Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Indestructable....



My Dad always talks about some bunk beds that my Grandad made my Dad and his brother. They weren't that pretty but they were solid and as Dad would say, should there have been a nuclear attack, everything else would be erased but Grandad's bunk beds would still be standing. Well now we can add my bags too.

I am always paranoid about my bags falling to pieces, so paranoid that I load my own bags so full, with such heavy stuff, just to make sure that they will withstand day-to-day use. I have used one for three years now and it is still going strong, I have put things in it that the bag is too heavy to carry but it hasn't broken.

Today I was making a zip bag. I was in a bit of a rush because I was supposed to be taking J and L and their friend and her mum to soft play hell and I sewed the label inside the bag! Ok, you think, just unpick it. Only I sew over labels and handles and anything else that will be pulled so many times, so that they won't pull out that after 15 minutes, the label was still there, I was in a foul mood and I had admitted defeat. This is the bag out in the sun this afternoon....

and here with the label cleverly sewn inside......

I have decided to sell this as a slight second because the bag is great, fine, nothing wrong except for the location of the label so if you want a bargain, click here...zippy bag for the same size as a drawstring one.

In case you were wondering, we made it back from the soft hell alive with only minimal injuries; a twisted ankle, a bruised forehead and an empty purse. I nearly cried when the woman told me that I actually had to pay to sit there and watch other peoples badly behaved children scream, shout and be awful. There was woman there with her laptop, oblivious to her children beating seven bells of carp out of another little boy. Urgh. Anyway, laugh at my stupid label sewing :D

Handmaid by Julie Mills

It wouldn't take a brain surgeon to realise that I love fabric, I swear it is breeding in my house, at least that is the excuse I am sticking with for the way it is taking over room after room. I have recently discovered why everyone is wearing scarves around their necks. I think aside from the obvious fashion aspect, there is something slightly comforting about being entwined in soft fabric.

These silk satin scarves by fashion design graduate, Julie Mills must be amazing to wear; cool in the summer, to finish off that wedding outfit, warm when the night gets a bit cooler and oh so soft. The question is, which would you choose?

The spotty silk scarf with pom pom trim?

or the pink birds, digitally printed and hand sewn by Julie. There are more in her shop, go over and take a look....



You can also find Julie on Twitter at http://twitter.com/julieisfab She also takes commissions so if you have a special thing in mind, get in touch with her, I am sure she will come up with something amazing.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

BlueFish Handmade

I used to be able to crochet. I remember when I was about 8 or 9, crocheting granny sqaures with my Grandma but now I can do the basic chain and that's about it. Lottie tried to teach me when we went to SkipNorth, nearly three years ago but she just got cross and started shouting at me so I decided to stick to knitting and sewing.

Izabela of Bluefish Handmade, on the other hand, is a wizz at crochet and she is the VIP onboard the Coriandr Express at the moment.



Her Grandmother taught her to knit and crochet when she was 6 and since then, she realised that she enjoyed to make things, loving fibres, alternative fashion and fashion accessories inspired by history, colours and textures.

I love these slippers, they look so cozy and warm. Ideal for wandering around the house wearing or smuggling up on the sofa with a good book.

If you are looking for something a bit more racy, how about crocheted knickers? Yep, you heard it right, crocheted knickers with beads

Izabela really does have everything in her shop; from knickers to wrist warmers and baby blankets and onto delicate crocheted earrings. Go over and take a look now...


Friday, May 22, 2009

Tag, I'm it!!

I've been tagged by the hilarious and lovely Amanda from Kitschy Coo. I haven't done one of these things for ages so here goes.....


8 things I am looking forward to.....

  1. Half term! I know most parents prefer to have their kids at school but I really enjoy having J and L with me and no school runs. Yay!!
  2. Going to stay with friends for a few days next week. We will loose the kids while they play together for hours while we can chat to our hearts content, then they will go to bed and the wine will come out ;)
  3. Summer. I want to be playing out in the garden.
  4. Having the time to spend a day in the garden, sorting out my veggies (yeah, I know, I'm sad, that's cool!)
  5. Going camping in France in the summer. I miss France and surely we will see sun this year, please?
  6. My friends wedding in few weeks. Catching up with friends, a weekend away, leaving the kids with my parents. Bliss.
  7. Tomorrow morning. I have promised Lou that we will make cake then go for a bike ride.
  8. Having my hair cut and some funky colour in it.

8 thing I did yesterday.....

  1. Sewed like a mad woman for couple of hours in an attempt to get rid of my back-log of wholesale orders after my machine died last weekend.
  2. Turned up for a school trip where I should have been in sports kit, wearing my jeans..whoops, naughty Mummy!
  3. Got soaked to the skin when the heavens opened as we got off the bus with the school trip...hail, rain, thunder then 5 minutes later, blue skies and sunshine.
  4. Went to Grandma and Grandads with Jack and Lou for fish and chips tea. I love Thursdays :)
  5. Gave a couple of Jack and Lous Easter Eggs away because they still have loads left and they don't actually like chocolate.
  6. Mangaged to drag Mr Nicsknots away from the computer for the evening. Shock!
  7. Discovered that my 4yr old daughter has been 'wishing on stars and now have a baby growing in my belly, Mummy!'. No Lou!
  8. Didn't do this meme because I had just been blogging about my sewing machine repair adventures.

8 things I wish I could do....

  1. Make a clone of myself or employ a cleaner.
  2. See lots of friends more than I do at the moment.
  3. Speak french and german as fluently as I could when I left Uni.
  4. Make all of the things that I want to make for myself. Well one thing would be start!
  5. Finish a knitting project in time for Rav day...looking extremly unlikely!
  6. Live in Aberystwyth with my family around me...
  7. Or South Wales
  8. Or France

8 shows I watch....


  1. The Apprentice (like Amanda, through my fingers, shouting at the TV)
  2. Top Gear
  3. Gavin and Stacey
  4. Jonathan Ross
  5. Gardeners World...yes I am 28, read above, I am sad, that's cool!
  6. Bones
  7. This Morning...my god, this is turning into a confessional, I may as well finish myself off...
  8. Jeremy Kyle! Haha. Not every day but sometimes when I am sewing, I switch the TV on before it has finished and it never fails to amaze me. Worryingly though, I think I am starting to like him. Maybe if some of those people had JK as their Dad, who told them to wake up and live in the real world, maybe there wouldn't be any guests for such shows.

Okay, that's me. My turn to tag you. Here's the rules, just in case you want to follow them:

1. Mention the name of the person who tagged you.
2. Do the lists of 8.
3. Tag 8 bloggers of your choice.
4. Let them know that they have been tagged!

So I tag....

  1. Babylonglegs
  2. Daisychains
  3. Yummymummyknits
  4. Kraftykoala .... get blogging woman!
  5. Niftyknits
  6. Wyndwitch
  7. Mollimoo
  8. Moxie

Thursday, May 21, 2009

# I'm in love with a sewing machine repair man #

Don't you think that is a more catchy song than the winning Eurovision song from Norway?
This week, I am indeed, in love with the sewing machine repair man, even if he is old enough to be my dad and has a mullet.

On Saturday night, I was sewing while watching the Eurovision when my machine started missing stitches. I tried to sort it out, I cleaned it out as best I could, I unscrewed bits, I cleaned under them but it still didn't work so I asked whined like a 4yr old at Mr Nicsknots to come and make it work.

He wasn't impressed; he was busy telling me that Dita Von Teese had heavy thighs (please, if I looked like her, I would be very happy!!) and making up strange rules that never actually exisit to excuse some of the rather random entrants. Anyway, after another few minutes of asking, and a reminder that when he loved me, he used to mend things for me, he, begrudgingly started taking bits of sewing machine to pieces so by the time Norway had been crowned winners, there was a sewing machine in pieces on my dining room table. Eventually he put it back together again, I tried it. It was sooo quiet but basically missed every stitch. Damn and bugger!

On Monday I rang up the sewing machine man and took it to him, crossing everything that the service that he claimed would solve the problem would work and trying not to look too deseprate when I told him that I really *needed* it back as soon as possible, if not before, but you know, no pressure.

Tuesday came and I waited. Eventually he rang to tell me that he needed a bobbin to test it a bit more, I rushed into town, gave it to him and he said that it should all be done within 15mins so Lou and I went shopping, went back and it wasn't ready. He couldn't get it working...by this time I was getting rather stressed and I think maybe did play the part of the desperate sewing machine girl a bit too much.

On Wednesday though, the sun was shining and I went back to the shop. The man had fixed my machine and she now works like a dream. Horrah for the sewing machine man with a mullet!!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Dig this!!

Haha, how many tacky titles can we come up with to talk about the wonderful shop that is Dig The Earth?


I'm taking part in the Coriandr Express. It is a virtual express train showing off the best of Coriandr sellers. The train left the station this morning so that means for the next 7 weeks, I will be bringing you some lovely things from great sellers on Coriandr as well as the usual witty remarks ramblings.

The first VIP on the Express is the lovely Kevin from Dig The Earth. He is based on the outskirts of Bradford and creates graphical handmade greetings card using 100% recycled board and envelopes and corn-starch protective bags instead of using plastic wraps.
I love this card with two clockwork monkeys. It's also a bargain because Kevin is running a half-price offer throughout May so this card could be yours for £1...well if you are quick because I might buy it yet ;)

As well as making cards, Kevin takes very plain and boring mirrors and makes them into works of art with a fibre tip pen. I think this is a great mirror....

Who could fail to smile into that first thing in the morning?

Go and take a look at Dig the Earth, while I think positive thoughts about my sewing machine that is currently at the sewing machine Drs......

Friday, May 15, 2009

New things...

Wow, someone said my last post was boring. Thanks for that ;)

Anyway, moving swiftly on, this week has been another busy one. Lots of new things going on in the Nicsknots house, both with work and home. Little Miss Lou has worked out how to ride her bike with no stabilisers and is now even more dangerous than she was before. Our garden isn't really very conducive for learning to ride bikes so we have been walking down to a private car park every night after school for a little ride around. On Monday she had mastered starting off but the corners were foxing her, she would go to turn around a corner saying 'Daddy says I need to lean innnnn' (as she crashed into a tree or me or her poor unsuspecting brother) but by Tuesday she had mastered it and was leant that far over that she looked like a mad motorcyclist, and has the knees to prove it!

I have finally got around to using some ace material that I have had around and have being dying to use and made a few of these bags;



And I have also worked out a way to pretty up the backs of my business cards and use some of the scraps of fabric that I have kicking around....



I've been sending out quite a few business cards for fayres and the like but the backs of my cards were just plain and I wanted to show the different fabrics that I use too so I stuck a piece of fabric onto the back of each card.

Right well, if my last post was boring, this must be sending you all to sleep so I'll leave you. Have a good weekend. I am looking forward to no long distance driving and a weekend of pottering.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Etsy Treasury

I'm back, with nearly another 1000 miles added onto the clock of the courtesy car in a weekend. The garage rang yesterday to tell me that my car was finally ready (6weeks after I took it in) and spent a good five minutes apologising for the amount of time they had taken. I was a little worried that I would be the one apologising when I picked my car up this morning and handed the keys back to him, having doubled the mileage on their car. As it happened, I made a rather swift exit with my mended car, just as they were going to check the mileage of the courtesy car.

We had a fab weekend, wine featured quite heavily, and chatting and doing not much really. Bliss.

I've come home to (another) broken car. I'm bored of cars. Or rather I am bored of the treatment that Mr Nicsknots seems to give cars in my absense.

I feel like I have jet-lag. I am so tired that I have forgotten the Berocca for the past two days, I *will* remember tomorrow.

I did manage to get a Treasury West on Etsy tonight. I'm a bit confused as to what they are. A showcase of things that you like, I guess. Everyone seems to be making them though so I wanted a go. Here is mine; UK sellers featuring flowers, enough to make anyone feel summery;


If you look at the column on the right, you can see just how inept I am. I didn't realise that there was an 'alternatives' list so happily added things in there then people wondered why I was telling them about a Treasury that they weren't featured in!! Sorry!!

Thursday, May 07, 2009

Brownberry yarns (again!)

Hmm, the day didn't start off that well. I got a cup of tea in peace and washing pegged out on the line, all was ok until I woke up the little darlings. Lou came downstairs, chose what cereal she wanted then when it was put in her bowl demanded that she had a pink bowl because she didn't want a red one (of course, stupid Mummy!) and the morning unravelled into a mass of grumpiness and tension.

Berocca-gate not really that great. Still feel worn out, now wondering how many thousands of calories these vitamins are giving me every morning in my (disgustingly horrid) fizzy drink. Prehaps I should be worried more about the amount of calories are in the mini eggs that I am eating while worrying about this fact but you know how it is ;)

So Brownberry yarns. Well I have been meaning to do a post for a while about the people who I have been supplying and was all set to do my bit on Brownberry last night then I ranted about spellings and blah blah blah so I thought I would save it for tonight.

Brownberry Yarns is a new yarn website, run by a lovely person called Sarah (there are so many Sarahs in the knitting world!!). She is based in Preston and her aim is to bring a yarn shopping experiance that includes local as well as fairly traded yarns and goodies from developing countries.

She has quite a few little suppliers, like me (!), Wyndwitch and Yummymummyknits, a fair few local to her dyers, such as Krafty Koala, The Laal Bear and Wild Fire Fibres then companies from furthur afield such as Aslan Trends and the lovely Artesano and for fibre related goodies there is Herdy!! She even has Herdy chocolates...oooh I wonder what happens if they don't sell, if she needs any help getting rid of them, I'll be there ;)

So that's Brownberry Yarns. Go over and take a look.

Well I've managed nearly a week of blogging but I am going away tomorrow on a rather mammoth road-trip for a hen weekend; Lincolnshire to St Davids, Pembrokeshire, via Warwick. If you want a giggle, take a look on Google maps. So if you don't hear from me, you know that I am lost in the hills in Wales somewhere, again. Have a fun weekend!

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Spellings

Its day three in the Berocca challenge. I got up this morning, feeling almost energised and yesterday, even after my distinct lack of sleep, I wasn't a zombie (maybe I was running off adrenaline though?) but tonight I am tired again.

All of the patience that I ever possessed has vanished. I think I maybe used it all up this morning when I went to knitting. I cast-on for Liesl last night in some debbie bliss cashmerino that I got stupidly cheap from Coldspring Mill last summer. All was going well but then when I tried it on for size this morning, well you know, as much as you can try on what is in effect a neck band, it came to my shoulder blades. Grandma tried her best to reassure me that it was all ok and it would be fine and if not, I could always give it to 'a less broad' member of my family (like my 4yo daughter?) but I ripped it all out while people looked on like I was a mad person. I have started again, maybe now it is bigger, maybe it will stretch with the weight of the rest of the shrug, maybe Lou will look good in it. Who knows?

Anyway, patience, gone. So when I sat down to do spellings with my 5yr old, I tried my best to be the attentive, patient mother that I wish I was in my head. This week the spellings all have 'air' in them.

Me: "Number 1, 'air' "
J: "I don't know how to spell it"
Me: " Well what do you think it starts with?" (see, patience there, no raised voice or shouting)
J: " T?"
Me: "You are spelling air, why would it start with a T? Try again, listen to the word" (still patience of a saint.)
J: " M, its M isn't it Mummy?"
I am banging my head on the kitchen wall at this point....

45 minutes later, spellings are finished, J has spelt them all right, I am the loon in the corner. I'm fairly sure the teacher sends spellings home to test the parents. 'air' words, we have 'cairn'. I wonder how many parents actually know what one is, never mind the 5yr old!

Ironically, while typing this post I completely forgot how to spell most words *and* the auto spell checker thing stopped working but even though I knew I had spelt the words wrong, I couldn't work out the right spelling. That will teach me for writing a post about spellings!

Onwards and upwards. Tonight I have loads of sewing to do and two new bag designs that I am (very) slowly working on need my attention. Oooh and look what Kitschy Coo has made... I *need* to make one of those.

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Web-sites

OK, I have a confession to make. I don't really like computers. I don't really like computers, I can't really make them do what I want and they make me mad. I am married to a computer geek who is really quick to tell me that I shouldn't be doing things how I am but not so quick to give me any useful advice or guidance. His stock phrase is '(random person he knows at work) knows how to do this, I'll ask him' or '(another random person at work) is teaching a course in this at the moment, I really need to sit in and see how it works' or best of all 'I could get one of my students to do that for you for their project'. The last one always fills me with dread.

I got myself a website a while back and just used it as a holding page but as I progressed, got labels made for my bags and got promotional material made, I realised that I really did need to get my act together and sort my web-site out.

Then one day, one of my needle rolls was in Yarn Forward magazine with my web-site as a contact. I was embarrassed about my web-site so was forced into action. After many hours of shouting, swearing and crying at my computer I came up with this....

I faffed around with the photos, adding links to my shops directly off the photos on the front page. It looked OK but I still wasn't happy with it. After a chat with Lynne from the Pirate Pixie Crew and Autonomous Artisans blog, I decided that I really needed a plan of attack. That was weeks ago and it has been niggling at me for ever since. Lynne ever so kindly made me a new logo which I have slowly been rolling out over all of my shops ( I know, I am a shop whore, what can I say..) but still I didn't get my site sorted.

This morning I woke up at 4am. Goodness knows why, I can't even blame children who were fast asleep. In my head, 430am is the time that signifies the start of morning, end of night. If I can't sleep after this time then I tend to get up or read. I blame years of having to get up early for one reason or another. Anyway, I was awake and got thinking about what I could do with my website. 430 came and went and I decided that since the birds were making so much noise outside my window, I would get up and have a go. This is what I came up with.....


Obviously, you can click here to see the site in all of its glory. It isn't finished yet but it is heading in the right direction. The whole site is a lot cleaner and I have managed to get rid of all of the random colours that were all over the place. I've used my MISI widget in the side of the front page and on the 'Buy here and now' page to embed my shop directly into the web-site. I think that makes my site look more 'connected' to where people can buy.

So....what do you think? Do you like the new look Nicsknots? What do I need to add? What don't you like? Be nice to me though, remember, I have been up since 430 ;)

Monday, May 04, 2009

Sleep is for the weak...

Today I succumbed to Berocca. For those of you who haven't seen the adverts (lucky you!!), it claims to be 'you but on a good day'. I could be doing with me on a good day. I am sooo tired at the moment, its getting a bit boring. Before I drove home from Wonderwool last weekend, I was contemplating where I could stop on the way home and sleep the night. This is not me, cross-country driving has been my thing since I passed my driving test at 17.

So I have seen the ads and also a few friends testimonies to the thing on Facebook. My friend came round for a cuppa on Monday and told me how amazing it was, and that it makes your pee bright yellow (I'll be honest, I find that entertaining, much like the effect of too much beetroot or strawberries ;) ) then I was in the supermarket yesterday, feeling like death even though I had gone to bed at 9pm the night before and it was on offer so I got a pack and today I took one...I think I feel more awake...by Friday I won't need sleep, I'll be bouncing off the walls, which is a good job since I'm driving to St Davids in Pembrokeshire for the weekend, yeah, a mere 8hrs + away....

In other news, we have a winner on my 'Take a photo of your crafty corner' contest. I wish I could say that I was inundated with competitors but sadly that's not the case. Julia from East of the sun, west of the moon is the winner for throwing herself into the task and showing us lots of pics of where she works. I'm going to send a slightly belated Easter gift to her this week.

Today has been a Bank Holiday in the UK. Lou (4), loves the idea of them and thinks we should have one every Monday because then she would have a 3 day preschool week and a 4 day weekend....I think I agree because we have had a great weekend and I've managed to get things done. This will be a productive week.

Before I go, go and take a look at Plaincraft. My Laura Ashley 'Poppies' drawstring bag is currently #1 in their charts. I'm a little chuffed ;)


Saturday, May 02, 2009

Too tempting!!

I have a courtesy car at the moment. A woman crashed into my car over two months ago now, the garage have had my poor little George the Punto (well he is Mr Nicsknots car to be fair but anyway...) for nearly a month and I/we have been left with a fiesta. I don't like it, it has no back doors to start with so getting children in and out of seats is a nightmare and the dashboard with all of its circular air vent things make it look the campest car around and even though it claims to be a small car, it is only slightly more economical than my volvo but it does have one entertaining feature. This...

The boot open button. Just sitting there next to one of the air vents on the dashboard, asking to be pushed. While the car is moving. I have resisted the urge for nearly a month now but this morning I was bored. I was driving to work, there was no traffic around, I pulled into the car park and opened the boot. Surely the button doesn't work while the car is moving? Ahhh surely it does and surely the map and random bits of stuff that a certain male put in the boot last night billow out of the boot. Oooh and of course it was all so funny that I was too busy laughing my head off to get out of the car before the map had blown up the car park so then the little old traffic warden got a giggle as I chased after stuff in the empty car park.

For furthur reference, the button doesn't work if you are sitting in the car and the doors are locked. Obviously I had to investigate the workings of the button furthur ;)