Waiting for Spring

Happy Easter! It seems strange to start a post entitled ‘Waiting for Spring’ that way but we are really stuck in some topsy turvy weather at the moment. Hard to credit getting up on the first morning after the clocks change for British Summer Time to a sprinkling of snow! We’ve actually got off lightly here in Norfolk as far as snow goes, the pictures of devastated farmers digging their sheep out of snowdrifts in other parts of the country have been heartbreaking. We’ve just got the Arctic blast coming straight off the North Sea and hitting us sitting on the exposed lumpy bit sticking out of the East of England to contend with.

So I’m sharing a pretty Spring like picture to cheer us up…

Higgins is not a fan of going out in the cold and I’ve had a running battle with him over the building of dachshund ‘nests’ out of the soft furnishings. He’s only really happy when he has buried himself and if he finds himself on the sofa with no available ‘blankie’ he will grizzle until he’s been covered up.

Since he’s eaten the corners of all the old cushions he now has a cushion of his very own, and a fleece blanket he can do whatever he likes with. Unfortunately, he feels these are just not good enough, and compare very poorly with the fluffy throw I have draped over the back of the sofa, and the new velvet cushions in anemone colours I rashly bought a few weeks ago.

Every time my back is turned, this happens…

…and he might look guilty…

…but that doesn’t mean he’s going to move!

I’ve reached a bit of a hiatus on Planet Penny just now. It’s always slightly problematic judging stock levels with the Planet Penny cotton because I don’t have a huge amount of space to store it. Unfortunately an unexpected rush of orders has coincided with a couple of colours being out of stock at the suppliers so it’ll be first come first served on the few packs remaining until the middle of April.

But…

There are some changes afoot. I’ll be trialling a new pack, which some of you have been asking about for a while AND I have a new venture in the pipeline which I will tell you about later on in the year, so I’m not standing still by any means.

Meanwhile, Open Studios is on the horizon and I have started an ambitious needlefelted piece for exhibition so a lull on the cotton front is probably a good thing. There are only so many hours in the day! It’s refreshing change to be doing something creative and challenging just for me, I hope it turns out looking at least a little bit like the image in my head.

Just a reminder, the Bunny crochet pattern offer ends tomorrow, Easter Monday at 5pm UK time. After that it will be available through the Etsy shop, but for now it’s still yours for FREE!

I changed the yarn to make this version, a big soft squidgy version as a baby toy…

I’m off now to dig Higgins out of his latest nest, put on his coat and march him round a field or two…

…and then get back to my felting needle. Don’t forget to nip over the Handmade Harbour to see what’s going on for Handmade Monday this week.

I’ll see you soon…x

Challenges, and the Easter Bunny

I think we’ve all been a bit challenged in the UK this week, by the weather! What’s it been like with you? We haven’t had huge amounts of snow here in Norfolk, but we are very exposed to the biting wind heading our way across the North Sea: it seems to have been howling down the chimney for days. It’s hard to believe it’s Easter next weekend, the poor old Easter Bunny is going to have to wear his thermals to do his chocolate egg deliveries!

My main challenge over the week was a talk I had promised to give, months ago. You know how you agree to these things and they seem so far away in the distance and then suddenly, it’s here and you are wondering why on earth you agreed to it! I headed off to Beccles, which is just over the border into Suffolk to give a talk to the Spinners and Weavers Guild about Needlefelting. I sort of had a feeling I might be teaching my grandmother to suck eggs, as the saying goes. Then I found out there might well be over 30 people there and…ooo-er…!

As it was, it was fine. After I got over my initial dry mouthed panic as I was introduced and stood there with no notes, no script but lots of props it went very well.

They were a lovely audience and very keen to set to with needles and fleece to have a go themselves after I’d finished the talk.

As they were all textile practitioners they were happy to be experimental rather than being given a project and although there wasn’t a huge amount of time – and needlefelt is very time consuming – they came up with some jolly pieces and all seemed to have fun.

However, I also had another challenge, and that was definitely down to the Easter Bunny! I’ve been feeling so bad because I have been promising to write up the pattern for the bunny I made last Easter and my goodness, haven’t I got myself in a pickle with it! And all of a sudden, there’s only a week to go! I am sorry, aren’t I rubbish? I think I’ve just been over thinking what I was doing, and seemed to spend ages ripping out and redoing the same piece. Then suddenly, it all fell into place and the pattern is finished.

I’m on the way to having a complete Bunny Brigade…

As you can see, they each have their own personality, right down to a challenger for Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer’s title! (Percy, the Pink Nosed Bunny?)

So I’m thinking of an Easter present for you. From now until after Easter the pattern will be available FREE as a downloadable PDF right HERE! (This offer has expired, but the bunny will be available soon via the Etsy Shop) There is a Planet Penny Bunny Brigade group board on Pinterest so if you would like to add your version of the bunny just let me know and I can invite you. You obviously have to be on Pinterest yourself and I have to be following at least one of your boards (but that can easily be arranged!) Although I’ve made the Bunnies using the Planet Penny Cotton, they can be made using any yarn oddments, just match your hook to the yarn. You can find out more about that in this post.

This is a limited offer, but I’d like to give my followers and customers a head start. Although there’s only a week till Easter, they only take an hour or two to make so I’m sure we could have a wonderful board full of bunnies on Pinterest very soon, let me know what you think.

Finally, for those of you who read last week’s post about delivering Clovis, the Mad French Cat to his home by the sea you might be interested in a follow up tale (tail?) from his new home. Visit Thomas’s blog to find out how he’s settling in, and have a chortle. Tom seems to think there’s not a lot of call for cat stories, so if you disagree do leave a comment with him. I need more pictures like that!

I’m joining in again with Handmade Monday over on Handmade Harbour so do pay a visit to see what’s going on…

Back soon…x

To the seaside…with cat…

Hellooo and Happy Sunday! I’m here to tell you all about our adventures returning the Mad French Cat to his family, and also fitting in a couple of relaxing days out of the Planet Penny orbit (mostly!) I think you all know from past posts that I do love to be beside the seaside but the South coast is very different from our wild windswept beaches here in Norfolk. Very genteel and civilised, no need for wellies or anything…

Except, except…

Except the day we decided to travel.

There isn’t a lot of scope for spontaneity round here because as well as having to fit around Tim’s work patterns, Higgins has to be booked in with a family for a holiday (ensuring the continuation of all home comforts) and I have to arrange cover for my Mum’s care. Also we had all been bolstering ourselves up for weeks for relocating Clovis. Although he was not a suitable pet for a old and disabled lady ( think Kato in the Pink Panther!) he’s beautiful and affectionate and we knew he’d be much missed.

So a little bit of snow wasn’t going to stop us. Clovis was actually very good in the car, after mewing piteously for half the journey he gave up and slept. We drove in and out of snow showers all the way until the last 15 to 20 miles when it was really snowing in earnest. If we’d left home even half an hour later it would not have been nice.

Having unloaded Clovis into a quiet bedroom with a bowl of food and litter tray to settle down we ventured out to experience snow at the seaside. I’ve never seen snow on the beach before, have you?

It was getting dark, and snowing heavily but the snow reflected an eerie light. The tide was out, and the sea was foaming away at the edge of a bank of cloud and snow just beyond the rocks…

By the morning the snow had stopped, but two small boys were delighted that their schools were closed and we ventured out once again in the freezing wind. Quite the wrong snow for a snowman alas, but perfect for snowballs!

By the third day the sun was out, the snow was melting and it was perfect weather for a stroll along the front.

And Clovis? Well even though he’s been away from his proper family for a couple of years he slotted straight back in as though he’d never been away. Despite the new house he seemed to remember the furnishings (especially the soft furnishings, in particular the hand knitted wool bedspread!) He had a little problem with the stairs – my mum lives in a bungalow – but was soon thundering up and down with his mouse.

….and he found the bannisters a particular source of delight.

Back in Norfolk I’m missing the family, the cat and the seaside but it’s great to be able to pop to our new shop for milk and a Sunday paper. Thanks so much for all the lovely comments about our new community Shop last week. I will announce here that despite my reservations I have volunteered for staff training and I will try very hard not to destroy the till!

I’ve rambled on for quite long enough so I shall save the crafty bits for the next post but if you need reminding about Kato and the Pink Panther I will leave you with a little clip…

See you soon…x

Edited to add, if you want the other side of the story, check out Thomas’s blog right here!

Community Spirit

I’m straying from my usual crafty ramblings to share a little bit of the real life and community outside Planet Penny for once. If you’ve been following this blog for a while you will know that I live in quite a rural part of Norfolk in the UK. A corner of a muddy field as I frequently say!

Our ‘patch’ is a virtual island, with the river and Broads to one side of us, and the main Norwich to Great Yarmouth road creating a boundary on the other side, and in the middle three parishes which, while each having fiercely protected individual characters of their own, operate together very effectively.

Over the years things have changed, as is true in rural areas all over the UK, and gradually the local industry which kept the communities thriving has died away. It takes a real effort of will to keep the community spirit thriving, and I’m so proud of where I live and what has been achieved.

In 2009 our wonderful eco built Village Hall was opened after many years of fundraising and diligent application for grants and this is now a thriving hub for the community. We have a vibrant amateur dramatics company who keep us entertained two or three times a year, a Farmers Market, a Community Gym, WI, a choir, a band, Gardening club, well, I could go and on!

But last year we were all despair when we lost our last remaining village shop. It had been in decline for sometime after the enterprising couple who had been running it very successfully moved on to pastures new, and things started to fall apart after that. Less than a year ago the building was in the hands of the receivers, an undiscovered water leak had led to mould and rot throughout and it seemed all hope of having a shop was lost.

White House Stores Community Shop

But that was before a small group of enterprising and determined people got together. Within a matter of weeks they had formed the The Three Villages Community Association Limited, come up with a business plan, got the local housing association on board, the Plunkett Foundation and the Lottery Fund and got the village together to put forward the proposal that we, as a community, would buy the premises and run it as a shop.

In order to qualify for the grants on offer the village had to come up with a certain proportion of the money, a not inconsiderable sum. Thanks to the hard work of the committee in working out a system whereby everyone could buy shares in affordable amounts we raised the amount just in time to qualify for the grants.

Unbelievable that was in July last year and with work starting in the depths of winter, and a huge amount of commitment being put in by volunteers, and donations from local businesses the shop opened today!

We had the most appalling weather for the Grand Opening. The rain came down in buckets, the main street in the village had a virtual river running down it, but still dozens of people donned wellies, put up their colourful brollies and turned up to celebrate.

Our MP, Norman Lamb came hotfoot from making waves in Westminster to make a speech and cut the ribbon. Everyone cheered and the visiting dog barked in all the right places! It was all terribly British, especially the rain!

It’s run by volunteers, so the community spirit doesn’t stop here, but carries on. I’m still trying to pluck up courage to man the till, I have a bad track record with tills, and am convinced I’ll either bankrupt the place in a week, or blow it up… I’m the window dresser though, and running the Facebook page and Twitter, and doing my shopping there, which is the most important thing!! Eat your heart out Mr Tesco…

I wanted to share this with you because it just shows what can be achieved with the right community spirit. Who knows, it might even make someone else think, yes, we can do this too and put the heart back into another village. And last, but not least, anyone on holiday on the Norfolk Broads and finds themselves on Barton Broad can make a short trip down the dyke, walk a few hundred yards down the road, and find out for themselves just what a community shop is all about.

I might even see you there!

And now? Well the pub is up for sale….. any takers?

P.S. If you would like to find out more, and see photos of the work and progress over the weeks visit the White House Stores Facebook Page and or follow us on Twitter @whitehousestore

Knitting and Stitching

Helloo! Have you been wondering where I’ve been? I missed posting on Sunday for the first time for ever such a long time and it was all down to the fuse at the substation. We had no power all day, so no tea and coffee to fuel the knitting and stitching. I was very happy that I was able abscond to the other side of the village to my Mum’s house where the extended family were celebrating her birthday, and also welcoming a new baby to the family. Mum’s fourth great grandchild, and first great granddaughter. Such a little sweetie, after all the babies in the family for ages being enormous boys, great long things with huge feet weighing 8 or 9 pounds apiece (the boys, not the feet!),so we were all entranced by this tiny little girl and her perfect little fingers and toes. And this included the enormous boys!

There is a lot going on at the moment but I really wanted to slip in this review. As you know, I’m a bit of a butterfly with what I do and like to experiment with new ideas and designs. This usually means that when I post my latest make on the blog or Facebook I’m already brainstorming the next idea. It’s hard to keep up with the pattern writing as well because this is very labour intensive. But I frequently get emails and messages from people who say ‘I can’t crochet but I’d really like to buy the Mice, or the Garland, how much are they?’ And I don’t have a box of them ready made, and they would no doubt fall over if I gave them a price which covered labour, materials, overheads, etc, etc…

But what I want is for people to find out the fun of learning a new skill be it knitting or crochet, and to learn something which will be with them all their lives which they can pass on to the next generation. It’s lovely when I have comments and messages from people telling me that I played a part in them learning or rediscovering the joys of knitting and stitching.

This is why, when I received an email asking me if I would like to review the Bergere de France Knit and Stitch Magazine Series I was very happy to say yes.

The postman delivered this enormous package and I really wanted to photograph the contents in their entirety, but it was a bit tricky. I tried to do it on the floor…

But I had a lot of help…

There was quite a bit of packaging to get through but that was probably my only quibble. Once that was out of the way I had two pattern books, knitting needles, crochet hook and a DVD.

The first thing that I really liked was that you could walk out of the shop having bought Issue One with everything you need to get started, which is ideal for a novice who hasn’t got a stash of yarn and needles at home. Every issue gives instructions to make a sample square, which teaches you the stitch and then gives you labelling instructions so that ultimately you have all the components for a patchwork throw.

But it’s not just for the beginner, because there are also patterns even in these first issues for pieces which a confident knitter would like to make. I particularly liked the shawl, gorgeous colour…

…and the man’s sweater…

…which I wouldn’t mind for myself!

But the thing which really impressed me was the DVD. It only lasts about half an hour but it gives incredibly clear instructions for all the basic stitches for both knitting and crochet. I know there are a lot of You Tube videos which purport to teach the basics, but it can be hard to sort the wheat from the chaff. This DVD is excellent, ( and I was also very impressed by the instructor’s beautiful manicure!)

I understand that it’s possible to get these first issues through the website and subscription. You’ll need to follow this link to find out more about back numbers but it’s current in the big newsagents. And once you’ve worked your way through the DVD you’ll be filled with confidence about tackling a Planet Penny Mouse or two!!!

The other big thing about to happen on Planet Penny is that Clovis, the Mad French Cat is about to be returned to his family.

Those of you who have followed Planet Penny for a while will recall that Clovis came to stay with my Mum while his humans relocated from France to the South Coast of England. It’s taken some time for a new and permanent home to be established, and he’s had a hair raising adventure or two in the meantime but on Monday Tim and I are loading him in the car and driving for 3 to 4 hours from Norfolk to East Sussex to reunite him with our son, daughter-in-law and grandsons. ( No doubt with Clovis complaining all the way!)

Higgins will be off to his Barking Mad host for a little holiday (Clovis doesn’t ‘do’ dogs) and Henry will be reigning supreme at home. ( I have arranged for ‘staff’ to visit to attend to his needs.) And I am SO looking forward to a couple of days by the sea and switching off.

Although there is the little matter of the Easter Bunny Pattern…

See you soon!…x

Facebook Pinterest

Feeling Blue…and Grey.

This is a post in two halves because I’ve had a few days where my usual Pollyanna disposition has been conspicuous by it’s absence. I’ve been in two minds too, as to whether to even write the post but in the end I felt that appearing relentlessly upbeat is probably a tad annoying and maybe letting on about the down times is a good thing (occasionally)

It’s not been helped by the weather. Not just the cold, but the unrelenting gloom. I don’t function well under sullen grey skies and feel like I’m carrying the weight of them around balanced on the top of my head. I know this means I’m feeling blue but I love blue, and grey, well not so much.

Add to this an M.E. flare up, my other half being in the middle of the North Sea and the boys heading off back home to the South Coast it’s been a bit grim round here, I’ve definitely been Mrs Grumpy.

But today there was sunshine.

The aches and pains have subsided a little so I could enjoy my walk with Higgins properly and I could almost see the flowers in the garden opening…

Apparently the Met Office consider March 1st as the first day of Spring, so the end is in sight. Lets hope it sweeps the grey away!

I celebrated the sunshine by announcing an upcoming Facebook Giveaway which will happen when I reach the 2000 ‘likes’ milestone so if you’d like the join in the link is here.

…and I also indulged in some silliness with a little sheep. I retired the sheep I’d had on my keyring for some years when I changed my car and swapped it for a crochet heart keyring, but despite looking a little battered and tired I couldn’t bear to part with her.

So after a quick wizz around in the washing machine she has now been spruced up and given another car based role. Together with her knitting she’s going back in the car to sit on the dashboard to bring a spot of Planet Penny colour to what is alas, a grey car!

Next step, a crochet cushion or two!

Back soon …x