I’ve not done one of these doodles in a while and had a sudden urge to document yesterdays outfit. I filled my new bag with activities to keep me going at work – DS and little bit of knitting (The bag was an etsy find from Fox and Thomas – I can’t underline how much I love that shop). The dress was from Tesco (yeah, surprised me too). The jeans need re-dying because they definitely aren’t “black” any more. And the jumper had quite a lot of cat hair on it but funnily enough I didn’t draw those on ;)

I’ve just prepared a bucket of roast veg as my contribution to tonight’s “broadway gal’s wine and dine time”. I am armed with food and drink and very much looking forward to eating and drinking it.

Colourful etsy finds I’m in love with at the moment. 1. Blue Coffee pot from Luncheonettevintage. 2. Feather Garland by kayeblegvad. 3. Striped messenger bag by ikabags. 4. Wooden necklace by Snugstudio.

I got some beautiful slippers from my Ma while I was adventuring up in Orkney. The patterns and bright colours are beautiful and I can feel some projects brewing as a result. Also I’ve dug out some inspirational etsy finds as a result…

5. Folk Peacock from GinghamLife 6. Table cloth from VintageKeepsakes 7. Cross Stitch throw from Lunaparkfoundry. (All pictures credits go to the sellers)

I can’t stop making these blankets and I love making them BUT I have no more room left to keep new ones… so I’m going to sell them. Here’s the first stripey one available in the shop. Priced at £75 and measuring 60″ x 70″. A handy extra bed cover (for when this heatwave goes away again) and perfect for basking on the lawn or in the park. Made using Acrylic and Wool mix Aran weight yarns it’s easy to look after and machine washable (wash at 30 on a wool/delicate setting to be on the safe side)

Now time for some daft illya pictures (it’s been a while since the last.. how can something so small take up so much room??)

I’m starting to feel a little bit guilty about how much wool I own – it’s actually taking over my wardrobe…

I’m one of those folk who randomly buy a ball or 2 if I’m completely smitten with the colour/weight/texture of it. I won’t even have a project in mind but I’ll have faith that an idea or a pattern will come along and I’ll have just the right wool for it – this never happens. I’m also an ‘unfinisher’ – I have tons of half hearted knitting projects on the go, about 65% of them will never get finished but I’ll make sure the wool is stored safe and sound until it’s needed for something new. I also can’t stand throwing leftover bits away, so there is now a nice mixture of memories and fresh yarn to play with.

I’ve pulled out all of the random bundles and there are a lot of blues in my collection. I think I’m going to start knitting patches to use in a blanket (because I obviously don’t have enough of those). That seems like the perfect way to use them all up and have them on show, rather than tucked away. PLUS it’ll make room for more wool in the wardrobe ;)

I finished painting 4 new cotton spools today. They were so much fun to make last autumn/winter and made beautiful little tree decorations – added bonus. These fresh little faces will be in the shop soon so keep your eyes peeled.

I got my tickets for the Classic Thriller Season which takes over Nottingham Theatre Royal this August! HURRAH! I’m WELL excited! I also treated myself to this beautiful Orla Kiely folder – perfect for storing stray doodles… sigh, so pretty.

I started reading a (very) well loved copy of this book yesterday and I’m completely hooked. You know when you get recommended certain books so many times by different people and it sort of puts you off or intimidates you a little, you have that mini “what if I don’t feel the same” panic. Well if that’s the case with this one, ignore those doubts. It’s brilliant.