A Busy Week.

I have been busy packaging new beads that arrived last week, Tony has made some fab labels for them.

I think the 'Tamsyn G' label is starting to work and look a lot more proffesional.

I'm really pleased with these tiny labels that I can now sew on to everything I make.

It's all very exciting. I have been booking up some little fairs just locally to promote the shop (I can see me working back to the big ones next year!) it will be fun seeing everything on display.

Last week was really hard which is why I have not added anything until now. Arthur had a yukky sick bug, which when he was very ill was fine, he just lay down. The better he felt the more he turned into a monster, a really loud screaming monster. He acted like the most spoilt boy on the planet and was horrible to everyone. He also decided he was not sleeping in the afternoons any more.  He's a little better this week and we have the old lovely Arthur back for a few hours a day, but he is now adjusting to not sleeping in the day and becomes a monster at 4, but then begs to go to bed at half 6 so we will put up with the grumps for now.

Tony was going to pick up a new BSA bike and was testing wether it would fit in the van, obviously it did, ha ra that saved getting a trailer.  He was going to collect it and visit a friend so away for two days. Before going he thought he would help me out by installing I- photo onto my computer hmm it didn't work and wiped everything else off including the internet! This was not good as I am on etsy, Folksy, ravelry and flickr as well as writing a blog...so he went away leaving me stranded! I was quite calm I thought at the time. The good thing was I got some bookwork done.
Tony says that he found a great use for all the fleeces that are stored in the shed waiting to be turned into wool, they made a nice cushion for his bike!  Now though there is two bikes in the shed so much less space for my fleeces.
Arthur helped me un pack the new stock, it is like Xmas every time we get a delivery. The big box then gets turned into a car or train, so obviously he was keen for me to unpack it quickly.
I Spent one evening completely rearranging the shop, so thats another thing I used my time for.

sleepless night.

I can't get going today, the shop should be open by now, but I'm not dressed yet! Arthur has not been well and was awake a lot in the night. Demanding food and drink.. because he didn't eat anything all day yesterday.  He also will be missing nursery so I am hoping he is going to have a long sleep this morning.  I have a big list to get on with, some days it is best just to do one thing at a time and potter through the list slowly and feel that if anything is achieved it will be a miracle. 

10 0 clock.  

The shop looks open now. First thing tackle the kitchen and make a huge coffee! Arthur is happy playing with duplo.

The list,

Sort at least one kit out (Tony has sorted the packaging of our knitting kits, and is just waiting for the patterns and items that are to be put in them.)

Books, (lots to do there!)

Finish some of the necklaces I started yesterday.

I won't add any more to that list as I will not achieve it. I have to go and build some bricks with Arthur now.

It is going to be a hard day I have run out of energy and it is only 11 0 clock!

Ally Pally

this is some of my stash from Ally Pally yesterday, I had a great day. I met lots of lovely people and found loads of stuff I would like to put in the shop..if only budget was no object!

photographs were not encouraged, shame because the colours were so amazing.
I bought some extreme needles from Ingrid Wagner, who is really lovely and I met for the first time at the Woolfest in Cumbria, I actually knitted with giant size needles there which was great. So thought I ought to buy some this time and I may be found knitting with them outside my shop (possibly causing people to have accidents as they drive past!) this week after all it is national knitting week. Ingrid can be found at http://www.ingridwagner.com

I also purchased a giant sewing needle from the original extreme knitter Rachel John.

Can't wait to get making something..but what? a giant bag? a carpet? mmm will have to do a lot of thinking. 
This is the gorgeous hemp I use to make my crocheted necklaces available on Etsy. The Hemp has been dyed in the uk in really rich colours, by The House Of Hemp in Cornwall.
Mmm I also bought more buttons, cause they just look so lovely..but I do have quite a lot already! Not only the ones below but jars and jars of different colours, I,m working my way through them though, and if I could just get some sales on etsy and folksy i would get through A lot more!

Needle felting Workshop.

On Saturday I held my first needle felting workshop. The half an hour before everyone arrived I was having a nervous breakdown! Though I prepared a lot the night before I could not see how I could get it already and looking like a class before people started to arrive. George my eldest son came to the rescue with looking after Arthur. I think it was more like stage nerves, I had no idea if it would work out ok, but I needn't have worried.

It was a great success and everyone went home with lovely things that they had made. Jill said she was totally inspired and kept drifting off while rolling felt balls..you could just see the thought bubbles full of ideas!

The picture above is some of my work, I was inspired by what everyone was doing, it is amazing how so many different things acn come out of the same materials.
jacobs wool I have cleaned and carded ready to roll into balls. Which I did the night before.
I am always amazed by the process, by adding soap and water and just rolling the wool around in the hands it ends up as a solid ball.
Arthur had a lovely day hanging out with teenage brother, doing a bit of graffiti on the drive, and skateboarding. George and Arthur had a picnic while sat on their boards.
I have used wool I have spun needle felted onto a felted jumper sleeve, it will make a great bracelet.
Jills beads and flower.
Getting stuck in. Loads of yummy coloured merino tops to choose from.
A beautiful bracelet made during the class. This one inspired me.
Not a bad lot of goodies made, considering Amanda had never needlefelted before.
Kate's Ameoba. 
Two of the ladies sharing Ideas.

It was a really good day, and I now feel a lot more confident.

The fluff did not come off the trousers, and Harry had a non school uniform day so wanted his black trousers..He was not impressed when I showed them to him. lots and lots of cellotape is needed.

I finished the green mohair scarf last night at Knit and natter, it was a fairly quiet night. The last few weeks have been manic and I have run out of chairs each time. So it was quite nice to have a calmer evening..lots more knitting got done.

I have still not worked out how to do this properly and write first then add pics..it doesn't work! I wanted the writing at the top of the page.

The felt sweety beads are by Whitesheet on Etsy, they are so scrummy looking, I can't wait to make something out of them.

Bookwork first! Must get off this computor, with Flickr,Ravelery,Etsy and folksy I seem to be spending too much time online!

Autumn

Time for tea.

I,m knitting this scarf to show off the gorgeous shades of colour that are in it, I have the mohair in my shop and it is hard to imagine how it comes out when it is just rolled into a ball.I don,t know how long it will stay in the shop though, my samples seem to sell quite fast.
This is some more lovely shades of Autumn from yesterday. I,m so glad we went for a walk in the sun. The colours were just amazing as they are again today.
Early morning mist coming off the lake. Very Autumn.
Tony and Arthur put up a rail for all my new scarfs and brooches. Arthur carried on when Tony left, climbed up his ladder hammered a couple of times and charged me 10p a time! Then he stopped for a tea break. I will attempt to add the other pics but I am not sure where they will appear....as I thought they went to the top of the page. I'm sure I'll get the hang of this soon!
I have just had a major disaster on the washing front! In my haste to get the washing in this morning I grabbed all the dark coloured stuff and shoved it in the washing machine, thinking I would hang it out early to dry in the sun. Well I have just gone to hang it out (late afternoon!) and found that a nappy had gone in with it, NOT a washable one (luckily it was not a mucky one!) any way everything is now covered in white fluff, (which does not look great on black trousers, Harry is going to be cross with me!) So I have had to put it all back in and hope some of it will wash out. Then I will need a lot of cellotape to get the rest off!

getting out

Some of the autumn pics from today. At 7 oclock while having our first cup of tea, we decided it was to nice a day to miss. I feel like i have not seen the sun for ages, and as I am sometimes known as a photographer I decided it would be more important to go out and capture the Autumn than open the shop. Mmmm could have been the wrong decision and I hope I didn't upset any customers, I am sure they will understand.
I was trying to capture the light in the early morning dew.  We escaped to Stourhead which is so gorgeous first thing in the morning and very peaceful!
Lovely lovely reds.

The trees were full of berries, there was a holly bush completely covered in berries, I'm sure it was not like that last year.
This is Arthur in his favorite huge puddle. Part of the carpark near us floods and Arthur loves to go and have a splash around after the rain. I will post some more pics tommorow as I think blogger will be getting to busy now, and I can smell the dinner burning whoops!

where has the time gone?

we only managed to visit the beach with all three boys once this summer! We were off camping but the exhaust decided to fall off the van..great timing! We drove home changed cars and went out for the day. it was a good job we did as it was one of the hottest days of the summer!
Arthur playing at Lyme Regis.
This pic was taken at The Flowers of Hatch, a whole field of pyo flowers a fab place to go during the summer, and great to fill the house with flowers afterwards.
Arthur losing his hand! At Kingston Mauward Gardens

Camp Bestival, a brilliant 3 days, would love to go again next year.




At last I am getting back to my blog! 

The summer has just whizzed by, not that there was a lot of summer here it is in picture form.

This was knitting at Gold Hill Cafe in Childe Okeford, one of my favorite haunts of the summer.

I also spent the summer filling my shop with wool and making masses of bits.

I have just opened a shop on etsy  http://www.tamsyng.etsy.com and also on Folksy. So there has not been a lot of spare time.