Stockton Crafts Blog

 Visit us at Stockton Crafts for yarns and more....

Stockton Crafts is moving...

A couple of months ago I moved my blog from Blogspot to Typepad as I couldn't repond to comments from Blogspot.

 Sadly, Typepad doesn't seem to offer the creative aspects that Blogspot does, so I am moving back to Blogspot as from tomorrow - 20th September 2011 ...

I would hate to lose you so please follow me there...

my new address (or the old address revived) is: 

http://stocki.blogspot.com

End of summer....

When I left Suffolk today I noticed a few 'lasts' of the year...

The last few raspberries..

The last...really the last... cooking apple on the tree..

One of the last roses..

One of the last dips in the pond for Fred...it will soon be too cold.. (can you see the twigs sticking out of his head... what a scruff)..

And empty fields after harvest is over...Autumn is really here...

Yipee! Time for...hot water bottles, wrapping up arm, mugs of hot chocolate, walks in the crispy leaves, windy beaches...and most of all...

Beautiful autumnal COLOUR everywhere!

What do you love about autumn?  

 

Thinking of wrapping up...

Last night I felt a certain shiver and when I walked into the garden I could definitely smell that autumnal smell... I don't know what it is.. a chill in the damp air maybe... but my first thought was, "Scarves", closely followed by, "Hot water bottle"!

I know it's a little sad, my daughter calls me a geek, but I do love wearing scarves and I LOVE going to bed with a hot water bottle! Now I know that there is a joke about English women preferring to go to bed with a hot water bottle rather than their husband, but I don't count in that because my hubby works in Madrid...

In August I blogged about some new yarn in stock - Louisa Harding's Hand Dyed Grace... I couldn't wait to see how it worked up, but then I forgot to blog the results... so here it is.....

Close-up of a green crochet scarf / cowl ... I don't know what to call this. It is a scarf with no ends, a large loop really... there are 3 ways to wear it...

Long...(excues the slight blur in the photo)...

Medium (wrapped twice)..

Or short, as a cowl (my favourite)..

My daughter is modeling... she only agreed to do on the proviso that I cropped her out almost completely! 

This scarf/cowl used 2 1/2 skeins of Hand Dyed Grace...it is great to work with, and is lovely and soft...not at all prickly...

Can you spot the mistake though? I really should have worked 2 skeins at once because the hand-dyed nature of the yarn means that the skeins are unique, which resulted in a 'blocky' appearance in the middle skein... live and learn x

Hexi-Blanket Ta-Dah!!

It has taken 4 months (not really, so many other projects got picked up and dropped along the way) but it is finally complete.  

My first hexi-blanket....

The hexi pattern comes from an old book called:The Harmony Guide to Crochet Stitches published by Lyric, and the hexi is called a, 'Traditional Hexagon'.  49 lovely hexis in Debbie Bliss Eco Baby pure cotton. 

It hardly needed any blocking, but I gave it a swift tweek....

By the time it came to take photos the sun had gone in...so the washing line gave the most light - now don't go looking at the 'grass' please - it needs mowing I know.. in fact there are more dandelions than grass, and what grass there is has been half dug-up by the fabulous Freddie...

I know Fred looks innocent - believe me he isn't... only this afternoon he pinched my last jelly baby!

Anyway.. I brought the blanket inside to see what lamplight does to it... all very mellow....

I'm proud of this first hexi creation - now I don't know whether to store it or sell it!

Now listen up ladies...I found 2 GORGEOUS GIVEAWAYS today and promised to reblog them..

The first I found was over at Little Woolie where Jules is giving away the most beautiful cushion which she has only just finished...you have 2 weeks to sign up so double click quick!

 Isn't it gorgeous?

The second giveaway is at Lisforlove - Look what the lovely Penelope is giving away:

You only have one week to sign up for this one...Good luck everyone!

One-a-Day - Tuesday Tallie!

How fast do Tuesdays come around? This last week has flashed past as usual and each night has ended with a frantic crochet session to keep up with Gingerbread Girl's One-a-Day challenge over on Ravelry.. So far so good... 13 lovely little squares..

I am sewing in the ends as I go, blocking and stitching them into groups of 4.... hopefully when it comes to the final 'sew-up' it won't be a huge labour of love....  

This project is quite calming really - no rush to complete this huge blanket, just a tiny wee pressure to spend 30 minutes a day...and the pattern flows easily off of the hook without even a second thought for a stitch count... bliss!

If you pop over to visit Gingerbread Girl now you will find links to other One-a- Dayer's Tuesday Tallies... we are a crafty bunch :)

I have an exciting moment coming soon.. do you remember this hexi-blanket starting back in June?

Well...it is almost done...I have sewn it all together, and I am just doing a lovely colourful stripey edging.. hopefully tomorrow will be time for my Ta Dah....

 

One-a-Day - Tuesday Tallie!

How fast do Tuesdays come around? This last week has flashed past as usual and each night has ended with a frantic crochet session to keep up with Gingerbread Girl's One-a-Day challenge over on Ravelry.. So far so good... 13 lovely little squares..

I am sewing in the ends as I go, blocking and stitching them into groups of 4.... hopefully when it comes to the final 'sew-up' it won't be a huge labour of love....  

This project is quite calming really - no rush to complete this huge blanket, just a tiny wee pressure to spend 30 minutes a day...and the pattern flows easily off of the hook without even a second thought for a stitch count... bliss!

If you pop over to visit Gingerbread Girl now you will find links to other One-a- Dayer's Tuesday Tallies... we are a crafty bunch :)

I have an exciting moment coming soon.. do you remember this hexi-blanket starting back in June?

Well...it is almost done...I have sewn it all together, and I am just doing a lovely colourful stripey edging.. hopefully tomorrow will be time for my Ta Dah....

 

It's been a while / One-a-day first...

Hello! It's been a while since I last blogged...

Things have been a little complicated here...culminating in our poor little old poodle Molly nearly giving up the ghost a couple of days ago (severe diabetic not eating!)... anyway it is all calmer now and Molly is perky and cheerful again. Here she was at the weekend in the sun...

The lovely Alice from 'Crochet with Raymond' really cheered me up with her last couple of posts... you should see her latest project...quick...pop over now and have a peak..I guarantee you will love it! 

I am taking part in the Ravelry group, 'One a Day', set up by Gingerbread Girl ... there are 231 of us so far!

Today is the first 'Tuesday Tallie' to see how far we have got.

The pattern I have chosen is called, Sunny Spread (by Ellen Gormely)and the pattern is free here... I am using the same pattern as Gingerbread Girl, but she is using colour *sigh*....

So here is a close-up of my first square:

Here are my first 6 squares - 4 being blocked and 2 queueing...

My blanket will be a present for my daughter who is planning her wedding for next summer, but she likes plain colours... so it will be a bit of a cream-out ... I think the other 230 'One-a day'-ers are doing wonderful things with colour.. so I will pop over there regularly for a colour fix :)

Also on the good news front is that my website 'Stockton Crafts' is up and working again after 3 weeks offline... new yarns for winter are coming in thick and fast, so I'll post updates of those too soon..

I'm glad to be back :)x

Oooooh dear....Website wobble!

Today's blog was meant to be about the new yarns being up now on Stockton Crafts, but the website is having a wobble and orders can't get through!  Apologies if this has affected you.. my web man is working on it as we speak... please be patient and come again tomorrow... 

Meanwhile look at the beautiful yarn which just came into stock:

This is 'Hand Dyed Grace' by Louisa harding... so far I have fabulous 'Festive' - a blend of hot pinks, red and deep purple (above)...

The dark, sultry 'Damson' below:

and finally the gorgeous 'Kiwi' green...

Hand-Dyed Grace is 59% Merino Wool and 50% Silk - you can imagine how soft this is! It knits on 4mm needles (US 6) or crochet hook 5.5mm (L) - 6.5mm (K). 

It's no good - I can't wait - I'm off to find a patttern...... I'll let you know what it is like to work with later...

Harvest time...

The weather in Suffolk this weekend was mostly glorious! I got just a little burnt at the edges just sitting having a cup of tea in my Father-in-Law's garden...No, no photos... it's not pretty! 

The eating apples....
The plums.....

All beautiful... now picked, and some of them cooked...

Freddie discovered a love of plums... it stared with throwing 'fallers' in the air, continued with eating spare plums out of my bag, and finally...he realised he could get them off of the tree sometimes!

The only disappointment this year were the cooking apples... there aren't many... and a lot of them are weird shapes...

We only picked a few... maybe they need more time to swell up... or fall off....

Never-mind...it will soon be Sloe time :) All around us the harvesters and combines were working late into the night as the farmers made the most of the sunny days.  

When I got back to Oxford guess what I found.... yep, the lovely Bryn bear from Julie at Little Cotton Rabbits... all packed up beautifully in his travelling box... he is so sweet...(Julie must put so much time into these little animals - they are really well made)....here he is with Ted..

Did you notice the granny square on Ted? I think he looks a bit... (Shhhh... )...bare! I think I'll make him a jumper too... after-all summer will be over by the time I get it done...Happy Tuesday x

Granny scarf W.I.P... or is it a cushion?

In April, lovely Alice from 'Crochet With Raymond' blogged about 'granny scarves, having made one of two (thanks Alice).... Have a look: 

http://crochethealingandraymond.wordpress.com/2011/04/19/do-you-dare-to-wear-a-granny-square/ 

.. here is the one that caught my eye:

I book-marked it and added 'Granny Scarf' to my very long list of 'Projects I WILL get round to...eventually...' (how long is your list?)

At the beginning of this week I was going through my stash and re-found some Noro yarn called Taiyo ... it is a glorious mix of cotton, silk, wool & nylon.  The ball I have in shade 11 has so many colours in... I decided it would make a lovely little granny cowl... so here is my latest W.I.P: 

Unblocked as yet....

Look at the beautiful colour blends...

You wouldn't believe they were all from the same ball would you!

Gorgeous! (Does anyone else have a problem with finding enough descriptive words when commenting on blogs??.. Gorgeous seems to pop out a lot for me! )

But I need advice... should I carry on and make them into a granny scarf... OR... they would make a lovely granny cushion wouldn't they... which do you think I should make? 

Blog Highlight! (2)

Blog Highlight!

This week I want to highlight Heather’s blog:  ‘Little Tin Bird’ at

http://www.littletinbird.co.uk

I have only just found this blog... and a few, “corr”, Woo” and “Oooo”s were heard from my little corner of bloggy land when I did.   Heather is from Yorkshire, Uk... and she seems to have very similar craft, colour and life tastes to me... 

Only today Heather had a ‘Ta-Dahh’ and revealed her tiny granny cushion – the grannies are tiny – not the cushion!  It must have taken hours and the colours are gorgeous.  The clip above is of the cushion..

Heather has also recently completed a red background hexi-blanket which her readers love but Heather isn’t keen on ....funny how some projects turn from be-loved to be-hated by the time it comes to sewing  in all the ends! Heather also gives some great tutorials on various granny squares and techniques... go and have a look.. I bet you click on ‘Follow’ on your  visit as I did!

 

Good News Week!

It is good news week!

 
Does Ted look excited?

He should do - he has a friend coming to stay....

Julie from http://littlecottonrabbits.typepad.co.uk gave a prize to http://www.savingrarebreeds.org.uk for their raffle... and I won it! Saving Rare Breeds does some impressive work in their efforts to help to preserve endangered livestock.  Go along to their website to have a look at all the breeds that are currently at risk....

The prize is amazing - something I have wanted since I started following Julie's blog a fair while ago...

Look who it is: 

It's Bryn the Bear!

We are going to need another rocking chair - Ted is 53 - that is pretty old in Teddy Bear years... and Bryn is a mere whipper-snapper, but they are going to get along really well.,...and me...I am chuffed! Thank you so much Julie x

AND.... as if that wasn't enough, my daughter, Pippa, rang me from Bangkok in Thailand - she is on holiday with her boyfriend of 4 years - and they have got engaged!  What a happy Mummy I am!

Hope you are all having a good week too! x

 

Blog Highlight!

This week's Blog Highlight:

http://annabooshouse.blogspot.com 

 

This blog is enchanting... from the vintage crochet phone case to the handmade vintage votives - beautiful recycled jars covered in vintage lace, string and crochet..beautiful in the day...magical by night. 

For me the highlights of the blog are the exquisite tiny crochet dolls / elves called 'Korknisse', (they have woolly, fly away hair like me), funny little cork people who make me laugh when they are all lined up like the Pontipines in The Night Garden :)x

 

 

 

 

 

New stock!

Now that Stockton Crafts have started carrying wool yarns as well as cotton, today we have new stock in of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino... Just 7 shades for now and see how we go... We have an introductory offer on for 1 week only - all colours are £4.45 including postage (RRP £4.95).

 

More crochet experiments...

Do you remember that I was planning a scarf for my Mum last week? ...well, at 87, if you think something is a waste of time, you say so... and apparently Mum doesn't need another scarf! Here are 3 more attempts at filet lace pattern anyway... luckily I didn't start the scarf...

  
The first is called 'Squares & Ladders' .... I could never make a whole scarf in this pattern... it would burn out all my concentration powers...and I think if done it would be best in a cotton yarn which would show the stitch definition better....

  
This sample is called, 'Track Stitch'... for obvious reasons... it was easy, grew fast, would be great for a scarf... but again, I would prefer it in a cotton or cotton mix.  This sample curled over and over until it was blocked - and it hasn't curled since I took out the blocking pins!

 
 Winkle Picot Stitch!  Forevermore to be called 'Winkle Picker Stitch' in my world! Easy, fast growing, lovely pattern, but definitely not shown to it's best in wool.

Anyway, the scarf idea has been ditched... more yarn arrived today for my Hexagons Blanket... so I am up for another "Ta-Dahh" in a couple of weeks.

On another note, CoCo Rose, http://cocorosetextiles.blogspot.com 

- recommended a book last week - "Cute & Easy Crochet", by Nicki Trench.  Mine arrived today and it is scrumptious!  My first project from it will be the fingerless gloves... the book recommends Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, but the friend I have in mind can't wear wool so I might use DB Eco Baby instead... I really should do the washing up first....

 

Sunshine, corn dollys and fruitiness....

I hope your weekend was as warm and sunny as mine.. Suffolk in summer is warm and breezy if you are lucky....and the fields stretch on forever...

 
 Freddie had a great time running along the field edges...

 It was hot work though... 
 
The corn was almost 'tipping' - see the ones that are leaning over? Well when lots of them do that, the corn is ready for harvesting....

 
Hubby is a grain expert  (no, really... he is!), "You roll it in your hand like this... then taste it... see it tastes milky"??

"Err...no... I can't taste anything"... oh the look of distain at my poor uneducated tastebuds!!

So he made me a corn dolly instead.. he hasn't made me one since we first met almost 10 years ago... (ahhh...)

 
 
  
 Beautiful! I am adding some crochet trim to it so it isn't quite finished yet.

 
 Fred & Molly had retired under a tree... Molly is eating a 'faller' apple... as promised some fruity updates... sadly the plums aren't ready yet... but all the fruit is showing great promise!

 
 Bramleys....Oooo I can already taste the apple crumble, apple pie, pork with apple sauce...

 
 Plums.....

  
 Pears.... we have never managed a crop of pears yet... they usually don't develop or they shrivel up and drop off! Keep your fingers crossed for these!

 
 Old fashioned Russets....

 
The wonderful sloes... darkening nicely thank you.  The sloe gin is calling......

Off to Suffolk to see what my garden grows....

The last time I was in Suffolk I took photos of all the potential in the orchard....

 
 
Apples!

 
 
Sloes for my sloe gin !

 
....and plums by the bucket load!

Now if I am very lucky, this weekend will be spent picking/eating/cooking/freezing the plums which should be ripe and juicy by now... then the apples in another couple of weeks... then wait all the way until after the first frost for the sloes...all the time keeping fingers crossed that the birds don't eat them all first!

I make my sloe gin in large Kilner jars, and keep it for a minimum of 2 years to soak.... I must remember to look and see how many jars I made in 2009....I'll take a photo to show you next week!

 

 

What to do when I have run out of yarn for my hexagon blanket?

Oh dear... my daily dose of hexagons has been put on hold as I have run out of the cream yarn... so what shall I do? Start another blanket! Well..... this MIGHT become a blanket/ throw.. it would be a very long term project, so might end up as a cushion cover... here is one teeny tiny granny square:

This square measures 5 x 5cm... the pattern is called 'Nine Patch Granny' and is from a book called, '200 Crochet Blocks for Blankets, Throws and Afghans', by Jan Eaton, published by David & Charles.   

Basically the idea is to make 9 of these tiny squares, then join them together and finally put a border round.  That is for ONE square, which will measure 19 - 20cm when completed.  Then just make another 3 for a small cushion side (that's 36 tiny squares), another 8 for a large cushion (that's 81 tiny squares), or approximately 48 for a small throw (that's 432 tiny squares)...GULP!

Let's not get ahead of ourselves... one square a day and see how I go....

 

 

Another lacy stitch potential for Mum's scarf...

This stitch pattern is called 'String Network'... again from, 'The Harmony Guide to Crochet Stitches'... again simple; chains, double crochets and trebles....

 
 I LOVE this tealy colour... my Mum (she'll kill me for telling you she is 87 - and YES she does read my blog), has that gorgeous silvery grey hair and bright blue eyes, so this sort of colour makes her look beautiful...

 

Finally blocking.....

I have never been much of a one for 'blocking' my work... mainly because I didn't really understand the process, and maybe a little bit because I couldn't be bothered....

Now that I am doing more intricate crochet work - flowers, lace stitches etc., I thought I had better do a little research on the subject. 

The best tutorial I have found is here: http://www.crochetme.com/blogs/kim_werker/archive/2010/01/18/how-to-spray-block-crochet-or-knit-squares.aspx

.....and guess what?  It isn't a weird, complicated, mystical process... it's simple! Maybe fiddly...but definitely simple.  In her tutorial Kim uses a very posh blocking board, but I haven't got one (Christmas list no. 1), so I retrieved an old piece of insulation board from the shed:

 
 I pinned it into an old pillow case, et voila! I have a blocking board....now apparently I just spray the work lightly with water, wait for it to dry thoroughly and unpin - why  have I always thought this was a complicated process?

 
 
The reason for needing a blocking board today? I want to crochet my lovely Mum a scarf to keep her toasty this autumn... these are the colours I have to chose from (all Katia Merino Baby):

 
 
 Now for the stitch... this is the first I tried, it's called 'Offset Filet Network' from a lovely old book I have, ' The Harmony Guide to Crochet Stitches', published by Lyric Books Ltd, 1986. I got it from a vintage sale for £2 - this is one of those rare books that I consult a million times, it IS my crochet bible! So here is a small sample blocked:

Hmm.... I like this stitch...it is easy (all chains and trebles, so as long as you can count, you can do it), it grows fast, its airy and light when done with this wool, and it is pretty! 

Do you have any books on knitting/crochet that you would recommend as the ONE book to own on the subject?
 

Crochet Rug using Hoopla Yarn - Pattern on blog

 
Hopefully I have written the pattern for the Crochet Rug using Hoopla Yarn down correctly... and converted it to a PDF file if I am very lucky.  Next step is to get it onto the blog so here goes:

Download Hoopla Granny Squares Rug Pattern

 If this works I will also put it in the 'Patterns' file in the right side bar. If anyone finds any problems with this pattern, or getting hold of it, please do let me know...

 

A Hoopla Ta-dah!

The sun is out, the skies are blue.. so a cheerful, bright (get your sunglasses quick) ta-dah for you in celebration...

On 01.07.11 I showed you this giant granny square....

  
Today I finally applied the edges to the finished rug...

 
 My lovely daughter has just painted the hallway white, so a colourful splash was needed... apparently this was a little brighter than she had intended... I might have to do a toned down version...

 

This photo was taken in full sunlight...I guess the brightness comes over a little more clearly...I told you sunglasses were needed...

As you can see, Freddie approved....but then he approves of everything I do :)

 

 

I used a very traditional granny pattern with a huge hook... I'll write it down and put it in my 'patterns' section later.

I'm off to try out some other colour combinations... I hope your week has started well, despite all the sad news this weekend x

 

 

 

 

Hoopla Yarn on sale

Hoopla Yarn is now on sale at £6.99 per cone

plus free postage (to UK) 

at Stockton Crafts - until July 31st 2011!

20 colours now in stock! 
  
 

 

Have you found 'Pinterest' yet?

  
I found 'Pinterest' a while ago... if you haven't found it yet it is a website which helps you to make photograph albums of all the beautiful things you see on the internet and you can also see what other people have found. 

On my Pinterest 'Boards' I have a huge collection of crochet, knitting, crafts and home decorating inspiration...if you want to see them click on the 'Follow me on Pinterest' button in the left side column of this blog.

 

A (very quick) 5 minutes sunshine today...

The sun came out late this afternoon, so I went out to throw the ball in the garden for the dogs for a few minutes.... I noticed that we have a lot of this plant:

  
 I'm not sure what it is... but I know it is great for autumn flower arrangements... and I know it is beautiful...so I am very pleased to see that we have loads of it!

Have you heard of 'witchy stones'?

In Suffolk there is a tradition that stones with natural holes in are hung at windows and doors to ward off evil spirits... now as I am relatively new to Suffolk (only 10 years), I am not convinced that this is real folk-lore.  It may just be 'my husband-lore'!

We have three long 'danglings' of them under the lean-to:

 
  I like them hanging like this (threaded onto old metal coat-hangers)... and they must be working because I have never encountered any evil spirits under the lean-to! 

We have thunder and lightening outside now... which is pretty scary when you are in a wooden barn which makes lots of strange creaking noises... so I shall do what I usually do to keep me calm... crochet!

 
 I hope you have managed to keep your toes dry and your hands warm today :)x

 

Rain, rain, go away...come again another day!

Saturday in Suffolk... I had plans: a car boot sale, a local market, a walk with the dogs... and look what happened... 
The sound of rain on the barn roof woke me this morning... earlier than planned... and it hasn't stopped yet. It has been raining 'cats and dogs'...Fred isn't impressed...he usually spends the day in the garden here, just running, watching dragon flies and occasionally swimming in the pond...

 
 I think the water is too cold, even for Fred today...

 
 
 The rain poured off the barn roof onto the gravel... the barn is unconverted as yet... hence the broken pipe...

 
 However, I don't want to depress you all, so I'll leave you with the best photos of the day...

 
  Every cloud DOES have a silver lining... in this case the gardens and farmers need the rain...and we all need to thank our lucky stars that we live in such a beautiful country and remember the awful situation in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia.....

What do we do on rainy days when all our plans have been scuppered??  Crochet! Well, I do...

 
  A few more hours on the blanket produces a few more hexagons... just another couple of hundred to go! What do English people do in the evenings on a day like today... go to a barbeque of course!  I hope there is room for me indoors!

 
 What have you been doing on this rainy Saturday afternoon?

 

 

Easy and quick 'Drop Stitch Scarf' pattern - FREE

I found this pattern a while ago and made mine in Katia Bombay. It is a really adaptable pattern that can be made in just about any yarn.  Variegated coloured yarns give a fantastic result as you can see in Christine's photos, but it works well in plain colours too.  

 
 

This scarf grows fast, is really easy to knit, and is a FREE download from Christine Vogel at 'Frazzled Knits'.  Just click on the link to download yours:

http://christine.typepad.com/knitting/easy-drop-stitch-scarf-pa.html

 

My favourite patterns....

I was searching for a scarf pattern today and came across these from Paula of: http://hookandyarn.wordpress.com Click on the photos to go straight to the patterns:

Spider Crochet Lacey Scarf

Lacey Crochet Scarf 
 I'm going to save patterns I love as I find them - have a look at the 'patterns' section in the column on the right.

Heveningham day out and alpacas...

 
Today is the day of one of my favourite events of the year.... Heveningham Hall Country Fair in Suffolk.

I have been going there for 9 years now.  It is a feast of craft tents, entertainments in the main ring (including dog show, terrier racing, horse skill and falconry displays), dancing, music and lovely things for sale (notably fudge, ice-cream and strawberries)! Usually the weather is perfect.. but today was only the second time that I have known it to be washed out.  Imagine craft tents packed with people... sadly not purchasing... all sheltering from a deluge of English summer rain...all soggy and steaming together!  Dogs of all breeds... pedigrees, Heinz 57's... all much loved pooches...meeting and greeting each other as if they are old friends.. It is a lovely day out.  Heveningham Hall itself has 365 windows... one for every day of the year.

We were strolling around the tents when I found beautiful Alpacas!

 

 
These Alpacas come from Melford Green, Darsham in West Suffolk... such beautiful placid creatures and fine, soft wool... I just had to buy a little yarn....

 
Not sure yet what to make...probably a small scarf.. I can't wear wool myself as I get a bit itchy, but apparently Alpaca wool doesn't contain the same lanolin as sheep's wool, so is hypo-allergenic...hurrah!

I'll let you know what it becomes...

Fred had a lovely day meeting all the other dogs...it was very hot and humid for the first couple of hours, then it poured...so he was a bit damp round the edges!

 
So today was a very typical summer's day for me...I hope you all had a lovely Sunday too... were any of you at the Fair?  Has anyone got any experience of knitting with / wearing alpaca wool?

New stock!

 
I can't tell you how excited I get when new stock comes in!  After a year of trading purely cotton, I have realised that just because I prefer to work with cotton other crafters prefer wool and mixes.... so my first wools have arrived! Here are just a few of them:

 Katia Bombay

Katia Paper 

Katia Merino Baby

The Katia Merino Baby yarn is washable AND goes in the tumble drier!  I have also got further colours in Katia Bamboo and Katia Spring - a lovely Aran yarn which is a cotton / Polyester elite mix.

I am about to attempt ot put up my list of blogs that I love - I found another lovely one today called "The Yvestown Blog", if you love crochet and colour go and have a look...

Well it's lovely weather for ducks in Oxford....here are some of mine....

 

 

 
 
 

 
 
  

 
 
 
  

 
 

 

First Post and a spotlight on Hoopla Yarn!

You are very welcome to the first post from Stockton Crafts’ blog site – today the spotlight is on Hoopla Yarn.  Hoopla is a salvaged fabric.  During the process of fabric manufacture, the huge rolls of fabric are trimmed and the selvage edges removed.  These are then packaged and brought to us as Hoopla. 

Here are some gorgeous bags which have been designed and made by Emma Hilton-Jones:

 

 

... and an aqua mix rug made by Mary J. Blampied:

 


 


Stunning I think you will agree!

For even more inspiration have a look at Julie’s blog: 'Hipp'.  Julie has been designing and making bags, necklaces, purses etc. and they are truly inspired!

I will be putting links to patterns for Hoopla on the left side bar as soon as I can get them organised.

Here is my latest offering made from Hoopla:  A giant granny square. . .soon there will be 6 of these and I will sew them together to make a rug to cheer up my dull hall.... bright I know...but they make me smile!





A glassy treasure for Christmas

At the auction on Friday I also found 2 broken lights...they have light bulb fittings, so not that old...but one has glass beads like a chandelier, and the other has a glass bowl....

  

  

I have Christmassy plans for these lights ...

 

 

I dismantled them, and retrieved the glass sparkly components.... 28 gorgeous pendants each of 7 glass beads.....

 

 
 They really sparkle in the sun....

 

 
Imagine these little beauties dangling from a Christmas tree...

Christmas lights twinkling around them....

hmmm.... I'll get back to you on this one!

Suffolk sunniness

 
A beautiful sunny evening yesterday in the middle of a sunny, warm weekend... perfect for a trip to the 'Low House' in Laxfield....

The Kings Head (or low house), Laxfield, Suffolk, UK

 

As you can see it is really called The King's Head, but locals call it the 'Low House'... because there is another pub in Laxfield which is higher up the road...I've never heard that one called the 'high' house though....

 
  The special thing about the Low House is that it is one of very few remaining , 'tap room' pubs... there is no bar, the beer is served straight from the barrels in the tap room at the back of the pub. 

The 'tap' room

When we are in Suffolk we make a point of having a drink here, it just feels like you have slipped back a century and all is well with the world....

Not much creating has gone on this weekend, but I did manage to make a visit to an auctioneers called, 'T.W. Gaze' in Diss, Suffolk. I do love going to auctions - you see antiques and fine arts of all sorts going under the hammer, plus 'modern' items, household clearance sales, old tools, garden statuary... but for me it is all about the glass... beautiful vintage, colourful glass...

Suffolk and Hoopla Grannies

I'm in Suffolk today ... hubby is restoring a barn here.. when we first met (nearly 10 years ago) he told me that he lived in an 'almost finished' converted barn.... well what a porkie pie! It is a ramshackle old barn still.  It has a house on the end of it though, so it's all good. 

Last month work started on the actual barn - it is going to be a living room and bedroom eventually - footings are being dug and beams replaced etc., so we are off the see the progress this weekend.  I'll show you the photos next week. Does anyone else live in Suffolk, UK?

 

 Meanwhile... look what I made in a brief respite from Hexagons!!

 

 
 
Ahh just a good old Granny square I hear you say?  But look at this:

 

 

 

Thats my favourite mug next to the square... I got fed up with the lack of sunshine during Wimbledon weeks ... so dull was the light indoors that I decided to brighten up the hall... this may be going a little far... the colours are very BRIGHT!!  But they do make me smile and when the hall is painted white.....ooooo I can't wait!
 

I used a size 15mm hook and each square took me 50 minutes to make... I reckon I am going to need 6 squares.

 

Has anyone else got any experience with Hoopla Yarn (it is like Zpagetti in Europe)?  I sell it in my internet shop so have the adantage of being able to choose from all the lovely colours, but the cones are HUGE so I think I am going to sell smaller amounts so that people can try it out, or use it to trim smaller projects... I'd love some input from other crafters really... so let me know what you think....

Half a hexagon!

I searched everywhere and couldn't find a pattern for half a hexagon... most people seem to leave the edges higledy-pigledy...but I want a smooth edge...so I made my own pattern up! 

 

My chest is puffed out like a pigeon...well, I am ample in that department anyway... but today I am truely puffed up! Here is my little creation:

 

 
 
 I tried it in with the other whole hexagons and it seems to fit a treat!

 

 
 A round of applause please :)

Hexagon progress :)

I'm getting there... it's been a while since I posted, but hey... it's Wimbledon fortnight!  It has been very cloudy, hot and humid in Oxford all week, but today is cool and wait... yes... the sun has just come out!!
I have been busy working on the Hexagon blanket whilst watching Wimbledon...here is proof!

 

 
 I changed the original hexagon in favour of the mostly cream base... the photo doesn't do the creamy creaminess justice...
and there are more....

Almost enough to make a small cot blanket... I want to cover a single or double bed....how many do you think I will need??

Coco Rose Diaries

My first blog read of the morning was Coco Rose Diaries as I drank my first cup of tea... it made me laugh, sigh in agreement at her dislikes and amazed me because she mentioned that she flys in her dreams...and I do too!  Well, more of a sedate float really unless I am going down hill..then I really get a move on!  I tried for 30 minutes to post a comment on her blog, but none of my log-ins worked! So if you read this Vanessa... it was a great post and your Kreative Blogger Accolade is absolutely deserved! Your blog is truly inspirational x

A hexagon...hurrah!

I have tried and tried and finally... I produced a hexagon! 

The pattern comes from a book called, 'The Harmony Guide to Crochet Stitches', by Lyric Books Ltd.

I am very proud of myself.... So now to choose colours for my blanket... I love the grey/green with the 'in your face' pink....

These are the colours I have to choose from....

Hmm.....

I think these 3...what do you think? 

Knitting in the family,,,

My Mum is now 86..and was getting bored.  My Dad is disabled and Mum has become his carer, so I suggested she take up knitting again.  We needed something simple and found my Great Auntie-Flo's coat hangers... Flo was registered blind but she knitted a lot.. mostly coathangers out of recycled yarn which, as far as I remember was made of torn up nighties! Here are a few that survive... probably made about 40 years ago when Flo was about 70....

and so Mum rediscovered her love of knitting... and here are some of her coat hangers....

so remember to teach your daughters to knit... I'll post some of my hangers on here soon... 3 generations!

Lovely little flowers at last!

I have been wanting to be able to crochet little flowers for ages...and thanks to 'Little Birdie Secrets' I now can't stop making them! There is a link to a really easy to follow video tutorial too.  Many thanks to the 2 ladies there for this new found passion!  Here are a few of my first flowers:

When I had made a few I adapted the pattern a little to make a slightly bigger flower:

I think this little red one is my favourite so far:

Then, inspired by these tiny ones, I made a HUGE one (15cm diameter) from Hoopla Yarn using a size 12 (UK) hook:

Beware....it's addictive! Now I need a little leaf pattern to go with my flowers... and then somewhere to sew them....

What an inspiring morning!

I have just spent a few hours reading some fantastic inspiring blogs thanks to a blog called
'Le Monde De Sucrette' ...I have followed her entries for a while but noticed that she had received a Kreativ Blogger Award...and then she in turn gave it to other sites that she liked...so I followed all the links and found some fantasitic inspiration!  I am about to add some of them to my favourite blog lists so be sure to have a look if you want a lovely few hours reading in the garden on a sunny morning!

p.s:  I put the pattern for Wendy Bag made from Katia Paper on Folksy last night :)

Paper!

Well that's what happens when you get a new job - no time to blog let alone make anything! I haven't 'blogged' for 2 months!!
I have managed to experiment with a fantastic yarn called Paper by Katia though.  This yarn is literally made out of paper cellulose.  Strong, pliable and easy to crochet/knit with,   the results are unusual and set my mind spinning with ideas:  bags, placemats, coasters, purses, book covers - endless possibilities! 
(Katia books have some patterns in - for adult and childrens bags.  Particularly cute are the 2 children's bags in Katia book no. 53, and there is a girl's peaked cap! Katia book 'Elegance' No. 62 has a delicate evening bag and a large shoulder bag). 
Here is my latest project: a shoulder bag made from Katia Paper in pale grey:  My eldest sister's birthday present - so I'll call it a Wendy Bag.  It took 3 balls of 'Paper'.  I'll post the pattern on my Folksy shop http://www.folksy.com/shops/oxfordglass ASAP.






Wendy Bag




Orange is everywhere!

Have you noticed that orange is everywhere?  When I was little it was a colour that very few people liked or wore.  Now it is brightening up every shop window... Here are some examples of projects on sale at 'Folksy' (http://www.folksy.com/):

 

Can you see what it is yet??

After the inspiration of all the new Hoopla Yarn colours - the new work in process:

So far it is 5.2 metres long,so a few more hours then lots of sewing up - more photos soon!



Ooooo scrummy new Hoopla yarn colours!!

Yesterday I went to visit the nice man who supplies Hoopla Yarn... a trip to a warehouse full of beautiful colours! Of course I bought too many...my bank balance wasn't best pleased... but I know everyone else is going to love them as much as I do... and ideas just pop into my head for all the projects that can Hoopla can be used for. Erkan (supplier) has some great examples of things made of Hoopla...from mats to Poofs(I mean a foot-stool)!
Anyway.. I have started already - watch this space!

                                                                                                   

I told you I was easily bored!

I was bored with rugs and crochet - it won't last long - but for a little light relief I decided to make use of some beads I have been stashing for a while and made some jewellery!  I love wearing colour now - there was a time when I lived in black from head to toe - No, I wasn't a goth, I just felt more comfortable in black.  Then I met my husband and the colours came out again!  I really enjoy wearing basic, colourful jewellery - nothing blingy or expensive - but bright, happy, and comfortable. 
So this week my 'mini treasury' is selfishly some of my latest efforts which I have put for sale on Folksy. If you have never been to Folksy to see all the gorgeous handmade things that are made in the UK, take a look at: www.folksy.com

Hoopla Yarn Patterns

I'm trying to get some patterns to use with Hoopla Yarn written down as there don't seem to be many available online as yet. There are lots of photos of projects people have made using 'Hoooked Zpagetti' (a very similar salvaged product) but not many are in print, and if they are they are usually in Dutch!

Hooplayarn themselves have a few patterns, as does 'Chakahoopla', but people are asking for more.

I'm not a designer of complicated crochet projects, and if I'm honest, I like more simple designs anyway. Tonight I finished a rug pattern (skill level - easy), which I put on a link from Stockton Crafts.  Here are some photos of the rug which is grey and navy blue:

Topaz!

For years my favourite colours have involved greens - but lately Topaz has been making me look twice! Look what is being made on Folksy in Topaz.  Unsurprisingly it is mostly jewellery - no knitting or crochet, but then Topaz IS a stone!

Gargoyles & Grotesques in Oxford

Spring sunshine in chilly Oxford for a few hours yesterday, so some lovely photos of gargloyles and grotesques for the blog.  Amazing skill went into carving these objects, but they are so far up the buildings that only long shot lenses can capture them.   
My family have lived in Oxford for many generations, so it is lovely to think that they might have laughed at the same contorted grotesques or been moved by the beauty of some.




Here are some of my favourites from
yesterday:

What colour is Teal? Folksy photos...

The colour Teal is extremely popular now, and looking on Folksy to see what other crafters were making in my favourite colour, I found some gorgeous makes....