Happy Mother's Day!

It's Mother's Day here in the UK, so I hope everyone has a wonderful day, whatever you're doing!

Peek-a-boo Project

Sending out ripples

I've been reading a few books recently and experiencing new life events that are making me look at some things in a new way.

I decided to make a treasury of ripples, sending out good vibes of hope and joy to others and hoping that some will return.

I found some stunning handmade items to share with you - hope you love them too.

Coral reef

On Saturday I had just 1 hour to fit in some yarn dyeing. I've been wanting to do this for weeks, so it was a case of now or never!

I managed to get it done in time - just - and the gorgeous Coral Reef laceweight merino dried overnight thanks to the fine weather.

On Sunday morning I reskeined the yarn, after setting up a very Heath Robinson-looking affair which used almost all of my winding equipment!

I had a lovely photo session with 3 beautiful skeins, and they are now available to buy in my Etsy shop. 

These will look stunning when knitted up!

Party time

It's my youngest daughter's 10th birthday next week, so today is party time.

We've arranged a ten-pin bowling party, complete with party lights, chart music, and fast food.

Based on the party theme, I've chosen a few Etsy UK sellers wares for a new treasury - enjoy!

Addictive ripples

Remember the Friday night I spent salvaging a skein of Colinette Giotto?

Well now it's all knitted up and looking gorgeous as the Raspberry Ripple scarf.

As is it's new friend, the Lagoon Ripple scarf.

Both are available to buy in my Etsy shop, or you can buy the pattern and knit your own.

I think I could become seriously addicted to these.

Etsy Euro Week - Viva Espana!

Today is my last day of doing treasuries for Etsy Euro Week, and I've chosen Spain as the focus.

We holidayed in Spain a couple of times a few years back when my dad was living in La Nucia. 

They were relaxing days, with much sunbathing, barbequing, and swimming in the pool. 

We enjoyed visits to nearby Altea and the kids loved seeing the animals and shows at Mundomar!

Etsy Euro Week - Turkey

Day 4 of Etsy Euro Week takes us to on a magical carpet ride to Turkey...

This is where DH and I spent our honeymoon in September 1996 - at a lovely hotel with it's own beach in Turunc. We had a great time and saw some beautiful parts of Turkey. 

I was particularly pleased to be able to bring home some crochet cotton!

Etsy Euro Week - Italy

My midweek Euro treasury focuses on Italy. I holidayed there once with my father and brother when I was about 12 years old, and have always wanted to return.

This week's series of treasuries is throwing up some interesting concepts of what items portray the image or feeling of a particular place, and why. It's challenging my thoughts of what I have or should have in my own shop too!

For me, Italy means fashion, elegance, renaissance, beauty... Is it captured in this collection? Let me know what you think!

Etsy Euro Week - Netherlands

My second treasury of Etsy Euro Week is dedicated to Nirvana in the Netherlands, mainly because on the same trip as Belgium we managed to fit in a day trip here.

My memory of that single day in the Netherlands is of being on the coach driving past fields of tulips, seeing windmills, and going around a model village which included a model of the model village..

This took longer to put together than I expected but ended up including windmills, tulips, delft blue, canals, and bicycles - all somehow inherantly Dutch when gathered together. 

Not a single Edam cheese or wooden clog in sight!

Etsy Euro Week - Belgium

We are now in Etsy Euro Week and to help celebrate I am hoping to create and share a few Etsy treasuries based around European countries to highlight some of the fabulous creative sellers we have so close to us.

I remember as a child being lucky enough to go on a short school trip to Ostend in Belgium. 

My main memory is of a darkening evening all of us meandering around cobbled streets, all lit up and the shops open late, gazing at shop windows full of Belgian chocolates (yum!) and eating a gorgeous freshly-cooked waffle with cream and jam from a street stall - food again!

So of course the first of my treasuries has to focus on Bountiful Belgium - hope you love it!

Peek-a-boo Project

For my daughter - using the Zauberball yarn in Fuschia and the lacy rib bias scarf pattern from the Wollzauber pattern book that she chose on our recent trip to St Ives.

I've made it narrower than the pattern states and only using 1 ball of the yarn. 

It's gorgeous - I love knitting with the transitional colours, although I have just come across a yarn splice in the ball which interrupts that a little.

What's on your needles right now?

Friday night

Earlier this week I bought another skein of Colinette Giotto in the gorgeous Raspberry colourway from a Ravelry destash.

I'm itching to get started on another Ripple Drop-Stitch Scarf, so tonight I decided to wind the skein into a cake ready to get started.

Although the skeined yarn looked pristine, it didn't quite go as expected once I removed the band from the skein!

There were no ties around the skein so it was impossible to tell where the centre of all the loops was..

I had to unwind the yarn painfully slowly by hand into a bowl, using the swift just for support..

Giotto bolognese anyone?!

Perseverence and patience paid off in the end though.

Now to cast on!

If you fancy knitting your own version of this scarf, the pattern is also now available for sale on Ravelry and in my Etsy shop.

Note to self...

... do NOT try to eat microwave-super-heated food quickly - the blisters in your mouth from the ensuing burns are too painful!

On a brighter note, take a look at these hand-dyed daffodils!

My youngest daughter repeated a school experiment to show me how the flowers suck up the water in the vase.

The red food colouring in the water shows up the network of veins in the petals and gives them a whole new look.

Amazing what your children can teach you!

The sunshine effect

The Giotto scarf is finished, fringed, and available to buy in my Etsy shop.

I love it! I may have to make one of these for myself...

I've also finished a project for my eldest daughter's flute teacher. She's expecting her first baby soon, and my daughter wants to give her a special gift. 

This teacher has put a lot of effort and time into inspiring and encouraging my daughter with her flute playing, so I wanted to give some of that effort back.

So here is what she'll be receiving shortly - a pair of baby converse bootees that I crocheted from Suzanne Resaul's fabulous free pattern in Ravelry.

Soooo cute!

Peek-a-boo Project

I seem to be in a ribbon mood - must be all the sunshine we're getting!

This is Colinette Giotto in Caramel using a gorgeous drop-stitch pattern.

What's on your needles?

Knitted up

Remember the Cascade 220 Superwash Paints yarn I bought from a fellow knitter on Ravelry?

I couldn't wait to use it - those rich colours sang to me.

One skein has made 2 gorgeous pairs of fingerless mitts! 

This yarn is soft and lovely to knit with; I'm definately getting hold of some more of the Paints colourways. 

I've knitted one pair in my Marvellous Mitts design and one pair in my Dizzy Twist design.

So lush - and available now in my Etsy shop!

Thank you St Ives!

Despite the rain, we spent a couple of hours in St Ives today; it's the first time we've visited the place despite living in Cornwall for 4 years now!

It was tricky navigating the narrow street in the town centre and finding a parking spot, but well worth it. St Ives is lovely - even in the rain.

My intention was to find the House of Bartlett as the owner had announced on Ravelry that she is having a wool sale. We did find it, and I ended up with a bag full of woolly goodness!

I bought a ball of Rico Creative Micro DK - I've never seen this yarn before. It has lovely muted summer colours and feels like a soft cotton, so I'm earmarking that for a summer scarf.

My youngest DD talked me into buying a bright ball of fuschia Zauberball and the pattern book to make a gorgeous diagonal lace scarf for her - it looks gorgeous, so it's not exactly a tough task!

I also treated myself to a 500gram pack of Araucania Aysen at an amazing 70% discount! This is a gorgeous hand-dyed merino/alpaca/silk blend which is perfect to make the fingerless mitts that sold so well this winter.

We also spotted GJ Beads quite by chance, so I managed to find some beautiful grey coin beads to highlight the Pebble wrap I'm finishing off.

The final amazing find was a little ladies boutique selling the last few pairs of Fly boots they had in stock at less than half price. They had the exact style (Yule) I had been looking for, in the colour that I often wear, in my size!

I've been holding out for these for the last 2 years but always other costs have taken priority. These were such a bargain that DH treated me - thank you hubsta!

On the way back to the car we called in to Willy Wallers Ice Cream Factory where we chose a gorgeous flavour ice cream each - chocolate and ginger, mango, blueberry, and port, cranberry & orange sorbet. Delicious!

We'll be going back to St Ives for a day on the beach when the weather warms up - probably on the train next time. Can't wait!

Remodelling peaches

I'm really pleased with how well my hand-dyed Perran Yarns have sold in my Etsy shop.

The only one that hasn't done so well is the laceweight merino in this delicate "Peaches and Dreams" colourway.

Its blue, green and purple sisters sold out, but only 1 ball of this one has found a loving home.

The yarn is gorgeous - smooth and soft - but obviously this shade is not what lace knitters want. Time for a remodelling event.

First of all I need to re-skein the balls so I can overdye them. 

I've done one ball this afternoon and had to stop - this is a lengthy manual task winding back onto the niddy-noddy, so it won't be rushed.

More tomorrow.

Pebble Wrap

Quite some time back I bought myself some Patons Reef ribbon yarn in the beautiful Pebble shade.

My original intention was to knit it into a bolero for myself. Then we were invited to a wedding so I decided to make myself an evening wrap for the occasion.

It was not to be - me and wraps just don't go! I stored the project away - until a couple of days ago.

You know, this yarn is gorgeous. It shimmers and catches the light, but the matt element of the yarn ensures that it's not too glitzy.

The wrap shape is great too - it just wasn't what I was visualising at the time.

So I'm going to finish it and list it in my Etsy shop - it still has ends to sew in and needs some kind of lovely fastening. I do have a little of the yarn left - hmm...

Team Theme Project Sneak Peak

CraftBritannia Team Theme

It's been a quiet week on the blog front, but there has been frantic crochet activity here at Chez Skeins!

I decided on my project for the CraftBritannia Team Theme. The deadline is 1st April and the theme is Spring.

I wanted some spring flower type colours so I've chosen to use a ball of Tofutsies yarn that I had in my stash. 

I've only knitted this up into socks before (and very lovely they are) and I'm really pleased with how the colours are emerging as this crochet project progresses.

There will be a sneak peak but I'm not giving too much else away yet..

Mmmmmmmuffins!

I seem to be doing more baking these days. Is that good or bad?

The latest batch are these skinny chocolate & cranberry muffins - delicious.

They use yoghurt, milk, and oil instead of butter but taste wonderful.

The mixture made 12 but only 11 photographed - well I had to check they were ok..

Last time I used chopped dates instead of dried cranberries - equally gorgeous.

We also have our first indication of Spring - this sweet little narcissus (I think!) has grown in a pot on our kitchen windowsill.

Postal delays? Not here!

My postie delivered a fantastic package to me this morning.

It was from the USA and contained 2 skeins of Cascade 220 Superwash yarn that I bought via Ravelry.

The yarn is beautiful - wonderful rich colours; I can't wait to start knitting with it.

The most amazing part of this - it was only posted 4 days ago!

Sensational Supplies

Following a recent order I have been inspired to add a couple more colourways of the Creative Yarn Packs to my shop.

I have added Ice Cream Sundae - a delicious pale pastel mix..

..and Flaming Fire - a hot mix of reds, oranges, a little gold and some darker browns.

There are many other great supplies on Etsy from UK sellers - here are a few to inspire you!

Top row, left to right:

• Hand-dyed silk carrier rods from SassaLynne
• Berry mix organza ribbons from Overspill
• Red pointed muffin cases from MarmaladySupplies

 Bottom row, left to right:

• Stripy Tiger Pendant Charm from CardsAndCraft
• Pick your own 9inch felt squares from Titchables
• Campfire sock yarn from JunoFibreArts

So what are you waiting for? Buy some fab supplies and get crafty!

Valentine Challenge - Votes please!

The voting is open over on the CreateCrochet Team blog for the Valentine Challenge.

There are some great entries there, so please go on over and vote for your favourite entry!

Toffee Fudge - yum!

Back in November I blogged about how I'd spent a great day at the KnitExpo in Exeter.

I bought some fabulous yarn there, including the gorgeous Wow! hand-dyed alpaca/silk aran yarn. 

It looks like Toffee Fudge to me.

The number of shades is endless and the colours are so vibrant. Just Wow!

How I wish I'd bought more of this. It's always the way...

Anyway, I got around to knitting it up - before a year has even passed! Will miracles never cease?!

The yarn is, as expected, a dream to knit with. The finished mitts feel just glorious on your hands.

I only have enough yarn for 2 pairs of these mitts, so go ahead and treat yourself before somebody else gets all the luxury!

CreateCrochet Team Valentine Challenge

I am taking part in the Valentine Challenge from the CreateCrochet Team on Etsy.

My entry is this pair of Red Hot fingerless cotton crochet mitts with organza ribbon bow.

I love my organza ribbon at the moment!

There are quite a few great entries - here are a few of my favourites:

Top row, left to right:

• Crochet Hearts from Angelarae63
• Black fingerless gloves from Bigalhats
• Cascading Hearts Lariat from FallingLeafDesigns

Bottom row, left to right:

• Valentine Hot Stuff Cozy & Coaster by LilacsLovables
• Heart to Heart Shawl by MyLovelyMom
• Red Hearts Anklet by MyLovelyMom also!

Today is the closing date, so voting begins soon...

Dizzy Mitts

I love coming up with new designs and making them into saleable patterns. I've promised myself that I would do it many times of the last few years, but rarely got round to doing it.

I am getting better at it though. Now when I tinker about with a new project, I make the odd scribble in my knitting notepad. 

If I like the finished item, I fill it out, print it, and then try making it again from my pattern. 

Usually after a couple of revisions we have a couple of finished items and a new pattern too - bonus!

Earlier this week I listed a new pair of Dizzy Twist fingerless mitts in my Etsy shop. I have knitted them using the fabulous Debbie Bliss Fez yarn - a wonderfully cosy and soft merino/camel blend yarn.

I have sensitive skin, prone to eczema, but this yarn gives me no problems at all - in fact it feels wonderful!

Now the Dizzy Mitts pattern pdf is available to buy in my shop too, so you can have the joy of knitting your own.

Alternative yarns you could use are Sirdar Click Aran, Cascade 220 Superwash, etc - any aran/worsted weight yarn with a minimum of 100 metres length.

I'd love to hear of any other good yarn alternatives - and see any pics of your finished Dizzy Mitts!

Roses and ribbons

In celebration of Valentine's Day have recently added a couple of special new pairs of fingerless mitts to my Etsy shop. I handknitted both in a supersoft and luxurious merino and cashmere blend yarn.

The first pair are adorned with a beautiful rose knitted in a gorgeous kid mohair and silk blend yarn. The rose is so soft you can hardly feel it, and light as a feather.

In the centre of the rose nestles a cluster of glass seed beads in shades of red.

The second pair are edged with the kid mohair and silk yarn in a ruffle, which is threaded with a matching organza red ribbon, tied in a double bow.

I think these have an almost Victorian period feel to them - beautiful!

I've also come across many beautiful Valentine gifts on Etsy - here are a few more of my favourites.

Top row, left to right:

1. Rose Bloom - Genuine Leather Journal by Baghy
2. Fashion Rose Leather Coin Purse/Evening Bag/Clutch/Wallet by RonaAccessory
3. Mars. Silver and Enamel Cufflinks by CheekyLemur

Bottom row, left to right:

1. Red Satin and Organza Singed Flower Brooch/Pin by Equivocate
2. Wool Felt Heart Ornament Collection by stephaniemonroe
3. cupidOo red bOwl set of 5 by atelierOKER

Fabulous!

Create Crochet Team December Challenge

On Etsy I am part of the Create Crochet Team which runs regular challenges.

I took part recently in the December Challenge which had 3 categories: Winter Wearables, Decorations, and New Year's Gifts.

My entry was my Riverbed Crochet Graduated Colour Mat Duo (now sold!) into the Gifts category.

I was delighted to find out that my entry won 2nd place in that category!

The team blog is now featuring interviews with the winners of each category - thanks!

Oh Valentine..

Valentine's Day is fast approaching and there are so many affordable gifts on Etsy from uk sellers that I think are fabulous! Here are a few of my favourites:

Trembling Mulberry Rose Earrings by ErikaPrice

I love the delicate pink to lilac colours of these earrings - and the shape of those disc beads!

Set of 4 purple corduroy coasters by Katiedidonline

The deep purple shade of these is amazing - and the corduroy would be great at soaking up spills and drips.

Pocket Mirror - Hot Pink Orchid Botanical Papercut Design by KitzieG

A pocket mirror would be so useful - and not the kind of thing I would think to buy for myself.

The range produced by KitzieG are very pretty - perfect for the sweetheart in your life!

Kitty love

Our kitten sisters Tiggy and Poppet snoozing together today- so sweet!

UK Silly Sale time!

 Yes it's that time again.. 

The Etsy UK Silly Sale is running from 14th to 21st January with fantastic bargains in many Etsy shops!

I have a huge 40% discount on EVERYTHING in my shop.

Have a browse and see what great deals you can find!

Dennis and Gnasher!

I recently knitted a lovely pair of fingerless mitts as a custom order for a repeat customer of my Etsy shop.

We worked out the design between us - distinctive, funky and unique!

I used Rico Essentials Soft Merino Aran yarn for the mitts - a lovely soft easycare yarn with great colours and good yardage.

I had some of each colour left over - of course I had to use it up by coming up with another item.

The colours reminded me of Dennis & Gnasher from my childhood days, so I ended up making a pair of stripy fingerless mitts - in a child size of course!

They're available in my shop now.

Unexpected channels

Last summer I crocheted a few pairs of lacy summer fingerless mitts. 

I sold some in my Etsy shop and gave a pair each to my daughters - apparently they are a cool style...

Anyway I had also uploaded a pic of them onto Flickr, and was delighted to find a comment recently asking where the pattern could be obtained!

Well after a bit of composition, listing and uploading, the pattern is now available to buy from my Etsy shop.

I never thought Flickr would bring me new customers - well what did I know?!

I'm inspired to make some more of these now - but this time I want to try them in silk and bamboo.

You can tell it was Christmas..

.. because I actually knitted a project for myself!

Finished but unblocked

Quite a while back I bought a skein of heavenly Violet Green Silk & Cashmere 4ply yarn in the gorgeous Trance colourway.

I decided to knit myself a Good Luck Cowl with it.

The pattern is very easy and doesn't take long to knit up.

Yarn sadly now discontinued

The yarn feels gorgeous but the colour did bleed all over my fingers each time I knitted with it.

I guess I'll be washing this a few times before I wear it!

Update:
I gave the cowl a real good wash and soak until the water rinsed clear and have worn it for 2 days now. It's gorgeously warm and soft - and my neck hasn't turned purple... Fabulous!

Mega Sale!

Wow - where did December go?!

Hope you all had a great Christmas - we did apart from the usual bugs that seem to be everywhere this winter. Having to travel back a day late from visiting relatives up-country because of the amount of snow was different!

To bring in the New Year I've decided to hold a Mega Sale - a massive 70% off all necklaces, scarves, and cowls in my Etsy shop! Happy bargain hunting!