Beautiful bunting

Last night I had a 'winter preview' evening in the shop, which was well attended and a great success. Customers were able to see the new winter yarns, patterns and other bits and bobs, as well as receive a 10% discount on anything purchased. There was wine aflow and delicious nibbles, provided by Jen.....cor fanx blud!

Talking of mad, I mean Jen, Fridays always make me smile, even when the last few days have been particularly tough. Jen and her army of workers - Sue, Annette and Lilian - all helped me to put up the new bunting, (beautifully made by Ros, thanks Ros).

Suffice it to say the whole event was one big pant wetting laugh from start to finish. Nails were hammered into the wall with varying levels of skill and accuracy, tables were moved, bodies were precariously balanced and finally the bunting was up. Annette commented that if a man had been there they would have measured, marked, planned and levelled before putting the bunting up. All I can say is, good job we're not men, it wouldn't have been half as much fun.....

Fancy Nancy!

Last night marked the return of 'knit & natter' in its full glory and it was lovely to see the 'old' ladies as well as some new ladies. It made everything seem as if Autumn is here, although officially its not time yet. Everyone's attention has turned to their winter projects and ideas abound. New yarn is arriving in the shop and there are some fantastic new books with gorgeous patterns. There seems to be a real 40's revival as well as a 'folky' theme going on with some gorgeous tweedie yarns and lots of sludgy shades of green and taupe and grey. Yum!

Nancy brought with her an absolutely divine crocheted blanket that she has just finished. It was crocheted in 'granny square' rows and lookes really effective in a delicious colour palette, (which I think was mainly Rooster yarn). The edging is a real triumph and sets the whole blanket off.

knitting squares for blankets

Hi all

well I'm back at college, and so far have managed to survive (early days). I should be preparing resources for lessons but decided that blogging is far more fun, so here I am.

I just wanted to remind everyone that we are still knitting and crocheting squares ready to put together as blankets which are being sent out to the orphanage in Mozambique. So if you have any spare stash, make some squares (6inches x 6inches) and drop them into the shop. It would be most apreciated.

We are also going to be making squares at the Village Green so do come along and support us, tell your friends, family, neighbours, anyone that will listen, as its sure to be a great day again. Any money that we can raise on the day will be given to Coco's Foundation so that we can support the continued development of the Orphanage.

Special thanks to Barbara and Lisa. Barbara made the blanket in the picture and Lisa made the soft toys, which will be gratefully received by the children.

PS I'm back to patchworking tonight and I can't wait....bliss!

Blogging

I was very kindly lent a book by Ros, called Blogging for Bliss, which has inspired me to set about improving the blog. It is a really useful and user friendly book full of excellent tips and ideas and there are some great examples of blogs to take a look at. So I have begun to change things in the hope that I will make the blog as eyecatching and interesting as possible. I would be grateful for any comments. What do you think of the design so far?

Back to work tomorrow - the end of the summer holidays. Back to routine and academia, deadlines and targets. I now have to think philosophy instead of crochet, religious art instead of patchwork. Im hoping that this will be the last year that I have to rely on my income as a teacher and that the shop will start paying me a wage. I think Im getting there, things seem to be picking up and Ive been thinking of ways to promote the shop, the classes etc. I have lots to look forward to over the coming months and I hope that I can balance the challenges of two jobs, three children and all the obligations that come with those roles. I'm going to think positive, set myself realistic goals and try and keep calm................

Life is so precious

Today has been tinged with sadness as I said farewell to one of my oldest friends, Brian, who passed away last week. Many of Brian's, and indeed my, oldest friends turned up to celebrate his life and support his wife Bev and son Josh.

I won't go on at length but I wanted to share this with you because I want to say the obvious. Life is too short, so live, love and laugh often. Tell those nearest to you how much you appreciate them and forget whatever it is that niggles you about them.

I took a picture of the 'boys' for posterity and because we don't see enough of each other. The grey hair and bald patches are there but we're still smiling and healthy.

As Brian used to always say, 'Bless Yer' bruv, until we meet again...now where's my cup of coffee...

Footnote: Lawrence is wearing my glasses because he refuses to accept that old age has got the better of him and he needs his own!

village green

What a horrid day, rain rain and more rain. Typical school holiday weather really. The window cleaner, who fancies himself as a meteorologist, duped me and told me that it was going to be really warm and sunny throughout the summer and I fell for it. Should have known better.

It's been quiet in the shop today, nice and peaceful and I had time to do a bit of knitting. We are getting ready for Village Green in September, which promises to be a fantastic event again, weather permitting of course. So I thought I'd show you some of the brooches that Annette has been making and part finished handwarmers which I started this morning. We have got loads more to make before we are ready but at least we've started...

It's been a while

Hi all,
It's been a while since last I blogged. As usual life flies by at a fast pace and I have lots to tell you. Firstly, one reason for my lack of blogging is because I have been working on an exciting commission. I was asked to provide a range of items for a photo shoot for the Christmas edition of Ideal Home. How exciting! My brief was to create a range of homemade articles in shades of Nordic red and white. So along with my trusty team of helpers we have been knitting, crocheting, sewing and patchworking like the clappers to meet the deadline. The results were fantastic and the shoot is taking place over the next few days in a beautiful house in the Oxfordshire countryside. Hopefully some of our bits will feature in the mag when it is published. I cant wait to see it. A big thanks goes to Annette, Mad Jen, Lilian, Sue, Jane and especially Lara and Debbie, who made it all possible.
Anyway, this has prompted me to finally get to work on adding an online shop to the website (you never know, we might get some orders once the mag is published). Oh but what a nightmare for someone who has a pathological dislike of computers and anything technical. Lets just say, so far I've thought about what I will include in the shop. As for actually getting it done......aaaaggghhhhhhh. Watch this space!