Nursery Knits Updates, a Big Birthday, Exploring the Cotswolds, and New Yarns!

Well hello there dears!

I can't believe how quickly the months have zipped by - June already!  I'm well overdue a blog post so here it is.  This Summer post is all about #StylecraftYarns which will become my blanket stock for the shop this winter, and some new discoveries!  Plus, I have some exciting news about Nursery Knits UK!  I'm terrible for saying things too soon and then taking forever to make good on them but I promise I'm being realistic this time - haha!

Hopefully you're all enjoying some of the glorious weather that I've had here in beautiful Kent.  At the moment I'm sitting in my craft room, looking out of the window at the view of the Downs and feeling content.  Everything is lush and green; birds are singing; children next door but one are having a bouncing competition on their trampoline and their squeals of delight are joining the birdsong and the distant hum of lawnmowers that can only mean one thing: summer is here!

Archie-Cat has shoved himself under the cast iron fireplace grate on the floor here in an attempt to stay cool (it must be tough being so fluffy in this heat!) and generally all is well with the world.  Well, apart from the fact that DH is downstairs nursing a broken clavicle that's awaiting surgery.

So, let's get started shall we?

What's New with Nursery Knits UK?

Well, I'm thrilled to have reached almost 300 followers on Facebook.  It's lovely to have genuine likes from people who interact with the page and a few of them I'm getting to know quite well.  We've got  a regular feature:  Talented Tuesday, which allows followers to post photos of their own crafty makes and I must say, they're incredible!  We've had some FYF shawls (#findyourfade), a beautiful handmade wooden box, stunning cake decorating skills and, just for half term, some gorgeous children's art-work featuring!  It's lovely to see what everyone's up to and to see people sharing ideas.

I've also been kept busy with prizes and commissions.  While my order book has been closed for the exam season (I'm an English teacher by trade), I've still had a couple of giveaways to draw for and have been working on commissions received just before my order-book closed (my customers knew it would be a couple of months to receive their items at the time of making their commission and they've been wonderfully understanding).  Here are some pics of the latest bits and bobs!

Ripples are definitely proving popular at the moment and I've ended up on a bit of a ripple marathon!  The prize-winner's blanket was well received and I've since made two more for my Etsy store and had a commission for one from a customer! 

I hit the big 30 in April, and was whisked away by DH to the stunning Eynsham Hall on the outskirts of the Cotswolds.  As well as lots of hookery time as I relaxed in beautiful surroundings, I was also able to explore local yarn shops!  I spent a good half hour in Witney's store:

It's got everything, including some absolutely stunning fabric!  If we hadn't been rushing for a dinner reservation I may have spent a lot longer (and a lot more) in there!

But, if you ask me, the real gem of the Cotswolds (that I discovered anyway) is this one: just look at this!

Yes - THREE ROOMS of sewing and knitting goodies!  The proprietor is so lovely and welcoming and totally didn't mind my spending two hours in his shop (in two stints - DH saw me looking longingly at it again and took me back!).  It's absolute heaven with yarn in every nook and cranny, tapestries hanging from the walls and ceilings, even little nooks stuffed with pattern books and reference books.  Excuse me while I sigh happily at the memories!

Other than that, the latest officially new thing is that I've bought in some new colourways.  I did a big Stylecraft Yarn shop after a stock take revealed that I had pretty much run out of my acrylic base yarn that I work my blankets in.  Acrylic is wonderful for blankets as it blocks beautifully, hardly pills, and is machine-washable - now what mum doesn't love machine-washable?  Exactly!  So time to get onto the colours:

NEW: Stylecraft Yarns Colourways

As many of you know, I like to use acrylic yarn for blankets (as explained above) and one of my favourites is Stylecraft Special DK.  I actually use this as my standard base for blankets.  Other brands are available, such as the WI Soft and Cuddly but they're premium yarns and so are commission only.

Stylecraft is a UK based company and to be fair to them they do a huge and wonderful range of yarns, of which Special DK is only a portion, but Special DK washes so well and is so reasonably priced that it's incredibly popular with crafters and businesses alike.  I would never use something in my products that I wouldn't be proud to have myself so you can rest assured of the standards here!

Special DK comes in a whopping 85 shades, which means that customers ordering blankets have a huge range to select from.  That said, people tend to like seeing colourways as examples and so I thought I'd stock up and put a few together:

As you can see, I've had a lot of fun playing with combinations.
Row 1, image 1:  Grape, Cream, Boysenberry, Mocha
Row 1, image 2: Grape, Cypress, Shrimp, Stone
Row 1, image 3; Grape, Cypress, Mustard, Stone

Row 2, image 4: Bluebell, Clematis, Grape, Boysenberry
Row 2, image 5: Clematis, Grape, Mustard, Turquoise, Kelly Green

Row 3: image 6: Boysenberry, Grape, Stone
Row 3, image 7: Cypress, Mustard, Stone, Shrimp
Row 3, image 8: Clematis, Stone, Grape

I asked on my page and via instagram which colourway people wanted to see used and, to my genuine amazement, my lovely friends and followers have voted for number 5!

 I thought this would be the least popular because the colours are rather an odd combination but it seems that people are in the mood for colour, so let's go for it!  The final decision now is to choose whether to do a ripple, granny, daisy, c2c, or patchwork blanket.  So far its 1 patchwork, 1 ripple.  Any thoughts?


Yarnspirations

Okay, so this section is all about fun and wonderful yarn I've found over the past couple of months.  Last time I featured Truly Hooked and Eden Cottage Yarns.  This post I'm thrilled to share some other finds with you!

Martin's Lab

First up, is this gorgeous yarn my friend found for me at the Edingburgh Yarn Festival *the downside to being a teacher is that I'll never get to attend this myself, or Wimbledon*.  I fell in love with it when she sent me this photo!

It's so silky!  I bought it for a pay-it-forward I'm doing on my personal FB page.  It was a steal at just £18 and the colourway is called Caterpillar.  I sent it to my friend a couple of weeks ago (I know, very very late!) and she's thrilled.  Hopefully she'll let me post a photo of the socks she makes in the next update!

Juno Fibre Arts

Now Juno Fibre Arts is no longer trading. Victoria from Eden Cottage Yarns tells me it's hard physical work dyeing yarn and it takes a lot of time away from family (something I sympathise with) so it was her own choice to stop dyeing yarn.  So it's not that sad a story, she made the right choice for her.  Sadly for us it means that you'll have to grab this yarn when you spot it!
She was based in Devon and I picked up this skein of Alice in the wool shop at Dartington:

It's absolutely stunning and is on a luxury base: 70% baby alpaca, 20% silk, 10% cashmere,  Honestly it is the softest, most exquisite yarn I have ever felt and at just £23 I had to have it!  This one is all mine!  I wandered round the shop, holding this skein and stroking it while I browsed the other yarns on offer, much to the amusement of both the proprietor and my MiL, who was there with me!  The proprietor was a total sweetheart, and gave me a Rowan shawl pattern that this yarn would look amazing in.

Hop Stitch and Jumper

Hop Stitch and Jumper is a local haberdashery and yarn store in Maidstone. It's only been open for about 8 months but oh my the yarns it stocks are fabulous!  As well as staples such as Sirdar and Debbie Bliss, HSJ stocks yarns from indie dyers and they are so ridiculously cheap - talk about value for money!  Check out these beauties:

First is this gorgeous Rainbow yarn that just screams unicorn magic!  I bought this to cheer myself up during a tough work week and am using a feather and fan lace pattern to make myself a scarf in it.  Isn't it stunning?  It is bringing me such pleasure - seen here with homemade lemon drizzle cake and a glass of pink lemonade!  The only thing I will say is that be wary of having to undo it as it can catch on itself - much easier to pick a simple pattern that shows off the stunning colour changes

This yarn can be ordered online by getting in touch with Florentina at www.facebook.com/hopstitchandjumper and at £2.30 a ball you can't beat it for value!

Next up is this super soft, aptly named "Coast" cotton yarn, also available at Hop Stitch and Jumper.  I loved it so much that I bought 10 balls:  5 for a jumper for me and 5 for a friend for her birthday.  I actually have a project in mind for this but I think I'm going to have to design it as it doesn't exist as far as I can tell - more later in the year on that one!

Now, for the big one:  I mentioned at the start of the post that I'm terrible for saying I'm going to do things and then taking months or years to actually follow through on these ideas.  However, this is something I'm committed to.  I can't tell you exactly when this will happen, but Nursery Knits UK will be rebranding and relaunching to reflect the fact that I'm going to be diversifying.  For now, I'll leave you with a little clue.  The name is changing to Nursery Knits and Pieces.  I'm going to be working on this all over summer and realistically the changes won't happen until 2018 but oh my goodness it's going to be so much fun!  And I'll be sure to keep you updated!


I hope you've enjoyed reading this post and have found some inspiration.  I'll leave you now with some photos of recent WIPs and FOs.  Don't forget to check out the store!  My order book reopens on Friday!

Spring Trends: Colours and Yarns

Hello Everyone!

Spring is on the way and that means it's time to rifle through that stash for new projects, or to embrace the opportunity for trying out some new yarns and colourways.  Personally, I love the fresh possibilities provided by a basket of pretty new yarns so that's my focus for today.  I'm proud to once again shine the spotlight on other small businesses and British produce.

First thing's first:  what are the top colours for Spring 2017?  Pantone to the rescue!

I simply adore the range of colours for this season. The stormy blues were so popular last year at NurseryKnitsUK so I'm thrilled to see that the trend is set to continue.  There's a gorgeous mix of vibrant hues and soft spring shades which makes for a fun palette.

So what styles are going to be hot this Spring?

Cathy Hilton at her Cockington Studio

The colours suggest that country cottage chic is going to be returning this year as a popular trend, with Emma Bridgewater and Kath Kidston continuing to dominate home-wares.  This is also evident in the work of artisans such as Cathy Hilton, whose studio at Cockington Court in Torquay, Devon, is an absolute haven of colour.


She prints onto wood and her designs are ahead of the trends as you can see from this shot of one of her display cabinets at her studio.  If you can pop in to see her, I'd heartily recommend it.  Her wares are stunning and she's so friendly and nice to chat to. Can't get to Devon?  No problem!  Cathy is now on Not on the Highstreet!

Follow Cathy Hilton on Facebook to see more of her work.

All about the Base

Grey seems set to stay as well, with lots of high-street and high-end stores continuing to choose that as a base colour.  It's soft, timeless, and very versatile, making it ideal for knits.

Yarnspiration

As hard as it is to admit, the colder weather seems set to stay.  While this can be a little depressing, it's a great opportunity to buy British and invest in some gorgeous chunky yarns.  One of my favourites for this season is the aptly named Big Wool from Rowan.  Rowan is a British brand, with all yarn spun here in the UK.  Big Wool is super soft as it uses Merino wool and it comes in some gorgeous colours which embrace the softer shades from the Spring trends:

Big Wool Knits:  A Collection of 8 Designs

Cables are super effective in Big Wool

Buy British and Support Small Businesses


As always, I encourage you to dream big and think of small businesses.  It's my pleasure to bring to you some of the best of British.

Truly Hooked on Etsy and FB

.

Truly Hooked is a Nottingham based company that specialises in hand-dyed yarns.  The owner, Verity, has even had her yarns nominated for awards.  As well as being able to create custom colours for you, she has a scrummy selection to choose from on her Etsy store.  She's been on Etsy for six years and has five-star reviews. Some of my favourite yarns are below:

Aqua Speckles Hand Dyed Merino Yarn.  Buy here.

Mermaids Hand Dyed Merino Yarn.  Buy here.

Uni-Kitty Hand Dyed Merino Yarn.  Buy here.

Eden Cottage Yarns

Eden Cottage Yarns is a Yorkshire-based independent company, with a focus on "simple but gorgeous colours, as well as sustainability."  Victoria's designs are published on Ravelry and have been featured in some of the big knitting magazines.  She's also made appearances on the radio and her yarns are stocked by yarn shops around the country.

An excerpt from her web-page follows, explaining more about the birth of ECY.

How did it all start? Having always been creative, and interested in textiles, Victoria taught herself to knit in 2006 whilst at university in Dundee. At the time there was little yarn available in shops, and unable to find the colours she wanted she had a go at dyeing her own. Over the next few years she continued dyeing in her spare time, and also taught herself to spin, amongst other things. In November 2011, she moved to a cottage in Eden Valley in Cumbria, and Eden Cottage Yarns was born. It has since continued to grow rapidly, and Victoria now has a larger kitchen to work from, albeit in a more modern house (now in Yeadon, West Yorkshire). There is no workshop or drying room - all the yarn is dyed in the kitchen sink, and hung outside to dry. There is however a lovely view of the garden, and orchards and fields beyond, which is beautiful and inspiring. 

She has a Facebook page, and her website features a blog.  I love checking out her page as there are often gorgeous photos of the yarn she's dyeing, which are really inspiring.

Sringtime at Nursery Knits UK.

So what am I up to? Well, as well as designing a brand new toy, Flossie Bunny who will be available soon, I'm busy experimenting with this season's colours and have just completed another blanket for the Linus Project. 

Lotus Bear: The Story of the Competition Wish-Bear

Hello Everyone!

It's Thursday evening and four days ago I announced the winner of our Wish-Bear Giveaway.  I thought that I would write a blog, chronicling the creative process.

First of all, I had the pleasure of contacting Lotus Girl to give her the good news.  She was delighted to have won, and we started the process together.

Cuddles or Serenity?

Our Wish-Bears come in two different yarn-styles:  King Cole Cuddles, and Wendy Serenity Chunky. They knit bears of a similar size, but very different appearance.  Cuddles yarn is acrylic and fluffy and if you didn't know they were knitted bears, you wouldn't be able to guess.  Serenity, on the other hand, is a much smoother yarn: it's a blend with wool, alpaca (so soft!) and acrylic.  The bears are smooth and clearly knitted, but still super soft and snuggly.



Lotus Girl has chosen Cuddles yarn, so the next step is to select the colour.  As this bear is for her, rather than a baby, we looked at the full range of colours offered by King Cole.  She was instantly drawn to the bright colours of fuchsia, red, and violet, and I was excited to work with something new.  After much deliberation, she selected violet.  As this colour is out of stock at Nursery Knits UK, I have ordered it and when it arrives, stage two can begin.

3rd February 2017

It's been a long while since I started this post but technical problems with a laptop (or lack of one!) has held me up a bit.  However, lots has been happening with Lotus Bear, who now has a new name and a new home.  So, let's continue our story.

The yarn arrived within a week and I was able to start work.

This yarn is tricky to work with as it's so fluffy.  That's partly the beauty of it: you can't see the stitches.  It's also the problem!  This particular bear took a few attempts to create as I dropped the odd stitch, or thought I had!  Eventually though, Lotus Bear was ready to have its face stitched on.

The eyes, nose and mouth of the Wish-bears are hand-stitched, using black yarn.  This means there are no catchy bits for little fingers to snag on, or small components for little mouths to choke on.  It also means that each bear has their own unique personality as, being hand-made and hand-stitched, no two bears are ever the same.  Lotus Bear's mission was to bring comfort to Lotus Girl and, as her face took shape, I could see that Lotus Bear would be up for the job.  The eyes held a look of understanding and the smile was encouraging.  Now she was ready for her finishing touches.

As with all of my made-to-order bears, Lotus Girl was given a choice of fabrics for the paw-pads and a choice of ribbon colours.  She chose a beautiful lavender polk-a-dot material, which complemented the bright purple of the bear itself, and selected a vibrant ribbon to match.  While Lotus Girl was in hospital, Lotus Bear received the finishing touches and was ready for her new home.

As I was going to deliver this bear to Lotus Girl personally, Lotus Bear spent Christmas with us at Nursery Knits UK Headquarters and became the star of our Christmas profile-picture and photo-bear for our thank you card.

After Lotus Bear moved in with Lotus Girl, we received a Facebook message thanking us for creating Lotus Bear, who was now named Portley as he's the colour of port.

You see, Wish-bears have a bit of magic inside, and to whoever needs them, they can be exactly what that person needs.

xxx

A Beginner's Guide to Colour

Hello Everyone!

I write at the end of a truly manic week here at Nursery Knits UK.  Christmas orders are starting to come in and, with the Wish-Bear giveaway now closed (congratulations again to Lotus Girl), my needles and hook are constantly in use.  I can't wait for Christmas!

I've been overwhelmed by the lovely comments on my facebook page about my products, particularly about the colours I choose. Several of my facebook followers have said that they wouldn't have thought to put the colours together in the way I do, so I thought a blog post was long overdue.

Now, I'm not asserting myself as an expert in colour here.  There are some wonderful crafting artists out there with amazing eyes for colour that are far superior to my own, but I have picked up a few useful tips along the way and here they are.

1) KEEP IT SIMPLE

I find that a maximum of five colours works best.  Three gives it a real sense of balance.  If going for three, I prefer to choose two that are closely related (a deep purple and a lilac for example) and a contrast.  With five, it's nice to mix them up a little more.  I think I always have at least one "out there" colour in the mix though: it keeps things interesting.  I rarely use more than five colours, though, as it can look a little confusing and messy.

Silver, Storm, Sage and Denim (Stylecraft Special DK)

2) LOOK TO NATURE

We live in an incredibly beautiful world and (to misquote a famous paint manufacturer): "it knows the colours that go".    Quite often the most successful colourways are the ones that come from nature, rather than man-made things.

Take autumn for instance:

In this one photo we have reds, purples, golds, greens, browns...a whole palette to choose from!  The star blanket above was inspired by a stormy sea crashing onto rocks.

3) PINTEREST!

Pinterest is amazing!  I got started in colour by looking at Pinterest.  I have a board featuring beautiful scenes from nature, another which has nature scenes with paint sample charts beside them, and another which has other crafter's suggestions of colourways.  Go crazy but remember the essential things like sleeping and eating and going to work etc. etc.  Pinterest is amazing but also a procrastinator's biggest enabler.

From my board: "Views I'd Like to See" - Sunset in Yellowstone Park.

From my board: "Paint Sample Colours"

From my board: "Yarn Combo Suggestions".

4) EXPERIMENT!

Honestly though, a lot of colour choosing is trial and error and that is where a lot of the fun lies.  Play with colour, try things out, be bold, be brilliant!

5) GO WITH WHAT YOU LOVE.

I hope you find that helpful as a starting point :)  Have fun!

Trend Spotter: British Wildlife - the best of handmade this Autumn

Original Artwork by Clare Brownlow

Hello everyone!

I was incredibly lucky as a child to have parents who agreed to paint my room pink, with pink carpet and to put up Forever Friends wallpaper border.  However, by the time I was ten I'd grown out of it and by the time I was in my teens I was desperate for an upgrade (which I luckily received).  Now owning my own home I truly appreciate the cost of paint and realise that a room that can be updated as easily as changing a duvet cover is perfect!  Take my nephew for example.  At the tender age of four he has already had three great loves in his life:  Frozen (which he just wouldn't let go!), Pirates and now Paw Patrol.  Imagine if his mum had gone down the borders and wall-stickers route?  These days, with a tendency to decorate using a neutral pallette, it couldn't be easier to update a room yearly, or even seasonally, according to what's on trend.

I love all things to do with British wildlife, and when my craft room one day becomes a nursery, it is certain to be filled with things inspired by our wonderful British countryside.  Beatrix Potter is an absolute must for me and my husband, who is equally keen on British wildlife, has already purchased two watercolours from a local artist which will soon be on my craft room walls.

Why is British wildlife such a perfect fit for a nursery?  There are three key reasons:

* it's timeless
* it's gender neutral
* it can help our children grow up with an awareness and appreciation of our unique countryside

Imagine my delight, then, to visit the Handmade Fair at Hampton Court Palace this September, to discover that British wildlife is becoming the hottest new trend.  What is more, with a clear theme of all things nostalgic, it is apparent that this is not going to be a passing fad.

So how can we embrace this in our nurseries?

1) Keep it warm and neutral

  White is a wonderful colour in an adult space, but in a nursery it can feel cold and shows the marks much more easily.  I've picked a warm vanilla colour for my walls.  It ties in beautifully with the shabby-chic trend that has been around for the last decade and doesn't seem likely to disappear.  It is also warm and cosy, perfect with soft lighting.  Finally, it is neutral and can easily be updated as a child's room to go with whatever they're "into" at the time.  Children are wonderful explorers and discoverers, with an incredible capacity to be amazed and enthralled by the tiniest things.  Keeping walls and window-treatments neutral will allow your little one to personalise their own space as they grow.

2) Buy British

Secondly, think carefully about buying British and hand-made.  If you can possibly afford it, it is a wonderful thing to support our local crafts-people and British businesses.  We are fortunate, as a nation, to have a long and illustrious history of artisan crafts so let's celebrate it!


3)  Be colour-savvy

Thirdly, be aware of colours and trends.  The adults clothes and household catalogues are a good indication of what's coming.  Remember the obsession with Scandi-style a few years ago?  This was swiftly followed by the rustic Highland appeal of stags and tartan, warm natural fabrics and colours.  This desire for warmth is set to continue with this season's key colours of mustard, russet, gold and plum.  Autumnal colours are in!

4) Keep it simple.

 Don't go all out and decorate a room entirely in one colour.  Don't invest hundreds in statement pieces that will look out of place by next season.  Go for little touches that can easily be updated.  Here are some of my favourites from the crafts-people at Hampton Court Palace...

Made by Lottie Day:  Her lampshade with the image of a hare is just stunning and perfect for an autumnal wildlife nursery!

Charley Lou Designs:  We just love her crayon-rolls!

Crayon Rolls by Charley Lou Designs

Corinne Lapierre:  Felt Designs which come as gorgeous kits for you to make yourself for baby.

Felt  Birdhouse by Corinne Lapierre

Fat Poppy Cat

Embrace a love of British wildlife with this stunning Kingfisher by Fat Poppy Cat

Hawthorn Handmade:  Designers and makers of needle-felt and crochet kits, Hawthorn Handmade use British wool (ethically sourced) for their needle-felting kits, and crochet yarn spun in a mill in Scotland.  Designer Stephanie is inspired by the Dorset countryside and who could resist this smart squirrel?  Visit their site now for more inspiration and to get crafting!

Needle-felt Squirrel Kit by Hawthorn Handmade

Hummy and Huggy:  A family business established and run by a mum to two young boys, Hummy and Huggy aim to create designs that little ones and their parents all adore!  Being a mum, she understands the importance of durability and practicality and their UK studio produce products with this in mind.  I fell in love with this tartan moose!  Who wouldn't want this moose loose aboot their hoose?

Moose by Hummy and Huggy

Clare Brownlow:  A young artist, Clare works in a unique way, using pheasant feathers and ink.  I am a huge fan of artwork on walls, especially as they can be swapped as you see fit.  However, if I had this little chappy on my wall he would be sure never to come down!

And what are we doing at Nursery Knits UK?  I've also embraced all things autumnal and am busy working on a boy's tank top in a gorgeous green colour using Debbie Bliss' Eco-Baby Yarn.  Watch this space for updates on the products!