Happy New Year

I wish you all a very Happy New Year and hope you are enjoying the snow!

We had a very busy run up to Christmas and met so many lovely people in the process. We were at Magdalen School Christmas Fair, which was buzzing with Christmas shoppers. It was our first time there, but I think it will be an annual event in our diary. I for one did most of my Christmas shopping there, as there were so many lovely stalls.! If you didn't go - look out for it next year.

We were also at the Brackley Craft Fair in the town hall, which was unusually busy and we meet many crafty folk of Brackley. The time there flew with chatting to people and enjoying the vibe, but I think the highlight of December was the Victorian Christmas Fair in the Courtyard. We set up in the snow and frost, but the sun shone and lots of people came for a chat and to see all the great things going on. We stayed there until about 4pm, when the sun dipped below the buildings and it started really getting cold. It was such a lovely day and a real demonstration of what a great community Brackley is becoming.

Well, enough of looking back and lets look forward to an exciting 2010. We have already got three workshops organised and we are having our first crafty get together tonight at Rachael's house on Hill Street.

The workshops are as follows:
Knit your own socks: 6 Feb/27 Feb/ 13 Feb, 3-5 pm, £3, The Courtyard Coffee House, Brackley
Learn to Pegloom: 6 Mar, 2-4 pm, £5, St Peter's Church Hall, Brackley
Easter Family Crafts: 27th Mar , 2-4pm, £5, St Peter's Church Hall, Brackley

For further details please see the links under our new 'Pin Money Workshops' section. If you would like to come to a workshop, please download a booking form and send it back to me with payment. If you are able please feel free to print out a poster and display it, and/or give a leaflet to your neighbour or friend. Word of mouth is really powerful!

I hope to see you at one of our events in the near future. Please do keep checking back to the blog, where I will be posting information about all our events and where to find us next.

Keep on crafting! X

Meeting up

This has been a fantastic week for meeting up with people.

Started on Monday where the Pin Money Craft Co-operative had our meeting. It was an inspiration to hear what everyone else had been up to and I was left feeling re-invigorated by the enthusiasm of other. Lots of events planned, so I will keep you posted.

Tuesday was knit and chat at Boycott Farm, hosted by Mia from the Naked Sheep. Again a lovely bunch of people and so nice to chat and share our love of knitting. It is a very companionable thing and something which has surely been done, all through the ages.

Thursday saw the September meeting of Brackley Knit'n'Knatter with both new faces and old. We are deciding on a charity to support as several people have already been knitting lots of squares and others would like to make garment too. The generosity of knitters never ceases to impress me. So the task is to decide on a charity to support this year and to start putting together all the squares to make blankets for the Salvation Army.

No photos this week, but look there should be something to show next week, as I am experimenting with dying at the moment.

Check out the shop!!!

I have finally got around to launching the etsy shop. Check it out through the the link on the right.

Things have been busy this week though. I held a peg looming workshop on Saturday evening at Boycott Farm on behalf of the Naked Sheep. Two lovely ladies came along and we spent a lovely couple of hours making sample rugs with fleece roving. They both looked amazing and I hope they have found good homes by now.

The next craft fair in Brackley is the 17th Oct, so I am starting to get things ready for that. I finished spinning all the Romney fleece and started on Tiffany (the Llama)'s fleece from Flore. It is spinning ok, but feels so different from wool, it's quite strange.

Also made another bag this morning, this one has a contrasting lining and I am planning on using recycled sari yarn to knit the front panel. It seems in keeping with the reclaimed material theme that all my bags have.

The first pair of fingerless gloves are nearly finished. I have called the pattern 'Lotte' after my sister, as like her they are pretty and girly. The first pair are in hand spun yarn that I got as dyed roving from the very talented Natalie at the Yarn Yard, but I am planning the next pair in the grey Hammervale Jacob. Should be available in kit form as well soon.

Well 'mum' duties call as the girls have just arrived back from school and carrot cake needs baking and dinner cooking.

A crafty sort of day.

Well the children are back at school and for some reason this always makes me feel like making plans and getting organised!!

So today has been about catching up on a few crafting jobs that have been waiting for a little while.

1st job was playing around with the peg loom. I have been asked to do a rug-making workshop at The Naked Sheep (http://www.nakedsheep.co.uk/) on Saturday 12th Sep from 7-9pm. So I made a couple of rugs to show what can be done with just 300g of roving. I also had a play with some mad eyelash yarn.

I have always shunned the glitzy fashion yarn, but now I have found a fab use for them. Their interesting texture adds that extra something when used on the peg loom.

2nd job was a present for Rachael's 40th, so sadly I can't show any proper pics yet. Just a little glimse. It let me reflect on how lovely it is to make something for someone special, to spend time thinking about that person.

So now back to the spinning - I should have more to show you next week + some dates for our next crafts fair.

Until next time.

Oh for the rain.

I know it's the summer holidays and I know that I should want to be out on my bike or walking the dog, or even setting off with the tent in search of adventure and excitement - but I am really quite happy being forced to stay in and craft. I am very content in the room of requirement (usually wool related) spinning the day away or in the loft conversing with the sewing machine. So I am actually quietly pleased when it's another wet day and I can spend it in persuit of wolley happiness.

Now for some more good news: 'The Naked Sheep' has moved closer to Brackley!

Have a look around at http://www.thenakedsheep.co.uk/ or better still pop in to Boycott Farm, near Stowe, where Mia is now based.

I went to the knit night yesterday and had a lovely time. Tea and cake and good company always makes for a pleasant evening. Mia is planning to run them every Tuesday evening between 7 and 9pm.

Brackley knit'n'knatter are having a summer afternoon tomorrow. We are off to 'The Naked Sheep' to have a look around, a cup of tea and a bit of knitting at 4pm. Followed afterwards by dinner at the Greyhound pub in Brackley and more knitting from about 6.30 pm.

Spinning like a pro!

Well it seems Harriet has a natural affinity for wool. (Wonder where that came from?!?) She took to drop spindle spinning like a duck to water and really enjoyed it. Produced one bobbin on lovely rustic yarn, so needs to do the other soon , so we can get onto plying.

Today has been all about landscape weaving. Lots of fun choosing complimentary wools and thinking about how different textures will work together. Harriet's landscape is beach , and I have been inspired by a lovely walk with friends from Newcastle.

Not sure why colours have got a bit funny..... Will investigate later, as we are just off to charity shop to see what we can buy for Friday's project!

Harriet's Craft Week.

Well, it's the summer holiday and Harriet has an injury to her knee, which means many hours must be spent with her leg elevated, and so 'Harriet's Craft Week' was born!

Here is the plan:

Monday: Making a felt pincushion and time for finishing off a current project

Tuesday: Learning to spin with a drop spindle

Wednesday: Weaving a landscape on a peg loom

Thursday: Knitting a cabled headband

Friday: Embellishing clothes and using the sewing machine.

I found a great link to making felted pincushions on this site:

http://gfwsheep.com/gfw.html (and lots of other interesting things)

Here are our pincushions:

(These may well make an appearance on our next stall - they are so pretty)

Harriet also finished the dog that she has been knitting:


All in all a lovely day.