Board #1 - Cayenne

I decided to try making my own board of Etsy finds; this one is based on one of the current Pantone fashion colours, Cayenne.

From top left: Bow Tie by DinaMalkova; Resin Ring by daimblond; Ceramic Buttons by LauraPotterCeramics; Throw Pillow by BonnieBruno; Leather Statement Necklace by SartoJ; Fish Leather Cuff Bracelet by Zimelian; London Skyline Card by cecilyvessey; Poison Apple Brooch by TheArkanaWorkshop; Abstract Watercolour Painting by LouiseArtStudio; Red Crystal Earrings by Blucha; Love Bird Dish by PrinceDesignUK; Steampunk Ring by pennyfarthingdesigns; Leather Purse by CuteyBags

Inspired by bamboo

I'm really pleased that my new bamboo Perran Yarns have turned out so well. 

Both Parakeet & Unicorn colourways are now in my Etsy shop, with more bamboo waiting to be dyed.

The yarn has inspired me to find more handmade bamboo goodies on Etsy, which I've included in this treasury.

Enjoy!

Mattress stitch

Seaming the banana laceweight tunic - thank goodness for mattress stitch!

Mollie Made picks for Mothers Day

For an annual event like Mother's Day it can be very easy to fall into the routine of flowers or chocolates as a gift each year, but it's so easy to find something a little different.

No matter what your budget, there are lots of gorgeous unique gifts and cards available worldwide from the talented designer-makers on Etsy.

I was thrilled to hear from fellow CraftBritannia team member Veedubz that my sugar cane scarf had been picked as one of the selections from Mollie Makes in their guest blog feature!

They selected some fantastic handmade gifts for that special lady in our lives.

I particularly like the Mother's Day card by TheRainbowInMyMind - so pretty and fresh.

I'm tempted to treat myself to the Bee-Friendly Wildflower Seed Mix by TheLondonBeeCompany!


Which are your favourites?

Outlaw #2 is nearly here!

I'm so excited to be included in the second Outlaw Craft Fair which is taking place in Penzance on Saturday 5th April!

The Outlaw team are offering a mega prize giveaway at the moment - head on over to their Facebook page to get in on the action!

Banana yarn

I've discovered banana yarn... and I like it!

Also known as vegan silk, this is made (obviously) from the banana plant. As it's a plant rather than animal fibre it requires cold-dyeing - something new to me. I finally tried it and found it sooo easy! 
It fits in rather well with my busy schedule too as I can set it up, put the lid on and leave it unattended until I get around to it again. Perfect.

The banana yarn I have is a fine laceweight - fine as in 1000metres per 100grams. Believe me, that's fine.

 It's the right-hand skein here - on the left is the bamboo DK that I'm trying out. I'm liking that one too, but that's another story.

As the banana laceweight is so fine and my time is limited, I've machine knitted a sample swatch on my trusty Bond knitting machine. It's rather pretty I think.

The next stage is to fire up my Knitware software to churn out a pattern for a summer tunic for my eldest daughter with it. Thankfully she thinks it's pretty too!

Spring!