Bunny with no name!

It’s been a bit quiet on the blog front recently – sorry about that lovely Readers!  I have been madly creating new knitting kits and now have 5 almost finished, for release as soon as I can get everything finished.

I’ve just made a list of all the things I have to do to have a kit ready for sale and it’s a bit scary – design the kit, knit the kit, write up the pattern, check the pattern, measure the wool needed, stock up on the wool, take photos, design the labels, print the labels, decide on the packaging, order the packaging … – the knitting is the easy bit!

Anyway, I managed to get out into the garden at the weekend and take some photos of the first new kit, and here she is!

The only thing is – she doesn’t have a name yet!  So I’ve decided to have a competition to give her a name.

Tell me what her name is, either by leaving a comment on the blog or a message on Facebook.  I will read out all the suggestions to her in 2 weeks time (13 May 2013), and if you suggest the name she likes best, you will win the kit!

Here is some more information about Bunny, to help you pick a name.

She is knitted in natural coloured shetland wool and her little red dress is removable, for when she gets too hot sitting in the sun.

She likes playing hide and seek in the garden and is quite good at it…

 

Little Brown Hen couldn’t find her anyway…

She is only a baby – she measures 9″ or 23cm tall, so she gets tired out quite easily and likes a nice nap in the Woolly Workshop.

 

I hope that’s enough information – get your thinking caps on and let me know what you think!

 

 

Knit and Felt Egg Cosies

Here is the story behind the Knit and Felt Egg Cosy kits available in my shop.

I designed them to be really easy to knit for a beginner knitter – no shaping and just knit and purl stitch.

They are made from pure British wool in natural colours, just the same as the colour of the sheep.  As they are pure wool, the knitted fabric felts quite easily and I had fun with soap and water, working out how to do this.  There will be a tutorial on the website soon for anyone who wants to know how to felt knitting.

Once you have felted the fabric, the kit contains the beads or buttons needed to put faces on your new egg cosies.

And there they are, all ready for Easter!  What more could a boiled egg want!

The Fibreworks Chipping Norton

Last weekend we went on a short trip to the Cotswold town of Chipping Norton.  What a weekend to choose – it was absolutely freezing and I ended up wearing every piece of clothing in my suitcase to try and stay warm!

Whilst walking round the town, however, I was excited to see signs of recent yarn bombing – a sure sign that there must be a yarn shop about.

 

And here it is!

Quaint and cosy, The Fibreworks is run by the lovely Lesley, who was happy to chat while I browsed the delicious yarn on offer.  I couldn’t resist the bright colours of this Rico cotton.  Inspired by Attic 24′s blog, I am trying to teach myself to crochet in ripples, but failing dismally so far. These colours may just be the inspiration I need to try again.

 

The shop is full of woolly goodness, as you can see…

There was also lots of gorgeous habedashery which I failed to photograph – Doh!

Even a spot for hubbie to sit while I mooched about.

 

Well worth a visit if you are in the area.  There is a Fibre Festival in May if you live nearby – details here.

Goodies in the post!

Look what arrived in the post today!

 

How beautifully wrapped is that?

Can you guess what it is?  Here’s a clue…

Ooooh – yarn samples from the lovely ErikaKnight.

It’s gorgeous British Bluefaced Leicester yarn in baby balls and lovely chalky colours. All from British sheep and spun in Britian.  I’m going to be stocking this in my shop soon and the samples are to experiment with some new knitting kit ideas I have.

Now, where are my knitting needles?….

Another New Stockist!

I’m pleased to tell you that I now have a new stockist in Norfolk.

The Salty Dog Gallery is stocking some Knit Your Own Sheep kits and can be found at The Old Black Horse in Burnham Market.

Burnham Market is a lovely small town which I passed through last Summer on the Coasthopper bus.  There was a bustling craft fair in progress and I was sorely tempted to get off the bus and have a look round.

However as I was laden down with backpack and camping gear, it wasn’t very practical!

New Customer

Just a quick post today as I am busy in the Woolly Workshop getting ready an order for a new customer.

I was at the Craft Hobby and Stitch trade show last week and met Caroline and Gill from the Woolpatch Gallery in Suffolk.  They are as keen on British wool as me, and ordered some kits for their shop.  It sounds like a lovely place for a nice browse around, with lovely yarns, gorgeous fabrics, and, of course, Made By Ewe knitting kits!

If you live in the area, it looks like a good place to visit.

Bye Bye Sheep Kits, enjoy your new homes!

Honey for Tea Cosy

Some time ago Knit Now magazine asked for submissions for ideas for knitted projects on a literary theme.

I have always liked the poem The Old Vicarage at Grantchester by Rupert Brooke, and the sense of timeless Englishness it conveys.  If you want to read the whole poem, it is here, but it is the last lines that stick in my head:

Stands the Church clock at ten to three

And is there honey still for tea?

The lines often run through my head on a wintery day.  As every knitter knows, tea and knitting are inseparable, so I came up with the idea for the Honey for Tea Cosy.  It is featured in this month’s edition of Knit Now. (Issue 18)

The cosy is knit in double thickness Jamiesons 2ply jumper weight yarn in a gorgeous honey colour.  The double thickness makes the cosy good and thick to keep your tea hot.  The honeycomb pattern is easy to do and the honeycomb shapes become smaller around the top of the cosy, which is gathered up with an i-cord.

The cosy is decorated with little bees – what else would you have flying around a honeycomb?

There is also a pattern for a little coaster on which to stand your teacup.

The pattern will eventually be available from my shop, but until then you will have to buy the magazine!

Now, it must nearly be time for tea….

Knit Your Own Sheep and Wonderwool

Reblogged from Knit and Purl Garden:

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This weekend I have been knitting up an adorable little sheep called Pearl.  Project Ravelled here. I bought my Knit Your Own Sheep kit from Made by Ewe at Wonderwool Wales last April and she has been waiting very  patiently since then to be brought to life.  Pearl is a sheep helping to support British farmers, being knitted from 100% pure…

Read more… 333 more words

A lovely customer's first little sheep....

Macaron Purse

I’ve been in the mood for knitting for me again recently, as opposed to working on new designs.  So I’ve been doing the Macaron Purse by Cotton and Cloud, a kit I purchased at the Knitting and Stitching show at Ally Pally last autumn.

 

It’s knitted in gorgeous Jamiesons Heather Aran – lovely British wool of course.  What a pretty ball band.

The yarn feels very special to knit with and has a subtle colour variegation, which makes it interesting to look at.

I wouldn’t say the pattern is easy.  It’s knitted in the round and has quite a few repeated sections, so you need to read carefully and keep track of where you are.  It’s not TV knitting, as I have found after several froggings.

The top is shaped by the clever use of short rows, which I thought was quite magical, and I’ve learnt a 3 needle cast off to finish it off – very easy and quick.

Now all I have to do is fix it to the frame.  There is a helpful tutorial on how to do this on the Cotton and Cloud website, so I’m looking forward to having a go at that.

What are you all knitting at the moment, Lovely Readers?

Love Ewe

Wih Valentine’s Day fast approaching, let me introduce you to Love Ewe, the newest member of the Made By Ewe flock. She is knitted in lovely British DK yarn, so what’s not to love!

The heart ornament is courtesy of my lovely hubby, who made it as school when he was 6 years old – knew it would come in handy one day!

I’ve designed her fleece to be easy to knit, with no shaping or complicated stitches.  And if you don’t like doing colourwork knitting, the little hearts can be embroidered on afterwards.

 

 

 

 

Her body has a big red heart on it too.  That’s because she is full of love!

Of course, she isn’t just for Valentine’s Day – anytime is a good time to say…….( can you guess what it is yet?)

I Love Ewe!