WiP

Owl

This week seems to be all about Work in Progress, with lots of projects on the go and as usual I think I've got rather carried away with what I've started! I am definitely not one of those people who start a project and work on it methodically to the end. I've got mini bunting waiting for the blue thread on the sewing machine ..

Mini bunting

Car carriers started to replenish my stock for next week-end's event

cars

and why I then started on dinosaur carriers as well!

Dinosaurs

There's a bunny waiting to be made up using Rowan pure wool, so lovely to knit with and snuggle ...
And finally one thing I finished yesterday afternoon, a new owl design! I love mixing all the colours together for his tummy and this will make each one even more unique, but the problem is I feel like casting a new one on now in lots of other colours!!!

And a big pile of big bunting to sort out too!

Have an eggs-ellent Easter!

Life at Pickle-Lily has been very busy lately - lots of teaching during the week and knitting and sewing whenever I can squeeze it in! Creme egg critters are back!


Happy Easter everyone!

 And a new owl design ..

Rainbow owl

There is also time to knit a spring chicken or two before Sunday. The pattern is here.

I'm a spring chicken ...

So - as it is 4.30am Good Friday morning, I can wish you all

A Very Happy Easter from Pickle-Lily

a BIG thank-you

Valentine Owl

I want to start with a BIG thank-you to all you lovely bloggers out there who commented on my Railway Children post , with 15 comments and my post and facebook post that should be £34 donated to the charity!
I also need to apologise for not being round much, but as you may remember I was on jury service last week (and this week coming), and I was fairly incommunicado. The good new is I took my small pair of wooden knitting needles in, so I could knit when I was in the waiting room. I'm also hoping to try and visit all the lovely blogs on this week's Handmade Monday and see what everyone has been up to.
My 'Ta-dah!' this week is Valentine Owl. I had this idea buzzing around in my head, so early one morning I had to do something about it! It involved me drawing lots of lines on a page from an old exercise book, and then counting and rubbing out, and redrawing and knitting and then re-knitting, until Valentine was finished. I'm really pleased with him, and when Pickle-Lily went 'aww' I knew it had worked!
Have a good week!

Busy and a plea!



busy!


Recently I have been bursting with ideas!
Pin cushions for Valentines Day or Mothering Sunday - how organised is that!
These were inspired by my constantly knocking my pin cushion off the arm of the sofa and wanting something a bit heavier, as well as being pretty!
I've also been busy creating owls for Valentines or Mothering Sunday, some of which I can share today with you.

Valentine owls

With another idea I've very nearly finished the proto - type, but I am already seeing some things I want to change! It usually starts with me drawing on bits of paper at five in the morning, because I have an idea buszzing around in my head and it won't go away! Then I have to cut and sew or knit, until I'm happy with it. I usually get Pickle-Lily's opinion and if she goes 'awww' I know I'm onto a winner!

Flower pot pin cushions

I'm joining in with Handmade Monday this week, and looking forward to seeing that everyone else has been up to, and then on Monday I'm on jury service for two weeks, so it will be interesting! What I want to know is - can I take my knitting with me?
Before I go. I would ask a small favour of all you lovely bloggers. My last post was about a charity called Railway Children (helping runaways) and Aviva have promised to donate £2 to the charity for every comment, so if you could quickly post a comment that would be another £2 to Railway Children. I'm doing this as part of mumsnet. Thank-you!

Christmas Owls

I have managed to fit in a little sewing and knitting over the past few weeks, so I thought I would share...

Christmas owls

These are my favourites - so far - this year, Christmas owl decorations. I have loads more ideas in my head but just not enough hours in the day! A quick post today, just to let you know I'm in the land of the living! Perhaps that's the answer, little and often, to blogging at the moment?
Jo x

Did you miss me?

Probably not!!!!!
The past week and a bit have been back to back busy, with two fairs, a full week of teaching (all you full time people are probably fake groaning at me here!) and then two more long fairs over the bank holiday.
So what has Pickle-Lily been up to?

Cushions for sale

Pickle-Lily herself, after learning to make cushions, has branched into the retail world (also inspired by too many episodes of Trade Your Way to the USA) and is making cushions to sell and made her first sales this week-end. She is so excited, and planning to use her money to pay for another sewing course. She has called herself In a Pickle and the little penguin is her logo!
My new creation this week are patriotic owl keyrings

red, white and blue owls

I'm very pleased with how different these are and they have been a big hit over the past week! I now need to make some more.

Isn't this brilliant!

One more thing I have to share with you - a pizza oven car! We met Georgios Pizzas on Monday, at Milverton Street Fair, where they had set up their stall in the pouring rain. They produced the most delicious pizzas (we had a margarita)  using their unique mobile oven - fab-u-lous (in my best Craig Reville Horwood voice).
This week P and I are busy making new stock, and I have some new ideas itching to come out of my fingers - as well as teaching and all the hundred jobs being a mum involves!
Hopefully I'll be back soon, and in the meantime have a read of all the other fabulous blogs hosted by Wendy for Handmade Monday and stay dry!
Jo x

I do not like it at all!

Today's post is about an owl I knitted for a very dear friend. She is the teacher of owl class and asked me to knit her a Plop. I used lovely muted colours from Rowan to knit him in, very different to the red, white and blue owls!

Plop is a baby barn owl who is afraid of the dark - he does not like it at all! It is a beautiful story by Jill Tomlinson, with a gentle sense of humour, as he meets various people who try to persuade him that dark can be a good thing. This is the picture book version - there is also a short story version . I also have a fabulous story tape read by Maureen Lipman (but I think that would have to be an ebay find now).

This picture book has the most beautiful illustrations...

Look at the fireworks reflected in their eyes

Fabulous!

But as I logged into Blogger, everything had changed! First Facebook and now Blogger, so I now need to find time to read and then re-read and re-read to make sure I've sort of understood everything! I'd much rather be reading all the lovely blogs over on Wendy's Handmade Monday - thank-you Wendy.

Babcary and owls

All photos taken by Pickle-Lily!

Early this Saturday morning Pickle-Lily and I went to Babcary Vintage and Craft Fair. What a super day we had! P made friends with another young lady - whose mum was Pica-Pica - both ladies were in vintage dresses and looked fabulous. I hardly saw P all day as she was so busy with her new friend, although she did manage to spend most of my money!
During the day I met and chatted to lots of lovely people - Jo from Kushmitts who makes amazing fur headbands, cuffs, hats, scarves and welly warmers from beautiful fake fur. Very cosy and glamorous for the autumnal weather we have now. I was next to Vintage-Jane whose stall was full of lovely vintage home ware and accessories, I was tempted by lots of things but P had already spent my money! Vintage-Jane has also written about the fair on her blog and has taken some fabulous photos to go with her blog. Why not pop over and say hello!

Key rings

I had lots of my new owls for sale - key rings ...

and notebooks and needle cases ...

Neddle case

Notebooks

And of course - knitted owls ...

All on Folksy from today

During the show we had a visitor - it wasn't until later that I was told I had sold pink owl to Pearl Lowe.

If you are visiting from Handmade Monday please go back and visit all the other lovely blogs!

Jo x