Introducing The Big Green Bin

Many of you have enquired as to when Stash Dash will be taking place so you can stock up on woolly bargains in time for Christmas gift knitting.  Sadly, as a result of many things including the refurb, Food Festival, Yarndale and family issues it is not going to be possible to organise the event properly.  So I’ve been wracking my brains for a way to clear the yarns we’ve been putting by, but to still give it a bit of a buzz and ensure you all get a good bargain.  Cue The Big Green Bin.

Before you meet I feel it only right and proper to give you a brief history on The Big Green Bin.

The bin has been with me for a little less than 24 years. I bought it, along with it’s twin, to use to store my then baby’s toys. Since it was first purchased it has been rather well travelled and used and ended up at my dad’s for quite a long time, because it kept things safe from the mice that attacked everything in his Lock Keeper’s Cottage.

When my dad died it came back to me and since then it has again been keeping things safe from the mice, moths and damp, this time in one of our outdoor storerooms.  I’ve been using the bin to store…… yarn, no surprises there I guess.

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The bin, as you will see in the shop, is not your ordinary refuse type of bin you can buy now, oh no.  It’s extra sturdy, smooth and really rather cool (as bins go).  Being 24 years old it’s stood the test of time rather well and I’m unsure you’d be able to tell its age just by looking at it.  Talking of 24 year olds, something, or should that be someone, else that’s 24 is Dina, who I rather bullied into this for me.

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Isn’t she lovely? Bless her she had a stinking cold too.  In case any of you are wondering yes, that is the scarf I made her a while back and even more exciting, she’s wearing a pencil skirt her brother made her.  Yey!
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Me thinks she’s slightly sad about being put in the bin 😉

Anyway, I digress (something I do far too much).

The plan is to use The Big Green Bin to clear yarn, but and it’s a big but, the clearance yarn will only be available at the much reduced price for 1 week. Some will even be less than our usual Stash Dash price of €3 per ball.  That means you have to grab it while you can, come in, send someone in or get it sent by mail order.  However, you do it, if the yarn is something you want act quickly.

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Our first yarn to go into the bin and be available until we close on Saturday 11th October is…….

Stylecraft Lullaby for €2 per ball.

I wrote a post about the yarn including all the necessary information and photos of the shades last year and you can find it here.  To be honest I’m only having to clear it because we just don’t have the space since the refurbishment and I had to choose which yarns to let go.

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I’ve been having a bit of a play with it over the weekend and have been using it to crochet up a cushion cover for the shop. There’s still a bit to do, but I’m finding Lullaby lovely to work with and the colours seem to lend themselves well to being striped.

Happy Knitting and/or Crocheting!

Refurbishments

As most of you already know we were closed for most of August whilst we refurbished the shop.  I know from talking to a lot of people the general consensus was that the shop was fine and dandy the way it was.  However, for me when we moved into the new premises 2 years ago I didn’t have time to get it just how I wanted it and it had been really bugging me, hence the August break.

Whilst many of you will have seen the transformation in the flesh, there are a good few of you that are unable to get into us regularly or purchase from us via mail-order.

So let me take you on a little tour…….

2014-09-04 14.39.49 On entering the shop you’ll happen first upon our new knitwear display area.  My super talented hubby has gone bonkers with copper pipe (he’s a plumber) and made me this beautiful display rack, which compliments the mannequins perfectly.

Behind the mannequins there’s my upcycled vintage suitcase and my now gold painted hat stand.

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Looking down the shop there are shelves running down most of the left hand side to meet the counter, which we have moved in order to open up the shop floor completely.  The shelves are packed with weights from 1ply to dk and we’ve managed to do away with the pattern stand by slotting the folders and books in between the yarn.

For those of you that were colour spotting on Facebook you’ll probably have noticed the ribbon stand has received a lick of aqua paint or two.

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To the right or the ribbon stand there’s the basic acrylic corner (part 1)

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Part 2

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We’ve moved the buttons to the other side of the acrylic stand  and the haberdashery supplies seem to fit in just nicely next to them.

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Next comes the aran weight unit.  Complete with gaps for some of the new yarns due in.

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Where the counter was previously and some might even say the piece de resistance, are the vintage cinema seats and upcycled tyre coffee table.

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Last but not least is the chunky/super chunky stand – I haven’t completely worked out where all of the new yarn that’s on order is going to squeeze in there yet though.

So far the response from everyone has been extremely positive ‘the shop seems bigger’, ‘there’s lots more light’, ‘it’s easier to see everything’ and everyone loves the upcycling with my hubbys copper pipe work receiving the most praise.

Have I tempted you to come and visit?  It’s a bit of a work in progress as there’s still things I’d like to get done so I’ll keep you posted.

Hope to see you soon.

Happy Knitting!

 

 

 

 

More Baby Knits

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I’ve been so busy trying to plan for our refurbishment that it’s ended up being a couple of weeks since I wrote my last post, despite having tonnes to tell you all about.

My needles and hooks have come close to combusting with all the use they’ve been getting.  I’m currently mid way into at least two projects for the shop and I’ve just started another.  I’ve been baby knitting for my friends first grandchild and another friend has just had a baby too :-0 and then I was trying to crochet up a few bits for The Craft Club Yarnbomb, oh and I’ve been crocheting for the shop too.   (I’m so excited about the refurb, sad I know)

I thought you might like to see the little cardi I knitted up for baby Sean as it’s one of my all time favourite patterns.

Beyond Puerperium by Kelly Brooker is going to set you back about €4.20 via Ravelry here  and it’s worth every cent.  The pattern includes sizes newborn to 2 years with options for using 4ply, double knit or aran weight yarn.  If you have time I recommend looking at what other knitters have made on the project pages as there are some great colour combinations and pattern modifications.

There is a free double knit version of the pattern available too in newborn size, if you want to try before you buy, but I guarantee you’ll be hooked.

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I’ve used a lovely vintage green Sirdar Snuggly DK with multicoloured buttons from Rico this time but I’ve made several of them now and am happy to report Dina has too, she’s actually making a lovely candy pink one at the moment (we’re sharing the buttons, I used the boyish ones she’s using the girlie ones).  I’ll see if I can persuade her to let me post a photo or two here when she’s finished.

I’ve just sent all the yarn bomb goodies off so my next post will be a photo explosion of crochet creativity.

Happy Knitting!

I thought I’d published this ……

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More crochet I’m afraid, but I love how this has turned out so much I’m actually going to make at least one more for myself and another for a friend for Ch…. (nearly said it) ‘you know when’ .

I used Knitcol from Adriafil in one of the beautiful new colourways and I rather cheekily sat in on one of our workshops to learn how to make it but (I’m told), it’s a basic half granny shawl and there are several similar patterns available on Ravelry.  Of course you can always put your name down for one of the workshops here too.

Can you see me now, sitting, knitting on one of these lovely summer evenings with it wrapped around my shoulders sipping, rather elegantly I might add …… MY MUG OF BLACK TEA.

😉

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Following Blogs – A New Obsession

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I’ve always been fond of looking at pretty pictures of things that people have made, what’s not to like?  Recently though it’s fair to say I’ve become more than a little obsessed with looking at people’s creations.

First there was Pinterest, well actually there’s still Pinterest and then there’s Instagram.  I’m a massive fan, never really one to grasp the concept of Twitter, I completely get Instagram.  It’s so easy to swipe my way through other people’s photos on my phone and I love commenting on the beautiful things people have made or are trying out.  I’m happy to share my pics too and whilst it’s mostly of my knitting or crochet, I also post photos of my baking, travels, odds & sods and of course my family (they’re the odds and sods ;-0)  I find it a great way of communicating with people whether I know them personally or not.

Now though, I’ve gone and installed the Bloglovin app on my phone and I can’t stop trying to find new blogs to read.  Between Bloglovin, Instagram and Pinterest I’ve become hooked and could merrily spend a large portion of my day sussing out new ideas and then use the rest of the day playing.  Who needs to work, feed the family, dust (I only ever dust what I can see anyway and I’m a little, shall we say,  vertically challenged).

The blogs I’m loving at the moment are

Annie’s Place  Sharron’s blog is full of pretty photos with crochet and baking thrown in.

Attic 24 Lucy is the crochet queen.  Her blog is a riot of colour and family fun.

Brooklyn Tweed  So I can drool over the knitted heaven that is Brooklyn Tweed, they’re new BT Kids patterns are soo yummy.

Cherry Heart Sandra’s blog is full to bursting with crochet, knitting, sewing, weaving and baking.

Dada’s Place Dragna’s blog is crochet heaven

Everything Etsy  is areally cool blog, packed with ideas and tutorials for you to have a go at anything & everything.

Fiber Flux Jennifer’s blog contains lots of lovely, free crochet & knitting patterns

Handmade Charlotte A great place to find things to do with your kids and as a family

Heart Handmade UK All things crafty, shabby chic and inspiring.

Hopscotch Lane Becky’s blog is full of pretty photos of crochet & lots more.  She has an Etsy shop too.

Little Woollie Jules blogs about her crafty adventures & family life.

Mollie Makes – An extension of their magazine

My Hobby is Crochet Lots of crochet goodies

Oh She Glows Meat free recipes, many of which are vegan too

P.S. I Made This This blog has a litle of everything from fashion to craft

Sarah London Crochet beauty

Sew Scrumptious Sewing, sewing tutorials and home of the pillowcase dress charity initiative.

Simple Fare, Fairly Simple Valerie’s blog is full of yummy recipes.

Simply Notable A little bit of everything here and it’s where the pattern for the washcloths comes from too.

Simply Recipes Elsie’s blog does exactly what it says on the tin.

Smitten Kitchen More recipes

Sweet Beet and Green Beans Recipe time again

Tatertots and Jello Jen’s creative blog has some really cool ideas

Thrums Susan’s blog is a wealth of information on weaving

Tin Can Knits Because I just love all things Tin Can Knits

Weave Away Amanda’s weaving blog, lots of lovely weaving ideas.

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I’m never short of ideas now, just time.

This is a blog recipe from Oh She Glows.  It’s the Green Goddess Dressing which I discovered and thought I’d try.  I like my dressings a bit thicker so I didn’t use a s much water as specified.

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Dolloped it over my salad and gave it a good toss around.

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Happy to report it went rather well with my dinner of Quorn, spicy rice and peas and I’m not usually a fan of advocado.

If you’re stuck for inspiration go and have a look at some of the blogs I’ve mentioned and if you think there’s one I’d be interested in reading let me know so I can check it out.

Happy Knitting!

 

I Did It!

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He’s a little bashful

Despite being in the middle of our Knit Happens charity campaign for the East Cork Rapid Response I thought it was fair to try and get involved with The Craft Club’s Guinness World Record attempt in aid of Little Haven’s Hospice.  See my previous post with all the info here.

The items needed have to be made in crochet to count towards the record and which I must stress, wouldn’t be my strongest skill.  Undeterred I’ve launched right in and am trying my best to rope as many people in as possible.

Last week I posted a link on our Facebook page for the lovely little owl pattern by Rebecca Homick.  This great little pattern is available free on Rebecca’s blog Hopscotch Lane here and despite being billed as a ‘Christmas Tree Ornament’ I think it’s ideal for the hospice garden yarnbomb.

The pattern is clearly written and easy to understand.  One thing I should draw your attention to is that it is in American terminology.  Once you know this though it’s easy to substitute our dc (double crochet) for Rebecca’s sc (single crochet) and our tc (treble crochet) for the patterns dc (double crochet).

I took my time and followed the instructions and used double knit scraps from my stash and a 4mm hook.

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The great thing about the owl is that you stuff it before you finish crocheting so there’s a minimum amount of sewing up needed.

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I was a little worried that his back is a bit untidy, but he’s made in a spiral so it stands to reason that there will be a little ‘jog’ in his stripes.

2014-06-27 11.08.13Eyes, he needs proper eyes and we have the small  black safety eyes in the shop.  They’re a little difficult to put in, but once in they’re not going anywhere.

2014-06-27 11.27.28 So he can see, but he also has to be able to eat, right?

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Absolutely love him and if I can manage then anyone can.

What are you waiting for?

There’s loads of patterns available on Ravelry, many of them are free too.

It’s such a worthwhile cause, come on have a go and crochet something, anything flowery or whimsical.  If you get your finished items into us by Saturday July 12th we’ll even post them too.

Happy Crochet!

 

World Wide Knit In Public

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Lets begin with Sadie and Martina ….

We had a fab day at the shop last Saturday for World Wide Knit In Public.  Lots of lovely people came out to support us, as did the sun (yes!).

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Camera, what camera? Clare, Edwina and Sue all looking very productive.

 

If you couldn’t make it I hope you were with us in spirit at least?

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Sue and Michelle deep in concentration, with Lucy trying her best to hide behind her beautiful blanket.

I managed to capture the odd photo or two of some of our woolly friends despite their protestations and as you can see there was tea, cake and laughter.  What more do you need?

Michelle and Deidre doing a great job of ignoring me.
Michelle and Deidre doing a great job of ignoring me.

Maybe that should be what don’t you need?

Breeda and Orela proving it's never too hot to knit
Breeda and Orela proving it’s never too hot to knit

Possibly a friend wielding a camera?

Orela and Fiona are having fun.
Orela and Fiona are having fun – no really they are.

Worse still someone you’ve only recently met.

It was Agnieszka's first time so lets hope she'll return.
It was Agnieszka’s first time so lets hope she’ll return.

But, if it’s going to happen you might as well accept it ….

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Shirley looking the happiest to be photographed.

If not you can get them back later 😉

We should have started with Dina and Sadie, but I needed to lull my daughter into a sense of false security before attempting any form of photography  ;-)
We should have started with Dina and Sadie, but I needed to lull my daughter into a sense of false security before attempting any form of photography.  Caught her on the way back round instead.

We never need an excuse to break out the hooks and needles in public if the sun is shining, maybe we’ll see a few more of you next time?

Happy Knitting!

Quick Knitted Gift For Kye’s Teachers

 

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On Thursday I posted up a photo of the present Kye made for his favourite resource hours teacher Mrs McCarthy, today I thought I’d share with you the little gift I knitted up for all of the teachers, secretary, special needs assistant and resource hours teachers including the very special Mrs McCarthy.  Don’t panic it sounds like I’ve been knitting for a bus full when in fact there’s only 6 ladies in total as it’s a very small school.

I’m a regular reader of the blog Simply Notable, which is written by Carli and her mum.  I spotted her post on The Almost Lost Washcloth Pattern and was delighted because it was just what I was looking for.  Have a look at the blog here Simply Notable or you can find the pattern through the link on Ravelry here.

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The Spiral shape is created by using short rows, much easier than it sounds, you knit 14 points in total and sew the cast on edge to the cast off edge and gather in the centre with a running stitch.

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I made 8 of the washcloths in total, the first was more of a trial one to see if I liked them, the 8th was to use up the yarn and I can gift it to someone else later.  The yarn I used was Rico Essentials Cotton Aran and I knitted two washcloths out of the one ball.

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I bought some lovely handmade raspberry soap from our local health food shop Well & Good and wrapped the bars up with the washcloths and a bit of organza ribbon. Simples!

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Nice, pretty and personal.

Happy Knitting!

 

 

Kye Made This

Just a really quick post to show you what Kye made for his favourite resource hours teacher, Mrs McCarthy.

This week is his last at  National School (primary) and he will be starting secondary school in September.  There have been a lot of changes at the school since he began in 2006 but Mrs McCarthy has always been there and he’s grown very fond of her.

We’d be looking for something nice to give her as a gift and had found loads of ideas on Pinterest (who doesn’t?), so we narrowed down the list and finally decided on this.  He did everything himself including putting it together.

 

Mrs McCarthy

Brief Instructions (very brief)

We bought a frame in Tesco for €10.50, it’s slightly bigger than A4.

I got Kye to check in his thesaurus for words that have the same meaning as teach and favourite and make a list of words he preferred.

Using word he then selected fonts, sizes and colours for each word and he printed off a test sheet so he could tweak the design a little and then when he was happy he did it again on ‘posh’ paper.

It looks lovely and I’m really proud of him for writing exactly how he feels about her on it too.  Especially as he’s at that age where it’s important to be cool.

Happy Crafting!

 

 

Exploits in Crochet

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Following on from the crochet madness of Dina’s scarf I thought I’d have a go at making something else and as you might have seen on the Facebook Page or Instagram I decided to have a go at The Chunky Crochet Basket by Elizabeth Trantham.

Heading outside to crochet in the sun, I was grateful I’d managed to get the bottom of the basket made before the rain clouds appeared and chased me inside.  Thankfully Elizabeth has put photo tutorials to accompany the pattern up on her blog, great if you’re like me and assume because you can ‘do a little crochet’ you must be able to conquer the most complicated of patterns.

In her original basket, Elizabeth uses 2 strands of a super chunky yarn held together and an 8mm hook.  This means the resulting basket is sturdy and stands up independently like you might expect a basket to do.

2014-06-07 10.46.19Cue my attempt

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It’s general state of floppy isn’t really that bad.

I followed Elizabeth’s pattern but used 3 strands of Rico’s Country Aran held together and a 7mm hook.  This meant the base of the basket when I’d reached the suggested 48 stitches was a little on the small side so I continued increasing my stitches until I had 72. My basket is approximately 10″/26cm’s across it’s diameter.

The basket is a very usable height at /19cm7.5″and as you can see I decided not to add the handles.  I did work them up, but didn’t like the way mine turned out and my yarn was running a little short, so I completed 14 rounds of the half trebles.

 

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Perfect for my current crochet project, one of them anyway.

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I’m thinking ideal gifts for friends?  Ones that don’t crochet though because I’m pretty sure I had more than my original 72 stitches when it came to finishing off the basket with double crochet (ahem).

Happy Knitting or crochet.