Polly and Kate

Its a busy weekend here at Flutterby Patch but I thought I'd show you the two little cuties I've just finished knitting. I've named them Polly and Kate and their pattern can be found in my Etsy shop .

I'm sure the inspiration for these dollies must have come from the wonderful illustrations of Mabel Lucie Attwell. Don't you just love her rosie cheeked children with plump little legs and short dresses.

Things are beginning to look quite autumnal here and after a short summer break my thoughts are now firmly back on my knitting. I have one or two ideas for Christmas knits so must get busy with my needles and yarn.

Meanwhile, I hope you're having an enjoyable weekend wherever you are.

Jolly shipmates

Not much knitting has been done these past few weeks but I eventually got round to finishing my three jolly shipmates yesterday and the pattern can now be found in my Etsy shop.

Its typical of me to produce summery items just as the weather is beginning to look distinctly autumnal. I don't suppose I'll ever change.

Whether by the coast, in the countryside or at home, I hope you have a really great weekend.

Bright and beautiful

The storm clouds parted as we drove into the tiny hamlet of Melkinthorpe and happily we were bathed in sunshine for the duration of our stay.

The purpose of our journey was to visit the wonderful 'Larch Cottage Nurseries' which is one of my favourite places hidden deep in the Cumbrian countryside.

In through the old barn door we went and spent a happy hour or so browsing and comparing blooms of every size and hue.

My bright and beautiful selection of August bloomers were unceremoniously loaded into the back of the car and are now awaiting a permanent spot in the garden in which to flourish.

But who could resist cutting just a few for decoration indoors.

If you love gardening and ever find yourself in Cumbria do pop into the magical 'Larch Cottage Nurseries', I can guarantee you won't be disappointed.

All so tempting!

The latest Cath Kidston catalogue dropped through my mail box on Saturday and as I thumbed through admiring all the 'new' vintage style items I came to a page where 'real' vintage items had been sourced and were being offered to readers. And would you believe it? There was my little 60s school chair priced at £45. There were 10 available to readers (first come first served) and I'm guessing they didn't hang around long.

My children were given this chair by their grandad many years ago and it's one of the sturdiest pieces of furniture we have. In its previous life it had been a classroom chair so would have been used and abused by a great many tiny tots over the years. These days Old Ted resides on it.

Its quite easy to see why the CK merchandise is so popular. If you 're a fan of all things vintage then you'll find lots in the catalogue to tempt you. I love some of the ladies fashions for Autumn but with so much emphasis on vintage I wonder why the children's clothes don't follow suit.

I don't suppose today's young girls would want to wear dresses like the 60s ones below but I guarantee they'd like to try them on and twirl around in the very full skirts! Who knows, they might be converted!

My mum couldn't resist buying pretty fabric when she saw it and as a result I've inherited remnants of dress and curtain fabric which I'm now trying to utilize. Unfortunately there isn't quite enough to make bedroom curtains. I'd love something colourful for the spare room and came across this Harlequin advert for fun fabrics and wallpaper entitled 'What a Hoot!' There are some gorgeously colourful prints to choose from so I'm very tempted.

If you like the kids style designs of the 1960s take a look at 'What a Hoot'

Linen and lace

I love vintage linen and lace and have collected quite a few pretty pieces over the years. A large crochet bedspread has been sitting at the back of my linen cupboard for some time but as it needs some minor repairs I've never used it.

A weekend of sunshine and showers is forecast (this will mean mainly showers here in England's Lake District) and so I have found my reel of linen thread and will aim to make the bedspread usable again before the weekend is over. If it doesn't look right on the bed then I suppose it could be made into a number of small items. Creating a pretty canopy for my antique crib is a very tempting idea.

But I would find it diffucult to cut into such pretty crochet and so I'm hoping the repairs will make the bedspread whole again and then it can resume its rightful place on a bed.

Have a happy weekend wherever you are.

Aqua glass

Vintage aqua glass has always been a passion of mine and I was lucky enough to find a hoard of bottles when a new water pipe was laid in our road several years ago. Presumably they had been left there by workmen when the first pipe was fitted many years before.

 

The smallest bottles make perfect vases for tiny spays of flowers. This glass was unfashionable for a long while but made a comeback in the 1970s and of course I couldn't resist buying some for the table. Using it always makes me think of long summer afternoons in the garden.