Beaker Button Blog

I have been meaning to post this lot for such a long time.  We've had a busy month in the shop, what with Wool for the Wall  and commissioned work.  I'll let the photos speak for themselves but I love seeing what my customers make. March Competition winner Shirley's Dorset Button Belt  Bobbie's toddler dress in Artesano superwash  Thursday craft club (in the sun, remember the sun?)  Hazel and her socks and her new spinning wheel  Elaine taking a breather  Natalia's cat hat  Sandra's slub (deliberate obviously)  Mum's crochet dream Elaine (again) with her Dorset Button Necklace

I've always loved Old Wardour Castle in Wiltshire.  I played there as a child and now I take my child, and I still play.  This weekend Alex and I visited Wardour to see Robin Hood and his Merry Men.  I took my sword and bow and arrows, Alex took his sword, bow and arrow, shield and helmet.  He looked very Norman I have to say, and quite warlike, although he informed me we were Viking marauders.  There wasn't that much difference between Vikings and Normans I suppose.  We spent the day running round the castle having sword fights (where he mostly ran backwards out of reach, slippery little weasel!) and hunting various family members.  We listened to tales of Robin Hood and had a go at archery.  He hit a pigeon (a plastic one I hasten to add) and I shot my arrow though a hoop.  I'm guessing that he would be better able to feed us and I could ward off any attacking hoops!  We hunted outlaws this afternoon and were issued with an official p...

I felt very like Frankenstein today, creating body parts from wadding and calico.  I volunteer at the Museum of Army Flying at Middle Wallop and we're revamping the Royal Flying Corps display.  John and I have been cleaning up the models and redressing them in First World War uniforms, but some of the arms have disintegrated, hence the Frankenstein creating this morning.  When it's all finished I'll post photos.  I have to say I very much enjoyed the wadding.  It comes in a big (and I mean BIG) roll.  I did resist the urge to lie it flat and roll on it, but only just.  When you sew it you can mould it, with judicious use of stitches.  I managed to make the arm look very lifelike, with an elbow and shoulder joint.  Next week we get to attach them!

I've attached photos of some of February's toy competition entries, because they are so fabulous.  The winner was Sarah with her teddies, one of which was knitted in Tufton yarn, locally produced and beautiful to work with.  Sarah took her book and is hopefully producing lots more teddies.  The crafty cat came from Hazel, who knitted him in Noro from her own pattern.  I'm trying to persuade her to write the pattern down so we can all make one.  Shirley made chickens and bears.  I especially like the expressions on the chickens faces.  I have a funny story about chickens.  A friend of mine, who we'll call Belinda, has chickens and one of them (Mary) sadly died recently.  Belinda likes to bury her pets (and the chickens are definitely pets!) where they were happiest.  A worthy sentiment, except that Mary was happiest in Belinda's next door neighbour's garden.  Have you ever tried to bury a chicken in your next door neighbour's ga...

We have a craft club on a Thursday in the shop.  This is one of those clubs that formed because my Mum and her friend Debbie happened to come and craft with me on a Thursday afternnon.  Then Natalia started dropping by, then Hazel, then Bernadette... you get the idea.  I say craft quite deliberately because Mum rarely knits, she makes art batts, and Debbie sometimes knits but she just as often spins, and so on.  We had quite a turn out this Thursday, with Elaine (who usualy only makes Sundays as she works in the week) a welcome addition to the usual crew.  And I did warn the very nice man from Adrafil that Thursday was fine but my craft club would be there in the afternoon.  So he really should have known better.  He came through the door, this tall dishy Italian bloke, with a suitcase full of yarn.  I mean, what did he expect walking into a shop full of women who crave yarn as much as chocolate.  I have to say he handled it all rather well, ...

I have just discovered pinterest.  A friend at our Thursday crafty club told me about it.  I'm now curled up under the duvet on the sofa, at 1.30 in the morning, with my eyes all gritty, rifling through the internet for interesting and inspiring images to add to my boards.  I was typing up the first world war research but I seem to be doing more harm than good (I typed the same record twice at one point).  Hopefully all the beautiful images I'm finding will make me sleepy and oeacful, so I can go to bed.  I did manage to put the first lot of Dorset buttons on the website today. This is the 2012 collection, although I have more still to come. I've included some of them below.

I had a beautiful walk today, and I listened to the birds, but there wern't any flowers to smell. I started from a small lane just outside Pitton (Salisbury) and walked up the hill, through lots of woods, which reminded me very much of Scotland, across some fields and ended up at Clarendon palace. I had great fun talking to the Llamas (yes Llamas!) and wandering around giving my legs a rest. I read all the signs and found them quite interesting. It has a nice historic feel to it. I took the Clarendon Way back to the car, passing though some beautiful woodland. I especially liked one cinder track, with beech woods one side, all light and air and carpets of red brown leaves, and fir woods on the other, which were dark and mysterious with puddles of light here and there. You could imagine Hobbits and Elves walking though them. I stayed for sometime just drinking in the beauty and contrast of it. It would make a lovely walk for us at some point. I ended up coming out into some...