Category Archives: Norfolk

Trips around the Norfolk countryside

To Market, To Market…

..probably not to buy a fat pig, though. I seem to have had this little nursery rhyme running through my head for the last two days while I’ve been dashing about sorting out the last minute things for the big day tomorrow.

I’m feeling a little embarrassed about my lack of ‘cool’ about the whole thing, compared to all those seasoned craft marketers out there, but maybe reading about my exploits might be helpful to other market ‘virgins’ out there – and probably amuse the professionals!

I wanted my stall to BE Planet Penny, which requires grass, and sky or rather green and blue felt. And although a table is provided, I needed something to give some height, and a third dimension. So the thinking cap went on and PING! Dog food cartons! Higgins is now set up with food for the next few weeks…

Stall for Pick’n’Mix Makers Market

…and I spent a sticky afternoon covering the cartons with felt…

…and I’m pretty pleased with the result! The sheep look very happy too.

I must dash off and carry on with the preparations, not least getting Higgins ready for a sleep-over with Auntie Lizzie. I’m still debating about bathing him…maybe some doggy Febreze?

So if you are in North Norfolk tomorrow, please call in at the Pick ‘n’ Mix Makers Market and say hello, and if not, well I’ll be back to tell you all about it next week!

The Pick ‘n’ Mix Makers Market…

…just five more sleeps to go! The Open Studio signs are all down, and it’s all systems go for Saturday. I’ve been working on the Planet Penny stall which has meant I’ve spent most of the day sticking felt on Higgins’ dog food boxes – all will be revealed eventually, I promise – but I really wanted to give a plug to my fellow stallholders, who are, in no particular order…

Acorn and Will
Bobo Bun
Catherine Daniel Ceramics
Daisy Boo’s Kitchen
Emma Mitchell Designs
Faded Splendour
Glory Days
High Fibre Design
Magic Cochin’s Emporium
Sasha Allan Toymaker
Stabo
Susan Cariello
Trishe Darling Millinery
Wildwood

The lovely Celia from Magic Cochin’s Emporium travelled all the way up to see us at Open Studios yesterday … although I actually think it was mainly to see Higgins … it’s very special to meet a Cyberspace friend in the flesh!

It’s been drizzly and grey today so I haven’t been able to take any photos worth showing of some of the goodies I’ve been creating for the Market, but I’ll do my best to share the Planet Penny preparations as the week progresses!

Alpacas and Piglets

Blogland is meant to be a jolly place so I don’t like to bring along any trials and tribulations but I just want to briefly say things have been a little tricky over the last week or so if I’m not about so much, or fail to sparkle conversationally, please bear with me. My mum was whisked off to hospital ten days ago with heart problems and contracted the Noro virus and so has been very poorly. She’s home now and recovering, but her weak state of health means quite a bit of to-ing and fro-ing between houses, and I’m spreading myself a little thinly at the moment.

However, I do want to keep on top of things on Planet Penny and Higgins and I have our little trip out last week to meet the Alpacas down the road to tell you about. I wanted to get some more fleece for felting, and it’s nice to meet the four legged suppliers in person. Higgins was also very interested to meet the resident pussy cat, who was beautiful, white with apricot ears and apricot stripes on her tail…

Higgins still hasn’t mastered the social niceties of meeting cats. His bounce and squeak technique just doesn’t work…

He wasn’t fazed by the Alpacas either…

…and was happy to be introduced…

I’ve just got to make sure he doesn’t discover the bags of nice soft fleece I’ve brought home or I think he’ll be lining a little Higgy nest with it!.

I haven’t processed this yet, but I had just enough left of the last bag for this little bunny to come into being…

and also this one…

and they will be on Folksy as soon as possible.

And finally, if you haven’t had enough of cute animals, I’ve got to show you these, spotted next to the the little stall at the end of the road where I buy my eggs…

Altogether now… Aaaaah!…

It’s SPRING!

Hooray, it’s official, today is the first day of Spring and Higgins and I have been in the garden in shirtsleeves! (Well I have, Higgins is still stuck in that hairy vest he wears) Hope you all had a lovely weekend. Tim and I went off to look for daffodils yesterday, and found some! Isn’t it ridiculous how you go off on holiday and hunt out nice places to go, but never get round to visiting places right on your doorstep at home?

We have the lovely Hoveton Hall Gardens literally next door to us and as we’d already missed the Snowdrop Walk for various reasons I was determined we’d get along to the Daffodil Walk. Unfortunately we didn’t have quite the glorious weather on Sunday which we enjoyed on Saturday so the photos aren’t quite at sparkly as I had hoped, but never mind. What is nice is that you can really see the bare bones of the garden as it comes to life and I’m now quite determined to go back at regular intervals and watch it grow, I think the rhodedendrons and azaleas will be glorious!

If I lived here I think I could spend quite a bit of time just drifting round this little lake in a rowing boat listening to the birds singing and the wind in the trees…

…with permission from Mr Swan of course!

I’ve never seen daffodils like this before…

Not entire sure what I make of these, there’s some thing a bit Bart Simpson-ish about them don’t you think?

I can’t wait to visit the Spider Garden when everything is in bloom, despite the scary guardian of the gate!

if you can’t quite make him (or her) out, this is what I mean!

After a nice walk and a cup of tea I got back to my latest needlefelting project. I was sorting through all my dyed yarns the other day and found a gorgeous little bag of something soft and very cuddly, and a completely natural colour.

It’s Alpaca fleece, and the herd live two fields away, here! And although it’s alpaca, doesn’t it just make you think of bunnies? Easter Bunnies? so here is my own Easter Bunny…

right down to his fluffy bunny tail!

Mr Bunny is now for sale in the Planet Penny shop on Folksy, so I think I’d better go and size up those Alpacas to see if they can spare any more fleece so I can make him some little friends!

Hope Spring is springing where you are xxx

The Bluebird of Happiness

Sometimes its awfully tempting to be a complete slob, and NOT do the healthy dog walking thing but just to stay in out of the blustery weather and snuggle up with a book. Especially as the dog in question is equally unenthusiastic and dives under the covers at the sight of the little fleecy coat. But we’ve both got waistlines to worry about and perk up once we’re actually out there…

We were rather hoping to find snowdrops the other day and went off to Sheringham Park on the North Norfolk coast, which is a lovely place for walking, with added bracing sea breezes. There’s a woody area…

…and the spot where I know there will be bluebells in a few months time…

…there is the pasture around the house…

and the promise of masses of rhododendrons before very long.

In fact, a couple of brave and hardy ones were already showing what to expect later in the year…

But it was only at the very end of the walk I spotted what I had been looking for. A lone clump…

So if I can’t find drifts of snowdrops, can I find the mythic Bluebird of Happiness?

Oh yes, it’s at the bottom of my bag of coloured fleece, just waiting for the magic felting needle to conjure him up…

…and here he is, with his little pink felted heart…

just in time for Valentines day!

He’s destined for the Planet Penny Folksy shop so he could be yours!

And finally, the Pink Pooch has departed to be a star on the stage. Higgins found him to be far too much competition and barked long and hard every time he put in an appearance so he had to find theatrical digs elsewhere. He was happy to go though…

So with the competition safely out of the way, (and Henry the Cat safely ensconced in a chair) it’s safe to comandeer the prime spot in front of the fire…

Aaaah, that’s better…

All Wound Up with Sunset Colours!

Hooray! I’ve wound all those lovely colours into nice neat balls with my trusty wool winder. I do like using it, it makes such nice soft balls which mean that there is no tension on the yarn to stretch it. I’m working on an idea at the moment, which I hope to show very soon, although I have had very little help from the four legged members of the family.

Apparently the only reason I ever sit down is so that my legs form a lap, and the only thing in the world that a lap can be used for is not to support a book or some knitting, or, heaven forbid, a pattern and knitting, it needs a cat, no, a dog or both, or a jealous punch up between cat and dog.

So keep your fingers crossed that tonight the fire is hot enough to keep them squabbling over the warm spot on the hearth rug instead of the warm spot on my lap so I can get to grips with my woolly project.

I have made some really cute little baby shoes though. there’s something about tiny baby shoes, isn’t there? My three babies were born with enormous feet and were really slow at learning to walk so by the time I came to buy them shoes they were practically into adult sizes! (I’m going to get into trouble for this!)

However, I was really keen to find out how well the wool I have just dyed would felt so I knitted this…

…and then I just popped them in the washing machine with a normal wash and they came out looking like this…

Aren’t they sweet? I’m so excited about them! (and yes, they are nearly small enough for Higgins to wear before you suggest it, and no, because he would eat them!)

And today the sun shone and Higgins and I went for a walk and there was NO MUD! (well, it was sort of fudgy, but it didn’t stick) and I’ve just realised where I got my colour scheme from..

See that shadow? It’s me!

After so many grey days it’s just magical watching the pink splashes spreading across the purply violet clouds and that golden glow before it vanishes as if someone has flipped a switch. Then it’s a quick trot home to get back in the warm.

And finally, I have been working on the Hearts and Pompoms tutorial and if you want to make your own version it’s on the Tutorials page at the top. Please let me know if you do, I’d love to see.

Right, ok, I’m going to tiptoe off to the sofa now and try and do a bit of knitting befor someone spots….THE LAP!

See you soon x

P.S. Siobhan, I tried to email you but it didn’t work, but I just wanted to say Yes! my cat is Henry and the ‘My Fair Lady’ connection IS why we named Higgins as we did. By George, you got it!