Tag Archives: Christmas Decoration

Come to the Christmas Fair!

There’s a lot scurrying around going on in this part of the world this week, and it’s not just the mice! We have our very first Christmas Fair this coming weekend, which is exciting and scary in equal measures.

So who is this ‘we’ I hear you ask…

Well, if you’ve been visiting Planet Penny for a while you will know that for the last few years I, along with my print maker pal, Kit, have taken part of Norfolk and Norwich Open Studios. It turned out to be a wonderful way of meeting up with kindred spirits living very close by, so this year we got together as the Two Rivers Trail to create an Art Trail for Open Studios in May of this year.

It all worked so well we decided a year was too long to wait to get together again and so the idea of a Christmas Fair and Exhibition was born. It’s been a great excuse for meeting up over coffee and/or wine for planning meetings!

For various reasons this year the Planet Penny Etsy shop has been my only selling point so it’s going to be fun to step out of cyberspace and into reality and meet real people. I hope that any Planet Penny readers who live in the area will come to say hello. My fellow ‘Trailers’ are varied and very talented, so we’ve got a great mix of things to see, and to buy. If you call over to the Two Rivers Trail website you can find out more about us all.

It’s hard to decide what to sell alongside the pieces I will be exhibiting, as needlefelting is such a time consuming craft and it’s hard to fit it in alongside the pattern writing, crochet, yarn processing, blog writing, knitting and everything else. This is why it makes more sense to teach it so that others have the fun of making their own creations. Nevertheless, I decided to make a collection of ‘One Off’ creations, totally exclusive, no two the same. Collectors items for the Christmas tree!

I started with a basket of hearts, needlefelted with fleece from my massive bag of colours, another rainbow collection…

I was quite tempted just to leave them just as they are, and heap them up on my dresser but no, that is not the plan.

I sat in the corner of my studio with the hearts and gradually disappeared beneath a heap of ribbons and trimmings, buttons, beads and threads while I had a happy few hours making tree decorations…

And they do look really pretty on the Christmas tree…

Now I’ve just got to persuade myself to part with them!

I’ll be back soon with more pretty things, but for now I’d better get back to the preparations. I have a red tablecloth to hem!

If you are in the area, put the date in the diary and come and see us, we’d love to meet you, and there will be CAKE!

See you soon…x

Crochet Christmas Baubles – Part Two

When I wrote the last post about Crochet Christmas Baubles and the perils of pattern writing I really didn’t expect such a huge response when I tentatively asked for pattern testers. Many, many thanks for all the offers, it was very much appreciated. I’ve not done this before, and decided on 4 testers as I hoped that different things would be picked up by different readers but that 4 points of view wouldn’t confuse me too much!

It’s amazing how many typos got through, you really do read what you meant to say, not what you actually said. I was able to make tweaks to the pattern to correct anomalies, and to clarify instructions, so the testers’ input has been hugely helpful, so many thanks to Gina, Sarah, Alison and Janet. This is from Janet, it’s interesting to see someone else’s version!

I’ve added the American equivalents to the abbreviations which I hope will help, and I’ve put in illustrated steps which I hope will make things clear. It looks more complicated than it actually is!

The pattern is now for sale in the Etsy shop here, along with the yarn of course.

I’m now busy getting things together for the Two Rivers Trail Exhibition and Craft Fair which is coming up on 24th November, and coming up very quickly… eek…!

It’s the only thing I’m doing in the real world for a while (as opposed to cyber space) so if you are in the Norfolk area it would be lovely to see you. My fellow ‘Trailers’ are a talented lot and have very varied skills so there really is something for everyone.

I’ve just time to fit in a Higgy walk before it gets too dark so I’m off just now, but I’ll be back soon…x

Crochet Christmas Baubles – The Pattern

Oh the joys of pattern writing! I seem to have spent most of the last week fiddling around with these Crochet Christmas Baubles.

I know a lot of you out there do the most wonderful tutorials and patterns on your blogs, but for those who have never tried I’ll give you a little flavour of it.

First, as you sit playing around with yarn and hook you have an idea, and you make a ‘thing’ that you quite like. So, after a bit more fiddling it turns into a ‘thing’ that you really like…. Hooray!

Then, trying to remember what happened the first time round, you make it again, this time jotting down the process as you go.

And then you make it again, this time from the pattern, scribbled on the back of an envelope, correcting the mistakes.

To the computer to type it out…

Print it…

Make it again, to pick up typos.

Back to the computer for corrections. Then go through with a fine-tooth comb trying to put yourself in the shoes of someone who has never seen the pattern before. Is it explained it simply enough?

Decide some bits need pictures. Make it again, taking pictures.

Photoshop next, cropping and balancing to make the pics as good as possible.

Put the pattern together on screen. How does it look?

Print it.

Panic… Have I looked at it for so long that I’ve missed some howling error?

Have some down time on the Facebook Page and discover that someone has left a comment on a picture shared of a beautiful original piece of work with a link to the Ravelry pattern and find someone has said, and I quote,

“It is BEAUTIFUL! but $5 is too much for a pattern!”

Aaaaaah!

And so this pattern was sent out to some lovely volunteers to try out, and having been thoroughly tested by a textile artist, a crochet newbie and an old hand at crochet, the Crochet Christmas Baubles pattern is now available, FREE! Find it here!

November 2014 UPDATE:

You will also find it as one of Attic24 Lucy’s picks in the Christmas 2014 edition of Simply Crochet Magazine just here…

Have fun…!

Advent Calendar Giveaway

In the run up to the Christmas season upon us, I thought I’d share an early Christmas present. I have been very kindly sent a wonderful Buttonbag Advent Calendar kit, perfectly timed for next month. I love Buttonbag, do you remember I went to the book launch last year? The bright cheeriness of their ideas and kits are right up my street, very Planet Penny!

The kit has everything you need to make a personalised Advent Calendar for your children or grandchildren, and it’s simple enough for it to be a joint project, something exciting to do together in the run up to the main event.

It’s lovely to get something fun in the post…

And I couldn’t resist a peek inside…

And one lucky person will have this pleasure too, because I’m giving it away! And not only the kit, but also £20.00 worth of John Lewis vouchers to buy some little goodies to fill the pockets of the Advent Calendar.

All you have to do is to leave a comment on this post, and share your favourite family Christmas tradition. ( I’m sorry, the prize is limited to the UK only)

I will make the draw next Sunday 10th November, so you won’t have long to wait and then I can get the kit posted out in plenty of time for you to make the Calendar before the 1st December.

Looking forward to hearing from you very soon…x

Ed. to add: Thank you so much for so many of you sharing your Christmas traditions. I’ve so enjoyed reading them, it’s really put me in the Christmas spirit! The entries are now CLOSED, I shall announce the winner very soon so watch this space!

Crochet Balls of all Sizes!

Oh my goodness it’s been difficult not using my sore elbow! I’ve got so excited about the crochet balls I’ve been making. They started off as Christmas baubles but they are so pretty I think I want to have them on display all year round! I’ve been doing a little bit here and a little bit there and ended up with a bowlful…

and then had a happy time with needle, thread and beads giving them hanging loops.

Having discovered a little dish of small crochet balls lurking on the back of a shelf I had a brainwave and threaded them in random sequence onto white cotton yarn…

…and then made a long crochet chain, working the crochet balls and beads in as I went.

Add the original bigger crochet balls and you can see why I am now having to rest my poor elbow yet again!

This pattern really suits the Planet Penny Cotton colours. There are so many combinations to put together, it’s great fun. Would you be interested in a pattern? I’m currently working on it and it’s always time consuming but hopefully it will be available by next weekend.

(Ed to add: The pattern is available here!)

It’s been a busy week in other ways. There’s been a lot of weather about, hasn’t there? I do hope you haven’t been caught up with any of the aftermath of the strong winds blowing us about for the past few days. I’m currently waiting by the phone to see if my dear OH is going to have a helicopter to fly him home today which will only happen if the wind drops sufficiently.

The middle of the week was glorious in Norfolk and I called in at the Craft Fair at the How Hill Open Day. My Open Studios partner and all round best buddy Kit was there with her prints and cards, and several other members of our Two Rivers Trail group. We’ll be getting together later this month for our own Craft Fair and Exhibition so if you are in the area do come along to say hello. You can find out all about the event and the artists taking part on the Two Rivers Trail website.

I also met the lovely Sue of The Mercerie who had a stall at How Hill and drooled over her beautiful wool and colours…

And had a word with the alpacas from Burnt Fen…

..before heading back to the car via this amazing view over the Broads…

Before I go I’ve just time to tell you that I have a fabulous giveaway coming up in the next post, an early Christmas present! So don’t forget to call back or hit the ‘Follow’ button to make sure you don’t miss it.

I’ll be back in the next few days, so see you soon …x

Thank you…

I’ve got to start this with a great BIG THANK YOU! I’ve been overwhelmed by the the lovely messages, kind thoughts and helpful suggestions after my last post. I’m working my way through a list of things to investigate! I’m feeling much better now I’ve come to the end of the course of antibiotics. I struggle to keep my brain functioning rationally at the best of times, and adding fogginess and gloomy spirits to the mix was not not helpful. However, I’m much brighter now, I’ve just got to keep a tight rein of myself and not go galloping off after the next exciting thing, wear myself out and go SPLAT again.

It’s heart warming to know there is a big supportive network of kind people who really want to help one another, even though we are very often half a world apart. There are plenty of negative things to say about the internet but this can only be a big plus.

We’ve been really lucky here in Norfolk to have had some beautiful weather over the past week or so. It’s very uplifting for the spirits and I’ve tried as much as possible to get outside. Higgins has helped of course although he gets a bit impatient with the pace, and my inclination to stop with the camera or pick blackberries.

Autumn is a lovely time of year, but it’s overlaid with sadness that everything is coming to an end, which is why I prefer the optimism of Spring. But the autumn light is fantastic, misty in the mornings but golden later in the day and the night sky is spectacular. And I never tire of photographing the richness of the hedgerows, and the warm glowing colours of the berries…

It’s been pretty noisy in the early mornings here. Not traffic, although there’s been quite a bit of farm machinery on the move, but Greylag Geese. It’s lovely to see (and hear) them fly overhead, but I’ve never managed to get a reasonable photo with my little camera. The past few days however, they’ve been congregating in the neighbouring field…

And despite the limitations of a compact camera the zoom didn’t let me down…

Worth hanging out of the bedroom window for!

Planet Penny hasn’t been completely neglected through all this though, I’ve had the crochet hook on the go on and off, and a two very large boxes arrived the other day full of yarn so I’m very well stocked. It’s just as well the nice young man with a van is happy to carry them into the studio because I would never lift them myself. They will sit there now until I’ve found places to stow all the yarn packs and I will treat them like a roundabout!

I’ve added half size packs to the Planet Penny shop, seven balls of either the Sunshine or Shadows shades suitable for smaller projects…

And, and I have a question to ask…Would you like White? Last year I tried a small quantity of white yarn, Snowdrop, which I sold as a Christmas pack with patterns, do you remember?

I tried to buy more because white is such a good background for the rainbow colours…

…but the dye batch was wrong and I wasn’t happy with it.

Now a new batch is available but if it’s the right bright white I will have to buy a whole case of it. Before I completely fill my little cottage with yarn and move into the garden shed I thought I’d better see whether there’s a potential market for it! So do let me know so I can do some forward planning.

And that, for now, is it. I’m off to put my feet up and peruse the weekend papers with a cup of tea, while Higgins and Henry fight over my lap (Henry always wins too, poor Higgins!)

I’m linking up this week with Handmade Harbour for Handmade Monday, do call over to see all the crafty makes there and I’ll be back soon I’ll be back soon…x