Caspians

Tools of trade. We, crafters can't go without them and if they are somehow special to us, it makes the whole thing - crafting - even more pleasurable. Personally, I'm a real sucker for good quality craft tools. I'd rather have a few quality ones than a bunch of cheap and unreliable ones. It's not a secret that card makers have their own favourite papers, punches and stamps, crocheters have their own favourite crochet hooks and finally knitters have their own favourite yarn brands and knitting needles. I'm no different in this respect. Caspians from knitpicks.com  - is a luxurious collection of knitting needles and crochet hooks I've been wishing for months. Finally an Amazon packet carrying two types of Caspian knitting needles made its way to my door :) I'm on cloud nine! 

Naturally when buying them I couldn't decide which set I wanted more. I'm using DPNs (double pointed needles) more at the moment but I've always wanted to have a go at circulars too. So I gave myself a real treat and bought both :) 

They are beautiful and I'm so excited to use them. They arrived nicely packaged in the clear pouches with the American and European sizing on it. 

A nice surprise was also the fact that Knitpicks give you six dpns in each size set rather than 5 like most producers do. Just in case if you lose or accidentally break one ... somehow but it is rather unlikely to happen. These laminated birch needles are so durable and with a a bit of TLC they will last you a long time.

The circulars look really intriguing with all these extras included. Everything is nicely colour coordinated. I will have to learn how to assemble and disassemble them. The shiny metalic elements give the Caspians a nice luxurious finish. 

This Caspian wood is so nicely polished, warm and pleasant to the touch. The yarn doesn't slip off it easily yet it slides along nicely as you knit.  Oh and the colours! Gorgeous aquatic hues, just as I love!
This is how Knit Picks describe their product :)

Oceanic waves of sea green, teal and marine ripple across Caspian - the newest addition to the Knit Picks Options family! Boasting the same strong and smooth layers of laminated birch that you know and love, Caspian shows off a sea-inspired colorway along with a distinctive emerald cord to complement its oceanic hues.

* * *

 The burnished surface of Caspian delivers just the right amount of grip to easily manage slippery yarns while warming quickly in your hands for hours of comfortable knitting.

In a nutshell - poetry! :)

So below here is my little private premier league of the knitting needles :) KnitPro Symfonie and KnitPro Karbonz and now the Knit Picks Caspians too :) I just love the knitting / crocheting experience with these quality products. KnitPros are very similar to KnitPicks, I'd say, a kind of European equivalent of Knit Picks in America. Their range is great so do check their websites for some lovely knitting tools.

I couldn't wait and switched to my new needles straight away :D Now the pink bunny is being knitted with Caspians. Doesn't he look a bit creepy with his head open like this? ;)

Alongside I'm also knitting a beige bunny. Sometimes I need a rest from sweet pink colours :) It's coming on slowly :)

For this spring season I'd also like to knit some new spring eggs and balls :) Patterns printed out and ready. These are always joy to make. I'm hooked on knitting these balls and thanks to who? Arne and Carlos from Norway.

And here is my latest bargain shopping from The Works :) I love all sorts of craft bibles and this quilting one is a particularly tempting one. I'm not ready for taking up quilting yet but it's my dream to be able to quilt and patchwork in the future and of course a good reference book will always come in handy. As for the second book - Mollie Makes series of books I just love to have :)

Have a good week folks :)

Greetings x x x

Martha

For the love of sea

I love sea! I love going to the seaside, sitting on a beach, walking on sand, picking up shells and all that stuff you can do when you go there. I also love all sorts of nautical accessories for home and seaside craft projects. I've always dreamt of a room decorated in a marine style and hopefully this dream will come true one day :) 

Recently I've felt like making some nautical greeting cards so this week the first four have been made (and I still feel like making more!). I used water colours paints, drawing pen, some nautical stamps I managed to collect over time :) and some freebie digi-papers and digi-badges downloaded from White Sheep's blog (2nd, 3rd and 4th card). For the background on the 1st card I used Tim Holtz's alcohol ink - Stream to create this shad-y-stain-y effect. 3 of these cards have been machine-sewn and distressed. Oh and I like to keep my cards simple when it comes to this theme :)

For my craft stash I recently bought some lovely nautical stamps! Most are deals from ebay, like these for example:

The first free sets are Inkadinkado stamps, the last stamp set comes from Personal Impressions.

I've also bought some little ones from local craft shops:

And now the cherry on the cake: this gorgeous stamp set is my fave and it came all the way from Poland! Ordered by one of my Polish friends on my request. I adore this vintage map and compass as much as the lighthouse and other bits :)

Bored? Hope not! Cause this is not the end! :P For my future marine projects (nautical cross stitch pictures framed in some shabby chic frames) I also bought this pack of shells from a local garden centre. When I'm ready with my cross stitch designs, I'm going to decorate the frame with some real seashells :D

Obviously shopping for shells doesn't rule out picking up my own shells from the beach! These are my sea treasures from the last trip to the seaside in Prestatyn. My favourites are those with blue and white stripes! :)

And last but not least my marine glass :D As a glass painter I just couldn't miss a shop shelf stocked with such lovely votives in aquatic colours. Don't the air bubbles trapped in the glass remind you of sea water? :) Initially I thought of decorating them but then I decided to leave them be. Just like the way they are :)

quick edit: LOL I've forgotten to show off my new lovely nautical fabrics!!! :D

I don't know what exactly I am gonna make out of them yet! It may be a cross stitched beach hut doorstop with a nautical backing fabric.... I wonder :)

Sunday eve is time for Hand-made Monday at Wendy's. Tonight I'm linkin up this blog party and submitting my greeting cards. Guys, check the other places for some lovely craft stuff!