OneChurchillsGreen

Frankly - meet the maker.....

As if this beautiful weather wasn't enough to lift the spirits, I have just seen my crochet bits and bobs gracing the pages of Folksy's online magazine 'Frankly'. When 'Frankly' asked me if I would like to be included in their 'meet the maker' feature, I leapt at the chance. Those of you who read my blog know only too well how much joy I get from crochet and all things crafty. If I can give others a little insight into my yarn filled world and maybe inspire them to pick up a hook then even better. I am a huge fan of Folksy, it is a great showcase for some of the wonderful crafters the UK has to offer, ideal for an original gift too!

And just to avoid any confusion, yes, the Sara Bratby they refer to is me! Despite being married to The Sicilian for 11 years now, I still haven't changed my email address, so my maiden name 'Bratby' has a habit of sneaking in here and there! 

Well, I musn't dawdle, we're off to Whistler tomorrow - I have a list as long as my arm of last minute jobs, but before I go I thought I'd give you a quick glimpse of my current project.

Inspired by Jill and Jane at our Wednesday Wool Workshop, I've picked up my precious cone of Habu 'Stainless Steel Wool' and combined it with some left over silk yarn from the fabulous girls in Nuremberg (which, if I'm not mistaken, is also available at Loop London now) and a light sprinkling of Rowan Kidsilk Haze. This gossamer light wavy chevron scarf is a gift for a special girl in Canada, so I'll be finishing it off on the plane over! Nine or ten hours should do it, don't you think?! xxx

 

 

Me & my girl........

It's Mothering Sunday here in the UK today. The sun is shining beautifully in our little corner of Dorset. The chickens are clucking and crowing, the birds tweeting (my kind of tweeting!), in fact there is only one thing missing from this idyllic picture - my children!!! The Sicilian and I were both working yesterday evening, so Pipi and Dante had a sleepover with their Nana and Grandad. A lovely relaxing morning then, but no mother's day hug for me just yet. They are on their way home, so I thought I would snatch this moment of calm to update you on the week's goings on. In amongst stitching 18 duck egg blue linen napkins, ordering flowers and generally planning one of last nights two events, I managed to win myself a £5 gift voucher at our fabulous local secondhand store 'Re-loved'. All I had to do was guess the mystery object on their Facebook page - an easy one for me, it was a gorgeous 1930's bakelite yarn holder (needless to say I spent my £5 and some on buying the mystery object for myself!). And whilst I was claiming my prize, a delivery of the most beautiful old crochet arrived. Alongside my yarn addiction, is my ever-growing fascination for antique crochet. And with the sun shining, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to take a couple of snaps.

I tell myself I am building a reference library of old patterns, finding inspiration for new projects and listening to whispers from crafters past. I do feel it is a privilege to own such carefully crafted work that has been created with such love.

And the children are home! I am now the proud owner of a dark purple hellebore and the prettiest little primula auricula (another fascination of mine, but we won't go into that right now). The hellebore will go straight into the garden, but the primula will grace the kitchen table sat upon one of the above-pictured doilies.

With Pipi and Dante home and ready to play, I'll keep it brief. Just to show you one more thing - I had Pipi home at the beginning of this week. She had a temperature and a sore throat. And whilst I wouldn't wish her ill, it was very lovely to have my girl all to myself for a couple of days. As soon as she was feeling up to it, we whipped out our sewing machines and set about creating. Here are the recycled scraps we found - mine a brooch to match my newly finished dress, Pipi's a glamorous Liberty print fascinator to grace her beautiful dark curls.

 I know I'll be proud whatever path they choose to follow, but when they get creative my heart skips a little beat, it is wonderful to be able to pass on the skills my mother and grandmother shared with me. Happy Mothers day everyone xxx

Sunny days, hazy memories ...........

The Sicilian and I were treated to the most delicious feast yesterday evening by our friends and neighbours Emma and Harry. Emma is half Italian, so intense green fresh pesto and crisp bread were followed by an array of wonderful antipasti and salads, finished off with the lightest gluten-free hazelnut cake. The highlight for me though (apart from the wonderful company of other neighbours, Claire, Andrew, Mhairi and Phil), was the most heavenly sgroppino - the combination of sorbet, limoncello and prosecco both refreshing and indulgent all at the same time! With every sip came a flood of memories, wave after wave of ricordi, the little campo where I lived (Santa Maria Mater Domini), the morning cornetto I'd buy on my way to college, the evening spent on the roof of the Palazzo Ducale watching the stars above and the tourists below, being sneaked in the back door of La Fenice before it was destroyed by fire ........ My brief encounter with Venice pre-dates The Sicilian and if he hadn't captured my heart I might still be there today. It was my first real love affair and one that has endured. I can feel it calling me, and every time I wear my beautiful antique Venetian glass beads made by the astonishingly talented Attombri brothers, I know that I will be back there one day sipping sgroppino with my beautiful friend Margherita.

And by chance, it was those very beads I wore last night along with my newly finished dress. I promised a quick snap, so here it is, collar and all. No Venetian beads today, the sun is out and so are my homemade hand-dyed wooden beads. 

And with such a sunny day here at the cottage in the woods, I've been planting bulbs, seeds and tubors - poppies, sunflowers, echinacea, dahlias and aquilegia - who knows what will come up this year! And with the book finished and the yarn stash significantly reduced, I had a quick glance at my fabric stash from last summer.

With so many pretty cottons and tana lawns I only wish I could join Eirlys Penn on her forthcoming course, making summer necklaces from wooden beads and fabric scraps at Crockadoodledo, Larkhall, 10.30-1.30pm, Thursday 29th March. Another time, I hope, but in the meantime I'm already working on a few ideas of how to put these to good use - happy days xxx

Crochet collar ..... a work in progress!

My initial rush of excitement at completing my first 'proper' sewing pattern has somewhat ebbed away. I thought I had conquered the challenging part, the crochet collar was to be the relaxing finale. I'm not sure if it's the stuffy head cold that is hindering my efforts, or just complete creative exhaustion after crashing through my yarn stash at such a pace. Either way, it has taken me several attempts and lots of doing and then unravelling before getting this far....

I am, at last, satisfied with the design. Rather than crochet and then apply, I ended up sewing a round of tiny chain stitch along the neckline. Then a simple round of double crochet into each chain and away I go. I'm about half way round, so, if my head is clear enough this evening, I will finish it off and post the finished dress tomorrow xxx