she can't be 2 already! (gotta love smarties)

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear emi louuuuuu
Happy Birthday to youuuuuu!
al x

A ray of sunshine!

sunflowers, originally uploaded by Mama Grouch.

Need I say more.
thank you mama grouch.
al x

And the winner is!!

Dear all,
Sorry for the delay in posting the results.
The winner for her wonderfull collection of rays of sunshine is;
MAMA GROUCH !!!!!!
A skein of hand dyed linen will be winging its way to her shortly.
Thank you all for entering they were all great.
If you've not been and looked at the final collection please do.
Take care,
off to organise a two year old girls birthday party aaaahhhhhhh!
al x

ooooohhhhhh crochet

Dear all,
whilst looking on my favorites, I can across a file called inspiration, the problem with this file is it doesnt get looked at very often, so I found this in there. I was right it is very inspirational.
For all those crocheters out there, I give you Prudence Mapstone.
( she's in australia), all her work is beautiful, I just have to work out now how to get the books. She does have some downloadable books which look fab, but Amazon was no help. I have emailed her to find out of any uk suppliers.
enjoy
al x
Thank you for the heads up mac's niece, all sorted now

I laughed and Laughed and laughed

First a warning, for all those women trying not to feel broody, don't, I repeat don't watch
Hubby is looking very worried,
I want one!!
You've got to check this out.
Mama Grouch's ever talented and beautiful baby ( watch the video) I'm so proud of him, even Si laughed lots...
and a link from her blog to this ( the video is a bit down the page)..
I haven't laughed so much for ages,
Enjoy
al x

Competition nudge

Dear all,
Just to remind you that the deadline for the competition is midnight on the 20th of Feb.
The rules are below.
I'm not sure if I mentioned it on the blog ,but you can enter four pickies each!
They are looking really good.
Even if your not entering go along and have look.
I've linked to the same place twice cos I couldn't decide where to put the link, humour me.
al x

SP10 Questionaire

Dear all,
It took me about three days to fill out my sp 10 questionaire, just beacause....
but because of that... dearest blogger posted it below cheery bear!
its down there if you want it now, I'll sort out a questionaire tag tomorrow
al x

more cheery bear

emi and cheery bear singing, originally uploaded by goodkharmabunny.

to continue the theme, this is obviously Emi and cheery bear singing!

Adam and cheery bear

Adam and cheery bear, originally uploaded by goodkharmabunny.

Meet cheery bear, each weekend the kids in adam's class take it in turns to take cheery bear home with them and get to write about their adventures. We got him all half term. This is adam and cheery bear doing snow drops!!

SP10 Questionaire

Dear All,
It's that time again, I've signed up for SP10 ( secret pal 10), for those unfamiliar with this go to the blog, it's basically an anonymous spoiling thing. For SP9 I spoiled Gill, and had lots of fun doing it, I'm not sure who I've been spoilt by cos she's still spoiling me!!

The first part of the secret pal is the questionaire, this gives your spoiler an idea of what you like/dislike, so here's mine.

1) what is you favorite yarn and least favorite yarn?
I tend to like chunky yarns, and linen, and hemp, aran silk and sari silk, banana yarn and Noro.
anything lacey frightens me!

2) what do you use to store you needles/hooks in? A large plastic box and a Rowan carrier bag, I have a plan to make a knitting needle roll, I just need to gather the material and the time. I'm not entirely sure as to the wearabouts of my crochet hooks, that's a job for this evening.

3)How long have you been knittin/crocheting, what level are you?
I'm definitely a beginner, I love knitting but I think I'm a better crocheter. I have a fab support team though, co my MIL is an ace knitter.

4) do you have an amazon wish list? yes here!

5)what is your favorite scent?
I love lavender, rose, sandlewood, geranium rosemary etc

6)do you have a sweet tooth? yes yes yes! I love chocolate, especially dark choc. I love thorntons and chocolate raisins. did I mention I loved chocolate.

7) what other crafts do you you do, do you spin?
I can spin, I crochet, felt, braid, paint, draw, dye yarn and fabric. does disorganisation count as a craft ( it should)

8)What music do you like, can you do MP3s
into madeline peroux, scissor sisters, kaiser chiefs, ray la montague, at the mo.

9) favorite and least favorite colours
I like purples, burgundys, jade, browns ( chocolately, of course), sage greens, I also like bright mixes, I dont really have a dislike, althought I'm not sure I do pastels

10) family situation? pets?
Chaotic! a fab and understanding hubby called Si, two kids; Adam (5yrs) and Emi ( 2yrs) and lenny the cat ( 8yrs) and Moscow the mad kitten ( 10 wks)

11) Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens, ponchos?
I permanently wear hats and scarves, I'm getting into mittens and arm warmers. Ponchos and me dont mix, one of us is the wrong shape!

12)What are you favorite items to knit?
easy ones! I like knitting bags and felting them, I'm just starting to get the hang of knitting but get easily frustrated. It's a time and money thing

13) what are you knitting right now?
trying to knit a scarf, with dropped stitches in!!! and crocheting a scarf, from teh happy hooker book.

14) do you like home made gifts?
love them!

15)straight or circular needles, bamboo, aluminium or plastic/.
straight and circular, bamboo and plastic, love qurky plastic crochet hooks

16) Do you own a yarn winder/ swift? I have a yarn winder and a ball winder

17) how old if you oldest UFO?
In terms of knitted/ crochet about a year, I have a crochet scarf that is barely started

18) favorite holiday?
bit too post-christmas to say christmas, bit to close to birthdays to say birthdays. I like valentines day. I just like giving.

19) is there anything you collect? I accumulate yarn and equipment, and ideas of things I would like to do.

20) any books, yarns, needles, patterns you are dying to have? do you have any subscriptions?
I have a subscription to yarn forward and a digital subscription to Craft ( might have to make that a paper one though, it makes my eyes go funny if I read it for to long).
I have my eyes on tunisian crochet hooks and tunisian crochet cables at the moment, thick ones though. I love Noro, aran silk, and Colinette yarn but tend not to be able to justify it. I also like buttons and indian bells. I'm also looking to get the prudence mapstone books on freeform knitting and crochet. I also seem to have cravings for anything by Amy Butler at the moment.

21) are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I just want to be able to knit and crochet!!
I also seem to be coming around to wanting to sew, i got the crafters companion for xmas and there are some yummy things in there I would like to try.

22) are you a sock knitter? what are you foot measurements?
No though it looks like fun, I dont think my knitting is quite there yet I'm a uk size 6. I would love some knitted socks though.

23) when is your birthday? 25th January

Happy Valentine's day

Lots of good kharma bunny love to you all!

al x

you are my sunshine!

Dear all,
After jody's excellent suggestion I have set up a flickr group for our sunshine pictures, so please feel free to add your little rays of sunshine.
To remind you the competition is for the best sunshine picture.
The deadline is the 20th of February ( this may move is we get on a roll).
The prize is a skein of Good Kharma Bunny hand dyed Linen!
Get entering those pickies. Most people seem to have a flickr account, if not it's really easy and free to do, if not you can email them to me and I will post them for you.
I better find a photo to add!
al x

tip toe through the snow drops

I think I forgot to mention I got another package from my secret pal 9 on tuesday.
I got some yummy chocolate covered seeds and raisins, would show but eaten them.
and adam got a fab hat,
This is him looking peeky earlier in the week
and this is him a few minutes ago communing with the snow drops at the bottom of our garden, with a little bit more colour in his cheeks.
thank you secret pal.
al x

A crochet cocoon

As well as sunshine this is what we all need a crocheted cocoon,
wake me up when it's spring.
this ( if it works ) came from the Crochet me magazine.
fab or what?!? had to share.
al x

COMPETITION TIME

Dear all,
I cant believe the last competition I did was almost this time last year!
I think it's time for a new one!
Much as I love the snow, it is very cool, but what I would really like right now is a bit of sunshine.
All the television programmes yesterday were asking for snowy pictures, not me.
I want a picture with a little bit of sunshine!
The best will get a skein of hand dyed linen, as dyed by yours truely.
Deadline is 20th of February, a quick turn around but I need the sunshine now!!!
spread the word ,the good kharma bunny has a competition going with a prize!
(ooh details, smallish jpg pls to goodkharmabunny at tiscali dot co dot uk)
as a side thought has anyone got any mother remedies for rattly chests?
al x

ply split course

Dear all,
Just to remind you, i'm running a ply split braiding course on Feb 24th, the details are here.
Here are a few more pickies of ply split in action, just to wet your appetite.
al x

A Good Kharma Bunny, good kharma day

Dear all,
Some pay for a day at a spa other go on city breaks etc...
Not me, Us lot need a break, too many bugs and bad nights.
I finally gave in today, we should have done the monthly shop this morning, but after another bad night with poorly kids, we gave in.
If you cant beat the bugs join them, kinda. It is true I have felt rubbish today but not really poorly, but so as not to loose another week, with me poorly instead, we had a day off.
We had hot chocolate and home made pancakes and fruit salad for breakfast.
then Emi and I had a leisurely bath, lots of bubbles.
Then once up and dressed we watched Mary Poppins 1 and a 1/2 times, Lunch interveened during the first time.
Adam is now singing supercalafragilistic...... you get the jist.
Whilst this was all happening , I also had a lovely conversation with a few online weavers spinners and dyers about Tunisian crochet hooks.
The online WSD workshop this month is Crochet, cool.
I also kept knitting my belt from yesterdays course, pickies to follow soon. lets just say its colinette and bit lacey.
And just because I dont want you to think my domestic goddess hat was slippping we did hoover down stairs as a team effort. Adam should be back at school tomorrow, so some semblence of normality should return.
There was team effort on supper as well.
kids all asleep by 7.30pm yey.
the only thing that could blow this domestic bliss, is emi's cough and Moscow chasing a balloon.
comic timing.... POP Cough!
Normal service will be resumed tomorrow.
OOOooooohhhh you'll like this, I've been saving it for such a day!
introducing my home grown butter nut squash. I grew this!!!!
hmm illusion shattered, small but perfectly formed.

Al x

Yarn Booty

Dear all,
I came across a fab blog the other day Anna's Yarn Mansion, she's one of the SP9ers.
She had a concept that appealed to me as lover of yarn. She frequently posts yarn p*rn, for people to get fixes, if you are that way inclined.
So once you've had a look at my birthday stash of Yarn p*rn go and say hello.
Firstly there are these fab gloves knitting by my ever talented MIL, the wool was Katia Nepal from Bev at Knitting4fun and the pattern came from funky chunky knitted accessories
Then there was a fab skein of Colinette from Bee at work
Then there was a multitude of lush newzealand wool from aunty het
and then I got a fab package from my secret pal, who should be revealed very soon, which included some sublime merino/angora mix with a Sublime pattern book and with enough yarn for a scarf, some hand spun Gotland, some Lush bath things that were already upstair by the time I took the picture and some dark choc with blackcurrant in, yum! All very much in my colours. Thank you SP.
So there you go a little Yarn P*rn for you to peruse.
Off knitting with Bev ( knitting4fun) tmrw, knitted accessories
take care
al x