May Haul

So last month I said that I would show some indie dyers some love in order to support small businesses. This month I chose another favourite dyer of mine (who is not unknown to these posts) Mothy & the Squid. I think we were partnered up through fibreshare the first time I took part. I am sure I sent to her and then I just had to try her yarn and never looked back. I absolutely love her nature themes and her instagram is yarn candy for the eyes. Go look!

The first yarn was actually picked by my sister. Mothy’s son is being home schooled just now and one of his school projects was to design, and sell the yarn. He had to come up with a business plan and promote it. His yarnspiration was ice creams. I instantly fell in love with these colours and knew my sister would love them too. So I showed my sister the options and she picked this one which is bubble gum. I actually had an inkling that she would pick this one. I have actually knitted up her socks with this already and came up with a new pattern which I just have to write out from my notes. I’ll tell you more on that another time. I must admit that if I had the funds I would have bought every single colourway in this series.

I knew that Mothy & the Squid yarn would be a focus. The reason I chose it to be this month is because of this colourway. As I said she uses nature as an inspiration and this is from her bird series. Looking at the colours you wouldn’t be surprised that I couldn’t let time go past before ordering it in case she sold out. These are my colours. However, it’s the inspiration behind it. The bird that inspired this colourway is the Blue Footed Booby. My dad was a bird watcher back in his day and had lots of books on birds. My sister and I loved nature books and we would always look through the pictures. We would often come to the page with this bird on it and being children we thought the name was hilarious. So a bit of childhood nostalgia for me with this one. So the yarn will knit up a pair of socks for myself and they are already on the pins.

This yarn is called Pink orchid and was actually in her sale. I would have bought it anyway as I was specifically looking to order a donegal base. I didn’t realise how close this was to a donegal based yarn I bought from For the Love of Yarn. So I might be nice and knit one of them up for someone else (maybe). This one is slightly different in that it’s a solid pink and the flecks are rainbow.

Lastly I signed up for her sea creature club. A year or so ago I stopped all of my yarn subscriptions and I have been good at sticking to it. However, I have been admiring the colour ways for this one for the last few months and I decided to sign up. This is May’s and the inspiration is the Leafy Seadragon. So cute! I love the colours. I usually go for cool greens rather than warm and this will be a lovely change. I love the little stitch markers that came with it too.

While I promised to focus on one small business each month Mothy & the Squid wasn’t the only indie dyer I picked up yarn from. I am sure most knitters will have heard of Jon from EasyKnits. I follow him on instagram and I have been watching his live feeds every Sunday and Thursday when I’m not working. In fact his Thursday live feed is at a time that I can watch it while waiting on my train home. I just have to cut out early. I love seeing what he is working on and the guest appearance of his sausage dog, sweep. He produced some kits called Stay at Home. They sell out so quickly and I really wanted a set for a pair of socks I plan to knit (I was being lazy and didn’t want to go through my stash to try to match up yarn for them). I missed them the first batch but on the second I picked up this purple and pink duo. There was a more ‘me’ colourway but I wanted a change and I do like knitting with pink every now and then. He is actually in the process of writing up a pattern for these kits. So I have a bit of a conundrum. Do I go ahead and use it for the pattern that I had originally planned or do I hold off and use it for the pattern they were dyed for?

Next month I am planning on ordering from a dyer I have never ordered from before. I might not order quite so much but I am looking forward to trying something new. Does anyone else have exciting yarn purchases they wish to share?

My stash in May

I haven't disappeared again. Work, a chest infection and then my mum's anniversary have all kept me away. I've had some time off work and I have spent the vast majority of it with my sister which has been nice. I even brushed the dust off the old hook and got some crafting done. Although it's extra shifts tonight and tomorrow I consider myself officially back and I thought I need to get posting too.

I had planned to share my fibreshare goodies (both received and sent) but since my postman has been at my door almost every day the last week I felt that it was only fair that I guiltily share the goodies I have treated myself too.

I wanted to start with this beautiful box from Little Box of Crochet. I know one or two of my crafting friends follow Amanda and her team on instagram . So you will have been following Amanda and her beautiful daughter Jenny's story. Sadly Jenny passed away almost two weeks ago and all our thoughts have been with Amanda. This box is in memory of Jenny and it contains a kit for a gorgeous mandala. I never thought that I would want to make one of these but Jenny's mandala is a lovely design and I already know where it's going once I finish it. It comes with a lovely little mandala stitch marker and a stamp. I know you can't see them but it seemed apt that my case of tulips be used to hold up the booklet as I wanted you to see the title. Apt because we all sent Jenny crochet flowers at her request.

Stephen West of WestKnits has quickly become one of my favourite designers. I love his use of texture and colour. He seems uninhibited when using both in his designs which is very refreshing. It encourages you to be the same (although I still think I am a little conservative with my colour choices). I am currently working on a shawl as part of a knitalong and I have bravely used colours that I wouldn't normally use apart from in socks for my sister (who is just as uninhibited when it comes to colour). I since signed up to do another knit along. You receive four patterns and four parcels of yarns to knit these patterns. I don't think I am aloud to say to much about the pattern as yet but I can show you my parcel. I love the yarn. It's exactly my colours. The yarn is by Garn stories and is lovely. I can't wait to knit with it. I also love the little notebook and project bag which came with it. The next parcel is on it's way and I haven't started this yet. I promised myself I would finish some projects before I start anything new but my project list is getting bigger and bigger.

If that wasn't enough I signed up for another knit along. This time a mystery shawl. In other words we won't know the finished piece until we complete it. The pattern is by Joji Knits and you can find her patterns on ravelry. Felt Fusions is a indie hand dyer that I follow on instagram and etsy. She was doing a yarn set especially for the shawl. You could pick your own colours. I asked for teal and for felt fusion to pick the rest based on that. I couldn't have been happier with the colours she picked out for me. They are beautiful and the yarn is so soft. This is going to be one beautiful shawl.

This wouldn't be a stash post without including the lovely Lisa of For the Love of Yarn. I joined one of Lisa's new clubs called speckle yarn club. It's all there in the description but you get a surprise colourway of speckled yarn. I signed up for 100g of sock yarn and I have loved it so far. The first months colourway I plan on contributing to my westknits shawl so that it is all knitted up with yarn from the same dyer. This second one is my favourite. My colours again. I love the beautiful blues. These will become a pair of socks for myself (sorry it won't become the shawl you kindly included Lisa). I do like the shawl and I love the little flower button. If you fancy signing up you still can as it's still available on her etsy page.

The latest themed club Lisa did was magical mysteries. I received beautiful yarn which I know my sister will want as socks. It's called Mermaids wish. I love the little stitch marker, button and magnet. I love my hook with the unicorn poop on top. And as for the rainbow drops, my sister and I loved these when we were little. Takes me back. The next box is Game of Thrones which you can sign up for here. While I read most of the books I have yet to work my way through the TV series (I got to episode 2 back when it first came out) so I am pleased to say there is finally one that I won't be signing up for. Sorry Lisa!

Lastly I thought I would show you this months mini skeins also from Lisa. The purple might go towards my sisters blanket. The yellow might go towards my WestKnits shawl. More beautiful colours Lisa.

Lisa will notice that I haven't shown the box from the blanket club. That's because I have caught up with all the previous months and want to post it separately. It's working out beautifully and this months colours will be a lovely edition.

You will notice that I haven't posted much about the giveaway which I was supposed to announce today. It got very little response. So I can give it to one of the three people who commented (comment again if you are interested) or I can send it to my old knitting group to be used for one of their charity projects or put out on swap night.

Mum's Garden May 2016

Sadly the tulips have been and gone. We had a week of sunshine where they really came out on display. Followed by a week of rain which has resulted in petals all over the garden. When I get the chance I will move the pot to the back of the garden and then save the bulbs as I did last year.

The solitary red tulip was actually the first to bloom and the last to go. I think this would have pleased my mum.

 The tulips aren't the only blooms which have been and gone. The magnolia has also sprayed it's petals all over the garden. It was lovely while it lasted and I am sure it will be back next year.

One plant I thought was a goner was the heather. Which would have been a shame as the bees love it. It was dry looking and if I pruned it I felt that it would have taken the whole plant away. Thankfully I left it alone and then a week or so ago I noticed that it was displaying some colour. The bees will get their favourite plant after all.

A plant that I did prune right down was this fern tree. It was just too large last year and it was blocking all of the sun. My dad commented that he thought I had killed it until I pointed out the little buds that were already starting to sprout. Just days later wee have this and it's looking better now that it isn't so overpowering.

I did get another surprise. This time in the rock garden. These little white flowers appeared next to the yellow. I didn't plant them and they weren't there last year. I think my mum must have planted it and it only came round this year.

We also have some purple flowers coming back. I love these little flowers even though I have no clue what they are. So there is colour slowly coming to the garden. Bulbs I planted are starting to grow and the hanging baskets are quickly coming to life too.

May Stash

Last month I was very good. I did not add to my stash at all. This month I have been very very bad. I am just going to enjoy it though as I get the keys to my flat at the end of the month and so there will be no more bad months. My bank balance won't allow it.

The truth is I wanted to buy some nice sock yarn to knit up for my dad for Father's Day. So I thought that Forest Moon by Mothy and the Squid would be perfeect. It's a dark colour but has that hint of yellow to make it a little bit special. The Summer Skies Rainbow I picked out for my sister as I decided that they would be perfect for a pair of summer socks. She loves the yarn and says it reminds her of care bears and rainbow brite. I have to be honest that I can't wait to knit with both of them.

The lovely Jillian also sent me a little mini skein of sock yarn in red. I thought that was lovely. Oh, and she also sent me more stitch markers which you saw the first time I purchased her yarn. I love this and I think they will become the heel and toes of a pair of socks for myself.

My good friend Lisa of For the Love of Yarn had a yarn sale on her facebook page. I picked up two of those yarns (I couldn't resist).  The yellow and white I picked up because the colours were so completely different to anything else in my stash. I generally find myself navigating towards the same colours all the time so this will make a nice change. The second I picked up because it's crazy enough for my sister to love. I have these earmarked for her Christmas. Although, she has asked me to knit her a pair of leg warmers so maybe I will use it for those.

Alas my sister has told me that the Forest Moon socks are too girly still for my dad (they have a sparkle to them) and so I have had no choice but to go with what my dad really wants which is plain old and boring - black. I picked up some heritage sock yarn from Wool Warehouse. I even have them on the pins already and I can confirm that it is lovely to knit with. I hope he appreciates it though.

He is not getting off entirely scott free. The black yarn gave me all the excusee I needed to pick up a pack of Lisa's mini skeins. One of these will form the heel and toes of the socks. He will have coloured socks whether he likes it or not.

I also indulged in picking up some stitch markers from Lisa. I really do have an obsession with collecting them. I couldn't resist sets involving my favourite things - mushrooms, ladybirds and owls. One day I will need to show off my collection.

May WIP

Last month came and went without a WIP post. Although lets face it, it also came and went with only four posts in total. The last few weeks my crafting productivity has increased a fraction and I actually have something to show you. This months socks is the first of the list. As I mentioned before I am doing just a basic sock this time. I am loving it because I am enjoying the yarn and the little flashes of rainbow. I don't want to say too much on it as I will post about it when finished. However, I can say that I am taking my time with them and just enjoying it. It helps that this is my favourite colour.

Speaking of favourite colour, I have also picked up the needle. This is a little project I have promised myself for a while. I love little mushrooms and I especially love the fact that they are teal. This is a project that I got from Cross Stitcher magazine. I've made a few changes to it though and for that you'll have to wait.

I am also working on a little (or not so little) project for my new home. I decided to try my hand at some Sashiko. Something I haven't done since I first attempted it during a class hosted by my old knitting group (if you want a reminder of that you can see it here). I am having fun with it and I can see myself trying different patterns. I actually have some plans for more posts on Sashiko so watch this space.

Oh and the garden may finally be about to display some colour!

I have some more plans for the blog too. So I guess you could list that as a WIP too. Coming up I have another mini Skein related post which was inspired through chat with the lovely Lisa. I also have  more plans but you will see what they are in my next What's New post. Until then I hope you are all enjoying your projects too.

What's New In April

Apologies for the absence this week. You might have to expect that over the next month or so although I will try my best to give some warning. There are a few things that are occurring that have caused me to stay away from my blog. First of all my over exertion in trying to get my blanket finished has finally taken it's toll. My right arm from my elbow to my thumb is a little painful. I've taken a short break from knitting and crafting but today when trying to work on this months socks I gave up after a time. It doesn't help that my job involves a lot of writing. So my crafting will have to take a back seat for now. The second reason is actually a happier one. I am in the process of finalising buying my own flat. It's all happened rather quickly although I feel that now the process has slowed right down. Waiting for the mortgage lender and lawyers feels painfully slow. Although I have been assured that this has been faster than normal. I'll just have to be patient.

In the meantime I leave you with some things that I have come across this month. First of all there is the Knitting & Show coming up in Edinburgh. It's similar to the Edinburgh Yarn festival differing only in that it also features fabric. There are some classes but all of these appear to be stitchy related. I was hoping to go as I am collecting fabric for a quilt I am planning for my new bedroom. Getting the colours I want is proving difficult and I had hoped to find some there. I am now working that weekend as I agreed to swap shifts for a friend. It's probably a good thing as I can spend that money on things I'll need for my new home. It's taking place at the Royal Highland Centre from 28th-1st May. If you head over to the Knitting & Stitching show website you should be able to get tickets and see the list of vendors.

If you are curious about how the Edinburgh Yarn Festival went then head over to Lisa's blog as she has written a fantastic post on her experiences.

Sophie's Universe is a year old now but I came across this very recently. I can't remember where but I have a hunch it was good old Instagram. This is a Crochet Along project designed by the author of the blog Look at What I Made. If you love crochet and colours definitely follow her blog. She has a lot of free tutorials and patterns on there and her work is lovely.

This is what the finished pattern looks like. It's absolutely stunning. You can even pick up yarn packs based on whether you want to do it in aron, DK or 4ply. I am planning on adding this to my rather large to do list but I am going to choose my own colours. I just haven't worked out what those colours will be. A fun project I think. If you want to have a look you can find it here.

In an effort to prepare for moving I have been having a ruthless gut out. Part of that has involved going through all of my magazines (of which there are a lot) and taking out what I like. While doing that I have come across a few articles that I don't remember reading the first time. One of those articles was about the blogger behind Sew Sweetness. She is a quilter but is famous for her stitched bags and patterns. I am sure there was a pattern with her article which was the reason I then jotted down her blog in my notebook. Go have a look.

This image comes from Mothy & Squid and represents my next topic, mini skeins. My friend Lisa posted on her instagram some mini skeins she planned to put on her etsy page. I had mentioned that I noticed their popularity of late and wondered what people used them for. A set of mini skeins quite often comes in a set of colours each one about 20g. It can be like the rainbow above or it can be a range of colours that go well together. Lisa said that many people use them for socks and I have seen people knit stripey socks with them. The thought of all those ends though would just put me off. Mothy & Squid actually uses them for the cuffs, heels and toes of socks to give them an extra pop. While this may seem new (as it was to me). I came across an advert for mini skeins within an early edition of Knitter (so about 6/7 years ago maybe more). Not that new then but I think it's only now that it's taken off. I am actually planning a larger post with some ideas on what you could do with your own set of mini skeins.

This time last year series 3 of the Great British Sewing Bee had ended. In fact it had ended the month before. I have been waiting impatiently for season 4 to start believing it would have happened long before now. A friend of mine posted me a link with news that it was due to start in early May. Sadly the BBC website for the programme has no information on this so for now I remain ever hopeful that come May this programme will return. And with it expect lots of sewing related posts.

I will try to post at least once or twice a week. With my poor wrist and the upheaval of organising my soon to be new flat I can't make promises of more than that.

If anyone would like the opportunity to guest post then feel free to get in touch. It can be any topic you like so long as it's craft related.