And the beat goes on ...

Well, OK, not the beat. Just the poppy making. We're struggling to keep up with demand. We never thought it would be like this. Just a few poppies, we thought, to help out Anne with her money-raising.

We reckoned without Amanda, who is selling them at the university, where she works.

We reckoned without the effect of people wearing them out and about and telling where they got them.

So on Saturday I took in another half dozen frothy ones. A drop in the ocean. But the wonderful Avril came in with SIXTY FIVE.



Now the actual poppies and leaves are quick; it's the assembling and pinning that takes the time. Doreen has been a champion, and now we've had to press Maureen into service, too. By the end of Saturday she was ready to have nightmares about poppies.

Avril is sitting in the Craft Studio at the shop. I call it that because, when it's empty, Phil uses it as a studio and can be found painting in there, and when he allows, I use it for crochet lessons.

Of course, it's rarely empty, because there are deliveries! This week we had some Italian buttons; there were some pretty flowery ones, and Hallowe'en ones; perhaps I'll manage a photo so you can want them too.

And we had some Louisa Harding Amitola arrive. Unfortunately, it's so popular that Designer Yarns sent only two colours, but here we are:

This ball is a sample which the lovely Julie gave me to play with. Here's what I'm making:

It's an edging from Margaret Hubert's Complete Photo Guide to Crochet, and when I've used half the ball (thank goodness for digital scales), I'll turn round and make another side, linking to the 3-chain loops you can just about see.

Amitola is 80% wool, 20% silk. The colours are jewel-bright, with nice long repeats of each colour. Was I tempted? Well, of course.

This is destined to be a long shrug for Rhiannon.

It's been a stressful week, having a new kitchen installed. Tomorrow we expect the tiler, so next week expect photos. I popped down to the shop on Tuesday (to deliver some poppies!) and came back to find dog Fig in the street, so after that I stayed home to guard her. 

When I went down on Friday, Caroline had done a new window with an Autumnal theme. More news of her work next time.

Busy busy busy busy

The shop has been humming this week! On Friday, Caroline didn't manage to have a drink until four o'clock, let alone any lunch. Phil was wonderful, making tea and coffee for us, even though it didn't get drunk. We had a delivery of knitting needles and notions, but apart from my set of double-pointed cubix, and Caroline's puff maker, it hasn't been unpacked.

Customers continue to make our life happy. This beautiful baby blanket was made by one; she pops in most weeks when she is down in the village. The amazing thing is that as far as we know, she is over 90.

This has been Wool Week. On Friday Caroline celebrated the end of the week by making cakes:



The ones with the icing were especially delicious, but I admit to trying both!

Also for Wool Week the shop was marked out with a lurid, eye-popping yarn bomb on the tree outside; the Foundation design students from the college liked it. Avril thought it should have been bigger. She's right, of course, but time was short, and the tree is actually  three feet around so took some covering. The yarn is Stylecraft Special DK - not the most appropriate for Wool Week, but really good to crochet with, and a massive range of colours.







As you can see from the photo of the cakes, we are still working on poppies. We are struggling to keep up with demand and have pressganged Doreen. Here she is making up poppies from Avril, Julie's and Caroline's work.

At the same time, Amanda is selling them at her office, and Sandy is making and selling them. It looks as though Caroline's target will easily be exceeded.









At home I am working on a cowl in Araucania Botany Lace, which is one of my favourite yarns. It's probably about a 3-ply weight, and beautifully smooth. The colours are really vibrant.

There's a bit of a purple theme going; also on the hook is a blanket for a friend who specified purples.

This square is fun to make because you have to concentrate and count all the time (yes, I'm strange that way). It's designed by Julie Yeager. I love her squares; they are textured and innovative. This is another one that I found when I was tidying up ready to move the kitchen into my work room.

In case anyone is concerned about the hole in the ceiling, it is now fixed and the plaster is drying. Tomorrow the kitchen is being started. There are units in the garage, tiles in the hall and boxes of equipment wherever there is an empty space.

The bright side of chaos? No house work possible.

Congratulations ...

... To Jules and Caroline!

How about that? Runner up in the Midlands for the best local yarn shop! Jules and Caroline went down to the Knitting and Stitching Show at the Ally Pally to mix with the movers and shakers, and to collect the certificate. They had a great day, and when Julie downloads the photos, I'll sneak some of them to show you.

A remarkable thing about this award is that most people didn't even know the shop had been nominated. The LYS which won has talked openly about their campaign to secure votes. Christine's didn't have a campaign. I don't think it was even mentioned on Facebook. So that makes the award even more pleasing: customers really do like the shop.

While the bosses were away, the dream team (Doreen, Phil, Maureen and I) kept the shop open and delighted in telling people why we were on our own.


One of our customers bought 10 pairs of small knitting needles on Saturday. She's a teacher, and running a community activity teaching parents to knit. They are making the little hats for Smoothies. She tried to get us to make some, but we just pointed towards the poppies. The shop has now raised £350. We're going almost flat out to keep up with demand, and have pressganged Doreen to sew the pins on the backs for us.

These are the two models I'm making; the one at the bottom is from the British Legion, but I don't enjoy making them so have an alternative. The flat one at the top will have stamens (made from Fun Fur Yarn) in the middle, and both will have a leaf. After lots of trials, and Caroline making rude comments about one of my efforts, I've settled on this one:

It's from Suzann Thompson's book, Crochet Bouquet. 

And here you see the pile of pieces waiting to be assembled.

Apart from the happiness at the shop, it's not been an enjoyable week. I seem to have spent a large part of it waiting for plumbers, and this is the current  state of play:

This is the tasteful hole in the ceiling. So this week I'll be waiting in for people to replace soaking wet floorboards and ceiling, and then next week they will be installing our new kitchen.


On the craft front, Iam FED UP of losing my scissors. It used to be tape measures, but I got round that by using the heavy, metal retractable ones: you can tell where they are from the weight of the bag!

But scissors is (are?) another matter. Now Gillian's mum made her a lovely knitted holder for hers.

In the old days, ladies had chatelaines - keys and so on attached to their belts for security and easy access.

So, scissors on a chain? But I don't wear belts very often. Market traders pouch, only smaller? An apron? Current favourite is a sort of segmented pocket; I just have to think of a way to attach it to my person, and then I'm set.

Anyone with any ideas out there?

The Felix Fund

At Christine's we meet all sorts of people. Currently the new intake of students for the Art Foundation course are visiting us weekly for materials for textile projects. This morning a young lady asked for knitting needles with holes in! And last week one of the young men was (temporarily) yarnbombing the lamp post outside the college. He'd finger-knitted the fabric and was happy to discuss his project and how he hoped to improve it.

One of our regular customers is Anne Linley. Her son Brett was a mine disposal expert. Yes, was. He was killed making a mine safe in Afghanistan. At first Ann raised money for Help for Heroes, but now she has decided to concentrate on the Felix Fund.

The Felix Fund provides the money for proper aftercare for mine disposal specialists. It's not really possible to imagine what it must be like to be searching for and disposing of mines for hours and weeks on end. The strain must be intolerable. When they finish a tour of duty they need time to decompress; the government funds minimal time, so the Felix Fund steps in to try and save these young men from Post-traumatic stress.

Last year Ann crocheted and sold poppies to raise money for the fund and was amazed at the interest. So this year at Christine's we have a box which we are keeping filled with poppies. Another customer, Avril, has made a lot. Julie also makes the basic poppy, and Caroline does the really important work of putting them together and making their leaves and centres.

So far we have raised £250; Caroline's target is £500.

We are planning a poppy yarn bomb for the tree outside the shop to advertise  for those who don't visit us for wool. This green thing is the bandage to go round the tree:

To it we plan on sewing poppies - our last yarn bomb was stolen, so we're taking no chances. And if time allows, I have a frame for a small wreath.

I've watched Ann pull her life back together after the death of her son. She is a hero too.