WOYWW 908

 CHOO CHOO, CHOO CHOO CH’BOOGIE

Hi there lovely Deskers, here we are for our weekly hop around the craft rooms of the world, I hope you're all keeping well and happy. If anyone new is reading then the link up is over at Julia's blog, Stamping Ground, join in, it's great fun and wonderful friendships have been made!

Did you all survive the crazy storms at the weekend? It wasn't a day for venturing out on Saturday, that's for sure...but that's exactly what I did lol!

It wasn't my usual craft fair event! Gents of a certain age buying and selling train equipment and collectables...I thought hmmm, not going to sell much here. But I'd been invited and the stall cost nothing so it was worth a go.

It was fun to see another form of hobby!

I blagged a corner space, having an extra table made all the difference and made it easier to get more stock out on show. But the very best thing?

A surprise visit from Annie, Doddy and Peggy!! I knew they were on a break near Tenby but it was lovely to see them turn up at the fair! The weather was shonky so they decided to have a run over to Kidwelly and I'm so glad they did, we had a great chat.  And in the end, I made £122 which was very pleasing given I thought we'd not sell much.  We got absolutely soaked packing up after the event though and had to get changed when we got home!!

Christmas making is still continuing in the JanCave:

The little mouse's tail is supposed to be trailing behind but it gets in the way so I sewed it up the back, neater in my opinion.

The Christmas crafting has also been going on in my SiL Jill's sewing room!

She's been busy making some decorations too, it's so kind of her and brilliant to have more variety of items for sale.

Jill works on the floor just like you Helen, kindred spirits!! I know those little cottages are going to sell well...

as will these lovely little felt ornaments too. Thanks again Jill, you're a star - I'm very fortunate to have so many lovely folk helping make stuff, it really helps xx

Truly, life is never boring...!!

Have a great week xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

WOYWW 907

 I JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH...

After a sad couple of weeks, things have settled down a bit. I sent a card to Sarah's sons and family, they've mentioned that if people want to then they're collecting donations to the British Heart Foundation in lieu of flowers - there are no details about the funeral yet either.  

I have had an odd week, alternating between really busy and feeling really meh after a shingles jab last Thursday, it affected me a lot but better than getting the real thing. Consequently I did quite a lot of knitting whilst sitting on the sofa not feeling like doing much else!

This has been my view for a few days!  I did have a fair last Saturday so went to set it up then four of the RNLI craft group gals stood in to run it - I was very grateful to them as it meant I could go home and rest again.

There was a nice mix of autumn and some Christmas stuff and we did ok. I look an awful lot better than I felt in this photo lol!

The knitted hedgehogs with the Terry's Choc Oranges in have continued to be a top seller so a few of us are knitting replacements like crazy.

They're breeding fast....Lol!

So are the Ferrero Rocher characters....

And this lot want all the attention too! Ah well, it's keeping me busy, no chance of being bored......

I have a stall at a Toy and Train fair this Saturday, I was invited to go along by an RNLI buddy so thought I'd give it a go. I have no idea how it'll pan out, either brilliant or I won't sell anything at all, it's worth a try though eh?!

Hope you're all keeping well and happy and that you're enjoying your crafting. Long Live WOYWW, the original and best desky link up, only at Julia's Stamping Ground!!

WOYWW 906

 I'LL BE MISSING YOU...

Last week was tough but it was heartwarming to read how Sarah had affected all our lives and how very much she'll be missed, she really won't be forgotten. I know her family were very touched by all the memories and condolences, there is a British Heart Foundation collection for Sarah in lieu of family flowers.

She wouldn't have wanted WOYWW  to grind to a halt though and so it's back to a more normal show and tell this week. 

I had a very successful fair on the 3rd October and sold lots of the chocolate orange hedgehogs so there's been a run on making replacements. Also Ferrero Rocher versions too:

Every spare moment is taken up knitting something! These are Ferrero Santas, well the first stage anyway.

This is how he'll end up - the cat and dog need something on their collar to gussy them up a bit.

I have 60 chocolate oranges on my guest room bed!! They were 95p in Tesco, half price, so my RNLI crafting buddies were buying lots - it makes a big difference to the margins and profit. My friend Sue has been busy too:

Aren't they fun? The wreath is made from pipe cleaners and the angel is from macrame cord! I'm sure they'll be best sellers.

I've got to replace a lot of folding shopping bags that also sold well so I've dragged some fabrics out and am seeing what goes with what. That's this week's job!

And a small bit of loveliness happened, I saw on The Gift of Warmth Facebook page that someone was offering a pack of buttons free and I got them!

Aren't they pretty? They'll be so useful, the lady didn't even want any money for the postage, a lovely bit of positivity.

Hope you're all keeping well and happy, after last week it's even more important to make the most of every day and don't sweat the small stuff. Love to you all xxxxx

WOYWW 905

 FAREWELL...

Well, this isn't the post I was expecting to write today. The shock of hearing that Sarah, our WOYWW host for the past couple of years, had passed away stopped me in my tracks. She was still a young woman with her deserved retirement stretching out in front of her. So when Eva, her best mate (pictured below) contacted us with the news I genuinely didn't know what to say or do.

This pic was taken at the Llandudno Crop run by Margaret Glitter and Glue, the first time we'd met Sarah in real life. As at all the Crops, the joy and knowledge of our back stories meant that conversation and fun started from the get go. I feel for Eva so badly, she is going to be bereft as are Sarah's family.

Such a gorgeous group of crafting friends xx

We met again at the Shrewsbury Crop organised by Wipso and Twiglet:

And once again she was a big part of the day.

When Julia felt she needed a break, Sarah stepped up to host WOYWW and has done so for a couple of years for which we are so grateful, I know I would have missed WOYWW  so very much had it stopped. It seemed important to post today even though I don't really know what to say but we can all share our different memories.

Sarah, you'll never be forgotten.....thank you and Rest in Peace.

WOYWW 904

 SWEETS FOR MY SWEET...

Hi there all you lovely Deskers, hope you've had a good week! This one has shot by, it's been all go - I've had more time in the JanCave and am crafting like mad as I've signed up for nine events between October to December - fortunately my RNLI buddies are helping run the stalls, I'm very grateful!

I've made up a few trios from this very pretty floral fabric with lavender and pink contrasts, they just need some ribbon to tie them all together.

Most of my yarn crafting has been Christmas related, this is what my guest room looks at the moment:

And there is much more to come courtesy of my friends!

My friend Kim (aka Chief Titivator *grin*) has been doing sterling work putting the holly leaves and berries on the Christmas puds.  I've not started stuffing the 24 chocolate oranges into anything yet, it's only a matter of time lol!!

I was opening up the dining room curtains on Sunday morning and saw a brown bedraggled bird sitting on our fence:

A juvenile female sparrowhawk! She was there for about ten minutes obviously just resting, her feathery petticoats were being blown around by the gusty wind. I had a really good look at her through the binoculars, the pic is a bit fuzzy as it was taken on my phone. She flew off after a magpie came down to hassle her but it was a really magical start to the day!

Short and sweet this week unlike last Wednesday - hope you have a good week ahead, enjoy your crafting xxxxx

WOYWW 903

 SISTERS, SISTERS,

THERE WERE NEVER SUCH DEVOTED SISTERS...

Hi everyone, I'm back after a really lovely week away in beautiful Mid Wales! Our two boys came with us and we had a lot of laughs, good walks, nice food and a special visit!

I've been playing catch up since I got back as my next fair is on 3rd October and it gets busier after that! It's all been about knitting and crochet, though the JanCave did see a bit of action yesterday (but I forgot to take pics, doh!)

I picked up some yarn in Shrewsbury in order to crochet some pumpkins:

I went into Abakhan, it's a treasure trove of lovely things:

and was quite restrained in only picking up a couple of balls of autumn coloured yarn, as seen in the pumpkin pic!

The rest of the pics are all about the trip so dip out now if you want...

Our boys are such good company, we really did have fun:

On top of Montgomery Castle, it was a very steep walk up but worth it for the views - we could see the rain approaching up the valley and got down just in time.

We stayed in one of the best holiday homes ever, in our own walled garden where the pheasants, owls, kestrels, house martins, squirrels and bats kept us entertained.

We visited Chirk Castle where there was a medieval re-enactment event going on:

Very atmospheric! There were lots of artisans in the tents but the one that fascinated me was the yarn braiding:

Unfortunately the person wasn't there, I would have liked to ask about the technique. Colourful though!

We visited the British Ironworks Centre near Oswestry and it was bonkers but brilliant! A 70 acre site with so many statues and figures all made out of recycled materials from aircraft parts to motorbike chains, it was amazing.

A massive millipede - its legs were old golf clubs!

The artistry was truly amazing, how they got the right part in the right place was impressive....

This dragon was my favourite, it stood over 20ft tall and the construction was astonishing. You could buy it, I fancied putting it in our back garden looking over the wall, that would scare the local kids lol! At £25k though it had to stay there *grin*

The highlight of the week happened on the penultimate day when a couple of visitors came over:

Oh but it was wonderful to see these two naughty sisters lol! Both Jo and Annie were looking so well, it was fab to catch up after nearly 20 months since we last met. As you can see, within five minutes of being there, the table was covered in crafting stuff!! Thanks Annie for bringing it over xx

I was given some lovely presents:

Thank you!!  It was just lovely to have some hugs and chat for a few hours, there weren't many long awkward silences lol!

Me and my gorgeous Big Sisters xxxxx

Thanks for staying to the end, I'll be round to yours as soon as I can today. Hope you're keeping well and enjoying your crafting xx

WOYWW 901

 BACK TO LIFE....

Wasn't last week's anniversary meet up wonderful? And how lovely to see some returning Deskers as well, that was a real treat! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about everyone's old desks and memories, what a gorgeous community we are xx

As the title says, Back to Life, Back to Normality....

Quite a lot has gone on in the past two weeks! I had a fair:

It was a lovely event, I saw lots of friends and made a few quid for the RNLI so all was good!

I made some bunting for the new granddaughter of an old friend, the first for quite a while and it was fun to do.

I've cracked on and made an army of gnomes! They're just needing pompoms sewing on the hats and their noses attached.

I laid out all the yarn I'd been given and the lovely gals from the RNLI who help me out with the Christmas knitting came for afternoon tea and helped themselves, it nearly all went yay! They'll use it for baby hats and blankets for the local hospital as well as knitting for the upcoming fairs. And I don't have to find room for it anymore, woohoo! Win win!

The husband of my deceased friend passed on some more stash, amongst which were these knitted baubles and a partly made Christmas stocking:

My good friend Kim (aka Chief Titivator) sewed up the stocking and some beads onto the baubles - we both decided they need something else:

The bows just finish them off nicely without overwhelming the exquisite knitting (obviously done on four double pointed needles, something I will never do!)  They'll look lovely on the stall and add a bit of variety to what we're offering. Thanks Kim, you're a star!

That's it for now, we're away next week so there may /may not be a post, see how it goes. Hope you have a good week and may your yarn remain untangled and your papers uncreased xxxx