Lolapops' secret crush....

This is a 'shout out' blog to a lovely lady called Kelly who makes jewellery in her spare time. I met Kelly many years ago when she was studying at Nottingham in the same class as my sister at their fashion show, we shared a train journey, then didn't see her until last year at the ace Craft Candy 'Candy floss summer fair' there she was with a stall full of supercool jewellery that made me really excited!

Her designs are gorgeous and very reasonable, like this awesome cat mask brooch, a must for any fans of Ghost World's Enid!

This can be found at her big cartel shop (click on the picture above) along with lots of other ace jewellery, but it doesn't stop there! At the Summer craft fair Kelly and I discovered we had a mutual love for the Twilight Saga...she admitted wanting to make twilight themed jewellery but wasn't sure, I obviously told her she should go for it! Skip to December, post New Moon film release, we see Kelly at Craft Candy's Christmas fair...still no Twilight themed jewellery, I'm all tuts and head shaking! Skip to the end of December, a few days before christmas and I get some post from lolapop..'I haven't ordered anything..this is odd!' Then I open it and a deafening screech ensues, it's only a TEAM JASPER bedge complete with cutout fangs!

Here I am enjoying the brooch at a twilight board game evening, compelete with open fire and candles...and the soundtrack, hardcore! Keep reading, I am getting to the good bit,promise... lolapop's secret stash of Twilight jewellery. WARNING, only for team Edward at the moment, but it's good stuff!

And these are on her etsy shop, a sneaky little side shop with these amazing Vampire goodies! So go and check out her goods, and if you tell enough of your friends, then maybe one day Kelly will get to make jewellery all of the time!

Left to my own devices....

...home alone tonight, I decided it was time to sew all these knitted pieces (that never quite became the finished piece) together!

Another little blanket to add to the big blanket I have been piecing together over the past few years of Knit and Destroy. Here are big blanket and little blanket together on the sofa!

Now it's time for me to get under it and get warm, mmmmm.

SALE! SALE! SALE!

Hello there,

Knit and Destroy is about to have a HUGE makeover, oh yeah! But before I leave you for a while to beaver away at the new look K&D I am giving you all a chance to bag yourself a bargain.

Click on the banner above to ckeck out the online shop where there are some awesome knits at even awesomer prices!!!

More soon, Kandy x

Inspiro 09 - The Ladies part 2

Hello again,

I have just finished knitting up some pieces on the machines here at work to show my 1st year students next week in an attempt to get them excited about knitting, yeah!!! Next job is to tidy the colour co-ordinated yarns, but before I do that I wanted to re-visit my inspiro-09 blog from January. So, Angelique was amazing to meet and that was in March in Amsterdam...now back to the UK, Manchester to be precise and another awesome lady!

My second lovely lady of 2009 was Tara McPherson, amaaazing artiste, I first saw her work in the form of this sleater-kinney poster...

I got her first book (Lonely Heart) a few years ago and promptly colour copied my fave posters, framed them and put them up in my house, classy, I know but I couldn't afford the real thing! As well as loads of amazing posters, Tara makes beautiful pictures of ladies, creatures and outer space all in a colour palette that makes my heart melt. Tara's new book 'Lost Constellations' came out in '09 and she did a signing of it right here in Manchester! I missed the last signing that my friends went to in London and was super-excited to hear she was coming to Manchester! The signing was at the Richard goodall gallery, and when we got there they only had a few books left to buy (said they underestimated the popularity...idiots!!) anyways, 2 out of the 3 of us got books, I think Seleena had her polaroid of her dressed as a Tara McPherson painting (see below) to get signed so it was all ok! I can't remember much detail but we queued for a bit, maybe had a free bottle of vitamin water from the fridge?! Got over-excited about cushions with Tara's pictures on them (I bought one, it goes perfectly in my new front room!) then it was our turn to meet her....

Yes, she loooks this effortlessly badass in real life! We presented her with books to put her personal mark in and she drew us a little picture each on the inside cover, sweeet! She really liked the photo of Selena 'awesome'...i think she might have written that on it actually. I think we all muttered thanks and we love you a litle bit then all too soon it was over! She was smily and friendly and it was great to finally meet her. Thank you Tara McPherson for making pictures that make me happy! And making me want to make things that make people smile like you do. x x x