Folksy birthday!

As promised over on Ravelry, here are some pics of the lovely things I chose for my daughter's birthday today:

Lovely mini handbound book in moroccan leather from Oscar Cat Designs on Folksy







THE cutest owl in the whole world courtesy of entanglewood on Folksy









A set of beautiful sleepy owl cards from gooseberrymoon on Folksy








fantastic camera badges from Mighty Thrifty on Folksy










lovely, delicate turquoise rose earrings from Realicoul on Folksy








Quirky camera earrings - really detailed and unusual from Purple Schmurple on Folksy







sweet, sweet polka dot hairgrips from Concept Design Form on Folksy







the sweetest westie badge from Forever Foxed on Folksy









and the most delicious ginger lip balm from ameliorate on Folksy








and finally, the most original little painted mirror from Superfumi on Folksy







all I need to say is - who needs chainstores????

this and that

The 'this' in this post, if you see what I mean is another baby thing (or two). Hope you're not getting bored looking at them, because I'm aiming to knit right through my stash this year and there'll be a lot more baby stuff coming!! This is a baby skirt I designed (if you can call it that, it was so simple). I think I'll knit up another one and write out the pattern to post on Ravelry. I've used enough free patterns in my time that it's probably about time I gave a couple back to the knitting community :o)


This is my 5th tomten jacket. If there's anyone reading this who knits and who doesn't know Elizabeth Zimmermann, do yourself a favour and buy a copy of the Knitter's Almanac. You can pick it up easily for only a few pounds and if you're anything like me, it'll change the way you think about knitting for good. The jacket is so simple but so satisfying to knit and I never get bored of making it. The hood is so cute when you see it actually on the small person you made it for!












The 'that' is another load of photos, but this time of the gorgeous flowers out in my garden at this time of year. Scott (the husband) is a mad keen, fantastic gardener and these are just some of the beauties he's grown. I like the photo of the clematis especially since it's the first time I've ever taken a picture of a bee. I wanted to get it just as it emerged but then it flew towards me and I got scared. I am a wuss and I am not ashamed :o)

All the roses in our garden (6 varieties) are heavily scented. A rose without a perfume is such a disappointment. The big pink one in the photo is my daughter's rose and smells of baby powder!

Speaking of the daughter, I'm just about to go put pizza in the over for her and her friends since they're all coming over for dinner to celebrate her 14th birthday. My girl is 14. How did that happen??

Happy Birthday Rhia!!

baby, baby, baby

A workmate is having a baby boy later this year and the sister of another workmate has just had a baby girl. Combine these facts with a stash that includes many, many single balls of yarn, not to mention scraps of yarn and I can see that there are going to be loads of baby things coming in my summer knitting. I'm going to knit another dress and write up the pattern for Ravelry. You like??

Look Ma - I've actually been knitting!

Just to prove that I know where the camera is and how it works :o)




This is one completely calorie-free cupcake. Damn, that doesn't sound appealing, does it? Pretty cute, if a bit fiddly. Can't complain about the pattern since it was a very well-put-together freebie from Ravelry. It's just that I'm fingers and thumbs when it comes to assembling small stuffed things!


These are a few of the stitch markers I've been wearing away my fingers making lately. It's a very addictive craft and people so far seem to like them, so that's good! I'm selling them through a couple of yarn shops - K1 in Edinburgh and Three Bags Full down in Halifax and also through my little Folksy shop. They are such fun to make - especially the Fimo cakes. It's like being a kid in a candy store!














If you're interested, nip over to my Folksy shop for a browse - there's loads of amazing stuff on offer there from makers all over the UK. Most of my daughter's birthday presents seem to have come from Folksy this year. So, the link is...
http://www.folksy.com/shops/snowday

I also had a bit of good luck a little while back when I won the Telegraph's travel writing competition. Not quite as grand as it sounds when you realise that they run the comp every week, but still. The prize was £200 and I'm going to enjoy spending every penny when we're down in Cambridge later next month - there are three yarn shops in Cambridge...I'm just saying ;o) If you're interested, the link for the travel piece is:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travel-writing-competition/7770807/Just-back-unearthing-a-Scottish-secret.html