The Latest Craft Fair

I went to a craft fair on Sunday. Although the pub is lovely it didn't seem right somehow for a craft fair. The lighting was very dim and the table was quite small. The weather was glorious which didn't help. I think people had gone out for the day rather than visit a craft fair.Plus I don't think that it had been well advertised.

 To be honest my stall layout was all wrong. I took a photo and it looked more like a second hand stall than a crochet one. I do need to work more on my presentation if I do any more craft fairs.

In all honesty I think that if I was a customer then I would have walked past this stall too.

The clothes rail idea doesn't work but I am at a loss as to how to display things without using it. When I sold things before I had a shop window to dress and I could use walls and transparent thread to drape things at more appealing angles but as there is no facilities to do anything like this at a craft fair display is very awkward. My things would display better on the old fashioned stalls with canopies. Then I could hang things around the struts of the stall. Displaying things side on is not the best way.

My only consolation is that the other stalls didn't sell much of anything either. Thank goodness the stalls were free or I would have been in a loss situation. My older niece gave me a lift with my things. She is really good to me that way. I could not do craft fairs without her help (or my friend Sue when she does the fairs with me) It's a pain having no transport but I cannot afford to buy a car at the moment and pay for insurance and road tax when it would sit on the driveway 90% of the time. Plus if I did drive anywhere then I would still have the problem of walking to the shops once I had parked the car in a car park. I would not have this problem if the metro would allow mobility scooters on the trams. Technically they are allowed on the buses but the space is so limited there is no room to manouver on a bus

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This is a shawl that I rushed to finish off for the craft fair. It is from a pattern by Ken Jones called Doily Shell Stitch Shawl that I bought from Etsy . I did misread the pattern though and increased more times than I should have in the first few rows so mine has turned out a  much fuller version of his shawl. I do quite like it this way but next time I would follow the pattern to make it more of a summer shawl. It is one of those top down patterns so any thickness of yarn could be used with any size hook. The only difference is that the sequence of increase rows would have to be repeated more often. I can imagine this shawl made in a fine colourful sock yarn on quite a large hook to make it light and airy for summer.

I am taking a break from crocheting things for sale this week. I already knew about my niece's baby boy who is due at the end of April but now I also know of 2 newborn boys. I have reached out my blue, cream and white wool and will spend this week making some small items for the newborns and then start on somethings for my niece.

I also have some items to crochet for my friend who is going on holiday in June. She has chosen the kind of items that I like to crochet so I am happy about that.

Tonight I am going to a meeting of like minded craft fair people and hope that I can get some better ideas on how to create a web page and other methods of selling. I need some help in this department and as some of the others in the group are having more success than I am then I will sit and listen to how they market their goods.

These are two books that arrived last week. The one on the right looks a very interesting book. I haven't read it as yet but it is all about altering the patterns to fit. A few of he patterns inside this book are ones that I would be interested in making. The book with the green cardigan has a couple in it that I like but as with all books patterns grow on me the more I look at them. I believe my copy of the latest Interweave Crochet is on it's way to me although from the preview photos I am a bit underwhelmed by the designs.

The sun is shining so I think that I will sit in the garden and crochet for a while. I have to shower first but as I am waiting for a parcel that needs to be signed for I am dithering about trying to decide when is the best time to risk it. It takes me so long to get out of the shower and down the stairs that the postman has gone before I open the door. I can't sit here in my pj's all day. I think that I will just have a quick wash, throw some clothes on and shower before I go out later once he has delived the parcel.

I Am A Busy Bee

I am still being busy with my crochet. I have a craft fair on Sunday and although I have plenty of things for the stall I decided to revamp and add some different things.

This is another circular waistcoat but this time a different pattern. I call this one a spider's web waistcoat. I got the pattern from Etsy and it is supposed to have a loose hood but I didn't have enough black yarn in my stash to put the hood on. The front fastens with two ties.

This waistcoat has a hood, It is from a free pattern on the Red Heart site by the Double Stitch Twins. It was an unusual method of construction but I like the finished result. I made this mostly in Sirdar Crofter chunky with accents of grey and a dull turquoise for the edgings. This is going to the craft fair or on Etsy later if it doesn't sell.

The caps are made from a pattern by Ken Jones called the Jeff cap. I bought the chunky version either from Etsy or Ravelry. It is a very simple design to make and comes out quite well both in chunky and in double knit worked with two different shades crocheted together to give a mottled effect. The beanie was made with the oddments of the balls that I used for the caps. One again I doubled up the yarn using two colours to make a  chunky thickness. There is also a pattern for a cap in thinner yarn but I preferred the stiffness of the chunky version as it holds the brim in place.

This jacket is for my great nephew to be. I made it with Eco cotton DK that I bought from Kemps in their clearance sale. It has worked up really soft and looks very much like it is knitted which is a look that my niece prefers. It looks rather blue in the photo but is actually a pale silver grey with denim blue used as a contrast. The pattern is from Etsy by Mon Petit Violon who is one of my favourite childrens designers. I have bought a lot of her patterns.

The green and lemon pram blanket is also for my niece's baby and the pink one is for sale. I made them both using James C Brett Marble DK yarn which is a beautiful yarn for  babies but because of the long colour changes I think that it works better in blankets rather than baby jackets. Small jackets tend to finish up with one colour for the front and another for the other front instead of a random effect, I think that they look rather patchy and odd. I still have some more colours in the same yarn in my stash so I will be making more of these pram blankets.

I had my fur grandson Buster for just over a week whilst my son and daughter in law took a week's break on the Algarve.. I love having him here and he really didn't want to leave me but he does need more attention than I can give him. He is such good company but my crochet slows down as he wants to play ball or sit with me most of the time. He thinks that he is small enough to be a lap dog. As you can see he has made a fine mess of my lawn with his paws. He loves to dig. My gardener will be starting work again this week so she will have her job cut out trying to rescue what is left of my lawn. It sounds very posh having a gardener but I only have her for an hour every fortnight to keep the grass down and pull the weeds. I just can't manage it on my own any more.

I had more yarn deliveries this last couple of weeks but have not taken any photos. I have also had a couple of crochet magazines and a couple of crochet books. Once the rush for the craft fair is over and I have a bit more free time I will show you which ones I bought and give you a preview.

Today I went up the village and bought another storage box for my hair sprays etc. I cannot reach into the back of the cupboard that I keep my sprays and make up in as it is low down. I can't bend down that far and I cannot kneel anymore. The box has handles so I can slide it out of the cupboard whilst I reach the things in the box. I am constantly having to improvise to stay self sufficient. When you live alone as I do I don't have anyone that I can ask to reach me this and that so everything has to be reachable. It doesn't lend itself to a tidy house but I have to be practical.

Today I also bought a 4 tier plastic vegetable rack which I am going to turn into a yarn tray for keeping the balls of wool that I am working on close to me. When I am working with one colour I can keep the yarn neatly in a bag but when I am working with lots of different colours as in striped shawls, scarves and hats my part balls get into a huge tangle and are everywhere. I do try to keep tidy. It doesn't always work though. I am also a lover of granny squares for using up oddments and like to have the colours close to my chair. Tonight's chore will be sorting out which colours I am using for my next craft fair project. I finished off a multi coloured hat this afternoon so it's a new project to choose tonight.

I'm Still around

Sorry folks. Just not been in the mood for blogging of late. Just feeling generally out of sorts. You know the feeling. Nothing specifically wrong with me. I just call it my winter blues. It happens around this time of year. Usually it's not this bad but this year for some reason I have had a real case of lack of motivation.

I am still crocheting but just not taking many photos. A lot of the small stuff that I made got sold at the last craft fair so I am trying to motivate myself to make more.

I bought a 'new to me' chunky Brother 230 knitting machine with a ribber but apart from a few practise pieces I haven't actually made anything as yet. I am still in the learning curve.

Here are some of the things for Christmas presents and the next craft fair.

Headbands from patterns that I bought on Etsy. It's a great place to find patterns and as they get sent to your e mail they are usually much cheaper than any other place.

This is a cowl/hood. I made it from a US pattern and my wool wasn't as thick so it has come out a bit smaller (tighter) than it should have. Now I know what to do I will just add more stitches next time. I made the fingerless mitts from a rectangle of crochet in the same stitch. Sewed them up leaving holes for the thumbs and adding a small flower for decoration.

Some more jazzy fingerless mitts made in the same method but this time I crocheted around the thumb hole to make small thumb cozies. No pattern for these just a bit of improvisation.

I have had lots of patterns from Etsy and eBay and also my usual magazines including the Interweave Crochet accessories 2011 which has some good ideas for winter warmers.

Some photos from the last craft fair that I did at the Longfield Suite in November. The next one is on Dec 18th so although I still have heaps of things left from the last fair I need to make more of the small things that did sell such as headbands and fingerless mitts as well as some other bits and pieces perhaps with a more Christmassy theme.

Sadly no-one bought my bride dolls or my bridesmaid doll even though I was asking a ridiculously low price (in my eyes) for them as they took ages to make. Maybe they will sell at the Christmas fair. I should really update my Etsy store or try Folksy which is the UK version of Etsy. I just haven't had the motivation lately. I really should do it before Christmas if I want any sales.

I bought this pattern on Etsy. It is called the San Francisco bag should you wish to buy a pettern. I was really easy to make. The hardest part was doiing the linings as I am not much good at sewing. They will make nice small gifts for little girls this Christmas and have used up a lot of oddments.

I continue to keep buying more wool so will be in the poor house soon. My credit card bill is now bordering on the ridiculous. I need to sell more than I buy and I haven't got to that part yet. I know that I need to speculate to accumulate but so far all I am doing is parting with my money (or rather money that I don't have)

This is just the tip of the iceberg of my latest purchases. Plus I now have enough machine yarn on cones to open my own shop! My house is rapidly disappearing under a mountain of yarn. I will be being filmed for Hoarders as my family will be contacting the show if I don't tidy up soon. I just have no interest in housework whatsoever. I do the bare minimum of washing dishes and clothes and push the hoover about but I am just so untidy that I dread any visitors. It has now gone past the lived in look and gone to woolly untidiness. I never used to be like this. Maybe it's just part of my general depression issues. Maybe I just need a kick up the rear! I could do with a buddy to direct me along the path of tidiness and chat to me whilst I do it.

I went to a friend's wedding on Saturday and had a lovely time. It did me good to get out of the house for a while. Tonight I am going out for tea with my niece and my 'honorary niece' who has been around in the family so long that she is part of it in everything but blood. It's an early Birthday treat for me. It does feel so nice not to have to think about what to cook for myself.

My spine and knees continue to be a pain. I go to see a specialist on Dec 16th. Not for another replacement yet just to have an operation to see what is going on inside the left knee. I have now reached an all time weight high which isn't helping my mobility. I know that this will be the main topic of conversation when I get to the hospital. I weighed around 160 lbs before all of the problems with my spine and knees started but now because of immobility I am probably almost double that. I am a dieting failure. I eat when I am depressed and I am depressed about my lack of mobility so I eat. Join the circle as it goes around. 

Last, but not least, is my little furry neighbour Poppy who regularly comes through the hedge to amuse me. This day she got hold of a ball of wool and was chasing it all around the house. She has never shown any interest in my wool before. I couldn't do anything for laughing as she wound it in and out and around furniture legs. She is usually such a quiet serious dog as she is not as young as she once was but that day she was definitely having a puppy moment.

I will try to update my blog more regularly. If you have any spare motivation can you send me some please!

I'm Late For A Very Important Date

I feel like the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. I'm late. I'm late for a very important date. No time to say Goodbye - Hello I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!

Eek the Vintage fair where I have a stall is on Sunday and I still have lots to do. I promise that I will catch up with events after Sunday. In the meantime I am slaving over a hot crochet hook!

Part of the bunting for my stall. Now I am having second thoughts - is it too retro rather than vintage? Wish I have time to crochet another 12 triangles in different colours. Perhaps more subtle?

Meanwhile more buttons are arriving from China. I have just shown one of each on here. I got them from EBay and they are so cheap compared with buttons from the haberdashers.

Such cute little wooden teddies.

Another outfit finished for the fair. Not sure what happened to this photo but it is actually dusty pink!

This is more like the colour.

One of my favourite distractions. One of three reasons why I am running late. The other 2 reasons are called Poppy and Buddy (next door's dogs).  Still I love them all dearly especially Buster. He is such good company when he visits me for the weekend. I wish that I could have him back with me all the time but I simply can't walk him any more. He is such a happy dog. All he asks from life is some attention, food and to be played with and his life is content. He does think that he is still a lap dog which is why I am behind with my crochet. Dog hair and crochet do not go together.

Enough waffling. It's time to get the sparks flying from my crochet hook! I will hopefully remember to take my camera to the fair and show you the things that you have missed seeing in my rush.

Some of My Baby Crochet Items

These are photos of some of the things that I have been crocheting over the last week since I last blogged. You will recognise a lot of the designs as being my old favourite patterns.

This is a new pattern that I bought through Etsy from Mon Petit Voilin. It is blocking out at the moment

This was made from a part ball of James C Brett Marble DK using a King Cole pattern

I will hopefully have more to show you soon. In the meantime it's back to the crochet hook for me!