Category Archives: Giveaway

Bringing the Rainbow Home…

Hello, and Happy Monday! And it’s Handmade Monday too, so lots of lovely links on the Ist Uniques Gifts blog to follow to see what other crafty things are going on.

I’ve just about recovered from our long day on Friday, which ended up with a Chinese takeaway at 9pm! I’m so glad we had a nice coach driver to get us there and back too, or I might have been found still in the hall on packing up day, asleep round the back of a stall on a pile of wool…

So much to see at the Knitting and Stitching Show, I did try to focus on the knitting, crochet and yarn, and not be distracted by embroidery, cross-stitch, dyeing, machining, fabrics, jewellery and…and…!

It was actually quite hard to photograph. Not everyone was happy with photos being taken, and a lot of the time it was hard to get past the crowds, but here is a flavour…

The venue, Alexandra Palace, has an interesting history and a wonderful view of London…

…and inside…

There were exhibitions too…

…I think this might give Higgins a fright!

I found Sasha Kagan and a blast from the past, I remember my mother knitting this one in the eighties…

I could have spent a fortune, so many beautiful yarns, but at least I could gather up cards for contacts and websites so I can browse online. I was very happy to find this company…

because they have a fabulous shade card…

It was lovely to find Sarah at Blooming Felt, I did spend a bit there ….umm…

There were big jars full of little felt balls like a sweetie shop, SO pretty!

Fell for these gorgeous buttons…

…and some bobbly blue yarn..

…and then I found something completely different, but it was just my colours…

I know. You’re looking and thinking, but there’s black, and orange, those aren’t Planet Penny colours.

But look…

…and watch this…

…and now I have a rainbow ball to hang from the ceiling to add a little happiness to the forth coming winter gloom…

So after that paper folding episode, I’d better get back to business, and my crochet rainbow…

Tonight’s the night for the Naming of the Cow, and the draw so do call back in a couple of days and find out what went on!

See you then x

Blossoming…

There’s a LOT of blossoming going on at Planet Penny at the moment.

Still running to keep up, and apologising for not announcing the results of the Easter Cup and Saucer draw, I am very pleased to say that it was won by Teje, of Nero’s Post and Patch and the cup and saucer have been very cosily packed in LOTS of padding and are now winging their way to Greece. I hope that Nero allows Teje to enjoy her coffee in it, although I suppose at a pinch he could have dog biscuits in the saucer! Do go over and say hello to Teje and the handsome Nero, and have a look at the beautiful Garden quilt that Teje has made.

Young readers are blossoming too…

Who would like to see my younger grandson, reading Daddy’s book?

A definite little blossom!

And if you go to Thomas’ blog, you’ll find that there will soon be exciting books for older boys too, (hopefully you will forgive a little maternal pride creeping in at this point! )

We had a little blossoming at the last meeting of our local Knit and Stitch Group too, when I did a needlefelting class, and we ended up with a delicious plate of felted fairy cake pin cushions…

I hope once the holiday weekend is over – and I’m not wishing it away! – I will have more blogging time, so please forgive this being a little short and sweet. Thank you to all the knowledgable gardeners who identified the weed as Coltsfoot. I now know to eradicate it on sight!

If you want a little Eastery fix, have a look at the Indie Quarter where you will find a Planet Penny Alpaca Bunny with some friends.

I shall be having a grandson fix, as the boys are coming tomorrow for the Easter Weekend so I will be back next week when all is quiet and the chocolate has been eaten! I hope you all have a happy and sunshiny holiday break with family and loved ones, and I’ll see you soon x

An Easter Present…

Firstly I would like to say thank you SO much for the good wishes that have been sent for my Mum. One of the pleasures of the blogging community is precisely that, community. It’s easy to feel very isolated when these things happen, especially when you are in a rural area and you have to be on hand when someone’s ill. I can’t tell you how it’s helped to have your kind thoughts to read. Nan (yes, that’s her name, it’s not short for Nanny!) is gradually improving and getting stronger, although not nearly fast enough for her liking. I’ve ben asured by a nurse tho’ that the Noro virus takes ages to get over when you are generally in good health, so it will take while yet for someone like her. (And I’m sorry Alice, that the name of your favourite wool obsession has been hijacked for something so nasty!)

It’s been tricky fitting in as much making as I would like with all the to-ing and fro-ing going on, but with Easter in mind I’ve produced these for the Easter Tree.

Do you have an Easter Tree? We first saw them in the Netherlands nearly 20 years ago and I have had one ever since, it’s such a lovely herald of Spring. These decorations are the size of a hens egg, and being needle felt are light enough to hang from a twiggy branch of twisted willow. They will be in the Folksy Shop very soon.

And I though it would be nice to have an Easter giveaway, especially as I have found the perfect thing for your morning cuppa on a bright spring morning!

So if you like cows…

or hens…

or even sheep…

…it doesn’t matter because they are all here together on this one sunshine yellow cup and saucer!

All you need to do is to leave a comment here, and if you put a link to your blog, Facebook page or Tweet about it be sure to let me know and I’ll put you in the hat twice! I’ll keep it running until the 15th April and get Higgins to help me with the draw. (I’m sure he’ll get the hang of it eventually!)

A New Year Gift…

….to celebrate my 150 Blog Post! I can’t believe it’s come round so quickly…

Anyway, a belated Happy New Year to you all, thank you for visiting. I’m sorry to have been away so long but there have been guests, invited and uninvited. No-one invited flu of the Swinish persuasion, but he came anyway and laid several of our party low, and as I write the smallest one is still very poorly. We’re all sending get well wishes southwards as hard as we can, here in Norfolk.

So, not many photos at the moment, and not enough to join in with Emma’s Splash of Colour today, maybe tomorrow.

Higgins had a lovely time with all the people to cuddle him, he makes an excellent hot water bottle! He wore his hat…

….for at least 20 seconds. Ate his Father Christmas toy so fast I didn’t get a chance to photograph it, called a Christmas truce with Henry…

…and then dragged a cushion under the dining table to sleep off his own Christmas dinner while we ate ours.

Anyway, the giveaway. Are you all decorationed out, or would you like something towards Christmas 2011 to hang on your tree? I have been needlefelting again, this time Christmas baubles and I have made a very special one to share with you, and for one lucky person to win.

The bauble is 5″ from the top wooden bead to the bottom bead,that’s just under 13cm, is made from my hand dyed Merino and Blue-Face Leicester fleece and is completely unique. (‘cos I hate to repeat myself!)

To win it, just leave a comment on this post, all the names will go into the hat and Higgins will decide the lucky winner by eating drawing the winning name. the plan had been to draw it on Twelth Night but because I’m so late, I will let it run until next Monday, the 10th.

Even if you’ve never commented before, please do, it would be lovely to hear from you x

Sssssh….

We’ve got to do the prize draw. Higgins was really looking forward to it. We were going to have fun with the hat, and interesting pieces of paper and possibly running round the garden trying to read the piece of paper before it got too soggy.

But Higgins is a poorly little pup…

We had to spend some time at the vet’s today because he couldn’t eat his breakfast biscuits and spat out his cornflake at Granny’s. And when he barked at the post lady, he squeaked. It seems to be a sore throat. I have been poaching chicken to serve with rice and he can manage that. No walkies, and no playing with friends…and Higgins can’t do that either!

So while Higgins sleeps off the injection and the antibiotic tablets, I am quietly enlisting the assistance of the online Random Number Generator (which isn’t quite so much interactive fun)

I gave everyone a number, pressed go..and…

…it’s…

Sarah Hickman!

Congratulations Sarah! Your Pompom Bunting will be in the post next week, I hope you enjoy it. Meanwhile, I shall put my nurse’s hat on again and go and check out the sick room…sssssh….

Fairy Cakes and Bunting

Where has the week gone? I do seem to have been dashing around, hither and yon, but even so I managed a little hooking and knitting as I went. I’m still loving my new knitting book and have been going a little mad on teeny weeny socks. They’re all packed up now and winging their way as I type to keep tiny toes warm but I’m sure it’s ok to give you a little peek…

Aren’t they cute? And I love the yarn which is merino wool, cashmere and silk, lovely to work with…

I’ve also made a scarf from this pattern…

Which is incredibly cosy and warm, and very quick to knit.

I’ve also done a spot of baking. It was the first birthday of our very swish Eco built village hall and everyone was invited to the party. It seemed a fairy cake sort of occasion and I’d found some polka dot bun cases…

…and some gorgeous little mini smartie decorations I was longing to use…

They did show up rather well on the cake table!

It was a lovely excuse to meet up with friends for a cuppa and something sweet and sticky (I’ll get back on the Weightwatchers regime tomorrow- honest!)

As I said, I have been hooking too, but with all the little socks I’m not quite ready to show you what I’ve been up to just yet, so I’m going to talk about bunting again. This bunting…

Lots of lovely people have been leaving nice comments about the pompom bunting I made with my leftover wool and Vanessa over at Do You Mind If I Knit was kind enough to mention it and link to Planet Penny. It made me think I’d like to do something a bit special for all of you who have been visiting over the last months so I have decided to do a …

GRAND POMPOM BUNTING GIVEAWAY!

Would you like to join in? All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, and to be in with more of a chance if you put a link from your blog to Planet Penny I will put your name into the hat twice! The bunting is several metres long so will make a really pretty decoration, and being multi-coloured it will match most colour schemes. I’ll make the draw on Saturday 2nd of October so there’s plenty of time to enter the draw.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you all…enjoy your weekend x

P.S.I’ve just realised this post is enough to give you spots before your eyes!