Category Archives: Etsy Shop

Sunshine and Flowers

Suddenly it’s Spring! It’s such an overwhelming change too, after a winter which seemed to go on forever. The daffodils at the side of the road, resolutely green and tight budded, responded to the sunshine so immediately you could practically hear the sound of popping as they opened. There’s now a definite green tinge to the brown twigginess of the hedgerows, in a few days Spring will really be busting out all over!

It’s been another busy week, which started with a trip to London. I went to meet the Pinterest Team, who came over from the US to organise a campaign with selected bloggers. And they selected me! Very honoured by that, and very surprised! Anyway, it all happens in May and I look forward to telling you all about it then.

With a little time to spare, I wandered round and went off to see St Paul’s, knowing that in a couple of days I would be seeing it on the news during the coverage of Margaret Thatcher’s funeral. I was too late to go inside, but it is a very beautiful and imposing building, especially with the blossom and late afternoon sunshine.

Back home, Open Studios is fast approaching. We’ve picked up boxes of brochures and postcards and tomorrow we’re off to the Forum in Norwich with our pieces for display in the Taster Exhibition which is on from Tuesday to Friday. I mentioned in this post that I was making a website for our Art Trail so if you would like to know more about us call over to the Two Rivers Trail (and watch out for the gorilla!)

I’m longing to find time to get out in the garden like some others I could mention…

…and Higgins isn’t the only one enjoying the sunshine out there either…

…but at the moment I tend to just wander round with a cup of tea and a camera in my tea breaks.

These little Grape Hyacinths have survived remarkably well considering they are on one of Higgins’ routes round the garden and he’s trodden on them regularly for months!

I’ve done nothing in the vegetable patch, so this little pansy has taken advantage and moved in…

I skived off from working for a couple of hours this morning to visit the beach. We’ve not been for ages as we’ve had weeks of Arctic winds blowing straight of the sea and I didn’t think it would do my sinuses much good! It hasn’t done the beach much good either, as our miles of pale gold sand has been scoured off and deposited elsewhere. The level of the beach must be about 15 feet lower, and there are pools and stretches of clay.

The huge chunks of granite which are part of the sea defences and normally partially hidden in the sand are exposed, and it was quite a feat of mountaineering to get over the top and on to the next stretch of beach.

Higgins really enjoyed the pools…

..and also discovered the most revolting bit of flotsam…or even jetsom..in the shape of a baby’s dummy. He smelt it from about 20 feet away, made a bee line for it and carried it all the way back to the car to put in his toy box!

So this is why I haven’t finished the project that was going to be my Hand Made Monday feature! I’m sure you don’t begrudge me a trip to the seaside though, and I will get back in the next few days when it’s done. I have also taken deliver of a fresh batch of Planet Penny yarn which I need to get back on to the Etsy site so it really is busy, busy, busy at the moment.

Don’t forget, there is still time to join in with draw for a copy of The Knitted Home by Ruth Cross. Just visit the post here, and leave your knitting story in the comments. Do take a moment to read some of the stories which have already been left, some of them really raise a giggle.

Back soon…x

No Time for Crochet Hearts!

Hello! I thought I’d start with cheery daffodils ‘cos I’m going to moan…only a bit, but I’ve had so little time to be creative this week, and all I really want to do is make more crochet hearts because I have a cunning plan! I had a flash of inspiration last week, sourced the very thing I wanted on line and when the box arrived I thought yessss…that’ll do the trick and life piled in behind and filled up all my available minutes.

So, darn…and other, more colourful expletives. However I’m not going to spoil the whole thing by rushing it, or giving the game away so you’ll have to wait until later in the week I’m afraid!

One thing I did do was to redisplay the Hearts and Crochet Garland. I wanted to put it on the dresser to instil a little Spring like colour to cheer things up so I carefully divided it into two pieces. I’m happy with the way it works…

…and it’s most decidedly cheerful!

A complete change in the weather means we’ve swapped the snow and grey clouds for this…

…but losing the snow so quickly means this…

and also…

…but there were a few places where Higgins could walk rather than swim…

He came back and parked himself on his favourite look out post, he does prefer to admire the great outdoors from the comfort of an armchair I’m afraid!

Thinking of crochet hearts got me digging around in the archives, back to last February in fact, when I made this for the dresser…

I never did write a pattern for the whole piece, but the pattern for the crochet hearts you can find here if you are thinking ahead to Valentines Day.

I’ll leave you now to get back to the crochet but in the meantime do call over to Handmade Harbour to check out the Handmade Monday links. Lots of busy crafters making beautiful things! Don’t forget, you can join me on Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter!

See you soon…x

Another Milestone

Hello again…and how have the first few days of January been for you? It’s been very strange not to be on here every day, although I can’t say I’m not glad of the rest! And it’s another milestone. My first post of 2013 and it’s my 400th… This is extraordinary when I think about my bloggy beginnings when I kept thinking ‘I’ve got nothing to say! ‘

Higgins and I went off to the beach this morning for some exercise out of the mud. It was beautiful…

and very quiet…

I don’t know who drew the line in the sand, but Higgins didn’t have any problem crossing it!

I’ve been doing quite a bit of reorganising in the studio after nearly a month of daily making. Creating chaos is one of my specialities and I couldn’t move by Christmas Day. Thank goodness I was able to shut the door on it and have Christmas indoors where there was a space to sit down! Anyway, it’s all right now…

…for a brief moment at least.

I have a new project on the horizon because we are anticipating a new arrival in the family next month. My nephew and his wife are expecting a baby, which is very exciting. (Isn’t it strange how being a Granny is fine, but being a Great Aunt somehow sounds incredibly ancient? Or is that just me?) I have it on good authority (from my sister who was wielding a paintbrush) that the nursery has been decorated in yellow so I’m planning a little baby blanket.

It just so happens that I have the ‘Sunshine’ yarn which replaced the Planet Penny ‘Buttercup’ when it was out of stock. It’s really pretty, but slightly different from the rest of the range because of the variagated shades of yellow and lemon. I’m combining it with some of the Planet Penny ‘Snowdrop’ which I had as a limited amount for the Christmas Crochet Kits to make a ripple blanket with a twist…

This it so far, but you can’t see the twist yet!

I’ve also been playing with the rest of the Planet Penny Cottons because I’ve had enquiries about buying the all the colours, but a smaller amount of each. This still gives plenty of scope for making little toys and bunting etc, any of the patterns on here or for sale on Etsy but less expensively and crucially lighter to post overseas. It’s a bit of a fiddle to weigh and wind but I have two to go on Etsy next week…

Approximately 25gms/62m per ball, 14 balls plus a crochet hook for £20.00. I’d be interested to know what you think. And if you’d like to buy them and can’t find them in the shop, please let me know. Create a demand!

I’m rather missing the snow on the blog now we’ve had to take the decorations down for Twelve Night so I’m having a play with the background I think this one is suitably wintry for January, but I have other plans so watch this space. However, as an eternal optimist and being well into the Spring yellow vibe with my crochet I’d just like to share this photo, taken at the end of my garden this very morning…

…and that’s not wintry at all!

I’ll leave you with a link to the first Handmade Monday of 2013 over on Handmade Harbour where the links will start at 6pm, and I shall get back to my crocheting!

See you soon….x

Autumn Walks and Weather

It’s the start of a new week, and a review of the past few day here in blog land. We’ve been very lucky weather-wise in Norfolk so far this Autumn. I’ve watched the forecasts and seen just how much wet, windy and stormy weather has been hurtling around the UK, and we’ve got off very lightly. There are positives to being on a bump sticking out into the North Sea, our own micro-climate! It’s a bit nippy though, the fire’s been lit the past few evenings, and I’ve been glad of my wristwarmers whilst sitting at the computer in my new little office! Despite the fact it’s warmer in the house, my faithful companions have chosen to be out in the studio with me, just keeping an eye…

…you just never know when I might suddenly decide to open a packet of pet treats and eat them all myself!

Last week’s needlefelt Robins have come home to roost on wreaths and hearts…

I haven’t put them on Etsy though as I’m having a slightly panicky moment about filling a craft stall at the end of the month. It’s a real juggling act knowing where to place things when the things you sell are all individually made. Can you see my lovely second hand find in the photo, by the way? A metal and wicker corner shelf unit, perfect for displaying little lovelies at craft fairs and in photos. Since my visit to the DIY Oxfam shop in Camden last month, and meeting the Buttonbag ladies I’ve revived my love of poking about in Charity shops. I’ve tried to limit my visits to just donating, and not accumulating more ‘stuff’ , but old habits are hard to break! (There’s a blog post in the offing about my other purchases, so watch this space!)

Higgins and I have been making the most of the dry weather while it lasts with some doggy walks. I really ought to be spending some of that time gardening, but Higgins can only think of one reason why I should be in the garden, and that involves a ball, not a trowel! Still, it gives me a chance to appreciate the Autumn colours and spectacular Norfolk skies…

and there are rose hips galore…

…and this weeks mystery object growing on the wild roses! I can’t for the life of me remember what this is…can you?

…and a bit of fun with a feather!

Well, ironically, since I started writing this post the heavens have opened! The rain is hammering on the skylight, I can’t hear Gardener’s Question Time, or myself think, so I’m going to call a halt and go inside to the fire and my crochet patchwork. I’ll leave you with a link to Handmade Monday over on Handmade Harbour and I’ll be back soon…x

Planet Penny Cotton Colours

I’ve been feeling the need for a little colour fix just lately, of the rainbow cotton variety, to counter balance the Christmassy slant which my creativity has inevitable taken.

There’s no getting away from it, robins are basically shades of brown with red, and although it suits them very well, it doesn’t press all the buttons for me, colourwise. So off to the Planet Penny Cotton Colours shelves…

and POW!

… oooh, I feel better already!

What started as a very tentative foray into importing something from Europe which I couldn’t actually purchase in the UK is still going well, and I’ve had great feedback and repeat orders from people who have been so happy with not only the gorgeous colour range but the quality of the yarn. (If you are a new blog visitor you can find out the beginnings of the Planet Penny Cotton Colours yarn here and here)

There are only two areas where I feel I’m letting the side down, and the first only is completely out of my hands. It’s so expensive to ship outside the UK! I’ve pared down the packing to the minimum, (and the girls at my local Post Office are impressed that the parcels come in just below the point where the cost goes up to the next band!) so I do apologise to anyone who feels the shipping costs are high, and I really appreciate the loyal customers who buy despite the Royal Mail’s costs. In fact someone in Australia emailed to say she loved the yarn so much she would have paid double the postage rate!

And really the other area is out of my hands too, unless I can magic some extra hours in the day! I’d like to produce more patterns, but is a very time consuming affair … Coming up with the idea, making the item, writing the pattern, typing the pattern, then following the pattern whilst making it again to check it works, etc. etc. you get the picture…

So my plan is to research other peoples patterns, to find pretty ideas which can be made up in the beautiful Cotton Colours and then giving you the links to the websites to try them for yourselves. It also seemed like a cheerful thing to do as Winter approaches and nature makes things a bit dark and monotone. You’ll find plenty of inspiration too, if you visit me on Pinterest!

And this is the first pattern I found…

Aren’t they pretty? So easy, and compulsive to make. At this rate every one will be getting one for Christmas, including the boys!

This has been about for a while and appears to have originated on a Danish blog, but I found a great crochet blog called Hooked on Needles where there is an English version of the pattern

Check out the shop for the yarn and the patterns, and also for the new limited edition, Christmas Crochet Collection…

Which includes the PPCC ‘Snowdrop’ yarn, hook, buttons, ribbon and the pattern for the Christmas Crochet bunting featured in the Winter Simply Crochet magazine, and the heart and snowflake patterns to make tree ornaments or a garland.

And while I was looking for the links for this pattern I found another one…where are those extra hours in the day? I’ll be back with more ideas very soon…

A Brief Pause…

I hope everyone has been able to enjoy the belated summer sunshine over the last week. It’s been lovely in Norfolk which has been quite a relief with two little boys to entertain! As you can imagine, not a lot of Planet Penny business has been undertaken over the past few days, we’ve had a brief pause for some fun and picnics on the beach…

…with sausages on the menu of course! And eating in the garden late in the evening has been lovely.

So with no real brain power free to think about crochet and patterns, I’ve been needlefelting some bases to be worked on when it all goes quiet in a couple of days, with no little boys to entertain. I’m very aware my new Etsy shop hasn’t yet featured any needlefelted pieces, and I have had several requests for my little lovebirds…

…so these are next on the agenda.

So I hope you’ll understand why this post is just a short one, as I’m snatching a few minutes on the last day of the visit to link up with Handmade Monday over on Handmade Harbour.

I’ll be back soon though!