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I've moved and now have my own online knitting home www.sarahshepherdmake.com, click on the link to check it out.

Not long now

Almost there ... I'm on the final edits of a new top pattern called Remedy Light. Its lighter than the original Sage remedy top and swaps the worsted for a fingering weight yarn. The yarn is Kettle Yarn Co.'s Beyul a gorgeous mix of yak, merino and silk fibres which knits beautifully. I'm quite in love with Beyul, its so very soft and has a beautiful drape. It also crosses seasons well, being warm in winter and cool in summer. Look out for the pattern in my ravelry store at the end of next week.

Unfurling

In early June a darling daughter arrived into my world. Its been an amazing 4 months and while I'm sad to be leaving the intensity of nurturing a newborn ... this next stage of unfurling from our oneness into our two-ness is exciting and I feel wonderfully energised by the prospect of having a little more space.

So to my design. Knitting and textiles. First up, a cardigan I think. As usual its something I want for myself. A warm but easy cardigan with a little bit of interest. Now I must get on and knit some samples and write some pattern.

On my needles

Pattern: Que Sera by Kirsten Kapur
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton
It is with pleasure that I speak of my current knitting project. Both the yarn and the lace pattern are so enjoyable to my fingers and mind. Being made of the luscious Blue Sky Alpaca Dyed Cotton, the yarn is soft and plump and easily glides over my fingers. The knitting pattern is Que Sera from Knitty spring summer 2010 and once you've done a few repeats its easy to work without checking the notes. So, zen-like, I find myself flying through the rows ... enjoying every second of it.

On Saturday I went to Loop in Angel, and found some gorgeous buttons to adorn my finished creation (not finished yet, sleeves and upper back still to do). Loop is my candy store, I'm positively drooling every time I go there. Everything about it is dreamy, I find it difficult to purchase as I get so overwhelmed with all the many delights it contains. However this time I was able to single out a yarn: Semilla

It was really difficult choosing a colour from the many gorgeous hues on offer, there was stiff competition between the blue grey, relish yellow and rose. Obviously it was the later that made into my handbag.

I remember in my previous blogging life, before the arrival of the delicious time vacuum that is my daughter Audrey, I found I would get frustrated by my ability to spend more time looking at other's crafting productivity than producing my own craft.

I had a similarly 'humphf' moment this week when I realised that I'd spent hours (and hours) on the craft blog internet circuit, leaving my many WIP to gather dust. Don't get my wrong ... I was inspired and excited by much of what I saw out there ... but like going to an art gallery, there comes a point when you want to go home and get your knitting needles out. And if you don't get your knitting needles or sewing machine or sketch pad out ... its like all that inspiration seeps slowly out of you and all is forgotten.

But it seems I have actually been crafting of late, I took a look at the recently finished projects and there's quite a lot kicking about ... so I'm going to begin my show and tell with cushions:


This is a cushion I made a couple of months back from two woollen jerseys I found at a charity store. I felted them in the washing machine then cut little scales and sewed them down. Not the neatest sewing ever, but I like the result nonetheless.


I made these last three from Echino fabrics sourced from Superbuzzy. I love their bright colours on a natural base, really gorgeous.

It was Christmas time and being New Zealand orphans living in London we didn't have the usual family obligations for our festive celebrations.

So it was decided that we would go 'somewhere'. Oh the fabulous destinations we toyed with ... Sardinia, Luxembourg, Rome. But the snow came down and the fabulous destinations list came down with it.

So where to go? Well fate directed us toward the Devon/Dorset coast, specifically Lyme Regis. My obsession with River Cottage meant I had Axminster (a nearby town) on my list of things-to-do-before-we-go-home.

And oh, what a truly wintry English holiday we had. Three days of fog, unable to see the country side or sea views we had read about. Three days of changing directions as activities we had planned (albeit planned earlier than morning) were thwarted by Christmas closing times.

But as to be expected, the clouds did hold some silvery linings for us and I have some wonderful memories of our foggy, activity starved holiday in wintry England.

One of my favourite being the walk on the pebbly beach, unable to see much of the sea at all, but instead inspired by the colours of the boats,nets and buoys so richly revealed by the low lying cloud. Still and cold it was like walking into a postcard.

A bright start

Yikes Audrey is almost 2 and I haven't blogged since she was born. So to begin again agin again ... alot has been happening, knitting, sewing, cooking, but I've been keeping it to myself. Time to change all that ... I've missed having a reason to take photos, so back to the blog.

How better to arrive back then with a photo of the Seville Orange marmalade I made a couple of days ago. A zesty brilliantly coloured preserve that has renewed my enthusiasm for marmalade. As to be expected I turned to Nigel Slater for guidance ... he is currently my kitchen hero. I love nothing better than reading and rereading his latest cookbooks, 'Tender'. The recipes are always a success, they're mostly quite simple and always delicious.

 

I've been busy ... knitting tea cosies and having a baby. The tea cosy was hard work ... ;-)

oui je t'aime la droguerie

Poor neglected blog ... prechristmas busy-ness and work demands have meant the blog has been ignored. There's some Paris photos waiting in the wings ... but until I get a little more than 15 minutes to sort them out they won't be moving. I have however managed to upload pictures of Parisian alpaca yarn transformed into a hat for my beloved. Finished last night at knit group.

The Parisian source was La droguerie, the most delicious lolly shop of yarns and haberdashery. I spent the first 15 minutes there with my mouth hanging open with shear delight and joy. I can't tell you how beautiful it was ... thought I'd died and gone to heaven. They have all the yarns in skeins hanging in their fibre content/ply sections on poles in a sort of industrial modern meets ye-olde wooden shelved hardware store. (I found a blog with photos of another La droguerie here). Once you have decided on the yarn(s) you want, an assistant then retrieves it for you from out the back of the shop in the weight that you require. All neatly wound into a ball.

As soon as I was off the Eurostar ... it was dpns out and a cable hat was created. I made up the cables as I went along ... generally enjoying the feel of the alpaca and the look of it winding into cables.

I'm planning my return to the shop already! Is it too extravagant to go to Paris just to visit one store?

its been a while ... almost a month. things are pretty busy around these parts ... there's been snow, falling leaves and much a do about markets, new contracts and new stores (more stores, more markets). all good. oh, and another market this weekend ...

Saturday 22nd November - Chiswick NCT Christmas Fair

10.30am - 4pm

St. Michael and All Angels Church, Bath Road, London W4 1TT

sketching bunnies

Perhaps I was inspired by Delphine Doreau at Non dairy Diary who's been drawing hens ... perhaps it was the kozyndan prints we have on our wall (this one and this one) ... perhaps it was that I had an idea to embroider some bunnies onto a quilt I'm working on ... anyway I now have a collection of bunny sketches, that don't really work, scale wise, on my quilt ... but I'm sure I can find a use for them somewhere. hmmm?

wellington wall

This pic was taken a wee while ago, in Wellington. I think its quite beautiful. I love the way a pattern can be unconsciously created.

First the bricklayer placed each brick systematically in its position, then the painter sealed the bricks with some white paint. But it seems that things did not stop there, more layers were attached and the wall performed its intended task of protecting its inhabitants from the elements.

Then the demolition team and perhaps the weather (it is Wellington after all), pulled away at the extra layers ... revealing a beautiful texture.

why i knit

I could let the picture do the talking. But I won't as I'm too thrilled at the wearer's appreciation of the scarf I knit her.

Nell is 5 years old ... just off to School. A few weeks before her 5th birthday Aunty Sarah looked through her yarn stash and collected up the most colourful yarns and made a simple scarf. After a couple of weeks the scarf was long enough to cast off. It had to be long enough to be 'grown up' and short enough not to drag in the mud.

A few days later Nell received the parcel in New Zealand.

Much to my delight Nell absolutely loved the scarf ...
"its 10 metres long Aunty Sarah!" she exclaimed over the phone
"10 metres long Nell ... are you sure?" her ever sensible Aunty replied
"oh silly me, perhaps I'll have to count again"
Her mum reported that a metre for Nell is one of her feet ... she had placed the scarf down on the ground and walked next to it to measure it. How cute.

So now Nell wears the scarf TO and FROM school ... not at school as she thinks it may get lost and she wouldn't like that. And each time Aunty Sarah calls she tells me that she's wearing the scarf. Brilliant.

How cute are these illustrations. They're from a children's book, 'Iggy Peck, Architect' (ISBN 13: 978-0-8109-1106-2) and the illustrations are by David Roberts.

I want to make clothes like the ones in his illustrations ... with all their stripes and patterns and colours.
I quite like this cushion also ... hmmm?

c'est beau

Isn't he beautiful. This little fulla was found while on a walk up to Lac de L'orceyrette. At the top of the lac there is a type of grass/marshlands where I took the following photo ... the colours were beautiful ... had to make a colour palette from it.
After spending the majority of our time in the Alps we visited a friend near Lyon. He lives in a beautiful rural area near his very hospitiable family. We were spoilt with their good food and company.

I was taken by this little road which resembled something of a patchwork quilt. Perhaps I'll design one inspired by the patterns on this road!

a weekend in the french alps

I've been away ... and it was lovely. Adam and I went to the French Alps for a friend's wedding. We went to Serre Chevalier and stayed in my favourite town there, Monetier.

happy shopping

Its sale time. Check out my shop for lots of savings.

onion teatowel sketch

The beautiful text sitting amongst the onions is by my friend Rachel Smith. Its part I of a two part poem ... stand by for the next installment. I hope to print this one on Thursday at the studio ... it needs a bit of cleaning up tomorrow but I pretty happy with it overall. The roots look a bit mushy and the text is a little hard to read in places ... oh and I need to put a capital T on the first word ... but these things aside ... its working for me. You'll need to click on the image to really see it.

tomato red

My first tomato! This big fulla has been hanging out on my tomato plant for AGES ... the weather hasn't really been warm enough to redden him up ... till now ... the last couple of weeks have had a couple of deliciously warm days ... and voila ... Mr Tom was able to show his true colours! He was absolutely delicious on a piece of Vogel's Soy and Linseed, with butter, salt, pepper and basil ... mmmmmmmm.

As I was going to St Ives ...

Went to Cornwall for the weekend. Tidy little villages meet wild and rugged landscapes. Inspiring.

Inspired by these coastal rocks ... the colours and the textures.