Say hello to my little friend...

A few months ago, I blogged about Sarah Keen's book 'Knitted Wild Animals' (you can read that post here) and was trying to decide which animal to make first. Well, in the end it was the hippo and here he is...



He's been sitting on the sofa watching TV a lot this week and is turning into a bit of a critic. He likes watching Junior Masterchef Australia, but he thinks the people on the US Apprentice are all silly and big-headed. He also thought Birmingham City deserved to win the cup yesterday, but he thought they were playing for a tea cup, not a silver trophy...

Pattern coming soon

This ladybird amigurumi pattern is being tested at the moment, and I hope to have it ready to add to my Folksy and Ravelry stores by the end of the month.

Let's talk about socks...

I finally finished knitting my second pair of socks on Friday night (well, Saturday morning by the time I grafted the toe). I like knitting socks, but I suffer from second sock syndrome - I finish the first sock and feel pleased, then realise I'm only halfway there because I have to make another one (sigh...) and my fingers are itching to make something else. I have also yet to master the art of getting my sock stripes to match (admittedly I didn't try with this pair), but I'll figure that out some day. I was more concerned with getting 2 socks that fit my feet (the first 'pair' I made ended up different sizes, neither the right size...), and I'm pleased to say they are a perfect fit.


For my next sock project, I'm on the lookout for a pattern with a 'short row' heel (recommendations welcome!) as I'm not hugely keen on the heel flap construction of these socks. I do like the ribbing though. The pattern is Bamboo Rib Socks by Miriam McDonald (Ravelry link if you want more details).

Happy Thursday

I am having a good day today because:

1. I met up with my lovely knitting group today, first meeting I've been to in a few months, and had a great time chatting, knitting and drinking coffee. One of the members had been having a clearout of her patterns, so I've come home with a copy of Irresistable Gifts to Knit, a collection of Alan Dart's toy patterns.

2. My copy of The Handmade Marketplace arrived yesterday. I've read the first couple of chapters and already it's got me thinking, so much so that I had to get out of bed at 1am to write down a cunning marketing idea (well, not so cunning really, more of a 'why hadn't I thought of that before?' idea).

3. Just checked my email and I've sold 3 more patterns on Ravelry (all to the same person, thank you lovely buyer!).

Hope all my blog readers are having a good day too!

Another brooch

I'm just about to add this brooch to my Folksy shop - I made it yesterday, photographed it this morning, and am feeling very organised for a change!

My brother gave me an Amazon voucher for Christmas, and I used it this weekend to order the book The Handmade Marketplace. I hope it arrives soon because I can't wait to start reading it.

Folksy Friday - Bright Babies

I updated my Folksy shop this week with some new items, including these brightly coloured baby hats:



So for a Folksy Friday theme, I thought why not have a look at some other bright baby items. Here are my picks, but there are plenty more to be found on the website. (Click on the photos for product information.)

Flower power

To brighten up these grey January days, I've been crocheting some flowers. Great way to use up odds and ends of yarn!


I ordered some brooch backs from Glamglass Supplies on Folksy yesterday (and they arrived today, how good is that!?) to turn them into brooches.

I've also been making some granny squares using leftover sock yarn, resulting in some weird and wonderful colour combinations. I think I might turn these into a cushion cover eventually, but I'll need to knit more socks first!