annarella | handmade : beaded stitch markers and original hand knits, london

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monday, 29 december 2008

Yarn pr0n

Off to the local market I went, and a little shopping ensued... ;)

I love the colours and feel of this yarn - so buttery! I see this as a slouchy beret/rasta hat kind of thing:

Undeterred by the fact that it took me over one year to knit her the first one, Mum asked for another Clapotis. I said yes, she picked the yarn:

I'm thinking a crocheted granny square blanket:

This has already become a top down raglan cardi - pictures to follow:

I was after a cheap alternative to Rowan Shimmer to weave in a scarf of some sort, this substitutes very nicely for a fraction of the price:

Comments
I've had to disable the comments yet again, due to the huge amount of spam I've received in the last few days, so if you want to shout, do so on Flickr, Ravelry or via email for the time being, till a more long term solutions is devised. Thanks for your patience :)

sunday, 28 december 2008

Feeling a little poorly

The only thing worse than being sick is being sick whilst on holiday :( I've got a touch of the man woman flu, and I do tend to feel sorry for myself... I've taken some aspirin and drunk some yummy forest-fruit tea and that seems to have helped.

Tonight we made pumpkin risotto. And I use the term "made" in the loosest sense. What I actually mean is: I lounged around taking pictures whilst my friend emptied a ready-made mix in a pan of boiling water ;) and dinner's sorted!

More pics from this Xmas break in Italy

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I've had to disable the comments yet again, due to the huge amount of spam I've received in the last few days, so if you want to shout, do so on Flickr, Ravelry or via email for the time being, till a more long term solutions is devised. Thanks for your patience :)

saturday, 27 december 2008

Even plastic bottles can be pretty

The other day a mate and I went to a nearby town for some drinks and stuff, and silly girl that I am, I forgot to take my camera with me. See, I came across some pretty pretty Xmas decorations made with recycled plastic bottle bottoms and I so regretted not to be able to snap up a few pics. So, when I went back tonight, I made sure to pack my camera. Sorry for the blur-ness, I have yet to properly understand how to use the camera at night (any pointers well received, thank you!). Aren't they the most adorable things you've seen? Well, as adorable as plastic can get, I guess...

And then there was a massive tree and fish up in the air... mmm... weird...

More pics from this Xmas break in Italy

Comments
I've had to disable the comments yet again, due to the huge amount of spam I've received in the last few days, so if you want to shout, do so on Flickr, Ravelry or via email for the time being, till a more long term solutions is devised. Thanks for your patience :)

thursday, 25 december 2008

Happy holidays boys and girls

Hope you're all having a wonderful, peaceful, merry time :)

Comments
I've had to disable the comments yet again, due to the huge amount of spam I've received in the last few days, so if you want to shout, do so on Flickr, Ravelry or via email for the time being, till a more long term solutions is devised. Thanks for your patience :)

sunday, 14 december 2008

How could I forget...

...to show you the Christmas tree which we've had up since 23rd November! ;)

I'm given to understand this is a work in progress, and being this the first year, it's bound to look a little sad and naked, so I'll see you back in a couple of years to review progress then. Say, is this kitsch enough for you?

29p in Woolworths... it's just occurred to me that it may well be the last thing bought at Woolies...

Comments
I've had to disable the comments yet again, due to the huge amount of spam I've received in the last few days, so if you want to shout, do so on Flickr, Ravelry or via email for the time being, till a more long term solutions is devised. Thanks for your patience :)

wednesday, 10 december 2008

Xmas is most definitely in the air

What with a farcically busy work schedule (anybody would think I performed open heart surgery for a living!) and procrastination embraced to the point where we're now lovers, I have seen very little of this festive London.

You know how it is, you venture down Oxford Street, yearning for a whiff of the London Christmas spirit, wanting to soak up the atmosphere, the joy, the lights... but by the time you're done elbowing your fellow pedestrians out of the way, and slow-pacing from one shop to the other (and that's not cos you're slow, you know exactly where you need to go, I mean, would they get out of the way already!), finished arguing with the London Lite / londonpaper distributor du-jour (thank you, but honestly, I don't need more than one paper at a time), all the while cursing this decidedly daft idea of willingly putting yourself through the busiest and definitely less Xmas-sy road, you're so filled with exasperation, probably also covered in a decent amount of sweat, the search for the Xmas spirit has eluded you and you swear you will never ever step in bloody Oxford Street again! Rings a bell?

So, in a bid to keep my sanity, I dragged and was dragged to Trafalgar Square. How pretty!

The carols singers were really good, and some of the audience seemed to think they were somewhat too good, cos the crowd positively got into it, they jived and sang along, and rocked... you would have been forgiven for thinking it was The Stones! But I loved it, so Xmassy! :)

Then to warm up our cockles, there was a bit of this...

...this...

... and even this...

I'm knitting a hat for my Nan for Xmas. Matching scarf already done and dusted.

More pics here on Flickr.

Comments
I've had to disable the comments yet again, due to the huge amount of spam I've received in the last few days, so if you want to shout, do so on Flickr, Ravelry or via email for the time being, till a more long term solutions is devised. Thanks for your patience :)

friday, 05 december 2008

An early Xmas present

A lecture with Kaffe Fassett, held at the Fashion and Textile Museum in Bermondsey, London. Oh, my, god! This was an absolutely amazing gift from non knitter friends! How thoughtful was that? I was so touched by what was a perfect way to open up the Xmas season. My first pressie - I loved it!

With Kaffe Fassett

With Brandon Mably

(I'm pasting here what I've already said about the evening on Ravelry cos I'm lazy like that).

It was sooo fascinating! It wasn't like anything I had anticipated, although I wasn't quite sure what exactly I was expecting ;) He talked about all his passions, from his beginnings as a painter, right through his knitting and quilting days, needlework and embroidery, commissions he'd undertaken for yarn companies and even Marks & Spencers, who apparently stuck one of his works on tins of tea! :D

He showed a series of slides which displayed some of his jaw-dropping work and shots of objects which had inspired him. It was so interesting seeing how he'd drawn inspiration from a scene and created a unique idea, for instance from a pile of barrels, he'd extrapolated a design and made it into a knitted garment.

There were A LOT of slides on quilts, and whilst I'm not into quilting, I was in awe of the workmanship, amazing colours and shapes, and what must have taken his team a lifetime to put together. I did try and take some pictures, but they all came out washed out or just blurry (I guess my camera is a little pants, when it comes to taking pictures of a projected image, in a dark room) which is a real shame, I would have loved to capture those stunning colours.

What did surprise me was the audience... I was expecting a bunch of chatty crafters, all excited to hear HIM talk... and instead, they all seemed very serious. I didn't dare popping my knitting out at all!! :( Maybe it was just my impression, but it didn't feel very friendly or warm. I don't know, maybe they all felt a little intimidated? But, anyway, it was a brilliant night - I loved it all!!

More pics here on Flickr.

Comments
I've had to disable the comments yet again, due to the huge amount of spam I've received in the last few days, so if you want to shout, do so on Flickr, Ravelry or via email for the time being, till a more long term solutions is devised. Thanks for your patience :)