OneChurchillsGreen

Trumpeting in the New Year!

With Christmas now behind us here at the cottage, we're looking forwards to the New Year with excitement and trepidation. The Sicilian has wonderful plans for new courses and foodie adventures at the cookery school. The children are planning their next trip to Canada (think they might need to save their pocket money for several years first!). And me, well I am still eyeing my stash, which, although dwindling, is not insignificant in stature!!! My brother is in Chile as I write and he very thoughtfully sent a photo from a yarn store selling native wool. I had that little flutter in my chest when I spy new yarn and heavenly colours. My mind immediately racing through all the new patterns I can devise to put it to good use. So, with my colour and yarn weight request duly emailed off to Santiago, it is on to stash busting with a vengeance. I'm determined to finish off every last scrap of yarn in my bowl before I lay a finger on the yarn from Chile! But before I start, I promised you a finished stocking and here it is....

I won't be packing it away just yet, still a few more snowflakes to stitch on to the other side and a bit of finishing off at the top. And just in case you thought I'd been slacking in front of the fire, mince pie in hand, here is a scarf I've made for my gorgeous goddaughter Holly...

I followed the 'lacy scarf' pattern from my book 'Simple Crochet' using Rooster 'Delightful Lace', colour 'Pisco', the edging used up some of my leftover Dye for Yarn 'merino silk'. It's so light, like a cobweb draped over the hydrangea.

And finally, to trumpet in the New Year, meet Ellie...

I couldn't resist the Baby Elephant Amigurumi pattern by Lucy Collin in January's 'Inside Crochet'. Seen here in Debbie Bliss 'Baby Cashmerino' with Jeanette Sloan 'Baby Alpaca dk' ears! Ellie needed to be super soft, she's destined for baby Harriet - oh, it's lovely to have friends babies to crochet for!

So with a trumpety trump from Ellie, I'm packing up my trunk of yarn and heading into the new year, I'll see you there ;-) xxx

Jack Frost's been a visiting!

It's wet and windy out there right now, but earlier this week we woke to the most beautiful frost. We might not get much snow down here on the south coast, but when we get a hard frost, it can be quite spectacular. So instead of focusing on the pouring rain outside, I thought I'd share the crisp wonder of a Dorset morning. The barbed wire looked like nature's very own tinsel.
And the frozen bark of the bird table offered the perfect backdrop to this woolly number - one of my first ever crochet projects was a blanket (flower squares) from the brilliant Beata Basik who writes one of my favourite blogs, Rose Hip. It was a gift for my goddaughter Abigail in Switzerland. I've just noticed Beata has used her fabulous pattern and adapted it to create the most gorgeous lampshade, check it out over on her blog. To match the blanket I knitted a little rabbit courtesy of a Debbie Bliss 'Baby Cashmerino' book. Much to Abigail's distress, bunny's dress was lost recently on a play date, so before sending off her Christmas parcel I knitted a replacement dress to keep bunny cosy this winter.
And just in case I should forget what a beautiful part of the world we live in, this view across the river Frome greeted me as I dropped the children to school on Tuesday morning. It took my breath away, and whilst I have had my head down absorbed in hook and yarn, it's moments and scenes like this that inspire me to create. How lucky I am!!! Have a lovely weekend and I'll be back on Sunday with a snowflake pattern for you ;-) xxx

Crafting for Christmas......

....as I hurtle towards Christmas, the pace of creating is gathering momentum on a daily basis! This morning I snatched a second to sit down with this month's copy of 'Inside Crochet'....

..And it's full of great crochet inspiration, patterns, tutorials, reviews and more. There is much to admire, I especially love Australian 'Crayon Chick's storage vessel in natural jute and neon, lots more fabulous garlands and vessels in her shop down-under. Plus, this month, it includes my first column for the magazine and I am just a little bit excited! Each month I will be rambling about my crochet adventures, waxing lyrical about my favourite yarns, musing about my month of crafting and sharing an original pattern from here at the cottage. So with a slice of The Sicilian's homemade chocolate, raisin and almond panettone, a steaming cup of tea and a pile of yarn, I've treated myself to a 'time-out' from work and a moment's peace and quiet - apart from the crowing cockerels outside, all twelve of them, anybody out there want to adopt one???

And with so much fabulous crochet packed into one monthly magazine, I'm feeling inspired to get cracking with next month's project. But first, those Christmas crafts.....a snuggly scarf for the beautiful Milya, you might remember the hat I hooked up for her last Christmas...

The scarf is crocheted in Rowan 'Kid Classic' and edged with the leftover Debbie Bliss 'Rialto Lace' from this month's 'Inside Crochet' arm warmer pattern (which is edged in leftover Rowan 'Kidsilk Haze' from the snowflake scarf project in my book! You can see where I'm coming from on using up every last scrap of yarn!!! No wonder my stash is looking a bit sad!). 

And here is a glimpse of my 'secret santa' project for our Wednesday Wool Workshop...

Yep, I've rummaged out my knitting needles for this one, together with a ball of Debbie Bliss 'Baby Cashmerino', I'll report back with the finished project after the weekend, still need to add some birds-eye buttons, needle felting and hot tea, any ideas??? xxx

 

 

Time for a bit of shopping......

....with Christmas fast approaching - there, I said it and it's not even December yet! - I have dipped my toe in the waters of Christmas list compilation. After last years worries - the book to edit, mum in and out of hospital - I am determined to get things organised before any other surprises are thrown my way. Any working parent out there knows what a challenging time of year it is. Christmas plays to prepare for, gifts for family and friends around the globe to send out in good time (definitely not one of my strengths), getting the house ready for the festivities and planning the food. And so, with my list tucked firmly in my bag at all times, I've been out and about!

The week before last I was in Wimborne visiting the newly opened branch of Sharland & Lewis. Nestled in the old squash courts at Deans Court it is a hidden gem - a little off the main drag, but worth the hunt to find it. Stocked with fabulous antiques, contemporary crafts, linens, soaps, candles and more, it's a treasure trove for Christmas shopping.

I love the mix of old and new, there is something for everyone. And with new Christmas stock arriving every day, you're never sure what you're going to find!
I, for one, have got my eye on some 1950's glass toadstools to decorate the tree - The Sicilian always gets a 'fungi' related surprise in his stocking, these might just be it! When I pop back later this week with some pairs of crochet wrist warmers ordered by owner Ali, I'll see if I can snap them up and show you a sneaky peek!
So with vintage finds and Christmas baubles ticked off the list, it's on to books. I love to give books, and this year will be no different. Still in Wimborne, is family run independent bookstore Gullivers. With so much competition from on-line retailers, I think it is even more important to support independents whenever we can. So, when I skip along to drop off the wrist warmers and snap up the toadstools (fingers crossed they're still there!), I will be heading for Gullivers to see what I can find. But we're not all fortunate to have a fab bookstore on our doorsteps and for those who haven't there's the big 'A' - which today, I am afraid, has left me a little disillusioned. A review has been left for my book and whilst I believe in freedom of speech and have the utmost respect for peoples opinions, someone has taken it upon themselves to describe my book as 'not really a crochet book at all' and my projects as 'dull', 'ugly' and 'pointless'. Whilst the review is littered with factual inaccuracies relating to my book, I have to question the credentials of a particular reviewer to comment on the aesthetics and usefulness of projects? In this case it seems the reviewer is herself a crochet designer and craft enthusiast, but her web link fails to illustrate why her efforts are any more worthy of publication than mine!!! Luckily, the review is balanced by some altogether more positive comments from creative crocheters who 'get' exactly where I'm coming from. Anyway, rant over, back to Christmas shopping, much more fun.

Obviously, I'm planning to make (or have made) several presents myself, but as time runs out it's always good to gather up other peoples handmade loveliness and with this in mind I will be browsing the shelves of Folksy and Etsy hoping to pick up some gorgeous treasures. My friend Rosie has just set up an Etsy shop RosieLumley and our neighbour Janine illustrates and sells the most charming Christmas cards, tea towels, original art works and prints. So with postal deadlines to meet and determined for gifts to arrive before the new year, I'm going to crack on, have a lovely Sunday evening and happy crafting xxx

A little peek at some vintage magic....

The Sicilian, Dante and I tripped off to town (London town!) yesterday afternoon. Dante had been invited to the launch party of Angel Adoree's fabulous new book, The Vintage Tea Party Year...

And here he is with the gorgeous girl herself! You'll notice they're both sporting some rather tasty chocolate moustaches - definitely Dante's favourite recipe from the book.

You see, one chilly winter's day earlier this year, Dante was asked to take part in a photo shoot on Brick Lane. Dressed in a circus master's splendour he and four other children were treated to the most amazing tea party created by Angel and her team. And yes, my boy's in the book, so of course I'm a little biased, but I am totally in awe of Angel's creativity and attention to detail. She has a true understanding of 'vintage' - it's not just a string of polka dot bunting and a few cupcakes - it's faded flowers in glass domes, seamed stockings, silk kimonos, antique taxidermy and more hairspray than you could ever imagine! The result, a glimpse of times past, a bygone era when the focus of a party was the exquisite food and the wonderful company. Each chapter presents a different tea party, starting with a vignette, a peek at a party in progress and, trust me, you'd want to be there too!

Angel and her Vintage Patisserie team made us feel so welcome. Dante felt like a star, despite being a little weary after visiting the awesome sights of the Egyptian display at the British Museum - embalmed mummies and all! Thank you Angel for such a magical evening and good luck with the book, it's a triumph of your imagination!

Back to the crochet then, perfect for a rainy day - and those birds eye buttons, tutorial on its way xxx

ps. I've added Angel's book to my shop, so click on through and treat yourself to a little slice of vintage magic.

Simple Crochet, the story so far...

As you all know, I am immensely proud of my book and all those who worked so hard to make it a reality. And, despite editing, pattern checking and checking again, it seems that somewhere along the line little phrases or terms might have found their way back into a pattern, or been omitted altogether. Rather than bury my head in the sand or weep into my pillow, I thought I'd start a category on my blog with the 'fixes'. If you're looking for a 'fix' just search 'pattern updates' and all the relevant blog entries will be at your fingertips. I'm hoping it's not going to be an exhaustive list, so far only two, but do let me know if you stumble across something, it might just need explaining, but it might need a fix - I'm always happy to look at it.

The ones we've got so far are:

pg. 124-125

Turquoise flower (thanks to Sibylle in Germany)

Round 5 * 1 dc, 1 htr, 1 tr, 1 dtr, 1 tr, 1 htr and 1 dc all into next tr, ss into next tr *, repeat from * to *, ending ss into same place as ss at end of last round. Fasten off.

pg. 134

Lacy Scarf (thanks to Liz in Dorset)

Row 1 3 ch, * 2tr, work 2 tr, 1 ch, 2 tr into each of next two 1-ch spaces....

Row 2 3 ch, * 2tr, work 2 tr, 1 ch, 2 tr into each of next two 1-ch spaces....

Just ignore the '2 tr' at the beginning of each row. When I first wrote the pattern I said to work the 2 tr, 1 ch, 2 tr into the 1-ch space between the first 2 tr, which is where this extra 2 tr comes from! As my patterns were edited and refined, my flowery style condensed, most of my superfluous crochet speak disappeared, but on this occasion an extra 2 tr snuck back in! Row 4 is spot on.

I do hope those of you who have the book already are enjoying it. I would love to see some photos of projects in progress, or dare I say, finished! I've set up a flickr album for your photos - I love sharing ideas and it would be great to see your interpretations of my projects, different yarns, fabrics etc, so let me know if you've got a project to upload and I'll send you an invite to the group ;-) xxx

ps. just spotted a gorgeous purple shelf trim on Flaming Nora's blog, together with great mention of the lovely Lola Nova's 'Simple Sewing' book.

 

Rabbit tales, part 3....

....those of you who dip in and out of my blog know that a third blog entry within a week is unheard of. But I couldn't leave you with bits of bunny, half-stuffed legs and unfinished couture! So here she is, in all her splendour, climbing the rose trellis in the early morning sunshine...

It's amazing how quickly she came together, just a finishing flourish with an extra ruffle at the bottom of her dress to cover her modesty! Ophelia bunny is now officially ready for Ophelia baby. And I can sit back and enjoy this beautiful Autumn morning; cold, crisp and bathed in beautiful sunshine. On to the next project ;-) xxx

ps. both bunny and dress are in my book if you wanted to give her a go.

Bunny parts!

Finally, the crochet equivalent of a forensic crime scene!!! I've always harboured a secret fascination with the science behind crime scene investigations - love a good episode of Silent Witness, can't get enough of Swedish crime dramas like Wallander and The Killing, the bleaker the better. The reality of the situation being that I have a phobia of fresh blood and a slightly delicate stomach, so it probably isn't the career for me. Old furniture and works of art suit me better than old corpses and a scalpel. So, with that slightly morbid thought, it's on to my latest project! A lovely, soft, snuggly crocheted bunny!!!

Meet 'Ophelia'...

Or the sum total of her bunny parts, at least! Based on 'Olympia' bunny, one of my Simple Crochet book projects, little 'Ophelia' is destined for a newborn of that very name, born to the sister of my lovely Tess (I mentioned Tess in earlier posts - she worked for the Sicilian and I at the cookery school last year, she set up this blog for me and generally brightened up our days. She is now working in jolie Paris, lucky girl. And just this week Tess became Aunt to little 'Ophelia', congratulations!).

So it's off to the Wednesday 'Wool Workshop' in Corfe Castle I go, clutching my bundle of bunny parts, maybe later today, you'll see them all sewn together....a bit less CSI and a bit more Beatrix Potter! ;) xxx

A moment to reflect & put your feet up....

....really??? The children skipped off back to school today. And whilst I'm tempted to make myself another cup of tea, put my feet up and chat to the chickens, I actually need to catch up on six weeks worth of work!!! We crammed the local village fete, the Dorset county fair, cycle rides and more into the last week of the holiday, to the point that the 'official' publication date of my book came and went unmarked - apart from a visit from my wonderful friend Liz, complete with the most beautiful bunch of flowers (all of the blooms I had hoped would appear in my cutting garden!) and a lovely 'tweet' of support from Jane and the girls at Mollie Makes (today is the launch date of their new mag 'The Simple Things' - off out to hunt for a copy on my way to school pick-up) and one from the super talented Lola Nova, whose fabulous book 'Simple Sewing' is the 'sister' book to mine in the 'Creative Makers' series. The Sicilian queried the occasion warranting such a gorgeous bouquet; he can be forgiven for forgetting that the 3rd September was the 'launch' date, copies seem to have been landing on peoples doorsteps for a couple of weeks now! And I've been busy making the projects within - currently got a 'lacy scarf' and 'Olympia bunny' on the hooks, and just finished a version of the 'slippers' for Pipi...

So, whilst I haven't got a moment to put my feet up right now, I can have a little peek at her resting feet every now and then! It's good to be busy, I always feel a bit lost when the children go back to school. The cookery school needs my time and I had a really exciting email from Claire, editor at 'Inside Crochet' magazine, so hopefully I'll be dusting off my pattern writing skills any day now. And on that note, does anyone out there know of a super chunky wool producer (can be sheep or alpaca, but possibly blended to produce a really strong heavy yarn)? It's for a rug project that's been brewing in my mind for sometime now and I'm really keen to use a British yarn if possible. Which brings me on to the great lady I met at the Dorset County Fair. From UK Alpacas, she was exhibiting the most delicious display of sock wool skeins, great big undyed cones (there's something about a huge cone of yarn, you just need to get your hands on it to believe it's weight and beauty!) and balls of super fine blended yarn in the most enticing palette - the website doesn't do the colours justice, I'm just planning a project that will allow me to order some soon! 

Anyway, I can see that I'm rambling - time to get my life and work back under control, hopefully a more focused blog entry is on the horizon ;) xxx

Tranquility vs technology...

...at the little cottage in the woods. Or should that be tranquility thanks to technology??? We live at the end of a long, winding, bumpy country road, yet thanks to the wonders of technology I can feel as 'in touch' with the outside world as I need. There are days when I embrace the isolation, just me, The Sicilian, the kids, the cat and the chickens. Right now I have my in-laws staying, and whilst I adore them, the volume has risen significantly and I find myself longing for the peace and quiet that geography has afforded us. Luckily, with the office currently located in our bedroom, I can escape for some 'me' time, whether to catch up on some paperwork, write a blog entry or just gaze into space!

And it's thanks to the wonders of broadband that I can do this. Nothing super fast, this is a forgotten corner of Dorset after all. But a glimpse of a favourite blog's new entry or a browse through Pinterest and I'm revived, ready for another animated family mealtime! I admit to an on-going love affair with my Mac, I've worked on one since my days in the art trade and whilst my laptop has really gasped it's last breath, my desktop is still going strong. I dream about an iPhone or even better an iPad, that I can take to any corner of the cottage I choose; organise my photos or plan my next project. So it's not without irony that projects for a 'smart phone' cover and an iPad case are included in my book of crochet patterns. I always thought that by the time I finished the book I might own one or the other. As it turns out I have neither. But it doesn't stop me trying to encase everyone else's in some handmade loveliness. I like to think that by creating a beautiful homemade cover, I'm somehow slowing the pace of the technology it holds, the technology that is fast out-running me. 
So for now, my infinitely more technically aware Pipi has taken ownership of my latest offering - a variation on my book pattern, incorporating tobacco linen, Namolio linen yarn, a vintage button and a scrap of Liberty tana lawn. I love the contrast between the shiny iPod touch and the simple, natural linen. And just in case my longing for the latest gadget rises again, I just need to remind myself of why I gave up a well paid job in the antique business - life in the country with my Sicilian and the kids, picking fragoline from a friend's garden, now that really is sweet and satisfying xxx