Yarn Shop Day | 6 May 2017

Posted in Blogging, Crochet, Days Out, Free Patterns, Getting Crafty, Inspiration, Life, Outings, Patterns, Yarn by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

Have you heard about Yarn Shop Day? It’s an annual celebration supported by Let’s Knit and Let’s Get Crafting magazines which aims to celebrate Britain’s much-loved independent wool shops. This year Yarn Shop Day took place today, on the 6th of May, in hundreds of yarn and haberdashery stores across the country.

I don’t know how I’d missed that this day existed previously (!?!) but as soon as I learnt of it’s existence I thought I really should pay a visit to one of my local participating shops on the day. I personally think it’s incredibly important to support any local businesses and shops – but I don’t need an excuse to visit a yarn shop… So anyway earlier today I headed off to The Little Shop of Crafts which is luckily just down the road from me.

The Little Shop of Crafts is a lovely little shop which stocks a great range of yarns from Sirdar, James C. Brett and other Designer Yarns, it also has proper crochet cotton from Coats. As well as yarn they cater for cross-stitchers and have a range of haberdashery items and fabrics.

Today the shop celebrated Yarn Shop Day with a charity raffle, 10% off all yarn purchases and a crafternoon group session full of lovely ladies.

Little G, who wanted to come with me to the shop, held court with the ladies telling them all about the birthday party she had been to (hence the streamers on her top)…and pretty much everything else that was happening in her life – which allowed me plenty of time to shop!

The crafternooners were busy hooking up some of the special freebies which were designed especially for this years event. Debbie Bliss designed an exclusive (Knitalong) blanket pattern that was given away free, along with Rainbow the Unicorn (knit by Sachiyo Ishii) and Coral the Mermaid (crochet by Sarah Shrimpton) amigurumi patterns.

Little G loved the ones that had already been made and was delighted to be given the opportunity to name them (and in case you were wondering she named the unicorn Sparkle and the mermaid Lorelai!)

And the fantastic thing is that even if you missed Yarn Shop Day the patterns will be available throughout the year so if your local store doesn’t have them, you can get them from a different store later if you’re visiting another town or city.

And what did I buy…well I just had to get myself one of the new Sidar colourwheel yarn cakes (Shade 201: Colourama) because I drooled on it a bit, kidding, but it is most delicious isn’t it – and so squishy! I may have hugged it a bit on the way home…just need to decide on what to make with it. I also got some other little bits and bobs I needed and the most amazing unicorn fabric which I’m hoping I can transform into a dress similar to the one I made Little G when she was younger (this one).

Both Karen and Tracy, the proprietors of the shop were lovely and helpful and I want to say a HUGE thank you to all the crafternoon ladies who chatted to Little G – she had a great time. Unfortunately though she doesn’t quite understand that they are not going to be there every day – she’s already asked when she can go back and see everyone!

Well we both thoroughly enjoyed our first Yarn Shop Day! I think it’s now going to be an annual event in my calendar. Craftiness always deserves to be celebrated so whether you love crochet or the two stick-ed thing Yarn Shop Day is a must for your diary. So if you can next year please do go along and support your local yarn shop.

Until next time; keep calm and crochet on my friends xx

12Apr2017

Spring, Spring, Spring! And Giveaway winners!

Posted in Blogging, Giveaways, Life, Outings by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

Any fans of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers will be completely forgiven for breaking out into uproarious song after reading the title of my post. It’s my lovely mum’s most favourite movie so the show tunes have become ingrained from childhood!

This weekend we definitely enjoyed ‘Ma Nature’s yearly miracle’ as we went on a visit to Tatton Park, an historic estate in Cheshire. And OH but the sun was glorious and the sky was so blue, the birds were a-twitterin’ and blossoms…well they were just so blossomy!!!

I can’t even begin to tell you how nice it was to get outside and enjoy some good weather after quite a grey March – and to walk about with no coat on either; just delightful!

It was an absolute pleasure slowly walking round the gardens with all my family (as my mum and Dad came too), talking and taking in and appreciating the scenery.

I even spotted a bit of crochet in one of the farmers huts…though I might question the realism of the colour palette of the bottom blanket for the olden days – hot pink yarn?!!

Then whilst hubby played with the girls on the play-park my parents and I wandered over to look at the house. Inside, amongst lots of other things, they had what seemed to be a little embroidery showcase. There was no denying the talent of the artists that had created some of the pieces – they were just stunning! I took a picture of my favourite work because I just thought it was so beautiful (silly me though I forgot to look for the name of the artist) I just love the colours, the composition of the piece…just everything about it!

The highlight of the day for everyone though was Tatton Park’s lambing week…

By some sort of wizardry they had synchronised their ewes to lamb within a 10 day period and there were so many of the little cuties bouncing about ‘waggin’ tails, rubbin’ noses’. Although we didn’t see any lambs actually being born, we saw some that had just been born! Little G asked lots of interesting questions…and was thoroughly intrigued by the whole thing.

By the end of the day we’d walked over 8.4km (about 5.5 miles) round the gardens and house, enjoyed some eating alfesco with the first picnic of the year and all went home with happy hearts! So glad that Spring is finally here!

And before I forget there are some giveaway winners to announce aren’t there! Just to remind you, I set a little competition so some lovely people could win some pattern prizes (details in this post). Was the winner you? Did you get the answer right?

Well the answer to my clue was my Daisy Chain Flourish blanket…

but some of you answered that it was my Daisy Chain afghan square which was kind of right too – so I’ve tumbled you all into a random.org and the winners of a pattern of their choice are:

Patricia Giles
Trisha Smith
Nicola
Yolande Timkoe
Kirsty

Congratulations folks! Please can you get in touch with me so you can claim your prize!

Well until next time, happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx

30Nov2016

Designer Interview | Kerry Lord from TOFT / Edward’s Menagerie

Posted in Amigurumi, Blogging, British Crochet Designer, Crochet, Designer Interview, Yarn by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

I’m thrilled about my next designer interview because I actually had the pleasure of meeting her in person!! Kerry Lord is the author of the extremely popular Edward’s Menagerie series which feature her designs of extremely cute animals, Birds and, in her new book: Imaginarium, all sorts of fabulous creatures. She is also a busy working mum and the founder of British luxury yarn brand TOFT which specialises in alpaca yarn.

Recently I attended TOFTfest, which celebrated the 10^th birthday of TOFT yarn (which I blogged about here), where I met Kerry and I thought I would see if she would kindly let me find out more about her designing process – to my delight she said YES! Here’s what we chatted about…

How did you first discover crocheting and amigurumi?

When very pregnant with my first child Edward I decided to teach myself to crochet in order to distract me from going back to work. As soon as I had mastered the double crochet stitch an elephant flew off my hook and into existence. I think the Edward’s Menagerie shape had been living in my head for a while but my knitting skills didn’t allow me to achieve them.

How did you become a crocheting designer? Is it your real job?

My real job is running the company TOFT and everything that this involves. Designing crochet animals and clothing patterns is part of this role, but by no means all – I have to source and design the yarns first!

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I get lots of my inspiration from feedback, both from my family, colleagues and customers.

Tell us a bit about your design process…

I usually just pick up my yarn and start making when designing amigurumi. If designing something to wear it’s a far longer process as I sketch and swatch first before doing calculations to work out the pattern.

Many of your animals, birds and creatures have names (like Georgina the Hippo), how do you come up with them? Do you get people requesting names?

Some of them are people I know, whereas others are truly fictional characters. This is the most fun part of my job!

Do you have a favourite creation that you’ve designed?

I am very fond of Blake from Edward’s Menagerie, but Kerry the Chameleon from our recent hand-dyed project makes me feel very proud.

Do you have go to hooks and yarn? I’m guessing TOFT yarn is your favourite; but can you pick a favourite TOFT yarn?

I am lucky enough to design my own yarns and hooks, so of course I choose our own ones. My favourite TOFT yarn to make things for myself to wear is our DK Silver.

Who gets your creations; you, your family, your friends?

The studio!! Most of my crochet goes on display, but every now and again I find the time to make something for my children.

Now we’ve had animals, birds and imaginary characters can you tell us what might be next for Edward’s Menagerie?

I can’t let that secret slip just yet, but book four is well underway!

Where do you work? Do you have a studio space or do you work from your living room chair?

I do have my own room of yarny chaos (and lots of cacti), but more often than that I’ll work from the sofa.

Tell us a bit about yourself – what do you do when you’re not crocheting?

When not at work or crocheting I am having fun with my family. We enjoy muddy walks around the farm and plenty of messy crafts.

Finally finish the sentence … I love crochet because…

It makes other people very happy.

I’d just like to take this opportunity to thank Kerry again for taking time out of her busy schedule to answer these questions. I’ve really enjoyed getting a better understanding of what’s involved with in her designing process and hope you have too.

Until next time; keep calm and crochet on my friends xx

9Nov2016

Stylecraft Blog Tour 2016 | Pattern Round Up

Posted in Blogging, Crochet, Free Patterns, Inspiration, Round Up, Yarn by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

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So did you all travel along with this years Stylecraft Blog Tour? What amazing crochet and knit patterns there have been!! All I can say is hexagons seem to be the thing to make right now – can’t believe so many of us chose that shape! 😝

Well in case you missed any of it I thought I would do a round up on the beauty for you with all the links you need to find each pattern.

Day 1: Emma Varnam – Blencathra Blanket (Oct 24)

Find all the details about the Blencathra Blanket pattern here.

Day 2: Janie Crow – Diego’s Flowers Crochet Hexagon Motif (Oct 25)

Find all the details about the Diego’s Flower pattern here.

Day 3: ME!! – Harmonious Hexagon Quilt (Oct 26)

Find all the details about the Harmonious Hexagon Quilt here.

Day 4: Stylecraft – Tablet Cover (Oct 27)

Find all the details about the Tablet cover here.

Day 5: Le Monde de Sucrette – Chunky Stool Cover (Oct 28)

Find all the details about the Chunky Stool Cover here.

Day 6: Cherry Heart – Bobbing Along Ripple Blanket (Oct 29)

Find all the details about the Bobbing Along Ripple Blanket here.

Day 7: Susan Pinner – Spinning Top Blanket (Oct 30)

Find all the details about the Spinning Top Blanket pattern here.

Day 8: The Twisted Yarn – Scarf (Oct 31)

Find all the details about the scarf pattern here.

Day 9: Annaboos House – Granny Wrap (Nov 1)

Find all the details about the Granny Wrap pattern here.

Day 10: Craftnoon Treats – Blandala (Nov 2)

Find all details about the Blandala here.

Day 11: Hand Knitted Things – Special Stripy Blanket (Nov 3)

Find all details about the Special Stripy Blanket here.

Day 12: The Patchwork Heart – Chunky Cowl (Nov 4)

Find all details about the Chunky Cowl here.

Soooo much gorgeousness am I right!!

Until next time; keep calm and crochet on my friends xx

3Nov2016

Autumn Days

Posted in Blogging, Days Out, Family, For Baby, For Child, Life, Outings by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

I love this time of year! I like the fact that it’s time to get out the hats, scarves and gloves. It’s time for comfort food, bonfires, conkers, Halloween and the red, orange, greens and golds of autumn leaves.

I know some people find Halloween offensive but I have always viewed it as a bit of harmless fun where children can dress up, play games and enjoy themselves. It’s believed that Halloween actually comes from the Celtic pagan festival of Samhain, which was a celebration of the end of the harvest season, and as we slip and trip into the misery, coldness and ice that is winter (you might guess I’m not a fan!) why shouldn’t we have a bit of fun I say!

Little G absolutely loves Halloween it’s probably her most favourite day (after her birthday) and she pretty much talks about it all year round asking how many days until the next one is (this usually starts the day after the last one has ended). For her Halloween is totally about dressing up and playing jokes. As it’s been half term week here the children have been off school so there have been plenty of places to visit which offer Halloween / Autumn activities.

We took a trip to Moseley Old Hall with my mum and dad to do some pumpkin carving which was good and messy. The excellent thing about pumpkin carving is the innards being transformed into warming pumpkin soup served with crusty garlic bread (yummmm).

Children were encouraged to dress up and the house and woods were great fun for exploring. They have a really awesome tree house in the woods and Little G enjoyed building some dens out of logs, rope and stones with her grandparents.

It was the best sort of Autumn day, a bit chilly but dry with a bright blue sky and crunchy leaves underfoot. I think we all enjoyed a walk in the crisp air to blow the cobwebs away!

Another day we went with some family friends to a trick or treat village where Little G was a cute cat and Little Miss an adorable pumpkin.

The hat pattern is the Pumpkin-Top Earflap Hat by Kimberlie Goodnough. I’ve made it a few times now, it’s such a fun hat to make, quick to hook up and just perfect for Halloween / Autumn. I did change the pattern slightly; I didn’t add the ear-flaps on this occasion and just added a scalloped trim to finish it off.

The yarn I used was Stylecraft Special Aran in Spice and Meadow which are just perfect pumpkin colours.

So now Halloween has passed it’s on wards to bonfire night! I need to finish off some new winter hat designs for my girls before the weekend so I’d better get on with it as hats unfortunately (as much as it would be amazing if they did) don’t crochet themselves!

Until next time; keep calm and crochet on my friends xx

26Oct2016

Stylecraft Blog Tour 2016 | Harmonious Hexagons Quilt Free Pattern Release

Posted in Blanket, Blogging, Crochet, Free Patterns, Pattern Release, Patterns, Tah-Dah by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

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So following on from my last post about this I must say again how chuffed to bits I am to be one of the bloggers for this years Stylecraft Blog Tour to celebrate the winning colours, from the recent poll they conducted, for their Special Aran and Special Chunky yarns.

Monday the tour visited Emma Varnam’s blog and we got to see her beautiful Blencathra Blanket, yesterday we popped round to Janie Crow’s blog and drooled over her gorgeous Diego’s Flowers motif (make sure you check them out if you haven’t already) and today the tour is with me!

First off if you are new to my blog WELCOME one and all! So pleased you could join me, I have a brand new pattern, using Stylecraft Special Chunky, to share with you and later there will also be a chance to win your very OWN Stylecraft colour pack so stay tuned for that.

Right lets quickly recap about the colours which I reviewed here. The wonderful public chose 6 colours…

♥ Pale Rose ♥ Empire ♥ Storm Blue ♥ Sage ♥ Pistachio ♥ Saffron

but for my new pattern a couple more colours have been added for a nice balanced palette.

♥ Parchment ♥ Pomegranate ♥ Spice ♥ Gold

Although I played around with different shapes and designs on paper and in my head the thing I was certain about was that I wanted to use all ten colours in my pattern. Shape wise I’ve worked with so many squares / rectangles recently that I also knew that I wanted to do a different shape. But what to make…that was the quandary! In the end I decided I wanted to make a nice thick lapghan to keep me warm as our British nights grow ever cooler.

I have always had a fascination with patchwork and, as someone that can’t sew for toffee, love to see this medium re-created in crochet. There are some fabulous patterns out in the crochet-verse already inspired by quilts (like the gorgeous Sunny Log Cabin blanket by Attic24 or the Jewelled Star Blanket by Janie Crow) and this definitely motivated me to try and create my own patchwork inspired design.

I have to confess when I got my yarn to play with I kept on returning to the idea of a rainbow with chunks of solid colour (because who doesn’t love a rainbow) and there is just something so satisfyingly delicious I’ve discovered about pure colour chunky hexagons!

My finished pattern embraces a contemporary look that allows bold pops of rainbow colours to illuminate a classic patchwork design. So without further ado let me introduce you to the Harmonious Hexagon Quilt…

I had so much fun making these hexagons and playing with the colours that I didn’t want it to stop!

As the yarn is super nice and chunky the pattern works up quickly, and as it’s made in pieces it’s a great project to take out and about with you if you want to hook on the go.

The finished blanket measures 118 cm x 98cm (46.5 x 38.5 inches) so the perfect size to throw over your lap to ward off a chill.

The hexagon motifs do not require advanced skills to execute and, as always with my patterns, terminology is written in both UK and US terms. I have included explanations of all stitches and abbreviations and also added some photos in the pattern to hopefully help with any tricky parts!

Click the link below to add the Harmonious Hexagon Quilt to your Favourites and Ravelry Queue.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ HARMONIOUS HEXAGON QUILT ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

If you’re not on Ravelry and you’d like a copy of the pattern, you can get in touch with me via email at kcacouk at gmail dot com and I’ll send you a pdf version.

If you would like to win a pack of Stylecraft Special Chunky in the colour pack I have used follow the link below to enter the competition.

♥ COMPETITION now closed, congratulations to Beverley Lotz ♥

And the exciting news is that the Stylecraft blogtour has only just begun! Make sure you check out Stylecraft’s Facebook page for details over the next couple of weeks to find out the blogger of the day, get their fabulous free pattern and to be in with a chance to win a yarn pack! Still to come at some point are the following bloggers:

Until next time; keep calm and crochet on my friends xx

24Oct2016

Stylecraft Blog Tour 2016 | Part 2

Posted in Blogging, Crochet, Yarn by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

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Just so you don’t miss it I thought I’d do a quick post to remind you that the Stylecraft Blog Tour starts TODAY!! 12 crochet and knitting bloggers are taking part this year and they have been busy creating designs in their own style in Special Aran and Chunky featuring the six new shades.

It’s a closely guarded secret as to where the tour is going to each day so make sure you check out Stylecraft’s Facebook page for details.

Each blogger (including me) are also going to be giving away a FREE pack of the different yarns each day of the blog tour.

You can read all about the tour and the new colours in my previous post here. I can’t wait to share my brand new pattern with you this week so watch this space!!!

Until next time; keep calm and crochet on my friends xx

22Oct2016

Blog Spring Cleaning

Posted in Blogging, Life by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

It’s not spring so I have embarked on what I can only call ‘autumnal cleaning’ this weekend. My house is a bit of a state because of the building work, which is driving me a bit crazy, so I decided to turn my attention to trying to tidy my blog a little as it’s long over due. I have to confess my poor little area of cyber space has been neglected since I started it in 2014. I haven’t really tinkered with the site as much as I should have, although I have been trying to add a week posts (of which I’m getting better at) I just hadn’t got round to sorting out everything else I wanted to.

But that’s all changed…I have now spent a bit of time making sure that all the information on here is up to date! There’s a bit of a dossier about me for anyone interested… I’ve got my two beautiful little muses in my blog header (Little G now on the left, Little G when I started blogging (middle) and my new Little Miss (on the far right). I’ve collated all the crochet-alongs information in drop down menus (much to my endless delight! Simple pleasures and all that 😆), I’ve added all my pattern information (for free and for purchase) and also added a contact me page (which for some reason I had never got round to including).

But now I need your help…

I’d love to know what you think about the new look; have I missed anything? Is there anything you would like to see improved? Please drop me a comment or use the new contact me page, I’d love to hear what you think!

Until next time; keep calm and crochet on my friends xx

5Oct2016

Stylecraft Blog Tour 2016 | Part 1

Posted in Blogging, Crochet, Inspiration, Yarn by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

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Okay I need to try to keep calm about this but I can’t!!! I can’t tell you how excited and pleased I am to have been chosen as one of the bloggers to take part in this years Stylecraft Blog Tour to celebrate the release of some of their new colour packs!

Earlier in the year Stylecraft did a public poll to help choose some new colours for their Special Aran and Special Chunky ranges. From a list of nominations six gorgeous winning colours have now been added to both yarn weights…but more about that in a moment!

If you haven’t heard of Stylecraft they are a family run business based in Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire who aim to produce high quality yarns and patterns with the best possible value. I’m a big fan of all their yarns, especially the Special’s Range, which I have used many times for various designs and projects of mine (like my 2015 Crochet-a-long blanket, Margaret’s Hug Healing / Prayer Shawl and River Rose Cushion to name a few).

For the blog tour I was asked if I’d like to produce a special new free design for you guys using Stylecraft Special Chunky so of course I said a big hunky chunky YES!! Stylecraft Special Chunky is a chunky version of Stylecraft’s Special DK (8ply / #3 weight yarn) and is the equivalent of US Bulky yarns (12 ply / #5 weight yarn). It’s good value for money, it crochets well and is really super soft and squishy. Personally I find it a delight to work with because it has a really fabulous range of colours for crochet (or knitted) projects!

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Sooo let’s talk colours! This is the palette I’m working with which includes the new colours chosen by the lovely public…

♥ Pale Rose ♥ Empire ♥ Storm Blue ♥ Sage ♥ Pistachio ♥ Saffron

but for my new pattern a couple more colours have been added for a nice balanced palette.

♥ Parchment ♥ Pomegranate ♥ Spice ♥ Gold

My yarn arrived for me to play with in July and I really enjoyed playing around with the colours. First of all I made myself some yarn colour pegs (an idea that I’ve been desperate to try since I saw it from the fabulous Attic24). Here are a couple of my combinations for inspiration…

Soft and cool ocean: Empire, Storm Blue, Sage, Pistachio & Parchment

Wonderful warm sunset: Pale Rose, Pomegranate, Spice, Gold and Saffron

Spring flower power: Pale Rose, Pistachio, Saffron and Parchment

Bright jewel tones: Saffron, Spice, Pomegranate and Empire

Stormy desert oasis: Storm Blue, Sage, Pistachio and Parchment

I have pretty much fallen in love with every colour combination I came up with! I can see these colours popping up in future projects for sure!

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So what is the Stylecraft blog tour? Stylecraft have put together two colour packs, in both Special Aran and Chunky featuring the six new shades with some highlight colours, and sent these packs out to 12 crochet and knitting bloggers asking them to create designs in their own style to inspire creative peeps all over the world.

The bloggers featured this year (in no particular order) are:

So when is my pattern coming out I hear you say…well the tour kicks off 24 October 2016… and at some point during that week my brand new pattern will be released. To whet your appetite here’s a sneaky peak…

OOooo so chunky and delicious don’t you think!

It’s a closely guarded secret as to where the tour is going to each day so make sure you check out Stylecraft’s Facebook page on 24 October. Each blogger (including me) are also going to be giving away a FREE pack of the different yarns each day of the blog tour.

Opportunities for fantastic new patterns and chances to win lovely yarn – what’s not to love!

Until next time; keep calm and crochet on my friends xx

Disclaimer: I have not been financially compensated by the yarn company to write this review. All opinions expressed are my own and based on my own experiences of using the yarn.

17Aug2016

TOFTfest 2016

Posted in Blogging, Crochet, Days Out, Family, Inspiration, Life, Outings by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

So flicking through my latest copy of Inside Crochet magazine I saw that yarn company TOFT were celebrating their 10th Birthday and to mark the occasion they were to host TOFTfest. The day was billed as fun for all the family and as they are based in Warwickshire, which is a couple of hours away from me in Staffordshire, I thought I’d take the KCACO.UK clan along to find out about all things TOFT.

I’ve got a golden ticket! (Okay peachy coloured ticket…)

If you haven’t heard of TOFT yarn before they manufacture high quality alpaca and wool yarn and knitwear here in the UK from British sourced luxury fibres. And even if you aren’t familiar with TOFT yarn as a crocheter you may very well recognise the name of the founder of TOFT, Kerry Lord, who designs (almost other things) the fabulously cute amigurumi book series Edward’s Menagerie.

So back to TOFTfest…There were alpaca themed craft activities for adults and children, a NEW book launch and talk by Kerry Lord and alpaca walking for those that fancied it (which Little G certainly did!). Unfortunately my camera broke on holiday (sad times) so the only photos my husband and I were able to get were on our phones so not of the best quality…

We were really lucky with the weather on the day we went, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, the alpacas were doing alpaca type things and looking cute and everyone seemed to be in a good mood (that’s the British weather for you!).

TOFT Alpaca Farm, Warwickshire

I just loved the TOFT farm studio. It’s pretty much a heavenly place filled with yarn and little amigurumi hanging from the ceiling…

Blake the Orangutan says hello!

I say little amigurumi; one of the most amazing items we saw was a gianormous flamingo (called Sophia) which is used as a show piece. In her talk Kerry explained that Sophia had been completed in only 72 hours (by several crocheters) and that they were literally sewing up the head before their stall opened – just an amazing piece of work. Below you can see Little G, for scale, sorting out Sophia’s feet which had been scrunched up and she thought she should put them right again!

Sophia the Great getting a pedicure by Little G

My highlights of the day were listening to the talk from Kerry about her new book..

Avid listeners! I’m somewhere in the middle…

and having the pleasure of meeting her where she was lovely enough to sign a copy of her new book.

The lovely Kerry kindly signing her (my) new book for me.

The alpaca walking was definitely a highlight of the day for Little G. She made friends with Tornado. Alpaca’s always look as though they are smiling to me they are just so cute and fluffy!

Little G and the most fluffily cute Tornado

I obviously couldn’t leave TOFT without buying some goodies – that would have just been rude!

Oooo look at all my lovely goodies!!

My lovely husband treated me to some of TOFT’s pure wool range which is scrumptiously lush. For those that like the look of this yarn it’s definitely a luxury item; perfect for a special gift for someone (or you!). With it being wool yarn, rather than say acrylic, it’s not cheap but it is so nice for crochet as it has great stitch definition.

The wool yarn comes in 17 different colours, 10 naturals and 7 colours. I chose the coloured palette initially (though I have purchased more hues since!) as I have decided I want to make a special amigurumi each for my girls for Christmas.

DK Colour Bundle from TOFT Alpaca Shop

Little G loves parrots so Jack the Macaw from Edwards Menagerie: Birds will be project 1, and I think I’m going to make Georgina the Hippo for Little Miss as project 2 (as I already have the Edwards Menagerie book) – but more on that once I’ve hooked them up.

Seriously how cute is Georgina the Hippo!!

Plus I need to have a go at making up something from the Imaginarium…always so much to crochet and so little time!

We all had a great day out at TOFT and as you can probably tell I can’t wait to have a go at making up some of the menagerie – in fact I may go and start something now!

Until next time; keep calm and crochet on my friends xx