Taa Daa: Superted

In 1978, I used to love listening to my Mum and Dad's Abba tape with the shiny gold curtains shut and the standard lamp on. I used to convince myself that this was what discos were like. I had heard the word, and had some vague idea of what it meant, but no reality to base it on. Then again, I knew my parents had met at "a dance" and innocently imagined their mums and dads to be sat around the edges of the room, watching their children fall in love. The reality of nightclubs was disappointingly less romantic.

It's ironic that, some thirty two years later and at the same age that I was, Charlie now loves nothing more than putting the Mamma Mia DVD on and rocking round the room to the very same songs, in front of our vastly different looking television. Who says technology is important? We share a connection, through the generations, thanks to Benny and Bjorn. Charlie and I get to rock out together, and I get to ogle Piers Brosnan. Wonderful. Although I do occasionally worry who my mother ogled. Curly Fred, from Playschool?

Over this summer I have been keeping myself busy with an original commission from a brilliant client. Her friends had recently had a baby called Ted. She wanted him to have a gift that was truly original and had that retro charm for his Mum and Dad. And so, I spent my time knitting.... Superted!

You can see him, above, as a normal old bear. However, rip off his skin and he becomes a superhero! Two toys in one!

 

Taa-daa! Superted!

It's been brilliant making him. He's largely been created in front of CSI, as it's completely brilliant and I am obsessed, but also at the beach, the park, on the sofa, at the ball pool and all the other places we've visited this summer.

She also commissioned a Superted jumper!

 

I'm not very experienced at intarsia, so this was a real challenge for me. However, it's been fantastic! It was in no way as difficult as I thought it would be; experience does count for something - phew! It was made with gorgeous, handspun cashmere and merino yarn from Scotland. Utterly, utterly gorgeous.

The moral of this post is to challenge yourself. My mum always told me that she couldn't do colour work and I believed that, by extention, I couldn't do it either. My aunty used to make brilliant intarsia pieces and I loved them. I thought it was a special kind of witchcraft and one I could never aspire to. I am beyond chuffed that I have made an instarsia jumper. I am a KNITTER!

With love

Claire x

Hello old friends!

Wow, it really has been some time, hasn't it? Well all is well here, I hope it is with you too. The boys have all gone back to school today, so I'm not sure whether to be delighted and enjoying the peace and quiet, or a little doleful. Maybe a bit of both.

As for me, well I'm not the best. I've recently got the diagnosis of ME / CFS / CFIDS. I'm not surprised at all, I've been concerned it was this for quite some time. My main symptom is terrible pain, in both my joints and muscles. I need crutches to walk long distances. I also get very, very tired and struggle sometimes with even very simple activities. I sometimes have other symptoms like brain fog (this morning I couldn't remember how to do up my bra, or how to knit a knit stitch - thankfully that passed!), I have sore throat, headaches and bad moods. The moods are usually associated with the pain though.

The depression has lifted a bit over recent months. The anxiety still knocks about though and some days are worse than others. However, I'm taking a postive mental attitude to all this health crap - I'm exercising gently every day, I'm trying to challenge myself, and I'm trying to pace my activities. I find this the hardest of all! A year or two ago I would have loved someone to tell me I *had* to rest during the day, but guess what?! Doing nothing is harder than you'd think!

I'll be honest, I kind of got myself in a catch 22 about blogging. I didn't want it to be an online whinge. That's not good for you, nor is it very positive for me to do. However, sometimes I don't want to look on the bright side of life either. I just drifted away from blogging because, I suppose, I've been grieving a bit. I also started to get a bit resentful at all those "perfect" domestic bliss type blogs that I previously loved. I guess I was grieving for my old life, for simple happiness, for the freedom to do whatever I want whenever I want.

I am learning, though, that I have a different kind of freedom. I can learn things - I'm quite good at that. When my brain is too dulled for reading, I can knit (the physical action requires little concentration and appears to reside in a different part of my brain to the reading bit). I have a family that I adore, and looking after them gives me great pleasure. They also drive me mad! So I'm back with the complicated knot of feelings that exists in my head.

Craft wise, I've not stopped! I'm getting quite a few paid jobs now, which is absolutely brilliant. Do you see my monkey hat above? Doesn't Charlie look gorgeous? That was for a photographer in Leicester. I couldn't get the pattern right and it took about four goes before I was happy that the final result was an appropriate size.

We've had a crafty summer holiday. The boys have been a bit frustrated that I haven't been able to be as active as normal - we've had very few days out swimming, or out wondering around the coast. My legs haven't been up to it. Instead I've spent the time with Charlie teaching him how to sew, and we've face painted, made slime, drawn hundreds of pictures, painted, baked, chalked on the patio, cut out, made collages etc etc. It's been fun. And look at this - I am so proud of my naked sewing five year old!

 



That's all his own work, that is! He has a natural talent! I have high hopes for him!

I'll end this post with my favourite picture of the summer, Jess nestled comfortably on my bonkers blanket. I never did get round to taking a photo of it because I didn't completely finish it! Maybe I'll get back onto that, when I don't have a list of projects in my head...

Sweet dreams!

Claire x

Hello from The Park

Today I am blogging from our local park. It's peaceful here on a Sunday, there's no one around and it's in open countryside. Our cat, Bramble, has come with us, which always causes great excitement. On occasions she even follows Charlie to school (usually when she wants her breakfast)

I haven't posted for a while. The depression got me again. I'd been so much better that it really was very worrying to feel so down again. However, distressing as it was, the black cloud seems to have blown over again. I've no suggestions - like always it seems to be just a case of marking time until it goes. Thankfully, I can be more sure that the black cloud passes over. On the upside, Susannah (my therapist) thinks I am ready for a break from counselling. This is scary but exciting. Am I better? Is this it? Will it just be a case of making the best of it?! I'm beggining to think so, with a heavy heart. I've given up the idea of a medical cure, and wellness being restored in a relatively short space of time.

Therapy had been hard work, emotionally draining but worth it. The anti depressants - I'm not sure they've had much effect, to be honest. I'm scared to stop taking them in case they have. So here it is, brave new world. Blinking and naked and in pain, like a newborn in the light. But I'm almost through it. I have an amazing husband and brilliant children. I have friends and family who love me, a nice home and the ability to keep myself happy with knitting, sewing, creating, baking, gardening, cooking and taking care of the menagery. It would be so much sweeter if I could win the lottery - maybe karma owes me?! But I can't grumble, really. It's just going to be a much longer haul than I originally intended.

With love, Claire xx

Ugh

Too much Eurovision, too much home brewed wine. What can I dooo with myself?!

Ahh, there it is. A bit of orange lacework in pure cashmere. Just enough to distract me from my pounding head, but nothing too taxing. With a hot cup of tea. Painful, but worth it. It was fun!

Sale number one! Get iiiiiin!

Hooray <does happy dance>

I just wanted to share with you a sketch book I made for the lovely Laura. She wanted me to make something in my bunting theme:

 
So I had a good old think, and spent a few hours in the lady shed messing around with fabrics and embroidery. I came up with this:

front

 
back

side

inside cover

Do you like it? I absolutely loved doing it. It was a steaming hot summer's afternoon and I was having fun messing around with fabric. Thank you, Laura. If you'd like one, you can find them in my Folksy shop, button top right.  

On a different note, I just wanted to check you were OK. I don't know what's in the air at the moment, but a lot of friends have been in touch to say they're not doing so well. Depression seems to be rife, as well as general poorliness. I wanted to send you a hug and ask you to take care of yourself. Promise, yes?

I've just started a knitting project, for me, with pure cashmere. It's bright orange! It's such a delight, both in terms of feel and colour. I'll share that with you next time.

Lots of love!

Claire x

Land of hope and glory!

Patriotism is a funny thing. I love, love, love where I live. I love the damp cold winters of England and the green springs and disappointing summers. I even love the red hot, humid days where everyone wilst and complains, but drags out the barbeque determined to enjoy the heat while it lasts, certain that winter will return next week. Maybe it's not just England that I love, but Englishness, with all it's eccentricities.

Saying that, I've got to the point of boiling rage with some 'friends' on Facebook joining xenophobic groups, using football as the excuse. I had to tear myself away on Saturday because I could feel myself getting far too hot and bothered. I've simmered all weekend, and really should let it go because it's doing me no good at all.

I feel sad that national pride has been banjaxed by a few idiots. It's a shame that any patriotism feels somehow equal to racism. Anyway, it's with this in mind that I have been crafting all weekend, and I am blogging this morning.

At this time of year The Cottage garden is stunning. It is heady with the scent of lilac.

And as colourful as can be:

Yet still full of texture. Everyday on the way to school, Charlie and I stop and blow dandelion clocks.

We've made daisy chains, faces from leaves and shone buttercups under our chins. It makes me smile how these traditions pass from one generation to the next, and how much Charlie loves them.

The bees are beside themselves - drunk with pollen. In fact some get so stuffed that they're too heavy to fly back into their hives and they die. This makes me a bit sad. The rape seed is out near us and it's a glorious sea of yellow.

Number three hive looks as though it might swarm, which is concerning Dom. It already has two supers on and is ram packed with eggs and capped honey. Last year two hives swarmed on the same day and Dom had to go and rescue them in a cardboard box, so we're being super careful this year. He's trying to decide whether to add another super (box full of empty frames for them to build honeycomb in), or whether to split the colony in two, each with their own hive. We lost two of our five colonies over winter, so that would help us get the numbers back up.

Anyway, I must dash as I have things to make. Bet you can't guess what I've been up to these hot spring days? Can you? Well, to give you a hint....

.... Perfect!

With love, Claire xx 
 
   

I've only gone and bloody done it...

Gorgeous lilacs in full bloom, outside my Lady Shed*

... opened a Folksy store, that is. Well, bloody hell. I'm a bit shocked I have actually done it, you know? I have been pontificating and procrastinating for months, you know that as well as anyone. But this week, quite unplanned, it has grown a life of it's own and taken off.

Do you remember Zac's Daddy's Cushion (below?) Well Zac's Mum, Ellie, seemed really pleased with it. She posted a really kind thread on a forum we both frequent about it. There I had five pages of people saying lovely things and telling me to open a Folksy shop. So, I obeyed! I have called Mrs-Bee because a) obviously I am a MrsB, being Mrs Boynton and b) Dom and I wanted to sell honey and set up a bee adoption service (details of which are coming soon). Therefore it seemed sensible to use the bee imagery for both.

A link to the shop is here: http://www.folksy.com/shops/MrsBee

What's more, I am delighted to say that I have had an overwhelming interest and all of my items have been on the home page already! Well, you could knock me down with a feather.

(see Fairisle iPod case, in centre)

 
(Jolly Roger bunting, top left)

Little Picasso daddy cushion, centre right

Fuzzy felt wreath, bottom left

Felted Fairy Bowl, top right.

I think part of the reason I am so amazed is that I never thought I would go into business again. Losing the last business was such a horrible, belittling experience that I never thought I would get the courage again. This may be big or tiny, who knows. The point is that I have tried again. And that makes me feel rather proud of myself, if I do say so myself.

See you soon, lovely blogger

Claire x

   * in case your wondering, my Lady Shed is sort of like my studio, but that word feels a bit too grand. It's a girl's place, with girl's stuff in it and boys are not allowed in. Dom's equivalent is called the 'man hole' - fnar!