Tuesday, 11 October 2016

Review: Cosy Wool - the HOME of Vacuum Packed Wool.

Cosy Wool – The Home of Vacuum Packed Wool!

Cosy Wool are “THE HOME OF VACUUM PACKED WOOL”. Based in Lancaster, they supply all your favourite wools and yarns, like Debbie Bliss & King Cole, but with a clever little difference!

Would you believe that they vacuum pack the wool or yarn before popping it the post!

All of the air is literally sucked out of the packing before they post it, to make delivery easy peasy.

You see, by doing this, you don’t have to worry that you won’t be home when the postman arrives. You don’t have to ask a neighbour to keep a look out, you don’t even have to worry about what day it will arrive on, because, yes, you’ve guess it: It will fit through your letterbox!

Once you open the envelope you find a little squished package inside, along with a very nice card from CosyWool.

As you can see, the package, having been vacuum packed is really, really thin!

But I guess you are thinking about the yarn, or in this case Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino wool, inside.

Me too.

How will affect the wool, will it spoil or ruin it, will it make it stay flat?

Well the answer is NO!

As soon you break the seal, all the air whooshes in and your wool ball puffs up!

All I did was squish the wool, which to be honest I would have done even if it hadn’t been vacuum packed, just to get it back into shape and to also have a sneaky feel of how lush it would be to work with.

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Wow, amazing! Just think, if you want to take some yarn on your holidays, this is the way to do it! Vacuum packed yarn in your suitcase or rucksack – that’s the next best thing since sliced bread!

Also the packaging means that your wool won’t get wet in transit. I once had a box of wool delivered that had an accident. It was terribly sad as something had obviously fallen onto my box, tore through the cardboard and the flimsy plastic protecting my wool & then to add insult to injury, some of my yarn had a sticky goo all over it. Not good! I can’t imagine this happening with Cosy Wool’s packing as the plastic they use for the vacuum wrap is very tough, and you can get 7 balls of wool in one letter box friendly envelope!

You could actually keep it this small until you wanted to use it, no matter if you were going away or not! Imagine your storage problems solved in one fair swoop! This is your answer. I reckon you could get 20 vacuum packed balls into the same place as one!

Well I must say, I’m sold. As a crochet teacher and designer, I often need my wools and yarns super fast. As a part time farmer, I can’t always be home in time for the post man, who to be honest, doesn’t run on a regular time, he runs on Dorset time in our village, so that could mean waiting in all day.

This means that Cosy Wool has solved my problem! I will never ever have to wait for a package again. I can simply be with my calves and let the postie deliver my package through the door so that my wools and yarns will be at home waiting for a snuggle before I start my next commission or project.

All YOU need to do now, to experience this YARNY WOOLY life changer, is go to www.cosywool.co.uk to place your order and see how great this vacuum packaging will work for you!

Monday, 26 September 2016

Another amazingly HOOKY weekend!

We all gathered for 10am, armed with tea and delicious biscuits, we introduced ourselves

My pupils were given a ball of glitzy yarn. As you can see this was a very exciting moment and the yarn was a great hit with all.

I love to do "show And tell" so out came a few projects including this amazing granny blanket

I love the way DB has used white in every other round.

SC brought in her cardigan which neede ever so slight adjustment on the back.

She had been a very good Hooker and made a tension square before starting but the back came up huge!! So help was needed to correct this "pattern error" and pinning saved the day.

The design / make for the weekend was a slipper kit. All were given a beautifully present kit purchased from Joes Toes and when I mentioned that we were going to design slippers, my pupils were in shock!!

But just look at them knuckling down to it and look at what they made!!

Buttons and felt appliques were added to give each pair a flair!!

Using the wool winder was good fun and we also worked on our WIPs

Then out came the FIMO

We had fun rolling out the colours, making a mess of the table & squidging bits of this to that to create our custom hook handles.

I wasn't taking any chances this time. I read the "baking" section over and over and in they popped for about 10 mins in all.

Fortunately they came out fine this time & it was smiles all round - SuCeSS!

Birthday Girl!!

Yes, we had a Birthday Girl with us all weekend!! She couldn't think of a better way to spend her day than hooking away with like minded people - what a fab Birthday Day!!

If you'd like to come along to an affordable Crochet Weekend Retreat, then keep your eyes peeled on my website http://www.gethookedoncrochet.co.uk/crochet-days-in-dorset-2016/http://www.gethookedoncrochet.co.uk/crochet-days-in-dorset-2016/ for Improvers & Beginners weekends coming soon!

Another amazingly HOOKY weekend!

We all gathered for 10am, armed with tea and delicious biscuits, we introduced ourselves

My pupils were given a ball of glitzy yarn. As you can see this was a very exciting moment and the yarn was a great hit with all.

I love to do "show And tell" so out came a few projects including this amazing granny blanket

I love the way DB has used white in every other round.

SC brought in her cardigan which neede ever so slight adjustment on the back.

She had been a very good Hooker and made a tension square before starting but the back came up huge!! So help was needed to correct this "pattern error" and pinning saved the day.

But just look at them knuckling down to it and look at what they made!!

Buttons and felt appliques were added to give each pair a flair!!

Using the wool winder was good fun and we also worked on our WIPs

Then out came the FIMO

We had fun rolling out the colours, making a mess of the table & squidging bits of this to that to create our custom hook handles.

I wasn't taking any chances this time. I read the "baking" section over and over and in they popped for about 10 mins in all.

Fortunately they came out fine this time & it was smiles all round - SuCeSS!

Birthday Girl!!

Yes, we had a Birthday Girl with us all weekend!! She couldn't think of a better way to spend her day than hooking away with like minded people - what a fab Birthday Day!!

Wednesday, 7 September 2016

Wool / Yarn Bag Review

Yarn Bag / Bin

This was made possible by Happy Crocheting
I have been designing Crochet for books and magazines for a few years now, and I have always put my complete project needs and notions in a separate bag, normally a sturdy supermarket carrier bag, you know the plastic type that you have to pay 10p (or more) for - the same ones that make that awful crackling sound each time you delve into it, especially when the family are sitting down in front of the TV and it seems 10 times louder! Well guess what - I fret about that no longer!
Mike from Happy Crocheting, sent me his Yarn or Wool Bag / bin to review and I was more than happy to do so, once I saw a picture of it from the link he sent me, which is where he sells them via Amazon

The Make Up:
Happy Crocheting cleverly use a robust woven exterior with a lovely cotton (not cheap tacky plastic) interior. The round base is 26cm in diameter & with a height of 30cm there is plenty of room on the inside (more of that later).
There is a generous pocket on the front where you can stash your pattern, tape measure, stitch markers & more + there are three crochet hook pockets too!
The zip goes almost all the way around the top, which is really handy, as it "flips back" total, for easy access to all your crochet goodies inside.
There are 2 long slits in the lid of the bag where you can pass the tail ends of your wool through & a sturdy handle with the option of attaching a shoulder strap should you need to travel with this delightful product.
First Impressions:
When this bag arrived, I was impressed with not only the quality but also the look of the bag, as it's in a lovely neutral weave that has a hint of sheen to it.
I was about to start a commission for a magazine, so I thought I would put it to the test.

Here's what I put inside:

6 balls of wool / yarn
3/4 bag of toy stuffing (the lounge cushion size you buy from the shops - I kid you not 3/4's of a bag!!)
My project note book
3 crochet hooks
1 pen
stitch markers
scissors
tape measure
sticky note pad
washi tape &
a spare hook (you never know)

There was plenty of room inside for more and it all sat in this "silent" bag really neatly - not more crackling of plastic, once you had your wool / yarn tail ends threaded out of the top slits!
Using the bag:
This spacious bag was so lovely to use. I took it on a few car journeys (when my husband was driving of course) and I hooked happily away without my wool getting tangled, but more importantly, all my wool was "to hand", as were all my other notions.
Everything you need is there! No mess, all organised, no fuss, no searching for the stitch marker every again, as there is a place for all you need for your project.
Finale:
I would highly recommend any hooker out there to get one of these bags. I really think that this bag would be an asset to anyone that crochets. You can take your projects with you anywhere - IN STYLE!
I already have my next commission stashed away in there!

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PHOTO'S ARE THE MANUFACTURERS OWN AS MY CAMERA IS ON THE BLINK, BUT THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT MY BAG LOOKS LIKE.

Friday, 1 July 2016

Yarn Review: Rowan Cashmere in Light Blue

This was made possible by Laughing Hens

I’ve been crocheting since I was a child and come into contact with many a wool and yarn so today I decided to bite the bullet and review some for you. Usually I would go for an acrylic yarn if teaching & a wool or wool blend if I was making something for a friend or myself, so I was delighted when I got hold of a beautiful ball of cashmere from the upcoming Autumn/Winter season from Rowan.

Rowan began in Yorkshire and has its roots providing wool for designers and creative crafters. It’s now a hugely popular premium fibre brand and sold all around the world. They sell a variety of yarns and are always bringing out new colours. I was lucky enough to get hold of it thanks to Laughinghens.com. However, all opinions are my own and completely honest. So here goes…

The Make Up:

Rowan Cashmere is 95% Cashmere & 5% Wool. It comes in dainty 25g balls, approx. length 75m (82yds). The recommended crochet hook size is 4.5mm & this wool is made in Italy.

“It’s like holding candy floss. You feel like you have to treat it very gently or it might break.”

First Impressions

I loved the colour I was sent. It is called LIGHT BLUE (Shade 00052), but as soon as I opened the envelope, I saw “denim”. I love denim. I love my jeans, I live in jeans & welly boots, as I live in the countryside & I am a part time farmer of 6 claves plus I also have 9 ducks & 2 mad Lurchers, so this immediately appealed. Being 95% cashmere, you can only expect me to say that this wool is super soft, and it is indeed. It’s like holding candy floss. You feel like you have to treat it very gently or it might break.

Using the Wool

I love wool. Due to my age, I call every little bundle of “wool” wool, even though it’s yarn, so therefore not really wool, but this IS REALLY wool. Using an aluminium crochet hook, I worked a small foundation chain and simply hooked a few rows of double crochet. It was a dream to work with. The wool slipped quietly through my fingers & didn’t split or snag or even squeak, as some wools do when being hooked. The aluminium hook worked well with this “real” wool, allowing to flow just as it should: perfectly.

This little ball of wonder wool unravels effortlessly as you work, out of its little doughnut-shaped cocoon, leaving you with even stitches and a good tension. I hate it when you have to fight with your yarn (some acrylics I mean) as it seems to Velcro itself together as you try to unwind it, therefore leaving you with a slightly uneven tension. This is really annoying - unless of course you are an experienced knitter or crocheter and you’re prepared for this.

Shades Available:

Rowan Cashmere is available in Cream, Pink, Light Blue, Marl Grey, Dark Grey & Black. You can order yours direct from Laughing Hens https://www.laughinghens.com/knitting-wool/rowan-cashmere.

I am already combining these colours in my crochet designer head and coming up with a host of things that I would like to make with this wool for this coming winter, e.g. a head band to keep my ears warm when I don’t want to wear a hat, wrist warmers for when I can’t wear gloves & lots of baby booties, as this wool would be perfect for a little ones little feet.

Care:

Caring for this wool couldn’t be simpler; Rowan recommends that you wash it before you wear it, for the perfect cashmere softness. A 30 degree wash will do the trick, so nice and eco-friendly. You can also get it dry cleaned, with advice sought from a specialist.