Advent stars

We went to visit a friend on the Glossop Christmas Art Trail at the weekend.  She's a stained glass artist but was busy making stars from dogwood twigs, so she taught us too.  The children were using them as magic wands, I went a bit mad and made quite a few and then wondered what to do with them all.  So now we have this:

advent stars hanging above the fireplace.  It must be nearly Christmas!

Grey days, or seaside?

It's a grey day today and we're back to normal after the weekend.  But we had a good weekend!  In amongst the usual stuff (and the odd party) it was time for the annual Amnesty craft fair.  So we all got together and set up our stalls.  The fair was twice as big this year, and for the first time we had two rooms.  There was lots for the kids to do to, including tile painting, corn dollies and face painting.  Hannah went down the traditional route and had her face painted as a butterfly, but Steph (as ever the individual) went a different way:

I don't suppose the face painting lady gets that many requests for 'the seaside'!  It did remind us all of summer though.

Mitred squares

I've just published my first pattern on Ravelry, it's a mitred phone cosy, and it's free!  While we were at BOB there was a lady sitting knitting mitred squares to make a waistcoat, and she'd made fingerless gloves, and we were all intrigued and getting a masterclass on how to do it.  I came home inspired slightly obsessed and have been playing around with the technique ever since. 

First there was this:

 then this (it's a work in progress, obviously):

then these:

 and finally the phone cosy was born:

and another one too, just to check the technique you understand.

So I thought I'd write up the pattern and offer it on Ravelry, for anyone else who might be similarly obsessed looking for something exciting and modular to knit.  You can download it here.  Enjoy!

A very colourful day

Much dyeing has gone on this evening, and yesterday (and before that too), all in preparation for BOB next weekend.  It looks like being a cracking show with lots of crafty goodies.  I've got some new colourways and new base yarns, and also (dun dun dah, as the kids say) I've being trying my hand at dyeing fibre!  I've got some gorgeous BFL roving dyed in some of my trademark colourways.  So come and see - you know you want to!

This afternoon we had a trip to a large Swedish furniture store, which turned into craft heaven.  Rebekah and I ended up colouring in on a tablecloth - yes, they have designed fabric to colour in! (I had words with R about colouring other fabrics when we get home though.)  And the bigger girls made houses with lots of fabric and ribbon and glue.  Lots and lots of glue.  Apart from fending off Rebekah wielding marker pens it was a very enjoyable time.

Shop update

I've had some more Peaknaze sock yarn in and been dyeing that up, oh, it is yummy yarn to work with.  I added a couple of new yarns to my folksy shop at the weekend - do go over there and take a look!  My Folksy shop.  I hope to have a few more up soon, and there are other developments in the pipeline, so watch this space..

Work in progress

Yay, I'm working this week (hospital appointments permitting)!  So I've sent Chris out with the children and I get to play with wool.  Hmm, who gets the better deal here?!  Anyway, a work in progress pic for you from yesterday:

These are all a new batch of Peaknaze sock yarn, in some new colourways.  They are currently drying and I hope to have them in the shop by the weekend.

Talking about the weekend, I and my yarns will be at the Spring Fair at St Andrew's Church, Hadfield on Saturday, doors open at 10am.  There will be lots of other stalls there too from pet stuff to cakes, as well as the usual delicious refreshments.  Please come and see me!

April already?

Uh, so how did it get to be April already?  Where has the time gone??  All I can do is apologise for the radio silence and say, in my defence, it must have been busy!  Easter has now been and gone so I'm looking forward to things getting back to normal again (and watching those little pink piggies flying past again).

But just before they do, my middle one will be four tomorrow, and I have a pirate party to organise.  Arrr, me hearties!