Small Project Challenge- Fair Isle Knitted Baby Hat

For my latest Small Project Challenge I have made a Fair Isle Knitted baby hat! A friend has recently had a baby boy so I thought that this would be the ideal chance to put my Fair Isle skills into practice on a larger scale.

To make the slouchy beanie I used three shades of beautiful Drops Merino Extra Fine DK, which was so lovely to knit with and has knitted up into such a soft fabric. The pattern is from King Cole Baby Book 7, which is full of such sweet knitting patterns for boys and girls from birth to seven years- check it out if you're looking for a project!

I started off using a denim blue, mid blue and a steel grey, but I found the steel grey a bit lilac in tone so a lovely friend came to the rescue with a spare ball of cream (thank you) !

I've just got to hope it fits him now, but if it's a little big at least he can grow into it!

I really enjoyed Fair Isle knitting on a larger scale, although I had an awful lot of ends to sew in at the end! The next step in challenging my Fair Isle skills will be to knit a Fair Isle jumper or cardigan, but perhaps I'll make a baby version to practice before I make one for myself.

What have you been making lately? I'd love to see your craft projects, share in the comments below!

New In My Etsy Shop- Hand Knitted Fair Isle Brooches!

I've just added some new hand knitted Fair Isle brooches to my Etsy shop! I love working with British materials so I have hand knitted each piece in beautiful British wool to a Fair Isle pattern of my own design.They are a lovely way to wear British wool and are the ideal Autumn/Winter accessory to brighten up your coat or cardigan, Take a look at these and my other Fair Isle brooches and necklaces in my Etsy shop here

Each brooch is aprox. 4cm x 4cm and very light weight to wear. They are backed with greyfelt and a round, gold toned brooch back

Fair Isle brooch hand knitted in pink, grey, blue, mustard and cream British wool

Fair Isle brooch hand knitted in pink, blues, mustard and cream British wool

Fair Isle brooch hand knitted in pink, blue, mustard and cream British wool

All my jewellery pieces arrive presented in a hand decorated box, making them ideal gifts

Poppy's Place Winter Fair Photos

Thank you to the lovely guys from Poppy's Place Animal Rescue for hosting such a fab Winter Fair in Marks Tey, Essex last weekend. It was a busy afternoon and I chatted with lots of lovely people- hi if you stopped by for a chat! Thank you also to my Mum for helping me out for the afternoon and keeping us supplied with hot chocolate. I forgot to take my camera (d'oh!) but here are a few pics from the afternoon I took with my phone...

I made some Christmas cards to take along to the fair- there was a definite festive feel to lots of the stalls

Harris Tweed, Knitted and Denim Button Rings embellished with upcycled fabrics

My home town is Maldon in Essex so I was delighted to meet The Maldon Soap Company at the fair. They use local ingredients to make their soaps, creams and bath products which are all made by hand. There were too many lovely things to choose from but I did buy a hand cream which is really helping my very dry hands. I'm looking forward to trying some more of their products!

Another favourite stand of mine was from Home Harvest Gardens who were selling a lovely selection of herbs, bulbs, seeds and English tea- right up my street!

Thanks again to everyone at Poppy's Place Animal Rescue for organising such a great Winter Fair- I hope you raised lots of money for your great cause. Find out more about Poppy's Place and how you can help here

Bead Embellished Gloves How To

Tomorrow night, 5th November is Guy Fawkes night in the UK and I know lots of us will be enjoying bonfire and firework party celebrations. I first shared this How To for these bead embellished gloves back in chilly January and I thought I'd share them again as they'd make the perfect accessories for sparkler waving at bonfire night parties (that's my favourite bit, apart from the food!). They would also make a lovely gift idea if you're thinking ahead to Christmas and are a thrifty make as you can use beads from your stash. Happy making!

On Instagram In October

So here we are in November already! October was a busy and hectic month which started off with lots of lovely sunshine. Autumn is now well and truly upon us though, but the dark evenings are the perfect excuse for crafting I think! Here is a look back at goings on in October through my Instagram photos...

Nelson cat enjoying the early October sunshine. The poor boy hasn't had the best of months- he was bitten on the leg by another cat and having recovered from that, he has now developed a cyst in one of his eyes. He is having treatment for this and is going for regular visits to the vet so they can monitor him. We're hoping it will heal and he won't have to have surgery. In the mean time, he's not allowed outside until his eye has healed so he's enjoying lots of pampering and cuddles. I'll keep you posted, fingers crossed.

Finishing some new hand knitted Fair Isle brooches

My niece is three and a half and she loves to "help"me craft! She's so sweet, she call beads "marbles"!

Work in progress- this month I finished a range of Harris Tweed Button Brooches in new colours. They are now available in my Etsy Shop

I had a fab photo shoot with Hammonds Photogrsphy Studio for my new jewellery pieces. Take a look at some more shots from the shoot here

Mr Writer turned 30 in October and every year I make him a bithday cake. For the last few years he has requested this Earl Grey Chocolate Fudge Cake from Gizzi Erskine's Kitchen Magic book. It's a really lovely recipe and perfect for tea and cake lovers as it combines the two! Happy Birthday Mr Writer

I'm putting my Fair Isle knitting to practice on a larger scale and I've started to make a Fair Isle baby hat for a friend whose little boy is due very soon. The pattern is from King Cole Baby Book 7, which has some beautiful patterns for both boys and girls, if you're looking to do some baby knitting. I'm using Drops Merino Extra Fine DK which is so lovely to work with. The beautiful softness of it aside, I'm quite a loose knitter and this feels a little on the thicker side of DK compared with some of the baby yarns out there, which makes my life a bit easier! I'll share a pic when it's finished!

I've been making some handmade Christmas cards for craft fairs I've got comingup. I find it quite therapeutic!

There were so many lovely colours in the countryside throughout October

I can't take credit for the pumpkin carving, this is my Mother In Law's creation! As well as the assortment of squash outside the door she also hung bats in the porch and decorated the front lawn with wooden toad stalls and a witches broom!

November is my birthday month (I'll turn 30, eek!) so I'm hoping to be able to get out and about this month for some birthday celebrations.

What did you get up to in October? Have a lovely November!

Poppy's Place Winter Craft Fair

Next weekend on Sunday 1st November I'm delighted to be taking part in the Poppy's Place Animal Rescue Winter Craft Fair in Marks Tey, Essex. I'm really looking forward to it and if you're in the area it looks set to be a fab afternoon. There will be plenty of opportunity to start your Christmas shopping, with handmade work from local crafters, a great raffle, food for yourself and your dogs and cats alike and a Mad Catter's Tea Room (my sort of afternoon!) Supporting a great cause and having a lovely time too, what more could you ask for? 

 I'll be showcasing some new jewellery designs and I've also been feeling festive and working on some handmade Christmas cards so I'm looking forward to sharing them. Hope to see you there!

Find out more about the great work that goes on at Poppy's Place and how you can help here

I will have a range of my Harris Tweed Button Brooches for sale on the day but you can also take a look at them in my Etsy Shop, they make lovely stocking fillers!

Photo Shoot Sneak Peek

At the weekend I went along to Hammonds Photography Studio in Chelmsford for a fab photo shoot for some new pieces I've been working on and today I wanted to give you a sneak peek! I've been working on some new Harris Tweed and Knitted Button Brooches embellished with upcycled fabrics and I'm so pleased with the photos! I'm about to start adding them to my Etsy and Folksy shops and I'll be sure to let you know when the shops are restocked with these new Autumnal toned pieces- they make lovely stocking fillers or a treat for yourself to brighten up your jacket on blustery days.