028: Jubilee Flowers

Do you like the 'Jubilee' inspired flowers I've embroidered on my latest cardigan?

Are you enjoying the red, white and blue everywhere?

Here is my Jubilee Cardigan........ and it can be found HERE

Photographing white objects is hard to do and I'm never sure whether I prefer them on a coloured background or a plain white background ....... with a coloured background the cardigan shows up better bur I do love the crispness of white on white.  Any thoughts?

I just loved embroidering all the little red and blue flowers and I just love the two little red ones on the moss stitch collar.

I decided to put blue centres in each red flower, and vice versa with the blue ones, and of course couldn't resist alternating the buttons too.   I was so lucky that I was able to find the same style of button in the two exact shades I wanted.....it was meant to be!

I also embroidered the flowers around the cuffs too.

This cardigan is for sale in my Etsy shop at the moment and for Jubilee Week  1st June to 9th June it is on special offer. 

The other flowers I am so delighted with are my lillies, they have just opened in time for Jubilee Weekend ... they didn't have red or blue ...so they are just beautiful white!

Whatever you are doing this Jubilee weekend - I really hope you have a lovely time. 

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the sun to shine!

Goodbye for now

Fleur xx

027: It's lilac time in May!

I know it's MAY as I can see the beautiful May hawthorn blossom..........

I know it's MAY as I can see the pretty little forget-me-nots.........

I know it's MAY as I can see the uncurling wisteria .......

I know it's MAY as I can see the delicate lilacs.................

Inspired by MAY lilacs, here is my new pretty cardigan.  It's a pattern I designed many years ago when my daughter was a little baby, and it's a delight to knit up, especially the lacy detail on the bottom, and of course one of my favourite details - the moss stitch borders.

 

My lilac cardigan can now be found HERE

So what other MAY related happenings have been going on this week?  Well last weekend we all went to the ALDERLEY EDGE  May Fair as my daughter was in the parade.  Oh what a difference a few days makes.  Today in Cheshire we have had temperatures of 26 degrees, beautiful blue skies and full sun, however last Saturday I stood waiting for the parade armed with my camera with my knuckles turning purple as it was so cold! 

The parade was led by the Alderley Edge Wizard.  Legends have always surrounded Alderley Edge and the mysterious wizard has been written about for around 200 years, inspiring Alan Garner to write his fictional book ' The Weird Stone of Brisingamen'.

After the wizard came a marching band......

and then what every English village parade should have.........the morris dancers!

Unfortunately the MAY sun did not shine on us that afternoon, but at least it has made an appearance this week.  So let's just keep our fingers crossed that it continues for the weekend.

Goodbye for now

Fleur xx

026: How to make my heart sing.

Just thought I'd tell you about the lovely package that came through the post yesterday.   I was extremely lucky to have won a giveaway from Mary Jane's Tearoom.  If you haven't discovered this beautiful blog yet click here.  You will find a delicate pretty pastel blog that always enthrals me whenever I visit.  The beautiful photos of Susan's knitted toys are just a joy to look at and if you are searching for a pattern for a knitted bunny or teddy I don't think you will find better.

Anyway, what was in that beautifully wrapped package I can hear you shout?

Delicate pastel coloured yarns

Beautiful Buttons in Cath Kidston/Laura Ashley Fabrics

Just look at these wonderful combinations .........

Doesn't that make your heart sing too?  

How lucky I am!  

Thank you Susan from 'Mary Jane's Tearoom', your giveaway is beautiful and extremely generous.  It just goes to show that this little 'blog' world of crafters is a wonderful place to be!

Goodbye for now

Fleur xx

025: I'm so excited and I just can't hide it!

I've just made my very first Etsy sale!!!

How excited am I?

Here's what I sold .....

Do you remember this?  I designed it for a custom order for a new Easter baby and the lady that it was made for was so delighted with it that I decided to knit up a few for my new Etsy shop.  I still have another one in stock in Newborn size, so pop over to my shop here if you want to have a look.  I also have a couple of cardigans in my Spring Basket design......

I'm currently finishing a little lilac cardigan, which is one of my favourite simple designs with  a pretty lacy edging.  I'm hoping to knit up a few of these in different colours as I just adore knitting these little cardigans.

I've got my little jubilee knit still on my needles ... hoping this will be finished in the next few days.

And my current 'love' are my knitted bags,and after having to sadly say good-bye to my brown and cream bag which was part of my giveaway (congratulations Tracey from Patchwork Chickens) I have started on a new bag but a different colorway ..... browns, mauve and lilac.

And what's happening on the running front I hear you shout?!    Well not much .... I've twisted my ankle on a very slippery patch of muddy grass as I was racing last Thursday night.  It was a 5 mile race down country roads and bridle ways so I chose to wear my new road trainers rather than my trail shoes ... however after the torrents of rain we've had in Cheshire some of the small off-roads parts of the race were so muddy that I was soon regretting leaving my trail shoes at home....and this culminated three miles in as I hit a muddy grass ridge at speed .... doing a great impression of Bambi on Ice...... my ankle jarred as I tried to keep myself upright. The second half of the race was spent with the Red Cross Medics who kindly gave me a lift back to the finish!  So I've rested my ankle over the weekend and will probably not run on it again until Thursday evening.    So as you can imagine I been feeling pretty disappointed especially when I then had to clean these .........

So my first ever Etsy sale has brightened up my day, so even though I can't go out for a run I will continue to hop around the lounge in excitement!!!!

Hope you are all having a lovely Monday too.

Goodbye for now

Fleur xx  

024: GIVEAWAY WINNER ANNOUNCED!

Oh what an exciting evening we've had tonight!

It started with my daughter writing out all the names of my 'lovely followers' who had entered the giveaway for this........

Then she folded all the pieces of paper up and put all the names in a pretty spotty dotty tin.......

She gave all the names a good swirl around, and then another swirl for good measure!  Then she picked a name out of the tin .... fingers crossed....it could be you!!

Suspense....... tension........Oh who's it going to be ???????

Open it up!   Open it up!

And the winner is ..............

So 'PATCHWORK CHICKENS' is the lucky winner!!!

(please get in touch Patchwork Chickens so I can post this bag to you)

Many thanks to all of you who entered this giveaway, I've been blown away by all your fabulous comments ..... and to all my new followers a really big HELLO!  Another big thank you for all of you who added a link to your own blog, I've enjoyed visiting you all too.

If you feel disappointed I am hoping to do lots more great giveaways soon, and if you want to make a bag of your own, I am currently drafting out the pattern as I have had lots of interest .....so watch this space!

 I hope that you all have a great weekend.

Goodbye for now

Fleur

023: May GIVEAWAY ! ! !

How do you fancy winning this?

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

WILL POST RESULTS ASAP

I've made this especially for one of my lovely blog friends to win and that could be YOU!

  Hand knitted in 100% cotton yarn and lovingly embroidered by hand......

It has a magnetic fastener ...........

Identical embroidery on the reverse.

I have given it a pretty side slip stitch detail and a moss stitch base and top edging and shoulder strap.......

It has such a pretty fabric lining (100% cotton).

So here's how to enter the giveaway...........................

***MAY HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY***

1.  Become one of my lovely 'followers'......if you are already a follower you are already entitled to enter.  The giveaway is open for all my followers worldwide.

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2. Leave me a comment below, comments will be open for one week.  Please remember to leave a link or email so I can contact you if you are the lucky winner.

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3. For an extra entry add a link on your blog (let me know in a comment that you've done this so I can put another entry in for you).

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The winner will be drawn by my lovely daughter (full pictures to be published!) and will be announced on FRIDAY 11TH MAY 

 So all I have to say is 'good luck' to you all, I can't wait to see who wins and to welcome any more new blog friends xx

I hope that you all have a lovely May Bank Holiday Weekend and fingers crossed we will see a little bit of sun!

Goodbye for now

Fleur xx

 

022: Snippets.....

I want to tease you!  So here are a few snippets from the things I'm working on at the moment.
Can you guess which one will be part of a May Bank Holiday giveaway?  Pop by later in the week when I will reveal all and announce a gorgeous giveaway that I'm sure you will all love!

A snippet of cream, brown and flowers..........

A snippet of red, white and blue............

A snippet of pretty lilac...........

A snippet of white, aqua and neon yellow (clue: these definitely aren't in the giveaway!).......

Some people drool over 'Jimmy Choos' some die for a pair of 'Louboutins', but my heart goes a flutter when I bring home a new pair of trainers!  I've only been out in them twice but they feel like a dream and it feels great to see them all bright and clean before they have been used in the rain and the mud. (For any running nuts like me - these are Asics GT 2170)

For major muddy runs I have a separate pair of trail shoes that I use to run off road (click here for a muddy photo of my trail shoes), and these are currently drying out after an absolute soaking on a 10k trail race around the Errwood Reservoir in the Goyt Valley, Peak District (click here) last Thursday evening.  I'm sorry I haven't got any photos to show you but the whole place was waterlogged and the rain was coming down almost horizontally so the camera just couldn't come out.  Within the first few minutes of the race my feet had been totally immersed in muddy potholes and were soaked through...after that you just don't care and wade through anything .. small streams included!  What could have been a very picturesque race became a battle against the elements, waterlogged fields, slippery wooden bridges, muddy trails being washed away with rain, biting wind on the top ridges, tree roots and slippy stones waiting to trip you up ...... but my main thought as I ran was of enjoyment and the exuberant feeling of BEING ALIVE!!!!   Yes, you hear me right, it was a terrible evening, the harshest of conditions but oh my goodness it was fun!

So running around the dry pavements this evening on my normal 5 mile run will seem a little uneventful, except I will have that lovely feeling of my springy new trainers and the little snippets of clean white, aqua and neon yellow as I look down.......wonder how long that will last!?

Goodbye for now

Fleur xx