Baby Shower

Last weekend I had the pleasure of bringing the knit into a beautiful baby shower for one of my oldest and best friends. It reminded me that I never posted about this gorgeous, summery baby shower of another childhood friend and as the weather is so bloomin' cold at the moment, it is the perfect time to draw a little warmth from the sunshine in these pictures!
My beautiful sister made the amazing cakes and threw the party to surprise her best friend, Dominique. One of the things I so loved about bringing this blanket together is that for the first time since I have been making baby shower blankets the baby's dad also knit a square. He knit as a child, and as dad to four boys (the bump is the fourth!) getting back into it is a great example to set. Knitting and crochet are categorically not reserved just for women, but some of the comments I get these days seem to suggest that a lot of folk now believe that is true, so anything that goes against that stereotype is fabulous. Anyway, before I get too high on my horse, I have to say that I love how this blanket turned out.

The colours chosen were bright, so I made some floral granny squares to make use of the gorgeous shades. The squares were also all really different sizes, so I decided to work a crochet granny edge around each of the squares - both knit and crochet - to make it easier to join them and I love the final effect! Gorgeous Rocco - the babe born shortly after this shower - is now one (look how behind I am at this posting lark!) and hopefully still using his beautiful blankie.

drink. shop. do.

There is a lovely pop up shop on the Cally road in Kings Cross which you all must visit if you get a chance. It is only open for three weeks in December and next weekend is the last, so get down there quick smart!

I came across Drink, shop, do when Kirstie and Coralie asked me to do some workshops there. It is a collaboration of two school friends with different interests and backgrounds, producing an ecclectic yet harmonious mix of design and activities within the shop.

Sugary sweets in old fashioned jars are placed beside contemporary jewellery by local designers and the well stocked cocktail bar sits comfortably in the main room packed with members of a knitting class or crafty workshop. The concept is to sell unique, beautifully made products, both by artisan makers and crafts people alongside vintage and secondhand finds from flea markets and antique stalls, while entertaining, feeding and watering the customers. From the subtle, welcoming waft of mulled wine as you enter to the flickering candles and colourful wall art, the shop is a haven of calm informality and relaxed creativity. The glut of juxtapositions seem to work very well within this space, making it very inviting and I can see it working extremely well in the long term, which is exactly what the girls hope to do in the new year.

As for me, I thoroughly enjoyed teaching the lovely folk I met there, more of which you can see over at my workshop blog very soon and I also succumbed to the temptation to buy.

I bought this beautifully tactile rabbit necklace from me me me. Regular readers and lovers of my mr rabbit toy will know I cannot resist anything rabbit and this particular necklace really reminds me of one of my favourite stories; Watership Down, especially the 1978 animation. The weight and subtle shape is so beguiling, I just cannot wait to wear it!

My other favourite item from the shop is a beautifully kitsch nude tapestry (who'd have thought these existed!) embroidered in a fabulous seventies muted colourway. Coralie dragged this back from a flea market in France after falling for it as much as I did. I just wish I had the wall space for it...

kioskiosk

Yesterday I was at the Kioskiosk selling my wares and teaching a load of unsuspecting tourists and daytripping families how to knit and crochet with my trusty sidekick Bee from Chain Creative. Here are a few shots of us in action:

Setting up

Bags and tees from Model Robot. Check out the website if you want one!

The fantastic view of Tower bridge from inside the kiosk

Workshops in full swing...

...and moving inside to shelter from the elements...British summertime, eh?!

A natural knitter and just eight years old, Olivia had never picked up the pins before but was a whizz!

More young knitters and crocheters with Bee; afterwards they treated themselves to a yummy Sugar Rose cupcake as a reward for their hard work...

...my little knitted birdies couldn't resist the cakes either!

My favourite part of the day was when a little girl fell in love with one of my tiny aliens and went away with it, with a bright smile on her face. It was so nice to see that other look upon my characters as lovingly as I do.

I will be at the Kiosk again on the 27th August, so if you fancy popping by to say hi, to ask for advice with your knitting or crochet project or to get a copy of my latest book, please do, I would love to see you!

kioskiosk launch

Yesterday was just too hot to work, so it was handy that I had the kioskiosk launch to go to on the Southbank. I met Wayne Hemmingway, the mastermind behind the idea, who gave me a tour of the kiosk and I was surprised at just how Tardis-like it is; big enough to fit a changing room and loads of shelving in and it was also really cool in there, which was fantastic on one of the hottest days in London this year. It was exciting to see the kiosk in the flesh and I begun planning how I will kit it out and also what a lovely 'tea party' feel I will be giving the workshops.

I have just confirmed that the free knitting and crochet clinic and workshops I will be running on the 26th July will also have some lovely handmade cup cakes by the talented Catherine of Sugar Rose. She will be also providing the cakes at my launch party for Easy Kids Knits, and I cannot wait, they are the lightest, most yummy cakes I have ever eaten. Here are a few of her inventive and beautiful creations. My favourites are the Russian Dolls; I have never seen anything like them and I have a real weakness for Matryoshka dolls. Catherine is still getting her website ready, so come along and try them at the workshop or launch and meet her in person.

After the launch, I decided to make the most of the weather, convincing myself it was just too warm to pick up the knitting needles and so I finally made it to the Liberty sale, where I bought five bolts of beautiful Liberty print cotton.

The one on the far left was not in the sale but I couldn't resist the print that I had seen in an APC dress, so I bought the same fabric to make a similar dress at a fraction of the cost. However, the rest of the fabrics were a bargain, and now I have enough fabric to make three tops and two dresses. I just hope my excitement for sewing continues long enough for me to make them all, or my bargainous shopping may not seem so thrifty!

My relaxing day in the sun ended at a restaurant I must really recommend for great value, ethics and fabulously fresh food. Wahaca bills itself as Mexican market eating and yet it sources most of its ingredients from the UK, using in season, free range products where possible. This fresh ethos really shines through in the food and I loved it, as you can see!