Folksy Favourites :)

I missed doing Folksy Favourites last week, and since the last one I've found so much gorgeous stuff I just don't know where to start!

I think my first item is going to be one that I only stumbled across yesterday. It comes from a shop called 'Lost at Sea' and is a lovely little brooch. It's such a simple design but so effective, and I love the turquoise colour.Ok, item number two made me smile the first time I saw it, and smile every time I've looked at it since. Absolutely adorable... here is Doris the Duck by Jenbys!Now then, final item for this week, but what to choose?

As someone who is just getting into crochet and so knows the hardship of having balls of wool rolling all over the place (including down the train carriage - apologies to everyone who was on the same train as me the other day!), and who absolutely adores bags, I'm going to plump for this little offering from Nicknots for my final item. A great design for holding your wool while you work, and gorgeous fabric!

Hat Pattern!

I've been crocheting a lot the last couple of weeks, and the other day I made a lovely snuggly hat! I had bought six balls of emu snowball wool off ebay in a gorgeous dark brown colour, and have decided to turn it into a series of small items instead of one big thing.

This wool is really chunky which makes it lovely to work with as the piece grows so fast! Here is me modelling my lovely new hat :) which is keeping my head warm today.

Now for the pattern.... you can make it longer or shorter easily by adding more or less rows, but I just kept going until the ball of wool was used up! I crocheted it in the round, something I love doing as it means there is no sewing up to do at the end!

abbr:
ch - chain
dc - double crochet
htr - half treble
tr - treble
ss - slip stitch

Wool: emu snowball
Hook: 9mm

Foundation: ch4, ss into a loop

1st: 3ch, 8tr into loop, ss into 3ch
2nd: 3ch, tr into same stitch as ss, 2tr into each tr on previous row, ss into top of 3ch
3rd: 3ch, into first tr from previous row: 2tr, into second tr from previous row 1tr, continue (2tr, 1tr, 2tr, 1tr) to end of row, ss into top of 3ch
4th: 2ch, 1htr into each tr
5th: 2ch, into first htr from previous row: 2tr, into next 4 htr from previous row 1htr, continue (2htr, 1htr, 1htr, 1htr, 1htr, 2htr...) to end of row, ss into top of 2ch
6th: 3ch, 1tr into each htr on previous row, ss into top of 3ch
7th: 2ch, 1htr into each tr on previous row, ss into top of 2ch
8th: repeat row 7
9th & 10th: repeat row 6
11th: repeat row 7
12th: 1ch, 1dc into each htr on previous row, ss into 1ch and finish off.

Enjoy!

This is my own pattern: feel free to recreate it for personal use but please do not use the pattern or products produced from it for commercial purposes or resale, thank you.

Project Linus

If you sew or knit and would like to be part of an amazing charity, then check out Project Linus. It's a totally voluntary organisation that provides comfort quilts and blankets to traumatised babies, childrens and teenagers.


For children in tough times, whether through illness, a tough family life or any other reason, something as simple as a handmade blanket or quilt can mean so much. It's an indication that there is someone out there who loves, someone who cares, someone who is thinking of them. A blanket is something they can take with them, it is something they can curl up in, it is a source of comfort and a way to lift their spirits.

Since 2000, nearly 110,000 quilts have been donated and have brightened the lives of children across the UK.

In their own words:

"Give someone a hug today.

There isn't enough love in the world."

These were the poignant but inspiring words of the mother of murdered teenager Jimmy Mizen.

We cannot reach out to every distressed child but we can help to provide them with tangible evidence that someone cares, along with the physical reassurance that comes with being snuggled up in a quilt and the lift to the spirit from the bright colours and cheerful patterns sewn into it.

So if you sew or knit, and would like to give a wonderful gift to a child in need, please check out their website for information on how to get involved and how to contact your local representative.

(Photo from the Project Linus UK website)

Interview with Silky Prudence

This week I've interviewed Sara, the brains and fingers behind Silky Prudence. This is a gorgeous shop, full of knitted items; ranging from evening shawls to cosy neckwarmers, you're sure to find something here.

Let's get started... we'd like to get to know a bit more about the person behind Silky Prudence.

If you were an animal, what would you be?

A bit unoriginal but I'd have to be a cat – I have two and would to swap lives with them for a day. I watch them when I'm working and they're either sleeping, eating or playing – three of my favourite things!

What is your favourite time of day?

Early mornings when no one else is around. I love getting up and standing at the back door with a mug of tea, listening to the birds singing and smelling the wafts of lavender coming from my little herb patch. It sets me up for a few hours designing and making before everyone else gets up to shatter my peace and quiet.

Cadbury’s or Galaxy?

Galaxy for me please!

What’s your favourite colour?

Green. Especially deep forest and emerald green.

And now about your work.

How did you get started?

I come from a very crafty family; my mum is a whizz with a sewing machine and a pair of knitting needles so all my clothes were handmade, right down to my school uniform. She taught me to sew and bought me my own little Sindy dress-making patterns – I distinctly remember making a kimono for one of my Sindy's and being very pleased with myself! Her mum, my Mama, taught me to knit when I was 5 and I taught myself to crochet when I was at university and sat at the back of extremely dull English lectures.

What’s your favourite material to work with and why?

Kid mohair-silk blend. It feels so ephemeral that it's like working with cobwebs and when I'm making a piece with it I can imagine its new owner feeling like a fairytale princess when she wears it.

When you need some inspiration, where do you go?

Into my garden to look at the different colours and textures of the plants and flowers - I love the way Nature doesn't care about colour coordination and just throws things together that look stunning. And I adore Haberdashers - there are three that I go to in London just to gaze upon the rows and rows of ribbons, buttons and pretty, pretty things; VV Rouloux, The Button Queen and Barnet Lawson. It makes me so happy!

What’s the first thing you remember making?

Apart from the Sindy kimono I think it was probably a very wonky dishcloth from the times spent sitting on Mama's knee as she taught me to knit. My first 'proper' thing was a Breton jumper when I was about 15 and it was huge!

What’s your favourite item in your shop?

It would have to be my lime Grace Scarf:

I love the combination of the soft fluffy mohair with the zingy lime colour.

My Folksy Favourites

It's Tuesday again, and time for more of my favourite items from Folksy. With over 500 sellers on Folksy now, there are a lot of items to choose from!

For those of you out there who like to make your own items Folksy is also a treasure trove of crafty supplies, many of them unique. Abstract Cat Crafts is a lovely shop selling skeins of hand dyed wool in fantastic colours. Just take a look at this one, if ever there were colours to lift you out of the winter blues then these are they!

Another fantastic place to go for your crafting supplies is The Bead Shack. This is a real treasure trove of beads and findings; cute, glamorous, practical and pretty, it's all here. Some of my favourites are these absolutely adorable frogs! They'd be perfect on a bracelet, climbing round your wrist!My final choice for this week comes from Mollimoo, a fantastic first port of call for funky buttons. With buttons in every colour and design imaginable, they're perfect for finishing off that bag, cardigan, or just for sewing all over your jeans :) My current favourites are these stripy ones, the colours are so bright and clear and the stripes are lovely and bold.

I hope you like this week's picks!