createdandfelted handmade felt bags

Rainbow Hearts

2012-01-27T11:29:00.000Z

A rainbow of felt hearts because when you love it colours everything ....

In the romantic reds of valentines day,

In the act of love when he peels an orange for me- I like the fruit can't stand the feel of the pith under my nails!

In the yellow sun as we take a dawn walk together in the frost.

In the green shoots of the spring bulbs he planted months ago just to surprise me,

In the Blue moods he ushers away with hugs and understanding born of many years....

And in Purple the colour I wore when first we met.... so many years ago....

I did promise you I would share these new colours I hope you like them...

You too can make a rainbow of hearts, or maybe buy some I have already created with love.....

I love my dog...

2012-01-25T18:49:00.001Z

Not least because I get to walk in the local meadows with him everyday.
We start off early, as soon as I shut the gate behind me I feel the anticipation of what we may see as we wander around the meadows and woods.

Sunrises like this are such a joy.
And in winter I don't have to get up too early to see them...even the dark winter mornings have an upside!

The sun was low and the frost diamonds made rainbows.
I stood tillI was quite cold, swaying gently to see the rainbows glisten and flicker into view.

As long as Jimbo has his snuggly warm coat on he enjoys our walks too!
If I forget his coat he refuses to go out the door..

2012-01-22T22:33:00.000Z

I'm enjoying making these felt hearts the knitting pattern came together so quickly, that I made three sizes. the smallest is just 6cm high the largest is 9cm tall.

I had an inspiration and tried stuffing the knitted hearts before I felted them..... the result is soft cuddly seamless felty goodness. I fill them very loosely so the stuffing can compress as the knitting shrinks, and voila! seamless felt hearts.

I like the plain felt but couldn't resist having a little play with these pins....

Next I had a play with some buttons - tiny ones on the smallest heart.

My ribbon stash provided a piece in just right the right shade to complete this little love token
Now who will I give it to for valentines day?

Soon i will show you the pastel coloured ones!

Early one morning......

2011-09-02T23:05:00.000+01:00

I left my caravan and walked through the grounds of Wrest Park to go to work at the Craft and Design Festival
With my trusty trolley carrying all the Felting kits I'd made the night before, and my wicker basket full of yarn ready to make into pouches and purses before the eyes of the visitors later that day. I had a gentle stroll down to the marquees

All I had to do was finish setting up my stand.

I often take pictures of my finished set up but I thought just for a change you might like to see how I put it all together.

Arranging the curtains is easy, I like to have a backdrop I think it helps show all the colours of my bags. I only pull the curtains halfway along the sides so I can still chat to my neighbours.

I use empty crates and boxes to create height and add interest to the display. All my bits and pieces pack away into them, lights, cables, pins and clips. Duct tape and string are show essentials!

Things really start to take shape when I put the covers over all the boxes. I've leant from my mistakes and now I pin and tape them into place so that they don't move about during the show. The stage is almost set. Soon I can unpack my bags and pouches.

Just a few minutes under the table whilst I connect the lights, again I use yet more pins to conceal the cables in the folds of the covers. I like to hide the grey wires which snake across the table.

My neighbours have arrived and I'm finally ready to put out my bags. This is the part I like the best, it's a chance enjoy creating a pleasing display. I like to take my time and play a little....

I arrived in the marquee at 7.30 am and by 9.30am I had finished. There was just enough time to have a chat with the other exhibiters and a cup of redbush tea before the visiters arrived and my day at work began.

Evolution of a stripy felt pouch!

2011-08-31T10:44:00.000+01:00

So here is the story behind these handmade felt pouches-

I have been working on them for about 2 months and I must confess to being very relieved and pleased to have finished the pattern at last.

Originally I made these cheeky little pouches just for fun out of left over yarn from an old tapestry kit. By the time I had finished them I was thinking about doing something a bit different- diagonal stripes!

So I started experimenting.

First of all I tried stranding the yarn as you do for fair isle knitting. I did not even finish a pouch like that as the knitting was far too thick, however I have now learnt why stranded patterns are so popular in the Highlands of Scotland they make a double thickness fabric which must be incredibly warm!

After much fiddling around I had a break through and started weaving the yarns at the back in a similar way to Intarsia knitting but also moving the yarns up and across the work at the same time.

My 2nd stripey pouch, was a bit tatty as I felted it in a hurry .

I just wanted to see how the pattern would come out! I was happy with the diagonal stripes they curve all around the pouch just as I had hoped but the band of stripes was too deep- It clashes with the button placement.

Time for pouch number 3

This one I'm happy with, unfortunately I had only got my rough notes to show how I made it.

This meant it was time to knit pouch number 4 slowly and carefully taking notes all the time so I could write the pattern for it when I had finished. I also adapted it at the same time to use 3 colours instead of 4.

Next I wanted to try taking the stripe pattern all the way up the pouch. I had no idea how long it would take to figure this out.

After a week of knitting and thinking I created this finished pouch, although this one looks OK I know the shaped point on the back did not work at all!I was not very happy with the thick stripe on the side either so I started playing just with the shaping.

After a few more days of knitting and unraveling I came up with a pattern I 'm happy with.

So now I have two patterns using 3 or 4 colours and a complex pattern with stripes all over!

These patterns are available in my Ravelry store so if you are tempted to make one yourself you can!

Time to give,

2011-08-15T10:00:00.001+01:00

I feel it's time to start giving...

Free Pattern Download

So much of my time is spent trying to sell-

Websites,

Etsy,

Folksy,

Facebook,

linkedin,

the list goes on and on....

Today I woke up and thought enough!

It's time to give again!

So to make a start here is my knit and felt purse pattern- Its a free download in my Ravelry store.

My patterns all have tutorials so you can learn to handfelt

also how to knit with 4 double point needles.

I hope you enjoy it.

Tomorrow I'm donating some clothes to my local charity shop.....

A Bag With No Name!

2011-07-15T16:30:00.000+01:00

I was just going to ask for some help in naming this bag before I listed the pattern in my ravelry store. But then I thought how about a bit of fun? So.....

Name the bag competition!

So what should I call this pattern?

I've been calling it my "frill edged bag" which is neither inspiring or eye catching. I'm sure there is a much better name just waiting to be found.

I'll send the winner a free copy of the pattern complete with the winning name on it.

If there a lots of really great ideas I may give away more patterns.

But only one will be used for ever more for this bag.

To enter just leave your suggestion in the comments.

I'm not asking folk to visit my shop / like me on facebook etc.

I'd just like a great new name for this bag!!!

Finding time to play.

2011-07-11T18:46:00.000+01:00

Time to play seems like a luxury sometimes.
I find that if I don't make time to just play with ideas I freeze up- and my life feels like I'm just an observer.
Time to create is so important even the odd hour to rummage through my yarn stash and make a felt pouch just for no reason is joy to me.

Recently I've had the time, just for fun to enjoy playing with different yarns.
When I was rummaging through my yarn stash I found lots of old skeins of tapestry yarn left over from a kit. The yarn is all pure wool so I knew it would felt easily.
I liked these wild bright stripes! It was such a change to knit with colours I've never put together before.

The pastel blue pouch needed a friend

So next I made this one in busy pink stripes.

Some alpaca yarn was tempting me so next I made this cute soft white pouch. The Alpaca was a very hairy yarn but it felted into a very smooth finish. I hand felted this one carefully because Alpaca felts very quickly and thoroughly

And lastly I had fun creating a design to make a brown Icelandic yarn pouch with a cream heart on it.

My play time grew into a couple of days messing about with colours and yarns, and now I feel reconnected and full of new creative ideas.
My little felt pouch pattern is winging it's way all over the world now thanks to Ravelry and I'm really enjoying taking some time to play with new designs and ideas to share as patterns and kits

A Family Event

2011-07-04T18:46:00.000+01:00

My work basket goes most places with me- you can see it even in this picture which shows my bags on display in Embrace Arts at the RA Centre

My daughter Emma came with me to deliver this collection and through meeting the curator was offered spot next to mine at the first craft market to be held there.

I never thought I would be having a stall next to Emma at craft fairs! I felt very proud of her as she chatted confidently to customers and posed happily for promotional photographs,which is something I still find a trial! Known as Moody Chick on Folksy Emma has been making her unique gifts since she was 13 to raise funds for summer camps.

For this event she had been busy making hair slides and brooches.

As college has finished for the summer and jobs are hard to find I'm so pleased that she is going self employed and making her business a success.
I guess my summer craft shows are all going to be family events!!

How Big????

2011-07-01T14:23:00.000+01:00

Even after years of designing felt bags I still have the odd few moments of doubt which assail me when I have finished knitting and before I commit my work to the washing machine to felt.

My daughter thought this latest design was amazing and after much laughter.....

She decided I must have made her a new sleeping bag!

or maybe it was a snug pod to huddle in at festivals!

I love the moments when I open the washing machine to see my work transformed into felt. Each new colour blend and shape is still exciting to see, and after stretching and shaping I think this latest pattern has been a success.

So much of a success that I have now "lost" my new bag to Emma.

Which I guess it OK. Although I made the bag from my leftover yarn stash - so there is no way of making another one exactly the same.....

Pleasantly surprised.

2011-06-25T18:38:00.000+01:00

I'm amazed by the wonderful response to my knitting patterns.

I was fairly sure that a few people would want to try them as folk have been asking about them for a long time.

However I never thought that so many creative people would want to have a go with my knit and felt projects and patterns!

I did spend along time planning them last winter and I could not have produced these kits and pdf patterns without the help of my beautiful daughter who graces the "how to" pages as my hand model. Or my incredibly supportive husband who does all my Desktop publishing. (oh I'm starting to sound like an Oscar award winner here!)

I'm so enthused that I am going to treat myself to some time playing with new ideas and seeing what other patterns I can develop. In the mean time I just have to write the pattern for this latest bag, which has been drawing admiring comments at craft shows this year.

It's a very pleasant surprise to have a success that enables me to get more creative.

Made for ..... ME!

2011-06-24T14:40:00.001+01:00

I often make custom bags for folk I meet at craft shows, I enjoy the creative interaction as we discuss colours and styles.
However the "shoe was on the other foot" when Julian from Swordweaver offered to create a necklace for me.

Julian asked me what design I might like?

A simple question indeed.

What would I like?

I had no idea, in fact the very notion of thinking of something "just for me" was quite foreign to me.
This lack of creative inspiration surprised me. Usually I have ideas overflowing from my notebooks and sketchpads but something to be created for me alone was a new and slightly scary concept.

Well Julian and Jane are very talented and patient folk and each time we met up at craft events I would be asked again if I had any ideas. Eventually I tentatively asked if he could create a pendent with the Yin Yang symbol on it?

And what a joy my necklace is!!

Created from titanium so it will never tarnish or scratch this eternal symbol is a very special to me. I had no idea how Julian would interpret my idea, not even that he intended to make it from titanium, but my finished pendent has such life in it, the colours change as I move reminding me of the constant changes in the balance of life.

It is a source of delight every time I wear it.

The time has come (the walrus said)

2011-06-20T15:35:00.000+01:00

to talk of many things.

of shoes and ships and sealing wax

and cabbages and kings.....

....of purses and patterns and pdf's!!!

and lots of felted things!!

After many, many requests to publish my pattern the time has come (as I surely knew it would) for my little felted purses to travel out into the wide world and set up home on other folks knitting needles.
I will settle down soon and translate the pattern from my, well lets be kind and say "shorthand version" into a more standard form that everyone can understand.

And if you don't knit, fear not I will still be making more to take to craft events and of course put in my online shops.

Just a bag of bits?

2011-04-06T15:05:00.002+01:00

Not just any bag of bits! This is a bag of bamboo needles and yarn, a bag of words and pictures and a magic tape measure!

This story starts on a cold winters morning......

Now then, when I wake in the morning I have time to think.

I'm aware of just how fortunate I am to have this luxury, no alarm clocks for me or rush hour traffic.

I get to lie for a while and think, sometimes I lie for a long time and think a lot .Especially when it's very cold. It was on one of these mornings I thought about felting kits.

If folk could knit and felt a phone pouch to fit their own phone, that would be a very good thing.

But how?

The maths for working out stitch counts and row numbers, like anything is not difficult once you know what you are doing, but how to make it accessable to novices?

And then my Eureka moment!

Now I know I don't think like other folk, but at times it does have it's advantages.

Instead of measuring and number crunching, I could make a measuring tape with stitch count on one side and cm's to knit on the other? Then all people would need to do would be to wrap the tape around their mobile phones and they would be knitting and felting in no time.

Armed with this new idea

I had lots of work to do, making and testing prototypes, writing instructions, asking friends to try out the kit and sourcing equipment.

Which is not so very interesting ,so I'll skip all that and jump to:-

Delivery Day!

On this day 100 sets of bamboo knitting needles arrived.

Within an hour the doorbell rang again and all the packaging for the kits was here.

And then the yarn arrived too. Winding it into 20gm balls was not as tedious as you might think.

I had a very good audio book to listen to whilst I worked!

I don't mind telling you I had a little panic that day.

I still needed the instruction booklet (all credit here to my husband who edited and printed it!)

After all what use were the needles and yarn without the all important information on how to actually knit and felt?

We had a lot of fun when my lovely daughter became my hand model for the photo shoot. Fortunately she can knit very well, so after much giggling we had the close ups of how to knit with 4 double ended needles and hand felt the finished pouch.

My enthusiam carried me along and although I have lots of ideas for more kits,

I kept things simple and created a second kit, this time for a little purse.

I was a little bit nervous when I took the kits to the next craft fair, but I need not have worried all my crafting friends were very supportive (some even bought kits!)

Displayed in felt bags (of course) they looked fine and I'm happy to say were well recieved too!

So that is the story of these kits. I had no idea they would take so much time to produce, but I certainly wish I had found one 4 years ago when I started learning to knit and felt!!!!

Introducing Jimbo!

2011-03-29T12:43:00.001+01:00

He looks so cute, so adorable....

Jimbo is the newest member of our family.

He's a very small staffordshire bull terrier type dog, He is so small we think he might have been crossed with a chihuahua!!(only kidding)

He loves cuddles more than anything, except perhaps food.....

We've had a few interesting days as he settles in and learns the difference between a chew toy and my bamboo knitting needles.

But when all is said and done even our Siamese Milo thinks he is OK

now if I could only get him house trained he'd be perfect!!!!!

Being truthfull....

2011-01-26T12:00:00.000Z

A few days ago I grabbed my camera and took a photo of my latest felt wash

I had an idea of showing you all what my felt bags look like before I stretch and shape them,all crumpled up with tennis balls and old towels.....
I was about to pull them out of the machine into my usual plastic wash basket. But then I thought "No, I'll use a nicer basket that will look more pleasing"
Which is just what I did, I fetched this wicker basket and my spirits lifted, I found I was humming happily and really enjoyed taking the photo's

I placed the flowers my lovely husband gave me for "no reason" in the shot. uploaded the pictures and then...
Oh dear writers block, I must have started a dozen times but the words did not flow.
So I left it a couple of days and today taah dahhh! I realised what the problem was, I was not being honest with myself ,I may have fetched the camera to take pics of my bags - but what had made me happy was photographing the basket. Because this basket is very special to me.

It was the very first wicker basket I made. I'm very fond of it not just because it's my first basket but because I spent a whole day of HESFES at a workshop learning how to weave willow. I was so absorbed in learning my new craft the time flew by, and I only stopped when hunger made me!
Taking the photos had reminded me of that fantastic week with all my dearest friends. And that was why I had been unable to write my original ideas.

I realised today that the truth was I wanted to show you my basket, and relive my happy day again through telling you about it.

The joys of January, I really do like this month!!

2011-01-14T14:13:00.001Z

I'm serious, really I am, I longed for January as I wrapped Christmas gifts, Not because I'm a "Bah humbug " sort of person. I adore Christmas with my family.
I longed for January because this is the month when I can play. Its a time for all my creative ideas to draw breath and stretch after laying dormant through out the crafting "season"
With no shows until March I can experiment, I can let my ideas fly, Free from restocking I can dream again and create again.

I've been thinking about making some kits, so folk can try out knitting and felting for themselves, I also want folk to be able to make something I can't but which I keep being asked for - Phone pouches which fit!
I think I can combine these two wishes.
Today I started by knitting some samples of thinner felt which I hope will be more suited to smaller pouches.
I knitted 2 strands of 4 ply lambs wool into test size pouches.
And this time I remembered to measure them before dunking them in boiling water to felt them! ( yes I did forget once which resulted in a beautifully felted but useless test piece)

I blended Khaki with Olive yarn for one and Bilberry and Mulberry yarn for the other.I wanted to check that both colours would felt to the same size, I've found that different dyes can affect the shrinkage quite a lot.

After a few minutes the purple sample was shrinking well, but the stitches were still showing so I carried on with the soap and hot water.

After 10 minutes of squishing and rubbing I set the felt by running it under cold water. As you can see it has shrunk by almost half.

Now I'm ready to do the math and work out the stitches and sizes so I can I try out my idea for a custom phone pouch kit....
unless I get distracted by another idea first.....

Staterooms and Celebrities

2010-12-04T11:41:00.000Z

I awoke to a beautiful but incredibly cold morning, the bottled gas had frozen in my caravan and it took many minutes before I had the courage to climb out of my warm bed and into many layers of clothes.
I scampered over to the exhibitors entrance of Wrest Park with Romor Exhibitions and felt the heat of the building wrap around me I soon had a hot cup of tea and was happily eating my breakfast as the other crafters started to drift in.

This was the view as I walked into the lovely warm exhibition room!

The frost and dusting of snow was even more beautiful viewed from inside in the luxury of the state rooms.

Although many exhibitors had set the day before as I had, only 2 others had been hardy enough or do I mean foolish enough to stay in caravans on site!

The huge antique mirror behind my stand had made us very cautious when we set up the previous evening! It usually only takes us 20 minutes to put up the frame. This time it took nearly an hour as we were so worried about bumping or breaking anything!!!

I had plenty of time to check over my stand and have a calm wander around the exhibition before the visitors started to arrive.

My exploring was made even more special by the amazing rooms we were exhibiting in.

This painting was on the ceiling above my stand!

Later that day I met Vickie, who makes the most yummy preserves."Humbers Homemade"
She was our Celebrity exhibitor as she had been featured on BBC The One Show earlier that week.

Vickie's sunny personality lit up the room, and it was a real pleasure to hear how her online sales had gone sky high since her appearance on TV. I've really enjoyed reading her blog since I came home too.

On Sunday Emma came to help, I was very happy to take a break and grab some food before it was time to pack up again ready for another show next weekend at Warwickshire Exhibition Centre.

A mossy green joy to share.

2010-09-17T16:48:00.000+01:00

I been waiting for some time to be able to take lots of new photo's. I love these colours for autumn and am so happy with how the pictures came out.

I've not been able to see too well for a while, however, I 'm all finished with hospitals and opticians now.
My cataracts have gone and I have nice new varifocal glasses, and so I can do all the things I've been putting off for a while.( Like listing lots of bags in my Etsy shop!!)

I've been saving these gorgeous mossy green bags until the fall before showing you all. I think they are just right for this new season. I choose the colours before I got my sight back fully and I must admit to having an anxious moment or two after my first operation before looking at them properly for the first time!

I just love being able to really see the felt for the first time, I always knew it's tactile pleasure but had never seen the detail so clearly.
I've been busy today listing bags. I guess it could be a bore for a lot of folk, but for me to be able to see the computer screen for more than 10 minutes at a time it's been a joy.

Look at my new stand!!

2010-09-13T10:10:00.000+01:00

As you can see I am delighted with my posh new stand, I was able to get this after winning a bursary award from Creative Leicestershire. I can't express what a pleasure it was to go out and buy everything I needed to present my bags in this next seasons craft shows.

I was able to choose new tables and table covers and the chrome tubes and fittings to make a "fits everywhere" craft stand.

I can now display my wares in a space any size between 6ft x 6 ft and 12ft x 8ft!!

My wonderful supportive husband spent so many hours planning and then cutting the tubes to length, I think the worst job for him was waxing all the tubes so they don't rust from being up in damp marquees.

I really do think it was worth it though.

My stand is constructed from 25mm chrome shop fitting tubes which are I think look really professional and are a doddle to put up and take down,

It was such a pleasure at Wrest Park Design festival to be able to just unload, and set up knowing I would have enough space to demonstrate as well as display my bags.

I'm looking forward to my return visit there in November, when we shall be exhibiting in the State Rooms!

I'm sure my improved display and probably improved confidence too, made a difference to my sales over the show , because I broke all my records!!!

A dawn walk to fetch water...

2010-09-09T14:09:00.000+01:00

I usually wake early when I'm in my caravan at a craft show, and this first morning at Wrest park craft and Design festival differed only in just how early I awoke.

Remembering that I had forgotten to fill my water bottle the night before, I put on my wellies in order to fetch water for my all important first cuppa of the day. I don't drink tea anymore so it's not the caffeine I need. I think it's just a lifetimes habit to start my day sitting with a cuppa and thinking about the day ahead.

This was the view as I opened my caravan door at 5.30am that morning. I had been so focused the night before on setting up my stand and sorting out my caravan that I had not really registered where I was camped.

The walk for water was only a short stroll away. Usually it's a tap at the edge of the field, but this time it was a the rear of the Orangery, an ornate Georgian building which was much in fashion all those years ago.

After I had filled my water bottle the urge to explore this peaceful dawn garden took over. The sun was just lighting the rich terracotta paint of the Orangery with a warm glow which I hoped hinted of a hot day to follow.

The festival site was silent and calm behind it, very different to the hubbub of folk soon to arrive and finish setting up for the festival. I never tire of the feeling of anticipation before the public arrive at a show.

I turned from the show ground and looked out across the gardens as the sun grew golden through the trees. All thoughts of hot tea drifted away and I started off alone to explore the grounds.

From the grand Georgian house terrace I could see ghostly marble statues arranged on the lawns.

I felt a little nervous of the statues, they almost glowed in the dawn light, there are so many of them too, they reminded me of an E Nesbit childrens story in which the children have wished for the staues to come alive, as with all good wish based stories things do not work out as the children had hoped!

By the time the sun was up I was ready for reality again and wandered back to my little caravan. soon the kettle had boiled and I was drinking hot tea, listening to the local radio telling folk about the show and getting ready to meet the crowds.

Balloons at dawn.

2010-08-25T10:11:00.000+01:00

What a wonderful way to wake up,

I heard the gas burners under the balloons flaring as the dawn light filtered into my dreams.

After a stormy evening I had gone to bed in my little caravan convinced that the balloons would again be unable to launch in the morning.

This was the beautiful view which greeted me as I pulled open my caravan curtains.

Ordinarily I am slow to rouse needing much thinking time before actually rising from my bed, but not so on this morning, I was up dressed and outside with my camera in record time!

Looking across the lake I could see more balloons rising,

The calm waters mirrored the canopies so well.

In contrast to the serenity of the view over the lake the launch field was humming with activity.

As soon as a balloon rose into the air another was laid out ready to be inflated.

The sun rose higher showing the glowing colours of the balloons. The last Canopy rose into the air and I turned and walked back around the lake.

One last look as the aviators glided into the distance, before turning around and heading back to my caravan for breakfast, ready to start another day selling my felt bags in the craft marquee at the festival.

One tiny balloon was disappearing away over the funfair.....

Festival week and no knitting or felting!!!

2010-07-24T14:45:00.000+01:00

I did take my knitting bag... really I did.

But somehow the festival spirit took over and I picked up my needles only once.

HesFes (Home Educators Summer Festival)

It's a family festival safe and loving, welcoming to all. It's hard to describe what it means to us, a week of freedom and acceptance with folk who understand home education because they are on the same journey.

For one glorious week I forgot my age and had a fantastic time with my daughter and our amazing and wonderful friends.

We had a joyful week with early morning cuppas

And beautiful skies.

Emma and I made rag rugged brooches together in a workshop

All ages working together, to make and create...

Music...

And laughter...

A picnic hamper for a table, held everything I needed for a relaxing week. candles, incense and insect anti -bite cream!

The last evening we stayed up till dawn.

Emma never made it into bed at all!!!

My dear old mog..

2010-07-08T17:50:00.000+01:00

Epi or Epimenides to give her full title is, 14 years old and to be honest has always been a cat of very little brain.

I love her dearly but as the saying goes

" for every cat who knocks over the cream jug there is one who will get their head stuck in it"

Epi has certainly got her metaphorical "head" stuck a few times over the years.

However on this occasion at least she was not too confused.

After inspecting the strange orange apparition on her lawn,

Which then hid amongst the flowers,

Mysteriously changed size!

And then multiplied...

She decided enough was enough and settled down for a wash in the sun.

This at least she could understand.

A garden walk before work

2010-07-04T09:43:00.000+01:00

I am very fortunate, when I go to work I leave my caravan and walk there. I may just stroll across the grass into the craft marquee.

Sometimes I get to walk through the gardens of stately homes like Castle Ashby.

On this morning I took the opportunity to explore before the gardens were open and really relished soaking up the atmosphere.

I imagined the people who had enjoyed the gardens in the past, ladies in fine dresses strolling before the heat of the day, and gardeners many of them spending a lifetime tending the plants.

These Fuchsias caught my eye as I wandered around the quiet grounds.

The orangery doors were already open ...

Inside was a delight, the humidity and scents were a complete contrast to the dry heat of the summers morning outside.

The pool in the centre is 7' deep and swimming within are hundreds of goldfish. How many generations of fish I wondered had swum in this pool?

Foxgloves hold a special place in my heart, so finding this display was an unexpected joy.

The sun was getting higher in the sky and I knew it was time to turn from the past and walk back to the craft marquees in the distance.

The future beckoned.....

Talking to the trees

2010-07-01T10:29:00.001+01:00

The trees were calling to me....

After a very hot afternoon setting up my craft stall

When I had a chance to look out from my caravan

I saw this beauty across the field

I just knew we had to get better acquainted.

I'm pretty sure this is a Redwood, one look at it's amazing trunk was the only clue I needed.

Next I spied this huge oak tree further along the field and was not disappointed when I got closer

Hidden from sight around the back of it's magnificent trunk was the biggest bracket fungus I've ever seen on a living oak tree.

As the shadows grew I turned to stroll back to my caravan.

The peaceful trees had worked their magic again....

Taking some time out

2010-06-24T17:10:00.000+01:00

I've been busy knitting all week, making more bags for the next craft show, and making bags for customers orders from the last event.

It was only after I had pegged out my latest set of felted bags on the washing line to dry that I took a moment to look

not at how many I'd made or if the colours are quite right

or whether the sizes are what I'm going to need.

I remembered to actually see what was in front of me,

To look at how fun they appear hanging in the sun in my beloved but sadly neglected garden.

and I remembered why I live this crazy crafting life.

after all

"what is this life if full of care we take no time to stop and stare"?

And before I run off to another craft show!

2010-06-23T11:20:00.000+01:00

I thought I'd better tell you all about the last one....

This time I used two tables and my new white tablecloths had their first airing.. I like the drapes at the back of the stand too, they are there thanks to my daughter who discarded them after re-decorating her room!

I think my posh new display stands worked really well. I was so excited when I spotted these chrome stands on eBay. I've been looking for a better way to show of my bags for a long time

Sitting to the side of my display is much friendlier,Sitting there makes it much easier to demonstrate how I knit my bags and show folks the finished bags before the are felted. I think I'm going to use this set up from now on.

The "Oopah" band was a joy! They were playing right outside my marquee and brought some much needed sunshine to the day.

I love this view of weary visitors having their lunch and watching the craft world go by...

Even when the sun was hiding the crowds came.

This is the marquee where I set up my stall, and went to work each day!!!

Evening time is so peaceful. After talking all day and all the hustle and bustle it's lovely to have a quite walk around the grounds.

This little bridge reminds me of a Monet painting,

And in the fields as I walked back to my little caravan I found some heartsease growing wild in the meadow.

Patchings art and craft festival is special somehow.....

Every cloud has a silver linning....

2010-06-08T09:56:00.000+01:00

I firmly believe in silver linings, I feel that the very act of searching for a hint of silver can cause that glimmer to appear.

And so it was with the last craft fair I attended, although the show was the worst attended event I have ever been to, the upside was not hard to find.

And that flash of silver lining was actually Stripey!!

Cara's stall was opposite mine, her glorious collection of fabric bags caught my eye immediately.I was pleased to think that it would have such a pleasant view from my stall for the next 2 days. little realising at that point that the view would be all but uninterrupted by visitors..

As soon as my stand was set up I went to see Cara's bags close up,

Of course we quickly got chatting. I was so relieved to find that like me, Cara see's other bag makers as exhibiting complimentary products to her own and not as competition.

We quickly agreed that folk who fell in love with her wonderfull fabric selections would not be torn between them and my felted lovelies and of course vice versa.

Stripey finds stall has such a fresh interesting look, It's hard to pass by without stopping to look a little closer.

I like the fresh display hanging from the stall with all her new summery bags.

If my daughter were a few years younger I know we would have come home with one of these fantastic hair accesory rolls, what little girl could resist all those goodies?

After 2 days of laughter and no, not tears but certainly mutual support we parted as friends.

I'm sure we will both be meeting again at a future event, and hopefully we will be too busy selling our creations to wear another path through the grass between our stalls!

Sunny Country show, but what went wrong?

2010-06-07T17:52:00.002+01:00

I was so happy to see sunny skies as we set of with our dear little caravan for the short drive of 40 miles or so to Elton Hall. After the winter craft shows Emma and I were looking forward to camping in the warm summer weather.

I wondered who else would arrive to fill up the showground, I've not exhibited at a country show before, but soon found my pitch and some friends from other events too!

All set up an enjoying the view over the fields...

Followed by a beautifull sunset...

Emma and I sat on the grass ate dinner and watched the sun go down.

Time for work sleepy head!

Ahh my early morning cup of rooibosch tea

Time to brush my hair...

and enjoy a short stroll over to the craft tents, with a short diversion to buy summer clothes.

Everything should have been perfect.

The weather was hot, the show had lots going on, donkey rides and bouncy castles, gardeners question time and cooking demonstrations, Falconry and medieval re-enactors.

But sadly no crowds came, the day wore on and still no crowds.

The Showground looked empty and the knights had no-one to demonstrate thier skills to.

We sweltered in our craft marquee, as a few customers drifted by, long minutes would pass with no visiters in the craft tent all.

Ahh we said it's too hot!

Folk will come on Sunday.

So the day closed and we retreated back to our caravan.

Not to be down hearted we had a lovely walk over the fields and through the churchyard into the village of Elton,

It is a little jewel of an english village with thatched cottages

and walled cottage gardens

Thunder storms raged in the night, but we awoke to another sunny bright day.

Sadly the crowds never did find the country show, the knights fought to desultry applause, the falcons flew sulkily and the donkeys waited patiently in the shade.

And we packed our good and chatels on Sunday evening and drove home feeling a little subdued.

BUT

I'm off to another show in 2 days time!!!

So wish me luck

Can I make one bigger than this?

2010-05-27T12:07:00.000+01:00

Some how I doubt it!

This is for sure the largest felt bag I'm ever going to make!

It really is huge even by knit and felt standards.

The main body of the bag is 150 stitches around and 75cm 29.5" long.

Knitting it was a bit like knitting the back and front of a jumper for my husband all at once. I really thought that I may have made a mistake in my pattern calculations this time.

I finished off the kilo of yarn by making a medium hip bag and some pouches and purses. I usually knit and felt an entire kilo of yarn at a time, I find I get the best felting results when there are plenty of bags and pouches in the wash cycle. Usually I make 8 or 9 bags plus pouches from this amount of yarn. My new BIG bag uses a lot of yarn - over 500gm.

I'm very pleased with this felting. I think the teal and royal purple look stunning in the summer sunlight.

I'm looking forward to seeing peoples reactions to it at my next craft show!

White Felt and Wedding Favours

2010-05-20T14:43:00.000+01:00

I've just finished knitting some snowy white yarn into sweet little pouches, I think they will make original wedding favour keepsakes to hold sugared almonds.

I like the symbolism of the 5 Almonds given to guests at wedding receptions. Each almond has a specific meaning - Health, Wealth, Happiness, Long Life or Fertility.

I smile to think how the bitterness of the almond and the sweetness of the coated candy are meant to reflect the bitter sweetness of a marriage!

They would make lovely bags for the bridesmaids thank you gifts too

I can just imagine them with a special little gift in them. Maybe a delicate pair of earrings from Tatania Rose

or a personalised necklace from Simply Stated

I'm busy finishing some matching purses and handbags too. It makes me wish I had a wedding to go to myself!!

How To... Handfelt a knitted purse.

2010-05-09T13:19:00.002+01:00

Felting is usually done with unspun yarn, but knitting and then felting is a very effective felting technique too....

Sometimes it's called boiled wool felt or fulling, but it's all felt it's all just pure wool!

How to hand felt a knitted pouch or bag

I start with a knitted pouch,

I use pure handwash only lambs wool yarn, (you can checkout my blog post here to see if your yarn is felty or not)

As you can see the knitted pouch is almost 3 times larger than the fininshed one.

To start felting I pour some boling water over the knitted pouch and add a very small amount of liquid laundry detergent,

The right hand pouch is unfelted, the left hand pouch is at the floppy stage which occurs as

I start to squeeze and rub the pouch. Before shrinking the knitting expands!

This is not at all what you might expect, but fear not, the felting will start to happen quite quickly.

Rubbing and squeezing the knitting makes the fibres shrink and interlock.

Soon I can feel the fabric getting thicker and firmer as it shrinks.

After a few minutes I can see the difference,

The felt is not even yet and needs more "elbow grease"

Finally the felt is finished and after a cold rinse to wash away the detergent and shock the felt into a final shrink I can start to shape the pouch into it's final form.

And this is the finished pouch ready to take to my next craft fair or maybe wing it's way through the post from my Etsy or Folksy shop.

I've been away , but I can see clearly now!!

2010-04-28T08:14:00.000+01:00

I've been away for a while I know, but I do have a good excuse miss!!!
I had eye surgery to remove a cataract at the start of April. All went well but it left me with no reading glasses untill now!!
But my goodness seeing clearly again is such a blessing ( albeit in only one eye, the other is due to be fixed in late may)
The colours... I had no idea how much my colour vision had changed, we had to redecorate the hallway. I realised that the colour on the walls really was peachy pink as my darling husband had tried to tell me, and not the soft beigewhich I had been seeing for nearly two years since we looked at the colour charts.

The strangest thing was seeing the colours of my felt bags "properly" for the first time. I was so nervous, "What if I didn't like them anymore?"

I opened the boxes of bags the day after the operation with great trepidation and carefully examined them all.
I had a few surprises, the colours were so vibrant and thank goodness I love them all!!!!

And so just because I still get a kick out of them here are a few of my bright and beautiful bags...

Of course yuo can see more in my Etsy and Folksy shops too (I know another bit of shameless self promotion!)

Wearing my "Other Head..."

2010-03-08T18:28:00.000Z

Many years ago there was a childrens programme called "Worzle Gummidge" the scarcrow in this story had different heads for different activites, one for thinking, one for walking about etc...
Well I too feel like I have different heads,including :- My business head, which I use seldom and is a very poor fit,
My knitting and felting head which I have forgotten to take of in a very long time,
And my ceramic head which has been laying dusty and somewhat forgotten for far too long.

Today I had a very welcome reminder to try on my ceramic head again, in the form of an enquiry via my Saachi gallery site, about buying "Josa" a reclining nude made from terracotta clay.
I don't know if the sale will go through, but whatever happens I feel gratefull that it has reminded me to look again at my unfinished sculptures, and to fire up my kiln again and breath some life into the clay laying in the corner of my studio.

I have cleaned off my ceramic makers head fitted it and found it still very comfortable. So I have re -listed some more of my work in my Etsy shop.

It occured to me that my moongazing rabbits and hares do have a slightly Easter feel to them...

Pink Lovelyness for Mothers Day

2010-03-06T10:40:00.002Z

I'll never forget my first Mothers Day, 16 years ago. Our daughter was only 3 months old. We were both sleep deprived, befuddled new parents, totaly in love with our first (and only) child. My darling husband had somehow managed to keep little'un quite so I had a wonderfull lie in untill nearly 8.ooam!

Not only that but he had decorated a chocolate swiss roll as a surprise for me. We had no car back then and a swiss roll was the only chocolatey cake he could find in the local shops at that time of day.

I sat in bed feeding my beautiful baby girl and eating cake, feeling like life could not get any better....

I never imagined 16 years later that I would have realised another dream and be using my creativity to make and sell my own bag designs, or that my wonderful daughter would be working with me at craftshows selling my work.

All these felt bags are available in my Etsy or Folksy shops. And of course if pink is not your thing then there are plenty of other colours to see.

and the winner is....

2010-02-26T19:31:00.001Z

Congratulations to twelvefloorsup .for winning this felt handbag.

My lovely assistant helped me pick the winner using a the time honoured tradition of names in a hat or bag in this case. If I'd been able to find my camera I'd have been able to show you all a picture of Emma rummaging in the prize bag to find the winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered for taking the time to give such thoughtful comments. I really appreciate all the feedback and am acting on it already.

As you can see in my previous post "stop giggling will you" Emma and I had a fun time taking more photos of the bags with a model so folk can get a better idea of the sizes. I'm also adding detail shots so you can really see what the felt is like. I just wish we had a way for you too feel it's rich texture!!!

An overwheling majority of 18 people said they would prefer the bags to be listed by size or style. compared to 9 who prefered the listings as they are by color. thanks to this info I'm going to be changing my shop around very soon, the sections will be handbags by size, shoulder bags, hipbags and cute little pouches.

The most popular colour folk asked for was green. 13 people asked for various shades of green, So, not wanting to dissapoint folk I have already bought a beautiful pale mint green and a rich teal green ready to start knitting and felting for the spring.

This is how they look when I blend them together. I think that with this year I shall also use them separately as so many folk asked for plain bright colours.

Other popular colour requests were for reds, blues and of course more purple!

I shall see what I can do over the comming months to source wool in these shades too, surprisingly 3 ply lambs wool yarn in bright colours is not always easy to find.

Stop giggling will you!!!

2010-02-19T11:30:00.004Z

I really enjoy meeting folk at craft fairs, I'm not shy and love chatting away at my craft stand or online for that matter. But put me in front of a camera and I freeze!

So when i decided that I absolutely must have some photos of my bags with a real person holding them, the last thing I wanted was to be the star of the show.

To the rescue came Emma, my wonderful teen daughter.

As you can see, we had a few giggles to start with...

more than a few to be honest...

In fact I started to wonder if it was a good idea at all.

Then milo decided to help too. He's very lovely, but a bit distracting.

Finally after a lot of fun we got some great shots to use in my Etsy and Folksy shops!

Emma gazes at a sweet little pink curvy purse

This Purple and green blended shoulder bag is a winner!

I'm not sure why it's a qizzical green handbag!

And lets not forget this elegant grey hand bag which you can take anywhere.

Sunshine award number 2!!

2010-02-14T12:55:00.001Z

Thanks to Mininfelts for giving me this Sunshine award.

This award is given to bloggers whose positivity & creativity inspires others in the blog world. SoI am delighted to recieve it twice!!
I am also very happy to pass it on again according to the rules which are

Put the logo on your blog or within your post
Pass the award onto 12 bloggers
Link the nominees within your post

Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

My nominees are
nifty knits,
smart and trendy moms
dottie designs
funky finds
bodrighy wood
not just handbags
itty bitty ninja kitty
widgetandfriends
petaltextiles
bluesparklyfish
hookandscumble
ohohwhatsnext

Saving our Nature Reserve

2010-02-10T10:27:00.003Z

I just have to share this fantastic video with you all. My 16 year old daughter has started a face book group to protest at our councils plans to build a floodlight astro turf football pitch in the middle of our nature reserve.
she has over 900 members now and this video was made by one of them.
The meadows are a beautifull haven in the middle of our city.

Dreaming about Craft Shows

2010-02-09T15:24:00.001Z

I often think of my dear old grandad when I'm booking Craft shows for the comming year. He was an avid gardener and throughout the winter he could be found with his feet up, a cup of tea at his side and his whole attention lost in a seed catalogue.

He spent many happy hours dreaming about what he would grow the following year and planning his seed beds, thinking about what he might do differently and what new ideas he could incorporate into his wonderful garden.

And I feel that I do the same only for me it is looking at craft shows.

I spend hours trawling the net, checking out venues, enjoying the anticipation of hooking up the caravan and camping at a showground I stayed at last year and had lovely walks around in the evenings after the show .Or wondering what a new venue will be like to stay at, some are stunning and beautifull, others are carparks at the rear of exhibition halls!

I spend ages considering how I will set up my stand, Shall I have a different cloth this year? or keep the tried and true cover that I know looks good, and what about lighting? more lights or different ones?

I'm always trying to find a better way to show off my felt bags, to make the most of the stall without being hiden away behind all the bags. I like to sit on my high stool knitting and chatting to visiters. After a winter of solitary knitting I love to see folks reactions and chat about how I make my unique bags.

As you may guess I adore the craft shows and exhibitions and after a few months away through the winter. I'm certainly looking forward to traveling again.

Blog Giveaway going so well

2010-02-01T14:01:00.000Z

I'm just so appreciative of everyone taking the time to make such helpfull comments on my

blog give away.

When the month is up I'll gather up all the comments and post them so you can all see which bags,section choice and colours are most popular.

Here's a reminder of the sweet purple bag on offer

Thanks again and good luck !!!

Blog award!

2010-01-28T18:51:00.000Z

I am proudly displaying my first blog award today! And what a nice surprise it was to find out about it when I sat down to get on with some work online today.

I recieved this award from Birdcage Creative Abi has featured some very interesting artists on her blog and is herself a talented graphic artist too.

This Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity & creativity inspires others in the blog world. Which makes it all the more wonderful to recieve!

The rules for accepting this award are:

Put the logo on your blog or within your post,

Pass the award onto 12 bloggers,

Link the nominees within your post,

Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog,

Link to the person from whom you received this award.

I am delighted to pass this award onto these great blogs!

Middle of Nowhere

Jan's Crafts, Cards and Musings

Tickety Boo Jewellery

charlottehupfieldceramics

I hope you enjoy seeing all their great blogs!

Blog award!

2010-01-28T10:24:00.001Z

Felt handbag blog giveaway

2010-01-26T16:55:00.000Z

It's time for another blog giveaway I think!

If you would like the chance of winning this sweet little purple bag,

I need you to do 3 little things!

I assure you it won't take long

1- Please visit my etsy shop and tell me which bag you like best and why ( just cut and paste the item page url into the comments box)

2- Tell me how you would prefer the sections in my shop listed :-

a- As they are.

b- By bag type and size

c- By price range.

3- If you could have a bag in any colour what would you choose (and I mean any colour not just the ones in the shop)

Here are some more views of the cute handbag on offer

This sweet little bag is knitted in rich purple yarn and measures

20cm from the top of it's handle to it's base.

10cm total bag height

14cm wide

I will pick a name out of this very bag on 26th Feb!

Thanks and good luck!!

Feedback makes me feel good!

2010-01-23T17:11:00.001Z

I'm feel so complimented by the lovely feedback folk leave on my shop website.

I want to share this exceptionally nice comment with you.

The lady who wrote it absolutely made my day.

"Hi, I love it! It came today and I am snuggling with it right now. It is beautiful and I am amazed at how it touches all the senses. It smells wonderful, feel soft, and looks pretty. There is even a serene silence in the wool..."

This is the little bag she is talking about.

It is only 18 cm (7") from top of handle to base of bag

I am so touched that this lady understands so well what it is that I love about my bags.

Because her comments really sum up my feeling about them too.....

Destash time!!

2010-01-18T10:51:00.000Z

Well it has been a while since I blogged, and as you can see I've been busy destashing again! I do love buttons but the time has come to have another clearout.
I guess we all get the urge to start the new year with a clean and tidy workspace? The only trouble is I keep getting side tracked, I've spent ages sifting through my button stash in a kind of happy daze. which I have attempted to justify by deciding to list some more vintage buttons in my Etsy shop so I can share the joy of beautiful buttons.

I just adore the pearly effect in these vintage coat buttons. I don't think modern buttons ever achieve this "look"

These peach coloured cardigan buttons are just the sort I used to put on my daughters cardigans when she was small.

And who can resist post box red!!

I just had to share this button pic from my last destash the moulding is so art deco.

Another pic from my last destash I want to share with you. I think the shades work so well together.

All these buttons and more are available in my Etsy shop, so please do drop by and have a look!

Boutique Bags!!

2009-10-30T18:05:00.000Z

Lucy from "gifted" in Buckfastleigh, Devon contacted me recently to ask if she could stock my Handmade felt bags.

Needless to say I am delighted that my handbags are now available in Devon.

Lucy is such a sweet lady, and so considerate to the artisans who's work she retails. I'm sure her little boutique shop will continue to be a huge success.

I only wish I lived close enough to go and browse there myself.

How to knit and Felt - A simple test

2009-10-14T10:00:00.014+01:00

I always do this quick and simple test when I have a new yarn to work with.

First I take a length of yarn in my hands about 2 metres is usually enough.

Next I wet the yarn in hot water and add a little soap, not dish washing liquid, just ordinary hand soap, bar or liquid is fine.
Now the interesting bit -

I rub the yarn in my hands quite vigourosly, at first nothing happens, just wet wool feeling a bit stretchy,

Then as if by magic it starts to change. The yarn no longer slips over itself, but feels like it is sticking. I can feel the yarn shrinking and matting together. Quite sudenly I have a piece of felt in my hands!

Step by step guide using different yarn.
Yarn sample 1

Firstly I'll show you what happens with mohair yarn.

A length of yarn ready to start the test

Mohair has a lot of whispy bits. this gives it a lot of bulk when it is dry.

This yarn felts really quickly

Once wet the mohair almost disappears, and the whispy bits felt together almost instantly.

The finished test

After a very short time I have a dense ball of wet felt.

This yarn felted so quickly and so densely, I could tell that it would not be useful for bag making. I would need an enoromously large bag to start with and if I felted it in the washing machine the bag would felt into a solid shapeless ball.

Yarn sample 2

Tapestry wool

This yarn is available in so many lovely colours.

Again take a 2 metre length.

Wet it in hot water with a little soap.

This yarn felts slower than the mohair I can feel the yarn changing in my hands. The dye runs a lot with this yarn, If I use multiple colours for a project I shall have to consider how the colours will change.

The finshed test.

This yarn has felted well, the strands have almost dissapeared,and the felt feels firm which will give the bag some strength. This yarn will hand felt very well. I have used tapestry wool succesfully to make small pots and purses.

Yarn Sample 3

Icelandic Wool

This will knit up very quickly.

I only need a short length of this chunky yarn.

Shortly after starting to felt the yarn.

This yarn is felting well, but not quickly. It takes more effort and feels quite dense already, i'm going to felt it for a bit longer and see what happens.

Final stage

I'm happy with this sample, the strands have matted together well,and the felt is dense and strong. Due to the time taken to achieve the felt I'm confident that a washing machine felted bag will work well.

Sample 4

Just to show what happens if you try to felt a non wool yarn!

lots or rubbing,

Results in no change, just wet yarn!

I hope this tutorial is helpful to you, I always do this simple test, it saves a lot of frustraton and wasted time when I knit a sample square

Early Morning Craft Show

2009-10-12T16:50:00.008+01:00

Happily the day dawned bright and fine on sunday.

Packing the car at 6.30 a.m

I know this to be true because by the time the sun was peeking over the horizon we were half way to Peterborough to take part in the Autumn Show.

A rather bleak view at 7.30a.m

We arrived in good time to set up the stand and still have time for a wander around before opening time. The craft fair was in a warm, carpeted, and very comfortable room, not at all what I was expecting when we arrived and saw the venue.

Emma helps me and stops me fretting too much!

My stall does not take long to set up, although I always fret about how to lay out the colours! I was pleased we had found room for the extra table. Although then I was fretting about having enough stock.

All finished and ready for customers

My stand was between the entrance to the Craft fair and the door out to the cafe, which was a mixed blessing, it gave me space for the extra table but meant folk tended to hurry past, they were probably filled with thoughts of coffee and cakes!

Visitors arrive and everything comes to life

There were so many animals, all beautifully groomed in the hopes of winning a rosette.

I just had to follow the signs to see the Giant Vegetables!

I'm looking forward to our return in November for the Christmas show, although we'll be using our caravan for that 3 day event. And we will be arriving the day before to set up! Getting up at 5.00a.m did make it a very long day indeed.

An early start for my next Craft show.

2009-10-08T09:29:00.000+01:00

My exhibiters pack arrived today for the East of England Autumn Show.

I had failed to notice that this event opens at 9.00am, I am used to a more leisurely 10.00 am start,however this time we will have to leave the house at 5.30am to get there and set up the stand in time.
I am not naturally an early riser, so I shall have to plan carefully the evening before and make sure everything is ready

This news did not stop me from feeling excited though.

Whenever a show info pack arrives along with the exhibitors passes and complimentary tickets there is often an exhibitors list which I scan to see who else is going.

Will there be anyone I know?

Usually there is at least a couple of folk I've met before so I know we shall catch up with each others news when we take a quick break and go for a wander around the stalls.

Chatting to other crafting folk is a bonus for me at the shows, It's a chance to connect with other crafters. We exchange news about other events, amongst the inevitable laughter, a lot of support and advice is given and received.

I'm looking forward to this show as I'm taking part in the craft show within an agricultural society show .
At the event will be farm animals of all shapes and sizes, a "scrufts" dog show and the England Giant Vegetable competition! I'm just going to have to find a few minutes to see that!!

So now I am checking my job list - I need more business cards and I've an idea to print some bookmarks with my showdates and contact info to give to customers. I think a bookmark is always a welcome freebie!

In Fact I think I shall give away some bookmarks (and a discount code for my shop) to the first 10 people who leave a comment!

Alpaca Wool - Will it Felt?

2009-10-07T11:23:00.001+01:00

And the answer is yes!

I am so delighted that Clare from JandJ Alpacas has asked me if I can make her a felt shoulder bag using yarn from one of her Alpacas

I've never had a chance to work with this yarn before so I was very happy when a parcel arrived with ample yarn with which to experiment before making her a bag.

Rich Brown yarn from an Alpaca

Before starting on the shoulder bag I have to check on the "feltability" of the wool.

To do this I take a few metres of yarn and rub it in my hands with a little hand soap and hot water. The alpaca yarn felted very well indeed.

It quickly lost it's yarn structure and became a solid ball of felt.

Alpaca yarn before and after the "feltability" test

Because the yarn felted so quickly, I now know that I will need to hand felt the finished bag,.

I'll have to watch it carefully to make sure it felts evenly and keeps it's shape.

In the washing machine it would most likely become a solid ball of felt.

Next I'll knit a test square to check on shrinkage, and then I can start to knit.

Although I really want to get on with the bag I know that this preparation will be worthwhile.

New Banner for Created and Felted

2009-09-29T11:55:00.000+01:00

I'm so pleased with my new Banner. I think it is a big improvment.

The new look has been promted by my NEW WEBSITE!

I thought things needed a revamp and a new banner seemed to fit the bill.

In case you were wondering the old one looked like this

How To Knit and Felt- Is your yarn pure wool?

2009-09-20T17:00:00.014+01:00

If you are wanting to knit and felt it is really helpful to know before you start if your chosen yarn is pure wool, as only pure wool will give a good tight felt.
Modern yarn blends are so wonderful now that it can be almost imposible to be sure by touch alone if the yarn is indeed pure wool.

If you have a yarn stash then I'm sure that like mine at least some of it is naked! By which I mean some of it has no information bands to tell you about the yarns content or washability etc.

This simple test will tell you quickly and acurately if the yarn is wool or a wool mix.

All you need is your yarn and a box of matches.

Take a length of yarn and light the end of it with a match or lighter.
I would advise you do this near a sink or bowl of water as manmade yarns can burn quickly.

wool does not burn well

If it is pure wool it will ignite but burn slowly, eventually going out on it's own.

It will smell BAD! like burnt hair. (Because wool is hair after all! )

Wool chars when it burns

The ash will crumble away easily, leaving wool fibres visible.

If your yarn is not pure wool then this is what to look for-

Apply a flame as before.

Again please do this near a sink or bowl of water!

The yarn ignites and burns quickly

If the yarn is not pure wool it will burn quite quickly and not go out on it's own.
You will need to blow it out or dunk it in some water.
Please do be carefull as manmade fibres melt when they burn and are hot enough to damage your skin.

Wool mix yarns melt when they burn.

Once it is cold you will find that the yarn is hard and blackened.
The burnt area does not come away from the yarn easily.

Now you know if you do indeed have lovely pure wool ready to knit and felt into something wonderful!

congratulatons to blog giveaway winner!

2009-09-12T11:52:00.003+01:00

New season colours all huggled up together!

Well done to Jackdaw boutique for winning my blog giveaway. The little green purse will be on it's way very soon.
And a big thank you to everyone who entered, there have been some amazingly creative ideas and I'm now thinking about making a larger pouch for keeping bits and pieces safe in handbags.

I won a blog give away!!

2009-09-11T17:59:00.001+01:00

I was so surprised and pleased to win these great little note cards by Creativesque

I am going to send them to my little niece as letters from the fairies. I'm sure she will be just as delighted with them as I am. Creativistique makes fantastic mini notes, bookmarks and all sorts of papercrafts. My prize arrived beautifully presented and very speedily. Why not drop in and see the great items in her store?

These card and tags caught my eye, I love the autumn colours...

Oh yes don't forget to enter my blog giveaway It finishes on 12th september so do check it out !

Craft shows for 2009

2009-09-09T06:57:00.030+01:00

Come and see my Handmade felt handbags!

I've finally booked all my Christmas Craft shows for 2009. I'm going to be very busy, I love being at craft shows so this is my favourite time. My lovely friend has lent me his caravan so it's the travelling life for me through November this year :O)

11th October 2009
East of England Autumn Show
www.eastofenglandshow

"Organised by the East of England Agricultural Society, visitors to the show can expect to see thousands of animals of all shapes and sizes, from small livestock exhibits including mice and fancy rats to special displays of rare and endangered livestock breeds. Plus this year’s Show will feature the debut of the East of England Giant Vegetable Competition. The fruits of a season of hard work by the region’s vegetable growers will by scrutinised by the judges, so come along and marvel at the massive marrows"

I'm so happy that my family will come with me to this show, I think we will all enjoy taking some time off from the craft marquee to have a look around.

24th-25th October
Shugborough Hall Craft & Food show
www.shugboroughhall

"This prestigious location, which is set in the heart of Cannock Chase National Park, is an idyllic backdrop that creates a unique atmosphere and an enjoyable, relaxed shopping experience."

I'm expecting to treat myself to some yummy food at this show. with over 100 exhibitors in "posh" boarded and heated marquees it should be a great experience.

7th-8th November
Hatton Country world
Christmas Craft Fair
www.hattoncountryworld

This is a special craft fair event held within the shopping Village. I think this will make a great family day out, with something for everyone shopping, crafts, farm animals and activities!

13th-15th November
East of England Christmas Festival
www.eastofenglandchristmasfestival

"The Christmas Festival offers a unique shopping experience, with over 250 craft and gift stands. Visitors to the Festival will have the perfect opportunity to discover a whole host of quality gift ideas for friends and family,"
I'm going to enjoy being in the new executive Peterborough exhibition centre. it should be very warm as well as very posh!
I think this show will really get us all feeling very wintry, there will even be an ice rink there!

21st-22nd November
Peninne Fairs
Hangar One
Sywell
www.peninnefairs

"A top quality event with Artisans attending from all over the country. Talk to the actual designer, makers and buy unique pieces which are not available in the shops. An opportunity not to be missed."

This is one of my favourite Crafts fairs which takes place in a converted aircraft hanger! This year the show is even bigger than last year.

28th-29th November
Guildhall Museum
Leicester

Christmas Craft Fair
www.guildhalldhristmascraftfair

"An alternative Christmas shopping experience in the beautiful surroundings of the historic Guildhall"

This historic building is in the centre of Leicester, it's well worth a visit at anytime, but especially at Christmas. The new Highcross shopping centre is a short walk away in one direction and the famous Leicester market is equally close in the other direction.
This craft show is in my home town so I am very fond of it!

2nd-5th December
Shugborough Hall by Candle light
www.shugboroughbycandlelight

"The Shugborough Estate is proposing to produce the ultimate Classical Christmas Experience. The show will have its usual attractions based around the Victorian Christmas theme that includes hundreds of candles lighting up the interior of the house, characters in costume, roasted chestnuts, carol singers and a whole host of traditional entertainment. A huge new attraction for 2008 will be the opening of the Gardens lit by thousands of lights aspiring to create an idyllic Christmas Scene"

I'm very excited by this show, I think it will be absolutely magical, And what a show to end the crafting year with!

Crafts and Flowers, What a lovely mix!

2009-09-02T14:45:00.011+01:00

I've just spent the bank holiday at Bardon Hill Flower and Craft Festival, I had no idea what to expect when I booked this event except that there would be crafts (me in the craft marque) and flowers (in the church)

The stands were a very generous size, It was refreshing to have ample space to show off all my bags.

The marque was a modern sculptural design which I've not seen before. I thought it complimented my curvy bags very well!

After 3 days sitting on my stool and knitting a little light music on Sunday afternoon was very much appreciated.

The flower arrangements in the church where beautiful.

And very varied!

To see more about this lovely event do visit Bardon Hill Church website

How To Knit and Felt- Beautiful Bags by Blending yarns

2009-08-27T10:48:00.003+01:00

I've tried lots of yarns for bag making,
Any pure wool yarn will felt, it's well worth experimenting, any weight of wool will work, that's how I discovered 4ply (fingering) yarn. I use 3 strands of yarn, this gives a great dense felted fabric which holds it's shape well and this means the bags do not need lining.

Using 3 strands means I can play with colours and create original blends. Mulberry purple and Teal green make a great combination.

Thanks to my handy yarn winding gadget the cones are quickly made into balls for knitting. If only the knitting was as fast!

My bags are made by blending balls of mixed yarn colours, This way I can create the subtle shading which is a hallmark of my work.

If you want to have a try, you can also use pure wool tapestry yarn, it comes in a large range of colours, and felts by hand very easily. I have used this to make small bags and purses very successfully

All good things must come to an end!

2009-08-20T14:27:00.000+01:00

What a great summer I've had, camping with my daughter, sunshine and BBQ's with friends in the garden and just enough rain to keep all the plants happy.

But now the summer is drawing to a close and so too must my summer sale :O(

The last few bags are still available, but only untill september 1st!!!!

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
CreatedandFelted.etsy.com

The Sale has made lots of room for all my new season bags in warm oranges and browns, Which I think will be just right for the autumn. Why not pop into my Etsy or Folksy shop and have a closer look?

How To - Make New boxes From Old

2009-08-16T18:51:00.003+01:00

I try to re-use packaging whenever I can. Every little bit helps when you are trying to live a greener life! The tissue is bought from a local independant shop, and the ribbon I wrap around my bags was a generous gift from freecycle.
It's a bit like wrapping a gift,
Open the old box out fully, and wrap it around the item first. I save any boxes which arrive in our house for re-making into posting boxes for my bags, I open them all out flat so they take up less space to store.

A sharp knife is a must.

Cut the card to size around the bag or parcel then tape in place.
Now you have an open tube.
I don't worry over much about the length at this stage as I will trim it next.

Cut the flaps carefully.
At one end, cut down towards the item in each corner.
Then trim the flaps to make them more managable.

Strong tape makes a strong box,
Repeat for the other end and tape over the flaps securely.

I use wide packing tape and stretch it as I stick it down, this makes the box more rigid.

The finished box, Custom made and very strong.

whoops!!

2009-08-12T16:37:00.000+01:00

Thank you everyone who told me about the problem with making comments here!
It's all sorted now (blushes with embarrassment) !!!!

Win a Curvy purse

2009-08-12T10:25:00.000+01:00

This sweet little purse is the prize!

These little pouch purses have so many uses, folk are always coming up with new ideas for what to store in them.
So...
Have a think and let me know what you would keep in one! it's as easy as that I'll choose the winner in a month (12th September)
If you'd like a diferent colour then just checkout my etsy shop to see what's avialable and I'll see what I can do!
Everyone who enters will get a special offer code to use on any purchase from createdandfelted online
I'm so looking forward to reading all your great ideas.

How To Knit and Felt - Sewing on Buttons

2009-08-08T10:57:00.002+01:00

Sewing on the buttons is a very calming activity

I like to set aside an afternoon for finishing my latest sets of bags, I take a pot of tea upstairs to my studio and settle down with some music. I felt a knitted kilo of wool about every 2 weeks, so finishing the bags off is quite a celebration.

Sewing on the buttons is a very calming ritual. The mix of felted wool and pewter buttons makes an interesting tactile contrast. I use shanked buttons for all my bags and really enjoy searching for unusual vintage buttons.

Button holes are not complicated Once I have decided where the button should go I feel for the shank through the felt flap and place a pin in to mark the centre of the button hole. Then i use a small pair of pointed scissors to cut through the felt and by making tiny snips I enlarge the hole until the button will only just slip through. My felt is very thick so I do not need to finish the buttonhole with any stitches. If the felt does look like it might fray you could seal it with fray stop or fabric glue.

I close the bag and using a pin to mark through the middle of the button hole onto the bag I can sew the button into place.

Milo my official quality control cat.

Whilst I sew on the buttons I look foreword to playing with my new colours of wool. I order the new wool as I come to the end of each kilo of yarn, I'm very good and don't start to play with the new colours until all the buttons are sewn on! It's a little game I have just to make sure I don't end up with too many unfinished projects.

That's why it's a celebration to finish the bags.
New wools are waiting and new ideas brewing!!

Milo and me.

2009-08-03T18:15:00.001+01:00

I admit it I am a Cat person,I love dogs, but I was brought up with cats, and it is with cats that I have real affinity

My constant companion.

Milo is a blue point or maybe a lilac point Siamese, we aren't quite sure and somehow it doesn't seem to really matter.

I just had to give in and stop knitting

Sometimes he is not as helpful as he could be, but he more than makes up for it with cuteness.

New Felted Shoulderbag Design

2009-08-01T13:05:00.000+01:00

New design shoulder bag, tiny and very cute

A crafting friend helped me to come up with this idea, she suggested I make a neckpurse, you know the little purses just large enough for small change or your doorkeys? I played around for a bit and then made this sweet little shoulder bag, I'm just so happy with this design, the strap is long so you can wear it across your body, and it's just the right size for credit cards and change.

As you can see it's a bit smaller than my usual bags!

I'm looking forward to hearing what folk think of them at my next craft fair, in the meantime please do check them out at my etsy shop

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28568856

I just had to include some pictures from her web site http://www.zooceramics.co.uk/index.htm
Her sculptures capture so much character.This Bat just had to come home with us when we last saw her at Patchings art and craft festival .

I must give Tracey full credit too for the name Podbags! It was her inspiration one very wet evening when we were sitting in her caravan.

New season colours, Autumn shades for felted bags

2009-07-27T17:40:00.000+01:00

Podbag Purses show off the Autumn Colour range.

I'm so pleased with the new colour palette I've designed for the Autumn, I love the rich oranges, browns and reds. I've created some new shoulder bags for this season too.

This medium shoulder bag has a much longer straps so you can wear it across your body.

I love the sculptural curves and the way it sits nicely under your arm, the new season colours will liven up any winter outfit.

This New design is my biggest bag yet!
(24cm high and 30cm wide)

These bags are all available in my Etsy shop
wwww.createdandfelted.etsy.com

Why not click the link and have a look?

Big decisions- where to put my stall?

2009-07-22T22:23:00.000+01:00

This time spaces had not been allotted so I was able to choose. I like to do this, although my family laugh at my method which involves a lot of standing very still and feeling the vibe of the tent- I feel that my stand is going to be home for the day so I want to feel happy and comfortable, I'm sure it rubs off on my customers too, I like to be not too near the door as folk seem to walk right by that spot, I much prefer be on the wall opposite the door so folk can see me soon after they enter and about half way down the aisle so that by the time visitors reach me they are enjoying themselves and ready to stop for a chat.

I like the set up of this craft tent, it's open both ends so it does not get too hot, and there is enough space for folk to take their time and browse without feeling hassled.
This photo was taken just before opening time,I love this time of day at a show, everything is set up and the exhibitors are getting to know their neighbours and wandering around to see if any crafting friends are showing there too.
It's a time when you overhear constantly the phrase "once I've made few sales I'll be back for that!" So many times I have gone to a show sure that I'm not going to buy anything - and by the end of the day when I have sat looking across from a stand for 5 or more hours looking at a vase or some such I just can't resist the desire to own it.

Having said that I really did not have a good reason to buy a Babynappy cake even though I had admired them all day!

http://www.babynappycakes.co.uk/

Crafts on show at Hartshill Fashion Show

2009-07-08T13:14:00.000+01:00

WOW the chance to exhibit at a fashion show!

Just the right opportunity for showing my bags to the "in crowd!"

This excellent publicity poster is for the end of term event at Hartshill school which is a Comprehensive school on the edge of Nuneaton for children aged 11-16. The children and staff put so much effort into this with celebrities, and profesional models, homemade cakes in the cafe and fresh flowers on the tables.

The children must have been been rehearsing all day for the show, they had obviously had a great time enjoying the tips and advice from the 4 professional models who had come to help, they put on an excellent show, strutting their stuff in the school hall, dancing and modeling t-shirts which they had embellished themselves as part of their course work.

T-shirts decorated by the children

I think the children got a real buzz from having celebrities attending the event, I had hoped that Nina Malone and Megan Pugh would find time to browse around the craft stands, I even dared to hope that I might make my first celebrity sale. (alas this was only a dream)

One of my bags which the celebrites missed!!!

Another crafter at the event was Pennydog.

I love her jewelry, Her resin rings and braclets were very popular. My favourites are the fruit themed pieces, although choosing from such a great range is not easy.

You can see more of her work at -
pennydogaccessories. etsy.com

The evening was great fun, The children were a delight and I may have my chance of a bit of celebrity another day....

Felting slippers, where it all began

2009-07-07T08:41:00.002+01:00

I started felting just so I could make these great slippers.

A few winters ago I was searching on the web for a slipper pattern and came across these felted booties. I knew straight away they would be the answer for my poor cold toes.
I had to learn how to knit socks, which was a challenge as I'd never used double ended needles before or stitch markers, or any of the special techniques used in sock making!

Once I'd made the socks I needed to learn how to felt, much reading and web searching later I felt ready to commit my work to the washing machine, Out came magically transformed albeit soggy slippers, I was hooked from then on.

Soon my husband and daughter had a pair each, and I had fallen in love with felting,

Circular knitting was intriguing me and I wanted to explore new ideas. I started looking for bag patterns, There are some terrific patterns around but everything I found had seams.

No-one saw what I did- the curvy sculptural quality of knitted felt.

So I got knitting and that Christmas all the Nans and Aunts received handbags. I'm still using that first pattern now.

So that is how created and felted began, I'm still creating new patterns and trying new techniques, visit my online shop to see more of my original patterns
www.createdandfelted.com

And If you want a pair of super warm slippers for yourself here's the pattern.

http://www.straw.com/cpy/patterns/fjord-slippers-felted.html
The pattern is from a lovely site, full of free knitting patterns, there is a whole section of patterns for felting!
www.knitting patterncentral.com

How to Knit and Felt - Machine Felting

2009-07-03T09:13:00.001+01:00

My felted bags look very unappealing when they first come out of the washing machine. They are usually jumbled up together with straps twisted in knots and very misshapen, in fact the first time I felted in the machine I thought I'd ruined all my hard work!

My technique involves very heavy felting- sometimes bags are re-felted 2 or 3 times. This gives a distinctive fabric which shows no knitted stitches and looks like a single piece of formed felt. Which in essence is what it is, My method of knitting first with multiple thin strands means that the wool can move and shrink to give a true felted material.

At this stage the bag is approx 1/2 it's original knitted size, To create a bag which will hold it's shape and not stretch took quite some time to develop, I found that the felt is more pliable when it is hot and wet- so I steam the bags and "sculpt" the wool with my hands, stretching and forming it to the final shape.

I really enjoy this stage, It's very tactile and although time consuming very satisfying.

Drying takes place over 3 or 4 days, drying too fast alters the feel of the felt, so patience pays off in the end.

Finally it's button sewing time, not my favourite stage, but I do like it when all the bags are finished and lined up on the shelf, and I'm thinking again of new designs or ways to tweak the patterns.

This finished shoulder bag is one of my latest designs.

You can see more of my felted bags at my Etsy or Folksy shops, why not drop by and see?

Don't forget! please follow this blog- It stops me from feeling lonely!!

My bags featured in Blog Treasury!

2009-07-02T10:38:00.000+01:00

I was so pleased this morning to receive an email letting me know that one of my Curvy bags has been featured in a treasury on Happtree's blog!

You can see the selection here

http://haptreeandme.blogspot.com/search/label/folksy%20mini%20treasury

Haptree's little purses are absolutely delightful, I had just had to visit her Etsy shop to see more. She uses Japanese fabric and beautiful glass millefiori beads.
I really like her kits of wristlet and beads for you to make your own necklaces and bracelet's,
an ideal gift for any crafty little girl.

Summer Sale!!! Half price Felted Bags

2009-06-28T13:34:00.000+01:00

Just some of the felted work available in my summer sale, at Createdandfelted.etsy.com

All Half Price!

I'm having a bit of a tidy up at the moment!
so come and checkout my Summer Sale at my ETSY Shop, Lots of bags and purses are half price!
I need the space to store my growing store of wait for it "gasp" christmas stock !
You can visit my shop through the ETSY link on the left.