Summer...? Really...?

Hello!! 

Happy British Summertime!

Helen has headed off to a warmer climate for a while and I am still in Blighty battling with changing outfits up to three times a day to suit the ever changing temperature, I am even making a cotton blanket from all my odd balls just to keep warm!

It is during these poor summer months that I am glad that I do lots of crafts because not only do I get to go up into the loft away from the bad weather and the hubub of family life but I am creating something unique and lovely, no-one will be able to pick up a cotton blanket like mine online because it is my design. I love choosing the fabric for projects and laying the pattern carefully out so that it looks good, the chances of someone choosing the same fabric and pattern are very slim.

My Latest sewing project

Although I enjoy the solitude of my loft I also love the joy I feel when I arrive at knitting group and all the ladies are sat with their personal projects chattering and sharing tips and ideas around the table. There are not many places where you can go and someone pulls out a mermaid tail which they are trying to complete for a gift then a giraffe appears out of another project bag and nobody blinks an eye..........I also love that no matter what your age, skill or type of yarn you use nobody judges you we are all there to help each other.

I have recently made this project bag for a lady at our knit group, I just love some of the fabulous fabric designs which are available, I get so giddy when purchasing them and feel so sad to hand them over to someone when deep down I would love to keep them for myself! We all know that even if you have the finest fabrics and yarn it is the finishing off which is all important, we all have a large stash of buttons but we still need to go out to buy more because what we have just isn't quite right for the project we have completed. Well, last week as I was leaving my local Charity shop I glanced back at the lady behind the counter and asked 'Do you ever get button boxes donated?' She replied ' not really but strangely one came in yesterday!'............well it would have been rude to decline it, wouldn't it?? so I agreed a price for the treasure and hot footed it home.

Today I opened the button box (in actual fact it was a tin which had held a champagne bottle in a previous life) I tipped it out and...........

WOW!!!

I was amazed by the variety and range of buttons and other items in the tin, it was like getting a brief glimpse of the owners life there were pin badges telling me that they were a member of both the Christian church and amnesty international there was a French Franc, a polish coin and a Euro coin! Obviously a considerate person who was well travelled.....I then got to thinking what would people think if they went through my button box (es). I think they would firstly comment on the volume of buttons which I own and then may start to wonder if I were an obsessive button collector.........which may be ever so slightly true!! 

If you follow us on facebook / Instagram then you will know that I have just completed a project using Debbie Bliss Lhasa yarn, it was beautiful to knit with and the finished garment is lovely and fits beautifully, I would highly recommend it and the book has lots of nice one and two hank projects in it, well worth a look and some lovely ideas for gifts!

Fabulous book and lovely finished garment

 Oh and finally whilst we are on books worth taking a look at, have you seen the new Rowan magazine? My mum is a member and after browsing through it a few times there are some lovely garments worth making up and lots of Kid Classic being used.....my favourite! So grab a copy make yourself a lovely warm drink and browse...... enjoy speak soon.
Sarah and Helen.......probably in a bar now after a day at the beach!!

PS did I mention the fabric for the Dress and the wool and book are from Blacksheep craft barn there is a lovely new Rowan rep there too now!