Knitting Needles!!

I think it might have something to do with all these chilly winter days...I used to have some lovely big chunky jumpers that I knitted for myself which were great to put on as an extra layer when trying to keep warm about the house. Also, I've been seeing a lot of lovely knitted things about recently (probably all that looking around Etsy) and it's all got me thinking that it's way too long since I did any knitting! Well actually it must be about 15 years!! I really used to enjoy it even though I probably started twice as many projects as I finished, but I suppose I stopped when we were travelling around as all my needles and wool supply got left at home.

So, I was just thinking of taking up the needles again when Pennydog at Crafteroo showed us her latest resin (or are they polyester?) project... and it turned out to be gorgeous sparkly knitting needles!! Well I had to have a pair of those - they were just the thing to get me started again! So I ordered a pair from her Folksy shop yesterday and they arrived this morning!! (How's that for service!!) They're a lovely sparkly purple...

So, now I have the needles... next I have to decide what to knit... something simple maybe to start with?

Owl Swap

I can't post pictures of what I'm working on at the moment as I am getting things finished off for the Owl Swap I am taking part in. It has been organised by Meridian and is to include one hand made item, some sort of craft material and then one treat! The items have to be sent off before this coming weekend so I have to get a move on! Luckily I have the main item ready, and know what I am sending for the other things so just need to sort them out and I can get them posted.
Lets hope my swap partner Katy likes her items when they arrive!

Comic Relief, Folksy shop

With Comic Relief day fast approaching (friday 13th March) the members of Crafter...oo craft forum have decided to start a Folksy shop to sell things and raise money for the charity. There are some fantastic things being donated and new things will be added often so pop along and help us raise loads of money by buying something great for yourself or a present for someone else! Also because the forum is for all sorts of crafts there's a wide variety of goodies up for grabs! Come and take a look!

Beads and birds!

Finally got some new beads up on Etsy! These are lovely plum coloured beads with swirls of silvered ivory so lots of silver in these ones.
And we actually have more snow today than monday!! It's been falling most of the day and forecast to continue into the evening. So, it's looking very wintery out there! I took pity on the poor birds and gave them some extra sunflower seeds today. There are lots of blackbirds and robins about at the moment and a few chaffinches as per usual. Haven't seen the woodpecker for a while but I did hear him the other day so he's still around. These photos aren't great as they were taken through the window but you can see the birds...

Saturday sunrise and snow

Well it was a great weekend! Saturday was amazing, Richard and Heike told us all about the work they do and how they do it - so much information! I really want to have a go at casting glass now although not on the sort of scale they work. Just as I was about to leave on Saturday morning I looked outside and this is what I saw...
Sunday was great fun, the new studio at Retro Glass looks fab and I can't wait to have a go with the new 'toys' they have available.

Then yesterday, I had to go into Stirling for a hospital appointment and this is what it was doing outside...
Luckily I had seen the forecast and left the car down the bottom of our really steep driveway! Also the main road to Stirling had been well gritted so it wasn't too bad a drive but as I was leaving Stirling the snow started coming down really heavily. Normally I would have taken the opportunity to spend some time in town but thought it best to get home. Returned to find it hadn't really snowed any more there and by the evening it was raining and washing all the snow away! So now that I don't have to drive anywhere it's virtually all gone...awww not fair!

So no building snowmen for me...I better go clean up those beads I made last week...

Busy weekend!!

I've got an exciting weekend coming up this weekend!! Tomorrow I'm off to attend the first UK date of the Bullseye Lecture Tour. This should be a fabulous day with two amazing glass artists...Richard Whiteley and Heike Brachlow speaking.

Then on Sunday I've been invited along to the official opening of the new glass studio at Retro Glass in Alloa! This promises to be quite an event...I've already had a sneak peek inside the studio which doubles the space they have at Retro and means they will have more facilities for hire. I already have my name down for a session with their new sand-blaster!

I've also got a kiln full of beads which are annealing as I type, so hopefully I will be able to get them cleaned and photographed at some point in the next couple of days. With any luck there will be fresh beads for sale at the beginning of next week.

Spring is around the corner!

There I was lying in bed this morning trying to pretend that it really wasn't time to get up when I heard a noise. As soon as I heard it I realised that I hadn't heard that noise for some time! What was it? Birdsong! Ok so it was only one bird so no great morning chorus but it did make me think that the start of spring might actually be approaching. Which, after all the really dark, rainy, grey days we've had recently, was quite a refreshing thought! Just to confirm this I looked in the garden and there were the first snowdrops of the year bright white in the darkness underneath the trees!
And right there next to the snowdrops was a whole bunch more bulbs coming up through the soggy leaves! So it won't be too long before the garden is bright with daffodils again! Spring is definitely in the air!!