Cute Cup Cozies!

One of the lovely things about selling on Etsy is that I often get distracted and go off browsing through all the amazing handcrafted items for sale on there. When I saw this I knew it would be the perfect pressie for one of my friends.

Its a cup cozie from Knitstorm. Beautifully crocheted and finished and I love the detail of the little words she embroiders on them!

So what a lovely surprise when my Mollie Makes magazine arrived this week, and there on the front cover was a Knitstorm chai tea cup cozie!

Inside there are patterns to knit or crochet some cozies which I think would make lovely christmas presents. If I get time once all my fairs I finish I am looking forward to crocheting a few more of these for christmas gifts!

A Wonderful Night of Knitting!

On Thursday Night a group of us assembled at Hope and Elvis in Nottinghamshire for the most 

wonderful night of Knitting & Crochet!

Here are my photos, and I hope Louise won't mind but I've used her wonderful words that she sent us all before the workshop to describe the evening!

On a dark dark night (thankfully lit by lanterns) 20 lucky people came together to the studio of HOPE & ELVIS.

They made friends with Louise (proprietor) Debs (crochet tutor) Sally (knit tutor) Sue (cakes)  and David MacLeod (VIP - Designs & Publications Manager, Rowan Yarns).

The Lovely Louise

Using the most loveliest Rowan yarns some of them learnt how to crochet and knit and some of them just had a great time knitting and crocheting things they hadn’t tried before (all perfect ideas for Christmas gifts) 

The trunk of vintage scraps found their way into many a design and looked tremendous!

Super cute knitted and tweed christmas trees, and knitted christmas baubles!

Knitted star garland

Knitted medals

Deb's Fantastic crochet button necklaces

Equally the “library” of vintage patterns and knitting books went down a treat and the photocopier saw some action!

Crocheted misteltoe!

People weren't shy of sharing their ideas and the "show and tell" gave everybody a warm glow.
Wearing her vintage pinny Sue made cocoa, crumpets and cakes for everyone and it was agreed that it had been a jolly good night and they all went home tired but happy.
 Oh wait ...it must have been a dream BUT you can book it and make a real night of it!**

Such a fantastic night, lovely people, a natter and a knit, gorgeous nibbles and drinks, and I came away with a lovely wristband with crocheted flowers on that I made, a Rowan crochet book (free!) and some knit and crochet patterns!

** Louise has just posted the dates of the next workshop on Facebook (10th November), if you are quick you might get a place! **

Autumn Fairs

Just wanted to show you a few pics of some lovely Autumn Fairs I've attended this week with Robin Red.

Firstly a lovely Saturday market (last weekend), where the lovely ladies from our WI provided scrumptious hot lunches and cakes all day, and we had terrific man playing the accordion!

My friends stall, Robyns Felty Bits, lots of beautiful felted items. Don't you just love the Beside the sea Mirror!

 Lovely pumpkin display! We bought two to carve ourselves.

 My stand!

 Waiting for the fair to open..

 Some new things on my stand, I was asked to custom make a tooth fairy pillow for a little boy with a car on

 and I've loved making lots of this mini christmas bunting (perfect for your christmas tree if you're not a tinsel person).

And here I was at a ladies shopping evening last night, with a few more christmassy bits! There is a big christmas theme going to be appearing on my blog in the next couple of weeks as I prepare for my big christmas fair in November!  Who doesn't love making christmas things?!

Tomorrow I can't wait to tell you all about a wonderful Cozy Knit and Crochet Night I went to this week at Hope & Elvis, (in association with Rowan) it was a magical evening!

A complete surprise

Today I received a lovely unexpected surprise.  Last week my special anniversary mug was broken in the dishwasher although no-one knows how! We mended it with superglue and its now a penholder in my craft room. 

Much excitement when I went to the post office this morning to collect a parcel I missed yesterday and spied an EB box on their shelf!  Hoping it would be for me I handed over my card and yes it was!

My lovely husband had secretly ordered me a replacement!

H said he ordered it online and the EB factory actually range him up to check that he did actually want them to put Sally II on the mug, I suppose it could be misconstrued!  (He had them put II as its the second mug).

Here's a peek of what I've been working away on this today!

Must go, almost time to go to a A Cosy Night: Knit and Crochet at Hope and Elvis which I've been looking forward to for ages!

October madness!

Hello!  Hasn't the last week been glorious! I have been looking at the beautiful weather out of the window in my sewing room as I have been whizzing away on my machine for all my fairs and events in the next few weeks! October has only just started and is turning out to be my busiest month! 

On Sunday I was really excited to be at the Lincoln Wedding Fayre with Robin Red Bunting Hire, meeting lots of lovely brides who really liked my bunting!

I have been tweaking my tooth fairy pillows (removing buttons and anything that could potenially be a hazard to little ones and substituting different appliqued designs), and completing custom orders of these and sending them out!  They are featured on the new website Dorothy and Theodore.

 And I've had lots of fun with my collection of embroidery hoops producing some appliqued embroidery hoop art, here are just a couple, I am planning some christmas ones too!

I have two craft events this weekend, one for Macmillan this Friday, and a WI all day craft market on Saturday and then the following Friday a ladies christmas shopping evening so I am busy busy busy prepping for those. Phew! Following a trip to Batman live the other week, my son has asked me to make him The Scarecrow costume from Batman for his School Halloween disco! (At least it looks fairly simple!).

I have joined a 12 week fit and firm programme at the gym focussing on nutrition and exercise,  tonight there is new Hulahooping and Zumba class in our village hall that I have signed up to for six weeks, I have never managed to hula hoop so am hoping not to embarass myself too much!   Harvest festival, general taxi-ing children around, washing and ironing, helping my mum in her house sale and purchase, designing my husbands graphics & promotional literature for a trade fair he has in a couple of weeks!

It's good to be busy, but am starting to wonder how I am going to fit everything in!

October is definitely a month of madness for me this year!

xxx