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.