Happy Easter

I am aware that I was getting into a blogging swing but March has been so busy that I haven't had a chance to post much. It was this time last year that illness saw the beginning of my longest break from the site. In a strange coincidence, exactly a year to the week, at the beginning of this month I was again undergoing surgery, related to the ongoing problems from last year, and I am currently having a little time 'off' work to recuperate. (I use the inverted commas as part of my problem is that I am never fully 'off' and have been trying not to answer too many emails or do too much work related knit and crochet!)


Anyway, I have been spending my 'free' time quite constructively, by finishing off a lot of non-work related projects, mainly baby themed for the baby boom that seems to be occurring presently! (More on that in a later post).
So do not fear, I don't plan to disappear again for any length of time. For now, I just wanted to wish you all a Happy Easter and remind you of a cute, simple, free knitting pattern for chick and rabbit egg cosies that I posted at Easter a few years ago. The images come from an Easter knitting class I ran showing some beginners how to make them. As usual, I love the quirky interpretations of the simple design that create distinctive personalities with only a few stitches and notions.

I have plenty planned for after the Easter break, including a new set of how to crochet tutorials and a post about some dolly beauties - the feet you can see below belong to them - who I was crocheting for over a year on and off and recently finally finished (sound the triumphant trumpeters!!)
Keep an eye out for all of that and more coming soon and in the meantime have a very lovely, relaxing Easter - don't eat too much chocolate!

Happy Tenth Birthday

It is a very special day today. One of my beautiful nephews (I have four, all equally as gorgeous!) has a momentous birthday. Today he turns ten. It is extra momentous to me as it made me realise that it is ten years since I was commissioned to write my first book, Easy Baby Knits. How do I know this? Because little Finley, who is not so little today, was a beautiful baby model for it. Only six months old at the time of the photoshoot and with the brightest smile you have ever seen. All the people at the shoot commented on what a happy baby he was and said that the old adage 'Never Work with Children...' definitely didn't apply to him! Hence, there is quite a lot of him in the book!
Anyway, in a lovely coincidence, nine years after it was finally released in 2007, Easy Baby Knits has just excitingly been reprinted with a fresh new cover. And guess who the new cover model is? My gorgeous Finley. Happy Birthday beautiful boy and thank you my lovely for being the smiliest model I ever did see.

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...

big bunny

I am slap bang in the midst of teaching a beginners knitting class at City Lit at the mo. One of the nicest things about teaching there is being so close to Covent Garden market and walking around it to relax at lunchtime.

Last week, there was a massive Jeff Koons inflatable bunny hoisted in the rafters to promote the Tate Modern's Pop Life exhibition. I saw Koons' show at the Serpentine in the summer and loved that too, so I shall have to scoot off to the tate to see more of his and other great modern artists' work.

Will post some pics from the City Lit class soon.

moo!

New moo business cards have arrived and very lovely they are indeed. Also got some mini cards to use as tags at the kiosk.

My favourite is little mr rabbit, what's yours?

oh - sew - hip!

I was delighted to see my old chum Rabbit hitting the big time and making it onto the front cover of glossy new magazine Sew Hip. He really knows how to put himself out there. I am jealous; it will be the runways of New York and Milan next! Joking aside, the magazine is lovely, it is nice to see a new sewing magazine with some contemporary patterns in it. For all you folk who have taken a liking to Mr Rabbit, I am hoping to squish the designing of a bunny pattern into my hectic schedule to feature in a future issue of Sew Hip, so I will let you know when it is in the shops.
Meanwhile, the first issue hits the newstands on the 31st October, I hope Mr Rabbit's ego can handle it...!

iknit fair

Along with about a million other knitters (or so it seemed!) I was down at the Royal Horticultural halls for the iknit fair this weekend, which was really good fun, if very tiring, as I was there to work at the loop stall.
Now would be a great opportunity to post pictures of the fantastic hall's windows, the HUGE angora rabbit which looked more like a fur ball at the Silkwood Yarns stall next to us and the colourful fair with beautiful yarns, fashion shows, books and people knitting everywhere. However, you guessed it, I forgot my camera - thats what happens when you get up at 6.30am on a saturday to rush down there. So, I cant explain the loveliness of it all unless you were one of the squillions that turned up.
To try to make up for it, here are some of the pretty things I managed to buy in the few quiet times; sweet pastel antique needles fom loop and vintage pattern greetings cards from knitonthenet.

And some really rubbish snaps from my mobile phone, so at least you can try to imagine the size of the giant rabbit! It produces the most wonderful angora yarns, I heartily recommend the Silkwood site....

....here is the very colourful and pretty (I'm biased of course!) loop stand.

I heartily recommend next year's fair to anyone that could not make it on Saturday, but be prepared to be tempted - you may have to clear out your stash to make room for all the new yarns you will aquire!

tidying up

trying hard to prevent my yarns and knitting from taking over my whole life, but I don't think it is working.....although, I have organised the cones in a rainbow, so at least it looks nice.....!

cabbages and frocks

The weather was a bit gloomy on Saturday, but the rabbits and I had a lovely time showing some great kids how to knit at the Cabbages and Frocks market in Marylebone. It is a great little market, if you live close by you should try to visit one week. The stalls are an ecclectic mix of fashion, jewellery, food and other interesting bits. Loop and I may be there again in June for the Marylebone festival to teach the little 'uns for free and to sell our pretty wares, so keep an eye out under my classes section to check the date and cross your fingers for a bit of sun!

lucky pink rabbit

It is always a pleasure to receive a new issue of Selvedge magazine through the post and browse slowly through its luscious pages. I think I have all the back issues now and just love to drink in the imagery. This week the belated issue 22 brought with it an extra lovely surprise. The article on the artist Julie Arkell (who is lovely herself) opened with a view of her staircase and proudly standing on the top step is a Monty Rabbit! Julie loves rabbits (as you may well have guessed if you have read the article, seen her work or met her!) and soon after loop opened, saw my bunny in the window display and commissioned a Monty rabbit in pink, her favourite colour. She had told me she placed it on her staircase, but I had not had the pleasure to see it in-situ amongst her eclectic collections, dolls and art pieces. What a pleasure, am glad to see that my little toy has found a cosy home with lots of friends.