I've just launched my Fair Isle Jewellery Collection!

I'm very happy to tell you that I've just added my new Fair Isle knitted jewellery collection to my Etsy Shop! I have used Shetland wool to hand knit each brooch and necklace as this was traditionally used for Fair Isle knitting and I love to use British made materials.

The pieces are very easy to wear- I've been wearing mine with my favourite Tweed jacket. Each piece comes packaged in a beautifully hand decorated gift box too, making them the ideal Christmas gift. I've really enjoyed making them so I'm so excited to finally be able to share them with you!

Fair Isle Jewellery Collection Sneak Peek

Here is a sneak peek at how the Fair Isle jewellery collection is coming along! I had another fab photo shoot at Hammonds Photography Studio on Friday so I've got some great images to use and I'm now busy writing up Etsy shop listings! As well as the Fair Isle range of necklaces and brooches I will also be adding some new Harris Tweed pieces. I'll let you know when the pieces go live in the shop later this week!

Marks Hall, Coggeshall, Essex

On Wednesday, Mr Writer, Mum in Law to be and I went for a lovely chilly autumnal walk around the grounds of Marks Hall, in Coggeshall, Essex. It's such a colourful time of year for getting out in the countryside and the landscape at Marks Hall is beautiful (check out the Mistletoe in the trees, I find it fascinating!). Also, I don't know about you, but I love wearing my winter coat, cosy knits and walking boots. 

 Here are some photos I took along our walk...

Attic24 Neat Ripple Pattern Blanket

Some friends have just had a baby boy (he's lovely!) and over the weekend I finished the crochet ripple blanket I have been making for them. It's a car seat/buggy sized blanket and I chose the lemon and cream wool so it would suit a little boy or little girl.

 Regular readers will know that I'm a learner at crochet- I spent years playing around with what I call my made up crochet, but it's only recently that I've knuckled down and started to learn properly! Having previously made a Granny Square blanket for my niece I wanted to try out something a bit different, so for this blanket project I followed the Attic24 Neat Ripple Pattern. 

If you would like to learn to crochet or are looking for crochet inspiration, I'd recommend checking out the Attic24 blog- Lucy fills her blog with beautifully colourful projects, which she breaks down into step by step written instructions with photos. She makes reading a crochet pattern much less daunting! I did do a lot of practicing before I got the pattern right, but I got really into it and now I've definitely got the crochet bug! Now to choose the next pattern...

What are you crocheting at the moment?

Feeling nostalgic

I actually posted this same post about a year ago, but it's now six years since I graduated and I'm looking back at where it all began. My jewellery collections evolved from these pieces... it's scary how time has flown by!

For my graduate collection I created an installation of three knitted hangings (each about three metres long) based on the theme of Make Do and Mend, combining knit with unexpected recycled materials, including glass, meat hooks, plastic food packaging and household paint, to name just a few. My aim was to utilise these unwanted materials and re-purpose them into something beautiful, and this is a philosophy I still work to now.

Knitted hanging embellished with recycled materials

This may look familiar- I embellished one hanging with strings of knit covered beads
embellished with recycled materials. I took this idea forward and developed my first collection of necklaces!

I collected glass bowls, jugs etc from charity shops and broke them into pieces with a hammer 

(very therapeutic!) I attached washers and wool and then hooked these onto my knitting machine, actually knitting them into the piece 

I'll share more images from my creative journey with you as I continue in my retrospective endeavor! 

Last day to take 20% off in my Etsy Shop!

If you're looking for a quirky and unusual Christmas gift, check out my handmade Knitted Rings in my Etsy Shop. I knit the pieces on my knitting machine and then embellish using fabric pieces cut from up-cycled fabrics. All items arrive beautifully presented in a hand decorated gift box (at no extra cost), making them the perfect Christmas gift!

Today is also the last day of my Wool Week celebration. Until the end of today you can take 20% off all items in my Etsy Shop- just use the code WOOLWEEK20 at the checkout.

 I'm working hard on some new knitted designs to add to the shop in the coming weeks, watch this space!

Work in progress

It's UK Wool Week and I'm celebrating British wool and traditional knitting techniques from the British Isles, creating a range of hand knitted Fair Isle necklaces using beautiful 4ply Shetland wool. Here's a little sneak peek at how the pieces are coming along... 

It's UK Wool Week! Take 20% off orders in my wool accessory packed Etsy shop!

Here in the UK from 6th-12th October it's Wool Week, celebrating and raising awareness of wool and it's uses in everyday life, fashion and interiors.Find out more about the wooly events taking place during Wool Week here

I love to use wool as I find the process of creating your own fabric fascinating and it's something I've grown up with. My Etsy shop is stocked with handmade wool accessories, from knitted rings to Harris Tweed brooches that I create to fuel my love of wool and the traditional crafts applied to it. They make ideal Christmas gifts or a treat for yourself  to accessorise your Autumn look,

To celebrate Wool Week I'm offering 20% off in my Etsy shop until 12th October- Just enter the code WOOLWEEK20 at the checkout (but you are very welcome to use it for my non woolly items too!) Visit my Etsy shop here

Happy Wool Week everyone!

How To... DIY Lace Collar Printed T-Shirt With Cover Buttons

Here is my latest How To... A DIY Lace Collar Printed T-Shirt with Cover Buttons! Grab an old t-shirt, a paper doilie, fabric paint and cover buttons and start re-inventing your wardrobe! Here's how...

1) You will need

An old t-shirt, paper doilie, scrap of fabric, small cover buttons, needle and thread, paper and fabric scissors, newspaper, cardboard, paintbrush, sponge, all purpose glue, fabric paint 

I used Permaset Eco Friendly Screen Printing ink but any fabric paint can be used

2) Cover your buttons

Cut a disc of fabric for each button, aprox 5mm bigger than the button. Stitch a running stitch close to the edge of the fabric and pull it together in a drawstring effect. Put the cover button in the middle and tie the threads to enclose the button. Add a dab of glue and snap on the button back

3) Cut the doilie template

Cut two collar shaped pieces from the paper doilie

4) Apply a thin coat of fabric paint to the doilie collar pieces

Take care add paint to the correct side of the doilie so the print comes out the right way round

5) Get printing!

Insert a piece of cardboard inside the neck of your t-shirt to avoid any paint seeping through

Place the painted side of the doilie onto the t-shirt and dab gently with the sponge to transfer the design. Repeat for the other side of the collar. Carefully peel away the doilie and allow the paint to dry fully. Once dry, set the fabric paint according to the instructions on the bottle

6) Stitch on the cover buttons

Stitch them in a cluster or a vertical row. Add as many or as few as you wish!

Enjoy wearing your new customised t-shirt! If you try this technique I'd love to see, post your photos in the comments below! Happy making

On Instagram in September

It seems impossible that here we are in October already! This year is really flying past. Here's what I got up to in September on Instagram...

Introducing brother and sister cats, Daisy and Nelson! They've been making the most of the last of the sunny weather, sun bathing and dozing in the garden- they are always happy to pose for an Instagram photo! Love them!

I've enjoyed baking some lovely things this month, including a Bake Off inspired custard tart and a steak, Guinness and cheese pie from Jamie Oliver's Jamie At Home book- do love a good pie!

Mr Writer had some good news (yay!) and to celebrate we had dinner and cocktails at our local Mexican restaurant. They make a lovely Mojito and Long Island Iced Tea!

Craft wise I've been working on Fair Isle jewellery, printing for a forthcoming How To and making a giant dice for Mr Writer's Dungeons and Dragons games (I'll share it when it's finished!)

We were lucky to enjoy some beautiful weather in Essex towards the end of the month, so Mr Writer and I got out and about locally down by the water. There's always lots of activity on the river on a sunny day

This is my next read that I bought this week, so I'm looking forward to getting stuck in and hopefully learning lots

So that was September, here's to a great October!

What did you get up to in September?