IT'S ALL GONE A BIT "PETE TONG"

A fabulous find! Just so me , just bought and worn at "The Knit Show" Stoneleigh 2011













Ok so a few weeks ago "The Daisy tearooms "opened at the end of my street, it's very shabby chic; celebrate the war style, opened up on the thee wedding day of the year and my children were amazed at real sugar cubes! comes complete with crochet doillies!














Spoke to the lovely Ruby who runs the place, and we are now planning a knit club on weekday evenings......place to be-when and where to be confirmed...














This leads me to my now project...a "HOME" crochet bunting to welcome her to the village of Mapplewell......not quite sure how it will turn out yet but hey loving the freestyling.















MMMMMM but the first home "O" not good so a work in progress......














Beginnings of a "H" for home but needs to be redone me thinks; too gathered!














MMMMMM so sunday we went to knit cafe, Wakefield.
Started by my Sirdar work pal Nessa at Neros......










..so there we were 3 weeks in the planning to turn up at the right week and it was only us! (Nessa , me and my daughter) but hey all is needed for knit cafe is knit and a cafe, right?



















So what was my project?.....flowers for my crochet shoes because although love them not sure about the bows.
















Nessa and her Sirdar baby garment.


















And so to more cushions (Lol it's been a busy ol week)
Some of my furniture in my move back up north got a wee bit damaged so I am trying to make quick mends, as in cushions, to cover up the damage and utilize seating areas...
...hence cheap Ikea cushions and wee bit of creative knit

Yarns used on my WIP...to be continued!

GRANDMA'S GIFT

About 44 years ago my Grandmother bought a then normal set of drawers when my sister was born. These drawers used dovetail joints and real wood. They stood the test of time until I was born, when as we shared a room we shared the drawers.

Over time they were painted in various colours and when I left home I inherited them. When my son was born they were made to match his nursery and as he grew were decorated with his own hand prints. And still they stood steadfast and sturdy as other 'build it yourself' drawers came and went to the big drawer in the sky.

Despite the travels of a now military family set of drawers they remained intact.

Now once again they have a new identity and have passed along to my daughter, this time with patch work decorpage and handknit handles....who knows what their next incarnation will be, but no doubt at this rate they will pass on to the next generation

TIME FOR SOME MEN...

Illustration work for menswear from ages 0-100plus in Sirdar Click, Tweedie and Balmoral. Inspiration...The Ash Cloud...colours and shapes.

. The Intarsia Hoody.

Liked by both teens and my dad!

The Fair Isle Tank top.

The Intarsia and Fair Isle Polo shirt for all ages. This pattern can transgress from being reapplied in the appropriate yarns for babywear into yarns for the older man.

Images and patterns for both babywear and teens to follow in future blog.

MY ROWAN PRIZE FINALLY ARRIVES...

A few months ago I blogged about my success at winning knitting magazines Rowan vintage competition, with my 'After Dolly' eco friendly design. This was based on vintage crochet lace and inspired from the film '9 to 5' where Dolly Parton wears several lovely knitted dresses.

....yesterday my prize finally arrived in a big box, leaving me wondering what it was because I had forgotten all about the actual prize!

...I won 2 packets of yarn which are felted tweed chunky and milk yarn. The felted is something which I would not neccessarily buy to sample and develop work with, but this is a good thing as I will probably discover something new with it. The milk yarn as I have said lots of times is my favourite yarn, it just happens to be in a pink though! and I love pink which means my work as of late seems to be becoming pink....its something I was objectively trying to move away from.....so this may mean I will finally make my daughter something instead of only working towards my stock for once.

....the dress itself is yet to be photographed and will appear sometime in the future in knitting magazine along with my pattern. This to me IS the prize as it's one more step up to my goal of being a selling pattern writer. The dress it has been agreed will be returned to me temporarily, in order for it to be displayed on my stand at the Twisted Thread show...

....You can find me and the dress at Alex. Palace, London between 8th and 11th October 2009, in the resource centre, stand Rcc11.

...This is one of the books which was included in my prize along with a rare addition of the 10th anniversary publication for Rowan.

NEW CROCHET VINTAGE DRESS FOR BETTYB LABEL

Todays finished work is another commission piece for the Bettyb label (On sale at Mensah boutique, Portobella Road, London). It is made from vintage black cotton double knit. The pattern is also a vintage pattern but was designed in childrens sizes, so the task was to grade and alter into a ladies industry standard size 12 (U.K.) as a sample garment.

...The skirt part is worked up to the waist and then shaped, the crochet pattern then changes in a cluster pattern.

.... the waist is held in with a chain and double stitch belt which has a 3 loop styling at either end.

....I am playing with light on crochet patterns at the moment and I like this type of photography which plays with focus. the lens was trying to peep through the open stitches to view the other side. (Would work much better with a quality camera)

... the original vintage pattern did not have pockets. So this was part of a pattern write, as Bettyb label tends to have a in-seam pocket signature.

MARKETING! is the cost productive? that is the question

Hello! I am back from visiting Alison in Sweden (See knits and pearls blogspot) Had many a knitting/crochet session, natter on her porch and even attending her first own organised knit cafe. Well done you! hugs x. Have been working on several projects there and since which should be in completion in the next week, so blogs aplenty to follow.

....Today I have been working on my marketing for the launch of my designs at the Twisted thread knit and stitch events. Firstly 8th-11th October at Alex. Palace, London Resource centre Stand Rcc11, Just look for the Quirky little knits sign. I will be offering some voucher discounts.

..These images show some of my postcard and notecard ideas and I am in the process of designing these with decisions to be made on final outcomes.. Funds are limited and I need to work out cost versus sale value, versus marketing benefits.

...Also today I had a meeting for taking some tutoring/lesson plan workshops at a new upcoming business in Bath, U.K. This is called 'The Makery' which is a shop/workshop/online based venture, based on the new on trend (Lol what my family and I have naturally done all our lives!) of 'make do and mend'. Workshops will be based on recycling and eco-based, in a range of concepts from gardening, chicken rearing! clothing and fun hen parties, to name but a few. 'The Makery' launches in a few weeks time. More details and links to follow as things progress.

...The low down being that I will at this stage be taking workshops in possibly recycled knitted jewelry, changeling garments, accessories and mixed media art and life drawing lessons. Lol The hen party naked man life drawing sounds erm interesting! Can't wait! I have been training for this position all my life! x

'MINI-ME' BACKBONE CARDIGAN

(Cable stitch for back-bone back detail in cashsoft cotton)


Whilst also working towards my products to be launched at the Twisted thread shows, 8th-11th October at Alexandar Palace, I managed to fit in a smaller version of my previously blogged 'Back bone cardigan'. This mini-me was for my daughter for a friends wedding.

...this mini version used padded love-hearts for the fastenings instead of the previous vintage heavy brooch....a wee bit more child friendly!

...the cardigan used mohair, silk and cashmere in a soft mixture of muted pinks to form an interesting mix. The sleeves ironically used old bones rib.

...the back cable detail follows on from the shawl collar and ends underneath the lower rib. This not only adds unique detailing but serves to help anchor the collar.

PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY FOR DISORDER MAGAZINE

Last year I was lucky enough to be chosen to take part in a photo shoot for Disorder magazine....

....These photographs are just a small selection from this shoot; I rediscovered them when I was in the process of reinstalling my images after my virus...

....The twinset was hand knitted from Cashmere, Silk, Mohair and Alpaca.....and was themed from the images of how beautiful the inside of the body can be for the collection , Hung, Drawn & Quoted...

...I have a wedding invite in a few weeks time, and have decided to finally grant my 8 year olds wish and make her a mini-me version to wear to it....

....I have bought some different yarns for it, this time being a very beautiful yet expensive silk with mohair from knitwitches and pure new wool from Wensleydale sheep shop, I will combine these with my left over yarn when my ROWAN competition pattern writing has been finished which uses Rowan organic pure cotton. This will give me a pretty but more unusual blend of soft and raspberry pinks; my plan is to create a face made up of little raspberry coloured strawberries! for a more suitable fastening for a little girl rather than the vintage brooche utilized in the original catwalk version.....Hopefully I will have time!