Buttons, buttons, buttons

Buttons Galore!

I've had a really lovely and busy couple of weeks preparing my wares for the annual Walker Creatives Christmas Craft Fair. So far, I have twenty four bracelets, twelve pairs of earrings and eight rings ready to go and in just about every colour of the rainbow. I'm feeling quite nicely ahead of the game, although I do have a few little gift bags to make up.

I've temporarily suspended my Folksy site, As Cute As Buttons so that I've got as much to sell at the fair as possible and then I'll have a really good photoshoot next weekend and  re-list everything ready for a little bit of Christmas custom. As always, if there's something you'd like made up specifically, do let me know and I'll do whatever I can to help.

I have started my own Christmas shopping already, which is frankly staggering, considering I normally leave for a madcap dash along Oxford Street on Christmas Eve! My sister and I visited the Bath Spa Christmas Market yesterday and I picked up some really lovely things as well as being quite inspired with some of the goodies on offer. Next weekend, I'm meeting a friend for lunch so I'll be able to visit the Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market too. I'm so lucky living the in South West - there are so many beautiful places to visit and really nice things to do. Salisbury even has its very own ice rink in The Maltings, so I'm really looking forward to giving that a go!

On the needles, I am still busy and in addition to my afghan blanket I have have two secret surprises on the go; one for Christmas and one for just after. I shan't tell you any more than that, but will post pictures when I don't need to be such a secret squirrel!

And just before I head off to finish making my gift bags, here's an early Christmas present that I have given myself! These smashing letters were from Urban Outfitters of all places and I LOVE them!

Getting Craftier

Cheadle and Buttons

It may only be the end of October but my thoughts are already turning to Christmas! At work, I am organising a charity craft fair with the incredibly talented and stylish Juliet, for everyone to sell their homemade goodies, whilst raising a little bit of extra money for the National Literacy Trust. I'll be selling button jewellery as I did last year, which means that for the next four weekends I'll be creating, threading and glueing a new collection. This is the first batch and I'm really liking them so far. To see more of Juliet's work, check out her Jules and Clem shop on Folksy - it's gorgeous!

Pale and Pretty Buttons Bracelets

Bubby for Acorn

I've also been doing quite a lot of knitting and even some crochet. I've picked up Cheadle again and have finally managed to finish the plaited centre panels. (If you look really carefully, you can see a bit of them in the background of the photo at the top of this post.) I'm a little bit nervous about picking up an even amount of stitches above the central panels, but I am so determined to wear it this winter that I really am going to go for it. D and I are heading down to Cornwall in a couple of weeks' time, so I shall take it with me so that we can have a little bit of quiet time together - wish me luck! I've also made a second Noe Noa scarf, this time for my sister's birthday. I'd sort of forgotten how to crochet so the first couple of rows weren't quite perfect but before too long, I got right into the swing of it, although as the birthday approached I still found myself hooking right up to the wire! I completely forgot to take any photos, so Amanda very kindly got two of her dogs to model it – here are the results!

Tiggy Looking Lovely

Not so much a model as a prop.



"Look at me, look at me!"



Proper Posh

In other, very exciting news, D has graduated from Henley Business School with a very well-earned MBA! Last Friday we checked into the very-fancy-indeed Hotel du Vin for a couple of nights' of utter luxury. And as wonderful as the hotel was, the ceremony was even more amazing! I felt so proud to see him walk boldly across the stage, shake hands with the vice-chancellor and collect his certificate. We were joined for the day by D's twin and celebrated afterwards with champagne in the bar. Heaven. If you've never been to Henley-on-Thames, I can assure you that it is well worth a visit. It is such an idyllic location on the river with lovely pubs, bars and restaurants. (And the poshest loo in the world...)

Last but not least, I continue with the books and the baking. I've just taken a lovely tray of flapjacks out of the over ready for a picnic in London town tomorrow with my mum, dad and sister. Right now, I'm trying very hard to resist the urge to scoff the lot. The recipe is one of the easiest you could imagine. Melt 150g of butter in a medium sized pan with four tablespoons of golden syrup and 50g of brown sugar. When it's all mixed up add in 275g of porride oats and pour into a buttered and lined brownie tin. Bake at 190 degrees for 20 minutes (or until it looks yummy), leave for ten minutes to cool, cut up into snack sized squares then wolf down with a nice cup of tea.

Flapjacks - Yummy!

Last but not least, I've read quite a few books since my last post that I would heartily recommend: The Glass Room by Simon Mawer, The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas, No and Me by Delphine de Vigan and The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan.

Salut, mes amis!

Sorry that it's been a little while since I last posted. I've been out and about having adventures, been on a wonderful holiday to Paris, celebrated a very special day with my family and even had my first autumnal picnic of the year.

First things first, Paris was amazing and D and I had a really relaxing week away. It wasn't a particularly touristy kind of holiday and we didn't really do very much. Mostly, we wandered around, watched the world go by while sitting in cafes and read our books in Les Jardins de Luxembourg.

Our trip started leisurely on the Eurostar from St Pancras International. It's such an easy way to travel, none of the stress of driving and much cheaper and easier than flying. I whiled away the two and a half hour journey with a spot of knitting (Bella's Mittens) and a great new magazine called Oh Comely. We had a little picnic on the way and were there before we knew it.

Getting to out hotel was one simple journey on the RER and thanks to the lovely JennyJ we didn't even have to worry about tickets as she had some left over from a recent family holiday. The hotel itself was stunning. Located in one of my favourite parts of town, The Five Hotel was incredibly chic and absolutely charming. Our room was beautifully designed and I particularly loved the little star-lights around the head of the bed.

In the five days that we spent there rather than try to pack things in, we just took it easy. We enjoyed a Beethoven recital at the Armenian Cathedral and a return trip to one of my favourite shops in the world, Entree des Fournisseurs at 8 rue des Francs Bourgeouis in Le Marais. It's the most amazing haberdashery and I could spend hours and hours browsing their buttons alone! As it was, I had my camera on me and they kindly allowed me to take photos of the rows and rows of ribbons and braids. Paradise! Here are some of the other pictures that I snapped with my trusty little Olympus, from Les Jardins de Luxembourg, Musee Rodin and a fabulous little stationers that we came across on our meanderings.

News from this side of the channel has been my parents' celebration of their ruby wedding anniversary and the renewal of their wedding vows. It was a wonderful ceremony, followed by a lovely party for friends and family back at their house. I was responsible for decorating the cupcakes (best job going, if you ask me) and D took charge of the drinks with my big brother Rich. A splendid time was had by all!

On the needles, the mittens are coming on apace and I've picked up Cheadle again. I've noticed in all of the fashion magazines that knitwear is seriously hot right now, so I'm determined to finish off this cabled sweater in time to look trendy (and snug) this winter! The Snapdragon Tam is all done, and accompanied me on the first cold-weather picnic to Boscombe Pier near Bournemouth.

The last of my little adventures was with my dear pal, Piney. We went to Go Ape  before Paris, which now seems like a distant memory. The fact that it feels distant is a very good thing indeed, as I am now well on the way to forgetting the fear of climbing up and flinging myself out of trees at over 30 feet! With hindsight, it was great fun and something to be proud of, but at the time, I was simply terrified.

(Almost) The Perfect Weekend

Wow! What a wonderful weekend. After a slightly shaky, not to mention queasy, start I hopped on the train to Bath to join my sister for a spot of pampering. She'd spent a pretty hardcore week walking over 100 miles along the Cotswold Way (crazy girl, eh?!) and a bit of TLC was most definitely in order! First off was a trip to my favourite vegetarian restaurant Demuth's where, along with Amanda's friends Claire and Jo, we polished off a whole table full of treats, including chickpea bites, labna, a deli dip platter and some delicious lemon and herb arancini.

After lunch Amanda and I hit the shops for a spot of retail therapy. Shop of the day was probably Bloomsbury, where I found an amazing ring - a sterling silver band with a single silver button on it. Perfect! We were also very keen on All Saints, where we tried on pretty much every dress in the store and had our very own personal shopper! I even managed to buy a pair of skinny fit jeans that actually fit.

After all that shopping it was time for the pampering to begin. Amanda was treating us both to a full spa session and a treatment each, so we headed off to the Thermae Bath Spa. We started off in the open-air rooftop pool and soaked ourselves in the warm, bubbling spa water in glorious sunshine, while admiring the beautiful city skyline. Feeling pretty relaxed, we went down to the main pool for a bit of a swim, then into the scented saunas and foot baths. After two luxurious hours we parted company for our treatments. I was booked into a Balinese Dry Flotation session, which was simply heaven. I think I've got the world's best sister - thanks Amanda!

Sunday, saw me collected from the station by David and whisked off for a picnic and a stroll at Mottisfont. It was so beautiful and the flowers in the walled garden were just stunning. I can't wait to go back in a few weeks to see all of the roses in bloom. To round off the weekend we stopped off for a deliciously cold pint of cloudy cider in the beer garden of The Mill Arms in Dunbridge. I'm a bit sad that D is away now for the week, but aside from that it really was a perfect weekend!

Keeping Busy

It's been a tough couple of weeks, and while I've been home alone I've really been trying to keep busy to stop getting sad. This weekend, I've been supercrafty and made nearly half of the wedding favours and finished off the button bouquets for the flower girls. I've also learned the 'magic loop' technique for the sleeves of Owls (thank you Knit Picks on Videojug), which I am loving, especially as sewing together is not my favourite thing!

I've also enjoyed a couple of movies 500 Days of Summer, Bright Star and Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist. And I've nearly finished Notes From an Exhibition which is both moving and beautiful and every bit as good as The Whole Day Through. Click here to check out his website, which features his newest title Gentlemen's Relish. (Which I'm sure I'll be adding to my reading list shortly.)

Today I've been out walking with my Mum and Dad around the city of Salisbury and up to Old Sarum for a picnic. It was lovely to see them both, and we were blessed with seeing the first ducklings of spring in a 14-strong brood! Here's hoping that after a week of pretty miserable rain, spring is finally on its way!

Only nice things!

Owls is now on the needles and I am loving it! David is away for three weeks, so I've had lots of time to spend on it, including two knitting clubs at work and with the Poultry Cross knitters this fine afternoon. It feels pretty quick to knit up and as I'm still on the waist shaping it's nice and easy too! I had to wait patiently to get started because of the mixed dye lots, but the lovely folks at Laughing Hens came up trumps and sent out replacements for four of the balls before I'd even sent the first batch back. Hoorah for a great service - thanks Hens!

The living room is finally finished, with the arrival of the last frame this week. I put the pictures up last night and have been loving the new sophoisticated (not to mention tidy) vibe! There is nothing like being blissfully happy in your own home. I just wish that D was here to see it. (Although he'd probably need to straighten all of the pictures as my idea of straight definitely isn't as straight as his!)

I've also been working on the button bouquets for the flower girls at Shona's wedding and have made the prototype placemarker/favours too. The wedding is only four weeks away now and it's going to be such a beautiful day that I can barely wait! The hen weekend, which Sarah arranged perfectly, was last weekend in Cornwall and it was an absolute blast! Everyone had a great time, although I think I may have completed the journey home with considerably fewer brain cells...

Having a bit more time on my hands, means that I've had more time to read, and in the last fortnight I've read two really very good books; We Are All Made of Glue by Marina Lewycka and One Day by David Nicholls. Both of them were funny and sad and wryly observed and I would heartily recommend either of them. I'm just about to start on Notes from an Exhibition by Patrick Gale, which I hope will live up to expectations.

When Knitting Goes Bad...

I do like to keep this blog as positive as I can, but sometimes it's just not possible, and as far as knitting is concerned, this week has been one of those that I would really rather forget! Last Sunday with the Poultry Cross Knitters I quickly finished up Mum's Christmas present, and then spent the rest of the session doing one row on the Lacy Tea Top and then unknitting it after realising that I'd made yet another mistake. (Sigh!) On Wednesday, feeling more optimistic I took it in for my regular knitting club at work, only to find myself making yet another mistake. Determined not to have a top with holes in all the wrong places (and being a bit of a perfectionist) I decided to very gently unravel the whole thing on the way home, only to discover that Kidsilk Haze really does not like to be unravelled. Cue a spot of yarn-rage, quite a bit of frustration and what you see in the photo to the left is the result. Grrr! The good news is that I was visiting my sister this weekend, so could buy a replacement ball and I've got straight back on the needles and have cast on the same project yet again.

I also bought some lovely soft Rowan Cocoon, which will hopefully be turning into a skull beanie for my brother-in-law. I've found a really nice pattern on Ravelry (which I think I'll just be able to enlarge) and a seriously cool motif chart from Reliquary Arts. Just need to cast on and get started now.

At work, the Walker Books Christmas Craft Fair was a resounding success and I sold a very respectable number of bracelets, rings, earrings and brooches, and received orders for a further three rings. Between the ten of us selling we raised over £60.00 for Shelter, so that was something that I think we should all be proud of.

All knitting disasters aside, I have had a really lovely weekend starting with a visit to my sister on Friday night to vote for my brother-in-law's locksmith-decorated tree at her local parish Christmas Tree Festival, followed by a trip to the pub and a leisurely morning spent wandering about the village, taking in the knitting shop, the tea-shop and a newly opened florist – a very gentle start to the weekend! One last treat of the week was a super Sunday lunch at the Carnarvon Arms, a wonderful pub near Vodaville. Just lovely, but four hours later, I am still feeling quite full!

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas

Buttons, buttons, buttons! I've been being buttony non-stop for the last couple of weeks. We've got a Christmas Craft Fair at work this week, so I've been building up supplies of stock in preparation. It's on Tuesday and has been organized by the Walker Creative Group (of which I'm part) for Walker staff to sell their craft to colleagues. We're holding it in the canteen over lunchtime and will give 10% of our profits to the homeless charity Shelter. For my part of the fair I've made eight new bracelets, two brooches, two rings and eight pairs of earrings. The earrings are a new line, and I'm delighted with how well they've turned out. I've also had a commission from my best friend to make two button bouquets for the flower girls at her wedding in April - hoorah!

Other great news is that (thanks to my pal Andy) I've discovered Folksy, a UK version of Etsy, so I've opened up an online shop called as cute as buttons. I've only listed a few items so far, but do please visit my shop and forward a link to as many people as you can!

Aside from the buttons, I am still knitting and at today's Poultry Cross Knitters KIP, I just finished Mum's Shalom cardigan, so all I need to do is block it ready for Christmas. On the needles right now, all I have is my Study Blanket and the Lacy Tea Top (which is frustrating me no end!) so I think it might be time to cast on something new...

Happy Holidays

D and I are just back from a rather wonderful week in Cornwall. We were pretty lucky with the weather and although it was cold, it was clear and just about the perfect weather for wandering along deserted beaches and staring wistfully out at the sea. As you can see from the photo, my Flicca cardigan got its very first outing in public, accompanying me to St Ives where we took in the sea air and visited The Dark Monarch exhibition at the Tate Gallery. We also stuffed our faces with the most delicious pasties and I took a series of photos of the boats in the harbour and the beautiful beach. Other days out included The National Seal Sanctuary at Gweek, Sennen Cove, a trip on the King Harry Ferry to St Mawes, a visit to Boscastle and a morning wandering around the gardens of the National Trust property at Trelissick.

My absolutely favourite place to visit in Cornwall though has to be Trevaunance Cove in St Agnes. It is always beautiful and on this occasion it was just stunning. It was really quite wild while we were there and D and I wandered around the sands taking photos of the magnificent waves. Talk about mean, moody and magnificent. Very romantic, too.

While we were away, I took full use of the amenities where we were staying and swam every day we were away. I also racked up nearly 20k on the treadmill in the gym, which I thought was a pretty good effort! I optimistically took about ten books with me, but only had the time to read a couple - Small Wars by Sadies Jones and Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger, which were both perfect holiday reading. I also started The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, which I'm hoping will be a grower, as I'm not loving it as much as I'd hoped.

Due to the curious length of the Cornish mile, I really got stuck into Mum's Christmas present, the Shalom cardigan. Every time we were in the car going somewhere, I whipped out the needles and notched up a couple more rows. The pattern was made for someone six feet tall, so I'm having to take out a whole bunch of rows - hopefully it's still in proportion. I shall have to have a trying on session and check that it's not ended up completely wonky!

Now that Christmas is getting closer, I've opened up my button box again and started working on some new bracelets to sell at the Walker Books Christmas Craft Fair. I invested in some new buttons from Pavi Yarns online store, which is particularly good as you can buy in much smaller quantities than some other retailers, which means I can experiment a bit more without having to invest to heavily. I'd already been comissioned for four little bracelets from Lucy at work for her nieces, and it's been really lovely making them up. Here's an example of one of the new ones that I've made up - hope you like it!

Things I Like...

The sunsine is helping me feel very positive today, and while I was out walking I came up with a list (in no particular order) of things that bring a smile to my face.

1) Books and the Library
This week, I've read two rather wonderful books The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a series of letters to and from an author in the late 1940s after the island of Guernsey had been liberated from Nazi occupation. The characters are delightful and the book itself is gentle, witty and warm. An absolute delight. The second book A Vintage Affair, set in the here and now was slightly lighter, but still had a link to WWII, but was still a really enjoyable read. And as for the library, I seem to get nearly all of my books from the library these days. You can get all the best new books (up to twelve at a time) and borrow them for three weeks at a time and all for nothing - it's brilliant!

2) Long Walks
Today I walked for four hours in the spring sunshine up and around Clarendon Palace to the north of Salisbury. I saw five deer, five humans, four dogs and three birds of prey (might need to get a spotter's guide to help with identification!) and it was simply beautiful.

3) Breakfast in Bed
Which I got this morning, courtesy of the lovely David. Brown toat with peanut butter and sliced bananas with a lovely strong cup of tea and the aforementioned A Vintage Affair.

4) Watching Trashy TV!
Right now I am absolutely hooked on America's Next Top Model, Project Runway, (both on Sky, I think) Gossip Girl on ITV2 and Mad Men on BBC2. It's quite embarassing, but I love them!

5) Being Crafty
Whether it's knitting, button jewellery or books; I love the creative process. Long may we make!

6) Long Langurous Baths
After a long day at work, or out walking, there's nothing more relaxing than a deep, hot bath, preferably with a book and the radio for company. (And I'm heading for one very soon...)

7) Polyvore.com
I simply love this site. I only discovered it this week by accident and I am hooked. Click on the link at your peril as it'll have you sucked in before you know it! It's like all the best things about fashion without having to even buy anything. Free retail therapy! Like publishing your own glossy magazine! Heaven!


Golden Afternoon Dreams - by Sparkleknits on Polyvore.com

8) My Job
I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and although I do seem to come home fed up quite often, I am actually a very lucky girl. I get paid to do something I love, now how many people can really say that? (Time to stop complaining, I think and enjoy my job more.)

9) Capybaras
They're the cutest creatures on the planet. Enough said.

There are Cats in this Blog

There are Cats in this Blog
Originally uploaded by sparkleknits

Huge progress on the cats this week - four down, five to go! The wool has arrived to finish off all nine, so this week I'll be making cats on the train. (It does earn me some funny looks, but it's also earning me some spare change, so that's just fine by me!) In a way, I think I'll be quite sad to have finished the cats, as they've been quite good fun and I've struck up all sorts of conversations with my fellow passengers about Tiny, Andre and Moonpie!


I'm also delighted to say that I've finished the mystery beret. I'm not entirely sure that it suits me and I'd made it extra slouchy which turned out, looked just plain silly so I've put it through the washing machine on a hot wash in an attempt to make it look slightly less ludicrous... It's still blocking at the moment, so here it is looking slightly flat. If it ends up wearable, I'll post a picture of it being modelled next week!



On the button front, there's been a further sale from BelleButtons and I've got another couple of commissions to boot. And I've finally finished my latest freelance project. Hoorah!

Busy, Busy, Busy

SuperStar Button Ring
Originally uploaded by sparkleknits

Sorry that it's been a while. I've been completely absorbed by buttons while Jez and I have been setting up our Etsy page. I am delighted to say that it is now up and running, so do please stop by BelleButtons and take a look at our wares! So far we've sold five items to two different people, and as we've only been going for two weeks, I'm pretty chuffed with that! Our page isn't completely finished yet, as I've not managed to write our biography yet, but hopefully that'll be done in the next day or so, and then I'll start really yelling about it!
I've been trying uploading pictures directly from Flickr as I find it really frustrating that I have to load pictures up to (and from) different places for Blogger, Ravlery and Etsy. Hopefully, this will work okay - who knows! It seems okay so far, and I've managed to add some additional text to this post, so that's looking pretty good.

Now that I'm getting back on track a bit, I've decided to cast on a new projecct with the lovely Aran that my mum gave me before she left for India. The Mystery Beret (or Meret as it's also known) is a great pattern from Wormheads and it's really quick to knit up, which is particularly useful as it's so cold right now! Here's a picture of how it looks so far...

I am still working very hard on the cats and intend wto have the first unholy trinity completely finished by the end of this week! (So far I've got one Tiny, who has just one ear that needs stitching on and a Moonpie, with limbs but no face, who's only half-stuffed!)

I've also got yet more freelance work to do and a choker to make for the niece of one of my friends from work, so I'd really better get off this blog and go and do some work!

Keep on Truckin'

It feels that since the New Year has started, I've barely had time to stop and think! I'm still knitting for Corinne and the bundle of cats that I've been making is getting bigger and bigger! I need to buy some more blue and mustard wool, some stuffing and some tapestry wool to finish up, but I'm well on the way to getting them finished with six of the wee timorous beasties in the bag, as it were! I was lucky enough to meet the author of the book on the stairs as I was leaving the office on Friday night and she was as charming as her book!

I've also been making button bracelets as if they were going out of fashion. (Which I sincerely hope they won't!) I've had six requests in the last week, so it was very fortunate indeed that I had got a stash in just before Christmas. I'm thinking of investing in some more buttons and selling them through the fabulous Etsy site. In fact, I've just got back from a swim with a friend of mine and she's volunteered her very talented husband to help me set up a page. (Think that I might just take her up on that offer!)

I've also been doing some freelance work, which is quite time-consuming, but incredibly appreciated in financial terms. In fact, I really should be typing right now, rather than writing this.

On a lighter note, D and I have a new house guest in the form of a Cork Pixie called Pim! It would appear that he turned up while we were away over Christmas, when my dear friend Libby was around looking after the cat! We hadn't even noticed that he'd been living in a printer's block drawer on the stairs, until Libby asked if we'd noticed something hidden in plain sight! He was a roaring success at knitting club and Jenny J has even knitted him a little wife, who has been named Pam! Watch this space for news on any little corkettes...

...and a Happy New Year!

Sorry that it's been a while since I last blogged- I've been so busy knitting and making things in the run up to Christmas that I've hardly had time for anything else! Over the last few weeks, I've made over twenty button bracelets, knitted two hats, a baby jumper, finished a shrug and I've even started a commission for three sets of knitted cats for my friend Corinne. The cats are from a children's book published by Walker Books and you can download the pattern here.
Christmas itself was lovely, spent with David's brother, his wife and four-year-old son, before moving onto my sister's place for Boxing Day. (When we met her new Deerhound puppy Loki!) I even managed an MSN webchat with Mum and Dad in India on Christmas Day, it was quite hard to keep up as my sister was online too and I'm sure that there were at least three conversations going on at the same time. Since then I've received three emails and a lovely long letter, detailing their life over there- which is certainly very different from back here.

One of my favourite gifts was a fabulous green and pink Clothkits skirt covered in pictures of cars from my sister, which I'm really looking forward to making up. I think I'll need to go back to my parent's house to borrow their sewing machine though, as I wouldn't fancy my chances of doing a good enough job by hand!

Before they left, Mum and Dad had a bit of a clear-out and I've inherited some rather lovely Aran and eight balls of an orange acrylic curiously named Torpedo Fluffy! I'm not quite sure what to actually do with them, so answers on the back of a postcard please...Finally, I've bought yet more buttons, this time two packets; one of packet of peacock coloured buttons and also a beautiful ruby red selection. I just need to get some more twine and I'll be back in production before you know it.

Christmas is Coming...

I've had an eventful few weeks saying goodbye to my Mum and Dad, spending time with friends and getting ready for Christmas.

I saw M&D both last weekend and the weekend before, in Walkern at my sister's place and then at their home in Gloucester. It was very precious to have time with them before they set off on their awfully big adventure, and I still can't quite get my head around the idea that I won't see them until June next year! They flew out to Hyderabad on Wednesday, and so far I've had a secondhand text that came in via Amanda. They've lost one of their bags on the way over, and unfortunately that was the one with the laptop power cable in, so all of our MSN practice hasn't actually come into use yet!

Work has been busy, and I've sold nearly twenty of my button bracelets to various colleagues. This has been an absolute godsend as it's meant I've had much more money to spend on Christmas presents than I would've had otherwise! I've been pretty busy with my knitting for various gifts. Angie's mittens are very nearly finished, Amanda's shrug is only six inches away from being ready to finish off and last night I cast on yet another Odessa hat for Tamsin. I've also spent today making some little gifts for the lovely people in my department at work. They're very, very handmade looking- but I hope they'll like them anyway! Last, but certainly not least, I was lucky enough to get my dear friend Libby in a Secret Santa of all the girls that I used to work with at Ottakar's and I have got just the most perfect present for her... (I'm not saying anymore in case she reads this before I see her!)

Other news, is that Feefer and Rob had their baby this week, so her baby blanket will hopefully be in use right now! Oscar was born on Thursday after a very long labour, weighing in at 6lbs 1oz and is absolutely perfect! I've seen a picture of him and I can't wait to meet him in the flesh...

Anyway, I must dash as I really do need to write some Christmas cards now. Have a great week all- hope that you're really feeling festive!

Christmas Presents

This week has been quite a good week for knitting as I've managed to finish my first present for Christmas, a baby blue Tammy beret for Corinne and I'm cracking on with a second. (I'm halfway through the second of a pair of mittens for Angie.) It's also been quite an interesting week on the IT front, as I've switched from Safari to Firefox so that I could run MSN Messenger on my lovely old Mac.

The need to update has come from the wonderful event of my Mum and Dad heading off for a grand adventure in Southern India for the next six months. The plan is that Mum, Dad, my sister and I will all keep in touch through a weekly webchat. I'm quite tempted to set up a blog for them, so that everyone back here will be able to follow their travels. In fact I think that could make an interesting Christmas present for them as I know that they won't be taking much with them and that's a present that wouldn't weigh anything at all!

I've also set up a group on Ravelry called Kids Lit Knits for knitters working in children's publishing. It's mostly made up of the lovely knit-chicks from work, but we have had a couple more people join already.

We're holding our charity craft fair at work this week, and I've just finished my last button bracelets. I've made four with larger buttons and twelve with smaller ones. Everyone who's seen them so far has been really flattering about it, so here's hoping that I can sell some of them and make a little bit of pocket money to buy Christmas gifts with.

I ♥ Buttons

Here's a photo of my button box:


I've got a bit button-crazy over the last few weeks. We're holding a Christmas Craft Fair at work on the 2nd of December, so I've been beavering away at making some button bracelets to sell. I can make a couple of bracelets on each train journey into work and so far people really seem to like them, so here's hoping that I'll sell a few on the day...


It's been great fun going through my button box and sorting them all out into colours that compliment each other:

On the knitting front, the Walker Knitting Club have finished the baby blanket for Fi's baby. She came in this week and we presented it to her. She was absolutely delighted, which was just brilliant! I'd spent most of last weekend sewing all of the different pieces together (which was quite challenging as they were all in very different tensions!) and adding a cream border to bring it all together and finish it off properly. I'm afraid that I didn't manage to take a photograph of it, but here's very poor quality photo from my phone that gives you an idea of what it looked like!
(Back row from from left to right: Sarah, Cheryl, Jenny, Gemma
Front row: Me, Fiona, Angela, Stephanie
Missing from the photo: Judy, Caroline and Jenny J)