Another year ends

I know a completely original title, I guess like everyone else I am looking back over the year, it has to be said it hasn’t been the easiest but we have come through surrounded by those I love so it could be far worse I know.

I managed to successfully not manage any of the things on the list I made at the beginning of the year, so I am thinking maybe a list this year may not be a  good idea.

One of the highlights of my year is my new found love of Jewellery making and the pride I have felt when people have liked it enough to buy some, I want to thank all my customers, you have made my end of year and it is going to grow with new designs in the pipe line.

One of the things I am going to have  to address about this year is my commitments, this last six months I seemed to have over stretched myself, some of it is of my own making, but some which I am sure like a lot of work a home people will recognise, is the difficulty that some people have in understanding that just because you are at home doesn’t mean you have time to do things, yes it gives me the flexibility to take care of Pete the way I would like but I still have deadlines to full fill and paperwork and research to do. So this year I have to make some decisions to make which may not be popular but necessary. I would also like a little time to actually knit/crochet/spin something because  want to and not because I need to if you know what I mean

I wish all my readers a happy new year x

 

Paying my respects

This morning I read some sad news, Sarah Lawrence of Crafty Notions suddenly passed away at the beginning of the month, although I couldn’t call her a friend I had got to know her a little after being introduced to her by Stash years before I had Pete or met Andy and I think even before Robin, we always caught up at shows after that, back when I was doing the rounds even if it was just for a couple of minutes and even after I had Pete and stop working at the shows and I would just visit as a paying customer she always managed to ask after Pete, which as many of you remember how manic the crafty notions stand would get, was quite amazing.

She was not only an amazing artist, an inspiring teacher she was what a would describe as a good one and the world will lesser place without her.

My thoughts are with David and her children x

I survived

It has been one long week, I always knew it was going to be a bit crazy but hadn’t realised quite how insane it would get.

I had known it was going to be our Christmas Fete for a while what I hadn’t expected and didn’t know till Tuesday was that it was going to take place the same day as an Ofstead inspection, this gave us a few practical problems but mostly it meant we struggled with Staff help, on top of this we had a PTA meeting and I have been working towards my level 3 Certificate of Proficiency in Double Filet Crochet and needed to produce a final piece and a jewellery commission to finish.

The Christmas Fete seem to go well although I some what regret the cupcake competition mostly due to the fact I had to taste 22 cupcakes and after the first couple the novelty wore off. The numbers coming in were crazy and we ran out of stock and prizes on several stalls, final figure not in yet but I’m hoping it was worth everyones hard work. saying that all the kids were very excited to see Father Christmas.

So I managed to get home just after 7pm on Friday and after a quick dinner the race was on the complete my  exam piece, I stitched the last stitch at just after 1am, I have to confess that I then did get up at 6am to sew in the ends

And here it is, it is a cushion front, they need to see the back to assess it so it doesn’t have to be made up.

It was done on a 5mm hook using DK weight yarn using one of my own patterns.

Although design wise I think I would change a couple of things technically it covers all the aspects that are required by level three which for those who are interested the basics requirements for this level are colour change behind straight contrast lines, long diagonals (with no colour change) and has to be at least one of the pieces has to be this size (I managed to get all the requirements in one piece ).

It still needs a bit of a block, unusual in double filet but has happened due to working the central square from the bottom up and then adding the border in the round.

I’m now really looking forward to this afternoon for our monthly meet up in Romford for some nice relaxing knitting and crochet

Christmas fast approaching

It has been a long fortnight and there doesn’t look as though there is going to be any let up for the next seven days, after a week of none stop trying to get stock ready for the pamper night it was all a bit of a let down. Don’t get me wrong it was a lovely night and next time I think I shall gather a few of us as it would be fun to just come and join in, but unfortunately no one was buying.

I shared a stall with my friend Jackie and we sold a few pairs of earrings and a bracelet but to be honest it didn’t cover our costs but we did better I think than the other traders, I know the poor trader next to me didn’t sell a thing. Never mind my online store still seems to be the way to go now if I can only work out how to get a button to it in my side bar!

In the midst of all of this chaos the band that Andy has recently joined had their first gig in aid of McMillan Nurses and as it was a first (plus no baby sitter) I took Pete along to see his daddy sing. Here he is supervising the Pranxta setting up

 

Pete had a great night, he spent the first hour running around the dance floor to the music, and when the band came on he curled up on my lap as it was a little loud and my hands make great ear protectors, I did say that we could leave if it was too loud for him, we had positioned ourselves out of direct line of the speakers, but was quite happy with my hands, so happy in fact he fell asleep after about the third number, it made for an interesting journey on the bus in t he way home.

There will be couple more items going in shortly but I have a commission to finish and I have found myself in the middle of Christmas Fete organising which as ever is turning out to be a bit stressful but I have got to the point now that it is what it is, as long as we have a santa and don’t make a loss I’ll be happy

 

A Cat Displaced

Just popping in to say hello, a bit  manic here, trying to get enough stock for my first stall on Friday so beads everywhere, just thought I would share this Pic, apparently when there is no room left on the sofa a washing basket os a good substitute.

New Twist

Thanks to Yvonne we have a new twist on my shawl pins

If you look at the dangly bits at the bottom they are in fact stitch markers attached with a lobster clasp so when you are out and about knitting and have forgotten your essential stitch marker you will always have one to hand, the great thing is you can give you shawl pin a whole new look by changing the stitch markers, I love some of Atomic Knitting ones, but which ever you favourite maker is. I am working on crochet ones next just waiting for essential components to arrive.

New and old adventures

Well even with this cold it’s been an exciting couple of days here.

To start with we opened the bookings to SkipNorth 2012, I look forward to this weekend every year, great company and maybe a little stash enhancement, oh and a forget lots of glorious cake.

This is our wonderful hostel set right in the middle of Howarth (Bronte Country) the views are breath taking and its times like this I wish I drove because I would love to stop every five minutes to take pictures.

The second piece of excitement is that I have started a new venture, after everyones wonderful comments about my jewellery I had already booked a table at my local pamper evening, now I have taken a huge leap and opened a

Handmade artists shop. Besides a few technical teething problems I seem to have already sold out of shawl pins, so in case you missed them here are a couple I have already sold.

I just wanted to say thank you to my customers and hopefully you should get them tomorrow and I know what I’ll be getting on with tomorrow.

Great Friends

I am continually amazed at how wonderful the craft community is, I have had a fairly crappy week, those of you who read on a regular basis know that I really don’t make a great patient and last week after three weeks of having a bad cold my chest got so bad I actually went to the doctors who in her normal quick consultancy style I barely manage to sit down and she had listened to my chest pescribed some antibiotics and gave me instructions to rest. So I was good and managed to stay in for 24hrs but had things to do.

So considering this I was really looking forward to meeting with friends on Sunday for what used to be a knitting and crochet group but now encompasses many crafts, and it was wonderful in fact I was overwhelmed by how wonderful they were, Lucy had brought me Pete and Andy some lady bird cakes to cheer us up.

Barbara had brought a blue carrot for me as she thought it might make an interesting Dyeing experiment.

And  all of them have been helping me with starting up my Jewellery online shop, Lucy has been my model, Jane brought a lot of her wonderful shawls to try my new shawl pin design on, I must admit it did make me want to cast on a shawl they were all so gorgeous.

Lixie has been checking out my online shop for spelling and grammer, and she is far better at selling things so jiggled a few things around. Finally Ruth who makes amazing Jewellery offered advice on pricing and the local market.

I just wanted to say to them that they don’t realise how much it means to me too have their and all my woolly friend support and without getting too soppy I would not have been in such a good place as I am now with out you all.

 

 

Latest Additions

Just dropping by to show off some new bracelets included hand knotted pearl bracelets, this I’d all in aid of my first attempt at taking a stall our local pamper evening. Fingers crossed that I sell enough to cover the cost of the table

Crafty Week

Okay so Petes first full time week at school didn’t quite go to plan, he had a wonderful full day on Monday, no problems, loved it and then came home and was very sick, poor  thing, he hadn’t even managed to eat his tea. We had a bit of a rough night but by morning he was almost back to his normal self but we then have to wait 48hrs for him to return to school, he wasn’t happy. We had a brief break from home on Wednesday afternoon and evening with a trip to A+E for the OH and after a very late night the boy was up and ready for school again on Thursday. He has coped really well with all the disruption, he is still suffering a lot with seperation anxiety at night, we have got it down to him popping in three or four times in the evening for a quick cuddle and me putting him back to bed, so we are getting there, I will have a full nights sleep eventually

On to more exciting things, I have had a wonderful crafty week, firstly I was inspired to find my tatting shuttles by The Yarn Yards wonderful  new silk threads,

The picture doesn’t really do them justice, especially what looks like a bright red blob at the front is the most amazing deep pink, there will be pictures of tatting in later posts promise

Then on Saturday we had on of the East London Crochet groups Double filet workshops which I help at, there is always the most amazing array of work and of course I forgot to take any pictures so I’m afraid I am substituting a picture from our weekend away in August just so you have some idea of the amount of work and skill that was on display.I never get much work done on the day as I am supposed  to be teaching but I was thrilled as I was presented my Level 2 Certificate of Proficiency, and for probably all of a week there is only 4 of us in the world that have it as it is a new project we have been working on to write a syllabus and work out the different levels and how best to test them. If any one want more info on it just drop me a line or leave a comment and I will point you in the right direction.

So if that wasn’t enough I had a slightly rash moment and have taken a table at our local Pamper evening to sell some of my jewellery, so not buying a lot of Jewellery recently I took a few pieces to our lovely knitting group on Sunday for some advice on pricing as although I knew what I would have to price them at I wasn’t sure people would be willing to pay those prices. They were fantastic, and it has made things a bit clearer for me. You may have noticed that Lixie liked some of my samples so much they went home with her, Rings are my latest edition to my collection

This is one of my favourites at the moment and am going to find it hard to give up.

I have to keep reminding myself that I can’t just sell rings as I am really enjoying making these at the moment, now I am going to try and make a pendant to match.