Santa Dash and Crocheting

Hello all,

Not long until Christmas!!!! and I hope that you have all of your knitted gifts ready to give your loved ones. If you haven't (like the rest of the knitting community) I hope your not up too late at night trying to get it done.....remember, you probably never specified which Christmas your loved ones will received their knitted gifts ;-) 

I have completed the Santa Dash !!! It took place on Sunday and I went with my friend Laura. We arrived in Warwick where we were given our Santa Outfits. It was hilarious being dressed up with a mass gathering of Santas. It was at this point I whipped out my yarn, which I had brought from Wool Warehouse. I decided to go for a acrylic yarn so it wouldn't get damaged in the rain! I also went for a chunky yarn so that my scarf would be created much quicker. I used my 10mm crochet hook and began crocheting my scarf whilst completing the Santa Dash. I decided to work 11 trebles on each row and worked on the piece until the 2 balls of yarn ran out. There was a lot of support as we completed the dash and I would do it again!!

I would like to thank Countryside Online, Myton Hospices and Inside Crochet for there support whilst completing the Santa Dash. I would also like to thank Laura as without her, I would have missed this brilliant opportunity, 

 Myton Hospices is a brilliant charity that provides wonderful end of life support. If you have enjoyed my antics and are able to give to a great cause please follow the link to my Just Giving page www.justgiving.com/sarahssantadash2015

I've decorated my house with some of my previous Christmas knits which includes the Christmas stocking bunting and my knitivity. It is also not too ling until I pull out my Christmas Jumper!! I feel my new home is ready for the family to visit so we can celebrate Christmas together. I'm really looking forward to it!!!!

I currently have two patterns in the guide to Crochet volume 5 created by Inside Crochet.. this beautiful bookazine contains 2 of my Tunisian crochet patterns from this year. Please check it out 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for supporting my work and I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year. 

Until 2016

Happy Crafting. 

Sarah x

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Man hat and Santa Dash

Hello all, 

I am happy to announce that the man hat is completed after all of the drama. As I did not have measurements, I felt it was safe to work with a 2 x 2 rib pattern. This would give the hat much give. I used DK weight yarn and cast on 112 stitches. I wanted the stripes to be distinct so felt it was best to change the colour of the yarn every 10 rows. I wanted the hat to be too big so this would allow a length to fold the hat back. This makes sure that the hat would not be too short. After much tea drinking and tv watching, I completed the hat!! I think it's fab but I felt I needed to make it clear where my loyalties are :)

West Yorkshire Spinners have gorgeous Christmas yarn, which I am now the proud owner of. They also have a beautiful sock pattern which I am currently working on. I only happened to find this pattern by going to my local knitting group at Stitch Solihull. The wonderful Anna showed me this pattern and I have fallen in love with it. The pattern has a new challenge for me as it is worked toe up. I will show it off when it is completed :) I found the pattern on the following link http://www.wyspinners.com/patterns/WYS_Holly_Berry_Free%20Pattern.pdf

I have now ordered my yarn for the Santa Dash I am taking part in. This is on the 13th December around Warwick. I will be dressing up with Santa with my friend and completed 2 laps of the park. To make this more challenging I have decided to crochet a scarf as I go around the course. I think it will be quite a laugh and hopefully I will be able to raise money for Myton Hospices which is a great cause. The charity support people through the final part of their life and also support families. If you are able to donate to this great cause please follow the link to my just giving page www.justgiving.com/sarahssantadash2015 

I have also now released my patterns on the Love Knitting website. Please check out the link to my designs http://www.loveknitting.com/catalogsearch/result/?order=relevance&dir=desc&q=sarah+reed

I think all of my Christmas knitted and crocheted gifts sorted to give to the family. I just need to sort out my decorations. I had a lovely time Christmas tree shopping but I still need to try and get other bits and bobs. I think I will be pulling out my Christmas stocking bunting and adding it to my fireplace. The dilemma is how soon can i put the tree up........

Right back to the Christmas socks

Until next time

Happy Crafting

Sarah :) 

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Halloween and Man Hat Drama

Hello all,


Hope you have all enjoyed your Halloween and Bonfire night. I am proud to say I managed to sneak a bit of crochet into my Halloween costume. I was struggling for an original idea and contacted my sister for inspiration. We searched far and wide and came up with a brilliant idea. I needed to wear clothes that looked French. I already owned a striped top and I went to a fabric shop to buy red cloth to be my scarf. I was in need of a beret.........I looked on Ravelry and I found a free crochet pattern. I was able to whip the pattern up quickly and it completed my outfit. I painted my face like Gene Simmons from Kiss, which made me a............French kiss (haha genius!!!)


I met up with the lovely Denise from Peeko crochet. We met in a cafe and she taught me how to create double sided Tunisian crochet. Denise is a great tutor and I would recommend attending any class that she is teaching.  It was lovely to meet with a fellow enthusiast and chat crochet. I saw some of her patterns and after this felt more inspired to create more original design work :)

I have been given a mission to knit a hat for a man. The specification was that he is a hiker and he wanted a purple and blue hat. I went to Stitch Solihull where the lovely Anna prevented me from ripping my hair out finding a masculine purple. We found some lush Bergere de France yarn which was manly in colour. After further conversations with the man I came to realise that he was a Villa fan......and then said he would like his hat in the colour of the football kit!!!!!!!......Back to stitch Solihull this time with my friend Becky and Anna stopping me from ripping my hair out. In the end we found the colours needed and I have started work on this piece......

Right I'm going to get back to it :)

Until next time 

Happy crafting

Sarah :) 

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Tunisian Cross Stitch Cowl and another use for yarn

Hello all,

I am currently drowning in Christmas projects which has made the months fly by......I have 1 and 1/2 more family projects and some friends to knit for and I'm done.

I recently had a project published in Inside Crochet. It was my Tunisian cross stitch cowl, which is my first design made in the round. The design includes West Yorkshire Spinners Yarn and a new stitch. The project involves a double ended hook which means the forward pass is worked on one end and the return pass is on the other way. It's a great technique as it means no sewing!!!!!!!!

I have also been out and about trying out new things. I can now say I've attempted clay pigeon shooting and archery. It went well until I found the recoil of the gun painful........turned out I don't have enough padding. After being covered in extra layers of coats, it wasn't so bad :)

I have also found another wonderful use for yarn. Another hobby of mine is walking and I recently went on an 8 mile walk. I decided to wear fashion boots instead of my walking books as they matched my outfit. After damaging my poor feet I was unable to walk when I got home. Slippers did not relieve the pain however resting them on top of a ball of yarn was pure bliss......

Right back to work

Until next time

Happy crafting

Sarah :) 

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Car dealerships and Holiday yarn shopping

Hello all,

I can confirm that an acceptable place to crochet is in a car dealership. I had my car serviced and whilst I was waiting I whipped out my Toft T-Rex project. Unbeknown to me, I was in the presences of fellow crocheter, Tinkyblink. She is also a Tunisian crochet fan and we lovely yarn shops in the area. The time passed quickly as we shared projects and exchanged Ravelry page details. There were also a few other people who were intrigued with what I was working on. All in all, a car dealership is an acceptable place knit. hhhmmmm where to try next.....

With this extra time of working on my project, I completed my T-Rex project ready for Christmas. I sadly did not find the missing leg so had to make another one.........(grumble grumble). The pattern was straight forward to follow and I am please with the result. I would recommend this pattern if you would like to make a cute dinosaur.

I have been away on holiday and found some lovely knitting shops in the area. I have been to Periwinkle in Ilfracombe, which is not only a knitting shop but a cafe as well. There was a delicious range of home-made cakes and speciality teas and coffees. What I also loved was that there were knitting magazines to browse whilst having a brew. There was a range of yarn  to explore and sweet knitting accessories. I brought myself a hand mirror which has pictures of wool on the back. This is a place worth visiting if you are in the area, I recommend the bakewell cake. 

On the way back from holiday we stopped in Tiverton and I popped into the Tiverton Bead and Wool shop. Downstairs they have an extensive range of beads, however, upstairs there was a whole floor of yarn. They stocked the beautiful West Yorkshire Spinner's yarn and drops yarn. The yarn was affordable and there was a good range of colours. I felt a bit of inspiration and brought some yarn for the next project. 

I am going to get back to gloves that I am knitting for another Christmas present but before I go, you may wish to have a look in this month's Inside Crochet for my latest pattern..........I will talk about it more in the next blog.

Until next time

Happy crafting

Sarah :) 

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Autumn and the hunt for the missing leg

Hello all,

The weather appears to be changing quite quickly and I am currently............. freezing!!!!!!!! For a knitter, the change in season is great as it brings back more motivation to make woolly goods. I have completed my Christmas project for my sister.......with a lot of yarn left over, so I will need to think what other present I can create with yummy chunky yarn.

I have also finally completed my West Yorkshire Spinner's Mallard socks :) They are fabulous and really warm. I like the colour combinations and I feel they may come on holiday with me to the caravan. I have successfully recovered from the second sock syndrome and back to good health. I am now on my next project. 

Work has started on my nephew's dinosaur using the TOFT pattern. All was going well until I lost a leg that I had made..........I suppose there is a slight possibility it walked off (I guess more accurately hopped off as it is only one leg). The hunt to find it has began but it could be anywhere between Birmingham and Reading. If you do happen to find an orange crocheted leg about.....please tell it to come home!!!!!!

There are a lot of lovely knitted accessories coming out in the shops. Whilst with my sister, we found some sweet knitted jumpers for the nephew and gorgeous chunky cardigans for us in Primark. I am at the point where I am considering popping the heating on at home but I am trying to resist the urge...........until the real autumn arrives.

The holiday planning is going well. I am  trying to locate the local yarn shops near Bideford. (Please do share any recommendations) I have found a knitting cafe called 'Periwinkle' which I would love to pop in. Not only does it sell beautiful yarn but it also has tea and cakes. This sounds like a knitters dream to me and a must do on the holiday list. 

I am also still on my quest to find other socially acceptable place to knit. So far I have found on a train and a cricket ground. Tomorrow, my car needs to be serviced and I intent to be making my dinosaur in the waiting room. This is a new knitting territory for me and I hope it is well received. 

I am still fundrasing for Birmingham Children's Hospital after spotting all of the Big and Little Hoot owls. I am happy to say I have reached my target and I want to thank everyone who has been able to sponsor me. If you are able to help this great cause my page is www.justgiving.com/sarah-reed2015

Right....back to the dinosaur and the hunt for the missing leg.....

Until next time

Happy crafting

Sarah :) 

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Second sock syndrome.......

Hi all,

I have successfully completed the Big and Little Hoot for Birmingham Children's hospital. The project was set up by Wild in Art. It was great fun and it was a brilliant way to explore the city. All 211 owls have now been spotted and I now have more time to knit again :) I am still collecting sponsors so if you are able to help in anyway that would be much appreciated. My page is www.justgiving.com/sarah-reed2015.

My knitting buddy Becky and I felt we wanted a new venue to knit at. We looked into acceptable places to knit and found that a cricket ground is the place to be. We booked our tickets and went to watch an exciting match.....however, it was not meant to be. I arrived just after 1pm and the rain began to fall. We stuck it out for 5 hours but after that, we gave up and the match was called off. Despite the rain we continued to knit our current makes. I have finally finished Christmas present number 2 for my sister. It involved a TOFT pattern and some very chunky yarn. I also picked up the Mallard sock and got most the way to completing the first sock.

The next day I persevered and completed the first sock. I have began the second sock but I am now suffering from the terrible aliment of 'Second Sock Syndrome'. I am working on the cuff and I am struggling to complete it. I feel that they way to recover from this terrible syndrome is to put on a great movie and knit to the end. I am hoping to complete it over the weekend.

I have my next project lined up, which is of course a Christmas present for my nephew. He seems to have befriended his toy T-Rex. My nephew has such a strong bond with this creature, that he now feeds it and gives it his dummy. I felt it would be nice for the dinosaur to have a little friend and TOFT have some lovely dinosaurs patterns to make up. I haven't crocheted a toy for a while and I am looking forward to working on this.

The family are plotting their holiday to Bideford and I am currently trying to spot where all of the fabulous yarn shops are. If you have any suggestions, please do share :)

I have noticed that Age UK are starting to promote the Big Knit project. This involves knitting little hats to place on Innocent smoothies. For every smoothie that is sold wearing a hat, 25p is donated to age UK. Look online for more details on how you can get involved. 

Right!!!!!! I will not be beaten by this sock!!!!!!!!

Until next time

Happy crafting

Sarah :) 

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Shaun Spotting

Hello all,

I have been taking a break from Knitting and decided to do the second thing I enjoy, which are Art Trails. These trails involves finding sculptures around different towns. 

This year alone I have completed a Baron Trail in Salisbury and I am currently completing the Big Hoot in Birmingham. For the Big Hoot I am aiming to see all 211 Big and Little Hoot owls for Birmingham children's Hospital. I have currently spotted 95 of them and will hope to see the others within the next 2 weeks. If you are able to sponsor me,my just giving page is www.justgiving.com/sarah-reed2015 and I am raising money fro a great cause. 

Over the last weekend I went to Bristol and saw all of the lovely Shaun the Sheep sculptures. Bristol is a beautiful place and the trails lead you to all of the amazing sites such as the harbor, heritage sites and around the town. 

There were 70 to see and I managed to squeeze them all in 3 days!!!. I am now trying to recover from aching feet.......although I have agree to go yoga tonight....wish me luck. Knittingwise there are two beautiful Shauns. One is totally crocheted in St Nicholas Market and the other is a Knitted Style one in St Peter's church. The crocheted one, 'Woolly Wonderland', has individual crocheted motifs all over it. The other one called 'Knit-Wit' is painted in a knitting style which contains different knitted stitches...so see how many you can recognize. 

Intermediate Media have sponsored a Shaun which is near the harbor. Intermedate media create magazines including Knit Today and their creation is called 'Shaun Bean'. I really enjoyed this trail so it is worth a visit if you can make it before 31st August. However, if you cannot make it they can all be seen together at Cribbs Causeway 12th-20th September and in Covent Garden 24th-27th September. 

I have completed my first Christmas project and currently working on the second one.......hopefully I will actually finish them all on time!!! My poor mallard sock is sitting on the side but I will pick it up more towards the autumn. 

Right back to work

Happy crafting

Sarah :) 

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Fibre East and Owl hunting

Hello all, 

I have just managed to sit down and write this blog as I have been busy out and about. I love Art Sculpture trails and Birmingham has set one up called the Big Hoot. 89 Large and 122 smaller owls have been released in Birmingham and I intend to find all of these owls. By doing this I am raising money for Birmingham's Children's Hospital. This is a great cause and if you are able to spread the word of my work or even donate I would appreciate it https://www.justgiving.com/Sarah-Reed2015/

I had a wonderful day yesterday with my knitting companion Becky. We went over to Fibre East for the first time. It was lovely and there was a lot of sumptuous yarn to enjoy. Thread of Life was there and I was able to pick up another double ended Tunisian Crochet hook. There was also a lovely book stall selling older craft books. I managed to find one with Tricot crochet....which appears to be Tunisian crochet. A stall sold Drop's yarn and I could not resist buying some. Overall a great day with some good finds.

In true knitter's fashion Becky and I found a pub nearby called the Woolpack. Yes I found the irony hilarious. Here we had a lovely lunch and admired all of our purchases. 

On Thursday I am going to Guthrie and Ghani's knit night. It runs 6.30pm - 7.30pm and the company is great there. If you are free, it's worth going along to. 

I am working on a West Yorkshire Spinner's sock in Mallard and I have started a Christmas stocking for my nephew.......I need to finish at least one project as I can't have 2 on the go :S.......perhaps I will get to work on this now..........

Until next time 

Happy Crafting 

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Tunisian Cushion

Hello all,

I'm back from my break and now I'm knitting up a storm :)

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the latest issue of Inside crochet had been released and had arrived at my front door. Inside it contained my latest Tunisian Crochet Pattern  'Geo Cushion'. This project started months ago.

I was travelling to Reading to visit my sister and look one of my usual detours to Yarnfest. This is a lovely shop in an area called Hermitage and stocks a lot of gorgeous yarn. Another reason that a visit is necessary is for the opportunity to meet Ozzy the dog. Ozzy guided me to the yarn I just had to have. This was quite early in the year but summer was on my mind and I found that West Yorkshire Spinners had a gorgeous selection of colours. The way the shelf was stacked had the green and pink together and I loved the combination. It made me think of a watermelon and I knew I had to buy this yarn for something.................I was not heavily influenced by Ozzy's puppy eyes!!!!!!!!


Once back home I began to plot my pattern. I wanted something that would challenge me and develop a new skill. This is when I went to You Tube for Knitspiration. I came across an American crocheter (cannot think who it was) who had made a Super Mario blanket using colour work in Tunisian crochet. Using the different colours seemed to be similar to how a knitter does Intarsia Knitting. The video did guide me to twist the yarn at each colour change to ensure there are no holes. 


With this in mind I decided to look back at an old patchwork book I had for a design idea. The one I selected was a star design. To sew this up it would involve 12 square which was a triangle that was half one colour and half another. If you look carefully at the patter you may see how these square would be put together. I actually did a tension square (I know !!!) to work out the sizing of my work. I had a spare cushion that was in desperate need of dressing and from there the pattern was created.

I emailed my idea to Claire from Inside Crochet and the design and it was a Tunisian cushion which happened to match the theme for an issue of the magazine. I really enjoyed this project and hope to use this technique again for a later design. 

I went to Guthrie and Ghani's Knit Night on Thursday and really enjoyed it. I love the atmosphere of the shop and how relaxed knit night is there. It was a nice place to focus on my latest design involving Tunisian Crochet in the round. Lauren stocks Rico and now Milla Mia yarn in a vast range of colours. There are also a number of different weight yarn available too. I have found much knitpiration here previously as this is where I brought the yarn from Benjamin's Bunting and Nice and Cosy. The next Knit night is on 30th July and well worth a visit :)

Right.........back to work 

Until next time

Happy crafting

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brioche knitting

Hello all,

I have officially finished my first brioche knitting project (yay).

My knitting buddy and I wanted to find a workshop to challenge our skills. Becky suggested brioche knitting and I thought this sounded great. However, when I arrived at the workshop I quickly realised that this was not a form of cake eating and knitting. 

Instead it is a form of knitting that creates a thick and stretch piece of material. It amused me too as it involves stitches called 'barks' and 'burp'. The bark or a 'brk' is a brioche knit stitch and a 'burp' or 'brp' is a brioche purl stitch. 

The work involves placing 'shawls' (or a yarn over) stitches which are then worked together to create the thickness. I think the best way to get a grasp of this is either have a very clever knitting friend or attend a workshop. I went to Hilda Haarhoff to learn this skill. It was an interesting session which included a free scarf pattern to take home. After some time, I found it fairly simple to pick up.

However, when I returned home I ended up in a right mess. I would recommend when you are starting to use a life line. This is a piece a yarn you thread through so if you make a mistake, you can pull your work back to a specific point. I had not done this and somehow lost my many stitches.........instead I resorted to my other life line 'Becky' to the repair the damage done. 

After knitting quietly with no distractions, I was able to finish my piece. I am quite happy with it and would like to wear it in the winter as it is an extremely warm accessory. 

The next piece of work on this would be to learn how to use 2 colours for brioche knitting. Becky has picked this up so maybe I can get some tips off her..........

I have just submitted another pattern for Inside Crochet so keep an eye out in September :)

I am currently working on another idea that I am dying to get back to 

Until next time

Happy crafting 

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Marie Curie Tea Party and the 'C' word

Hello all,

I had a lovely knitting Saturday last weekend.I attended the wonderful tea party held by City Knits in Birmingham. The gathering was in aid of Marie Curie. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and there was so much on offer. 

On the day there was a vast array of gorgeous cakes to indulge on and also there was a lucky dip for knitters. I had a go and bagged myself a lot of wonderful prizes. There was also an opportunity to try and knit with epic needles and there was a stall selling many hand knitted items. It was also wonderful to see all the lovely tea cosies that had been created for the event. 

I have taken part in the raffle hoping to win some of the lovely gifts. One of the offerings is 39 balls of Stylecraft yarn !!!!!! Imagine what I could make up with that !!!!!!! The draw is not until 30th June so there is still time to buy a ticket. They can be purchased from the shop or on-line, by donation, on City Knits just giving page www.justgiving.com/Christines2015. It's well worthwhile donating to this lovely cause.

I really enjoyed myself and hope they carry on hosting this event every year. 

I am unsure if it is inappropriate but I am going to use the 'C' word. That's right !!! I am contemplating beginning Christmas knitting. I need to decorate my new home and this year the family are celebrating with me. Is it too soon to begin???? I'm not so sure. I will contemplate on this more.

Until next time

Happy crafting

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Tunisian Lamp Shade

Hello all,

I am excited to announce that Inside Crochet have published my latest Tunisian crochet pattern. I really enjoyed designing this piece and I think it  would make any room look amazing. 

The lamp shade cover came a bit of an accident really. I am easily influenced by internet companies postage policies. Around the time, my sister wanted a pair of hand knitted gloves. However, in order for me to get the yarn I would have had to pay £3 postage. Oh no !!!! I was not having that!!!!! The way around this was to turn my £4 order into a £25 one. I have no idea why this seemed to make more sense to spend more money than settle for the postage. I looked for the most random thing to increase the price of my order and came across the Rico lampshade......of course into the basket it went. Once it arrived I had no idea what to do with it. 

I am really into my Tunisian crochet at the minute and I wanted to move beyond a Tunisian Simple Stitch. I looked through a few stitchonaries and found this lovely lace stitch. It is a 2 line repeat and involves decreasing and passing a yarn over to maintain the same number of stitches on each row. I think the main trick to this pattern is making sure that you count the number of stitches after each row to make sure you have not lost any. The pattern allowed me to use the luscious West Yorkshire Spinner yarn that I had been saving. From there the project was created and published by Inside Crochet. 

To feed my Tunisian addiction I will be going to a Tunisian crochet workshop with the lovely Denise on Saturday the 6th June at Stitch Solihull. By the end, I will hopefully be able to do the same stitch on Tunisian crochet on each side of my work (exciting stuff!!!!!)

I need a cup of tea and a calm down from all of the exciting things that have been going on. 

Until next time

Happy crafting 

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Birmingham knit nights and the Rabbit thief

Hello all,

I have been developing my skills in doing Tunisian crochet in the round and creating new designs which is all exciting. I have sent them off to the magazines to see if they would like to use them. Fingers crossed :) I would show you them however, the rabbit thief strikes again!!!!!!  It appears that she has taken to seeking comfort lately...........not from me but my designed good. It is a bizarre habit but I suppose if it keep her happy who am I to judge? 

As you may be aware I have recently moved to Birmingham and started to look for local knit nights. I love attending one on a Saturday 11am-1pm at Stitch Solihull. This beautiful knitting hut can be found inside Nottcutt's garden centre in Shirley. It is only £1 to attend and there are lovely biscuits and tea on hand. Stitch Solihull hold a variety of workshops and one that I am intending to book onto is Tunisian Crochet with the lovely Denise Pigott. The workshop is open to any ability and I am desperate to learn how to do double sided Tunisian crochet. I am booking onto the workshop on the Saturday 6th June. 

I have located another group near Bournville held at City knits in Birmingham. This group is on the last Wednesday of the month and runs 6.30pm - 8.30pm. This is a lovely group and there are usually a range of handmade cakes, tea and knitting gossip. I have enjoyed this group and will hopefully attend again in May as I am away in April. 

A group that I would like to try is at Guthrie and Ghani. This is held on the last Thursday of the month 6.30pm - 8.30pm. I love the shop and the atmosphere and I am intending to go along in May. The shop is in Moseley which works out great as it is not far from the day job. 

The final group that I have heard of is Stitches and Ho's which is held at a pub called the Hare and Hound pub in Kings Heath. This group runs on the last Tuesday of every month and starts from 7.30pm. This group seems different as it is based in a pub and shows the public how great knitting (and of course crochet) is. 

I am off to Brighton soon so if anyone can recommend and knitting shops that I must go to that would be much appreciated. 

I have updated my Ravelry shop with all my latest patterns so please check it out :)

Until next time

Happy crafting

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Hobbycraft show NEC and P-Lush

Hello All,

I am now living in Birmingham which means a ton of new yarn shops to explore!!!!! I have been quite busy settling into my new place, unpacking and trying work out where to hide my enormous stash so that no-one knows the extend of my addiction. Due to this I am having to buy interesting pieces of furniture with hidden storage. 

I had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer with the UK Hand Knitting Association at the knitting show at the NEC. The day was extremely well organised by the lovely Denise Pigott. Denise is a fabulous tutor and an absolute sweet heart. She provided me with my basic knowledge and skills for Tunisian Crochet. Check out her website to see other workshops she is hosting and book on them!!!!. It's well worth it. The aim of the voluntary work was to pass on knitting and crochet skills to others. We were working on a piece which will hopefully achieve a Guinness World Record. We were intending to make the longest length of knitted and crochet chains joined together. It was a wonderful experience as everyone really got into the spirit of things. We taught some knitting newbies and really added to the length of chains. Check out the UK Hand Knitting Association's website for more information. It is also a brilliant website full of various resources. 

I attended P-Lush which is a relatively new festival. There were hundreds of alpaca's being judged in the hall and some lovely knitting and crochet stalls. I went with my knitting comrade Becky and we had a great day.  I found the beautiful Threads of Life stall, where I was able to stock up on a lot of Tunisian Crochet equipment. I also attended a workshop ran by Helen where I learnt how to do Tunisian crochet in the round. I am now so over excited and I have many new project ideas swimming around my head. There were also many stall full of luxurious yarns which contained silk and cashmere blends (so yummy!!!)

I have a couple more published projects in the pipeline so watch this pace around May or June time for more. 

I am having a day to complete any works in progress that I have left......At the moment I have 2 on the go. I am a rare kind of crafter as I need to finish all existing projects before I move onto the next piece. This works well in one respect as there are not too many things on the go. However, the negative is that I really want to work on new ideas but can't until I have caught up. 

Right going to get to it 

Until next time

Happy crafting 

www.facebook.com/knit'snotperfect

@knitsnotperfect

http://www.ravelry.com/designers/sarah-reed

Toft's Charity Project

Hello all,

You'll be happy to know that I have caught up with my projects again. I have also sent samples to Inside Crochet for a commission. They will hopefully make an appearance in the nect few months. It's all exciting :)

My latest make is a project to raise money for charity. I am a massive fan of Toft Alpaca and they are currently creating a crochet jungle. The charities that will benefit are Noah's Ark Hospices Charity and Birmingham Children's Hospital Charity. donations for these great causes are made by buying a #crochetjungle monkey pack. This pack includes material and the pattern to make your own monkey for family and friends. I have made my mischievous monkey and I will donate him to Toft so he can tour starting at the Knitting and Stitching show in March. 

If you wish to donate anything you can there is a just giving page. Check it out and help them reach their target https://www.justgiving.com/crochetjungle/

The Monkey pattern is a fun make and is quite quick. I really liked making the hands and feet as this was a new technique. This is something that I would like to incorporate in my future projects. 

This weekend I am heading to Unravel in Fareham for a browse. It looks to be full of amazing exhibitors so I will hopefully find much knitspiration there for future design projects. I will let you know what it is like so you can plan to go next time. 

I am in need of tea, biscuit and  my next project.

Until next time

Happy Crafting

www.facebook.com/knitsnotperfect
@knitsnotperfect
http://www.ravelry.com/designers/sarah-reed

I'm back!!!!

Hello all,

I seem to have lost track of time :s I hope you are all well. I am in the process of relocating to Birmingham to move nearer to some lovely yarn shops. I am having to face the reality of how huge my yarn stash is. I need a bit of a clear out but it is so difficult to do. Once I am in my new property I will have a whole room to fill with yarn goodness.

I am still in love with West Yorkshire Spinner's yarn. I recently visited my sister in Reading and went along to a lovely shop called Yarnfest. It is in Thatcham and filled with good quality yarn...including my favourite West Yorkshire Spinner's. There are other yarns such as Debbie Bliss, Noro and Louise Harding. There is also a cute dog which will help you with your yarn shopping. Yarnfest also run a variety of workshops that look amazing to attend. I will be sure to try and tie in a visit there whenever I visit my sister. Check out the shops website for more http://www.yarnfest.co.uk/

I have a couple more magazines commissions on the way (one includes the yarn I brought from Yarnfest) and I have also had a couple of patterns reprinted in a German magazine called Hakeln which is exciting :)

Toft are currently raising money for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity and Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice. They are making a crochet jungle which will be on display at the Knitting and Stitching show in March. I am helping towards this project but if you are able to make some leaves or buy a monkey kit where a donate would be made to these brilliant causes, that would be much appreciated.  please check out their website for more information. 

 http://www.thetoftalpacashop.co.uk/Article_News_crochetjungle.aspx

Well I need to get back to typing up my patterns :)

Until next time

Happy crafting

www.facebook.com/knitsnotperfect

@knitsnotperfect

http://www.ravelry.com/designers/sarah-reed