Towards the end of last year I attended the Knitting and Stitching Show both in Dublin, Ireland and Harrogate, England. I make no apologies for the fact this Newsletter is an entirely personal choice - things that caught my eye. I hope they may be of interest to you too!
First off a
plastic strip to make framing needlepoint or any other canvas work easy. You cut a piece
of hardboard and strips of Fabrigrip. pictured at right for each edge of the board.
The plastic strip lips over the edge and can be held on with glue or double sided tape.
The effect is to produce a "spiky edge" to the canvas and you just pull
your tapestry tight and press it over the Fabrigrip strip - easy!
Order from www.sew-it-all.co.uk
A simply superb range of Hand - Dyed Embroidery Threads and Ribbons from South Africa. Great attention is paid to consistency of dying so you can reorder with confidence of perfect matching. Pictured right the No. 48 Freesia mix.
For UK email lornabateman@hotmail.com
or write to: House of Embroidery
86 Landau Street, Morehill, Ext. 2, Benoni 1501, R.S.A.
Tel: +27 11 849-7201
A beautiful range of Counted Cross-stitch Kits by Scotish designer Anne Conkie.
Designs are inspired by Celtic, Medieval Art and the Arts and Crafts Movemen but with a distinctly personal style.
See more at www.tapestrykit.com
If like me your eyesight is on the slippery slope then you will find these heavy duty needle threaders very useful. I had got fed up with flimsy threaders whose wire pulled out after a couple of uses - not these babies!
"Key Thread"
19 Newcastle Avenue, Gedling, Notts. England, NG4 3ND
The Lucet
Remember making braid with a cotton reel with 4 pins in the top? This is the original tool
with an improved design and its maker can turn out braid at a rate of knots (get
it? rate of knots!). Seriously a pocket sized craft which will turn your odd
momentsinto a productive meditation!
Email TheLucetCo@Lucet.net
for details.
If you're Swedish you will recognise this asa Snoodgaffel!
Historic Knitting
Fancy a scarf knitted on a historic circular knitting machine? Martin Green owns a
large collection of these early 19th. century machines but he also demonstrates them at
theMuseum of Technology, Leicester. He and his wife sell the fruits of their looms at
exhibitions.
He also demonstates printing machines (his original calling) so if you send for a
Price List it will also be created on a historic machine!
Write to: Mr M. Green
53 Armson Avenue, Kirby Muxloe,
Leics. England, LE9 2DB
These gorgeous threads make you want to reach for an embroidery
frame!
Part of a Variety Bag (Dark Natural) from Texere Yarns 0044 871
7171 129
www.texereyarns.co.uk
Finally I will briefly mention two more purveyors of exotic threads, dyed silks and throwers waste, copper foil and all sorts of other things that would make a free embroiderer salivate to look at!
Contact jean@olivertwists.freeserve.co.uk
Visit www.stef-francis.co.uk
New!! Free Chart
To celebrate the fact that I am about half way through converting the designs to cross-stitch chart form, I have created a FREE Chart of a Celtic Knotwork Border which you can either stitch for it's own sake or use as a frame for any other design - click the new Charts Button or the link above to view the chart and find out how to download it.
The newsletter is for articles of interest to stitchers and for comments from those of you who have stitched our products. You can add these to our Guestbook or E-mail us directly or if you join up to our E-mail Newsletter you can send messages which I will then post on to other subscribers.
If you have enjoyed visiting this site and would like to be kept informed of future designs and developments send me an email by pressing the button on the left and you will receive a couple of emailed versions of this Newsletter each year.
The latest additions to our range are Mizen Head and
FastnetRock and Lighthouse. I was asked to do these designs specially for the newly
opened Mizen Head Visitor Centre (which is at Mizen Head!), the most south-westerly point
of Ireland. The notes on the page and accompanying the kit are quite brief but as I was
sent a lot of really interesting stuff about the place I thought you might like to see it
- just press this button.
A previous copy of the newsletter describes how I go about designing the kits
and to view it press here.
Loyalty Bonusses!
On each separate re-order we will give you a 5% Discount cumulative up to a maximum of 25%- so get stitching. If as an existing customer you introduce a friend, you will also get 5% until your total reaches 25%. Make sure they mention your name and address with their order. Dont forget our special Charity proceeds offer.
