Unravel 2016

I've always looked forward to the UNRAVEL FESTIVAL in Farnham, it marks the beginning of wool show season, NDS has been an exhibitor since the early days.
Last year when we broke down the NDS stand at our final NDS Unravel (also final NDS show ever) I was very sad to think we wouldn't be going back.
However as you probably already know Unravel came to the rescue and invited me to have a blanket exhibition at the 2016.

Unravel is unlike all the other shows NDS attended as it's the only one held in a proper building, the others are held at show grounds and cattle sheds.
The Farnham Maltings was a brewery dating back to 1750, so as you can imagine its like a rabbit warren which makes it an amazing venue for a wool show, every time you turn a corner there's a new room full of hidden woolly treasure to discover.

My exhibition is in the Long Kiln room, which where all the lectures are going to be held, its a long thin room and in theory we should be able to hang 12 blankets.
I will be sitting with the blankets at the times when there aren't any lectures, so you will probably need to check your programmes to work out when I'm there or maybe we can arrange some kind of signage.

I won't have any paper patterns for sale, but I will have a newly designed and printed collection of postcards and if you want to buy a pattern I will have pages and pages of Ravelry codes.
A single postcard will cost 60p and if you want to add a pdf pattern code it will cost £3 (which is 50p cheaper than on-line and as I'm not vat registered you don't have to pay vat).
You will also be able to buy the cards in sets.

There will be 12 blankets on the walls, plus 2 extra blankets which means there are 14 postcards in total.
I'm aiming to make these postcards collectable, so each time I have them printed there will be new images of each blanket, for example if the Kissing Kaffe postcard sells out at Unravel there will be a new image of Kissing Kaffe on sale at Yarndale.
I love the idea of collectable cards as I was an avid postcard collector as a child, I still have all 5,000 of them and have been carrying them around with me for decades as we move from house to house to house...sigh...

 Plus Lecchi and Spyro who won't be hung on a wall but will be at the show with me.

 One of the things I am really looking forward to is being able to spend quality talking time, I've never had more than a few minutes chat on the busy NDS stand so it will be wonderful to have a little bit longer with all of you.
I'm also really excited to be able to wander around the show visiting (& probably annoying :-) some of my woolly friends.
On the top of my hit list are the lovely Easyknits,  Jane Crowfoot,  Purlescence, Tall Yarns, The Little Grey Sheep & Anniken Allis, plus so many others it would take me hours and hours to list them all
And most importantly John Arbon Textiles who will be my home base, if you need me for anything one of them should know where I am, especially my lovely daughter Daisy.

I hope to see you there :-)
love Amanda

P.S
Most of the blankets are for sale, so I will have a price list with me, just in case you can't survive without owning one :-)

LandScape Magazine & Pattern of the week

My feature in LandScape magazine was published last week.
Its a huge article - 8 pages long!!
The photos are beautiful and there's lots of writing about me and crochet, I'm really blown away by how lovely it is.
Although I didn't realise I was wearing 2 pairs of glasses when the photo's were taken :-)

If you want to buy a copy you can find the magazine in Waitrose, M&S, Tesco's etc etc
Or on-line HERE

And...
This week's Pattern of the Week is Anna, my favourite garment, I wear the sample all the time, so much so that I'm going to have to make a new one for next winter and maybe lightweight one for the summer.
You can find it HERE

 

Amanda's crochet blanket news

As I promised yesterday I'm back with the second blog post this week :-)
I have several pieces of news to tell you

1 - I've decided to sell some of my samples.
I've always kept my blankets so I can exhibit them at shows, some of them will be making their final appearance's at the Unravel show in Farnham in 2 weeks time (more about it below)
My house is beginning to be over run with crochet blankets so it seems unfair not to share them.
They are expensive due to the time taken to make them and the materials used, also I don't really want to part with them, (so its ok if they don't sell).
But if you are interested in buying a particular blanket please send me a e-mail HERE and I will send you the details.

2 - And I've finally started to build a website
Which you can find here http://amandascrochetblankets.com
Its in the very early stages and I've got lots more building to do, but its a start.
I had meant to build a site when I closed NDS last April, but I have discovered that my designer "to do" list is a lot longer than I imagined.
So please go and have a look and remember to add it to your favourites because in time it will have lots of info pages including pages about colour, yarn and how to use my patterns.

3 - Unravel
I have a big exhibition of my blankets at the Unravel yarn show in Farnham, Surrey in 3 weeks time.
I'm so excited, I've always dreamt of a big white room with my blankets hanging on the walls so I could sit and look at them, I'm really chuffed that Unravel have given me the chance to share my dream with you.
They are being exhibited in the Long Kiln room, where all the talks are due to be held and I will be sitting with them before and after the talks each day.
The patterns will be available as postcards with codes to use in my Ravelry store, so you can download them straight to your Ravelry Library.
I also have the final 5 copy's of Madder Triangles left, which will be on sale, but I'm afraid once their gone, their gone!
You can find the Unravel website HERE

4 - I promised to tell you a bit more about Loki
Who if you don't know is one of the 3 animals I share my life with, he's a 9 year old long haired German Shepard. Over the past few months he has a had a tumour growing on his foot, the vet suggested we leave it until it was bothering him, they did't think it was malignant, but I've always worried.
He had it removed last Thursday, I FB'd a couple of photo's.
The first was taken on Thursday night straight after the op, full of drugs and obviously in pain and the second was taken Friday morning the drugs had worn off and waiting for his breakfast was obviously overriding any pain.
Since then he has had the dressing changed twice and is healing really well, he's back to his old big bouncy self and we are just waiting for the biopsy, hopefully we will all be able to breathe a sigh of relief :-)

     

Pattern of the Week - Cornucopia week 5

This is going to be a very quick blog post, as I have to take Loki to the vet to have the bandage on his foot replaced. I promise I will tell you more about Loki's foot and some other very exciting news later.

Anyway here is Cornucopia Pattern of the Week 5

 

Cornucopia is the lovely sunny throw that I made last summer, lots of little squares in bright fruity colours. 

If you buy the pattern from my Ravelry store HERE and use the code at checkout you will be able to buy my Cornucopia pattern for £2, the code is Cornucopiaweek5

    

I'll be back later (probably tomorrow) to write a bigger more exciting blog post :-)

love Amanda