Tag Archives: Ulverston

Big and Boho

Hello All

Crafty winter projects are at the forefront of my mind after a week of very cold temperatures. When the thermometer shows that Shropshire is colder than Moscow you know there is a nip in the air. To sate my need for warmth and busy work I took a trip to the wonderful Loopy wool shop in Ulverston yesterday and stocked up with yarn for knitting projects to cheer the chilly nights.

Sadly – as I am sure I will have bewailed before – despite Kendal’s motto being ‘Wool is my Bread’ there are no longer any dedicated wool shops here. Sob! Good job Ulverston is a bustling cheery town delightful to visit and Loopy’s proprietor Andrea is everything you could wish for: helpful, knowledgeable, friendly, creative and with a marvellous stock. So what goodies did I get?

I am hoping to use the Lister pattern – which I picked up a while ago – to make my granddaughter little Peanut a Fair Isle jumper. Wish me luck this is my first attempt at Fair Isle…..gulp……

As to the fabulous ‘Fusions’ wool …. we shall have to wait and see….

The eagle eyed knitters amongst you will already have spotted my big blunder. Can you see what I did wrong? Taking only a list of what I needed (or thought I needed) into the shop rather than the patterns meant that Andrea couldn’t spot my mistake. I thought the pattern asked for 9 balls. What it actually meant was 9 ounces. By the by the pattern is pre-metrication no one report me to Trading Standards. I am such a dope. I didn’t even twig when I required less of the ‘Fusion’ wool for what is a bigger project. Peanut’s mum may end up with a matching waistcoat!

To assuage my guilt at such an oversight. I turned my mind to a request from No 1 Daughter for some Boho cushions. It gave me the opportunity to return to the selvedge yarn I used for the rug. One selvedge ball later and voila a big Boho cushion for beloved offspring.

Using my giant needles I knitted up two ‘squares’ in next to no time then using thick contrast wool crocheted the two halves together around a cushion pad. The selvedge fabric make for an even cosier cushion than usual, very snuggly. Even better the cushion was so quickly made that I have had time to get cracking on Peanut’s Fair Isle jumper

Oh goodness just remembered all that wool… I had better be off.

Until next we meet,

Moke xxx

Free As A Bird

Hello All

As a much appreciated long weekend – thank you Sir John Lubbock and your Bank Holidays Act of 1871 – stretches before me it is lovely to feel free as a bird … for the next three days at least. I have earmarked this time to get on with some crafting. But first the delightful task of getting in some supplies.

Sadly the last dedicated wool shop in Kendal has closed so I was up early yesterday morning for a trip to Ulverston on the Furness Peninsula.

Ulverston could never be dull when you are greeted by these fellows.

And who is this little chap chewing on Oliver Hardy’s trouser-leg?

Ulverston has thrived not only because of it’s connection to Stan Laurel and its wonderful people but also because of its plethora (thanks V for reminding about that word) of Indies. It is home to a cornucopia of small ‘one off’ shops. All picturesquely jolly and in keeping with this quirky festival town. They have fab names like Tantrum – a baby and toddler shop – and Squirrel, an emporium of many delights situated in an old pub. As you can see the Ulverstonians invest in making things fun and welcoming.

And who can resist this logo:

I certainly didn’t manage to!

But before I could concentrate on shopping for supplies I needed a pit stop for breakfast. Ulverston has many fabulous eateries and is a vegetarians’ haven. I made straight for one of my favourite spots, Gillam’s.

Tofu BLT …. magic. Energised by calories and tea I am off to one of Ulverston’s lovely wool shops. I embarked on my journey … all the way across the road to Loopy… exhausting.

Having regained my breath from my huge exertions I had a very happy time browsing. Back and forth around the displays of wonderful yarns I went (good grief this is sounding positively aerobic!) until I found the perfect yarn and even more importantly the right number of balls. Joy unbounded. But that is a big project for a later reveal. This weekend is about making samples for a local co-operative. So time to smell the roses and get my bus home.

OK not roses exactly – rather worryingly poppies! – but you get my drift.

Now it’s Sunday and I have sorted out what I need let’s have a look in the craft house …

Time to get cracking. First let’s finish off an easy job (or two). A wee bit of ribbon and hey presto!

One sample pair and one pair a gift for a new mother. Smiley face.

Now for those colourful tops of Merino wool. Needle felting calls.

Fingers protected by pastry cutters I can choose the colours I want and obtain a degree of uniformity to create a mini- Roundel of blooms.

That is two samples ready to present to the cooperative’s committee. Next to the yarns …. sorry teatime calls and I have some food to rustle up so those next makings will have to wait…. I will keep you (literally) posted. After all I still have day left of my long weekend!

Until next we meet,

Moke xxx

Seagulls and Sewing

Hello All

Does anyone else have a problem with seagulls? Not in the sense that they sky dive to eat your cornet of melty ice cream or worse bomb you with an unhealthy dollop of  guano (if you don’t know don’t ask … spare yourself) but in the fact that they are dastardly difficult to draw. For reasons unbeknownst even to me I have taken it into my head that our work space needs to have its own seagull.

Before needle felting I like to do a little drawing. Things did not start well.

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Think my pencilled comments speak for themselves.

Time to take another tack. I felt like I needed to dissect a gull. Not literally of course but photographically. Nothing for it but to take my camera off to Barrow the home to many a European Herring Gull.

As I sat at the bus stop

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I geared myself up to tackle these monstrous birds. No joking they are HUGE. They make the pavement shudder when they come in to land. Boom. But Hitchcock would not be impressed. They turned camera shy.

They either came over all coy

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and turned their backs leaving me with a rather fuzzy picture of a bundle of feathers or

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they sat down on the job! Obviously they are after Equity rates darlings.

Anyhoo as sitting was the best I was going to get time to move on with the lying down gull drawing prep.

DSCI0011At least I won’t have to worry about those pesky fronty-backy knees … watch this space.

The other small fascination for the week has been brought about by a new book purchase.

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I y-e-a-r-n for some new clothes but find it hard to buy the right shape and style for me. Time to revisit my teenage years and make clothes for myself. Luckily I have no photo evidence of any of those wonderful (!) teen creations – if I did would I show them?! Habibe Acikgoz’ book ‘Bold and Beautiful Easy-Sew Clothes’ is filled with stylish asymmetrical patterns and clear instructions and advice.  Appetite suitably whetted let’s have a go.

First job will be scaling up the pattern (gulp) so I needed dot and cross paper (or a lot of sellotape to join together A4 sheets of graph paper). I had been told that there is a very good dress-making fabric shop in Ulverston so off I set.

What a lovely find. Unique Image in Market Street, Ulverston is a proper dress-making shop and yay! it sells dot and cross paper by the metre.

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This is dot and cross paper in case you didn’t know and let’s face it I didn’t until about two days ago. Now its time for a little maths (eeek) and let scaling commence.

If all else fails Unique Image also run project led courses so I may be investing in a full day workshop in their lovely airy sewing room learning how to dress-make from a professional …. I’ll keep you posted.

Until next we meet, Moke x