A Crafty Ginger at Backyard Market (Brick Lane)

Hi crafters! How are you all doing? The last few weeks have been so incredibly busy (and fun)!! If you follow me on Instagram you’ve probably seen my latest pics as a crafts trader… at Backyard Market. I’m sooooo excited!

This new adventure started in the most ramdom way possible. A  friend from work, Kiri, introduced me to Elena, a wonderful and creative soul, who she met at a mutual friend’s wedding. And things clicked! When I met her she was already trading at various markets to do some product “research” (and have some fun!). She suggested I should join her and give it a go myself and I just couldn’t resist the idea 🙂

Too many WIPs?

I’ve suddenly realised I have more WIPs (works in progress) than I thought! It all happened when I was tidying up at home. Every time I found a WIP I would carefully take it to my studio and put it on my coffee table to sort out later. I was really shocked when I found myself making too many trips to my crafty corner.

I know this has nothing to do with lack of commitment from my part or with projects being too complicated. I just love to start making new things and switching from one to another depending on my mood or where I will be doing my crocheting. For example, when I’m watching TV I usually prefer to work on my blankets (plus they keep me warm!). Sometimes I just see something on Instagram/Pinterest/blogs and I can’t stop myself from giving it a go. And I always try to take some crochet with me when I take the tube to and back from work – smaller projects such as scarfs and hats are perfect as “Tube WIPs”.

DIY: Crochet Stitch Markers

If you’ve read my previous posts about my amugurumi bear and lamb, you’ll know that I was using a contrasting piece of thread as a stitch marker. I didn’t want to buy the first I bumped into and couldn’t seem to find any to fall in love with. It wasn’t until the Knitting and Stitching Show that I saw ones I really loved… but they were knitting ones! They looked very much like the ones I made for this DIY tutorial, but instead of clasps they just had rings.

I was so thrilled when I found these charms at another stand… that I decided to make my own crochet stitch markers 🙂 It’s super quick and easy… and they make a lovely gift for a crocheter!

My to-do list

 

This week I’ve been glued to my laptop and iPad going through loads of wonderful blogs, so I haven’t done as much crochet as I would’ve loved. It’s as if I needed to absorb as many crafty and amazing things as possible… I’ve been hungry for beautiful things! I’ve been downloading patterns and exciting posts, pinning lovely pics on my Pinterest… I guess it really depends on my mood… sometimes I need to make, to create things and others I’m all about absorbing like a sponge.

What I realised is that every time I do this and decide to save all these lovely ideas for later, they end up forgotten in a folder or my bookmarks. There is so much I want to do and so little time that I feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start.

A little lamb for Cloe

Hope you’re all having a great sunny weekend! After spending Saturday at The Knitting and Stitching Show and doing a bit of much needed Spring cleaning in my studio I realised I have lots of pics and updates I still need to share with you!! I’ll do my best to bring you up to speed on what’s been going on in these last weeks (including a trip to Madrid with crafts shopping involved!).

But first things first… in case you were wondering what happened with the little lamb amigurumi I started working on some weeks ago… here’s how we got on together 🙂

Customised stool: crochet cover

I’m making progress decorating my crafty corner at home and wanted to share with you one of my latests projects: my customised stool. It’s a great way to add a bit of colour to your haven, especially if you are living on a tight budget.

Crochet Heart Pillow ♥

I’m soooooooooo in love with my new crochet heart pillow!! It’s lovely to create crochet stuff, but something crocheted AND squeezable is even better 🙂

I used Monica’s beautiful pattern & tutorial on her blog www.monmakesthings.com. Her pictures are great and her instructions easy to follow. One tip I will give you is to read all her notes before you get started!! (I rushed and had to start again!)