French Knots

A Winner

So The Big Sister helped by drawing a name from my newly knitted teal beret and the winner is .....

Christy from Lil Bit Brit. So please let me know your address and I'll get your goodies in the post.

 I am going to try and find a few minutes today to have a play with my Christmas present from Mr FK

 a fancy pants cutting machine! I want to use it for cutting fabric to make patchwork and applique easier on my hands. They have been getting increasingly painful over the last couple of years, combined with ongoing pain in arms, legs and ankles and also poleaxing tiredness. My GP diagnosed me with fibromyalgia   a couple of months ago and I am still learning about how to pace myself ( ha ha!) and what I can do to reduce the pain and improve my energy levels.

Right I have an embroidery tutorial to finish today, a knitted egg cosy pattern to work on for an upcoming class and a hen party booking to plan for - business is going well and I feel so lucky to be doing something I love that fits around the children too.

See how well I pace myself already!!

 

Giveaway Prizes

So a little later than planned (thanks to starting the New Year with a lovely D&V bug!) here are the giveaway prizes. I thought I'd include one of my tweedy brooches as well as the cushion,a little pick me up for your favourite cardi. I have a super collection of felted jumpers and rescued velvet that are perfect for brooches. In fact I have a whole suitcase full! I love to use vintage suitcases for storage as they look wonderful all stacked on top of each other and I can just grab the one I need when dashing off to run a workshop.

I generally pick them up for pennies at my local jumble and am going to try covering one of the tatty ones with fabric to perk it up, in fact Perky Projects are on the horizon - a quick makeover or project that delivers maximum perkiness is the antidote to the endless grey,damp weather and post Christmas slump.

What's lifting your spirits for the New Year?

 

Whirlwind!

So when you decide to set up a business on a tight time scale with three children of course it's going to be a whirlwind as the weeks whizz by!

The studio is painted, the curtains need sorting out, radiator cover needs painting and then the fun bit of styling and adding the pretty touches. So that's what I'll be doing on Saturday because my first workshop is on Tuesday! And I've got some ladies booked in for Learning to Knit - hurrah! I've been making, printing and giving out leaflets left ,right and centre which I've found surprisingly hard, typical English 'don't want to seem pushy' embarrassment I think.

Thank you so much for your ideas and suggestions, I'm not a tea or coffee drinker but will buy something good and am planning to rustle up some tasty cake too, the atmosphere is very important to me, I want people to feel relaxed yet inspired and I'm putting together some handouts for taking home. I'm becoming a Publisher fan, have learnt to change the ink on the printer and  found a supplier for an A frame board to stand outside the Studio so potential customers know that I'm there. Plus making up samples for each of the workshops and of course lists galore!I can hardly believe it's happening, I'm full of plans and ideas.

All good and very exciting!   So the giveaway - I promised a length of crocheted bunting to one of the kind commenters

 
Either bright bunting

 
or pastel

So I asked The Big Sister to be my random number generator and to choose a winner for me, she said '4' which is Linaloo! Let me know which colour you'd prefer and I'll send it off to you!

So on the list now is buy tea pot, take my spare sewing machine over to the studio to fix the curtains, put up posters in the library and wool shop if they'll let me, list myself on Net Mums What's On, find someone to run a jewellery making class, finish the banner for the Studio door, make a page for the blog with all the courses listed on..........and sit down with a glass of wine! 

World Book Night

I really enjoyed 'A Life like other People's' despite it centering on mental illness, it's not one I would have picked up myself but the observations of life and the small things that matter to us all are wonderfully observed.

Thank you to those that asked for it to be passed on to them, the random number generator ( well actually I asked Mr FK to pick a number!) selected number 2 which is Vintage Squirrel! I will send the book on to you, it can be tracked so we can see where it goes on it's journey. Which is quite exciting really. Or perhaps I don't get out enough!

 

 

World Book Night

I hadn't heard of World Book Night  until Colette posted about it and offered a couple of copies of 'A Life Like Other People's' to her readers. I was lucky enough to be drawn from the hat

 
I planned a peaceful time with the book and the lovely chocolate that Colette kindly sent too........ah yes you are right, it seems to be missing from the picture!

There was also a pretty book mark included in the parcel

 
which perfectly describes all the things I like to do best.

Thank you so much for the parcel Colette, the book isn't one I would have picked myself but I'm really enjoying it as it is so thought provoking and I'm also looking forward to sending it on another journey to the next person to read.

Imagine all the thousands of World Book Night books winging their way across the world encouraging people to read and relish books.Brilliant!

So would you like to read this one next? Just leave me a comment and I'll pick a name at random.

7 days swap

7 days of specialness to cheer up grey February days - Thank you Ali for such a good idea, it has cheered my mornings up no end having a special parcel just for me.

My swap partner was Dottycookie so I read through some of her past posts to get an idea of what to send, trying to choose something she would like! Her parcels to me were wrapped with shades of pink tissue and pretty ribbon and showing surprising self control I only opened one each day, if only I could have the same measure of self control when it comes to the biscuit tin!

 Just look what she sent me - buttons and beads, chocolates and seeds! A pretty felt covered notebook, just right for lists instead of the back of an envelope. I'm going to clear a patch on my allotment to make a cutting garden for the seeds, the chocolate seems to have been nibbled (ahem!) and have you seen the lovely colours in the wool. It's lovely heathery shades, I've not decided what I'll make yet but will have a look on Ravelry for inspiration - that's a couple of hours lost then!

Look at the necklace she made me too, the iridescent beads really catch the light and once The Baby Brother has got past the 'use a necklace as a handle to hang on to Mummy'stage I'll be wearing it a lot as blue is my favourite colour. And the stitch markers, so much better than the buttons on safety pins that I normally use so sock knitting will be much more swish!

Thank you Val for being such a super swap partner!

Whoosh....!

That was last week whizzing by! Days disappeared in a blur of coughing, runny noses, conjunctivitus and the nights did too! We all need some brighter weather and fresh air to blow the germs away.

Just when I needed it an amazing parcel arrived in the post

 Ooh so many exciting treasures!

look at the sweet little bird and the wonderful handmade magnets. The pretty beads were the subject of one of my 365 photos, interesting shapes and colours. And the little silver flower - have a closer look

A tiny little button! I think I'm going to stitch it onto my jacket lapel for the time being to enjoy it but have plans to use it as the centrepiece of a fabric brooch. All from the talented  Emma of Silverpebble as I was a lucky runner up in her recent give away. She makes the most beautiful jewellery, take a look at her shop where she sells her unique and covetable designs. 

Thank you all for your photography advice, I've been trying to find time to try out different shots, if the rain would stop I'm sure it would help to be able to take some pictures in daylight, or what passes for it at this time of year. I've been reading about how to make a cheap lightbox which might help with dull days.No doubt by the time I get round to making it the summer will have arrived!

Sewing up a storm

We are having a family get together this weekend so some Christmas presents will be sent on their way ready for the big day. So I've been sewing. Like mad! Nearly all done and have really enjoyed myself, full of ideas and loving putting different threads and fabrics together.Just need more hours in the day to do all the things whizzing around in my imagiation.

I've also repurposed a towel and a pillowcase and made a new bathmat, along the lines of Soule Mama's in her Handmade Home book. She sewed strips of towel on the front but as I had an elongated rectangle towel from Ikea I didn't have enough for strips so used a couple of hearts instead.

No that's not sunshine, despite it being midmorning it's still dark so the light is on! Looks a bit wonky, should perhaps have layed it flat properly before taking the pic!

There's something so pleasing in creating something useful from bits and bobs I already have, something for my family to use even if it's only for their soggy feet.

Can anyone make use of this?

It's an original ClothKits pattern that was given to me by a friend, it's not something I'll get round to using I don't think so if you would like it please leave a comment.

Right, time to cuddle The Baby Brother, tooth number three is on it's way (I know, he's taken no notice of my request to grow as slowly as possible!) so he needs a lot of snuggling......oh good!  

This and that

Well thank you for all the good wishes and blog recommendations, lots of new ones to add to my list, which was handy last week as I was taking it easy (backache/sciatica) so I was kept entertained reading and being inspired. So much connects us all around the world and reading through a blog's archives is like finding a really great book about my favorite things.

My Little Helper acted as random number generator and chose the number eight which is Lina so the little parcel will be on it's way when I can waddle down to the post office. 

I thought I'd show you my new spotty slippers ( the plan is I don't need to bother trying to bend to put socks on with slippers to keep my feet cosy instead)

 

Hmm what's the big boulder doing in the way??

Goodness I think I must be growing an elephant, 34 weeks. Thanks to My Little Helper for his photography help!

I've finished the sock yarn jumper, my first knitted garment with seams - socks are easy to finish off but this needed to fit together. I read up on matress stitch but as usual just winged it in the end.

 

A cute little jumper, all I need now is a cute little baby to go in it!

200

Well I've burbled on for 200 posts, who would have thought it. I've really enjoyed blogging and the connections it enables you to make. When I published my first tentative post I never imagined the network of inspiring women across the globe that I was joining, though we are miles apart we all share such similar interests and priorities - family, home, creating, growing, connecting. Thank you to everyone who reads French Knots, I truly appreciate all the comments you leave.

 

(please ignore horrid extractor fan!)  

In time honoured fashion I'm having a giveaway! Remember the tea towels? Well I've now made some jaunty bunting and a little blind for the bathroom and thought they were such jolly colours that I'd include a pack of them in my giveaway. As a packet of tea towels seemed a rather lacklustre way of celebrating I'm also including one of the lovely old tablecloths from my hoard.

 

So just leave me a comment sharing the most inspiring blog that you read and I'll pick a winner on Sunday. I really enjoy Domesticali, Blue Yonder,   Maya Made and the one hundred and eight six other blogs that I subscribe to!