Colour naming

When listing new items on Etsy it's often difficult to think of different names for colours that buyers may search for. 

A comprehensive list of colour names would be very useful - and here it is on Wikipedia.

The colour names are alphabetically listed with samples and their values in the first section, then in the second section they are grouped by colour - very handy!

Mitts and Cuffs

I'm not sure why but I seem to be in handwarming mode despite the warm and sunny weather!

Actually I knitted these items a short while back, but then hung around waiting to finish off the sewing, beading, finding ribbons, etc.

First up are the gooseberry fingerless mitts.

I absolutely adore the colour of these, and the flower is so soft you can barely feel it.

The mitt is knitted in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran (currently one of my favourite yarns) and the flower in Debbie Bliss Angel with various glass beads sewn in the centre.

Delicious!

The silk bell lace cuffs are another luxury, this time for a special occasion.

Have you been invited to a summer ball, wedding, etc? Then these are for you!

Handknitted using shimmering Jaeger Pure Silk yarn with ribbon bows and a crocheted edging incorporating silver lined glass seed beads.

Beautiful.

Dyeing to show you...!

Sweet crochet

I have been included in a sweet crochet treasury created by Etsy seller LunaDiArgento - thanks!

Contemporary home crochet

I discovered some great crocheted homewares with a contemporary feel using the Google image search - see what you think.

From Gretel you can purchase this crocheted rubber bowl - funky!

Maybe you'd prefer a crocheted light shade from Room #39.

This would leave great shadows on your walls!

 

Finally there is an amazing offering from our very own Marks and Spencers store - a colourful crochet beanbag:

Silk Indulgence

To further indulge in my current obsession with silk, here is my latest treasury featuring amazing silk items from UK Etsy sellers... Enjoy!

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?!

Swimathon

We're so proud of our 10yo and 12yo daughters this evening.

They have each swum over a mile in our local baths to raise money for their surf life-saving club.

The whole group of youngesters did exceptionally well; they just kept going for a whole hour.

We're all amazed -  including the children! Well done!

Amazing Fact Number 389

Richard I of England - aka Richard the Lionheart - died on this day in 1199.

However his inspiration continues!

Crochet vs plastic shopping bags

I've been inspired by the current Etsyhookers team challenge - to crochet something themed for Earth Day.

I've recently been encouraging the rest of my family to make more use of our reusable shopping bags rather than collecting endless quantities of plastic bags.

Here are some of the reasons why, courtesy of Wikipedia:

"Due to their durability, plastic bags can take up to 100 years to decompose. On land, plastic bags are one of the most prevalent types of litter in inhabited areas, becoming an eyesore to local residents. At their worst, plastic bags can clog drainage systems and contribute to flooding, as occurred in Bangladesh in 1988 and 1998.

When plastic bags are washed out to sea, they pose a threat to animal life. In the decades since plastic bags first came into wide use, there has been a dramatic increase in the quantity of plastic bags found floating in oceans around the world. Once in the ocean, these bags can strangle wildlife or, if ingested, can choke or cause wildlife to starve to death. Some marine animals including sea turtles, and dolphins have been killed as a result of ingestion of plastic marine litter, including plastic bags. As they slowly decompose, plastic bags break into tiny pieces and leech toxic chemicals into soils, lakes, rivers, and oceans."

Along those lines I decided to crochet some net bags using oddballs and oddments of cotton yarns I have in my sprawling yarn stash.

Here's a preview of one of them - it's appalling light for photographing anything inside today though! Better photos to follow.

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!