crafts & knitting · general stuff

A thought for the future

When I went over to the Hali site to follow the link on my previous post, I noticed that a record auction price was recently reached for an antique sampler. The piece was created in 1797 by Betsy Wardwell and sold at Christie’s New York textile sale for $329,600! It got me thinking – I wonder what antique auctions will include in another 210 years? Maybe a vintage Raspberry felt piece, a much-loved Molly Chicken bear, an antique Flibbertygibbet quilt? Well, you never know. You can bet your lucky pants that Betsy Wardwell never imagined that her beautifully fine stitching would ever become so sought after. She created her work with humility and grace:

"May spotles inocence & truth my every action guide and guard my unexperienced youth from arrogance & prideโ€, โ€œBETSY WARDWELLS WORK PROVIDENCE 1797โ€.

I wonder what she’d make of it all?

I’ve written up a little free pattern for knitted flowers – same as my cake toppers (it’s over on the side bar). These could be used for decorating any number of objects. I’m making a little hair thingy for Amy with 3 contrasting flowers on – will post pictures when it’s finished.

Flower

 

crafts & knitting

New homes

The latest batch of toys that were sold last week have started arriving in their new homes. I’m so grateful to Kim, Carolyn, Sarah, and Sue for their lovely emails letting me know that everything arrived safely. Lucy sent me a lovely email too and a wonderful picture of Isabel with Little Green Rabbit who was a special commission requested before Christmas.

Greenrabbit007
Thanks everyone for your feedback, it’s much appreciated.

crafts & knitting

More yummy yarn

One of my daily visits in blogland is to Rebecca’s site. I admire her philosophy, her creativity and she also has fabulous photos of the beautiful countryside around her home. I discovered the concept of a ‘carbon footprint’ via her blog and her informative, unpatronizing writing makes me ponder more about the wastefulness and destructiveness of modern living and ways of living in better balance with the environment. Anyway, in tribute to her ecologically-friendly life style I’ve decided to work on a couple of partially* eco bunnies. I’ve found this gorgeous organic cotton yarn (from Angel Yarns) in natural shades – it is un-dyed and actually grows in these colours. On the label is says that the growing of cotton around the world accounts for 50% of world pesticide use(!!) so buying organic cotton helps to reduce the use of chemical pesticides, fertilizers and defoliants. It’s a small step, but it’s a start.

Ecoknit2

* can’t find an eco-friendly stuffing – anyone got any ideas??

On a non-knitting note, I have been tagged by Rachael at Tinkerblue to reveal 6 weird things about myself. I am as averagely normal as they come, but here goes:

1. I cannot stand to get pruney fingers. So whilst I love a long hot bath I need to keep my hands out of the water and once my fingertips start to wrinkle, that’s it, I’m out.

2. I learnt to ride a motorbike before I learnt to drive a car. In my pre-children days I used to love commuting into London and bombing around the countryside on my Honda 400 (now sadly sold – although I did ponder the merits of a side-car for the kids!). This is my helmet.

Helmet

3. I can read novels over and over again. Iโ€™ve read some of my favourites more than 6 times – even though I know whatโ€™s going to happen.

4. I usually read the last page of a new novel first, to gauge whether itโ€™s worth the investment of time! (apparently this is not that weird as both Monica from Quilt While You’re Ahead and Carolyn from Willow House do it too!)

5. I would happily live in pyjama bottoms – the most comfortable item of clothing ever invented. The first thing I do after I come into the house is go and change into my jammies. I have 15 pairs of brushed cotton jammy bottoms – not quite enough to rival Ali’s impressive knicker collection!

6. I have an occasional but undeniable craving for pickled eggs! Sorry!

There are rules that come with this tag but I’m going to throw caution to the wind and ignore them. Instead I throw the challenge open – give it a go and reveal your inner weirdo!