Summer Crops

A day of showers and sun, inbetween the latest downpour I was able to crop the last of the of fruit - and more of the prolific mange tout.



Plans had been to make more sowings - beans, lettuce, courgettes - after reading about the advantages of second sowings - more veg into the autumn (weather permitting).
However rain clouds and my aversion to gardening in the rain - oh I so need a greenhouse - have led me to a sofa and crochet day.

So hook at ready, wool stash at my feet, a bag, a bangle or a brooch? Decisions decisions.....

Buttons And Gadgets

One of my favourite things when crafting and creating is spending an excessive amount of time sifting through one of my many vintage button boxes to find the exact button that will marry perfectly with whatever fabric I happen to be using at the time. And when I was making a few gadget/mobile phone/iPod cases I found myself whiling many a minute away selecting the perfectly perfect button.

Here are the combinations I came up with:


Love this big brown button!



A starry affair livened up with a splash of pink wool


Butterscotch button and tweed.

Must start to put these in my folksy and etsy shops too - that's after I've spent another inordinate amount of time thinking up names for them!

Grey Flowers Looking Bright

Another of my fabric finds has been transformed into one of my clutch bags, which I've been meaning to put online for a few weeks now and finally got round to it today. On 1st description - "grey flowers, yellowish background" you could be excused for not thinking this fabric was too cheerful, but when you see how the sweet carnation-like grey flowers sit amongst little white flowers, you realise this is one sweet unique design. I like the background colour too, whether that's because I'm drawn to things that evoke memories of other eras (70's maybe?) I'm not sure, but I think it works well.



I've popped this bag into my folksy shop and called it the Grey Carnation Clutch Bag.

Now to photograph 8 ipod covers and 10 brooches......

Herringbone Happiness

My lovely Aunt recently sent me some fabrics, left over from her previous cape making business. Amongst them were some adorable pieces of herringbone, in shades of grey, as well as some fantastic tartans. Some of the off-cuts are too small to make a bag out of, so I wondered how they would look made into an iPod/phone sleeve, and this is the result:



I added a pink crocheted band of wool and a vintage button to close it - I'm really fond of this grey/pink colour combo, I think it manages to be chic and cheerful at the same time.
This one I've popped in my folksy shop - I'll be working on the tartan ones next!

Obsessions, obsessions...

So by chance I happened to spot some Japanese crochet books while browsing the internet one day - can't remember quite how I stumbled across them but these things are easily done if you have a few aimless hours on-line. (I think I may have been avoiding filling in the tax return for yet another day).

And what can I say - I was hooked (do you get it - crochet - hooked.....ok I'll stop now).

If you haven't seen any Japanese craft books you really must take a look, the styling, the photography, its all stunning and inspirational. After a day or two just looking at them on-line I decided I must have one of these books, so visited yesasia.com, where there is a wealth of choice - craft books for everything. I thought I'd start off with a book that is full of crochet stitches 1st, before trying to understand a full pattern, as the books are (obviously!) in Japanese but all the stitches are detailed in chart form - lots of symbols and things!

This is the book I ordered - 300 crochet patterns - and some of the stitches look totally delicious.



This link here should take you to a page where you can see the inside of the book too so you can get an idea of what to expect.

Ordering from yesasia was pretty easy too, although at first I found it a bit tricky trying to find the crochet section (is it hobby, lifestyle or arts?). In the end I used the search facility which brought up about 3 pages of lovely looking books, so no doubt I'll be shopping there again soon.

I have successfully managed to make some tiny little crochet circles from one of the patterns (ok, I cheated a bit because I did know how to do crochet circles already but I wanted to be sure I could do them following the chart in the book.) Now I'm ready to tackle more adventurous stitches - pictures will be posted here!

Head Turning

Skies are grey and that nip in the air is sure to tingle your ears. Me being one of short hair notices it most. Hats are a must.

I crocheted quite a few hats for the last few craft fairs I did this year and they were pretty much all snapped up - I had a colour scheme ranging from blues to lilac to pink to brown (something to suit everyone.

So I thought I'd better get that crochet hook out and make a few for my online shops:





And I have a cupboard full of more lovely wools that are just crying out to be made into a hat - though I seem to spend too much time deliberating on colour schemes. Perhaps I should just add a big sign to my shops saying "tell me your favourite colour and I'll make you a hat!"

Starry Starry Night

I've been a little busy lately with wholesale and custom orders, which has been hectic but enjoyable. I'm working on my 3rd custom order at the moment and it is a great feeling creating something that someone has specifically asked you to conjure up - especially if you've never met that person! It always gives me a glow to open my mailbox and see a message that begins with "would you be able to make...."

However I did get time to photograph this starry clutch bag and list it in my Folksy shop.



It features a handle that I crocheted in a pure Shetland wool, and the fabric is dotted with little black stars. Add a little glamour to a night out! I also pleated the fabric and added a little inner pocket.

Its similar to one I have currently in my Etsy shop too.

Back to the knitting.....

Keep your iPod Warm This Winter

Our house seems to be accumulating a number of iPods, mp3 players and mobile phones, all of varying shapes and sizes, so finding compatible covers for them is starting to become a challenge. Combining this conundrum with my love of fabrics I have developed a new line in iPod sleeves/socks/cozy's - whatever you wish to call them.



I love this fabric - I've called it a Busy Ant Fabric - and it just seemed to suit the size of this iPod cover. I added a crocheted band in white and a button for the closure.



This one has been listed in my Folksy shop, I shall be displaying more at the Oxford handm@de craft fair on Sunday then adding more to my Folksy and Etsy shops next week.

Off The Cuff

"Cuff" according to Dictionary.com:
1.a separate or detachable band or piece of fabric worn about the wrist, inside or outside of the sleeve.
2.to put handcuffs on.
3.Anatomy. a bandlike muscle or group of muscles encircling a body part.
4.off the cuff - extemporaneously; on the spur of the moment.




And so to my own definition of the cuff:
1. wrist cuff - band of wool, hand crocheted by me, in a variety of shades of wool, buttons added too, a unique piece of jewellery.

And these are some of my latest designs:







I've put some wrist cuffs in both my Folksy and Etsy shop and will also be making some new designs for some craft fairs later in the year - perfect little Christmas gifts! (It's never too early to be thinking about Christmas!)

Coffee And Cream

Maybe the sandy beaches of my recent trip to Northumberland have still been on my mind for my latest creations seem to be in shades of cream, beige and sand. It all began with a rummage in my material cupboard to find a piece of this flower print fabric in subtle shades, which just had to be made into this little clutch bag.



Then with the same material I used one of the flower prints to make this brooch, I also added a few machine stitches to highlight the centre of the flower.



And last but not least I crocheted this wrist cuff in pure wool, and added some surface crochet in brown wool.



I've divided them up between my Etsy and Folksy shops and listed them there today.

Time for Tea

A day does not feel quite right unless it begins with a cup of tea. Other things I can skip without causing too much discord - toast, cereals, coffee - but tea is an Absolute Must.

So of course when I discovered teapot fabric whilst on one of my many missions to the fabric store, I knew it could be created into something sweet and unique.

Finding the perfect deep pink wool, cutting the fabric so the teapot would be seen in its entirety, lining it in a pure white fabric, and hey presto the clutch bag was finished today.

I've listed it in my Etsy shop too so I shall see if there are any other tea lovers out there.





And of course I rewarded myself with a nice, hot cup of tea.

New Bag New Bag!

So the summer is smiling upon us and I am becoming drawn towards cheerful and bright prints. I loved the colour combinations in this fabric and spent a while debating the merits of a clutch bag or a shoulder bag for it, in the end I plumped for the shoulder bag.


I also, whilst browsing in my favourite fabric store, came across a wonderful electric blue fabric - at the time I had no idea what it would or could be, but once the bag was underway I realised it would make a perfect lining for it.




How nice to have a bright colour to greet you when you're rummaging around in your bag!

My mother also provided me with the lovely vintage button that sits at the front - I so adore buttons - and of course it had to be topped off with a bit of crochet.

Skinny Scarves

Now that the weather here is slowing turning it's face towards the warmer spring vibes, I began to have The Scarf Dilema.

You know the one - "Mmm, I can see the sun but that breeze still feels chilly to me. I don't think my neck is ready to go naked - but am I going to look daft with a thick winter scarf?"

So I crocheted myself a thin little number, using a lovely soft merino/angora blend of wool, and how happy am I with the results!

Wrapped around my neck once, looks like it almost could be there just for decorative effects, yet those cool breezes do not bother me oh no.

And small enough to stash in my bag should the sun shine enough to warrant a naked neck.

So I thought I'd make a few more, and will put them for sale at my sister's craft fair in a few weeks time.
Then, crocheting time permitted (its all go go go agghhh craft fair soon have I made enough things!) I will make some for my Etsy shop.

New Day, New Blog, New Bag

So the Crafting Life continues......for the past few months I have been trying to get into a rhythm of life, crafting, designing bags, opening my Etsy shop, learning all I can about selling crafts online - oh and remembering to wash the dishes.




My Etsy shop has been open for about 6 weeks now and have had 3 sales, I have also developed and addiction for browsing fabric stores for hours on end and seem to be aquiring rather a large stash of printed fabrics. Hmmm just need an extra 236 hours a week to actually create things from all my stock.

Latest projects have been these cute little crochet bracelets which are a joy to make.




So off to create another bag now, then quick change and off to see Andy Parsons tonight.