New Blue Cartoon Shoes!

Today I bought new shoes! Not just any shoes but BLUE CARTOON shoes ( I think they look like they are drawn in a cartoon - I had to add that as my husband is leaning over my shoulder demanding to know why they are cartoon shoes!!!). The dilemma has been that I needed shoes for my job as I have been wearing my boots all winter and now it is thinking about getting warmer (and there is under floor heating at work) I am boiling - therefore I needed new work shoes. But there has been much grumbling as on the whole I don't 'do' shoes and I resent any potential crafting spends going on something I just don't want. The extra dilemma here was the fact that I also needed new trainers - mine were eaten by a dog in September - these things only happen to me! So DOUBLE the spend required Grrrrrr!

Today however there was a truly happy conclusion to what was clearly a troubled situation. In Sheffield on a little trip out these amazing Blue Cartoon Shoes practically threw themselves off the shelf and into my life. Now THESE are shoes I can wear and wear ANYWHERE therefore solving both footwear traumas in one BINGO! Now to unveil the beauties.........

Excuse the flash it is late now we are home but I could not wait until tomorrow to blog them!!

Also a real plus is that they came in this box....

The design goes all around the edge. So I can see hinges going on this and a real project coming on - so it ticked the craft box too!!! Does it get any better???

I mentioned in my last post that May the knitted bunny would be soon getting a little boyfriend. Well Bayley has been released in Made By Ewes shop and is an absolute cutie. Could I wait to knit him? Of course not so an order was immediately placed and wool chosen from the wonderful Jamiesons range, which promptly arrived on Saturday morning and is totally snuggable.

Of course being me there are all blues and greens, well apart from the bunny fur colours!

Also over Easter I worked on some more furniture for Birchwood. So that I can paint it all in one go. Again excuse the flash photography it has been a miserably dark and rainy day today!

These are the two tier display tables.

The tote for stashing fabric in.

The sales counter.

The Butterfly stool.

The table mirror.

The wardrobe for the bedroom.

The beautiful bedside cabinet.

The little round table.

A teeny tiny stool.

Phew I think that's everything for now. Off to the farm again tomorrow with friends and my lad so it should be fun and lamb cuddles all around!

A Little More Birchwood

I have had a lovely day working on Birchwood. I had to write it in my diary that this was my day for mini'ing as otherwise the rest of life and the yarn take over as it is so much easier to just grab the knitting needles than to get my glue and cutting board out. So here we go......

The first coat of water putty on the wire trunk.

The second coat of water putty on the trunk.

Adding the batting to the mannequin.

The metal top branches are then bent out and made three dimensional and coated with water putty.

The mannequin is covered with flesh coloured nylon. The tree is not looking straight at the moment because the trunk and the branches are not glued in place they are just rested in the mannequin.

I decided whilst the tree was drying I would start on furniture for one of the rooms, but it is so hard to choose which one to open.

I went for the Keeping Room and Kitchen in the end .

It is all beautifully tied up as always with the Betterleys there is even a sprig of dried rosemary.

The Birchy Bench.

The Counter and Stove

Birchy Table

Birchy Table with the two chairs.

Twiggy Shelf

Sink Unit

Lavender Dispenser (of course!)

Just for scale here is the Birchy Bench with my wedding ring.

I cannot wait to get back to this project again as it is just so totally magical.

I know I promised you farm photos and they are coming but I wanted to share this before the glue was even dry!

Lots of Grey then a Great Splash of Colour

Its all been about the yarn this last week. I have been spinning Herdwick, the bobbin on the right, and Swaledale, the bobbin on the left. Very hairy and extremely sheepy!! Which is precisely why I love them so much. I am now in middle of plying the two bobbins together.

There was definitely something grey in the air at the start of last week, because not only was I spinning Herdwick but I was also knitting a Herdwick sheep from Made By Ewes kits in the foreground of the above photograph. Then as if this was not enough grey I started knitting a super chunky moss stitch purse from the Rowan winter warmers book.

Here is a close up mainly because I am so pleased with how the moss stitch is coming out in this.

Then as the week went on and the weather felt ridiculously spring-like for February I found a bit of colour seeping in. I found this lovely yellow fabric and some of Debbies hand dyed wool that just look divine with the grey.

Whilst on the subject of Debbies lovely wool the first skein of British Wool to head to the States from my etsy shop set off this morning! I wanted to package it up with as much care and attention as went into it being created.

I decided to tie it up with some more British hand dyed wool and a little Acorn charm.

Here it is ready to head off. Yellow is obviously creeping in all over the place now.

With yellow definitely on my mind I was overwhelmed with the bag of goodies that I got from Debbie to use towards my cable blanket (another project I will come onto in another post!).

Then the grey was firmly pushed out of my mind with a slap across the face with Debbies new range of wool dyed with Cochineal - or as Elliot keeps shouting out 'Beetle wings' !

This shows the four different dips into the dye bath - all of which are absolutely amazing and I cannot wait to get them ALL on the needles - hmmm now what shall I use them for???

Seeing as it had been a yarn obsessed week and the colour had been forcing its way in it was only fitting that the week finished on Sunday with a trip to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park to see Donna Wilsons display.

I just loved the knitted arrows!

The simplicity of her paintings and the wonderful use of colour appeals to me so much.

It was great to see so many familiar characters. If you remember when I started knitting a year last Xmas I started with Donna Wilsons book 'The Odd Bod Bunch'. So far I have completed Rill Raccoon Fox (twice!), Cyril Squirrel Fox, Rita Raccoon and Ginge Marmalade all of which made an appearance in the Display in some colour or other!

Now I just want to knit trees in every colour, shape and texture imaginable.

My craft table is still lovely and tidy and the Birchwood tree is beckoning me and I know I will not be able to resist much longer. This week I will be working on the upper branches with the hope of getting the paint on it this weekend. I will post some photos later in the week hopefully.