Saturday 15 December 2007

Oh the weather outside is frightful!


... but inside Crafty Cottage it's delightful!


You've guessed it, I'm in super festive mood. I've found there's a free Christmas music radio station on iTunes and have been feeling festive all morning. Well, since Doug and the kids left at 11am that is. I love my kids more than anything, but it is so nice to have some time apart - as I'm sure most mums feel some of the time.


Warwick is freezing, grey and miserable today. I know - I've been for a walk around the town today to go and visit a few shops and have a wander around the market. There's a fantastic new stall there, a lady selling organic jams (who can go wrong with 3 for a fiver) so of course I bought some off her. She was standing there shivering, just trying to get her new venture off the ground. I've taken some of her little cards and there'll be on the counter in the shop.


So I went down to the fantastic quilting shop on Smith Street. I highly recommend a visit. They've got some beautiful fabrics for sale as well as lots of ready made items too. I bought the kids some little handmade Christmas stockings, which will probably be used to shove a load of sweets in. They do workshops there, so when I get their website address I'll post a link on my blog and the shop website too. I went to the knitting and sewing machine shop too and have found out that they stock everything I could possibly need for the knitting machine.


I'm so glad that I went for quite a generic name for the shop, which sort of encompasses all crafts, really. We're putting together a new business plan in the hope that we can get another loan to help fund the rest of the improvements to the shop, but also because we've had so many people come in asking about embroidery threads, cross stitch and tapestry. I have to admit I know little about these three crafts, having only dabbled in cross stitch and tapestry, but there appear to be plenty of people in the area who are interested and are willing even to come and run workshops for us... Here's praying!


My knitting has come to a bit of a standstill over the past few days. I think it is the shock of having produced a relatively lovely hat for my sister in a relatively short amount of time that has done me in! I've started on a pair of the Opal Picture Bergere de France socks, which you knit on two normal needles (Ok, bloody small normal needles) so the stripes run along your feet and not around. Does that make sense? Here's a photo.
Since completing Doug's socks earlier this week (which we is wearing today for the first time - smiles of joy on my face!!) I am now going a bit mad for sock yarn. Is this a common problem for sock knitters?! I have the sense of achievement of one pair of huge socks so now am planning to make socks for the entire family. I bought some fab patterns from Getknitted last night so I can plan to be a bit more adventerous with the next pair.
I love Getknitted and aspire to their greatness. David and Sue are such lovely people and have been so supportive of this shop. David has been so kind, sharing his experiences of the past four years with me on several occassions and it is great to have someone on the end of a phone who can give some fantastic advice. I have purchased some Cascade 220 from them to make a Harry Potter scarf for my sister-in-law for Christmas, and I also want to have a go at using Cascade before I potentially get any in next year. I have only ever heard good things about them, unlike some other online shops, too which says a lot.
A customer has just walked into the shop and I really should talk to her seeing as she looks like a serious knitter!
Bye for now!
Jo

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