Emma Varnam’s blog – Page 90 – Knitting, nattering, crochet and craft

My Whippycake

The other night I went out for a lovely evening with other school mummies. I got gently teased about all my various hair styles. It suddenly came to me, actually my hair is probably another craft activity…But it has always been thus. There have been a couple of years when I have had a bob, but for most of my life, my rather thin hair has been long. As young as twelve it became a form of creative expression. Lovely old friends of mine could tell hilarious stories of the teddy bear ears I wore to school, basically little buns on top of my head. What they would be amused to know is that even at the weekend I was sporting such a style for the local carnival (my son’s school was dressed completely as ‘Star Wars’) I will say no more. Before you ask – No, you will not be seeing any photos.

Well, not only do I like a little hair accessory, I adore corsages. During a blissful browse of the first ‘Mollie Makes‘ magazine I found a lovely little snippet about the company Whippycake. They make beautiful hair accessories which can be clipped into your hair, worn as a corsage or rather ingeniously attached to a hairband. I am in love. Although based in the US my whippycake arrived very quickly. I have to say I am a bit of an expert in this area, and the quality was excellent and I would not hesitate to buy another.

Do go and have a look at the Whippycake website. The photos and promo videos are delightful and there some really useful hair demonstrations if you are so inclined. The kind people at the company told me that they were coming to the end of some of their lines so do drop them an email if you are thinking of giving into temptation. I am a little bit giddy wearing mine and waiting for the new collection to pop up on my screen.

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Prim Pleated Teacosy – Tadah

I promised that I would show you the finished article and here it is. Very cosy and so satisfying to touch. I didn’t put a pom pom on the top as I am currently going on a loop and button riff at the moment. I made the teacosy in navy and white to go with my dotty teapot , plus stripes and dots together are such fun. (Such fun?! – I am becoming a parody of myself!)

If you have the inclination to make one, do it. It is a little heirloom piece. I now have my next version cast on for some poor unsuspecting friend. As I mentioned before the real beauty is in the inside, and before you think it, no you don’t catch the spout on the carried yarn. Most of the time my hook or needles have mad little projects that have evolved out of my crazy head. But I do like the relaxing joy of following a pattern and this one was certainly fun.

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Icing – lets see how the professionals do it

We had a bit of a downy dumpsy day on Friday and so in order to lift our spirits I popped into a rather beautiful local cupcake shoppe. Since my rather messy venture into icing, I have been yearning to have another sneak peak at what a professional cupcake looks like.

So here you are. Little B did what the average child does, licked off the icing and said, ‘Right, that’s enough!’ I know what you are thinking, that is how you would eat a cupcake if no-one was looking… But don’t they look pretty.

You will be pleased to know I have finally finished my Vintage Stripy Teacosy, very satisfying but a real labour of love. I have been patting it ever since it was finished. Have a lovely week x

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Lessons Learned – Icing

I hope you are looking forward to a happy and sunny weekend. Little B and I have had a bit of fun this week trying out new cake recipes. In the last wee while I have been thinking it would be nice to properly pipe icing on to our cupcakes. So, on one of those late night computer shopping episodes,(don’t do it, don’t do it!) I bought some nozzles and piping bag. My word, I don’t know if I particularly bad at this, but it was messy, icing was seeping out in all directions. I was giggling to myself, wondering whether there was more icing on me, the worktop or the cakes. I can’t give you a conclusive answer on that. However let it be said that edible glitter can basically glamorize anything, however wonky. Plus who cares once you have ate it. Yummy.

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Summer Beauty

Firstly, ‘thank you’ to all of you who said kind words about the magazine. I am very grateful and it is great to be able to share the fun with you. Secondly it has been lovely to get the odd snatch of warm weather here in Blighty. Let’s not get too carried away because it is the ‘odd’ day, but lovely all the same.

If it was possible to capture the smell on a computer, these roses picked from the garden evoke everything we love and adore about a rose perfume. I have in my mind, that it would be so lovely to have a garden that would provide you with cut flowers for at least half of the year. For most of us, that is not achievable, firstly the size of the average garden makes in improbable, my gardening proficiency is not to that level and frankly if I were that good, when would I fit in knitting and crochet ? (+ my other much neglected responsibilities) Sometimes I hover in the garden conflicted as to whether I should leave a beautiful flower in the garden or bring it in to enjoy. Most of the time the garden looses, but I enjoy the flowers all the more.

When I was taking these few snaps, I wondered to myself ‘If I was a flower, I think I might be this pink rose.’ Big B is not convinced…he is still dwelling on his final answer. It’s a silly thing, but what would you be?

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Exciting News – Time for a little jig

Hello lovely friends, I just wanted to share with you the excitement of having one of my patterns published in the July issue of ‘Inside Crochet’ magazine. I was so thrilled. A friend of mine brought me the post, and said ‘Emma a crochet magazine has arrived for you..’ I turned it over and not only was my little pattern in the magazine, it was on the front cover…There was shrieking and a little jig.

The images above are from the July issue of Inside Crochet and were taken by Darren Strange at St Range

This pattern was in my head for a while and it has always been intended as a summer festival shrug, to pull on as the evening gets cooler. The colours are very Mediterranean, and are inspired by a little pot we bought in Mallorca. During our Easter holiday in Mallorca this was the project which was causing steam to rise from the hook, but the hot weather and bright sunshine seem to fit very nicely with the colour scheme.

Above is a little photo of work in progress – outside crochet in the warmth is a lovely luxury, but what you don’t want is to make lovely crochet squares in the wind, as you might be pursuing them across the garden. Anyway, the link to the magazine website is here. It is edited by the designer Claire Montgomerie who is a fierce designer and her designs really reflect the modern British aesthetic.

Publishing is a funny business – things are planned far in advance for months but I am sure that the excitement of a front cover should never go away… so I am not cool in any way shape or form, but still doing a little jig.

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Vintage Lovely Teacosy – WIP

Firstly, thank you to all of you who made lovely comments about my Cupcake Tea-cosy, they warm the cockles of my heart! Secondly I will tell you a secret if you promise not to tell a soul. I don’t drink tea, never have done, never will. So why, oh why am I hooked on this little creative topic at the moment? Not sure, I’m afraid.

But I bought a whole book on teacosies last week…let us pause there. What attracted me to it was the lovely vintage pleated teacosy on the front-cover. My gorgeous mother in law had one exactly the same. It was much loved, used and old, so actually ‘vintage’. I had looked at many similar in books and in shops, but only in an absent minded moment did I wrestle the teacosy off its pot and see the fabulous ‘behind the scenes’ working inside. My word.

So over the weekend I set about creating my own, to match our blue and white dotty teapot. Now I think I am a fast knitter (this is mostly down to practice and that I am a slovenly housewife) but this little project is not a fast one I tell you. Even over the weekend, which included a long train journey I managed one side. But the effect, my dear friends is VERY satisfying to touch. I even presented this one side to a friend and forced her to touch it; ‘touch it, doesn’t it feel good, yes I know, bouncy!’ So there you go. This ancient pattern would be the best insulator for your lovely pot. If you are a fan of the vintage chic and see one to purchase for under £20 snatch it up immediately. Many hours of hard work have gone into its creation. I will show and tell when it is finished. I can’t promise that will be soon

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Cupcake Teacosy

I made this tea-cosy with a good friend in mind. I might add she knows nothing about it and has yet to receive it. But I find that most of my new ideas are triggered by thinking of people I know.

If I had found a satisfactory pattern on the ‘tinterweb’ I would have gone with that. It may still be out there, waiting for me. However this pattern is a combination of trying to grow my cupcake keyring into its larger sister and my desire to conquer the art of creating a rib out of crochet. (Basically crocheting sideways…ooo technical!)

Now confession time. Do you ever make something, be it a cake, cushion, doll, hat or scarf and think; ‘Actually I think I would rather keep this’. You struggle with yourself and then go, ‘No, no, no, keep your resolve young lady and give it away, as you always intended!’ I think the worrying thing might be, if you present said gift (tea-cosy avec teapot) and said friend would actually rather you had selfishly kept it…Ah well, tis always a risk for the obsessive crafter!

If you would like to make your own the pattern is available for free here.

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The Inner Child and inner peace

It seems a shame that we don’t really remember the freedom we felt as a child at play. Free from responsibility, worry or the sense that we should be doing something more important. When I watch my little boy playing, flinging his head back in joy, I try to remember that moment. At least to share in that momentary feeling of pure exhileration.

I think I returned to being ‘crafty’ on a daily basis to get in touch with my inner child. From a young age, there was nothing I liked better than to be absorbed in a little project. If that project carried on for a couple of days, or even the length of the summer holidays, so much the better. There is something of our youth which can knock us off course and perhaps, time, going-out, essays and ‘romance’ takes up more time than we realise as a person in our late teens. That’s how it should be.

But just as I love to watch Little B absorbed in his own imagination, I love the times I sit quietly working out how I am going to do something with wool or cotton and for those moments I could be six, eleven, fifteen, twenty five or nearly forty, well actually, just me.

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