Craft4Crafters show

Yesterday I had an adventure with my eldest daughter. We went by train to the Westpoint Arena at Exeter to spend a day at the Craft4Crafters show!

It was a long but fabulous day, which resulted in some great new stash enhancement for my bead collection. I feel lots more crochet necklaces will be appearing soon!

My daughters also benefitted as we invested in a set of Majestix stamps, pegs, and ink pads from Card-IO. 

They're being well used already, so I'm sure we'll be adding more sets to the collection.

Textile beads anyone?

Sam over at Textile Delights has a fab giveaway on her blog at the moment.

Just comment, follow and link to it for a chance of winning a set of her fab new handmade textile beads!

January Sale

As is traditional at this time of year, I'm having a huge sale over at my Etsy shop. All items are priced £10 or under and you'll find some massive discounts.

This gorgeous short scarf is crocheted using fine pure silk yarn and threaded with silk ribbons then edged with mother of pearl chips.

Perfect for weddings, parties, or would make a fabulous Valentine gift!

This is a one-off item originally priced at £29, but now on offer at just £10!

Gift for Mum

It's Mother's Day here in the UK this Sunday, which is perfect timing for me to get the clip earrings done that my Mum mentioned she would like a while ago.

I made her some clip earrings a couple of years ago; she loves them and wears them regularly. Time to increase the selection!

I bought the earring backs very reasonably from ebay - clips as she doesn't have pierced ears, gold as she wears that more than silver, and nickel-free as I'm allergic to it and don't want to cause anything like that for my Mum!

Then was the fun part - browsing through my bead stash to find the perfect combinations, and making the earrings up.

I had the jewellery presentation box from a previous ebay purchase, and cut more slots in the foam lining to accommodate all the clips. 

It didn't take long at all, and I'm really pleased with the results. I'd better get it packed up and sent off to my Mum in time for Sunday now - hope she loves her gift!

How are you celebrating Mother's Day this year?

Destash time

I'm clearing all my glass seed and bugle beads that are too small for my requirements - basically anything that's too small to thread onto 4ply yarn!

I have bagged up various colourways such as this selection of blues and greens.

You can find all the available ones in the Destash section of my Etsy shop.

Project reveal

OK, I'll let you see the finished item from the last peek-a-boo project...

It's a beaded crochet necklace - very soft and lightweight, with fabulous summer colours.

I love it so much I'm keeping it for myself for once!

Peek-a-boo Project

It's that Handmaiden Sea Silk again - this time with a selection of glass and wooden beads...

Any suggestions of what the final item will be...?

THEAjewellery giveaway

I've been browsing round a few different Etsy teams recently, and happily found a great giveaway via the Craftcult team!

THEAjewellery is giving away some fabulous beads in return for a little linkage across the web - not much to ask for!

Details can be found on her blog.

There are so many beautiful items in her shop, that I can't begin to link to them all. 

However this gorgeous casual necklace is one of my current favourites.

Take a look and see which you love!

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!

Peek-a-boo Project

Mmmmm... Handmaiden Sea Silk in shade "Nova Scotia"... 8/0 lined glass seed beads in turquoise and lime...

Can you guess what it is yet?!

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!

Handy!

I recently bought a couple of hand mannequins from ebay to display my fingerless mitts better.

They're great for photographing items for my Etsy shop and of course very useful for the craft fairs I do.

The next one is this Friday 26th November at Sainburys in Truro - please drop by and say hello if you're in the area!

Pictured here is a new fingerless mitt design in a gorgeous aubergine shade, which sold straightaway at the craft fair last weekend. Pity I hadn't had chance to make more - or photograph it once it was finished!

It is knitted in the same shape as my Fabulous Fingerless Mitts but with a moss stitch edging instead of reverse stocking stitch. I used Drops Nepal yarn which is a great wool/alpaca blend - soft and cosy.

I then played around with some Rowan Kidsilk Haze from my stash and knitted up a couple of simple short-row garter stitch rosees which I sewed on the back of each hand.

The roses were finished off with 7 tiny plum glass seed beads sewn in the centre.

You'll have to take my word that made up they are beautiful. There will be more of these in future!

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!

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!

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!

Monochrome crochet

I recently finished a very long crochet beaded wrap necklace, and have just listed it in my Etsy shop.

When I say long, I mean l o n g! If I stand up and hold with my arm outstretched it trails on the floor..

I've used Rowan Shimmer yarn in shade "Jet", with a selection of clear and black beads threaded on before I crocheted the long loop. In the middle is a gorgeous starfish pendant.

It seems that most things I do now are inspired by the sea - I wonder why?!

You can also see my star buy of this week - a lovely dressmakers dummy in great condition on a pine stand for just £25. There's always something interesting to be found by browsing through the classified ads in your local newspaper!

I like my postie!

He brought me a package sent all the way from Canada today.

These are supplies I bought from YukiDesigns which stock some fantastic buttons, beads, and other goodies.

These beads are all resin - they have a lovely chunky feel with beautiful colour depth.

I love the metal flower and molecule bubble connectors, and have vague ideas floating around in my head for incorporating them in some crochet necklace designs..

Stash Enhancement - but not yarn

I'm trying not to purchase any more yarn for "a while" - that's vague enough to keep me from having withdrawal symptoms. In the meantiume though, I have been buying other craft supplies.

I supported my local flea market recently when I discovered a lady there selling beads. Of course I couldn't resist.

This little haul of medium to large glass beads cost me £3. Well who can resist a bargain?

Bahama Blue

I've been feeling the need to crochet some more jewellery recently. Finally I got some time with enough daylight to pick out the beads and yarn that I wanted to use.

This necklace is crocheted with some gorgeous hand-dyed crochet cotton that I bought from fellow Etsy seller Snappish - her shop is Brea-Aly Threads. 

The colour graduations from blues to purples are really lovely, and the cotton is fine enough to make a delicate but strong item.

I added several lots of beads in co-ordinating colours and I love the finished look. 

You'll have to take a look at the listing to see the two fabulous big beads by the fastener close-up!

Crochet adornment

I've felt more like experimenting recently with the lovely range of colours I have in the mercerised cotton yarns and glass bead stash.

These are two of the end results, currently for sale in my Etsy shop:

This was my first play, in beautiful aquamarine shades which I seem to be drawn to at the moment.

Must be something to do with catching glimpses of the sea so frequently!

The second one is also inspired by the coastline, with a combination of neutrals, browns and blues - more like the sand, rocks, and sky.

I really enjoy combining the colours, threading the beads on to the yarns and crocheting them together right now.

Of course this means I'm on the lookout for more large-holed beads to use, so I'll have to go bead shopping during my time off work next week. :-)