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    • 2 Cast on – a step-by-step guide
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Picking Up Stitches

Knitting, crochet, cross stitch and more - the wonderful world of working with wool

craft fair

Sunny days and crochet

April 23, 2018 by Annie Leave a Comment
bright coasters

Sunny days arrive!

After my last post when we were shivering in chilly London, it’s strange that we’ve just had the hottest April day here since 1949! We’ve been sweltering our way through the sunny days, eating nothing but salads and sipping buckets of ice-cold drinks. Poor Lily the dog has been panting every time she steps outside – even though we’ve been sticking to  the shady paths around the woods that thankfully are just a few minutes’ from here.

Lily the dog in the woods

She’s been arriving home and rather than running around trying to distract me from my crocheting with her toys, she’s been heading straight for the spot in front of the fan, where the breeze even manages to blow her “down” ear up for once!

Lily the dog lying on a grey carpet

A craft for the sunshine

I always find crochet far more appealing craft than knitting during hot spells, don’t you? At least you can easily carry around small items, rather than having swathes of knitting draped over your knees.

It’s easy to take crochet out and about as well, so plenty of options to craft under the trees in the park (or even in the pub garden!). There’s often inspiration around too, like this pretty blossom I spotted while heading for a spot to sit…

blossom next to a cricket field

And talking about being in the park and the great outdoors, I’ve been working on a whole range of items that would look perfect if you’re eating al fresco. I think they’d be a brilliant way to brighten up picnics – gorgeous sets of crocheted cotton coasters.

bright coasters

I find cotton yarn a really summery choice to work with (even though, technically, I know it’s still spring and it’ll probably be raining and chilly next week!). Cotton comes in such a mouthwatering range of shades as well.

New designs

First off, I thought I’d dig into my existing stash make some simple round mats in the peachy Sheepjes Catona I bought last year, with slip stitch overstitching in pink Rico Essentials DK cotton…

salmon and pink coasters

Then I spotted some Aran weight cotton, and next came some bright and cheerful, simple round coasters…

bright crocheted coasters

Luckily I found some colours that were ideal for a watermelon colourway, which I thought was fun, as melon’s always welcome on sunny days, isn’t it?

watermelon crochet coasters

However, after ordering a whole new palette of shades of Rico Creative Cotton Aran from The Wool Warehouse, it sent me off in a new direction. I loved the fact that the yarn arrived in an organza drawstring bag, which is now in use as my coaster project bag. Here are just some of the colours!

Rico Creative Cotton Aran

Lacy days in the sun

The pattern I came up with next is more lacy than the bold circular ones, and I’ve made up lots of sets in different colourways.

Here are just a few…

retro crochet coaster set

Vintage shades

paster retro crocheted coasters

Pastel hues

crocheted coasters

Bright colours

I think the bright ones are such fun, and the vintage set would be lovely at a retro picnic or street party. And the pastels would be lovely at a at a christening party, or perfect for a summer wedding, especially outdoors or in a marquee.

Pastel coasters in organza bag

Off to market

The sets will be heading to my Etsy shop very soon. However, if you’re in North London in a couple of weeks, they’ll definitely be on sale at my stall at the next Makers Market in Crouch End.

Makers market poster

Did I tell you about the Makers Market? It’s a new collective of local craft makers that I’m part of, and we’re putting on a market every first Saturday afternoon of the month. It’s been great fun so far, and it’s lovely to show what I’ve been creating to everyone who comes along. Lots of interest in my crochet and knitting classes too! Here’s last month’s stall…

Blink Makers Market in April

Talking of classes, lots of people have been asking to learn how to make crochet flowers, and there’ll be more floral classes soon, but, in the meantime, I’ve been planting out my window boxes again, so am getting plenty of inspiration for some new crochet designs. I mean, just look at some of these beauties…

yellow flowers

Yellow is such a happy colour!

violas

And it looks so striking with purples.

daisies

Daisies are always a must…

And how could I finish my Sunny Days post without sharing Lily among the dandelions?!

Lily among the dandelions

 

 

Posted in: craft fair, crochet, inspiration Tagged: cotton yarn, crochet, floral inspiration, inspiration, spring, sunny days

Fabric and fabulous finds in the North

December 4, 2017 by Annie Leave a Comment
Crochet china pincushions

In search of fabric

Fabric – that’s what I’ve been searching for recently. So many items need lining and I was desperate for something interesting to finish off my designs. Luckily, it was time for one of the highlights of the year: my annual trek up North to visit the Harrogate Knitting & Stitching Show with my sister, Helen, where there was bound to be fabric galore.

Helen and I have been crafty co-conspirators since our teenage years, so it’s always a chance to spend a whole weekend chatting about knitting, sewing, patchwork, cross-stitch, embroidery and more, and planning future crafty projects. We are even thinking of running a craft weekend in her village next year. It’s a gorgeous setting, so watch out for more of that in the New Year.

Cottage at sunrise

Sunrise in the village

Welbeck Abbey crafters

Before the trip to Harrogate, though, we spent a lovely afternoon at the Welbeck Abbey Christmas Craft Fair. As well as all the items on sale, lots of the artists workshops were open to look around. I particularly loved the set-up at Hope & Elvis… Don’t all these beautiful chairs just make you want to sit down and get sewing?

Hope & Elvis Craft Workshop

Take a seat!

As a bonus as we left, there was a glorious wintry evening sky and a fantastic sunset colours, which will definitely be used as inspiration in the future.

Wintry sky and crescent moon

A wintry crescent moon

Welbeck sunset

What colours!

Yorkshire bound

Colourful buttons

Sweet buttons to tempt us!

The next day it was a drive up to the spa town of Harrogate in Yorkshire. Helen’s currently making some gorgeous abstract machine embroidery pictures, so it was straight to the button and bead stands. So much choice – it’s like being in a sweet shop as a child!

Green and white beads

Beautiful beads

Fabric galore

I needed fabric to line my little crochet bags and purses, and luckily we spied a pack with cute and quirky animal prints in fantastic colours… Look out for some creations heading to my Etsy shop soon…

Animal print fabric squares

Cute fabric squares

I also couldn’t resist these gorgeous prints by Angela Daymond.

Angela Daymond fabric squares

It was lovely to have a chat with designer Louisa Harding on her Yarntelier stall, and to have a closer look at her delicate lace shawls… Another project on my to do list, I think…

Louisa Harding on Yarntelier stand

Designer Louisa Harding

We left laden with purchases, slightly footsore, but excited to put our goodies to use.

What a lot of bargains!

The next day was all about charity shops just outside Chesterfield… I’ve been turning little china cups and vases into cute crocheted pincushions/storage pots and am always on the lookout for bargains. And what a haul we came away with! Look at all these gorgeous little pots and glasses I came back with.

Little pots and glasses

My charity-shop haul

They’ll eventually be turned into pincushions like these – there’s even storage at the bottom for a few hooks, buttons or other small findings. They, too, will be over on my Etsy shop very soon if you like them…

Crochet china pincushions

Ready to make more pincushions

Beads and more fabric

The Aladdin’s cave of a charity shop also yielded up some fantastic necklaces and a bracelet, which will be dismantled for the stunning ceramic beads.

Ceramic bead necklaces and bracelet

But the bargain of the day had to be at least  four metres of Sanderson Suva fabric for just £3!!!

Sanderson Suva fabric

All in all, a fantastic trip. I’ll be back there again next year!

 

 

Posted in: craft fair, inspiration, workshops Tagged: fabric, knitting and stitching show, knitting. crochet, pincushions

Knitting & Stitching Show at Ally Pally

October 26, 2017 by Annie Leave a Comment

The Knitting & Stitching Show

The Knitting & Stitching Show at Ally Pally (as Alexandra Palace is affectionately known by locals) is one of the highlights of my calendar. For a start, it’s just up the hill from my flat. I can actually see Ally Pally from my bedroom window. There was such a lot to see that I needed every minute I spent at the show. I can’t believe a fortnight has flown by since it opened its doors, but, then again, I’ve been busy since then putting my purchases to good use. Well, that’s my excuse!

The view of the city of London from Ally Pally

The view from Ally Pally – can you spot the Shard?

Meet the designers

One of the great things about the Knitting & Stitching Show is that you always have chance to meet amazing people. For example, on the Lady Sew and Sew stand, where Rowan was based, there were different designers on hand every day.

I loved Dee Hardwicke‘s gorgeous throw covered in intarsia flowers and foliage. Such a lovely person too, and so happy to share her tips on how to go about creating your own designs.

Dee Hardwicke with her throw and book on Rowan stand at Knitting & Stitching Show

Dee Hardwicke

It was also brilliant to say hello again to a friend of mine from my college days. I’m pleased to say that Martin Storey is also one of my favourite designers (I’ve knitted so many of his designs over the years). We had a good old chat, and, of course had our photo taken too!

Martin Storey and Annie Windley on Rowan stand at Knitting & Stitching Show

Martin Storey and me

Animals, monsters and dolls

I love the Toft stand every year. The little characters on display are so appealing. No wonder the stand is always so busy. I’m going to be teaching a class on Toft kits at the Village Haberdashery in West Hampstead in November. Book your place now and you’ll be able to choose your kit from the full range… (and don’t forget I also teach other crochet classes there. Plenty of granny squares classes and more coming up in Crouch End too). I also went to a talk by Kerry, the brand’s founder, and it was fascinating to hear how she came to begin crocheting her characters.

Toft stand at Knitting & Stitching Show with dolls hanging from the top

Toft dolls just hanging about at the show!

Yarn everywhere

Fluffy wool in bright colours

Give us a squeeze!

There is so much to choose from when it comes to yarn, that I had to make sure not to get carried away. You ought to see my yarn stash – don’t need any more, but that never seems to stop me. There’s everything from bargain packs at Black Sheep Wools, to extra chunky yarn at Wool and the Gang, to individually dyed skeins, to hand-spun loveliness, a huge range of colours and textures. You just have to handle yarn, don’t you? Especially when it looks like this…

Patterns to tempt us

If the yarn wasn’t tempting enough, there is no shortage of inspiration on the pattern front. Janie Crow‘s stunning blankets and shawls are intricate delights. I bought a Mexican Diamonds scarf pattern, though who knows when I’ll have the time to start it. There were also crocheted delights on the Stylecraft stand. I do think that a blanket is something to put on my wish list.

Colourful blankets in crochet

Pick a colour!

A beautiful building

The colour wasn’t confined to the products either. Yet another reason to visit the Knitting & Stitching Show is that Alexandra Palace is a beautiful building. and one can’t fail to be impressed by the beautiful stained glass window high on the wall when the sun shines through…

Ally Pally stained glass window

Another craft to take up?

I went to a brilliant talk about selling handmade products by Steffie Stem, one of the owners of The Makerss, who sell cute felting kits. In fact, felted animals seemed to be everywhere. There was an impressive display of Fi Oberon’s work in the Textile Gallery section of the show. Seagulls, penguins, sheep, sheepdogs and more in cute little settings.

Fi Oberon's felted sheepdog

Fi Oberon’s cute characters

If only I had the cash!

You never know what surprises are round the corner. For example, on the way out of the show there was an impressive display of handbags incorporating embroidery, all by hugely influential designers. I particularly liked the cat bag by Vivienne Westwood! A bit beyond my means, though, I think.

Vivienne Westwood cat bag

Get your claws out!

Back home – what did I buy?

Do you remember the blackberry crochet bag I made a few months ago? Well, the Knitting & Stitching Show provided the perfect opportunity to buy some cotton lining to finish it. There were loads of fabric stalls selling fat quarters for patchwork, so there was plenty to choose from, and I snapped up a piece in colours that matched perfectly. Just need to sew it up now.

Crochet blackberry bag and fabric for lining

A bit of everything

It wasn’t just fabric squares that found their way into my shopping bag…

Crochet hooks, wool, twine, magazines and knitting needles

Here’s some more of my haul. Included are a Socks Yeah! pattern book from Coop Knits, a needle threader (to thread beads onto my crochet cotton for my latest wristbands), a new set of Knitpro crochet hooks, a selection of twine and sparkly thread, a copy of Knitting magazine (I actually took up a subscription to The Knitter and was rewarded with a set of Knitpro needles in a handy case, too!), some Sheepjes cotton in a peachy shade, stitch markers, a needle-size tester and some ever-handy stitch holders.

Now I’d better save up quickly as I’m off to the Harrogate show next month! See you there…

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Posted in: craft fair Tagged: alexandra palace, craft show, crochet, crochet classes, dee hardwicke, knitting, Martin Storey, toft
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  • How to guides
    • 1 Making a slip knot
    • 2 Cast on – a step-by-step guide
    • 3 Knit stitch – a step-by-step guide
    • 4 Purl stitch – a step-by-step guide
    • 5 Cast off – a step-by-step guide
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    • Joining granny squares
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    • Floral granny squares & little flowers pattern
    • Little crochet heart pattern
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    • Waffle Blanket
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