8 Weeks to Now

8 weeks into the year already and what a whirlwind it's been. Only now am starting to work on new stock for upcoming shows. I've never known a start of the year to be so busy with commissions!!! It's wonderfully stressful (if that's possible).

Here's some images of what I've been working on...

 

LOTS and LOTS of what I call "Freelace" where I make my own fabric using machie embroidery and novelty yarns such and torn sari silk. Expect to lots of this in the coming seasons.






Right: Lampshade 12"x12" in purples & greens

Making Freelace Stage 1.... LOTS of pins!!! This piece went on to become the toe plugs for some very snazzy handmade moccasin style loafers.
 She was so happy with them she already ordered a second pair before they even came back from the cobblers!!!!

More images  of the shoes coming soon

The very special Freelace skirt below was made especially for the Mother of the Groom for a beautiful New Zealand wedding! It's made from 6 panels of Freelace to include 6 pleat inserts. Its fully lined with side zip and button closure.

This fandangled Rara Skirt was made for one very lucky London lass! The multifibre tiers use workroom remnants too pretty to throw lovingly stiched over layers of gathered soft netting and not complete without a sparkley elasticated sequin waistband. Fix for a punk rock fairy princess!

This represents a happy day, posting lots of orders! 2 Printed Fleece Blazers, 1 Ringleader Coat and 2 Large Braid & Leather Bags

Last but least here's a sneak peek of what's to come so get ready to 'walk like an egyptian' in this fab Cleopatra inspired fairisle snood....

New Year's Day 50% off SALE

Use discount code HAPPYNY50 for 50% off everything in stock New Year's Day!!! What better way to start the new year then with a gift from me to you? ...Enjoy xx

Open Studio Invite - 24hr Xmas SALE

We've been very busy bees getting ready for this season's Designer Open Studio where all stock will be 20-60% for just 24 hours. This is great opportunity to see the workrooms and enjoy a glass of homemade mulled wine, cheese scone and maybe even a cheeky mince pie.
Here's a sneaky peek of what's in store...

The Knitting Room  :)

Please come and join us, a warm welcome awaits you! And please remember ...

xoxoxo

New Crackin Colours and Vintage Delights

The Quirky, Handmade and Vintage Fair in Melbourne was an absolute joy today! Met lots of lovely people wanting to come to the Open Studio (Dec 14-15th don't forget) sold some Yarn Necklaces and took a few commissions :) It definitely felt worth staying up so late working on new colourways. With all the sari and handpainted silks that arrived this week I just couldn't resist and still have more fancy yarns on the way!
The Yarn Necklace is my best seller at only £20 or 2 for £30!
 There are no colours options on the site
( http://www.crooked-knitwear.com/product/yarn-necklace ) because you can see below there are just too many colours to choose from and change all the time.  Remember it is not an exact science, the main materials I use are hand painted and recycled sari silk so each one is slightly unique!

This is what I call a good time #ilovemyjob

Colours left to right: Charcoal, Purple/Brown, Aqua/Purple, Electric Lapis/Black, Forest, Fuchsia/Purple, Purple/Berry, Turquoise, Purple/Royal Blue, Blues, Black Multi

Colours left to right: Autumn Leaves/Brown/Gold, Burnt Orange, Turquoise Multi, Cherry Multi, Red/Nuetrals, Pale Green/Pale Blue, White/Pink/Gold, Navy/Red/Gold, Teal/Green/Gold, Emerald/Dark Green/Silver, Wasabi/Plum, Emerald Green, Black Multi

Colours left to right: Zebra/Rust, Aqua/Blue/Purple, Cerise/Pink, Cerise/Black/Purple, Orange/Yellow/Red, Baby Pink/Lilac, Red, Mauve/Nuetrals, Pinks/Browns, Red/Pink/Orange, Rainbow Multi, Red/Autumn Leaves

But it not all about me....check out these amazing vintage goodies I picked up at the show today!

Love my retro kitchen gear! Remember using a hand whisk like this as a child and the toasting fork is ideal for making breakie in my campervan. Amazing fresh tea in glass jars, Chai and Russian Caravan, can't wait to make a brew. And the amazing woven Welsh blanket will make at least 2 fabulous coats!!!! I'm so excited! 

 

What better way to end this weekend then to decorate the tree and sing carols with my little man! I hope you're all getting into the festive spirit as well xxx

The Last Few Months in Crooked HQ

No rest for the wicked. Its been a very busy few months here in the Crooked House. Constant shows and festivals over the summer months ie Larmer Tree Festival, Camp Bestival, Wilderness Festival, Burghley Horse Trails and many more. Thank you to all the loyal customers who enabled me to visit my family back home in the states for the 1st time in 2 years for some much needed TLC. Since October we've been working on a new collection of beautiful fairisles, taking my knitwear in a totally new direction!

 I also have a new found obsession for TWEED, feeling so creatively overwhelmed and looking forward to start yet another new collection after Christmas, ALTERNATIVE BRIDALWEAR. This is going to be MEGA...Mega Good...by Megan Crook...Get Crooked

Look what arrived today! Sari Ribbon direct from Kalkutta and Hand Painted Silk on its way for more Yarn Necklaces. Sold over 70 of these bad boys in the last 2 weeks so will be keeping my hands very busy making lots of new gorgeous colourways. £20 each or 2 for £30 and now offering a FREE Yarn Necklace with every sale over £50.

Upcoming Events

                     Dec 8-9th, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

For all you local lovelies please come and have a nosy at my beautiful abode and studios. Mulled wine, nibbles and a warm welcome await you because at the Crooked House those who come as strangers leave as friends!

As promised, Sun-Dried Tomato Muffins

We served these delectable treats at our recent open house. An instant crowd pleaser and so fabulous between friends or as a nibble with drinks when you want to score some brownie points.


What you will need;
(Makes 12)

• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained
• 1/4 olives (green, black or stuffed)
• grated parmesan cheese

• Step one,
• Heat oven to 200 degrees (gas mark 6) Line regular muffin tray with muffin cases.
• Step two
• Beat milk, oil and egg in a large bowl. Stir in flour, cheese, basil, baking powder and salt until flour is moistened. Fold in tomatoes and olives. Divide mixture evenly among muffin cups and sprinkle with cheese.
• Step three
• Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from tray to wire rack. Serve warm if desired.
• 
  

Shiny and New

So I finally took some time yesterday to jazz up the blog a bit having spent approximately 5 minutes on it the first time round. That cloudy background has been driving me crazy. I hope it looks good for you guys too as I have a pretty old school basic screen to work so it isn't always possible to tell. I'm super happy with the template I downloaded and adapted from Pugly Pixel (which has become one of my favourite and most resourceful blogs), it's also where I was inspired to try out our new banner using scans of fabric from the new Crooked collection which I orginally did for the website - so it's nice to re-use them. It also means I finally bothered to have a go with my own clipping masks which probably seems ridiculously  simple to photoshop geeks out there (that's cause it is) but as I'm just figuring it out as I go along, I had neglected to learn this useful little trick, so yay me!

Anyway there are still somethings that I think could do with tweaking but with with the Designer Open House & Arts Trail just around the corner I doubt I'll be getting to it for a while. In the meantime I'd love to hear any comments or suggestion you might have on the changes. I'm really happy to see that comments are starting to trickle so thank you Miss Bangkok and other anonymous commenter, it's lovely to hear your positive feedback.  Tori x