Go Wild in the (west) Country

Had myself a little holiday this week! My good friend Jo moved down to Bristol last summer and terrible friend that I am I hadn't visited yet, so while I had a little time and a little money I booked my trains (excellent opportunity for uninterrupted knitting) and off I went!

While I was down there we took a day trip to Bath, first stop was Wool, a fabulous little knitting shop tucked away on a side street and brimming with beautiful yarns and handmade items. Another crafty pilgrimage we made was to The Makery, full to the brim with fabrics, ribbons, stamps, buttons...Took us a while to find it, but on our wanderings we found a fantastic bakery so all was not lost.

Another gastronomic feature was Gillards of Bath, a tea and coffee merchants in the Guildhall Market, perfect for presents.

A trip to see the Royal Crescent is a must, I was looking forward to some Jane Austen fantasising and architectural splendour and I wasn't disappointed.

 But I wasn't expecting all the personal touches, like rambling roses;

 ..and idyllic courtyard gardens.

 I did feel a touch bad as we peered through the railings, snapping away with our cameras at peoples homes and gardens, but if you live in one of the most famous Georgian wonders in Britain I expect you get used to it!

No guilt at The Assembly Rooms though, a really wonderful destination if you find yourself in Bath, particularly for Austen fans. The ultimate hangout for regency Ladies and Gentlemen, its Ballroom and Tea Room were the centre of Bath society in it's heyday. When I was there it had been festooned with colourful knitted bunting, ready for the jubilee celebrations.

 Inside the building is much as it was, sadly the ballroom and tea room were being used for functions, but the Great Octagon gave a little taste of the luxury enjoyed by fashionable society.

 

And in the basement is somewhere I have been meaning to visit for a while.

 

 The Fashion Museum houses an incredible collection of historic and modern clothing, presented beautifully and full of fascinating information. The collection of sportswear was a real treat; 1920's tennis dresses, Victorian riding habits and edwardian swimwear plus much else. The best part though...

...getting to dress up!

Retail Therapy, Part 2

In Christmases past I have tried to be superwoman and make all my gifts, or at least make one thing for each of my immediate family. I enjoy being able to make something specific for someone and know that it's exactly what they'd like and when time isn't an issue it's well worth the effort. But sometimes there just isn't time, and that was the case this Christmas. Instead I resolved to buy each of my family something handmade, and support my fellow designer-makers. Here are my handmade Christmas Highlights:

Both of these beautiful items are by Chatty Nora, a graphic designer based near York. The tote bags she makes are all so beautiful, it took me an age to choose one for my older sister, but as we are a family of cat lovers I think any one of them would have been perfect. I particularly liked the scrolling Art Nouveau text on this one. The Jane Austen quote poster was for my younger sister, and the picture here doesn't show just how much work went into it. All her posters are hand drawn in pen, so each one is unique, and I can't imagine the time that must take, I certainly couldn't have found anything better for my Austen addict sister!

This lovely sock yarn from DyeSpinKnitUK is hand dyed by Kerry, a fellow Merseyside Etsy Team member, and with another skein I bought, made the perfect present for my Mum, who's been knitting and crafting for as long as I can remember.
The colours in the yarns are so beautiful, and there's lots more amazing colours in her Etsy shop, it was hard not to choose things for myself while I was shopping for gifts!

I had a similar problem when I went to Landbaby, so much to look at and so much to want! It might sound odd but I always forget to look up in shops, eye level is buy level as the saying goes. I thought I'd seen everything there was to see  and was struggling to choose, and then I glanced up at the top shelves and saw so much more!   I managed to restrain myself though and only came away with presents, a lovely pink felt brooch by Love Ruby Red, and some amazing birdie hair slides by Layla Amber for my friend Jo. I don't have a picture of them but here's some lovely budgie studs, and you can see other lovely illustrated items in Landbaby or in her Etsy shop.

I'll admit I struggled with my Dad, handmade for men is always a little trickier, but I'd seen this for sale from one of the exhibitors at the Liverpool Design Festival, and it seemed just the thing, not handmade but definitely not high street either, a happy compromise!

Next time, a tale of retail woe....