OneChurchillsGreen

Teeny, tiny pom poms .......

And a whole heap of eggs! Inspired by the simple knitting patterns in my MS 'Living' last spring (knit a rectangle, stitch up both sides and hey presto, instant hat), I thought I'd use up the last bits of Debbie Bliss 'Cashmerino' from 'Crochet Cat'. And here are the results, little egg cosies decorated with sherbert coloured pom poms. Many of you will remember my Cascade 'Magnum' knitted scarf with it's enormous pom poms - well here's the opposite end of the size spectrum. Worked around the tiniest cardboard circle, I used some Debbie Bliss 'Rialto Lace'(pink and green), Rowan 'Wool Cotton' (lilac) and the blue hand-dyed yarn I picked up in Vancouver last year. For the egg cosies:

With a 4mm hook work a foundation chain of 17; row 2 - 1dc into 3rd chain from hook, *ch1, skip 1 stitch, 1dc* repeat from *to* across; row 3 - turning chain 2, *1dc into 1ch sp, ch1* repeat from *to* across; repeat row 3 working your dc into ch sp and separating each dc with 1ch until you have 24 rows in total. Fold your rectangle in half and stitch down each side. For US crochet, replace the dc with single crochet.

And here's a little pile of spring inspiration - I can't seem to get enough of sherbert shades and gorgeous yarn at the moment. Bottom up - my 'star' blanket from 'Inside Crochet', issue 38, Feb 2013 in Jeanette Sloan 'baby alpaca dk', shade 'chartreuse'; my craft cotton summer weight cot blanket, mix of craft cotton, Rowan 'cotton glace' and any other left over cotton I could find!; a matinee jacket in Rowan 'Wool Cotton', all topped off with my pom pom yarns. It's about time I finished some of my mountain of projects. But with Easter here I've been a bit distracted with....

... our Easter tree.

The kids and I have been blowing and painting our bantams' eggs to add to the beautiful blossom branches gathered from the garden. And the contents of the eggs made it into some delicious cinammon buns which have proved popular today!

Hope you've all had a peaceful and enjoyable Easter. I'm hoping today's sunshine is a sign of the spring weather we're all longing for here in England xxx

Linen tape, satin bows & butterflies ......

.... as ever I'm chasing my tail! My monthly column for 'Inside Crochet' magazine is due and I've been searching high and low through my cupboards and sewing boxes for linen tape, the finishing touch to my project. I finally threw in the towel this morning and scooted into town. Our nearest town being a small Georgian market town with a baker, a butcher, a bank or two, several charity shops, and fortuitously for me, it's own little wool and haberdashery shop, Thumbelina's. Owner Jennifer keeps her shop, the size of a postage stamp, beautifully ordered and brilliantly stocked. So, not only did I pick up the perfect pale rose satin ribbon for my latest design...

But I also picked up a couple of metres of this slubby, linen tape, perfect for my 'Inside Crochet' column....

I can't reveal the project just yet (it will feature in my May 2013 column), but you can see it combines crochet motifs with stitching and if you look closely, you might get the tiniest glimpse of some Liberty tana lawn - surprise, surprise!!!

Whilst The Sicilian is dismantling and reassembling the chicken house at the bottom of the garden - we need to reunite Bullseye (our cockerel) with the girls, but not outside my bedroom window - I'm off to attach the linen tape. I'll leave you with Pipi's butterflies...

When I asked Pipi what she would miss most about our old house, she replied her butterflies. I remember the day, seven years ago, when she was at nursery and I set about stenciling her wall with a fluttering stream of butterflies. She asked if we could strip them from the walls and bring them with us. It made me sad to think this one simple thing meant so much to her and she had to leave it behind. Our first weekend in the new house, I pulled out the original stencil (still available from the fantastic online Stencil Library) and having chosen her paint colour, she painted her own winged beauties onto some lining paper. Hanging in simple frames, she can now take her butterflies with her wherever she goes! xxx

Blossoms for Blossom!

Here is the little dress for Blossom, one of the Red Nose Day Dolls....

A beautiful sunny day yesterday gave me the perfect opportunity to take a quick snap (or two) - seen here hanging on my magnolia stellata! Whilst I had most of Blossom's measurements, I'm not privy to them all (a girl's gotta keep her modesty after all), so the dress will definitely be long enough but it might be a little large around the middle, so all that is left is to thread a pretty satin sash around the waist which can be tied in a pretty bow to fit. And with spring on it's way (the first primrose is out in the garden), I thought I'd add some tiny blossom...

...and what doll's dress would be complete without a birds eye button to fasten...

I only hope Blossom likes her new dress, and more to the point, I hope the Red Nose Day Dolls raise a smile and heap of cash for Comic Relief - keep an eye on the Comic Relief auction website (and the Red Nose Day Dolls Twitter and Facebook pages to see all of the other gorgeous handmade accessories being created). Every time I make a little crochet dress, I dream about making a 'grown up' version one day, definitely a project for the future! xxx

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A little dolly's dress....

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A little dolly's dress....

Over the next few weeks I will be sharing the 'Red Nose Day Dolls' project with you, and more specifically the dress I am contributing. The rather brilliant Ros Badger and Emma Mitchell hatched a plan to make some lolly for Comic Relief - handmade dolls kitted out in the best the craft world has to offer, silver tiaras and all. You can read all about it over on the Red Nose Day Dolls very own blog, you can follow said dolls on Twitter (@rednosedaydolls) and you can spread the word about the dolls to anyone who'll listen! The ultimate fate of the dolls will be to appear on the Comic Relief auction website where they will find a new home with the highest bidders!!!
The task ahead for me is to come up with the prettiest, cutest little crochet dress made to fit one of these discerning little ladies. So with the dress I made for Olympia bunny as my guide, I've been working up swatches to help me decide on colour and stitch pattern. I'm going for a bit of 1950's glamour with my shape (I might even add a few layers of soft tulle to give volume to the skirt of the dress), but I'm thinking simple, cute and lots of fun to dress up in!!! If you can think of anyone who would just love to own a bespoke, handmade doll then send them the link ;) xxx

Old yarn, new projects....

....I'm still gradually working my way through my stash. At times it is heavy going, other days it is inspirational! I love the creative challenge of making something new from the now limited yarn at my disposal. So, without further a do, and whilst it's snowing outside - yep, even here in sunny old Dorset! - these are my January stash busting projects...

Project 1: Knitted man's cowl, knitted on a circular needle in stocking stitch using up some beautiful hand-dyed, hand-spun yarn from a couple of the clever girls at the Wednesday Wool Workshop. The Sicilian loved it, but it is destined for my brother!

Project 2: this has been on my 'to do' list for ever! I love granny squares, I hate sewing them together - solution, crochet them together as you work. It is slightly haphazard because I am using lots of different yarn and hook sizes. Once I've used up all the 'blues', I'm going to move on to the left over pinks, greens, greys etc.

Project 3: Surprise, surprise I've got lots of gorgeous summery linen and cotton yarn left over! Not to mention some really pretty ribbon. This project combines a bit of everything in a charming little bookmark.

Looking at my stash earlier this month, even I wouldn't have believed it would yield so much variety! And I've still got a project on the knitting needles to show you, but will save that one for later! Let me know if you'd like the pattern for the flower bookmarks and I'll post it asap. Keep warm and safe ;) xxx 

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

Secret santa.......

.... and it's off to my Wednesday Wool Workshop I go, secret santa gift all wrapped and ready for the unsuspecting recipient! And here's a sneak peek...

With this cold snap, what could be more seasonal than a mug cosy? I've managed to squeeze on some of the crafts that I've learnt at the Wool Workshop over the years - the knitting I learnt as a child from my wonderful Nan Connie - but there are birds-eye buttons and needle felted hearts too. Even Pipi gave this one the thumbs up!!!

Hope she likes it ;-) 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