Stockton Crafts Blog

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....

Stocki Bear No. 1

For weeks now I have been working on designing a knitted cotton bear....and finally I sewed 'Stocki'

(mark 1) together last night...I'm rather pleased with its sweet little face!!

 Now for some clothes.......but wait.... is Stocki a boy or a girl........