Knitting a tree sock project!

This is the start of quite a huge project, and being really organised (noooot!) we have only three weeks to complete it!

For the Gillingham Festival which starts on the 4th of July for two weeks, I suggested we cover the tree opposite the show ground with knitting, people have nodded and agreed but not really got any idea what i'm talking about (this happens alot he he ). I am on twitter and am following Knit City which is so inspiring and this is the sort of thing I hope to achieve hopefully with a little bit of help from fellow knitters.
Some of the knit and Natter group have donated knitted bits already as above, which is fantastic.  Tommorow 13th of June is World Wide Knit in Public Day and we are going to knit outside my shop...I am going to attempt knitting with my giant needles (should help the project along a bit!)  There will be lots of tea and coffee and Biscuits  to keep us all going.  If any of you would like to join us and knit a square you would be very welcome :) Also if any of you knitters out there have odd bits of knitting (ie tension squares) that you don't know what to do with we could add them to the pile..then there's going to be one huge sewing day. I did pick up an extreme sewing needle from Rachel John at Ally pally last year so that should make it a bit easier.
This is the tree..it is going to be so colourful!! The sign may need a bit of knitting to.

I can't believe a whole week has gone!  though i have been fairly busy. I actually managed to get an order out.
These are tea cosies covered in vintage buttons (the more buttons I use up the more i can buy he he!) They were knitted and then felted in the washing machine before i added the buttons.
Another great way of using up some of my button stash..these little bracelets are made using some new yarn that came in last week, it is as wide as ribbon and has silver thread running through it. I can sew the buttons directly onto it and make instant bracelets, I also did some using the felt flowers and buttons.  I am aiming to do some mixed yarn bags for sale in my shops, also adding little packs of vintage buttons and unusual ribbons that i have now...one day soon i will get organised :)
I also finished a batch of my little felt brooches. All of the above has gone to my favorite cafe in Childe Okeford.
I have had a new delivery of yummy yarns
and gorgeous fairtrade Rosewood needles by Mango Moon.
The above yarn I thought would be great used as a fringe rather than knitting with it, and this will be one i add to the mixed bags.
This is a really soft multi coloured yarn, which i have not yet tested. I will make some mobile phone socks in this to see how it knits up.

Right i'm off to do some more making. I have 3 more shops waiting for orders.

Colours of spring.

This is my summer hat I crocheted while on Holiday, not photographed very well, I need to get one of the boys to take a picture of me in it.  I like it but I am going to try and make the next one much more 'bucket like'. More like the old cloche hats.  It has been made using the Adriafil memphis cotton from my shop.  I was going to do a link to my website (now I have learn't how to do this.) but have just looked and I have not yet added the plain cottons...a week of photography coming up I think!
This is bunting i am knitting to show off the sock yarns I have just got in, I don't think any one could imagine how the ball of wool will knit up without seeing it. The long bit is the cord to hang the bunting from ( I think it would look great as a skinny scarf.) I will add felt balls and possibly buttons to the finished bunting.
My pile of finished triangles. I love the colours.
I have spent the last two days still in holiday mode. Sunday we went for a walk along the disused rail track at Sturminster Newton, Arthur rode his bike by himself for the first time and absolutly loved the freedom. It is a lovely place to walk, a nice safe path in the middle of beautiful countryside.
Today I took Arthur and Harry out with my Mum to Brokers wood .
We had a lovely picnic by the lake, and Harry ran off with Arthur so Mum and me were able to take some pictures.  It really felt like spring.
Harry and Arthur on the flying fox.

We saw wild orchids, bluebells, and violets, a brilliant time to walk in the woods.
The bluebells were just starting to come out, but I'm glad I got some pictures.  The last couple of years when they have been out it has constantly poured with rain.
The blossom looks beautifull every where. Back to work tommorow. :(

egg cosies are not just for Easter..

I hope!  I made these cute egg cosies before Easter and put some on Folksy. 

I,ve also been making summer socks for mobile phones (no heels involved!).
These colourful ones i did not put on as I took the wrong style pics, I forgot that I needed to do them square. I will be taking pics again next week when Arthur is at nursery.

I was doing these in vintagey (not sure if thats a real word?) colours, with lovely fabric vintage buttons. I managed to put a couple of these on Folksy.
So next week i will be adding lots more on Etsy and folksy, because I will have lots more time..Arthur starts nursery 4 mornings a week yay!

Spring Time ha ra!

I have been adding more yarn to my website, I love the colours of the Gedifra cotton and can't wait to crochet some flowers and bags using it.  I have as usual got too many projects on the go!

In between masses of stock has been arriving which seems to take days to sort and then I change the whole shop around to fit it in.  This is great fun but does mean theres a lot less time to make.  Which is why I like the classes on Saturday mornings because it means I get to play too :)
The yarn above is just like ribbon, I think it would be great embellished onto things and used in Jewellery making. I made a crochet necklace using it which I hope to finish soon and I will post up.
It was so lovely to be out in the sun last Monday (the weeks seem to be going by to fast!) I met a friend at Pythouse and we had a delicious lunch.  Then walked round the garden and played hide and seek with Arthur.
So nice to see the daffodils out in the sunshine and know that spring is well on its way.
I will be glad when the clocks go forward this weekend, Arthur has been waking at 6 o Clock for the last three weeks but still goes to bed at the same time, at least then we can go to bed an hour earlier and when we wake it will be a more sensible time.

Buttons.

Tony had gone out playing music..so I decided to take over the sitting room, in a nice tidy way and watch one of my favorite fims. The Mistress Of Spices, I love the colours and photography, the beautiful spices piled high in the shop, I would love a wool shop with a similar character. Instead I set up my buttons like they are spices and poured them into these sweet little bowls (which were really meant for the kitchen, whoops!).
I managed to sew all the buttons on my mobile phone socks while watching the film and enjoying a nice glass of wine. All very peaceful.

I have left the buttons in the bowls and put them in my workspace ready for making more button necklaces.

  

I have just been reading the Sunday Times, I know it's Monday but it's really my Sunday, So it's lovely to start the day by reading in bed.  Finding this pic on the front of style magazine was really exciting the bad news is India Knight has beaten me to releasing a book called Make do and Mend! As Tony pointed out she is a little bit more in the spotlight than me and knows a few publishers, hmmm.   Ah well on to the next project! The good news though is that I have changed my shop to be more crafty and it is looking very much like a wool shop so I am ready for the rush!! Just need a picture in the local paper of me like the one above but with giant needles and maybe not as much pouting, maybe then the customers will come pouring in?              

The missing photos.

After Arthur saw his photo, and he took a few of his own he decided I should have a picture of him happy.

Thursday night knit and natter is going from strength to strength with new people joining each week..it is a good job that not every one comes on the same Thursday or I may run out of space. Lady Pole from ravelry has joined us for the last two weeks and has brought with her a spinning wheel, so I was able to have a go ...not very succesfully I may add, I keep making the wheel go round the wrong way which is not a good idea. I did manage to produce a small amount of bobbly wool last week. This week Lady pole brought the wools she had spun using some of the merino wool from my shop I will post a pic later to show how beautiful it is.  The yarns she has made are amazing.

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!