Sunshine, showers, sunshine, downpours, sunshine- you get the idea.

Isn't he great!
There are two, one much smaller than the other.They run along the windowsill then on to the bird table- I love them, they seem more interested in bread than the bird food, and the birds come back as soon as the squiggles go.

Cheeky little blighters!

This is the first year I have seen fledgelings being fed at the table- the bird table- the blue tits arrive in a great flap and fluster, always en masse, like a bunch of aunties fussing around a baby. Backwards and forwards, constantly, flapping like mad things, shoving seeds and peckings from the suet balls into the littles. Fabulous.

In comparison, I have been decidedly slug like. My hands have been too bad to do much, certainly cannot knit. Thankfully most of the time I can manage some crochet, the worst pain is in my left wrist.  I am having that one injected this week, and the right the week after. You know it hurts a lot when you are actively looking forward to having a needle stuck into your wrist!

So .... crochet. I became quite obsessed with the Japanese flower (or my rather loose interpretation).

 

This is going to be a dress for me, and will either look really good or absolutely ridiculous.
Time will tell.

Whatever.
I am enjoying it.

This is not a dress, is currently languishing on the floor awaiting blocking, and is destioned to be - well, wait and see.
Not literally- my current rate of finishing things is -erm- zilch.

I have listed some sheep brooches here, after wrestling Small Bob who took a liking to them.

From Small Bob and me, enjoy the sun.

The Sulky Cat

The original and best.

Someone on Etsy - and Twitter - has started using the name sulky cat, sometimes with and sometimes without the word 'creations' or 'creates' attached.

This merely made me raise an eyebrow at first - but I am increasingly annoyed by it.

Without going into too many details, I have been on Etsy for years, this shop started a few months ago.
She says she checked the name first - as I pointed out, if you Google it the first few entries are mine .It isn't rocket science.

She says I must not discuss it on Ravelry again, and not to contact her except through a solicitor as my messages via Etsy are 'harsh words' - I can assure you that they are not, they are professional and polite.

If it was me, and someone pointed out I had 'inadvertently' used an established name, I would change it in a heartbeat - party from embarrassment, but mainly because surely the whole point is to have an individual, ideally unique name? I have been sulkycat in various places for many years - online for well over ten, on Ravelry since 2007, Etsy since 2009, on sewing labels all over the world (almost literally) for many years - the fact I do not sell much lately due to illness is neither here nor there, it is an established part of my online persona.
The name has been used at craft fairs for years, I have banners, business cards, the whole drum kit n caboodle. What a farce!

So I want to make it clear - the other 'sulkycat/creates/creations' is NOT me and has absolutely nothing to do with me.

If anyone can advise me regarding intellectual property infringement I would be very grateful, thank you - either via comments (which are moderated so if need be nobody else need read it) or via Rav.

Thanks for reading,
the original
Sulkycat

Stocking up

My little Etsy shop has some new goodies in, do have a peep!
Last week's update sold very quickly which is deeply flattering.

Shop can be found here: thesulkycat

A sneak peek:

I also found some of the small box bags (project bags, ideal for socks!) and have listed some of those (again these sold almost as soon as I listed them) and will add more in the next day or so.

Comments / feedback very welcome!

Link to my etsy shop:

thesulkycat
Sorry, the whole page went a bit bonkers when I changed the layout, I know it's at the bottom somewhere but that's not a lot of use is it!

Not much left, but more to come probably on Sunday - will update on here too.

A commercial break.

This might be faster than updating etsy and artfire - for those who are asking (and thank you!) here are some of the bags I have unpacked and photographed, which are for sale.
The box bags - all are fully interfaced, both the outer fabric and the lining fabric, and all seams inside are fully bound. No raw edges, nothing flimsy - I do include a note saying hand wash, but I chuck mine in the washing machine.
They are large enough to hold a ball of wool, dpns and a pattern - I can squish two balls in, a pair of mitts on the go and a pattern easily. They also work well as a makeup or toiletries bag.
Roughly 8 inches long, 3 inches high, 3 inches wide.
£11.00 each (I lowered the price slightly for the market place and will keep them at those prices until I list in the shops), £1.20 postage within the UK and I am very happy to post elsewhere.

I am online now, so it's a first come first served way - and I will be at home all day tomorrow so will update my shops with more bags for anyone who prefers to buy them that way.

** please post a comment if you wish to buy anything - first post gets the bag!

Knickers and bras! In pinky reds on black. SOLD, thank you

Tea pots and egg cups. SOLD, thank you

Breast cancer care - I will donate £3 to breast cancer research from the sale of this bag. SOLD with many thanks

Hearts. SOLD with many thanks

From top left to top right :

a) flowers and bees

b) purple, reds, black

c) beach scene

d) purple geometrics - SOLD with many thanks

e) trellis and roses

Bottom row from left to right:

f) celtic knots in blues - SOLD with many thanks

g) zingy greens with flowers

h) small hearts and flowers - SOLD with many thanks

i) mini shrooms

j) zingy greens, blues, swirls

Needle rolls, sheep brooches etc to come - and as I say, if you are more comfortable buying through etsy or artfire they will be back up and stocked tomorrow, most realistically in the early afternoon.

Thank you!

PS Blog posts about ShitCampKnitCamp will be back in the next couple of hours ....

No piccies at the moment, one of my cameras (my favourite) is poorly, the other (work one) takes pretty crappy photos, not keen on it at all. Will pop mine into a shop and see if they know what's wrong with it, but I suspect it is dead.

Lots of knitting going on, I started Kim Hargreave's Ward on Christmas Day and am aiming to finish it tomorrow, its boooooorrrrrrrring as anything but it's not too far from being finito. And it's good infront of the telly knitting, no brain required.

And a lot of sewing to get on with, had a mini material buying spree with the plan of making up several project bags for etsy - and said material is still sitting on the table. The table that was tidy for one day ...

Mr Parcel Postie has just been with my New Lanark Mill wool, its nice but too many flecks of colour for me to be totally happy, but it should knit up OK, am planning on making Perfect Paula with it (a cabled cardi, wil find out how to add Ravelry links someday!).
But now it is time to slap some lippy on, do something with my hair (any ideas on how to grow out a fringe without getting cross and chopping the lot off anyone??) and brave M&S food hall. Again. I have my eye on their party food / fizz for a tenner offer, all for meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Bye for now, keep warm, keep knitting, you know it makes sense!

Brrrrrrrrr!

Work in progress - half a bag is better than none I suppose, I plan on finishing this one tomorrow, but I forgot to buy some material to make the strap, silly moo - I suspect I can find something in the mountains of material upstairs.
Gorgeous Laura Ashley materials, and a silk birdy, I have plans for embellisging it furtehr before sewing in the lining.

A bit of self indulgent knitting, despite having certain things to finish for Christmas ... great pattern, it grows really quickly and is easily memorised, will add a link when I get my act together. The wool was a gift (thank you Darlene!), and I like it - Karaoke, half silk, half soy, great colours. Not the softest in the world although it should soften after a wash, but it really shows the cable effect well!

Blimey! It's bloody freezing! And it started snowing here a couple of hours ago, brrrrrrrr - love how it looks, hate how it feels!


I spent a couple of hours - yes hours - putting four bags on my etsy shop, HOURS. I had to edit all the photos, then the editing wotsit I was using decided to sulk, so I had to find another way - I suspect it was a job that would take someone a bit more savvy than me minutes to do - anyway, they are finally on.


They were originally planned for a craft fair, but it feels wrong to do craft fairs when I am signed off work somehow ... I do like them though, the birdy one above is a favourite. The bird is silk, and a really yummy chocolatey brown - brown and pinks together are rarely a bad thing!

Tea smells good so I suppose I had better go and check it - roast veg, with mushrooms, chillies and garlic, yummy. Somehow salad didn't seem too bright a plan in this weather ...
Stay warm!