Minstrels - we were so impressed we bought their CD.

The Jester

A hilarious jester wandered around entertaining the crowds, as well as putting on a few of his own shows throughout the day.

The Joust

And of course there were four knights taking part in three different sessions of horsemanship and skill, culminating in the joust. Incredible!

It was a fabulous day - if you get chance to go I would thoroughly recommend it!

We did it!

Yes, we did the Race For Life 2010 last Sunday and managed to finish it.

It's a mere 5km (3 miles) which is nothing for many fit people out there, but for me - having not done any form of excercise in quite a while - it was quite an achievement.

There was a great atmosphere on the day and the weather was perfect. 

We had great fun doing the warm-up exercises. I've never been part of such a large class before!

It wasn't easy trying to keep up with moves that we could barely see being demonstrated but we had fun anyway. :)

Then we were off to the start line! 

We jogged as much as possible (and walked the uphill bits) for 5km - more than I've ever done before in my life. 

The Truro course is very hilly and everyone was bunched up together in the narrow lanes to start with.

We staggered over the finish line just under 43 minutes later - woohoo! My face was as pink as my t-shirt but we had done it.

I'm so glad my friend Sue talked me into doing this with her. It's truly inspiring (and very emotional) reading the papers on people's backs saying why they're taking part. 

Stunning to think the cancer touches so many people's lives. Great to know we helped to raise money to find ways of helping anyone needing it.
Thank you to everyone who sponsored and supported us.

I'm happy to say that it has inspired my daughters too. Next year we're hoping to walk the Falmouth Race for Life with them, and run the Truro one again to see if we can beat this year's time.

Fingers crossed!

Jam-packed

On Saturday was our village's annual horticultural and domestic show. 

It's fantastic - a little piece of history that has been going on for over 50 years virtually unchanged!

It takes a lot of time and effort throughout the year to prepare for the day, and we help out with it as much as possible. 

It's so worthwhile - a really community event.

There are masses of entries in over 300 categories, including fruit and vegetables, flowers, handicrafts, art, cooking, and loads of children's sections.

There is a brass band, coconut shy, bouncy castle, face painting, barbeque, cream teas from the W.I. and the local guides helping out on the sweets and ice cream stands.

Just wonderful!

Oh and my "All the Fun of the Fair" crochet mat won second place in the Crochet section. :)

Fairground win

Yay - thanks to everyone who voted for my fairground crochet mat in the recent UK Etsy Challenge. 

It won!

Now I'm entering it into the local horticultrural and domestic show this Saturday to see how we get on there.

After that I'll be listing this winning item for sale in my Etsy shop. :)

Wedding Season

I have found myself drawn to wedding designs recently - I don't know whether it's because it's the season for beautiful summer beach weddings or because there's a ball of heavenly ivory silk yarn next to my chair!

The latest item is a crocheted short scarf or head wrap. I crocheted it with a 2.5mm hook in a simple trellis stitch and added some mother of pearl chips to each end. The weight from the pearl accentuates the drape of this gorgeous yarn.

It can be used either as a scarf or wrapped around the hair for a luxurious hairband. The silk feels so wonderful against the skin!

Voting time!

The vote is open for the Fairground challenge until late Wednesday 7th July... if you have an Etsy login please visit the thread to check out the entries and cast your vote - thanks!
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6565745

UK Etsy Challenge - Fairground

I stumbled across the UK Etsy Challenge group on Flickr a while back and decided to join in.

The current challenge is to create a Fairground-theme item, and the closing date is 4th July. The entries are rolling in and and there are some very inventive ideas - take a look!

My entry started life as a doodle...

It changed slightly as I crocheted it into life. I'm pleased with the result - loud and entertaining!

From the centre you can see the helter skelter, balloons, then the structure and seats of the big wheel.

I wanted a spiral for the helter skelter, and found just the "how to" article I needed in a back issue of Interweave Crochet that I used to subscribe to.

I've never entered a challenge before or created anything like this from a doodle before and really enjoyed it.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the next theme is - maybe you'll take part too!

New style hairband

I've been playing around with alternative fastening metods for my crochet hairbands, and have come up with a loop and button fastener that I really like.

It means that your hair doesn't get caught in a tie as you're knotting it. The hairband easily fits most sizes of head from adut to child, as the button can be slotted through any part of the strap after going through the loop.

And of course who doesn't love buttons!

The first completed hairband with this new style fastener is the Tropical Sea version, crocheted from turquoise and jade cottons - perfect for summer!

Summer Fete

Yesterday was our local school summer fete - what a brilliant day!

We had fantastic weather so the many stalls and activities were well-received. The Searchers wild west re-enactment team put on shows during the day which went down very well.

I was helping DH do the barbeque stand - I've had my fill of cutting bread rolls for a while!

I had made 3 crochet flower hairclips during the week - bit of a last-minute project. I sewed button centres and attached them to mini barrette hairclips.

I used my free sample pack of Moo business cards and punched holes in to fasten the clips through - worked a treat! 

I donated these to another stand and happily they all sold.

Smitten by silk

I have found a new favourite in the fine silk yarn I made the wedding challenge necklace from.

I've also used it to make a pretty little crochet flower hair clip to match, with 3 of the mother of pearl chips in the centre.

So cute!

Been buying!

My latest purchase from Etsy arrived today. Inside the brown envelope was this tempting little silver box...

... and inside that my lovely purchase.

It's a gorgeous pair of dichroic glass stud earrings from Vos Collection which is based in Spain.

The colour of these is amazing - sparkly rich blue with glints of purple and green at certain angles.

They are my new favourite - I've been wearing them all day. Check out the other Vos Collection designs!

CreateCrochet Team Wedding Challenge

Well I've done it - taken up the wedding challenge. The one from the CreateCrochet team that is. I don't think DH would be too pleased if I took on any other kind.

This is my own design which "grew" and changed as I was creating it. It's actually completely different from what I first imagined. I love both the process and the result.

I've crocheted the necklace from 100% fine silk yarn with a 2.5mm crochet hook. I first threaded the yarn with mother of pearl chips - lots of them!

The strands of the necklace all join the choker section at the back. The whole lot is fastened with two small matching buttons.

I love how the silk shines and the pearl chips catches the light. I love how it's a choker and a necklace all in one. I love how it can be worn high or low. I love the colour. 

I only wish I had made it years ago for my own wedding!

Crochet Necklaces

I'm almost done making my entry for the CreateCrochet team wedding challenge, which is a crochet necklace.

I was pleased to discover tonight that one of my crochet necklaces already listed in my shop - Coast - is currently feaatured in two Etsy treasuries!

Garden colour

I am pretty useless in our garden as it stands at the moment. I have no idea what most of the plants are! 

They were either there when we moved in or have been brought to us by Mother Nature (thank you).

But I do know that they are looking pretty stunning at the moment, so we're enjoying them anyway.

Mission accomplished

Phew! After much manic crocheting and mini-skein winding, I've finally sent off my parcel of 70 promotional items today. Hopefully the receipients at the We Make London craft fair in Chelsea next month will like them enough to take a peek at my shop.

It was good fun to see what I could come up with. I've already told you about the mini-skeins, which I have fallen in love with.

Here is a selection of the colour graduated mats and coasters I have included. Suitably summery I think!

I still love the red colourway the best, and those are the colours I tend to wear.

I have also been taking pics of the gorgeous flowers we have around the garden at the moment. 

The aquilegias inspired me to crochet another mat in the pink-green colourway. 

My daughters love it, and I have to say it does make me smile.

Colour!

After I've spent quite some time gathering together an entire collection of all the colourways of the cotton yarn I use, the penny has finally dropped. I love colour. Duh!

Not just colour but graduated, tonal colours and shades together. It's always colour that attracts me to an item, more so than form or function.

It started young - I remember reading through a 1970's craft book and the thing that stuck in my mind to this day is the image of bargello embroidery. It was the shapes but more so the graduations of colour that I loved - and still love to this day.

Hence the latest obsession with colour graduations in my crochet.

Here's a recent project, which has just been sent off to the Med as a birthday gift. Hot and spicy coasters!

We Make London Summer Fair

I follow the UK Handmade group over on Flickr and recently read there about a promotional opportunity.

There are going to be 70 tote bags for sale at a nominal price at the We Make London Summer Fair to be held at Chelsea Town Hall on 26th June.

Anyone can contribute 70 promotional items to go in the totes, so I decided to do just that. Seems like a great idea to me!

One of the items I've come up with are mini-skeins of my hand-dyed yarns. When I rewound my laceweight yarns after dyeing I wound off any broken lengths into little balls and have kept them aside. They are perfect for making into mini-skeins!

These are so cute. I had a look at the patterns on Ravelry and it struck me that there are many patterns using laceweight yarn for smaller projects. So these mini-skeins are useful to the buyer too - they can be used to make a bookmark, jewellery, etc.

They also make a great "taster" for somebody wanting to try out lace knitting without being overwhelmed by a full-scale lace shawl type project.

I think I may work up a little pattern and sell some mini-skeins in my Etsy shop in the future, with the free pattern included.

How cute?

DH's boss and wife had their first baby last weekend - a beautiful little girl. How could I resist such an opportunity?!

I've crocheted these super-cute little baby booties in candy pink and plum. I don't think they'll fit for long but they're just too sweet to resist.

Baby items are such gratifyingly fast projects!

Featured!

I was delighted to find today that I am currently featured on the SWAC (South West Arts & Crafts) team blog! 

Woohoo! Thanks guys!

Please do check it out.

Sneak peek..

..at what I'm currently playing with - colours!

100th sale promo

My etsy shop currently has 99 sales - bag the 100th sale and I'll refund your shipping cost via PayPal after payment!

Treasuries

I've been lucky enough to be featured in several treasuries recently. Here are a couple of current ones:

Green With Envy - gorgeous shades of crocheted items!

Earth and Water - turquoise and brown - what a great colour combination!

All Tooled Up

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week - Day Eight - The Final Instalment!

 My favourite tools for yarny crafts have to be these:

Firstly my beautiful wooden swift bought as a birthday gift from my DH from Purlescence - he was under strict instruction!

This feels so wonderously smooth to use and is invaluable when working with skeined yarns - either winding from them to knit up or re-skeining yarns that I've dyed, ready for my Etsy shop.

It makes life so much easier when the penny finally drops about which way up to use it too.. ahem...

The other tool has to be my many sets of long Addi Turbo knitting needles in different sizes which I've invested in over several years. 

I love magic loop for circular knitting, and find long Addis the most lightweight and smooth needles to use.  Circular needles are great for straight knitting too - much more portable!

What a Yarn

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week - Day Seven

OK, coveted yarns... When sorting out what to include in this post I realised that for me a yarn has to be soft. I mean really soft! So here are 3 yarns from my stash - amongst many others that could have been included too!

1) Hand Maiden Lace Silk in colourway Nova Scotia

100% silk

I bought this several years ago at the same exhibition as I got the Hipknits cashmere (previous post). I couldn't resist the intensity of colour, the gorgeous sheen, and the luxurious softness of the silk. I don't do much lace knitting but this yarn is so worth it!

2) Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in colourway Vera (shade 70)

80% superwash wool, 20% nylon

I had been on the lookout for this colourway of this yarn for so long. It's not the easiest yarn to get in the UK, particularly if you want a specific shade. I finally found somebody destashing 2 skeins on Ravelry last year, and jumped on it! Fabulous colour combo - and so soft!

3) Mirasol Sulka in Cream (shade 200)

60% merino wool, 20% alpaca, 20% silk

I got this in a sale from an online UK store to try out for winter neckwarmer or such. The finished item was originally to be sold in my Etsy shop but it's soooooo soft and squishy and yummy I may not be able to let it go...

Revisit a past FO

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week - Day Six

I don't think cashmere is the most durable yarn for a pair of socks, but sometimes you just have to go with your heart instead of your head!

I knitted my Tidal Wave cashmere socks in March 2008 from a great free pattern which I think I'll probably knit again. I used some Hipknits cashmere sock yarn in a gorgeous Raspberry Ripple shade which I had bought at a great price from the Knitting and Stitching Show at the Birmingham NEC.

In November 2009, disaster struck - the most enormous hole in both heels! They had actually lasted over 1.5 years, which is pretty good going for a luxury yarn I suppose. They are still in the same state today, as I haven't got around to fixing them yet. One day..

Oh and by the way - Happy 70th Birthday Mom!