Local shops

Another development; a second shop in Aberystwyth has agreed to sell my cards. You can now buy them at the Toko Gallery, and the National Library of Wales shop.

Oplontis

Fresco detail, The Villa Oplontis
Originally uploaded by ziedu_mate

I'm thrilled! I've just sold two prints of this photograph on Zazzle. I've had a number of items up on the site for a couple of years, but having not expended any energy in promoting them, I've had no sales (not unsurprisingly).

I think this is one of my favourite photographs from my visits to the Bay of Naples. It's a tiny fresco in the Villa Oplontis, and it's been painted so delicately that it's remarkably life-like. It makes such a different statement from the other, gaudier rooms in the Villa.

Custom Order

Made for Jane, as part of a custom order: a feather-and-fan scarflette made with Colinette's Banyan yarn in Mardi Gras. This dye lot is redder and more striking than the one that I'd used previously, but I like it a lot. It's very bold.

I've said it before, but this is a really lovely yarn. It works up incredibly quickly, and the colour changes add a twist to the pattern. I hope Jane likes it!

Noro scarf (III)

Noro scarf (III)
Originally uploaded by ziedu_mate

This is why Noro deserves to be drooled over (not literally, of course!). Yummy Japanese wool, mohair and silk; an utter dream to knit, not only because it's beautifully soft, but you're never quite sure how the patterning's going to turn out. Each scarf is an adventure - and now I have enough wool to make 6 more! Wheeee!

I love Noro!

Four Noro scarves that I've knitted this year... and I've just bought another 16 balls to make more... I must be insane!

Lacy scarf

Lacy scarf
Originally uploaded by ziedu_mate

Another feather-and-fan scarf, this time using Sirdar's Crofter wool (DK, fairisle effect, in Skye). I was quite happy with the way this turned out; the stripes are mercifully even, which has nothing to do with me and everything to do with the way the wool has been dyed! This wool isn't as yellow as this image suggests - that's thanks to the shop lights.

My first sale!

Sparkly scarf
Originally uploaded by ziedu_mate

Made using Sirdar Firefly, this is the first of my knitted items to sell - I'm so thrilled! This close-up doesn't really do justice to the yarn - it's in the midnight colourway, a near-black with pink and blue sparkles, and is perfect for jazzing up an evening outfit. A bit tricky to work with, mind, as it's a ladder yarn that consists of two threads and it's very easy to get the needles caught between the two. But yes. My first sale! Whee!

Colinette scarf

Colinette scarf
Originally uploaded by ziedu_mate

This is how I used my Colinette banyan lagoon yarn - I made a lacy scarf using a lace rib stitch. I'm actually quite pleased with the result, though the yarn itself turned out to be far more green than I'd anticipated (I thought it would be more variegated, like the mardi gras). Never mind, it's now for sale in a local shop...

Macmillan Cancer Care

Macmillan Cancer Care and The Knitter magazine have just launched a nationwide comfort blanket campaign. The aim is to create 100 knitted blankets by October, which will then be distributed to people affected by cancer.

Each blanket comprises 40 20cm x 20cm squares - do you fancy helping me and a friend create a blanket? Or why not attempt a blanket of your own, with help from your friends? Do have a look at the link because there are some beautiful square designs to try.

Good luck!

Banyan: Mardi Gras

My Colinette wools arrived just over a week ago, and they're so lovely that I just had to get going with them straight away. This is Mardi Gras, a hand-dyed, cotton-viscose mix, and I was a little bit nervous about using such a fine and slippery yarn. But it works up really nicely - and surprisingly quickly - and I'm currently making a dress scarf in feather and fan stitch that will eventually be listed on my Zakura store.

Iceland

I love Etsy. I really do. I love that you can search the site in a multitude of ways and never be quite sure where you're going to end up. This is what happened to me last night. I was mooching around and decided to visit Iceland (as one does), and that's when I found:

Ooh! Lots of lovely wool! I've been informed that Icelandic wool is soft and lovely to work, and, having looked at the colours available, I'm already formulating patterns in my head...

Colinette

I couldn't resist, and I've given in to temptation. I've ordered some Colinette Banyan yarn, in Mardi Gras and Lagoon:



I think they'll be perfect for scarves in feather and fan stich - as long as I don't mess up my counting this time!

Banwy

I have just found a new yarn supplier, though working out who they actually are has been quite tricky. A couple of weeks ago, I popped into the Deco Shop in Machynlleth in order to buy some new art supplies. That's when I found some lambswool in beautiful muted colours, called Gwlân Banwy Welsh Lambs' Wool - I bought six balls in pink and cream, which I'm working up into a scarf.

Now, it says on the label that Gwlân Banwy is based in Llanfair Caereinion (Powys), but I can find no reference to them on the web. I think that they might actually be Colinette Yarns, and, having just looked at their website, I covet this and this. Sigh. No. Must be strong. Must finish and sell my work in progress first.

Decorated gingham hearts

Decorated gingham hearts
Originally uploaded by ziedu_mate

I made about 20 of these in 2005, but have given them all away! More Christmas decorations, this time made out of red gingham, with sequinned decorations on the front (I have some with embroidery instead of sequins).

Large sequinned hearts

Large sequinned hearts
Originally uploaded by ziedu_mate

I made these in June 2007 from offcuts of white felt, ribbon and glass beads. Prototypes for Christmas decorations - though in the future I may use scented filling (using essential oils) or dried lavender rather than ordinary wadding.

All the brooches

All the brooches
Originally uploaded by ziedu_mate

I was messing around with some felt offcuts and came up with this little lot! The colours are a little strange, but felt is so difficult to buy, for some reason.

Tiny heart brooches

Tiny heart brooches
Originally uploaded by ziedu_mate

I'm not sure about these; for one thing, the thread I used to sew the glass beads to the felt was far too thick. These were trial pieces; smaller versions of the felt decorations, with brooch fastenings. I don't think I stuffed them firmly enough.

Scarf

Scarf
Originally uploaded by jombolom

Being on a roll the following week, I thought I'd give it another go, and after two evenings' work, I had a finished scarf.

I'm quite proud of this, if only because it proves that no material has beaten me yet!

Incredibly tricky yarn

Incredibly tricky yarn
Originally uploaded by jombolom

I bought this yarn at the tail-end of 2006, and attempted to use it straight away. About 10 rows in, and I'd had enough. I unravelled the lot. As you can see from the picture, every couple of centimetres or so has a twist of 5 different coloured threads woven in to the main thread; this made it really tricky to see the stitches on the needle. The test piece that I was knitting was a complete disaster, and the unravelled yarn was destined to languish in the drawer.

Elizabeth Bradley cushion

Cushion
Originally uploaded by jombolom

Small Elizabeth Bradley needlepoint cushion, the basic design of which is based on the traditional Log Cabin patchwork design. If I recall correctly, this only took me a couple of days - once I get started on my work, everything else falls by the wayside!

Star card

Card
Originally uploaded by jombolom

Tiny counted cross-stitch card that I made for my mother's birthday. Again, it's very close to the Sedona Star pattern (I hadn't noticed that this was a recurring theme in my work!), and was finished in a couple of hours.

Kaffe Fassett Rug

Rug
Originally uploaded by jombolom

Detail of a Kaffe Fassett rug that I stitched in wool - I think this was during 1992. I also stitched two cushions in the same pattern, and they were all a bit fiddly as the pattern wasn't even against the canvas. This rug has been kept in a conservatory, so the colours have faded a little. The pattern is very similar to the Sedona Star patchwork pattern that I shall be attempting soon (in Kaffe Fassett material).

Sampler

Sampler
Originally uploaded by jombolom

My second counted thread piece, which, as you can see in the top right-hand corner, was completed in 1993 (my final year of university). I liked the regularity of this piece, compared with the unstructured complexity of the wild flowers. I had a look at this today, and remembered how much I enjoyed stitching the squirrel, the owl and the two large trees. I also remember thinking the elements would work as stand-alone motifs but I haven't used them - yet!

Wild flowers

Picture
Originally uploaded by jombolom

One of my first pieces - a counted stitch picture of wild flowers. This took me the best part of an academic year, as I made it during my first year of university (1990-91). I really enjoyed doing this, as I don't often find patterns that I like. I still have the pattern for this, and would willingly make another one.

jombolom

Hello everyone!

My name's Sara, and my shop is called jombolom.

I've been obsessed with paper for as long as I can remember, so it was perhaps inevitable that I would end up making cards one day! The materials that I use are sourced from all over the world - washi paper from Japan, watercolour paper from Italy, stamps from the USA, embellishments from Asia - and I'm constantly trying out ideas for new ranges of cards. Each card is one-of-a-kind, so you can be guaranteed a unique item - though it does make listing rather difficult!

I've also been working with some other Etsians - particularly those who carve custom stamps - and I'm always willing to consider other collaborations.

Anyway, feel free to have a browse around my shop - I hope you see something that you like.