An Extreme Wind Up

Hello everyone!

What gorgeous sunny weather we are having at the moment.  Doesn't it make you feel so much better?

I have been a bit quiet on the blogging front recently as I have been very busy trying to get ready for a 3 day food and craft fair over the Jubilee weekend.  I am going to be using the fair mainly to promote the workshops I will be running soon.  So in order to get people's attention, I am encouraging people to come along and have a go at extreme crochet.  Therefore I haven't really been making much, but I have been winding balls of yarn by the bucket load!!

I have been trying to design some Extreme Crochet kits to sell at the fair, this is what has been taking up my time and unfortunately I have come to the decision that time wise it is just not viable.  I was going to include a pattern, a 25mm wooden crochet hook (hand made by my OH) and 20 balls of yarn in the kit.  Well winding and labeling all the balls took ages to get them looking professional, on top of that you have the time spent making the hook, and the cost of the packaging!  So all in all what seemed like a good idea at the time turned out to be too time consuming, but it took me at least a week if not more to work this out!!

,

After much discussion we are still going to offer the handmade crochet hooks, the yarn and the pattern, but I will be selling them separately.  Instead of 20 small balls of yarn I have been busy winding huge balls with 20 strands at a time, this reduces the labeling from 20 down to 1 and the winding is so much quicker.  Rather than measuring the length of the yarn on each ball I have weighed each one at 500g.

I added my cup of coffee just to give you an idea of scale!

So as you can see, my link to Handmade Monday this week isn't strictly correct as I haven't actually managed to make anything over these past couple of weeks!!!  But I hope you will forgive me this time :)

To finish off my post I thought you may like to see a photo of Chester that I took a while back (both him and Taffy have been a bit neglected recently :( )

I think you'll agree - he looks such a cool cat!

See you all again soon, have a good week and enjoy the sunshine! 

Alison 

x

The winner is .....

Hello folks

I have a rather important announcement to make!

Using a random number generator The Circle of Love Handcrafted Giveaway winner has now been chosen !!!!  Yaaay!

The winner is:

 Helen Small 

 Helen's blog is 'Small Things Bright And Beautiful'

http://helensmalldesigns.blogspot.co.uk/



Helen's gift from Fiddly Fingers is a knitted wire brooch!

Congratulations Helen!

Hope you like it!

Thank you to Natalie from Free Spirit Designs for organising 

The Cirlce of Love Handcrafted Giveaway

 http://freespiritdesigns1.blogspot.co.uk/

Wire jewellery experiments

Thank you to all of you for your comments on Abbotskerswell Fair I'm glad you liked my packaging unfortunately it didn't make me any sales of the bunting though!

Here is a picture of my stall (on the left) and my sil Lime Green Lizzie (on the right).  You can just about see the lovely bunting made for me by Butterfly Blossom.  We had a pleasant afternoon and made enough to cover the cost of our tables and a bit extra and I got a commission for a string of crocheted teddy bunting for a little boy who is due in August by a lady who has bought from me before.  Always very pleasing to see returning customers.

This week I have been busy 'thinking' about how to promote my workshops and what workshops to offer.  Hopefully in the next few weeks I will be able to update my Workshop page so you will all know what is going on. 

Also this week I have been planning for the extreme crochet kits I am hoping to put together.

Here I am winding just one of the twenty balls I need for each kit!  I need to work out how much space 20 balls takes up in order to work out how I am going to package them!

I have also been experimenting with crocheting with wire.  I first tried out a shape in a fine silk yarn.



And then I did it in wire.  I haven't made the shape with it yet as I want to add 3 Swarovski crystals hanging inside from the top corner and think it may be easier to attach these before I stitch the shape together.  I think I may try them slightly smaller as well.  These are all 10 chain wide, about 1.5 inches and may be a little large for some people.  Perhaps I'll halve the stitches and see if that works?  What do you think?  I have many different colours for the wire so may not go with red/pink in the end.  Haven't decided yet!!  I'll let you know how I get on!

I am absolutely shattered now as we have been to a park in Taunton for a family picnic to celebrate my sil 60th birthday.  We had a lovely day, a game of rounders and a few goes with the frisby and the little ones had a great play park to amuse them.  Topped off by singing 'Happy Birthday' and a birthday cake!  A really lovely day :)

The birthday girl is third from the left on the front row and I am sat with one of Liz's grandchildren on my lap on the right hand side of the front row.

So, before I become too sleepy, I am off to have a look at what everyone else has been doing this week over at Handmade Monday.  Why not pop along and see for yourself!

Bye for now!

X

Craft Fair, Abbotskerswell, Devon

Hello Everyone

I'm supposed to be cleaning out the inside of the car but it's raining!  So, thought I would use my time productively and talk to you guys instead!  Far more enjoyable!

As will be the norm from now on, I will start first by thanking you all for your comments on my previous post, Cirlcle of Love Handcrafted Giveaway.  I will enter those of you who have 'liked' and 'tweeted' and left a message on my blog- you have remembered to leave a message telling me what you've done haven't you?  You need to do that in order for me to enter you into the competition.   Don't fret! If this is the first time you have heard of it and haven't done it yet there's still time, just click on the link and you will be able to find out what it is all about.  Now, not 4 but 5 lovely prizes to win!

As I expect  many of us are this week, I am doing a small craft fair on Bank Holiday Monday, so I thought I would show you a few of the items I have recently made to sell.

Here is a pretty Tea Light holder I made.  I think I have made about 8 or 10 of these!

This is something a little different.  Wooden bunting with pegs on the reverse to hang notes/pictures/cards etc.  My husband cuts out the wooden shape for me and makes a simple peg to glue on the back, I paint them in whatever way I fancy and string them together using cord I have twisted to get matching colours.  I have sold a few of these now and they get lots of lovely comments but this is the first time I have packaged them up as I found they were so time consuming to display hung up and kept getting tangled etc.

Here is yet some more bunting, this time it's mini fabric bunting.  Each flag is only about 2.5cm.

Here they are all packaged up!

I have a few more bits and pieces stashed away and am having a table next to my SIL Lime Green Lizzie and she has loads and loads of things!!!  Our main aim this time is to gather names of people who may be interested in doing workshops with us.  We have now found a venue and are just

deciding what workshops we should offer!  It's exciting times, so watch this space! Liz is into textiles and me the crochet.  Got any ideas on what workshops should be! Should materials be included or should you bring your own according to a materials list?  What do you like about a workshop, what do you dislike?  Do you prefer all day workshops or half day?  Any thoughts would be most appreciated.

I was very lucky this week and received my prize from Butterfly Blossom.  She created a very pretty string of bunting for me to use above my stall.  I shall take a photo on Monday so you can all see how lovely it was.

Oh and of course Chester will be coming with me too!!  And I may even take Taffy!

Why not have a look over on Handmade Monday at what other people have been up to this week.  I'm popping over now, see you there!

Happy Bank Holiday!

Bye for now

Alison

Circle of Love Handcrafted Giveaway!

Hello Everyone!

What lovely weather for ducks!  Well at least it is down here in Devon!  I have a few things to share with you before I introduce you to the Cirlcle of Love Handcrafted Giveaway organised by the lovely Natalie of Free Spirit Designs.  I'm afraid this post feels like a bit of a marathon this week but I have so many things to talk to you about!  I haven't even shown you the bowl I've been making so that will have to wait until next week.  I suggest you make a cup of something warm and scrummy before settling down to read this one!  I definitely needed two or three whilst I was composing it!! Oh and I mustn't forget I am linking up to Handmade Monday so please pop over and have a look at what all the clever crafty people are up to this week.   Just one more thing ... I can't get my usual font to work this week.  I don't think I've done anything different!  Hopefully it will be back next time!

Previous Post

Firstly I feel I must start by thanking you all for your wonderful responses to my previous blog A question for you! Er sorry it ended up being questions!   I read and digested all your comments and have now decided what I will do is this! 

When I feel a comment requires a  reply I will post the comment on the most recent post on your blog, that way you wont miss it!  And don't forget you can always fill out 'Follow by Email' on the top right hand side of my blog or click on 'subscribe by email' just below the comment box.  I will also try and refer to the previous post replies (if it's necessary) at the beginning of the current post (like I have done today)!

Thank you so much for helping me clear up my conundrum!

Facebook Page

Ooh and just before I go any further, I have set up a Fiddly Fingers facebook page.  I would be most grateful if you could pop over and 'like' it for me.  It's early days yet and I am just getting used to it so please bear with me!!!  But the more that pop over to say hello the more interesting and fun I shall be able to make it.  Thank you!!!

St. Ives Visit

So many of you have said how much you love St Ives so I thought I would just give you a little snippet of the beautiful scenes we saw on our weekend away!  It was absolutely stunning!

We loved it so much we have decided we will go camping in June to a lovely campsite not far from the beach at Gwithian - the bottom right hand picture.  I can't wait!

OK now to ....

The Circle of Love Handcrafted Giveaway has started!! Enter now to be in with a chance of winning a wonderful collection of handcrafted prizes contributed by a group of talented craft bloggers - you've got from now until 12 noon GMT on Sunday the 13th of May to enter the draw and be in with a chance of winning it all!!

What can you win?

This is a knitted wire brooch by me! 

It is knitted with two strands of wire, gold and olive, with small golden seed beads and a centre of small tear drop glass beads

Long Linen Heart Garland Free Spirit Designs

HartFelt mini owl HartFelt by Heather

Pinups for shawls and scarves Lilees Gram Knits

 'Loveheart Tattoo Needle Felted Brooch'

by Myths & Fabrications

The great news is that there are lots of ways to increase the number of times you are entered into the draw (please note that the giveaway is only open to residents of the UK and EU Europe):

How To Enter The Prize Draw On This Blog

1x entree for following my blog

1x entree for 'liking' my Fiddly Fingers facebook page

1x entree for 'sharing' the post about the giveaway on my Fiddly Fingers facebook page

1x entree for following me on Twitter

and remember, you can get 2x entrees by blogging about the competition!

Here are links to the other talented craft bloggers

Free Spirit Designs

Lilees Gram Knits

Hart Felt by Heather
Myths & Fabrications

IMPORTANT! MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE A COMMENT ON THE CIRCLE OF LOVE GIVEAWAY POST OF EACH BLOG YOU'VE ENTERED, SAYING WHAT YOU HAVE DONE e.g "i've followed your blog and liked your facebook page" etc.  - IF YOU DON'T DO THIS YOU WON'T BE ENTERED INTO THE PRIZE DRAW!! PLEASE ALSO LEAVE A KIND AND POSITIVE MESSAGE IN THE COMMENT BOX - THIS IS THE CIRCLE OF L♥VE AFTER ALL!! :)

Terms and Conditions

The Competition is only open to residents of the UK and EU Europe.

Items won in the prize draw are non-returnable and are distributed according to UK law.

To be entered into the prize draw entrants must leave a comment on the giveaway posts of the blogs that they've entered through saying what they have done.

If the chosen winner is found to have contravened any of these terms and conditions the participating bloggers reserve the right to select a new winner.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook or Twitter. We hereby release Facebook and Twitter of any liability.

Winners will be contacted by email within 24 hours of the end of the giveaway.

If you have any questions email free.spiritdesigns@rocketmail.com

A question for you? Er sorry, it ended up being questions!

Hello everyone!

Hope you have all had a good week.  Some strange weather again, but some beautiful scenes with the combination of sun and rain. I am scheduling this post as I shall be away for Handmade Monday this time.  We are having a weekend in St. Ives down in cornwall, one of these £10 jobbies out of the paper.

My question is:

I always look forward to receiving your lovely comments and being a chatty person find it difficult not to reply!  But whilst I find it difficult not to reply, I find it equally difficult to reply!  It takes a tremendous amount of time, as I am sure you all understand.  I'm torn between the two!  If we were all in a room together I'd have no problem.  The problem would be yours trying to shut me up!

Then there is the other side of the coin.  If I do reply do you all really want to have to keep checking back to my blog to see when I reply?  As much as I like to comment on all your lovely blogs I know it eats into valuable crafting time when you have to keep a check on replies etc. It's very difficult juggling blogging and crafting.  I want to do them both!!!!

So what I am asking (is probably the impossible!) how can I reply to all the fantastic comments so that you lovely bloggers out there don't have to check back to my blog each time to see what I have said, and how can I make it easier for you to see what has been said without spending hours trawling through blogs to see who has written you a reply and who hasn't?  What do you all think? Do you have the same problems?  Have you found any solutions?

I have added a box for you to add email addresses so you get an email when I post on my blog, does this help?

I would value your views on this as I really want to keep in touch with everyone but I'm struggling to fit in the crafting!  Do you like to get individual replies or would one general reply suffice?  Would it be better if I started the next post with a response to the previous one?

Have a good week.  I'll try and answer each one of your comments this week! 

Sorry for the lack of pictures in this post but I'll take lots in St. Ives and make up for it next week!

Bye for now
Alison