Today is gonna be the day
That I'm going to sit and write my blog
By now I should've somehow
Realized it's an important cog
I believe that everybody
Should feel the woollyness right now
That'll be lost on anybody too young or too disinterested to remember Oasis, Wonderwall but Hey Ho, couldn't resist it. Do you remember the media driven Oasis versus Blur rivalry. Back in the day, I was in the Oasis camp but now it's definitely Blur all the way, Damon Albarn keeps reinventing himself and Alex James now makes cheese for goodness sake! But I digress.
Hello folks, hope everything is well and all you UK dwellers have had good Summers and holidays. As our nights are drawing in and we're getting that Autumnal freshness in the mornings and evenings, it's time to knit & crochet faster as Winter is soon approaching! Just like the squirrels scampering around collecting their supplies before hibernation, we are all making sure we have enough yarn in our wool stash & supplies of wood to feed the logburners and fires which will be needed soon.
It's also time to preserve the abundance of fruit and vegetables available now, I've been busy making jams & chutneys and have loved putting my little shop out at the end of the drive as I've made far more than we'll ever eat. It'll soon be cider pressing time in our household and the apple juice will be flowing too. It's a busy and lovely time of year.
Crochet Pouffe Cover - the Technical Crochet Bit
I have been asked to share a pattern for a crochet pouffe cover which I've made recently so here goes.
I used Tek Tek TShirt Yarn available from Fireside Yarns and a size 10mm crochet hook. The cube I worked on was 45cm square and it took 4 cones of yarn.
Start with a chain of 5 & join together into a circle with a SS. Work a square with 3 DC for sides & 2 chain for corner spaces of first round. The entire top square is made with DC (English Terms) and 2 chain corner spaces. I worked 1 Dc, 2 ch, 1Dc into each corner space to gradually increase the size of the square.
Once big enough to cover the top of your cube, just keep on going working rounds of DC without increasing in the corner spaces. You will notice the sides of your work will gradually come into a cube shape. Keep trying it for size and decrease occasionally if it looks a bit baggy, you want a nice tight fit. Do this by simply crocheting two stitches together, remembering to decrease on each side of the cube to keep things even. Keep going until your work covers the cube with a stretch. Finish off by threading yarn through opposite stitches and pulling really tightly across the bottom You will be able to take the cover off for washing but you will have to re-do this underneath bit, every time.
Start with a chain of 5 & join together into a circle with a SS. Work a square with 3 DC for sides & 2 chain for corner spaces of first round. The entire top square is made with DC (English Terms) and 2 chain corner spaces. I worked 1 Dc, 2 ch, 1Dc into each corner space to gradually increase the size of the square.
Once big enough to cover the top of your cube, just keep on going working rounds of DC without increasing in the corner spaces. You will notice the sides of your work will gradually come into a cube shape. Keep trying it for size and decrease occasionally if it looks a bit baggy, you want a nice tight fit. Do this by simply crocheting two stitches together, remembering to decrease on each side of the cube to keep things even. Keep going until your work covers the cube with a stretch. Finish off by threading yarn through opposite stitches and pulling really tightly across the bottom You will be able to take the cover off for washing but you will have to re-do this underneath bit, every time.
Bristol Wool Fair
If every you get an opportunity to do a workshop run by the very talented Vicky Harrison of Paper Village
I'd highly recommend it, very informative and fun. She's really into freeform crochet with spirals and textures and creates wonderful things like this Shaun the Sheep which formed part of the trail in Bristol this Summer. Isn't he just great?
I'd highly recommend it, very informative and fun. She's really into freeform crochet with spirals and textures and creates wonderful things like this Shaun the Sheep which formed part of the trail in Bristol this Summer. Isn't he just great?
Vintage & Craft Market Update
Sadly the organiser of the Castle Cary vintage market has decided to pull the plug as it wasn't really taking off the way she'd hoped. I think this is partly due to other businesses in town not getting involved and opening up to make it more of a destination. Bit short sighted as you've only got to look at what's happened in Frome to see what benefits a good monthly Sunday market can bring to a town. Carol worked really hard to make it work but I think Castle Cary just wasn't ready for her!
There was a Brocante in Glastonbury on August Bank Holiday Monday which was a huge success. Plenty of people in town having a look around and there were lots of interesting traders and entertainers. Let's hope the town council agree to some more of these in the future as I've heard rumblings of disapproval!
These are the markets I'll be trading at soon:-
27 Sept 2015 Bridport, Dorset
1st Sunday of each month Cheese & Grain, Frome
3 Oct Wells, Town Hall
12 Dec Wells, Seagar Hall
There was a Brocante in Glastonbury on August Bank Holiday Monday which was a huge success. Plenty of people in town having a look around and there were lots of interesting traders and entertainers. Let's hope the town council agree to some more of these in the future as I've heard rumblings of disapproval!
These are the markets I'll be trading at soon:-
27 Sept 2015 Bridport, Dorset
1st Sunday of each month Cheese & Grain, Frome
3 Oct Wells, Town Hall
12 Dec Wells, Seagar Hall
Beautiful Shropshire
We had a great mini break in Shropshire recently, what a beautiful county it is. Very rural but with pretty little market border towns. We loved Bishops Castle. We stayed in a gorgeous 16th Century Mill House, Hogstowe Mill, in Minsterley that we found on Air BnB. Amazing place and I would definitely recommend staying there if ever you're passing through, lovely hosts and a beautiful house & garden.
I've been inspired by the colours of the Shropshire countryside and there's a blanket in my wool stash bursting to get out. It's got to wait a while though as I'm off to my workshop (the garage) to get busy upcycling stuff. I've got a lot of lovely picture frames to sort out ready for market on Sunday. Happy crafting, bye for now.