When Cheery met Bubbly

A long time ago I made Bubbly the Scrappy Soft Owl.  She is a clever design by Jhoanna Monte of One Red Robin design (and a talented artist as well - check out her new website here).

Well, Jhoanna has other designs and I have had my eye on a particularly fine looking monkey. And as I still have some of that lovely milled wool, I thought it was time to make a Cheery Chimp.

They seem to like each others company on the table.

Now who is next.....



Wool, glorious wool

I had planned to write a blog before Easter, the before the school holidays finished but the best laid plans have yet again fallen by the wayside....(it is the last day of school hols at least!!)

Just before the school holidays started, we received a whole bunch of wool from a local supplier, Tailored Strands...

You might remember our two alpacas (they are a bit bigger and a bit naughtier now - read chasing ducks out of their paddock and sticking their noses in the food before we can even get out of the container!!

Well we actually bought them from John at Tailored Strands and each year he comes and shears them and takes the wool as part of the arrangement (believe me when I say although spinning sounds amazing I simply cannot add another type of craft to the list!!)

So for quite some time we have been thinking about putting some of his wool in the shop and now we have - and now we can even say that there could be a little bit of our own will in there!!!

Soon this will be available via our website but I have to tell you that it is so amazingly soft and light - I absolutely adore it.

This cowl was a free pattern and can now be found on ravelry  (fable cable cowl) and came together beautifully.  I knitted it in Suri Silk Wool from John which is a combination of Alpaca, Finn Sheep and silk.

 So now if it is a nice cold winter - well I will just have to do some knitting wont I?

Making/(nearly) Finishing

Like most I have a mountain of WIPs.... And as usual after our Retreat if I haven't already made the items I promise myself that I will do so.... with mixed results (and confidence).

This year however something has happened and I have been like someone possessed for the last couple of weeks and working on a heap of things at once.

I have already done Jodie's Robots with some kids during the School holidays - they had a ball and the results were amazing... 

We also did a class making Chubby Birds - I suspect that they might become and addiction as they come together so beautifully.

The Stacks on Robots and the Cafe Bag patterns have just arrived - am in the process of making the Cafe Bag in our Strawberry Seed wool.

Then of course I had to complete Natalie's stitcheries for the quilt.

For the Woodland Quilt we decided to use the Woodland range and it really looks great...  We had the multi coloured option

Or the red/grey or aqua/grey

 

(You might notice the pins and the lack of small stitcheries in the multi coloured - Yes still not finished - backing made but not quilted or bound!!! That is next week)

Then I had a go at Natalie's Butterfly Dreams patterns - the needlecase is almost done....

Mind you in that time I have also finished another quilt top (will show you next time) and am in the process of making a whole bunch of rosettes for the Hepburn Swiss Italian Festa.... 

(I now notice that less than half of these are truly finished.... sigh.....)

Wool

It was exciting when it arrived....

 

I quickly raced some into Jodie so she could play with it for the Daylesford Craft Experience... she has some fantastic plans.

Then I kept looking at it...

And remembered this pattern, the Melford Messenger Bag by Charlie's Aunt, that I have been in love with for some time...

So on Tuesday, I started making it... thinking that I could finish it at the shop over the week.
 

But I had to keep going... the wool is so lovely to use and sew with....so... well... I finished it....
 

We have put all the wool and pattern in our online store....

Enjoy.... I know you will

Ticket time

The mailman has come and take some of these away...

As you can see there might be a little bit of homework...

So... are you coming to find out what mischief Jodie and Natalie can get up to??

And then there is Zoe and Kate creating "yarnage" in the afternoon

Me.... I'll be a model of decorum, snorting in the corner....

Wool, glorious wool

When our friends at Purl's Palace had their store, I must admit that I would wonder over every now and then for a chat and to look at all the beautiful yarn in their store.  Mostly looking at the beautiful garments, a lot of them designed by Zoe which made them even more special.

Secretly I had wished that I could knit well enough to make something for myself that looked decent enough (for a beginner knitter) for me to actually wear.

Well I did.... It was finished a while ago and I have worn it through a lot of the winter months and it has been wonderful.  Its called Stingray made with boucle wool (to hide the bad knitting) and I often wear it with one of Kristen's lovely brooches.

Hello new addiction ..... I need to do something with that Noro over there and make some.......

New things

I know its been a while but there has been a flurry of activity at Threadneedle and at home.
Our first exciting bit of news is that we have introduced Wool into our Shop!!!  We now stock Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino and Eco Baby Cotton as well as the magnificent Noro Silk Garden and Silk Garden Sock... But wait there is more... we also have Rare Yarns in 4 & 8 ply as well as Boucle and Brushed.  

I have been busily knitting away (very slow at it I must say but getting there) and will have some photos soon of finished items.

On the home front we have two new additions to our family - more boys - but the cutest boys you have ever seen.  Meet Cusi and Tupac (Incan names), our gorgeous Alpacas!!  They are only about 10 months old so we are hoping they will become comfortable with us - so far so good...

I am about to go out again and tempt them with some more food - basically just to coo and tell them how gorgeous they are really.