Finished!

Well....I finally finished the little aran cardigan I was knitting a couple of weeks ago.  Thankfully it was during the wintery cold wet weather so I know it has been worn :-)
I'm quite pleased with how it turmed out, the pattern worked out well and both sides matched which is a bonus! The worst bit for me is the sewing....Generally I quite like sewing but for some strange reason I really loathe sewing up knitted garments.......I think that the knitting bug has gone away now for a little while so no more projects for now!

Bank Holiday Sale!

BANK HOLIDAY SALE now on!
Click on the link to go to my Etsy shop where everything has just been discounted.....
http://www.etsy.com/shop/vintagejewelbox

All the website stock now has 10% off too :-) Take a look if you have had your eye on something........
www.vintagejewelbox.co.uk.
PLEASE NOTE : With the website the 10% discount will be refunded to your account via Paypal once you have completed checkout and your order is confirmed. Unfortunately it isn't possible for me to apply it directly to the prices on the site.


BOTH SALES end 11pm GMT Tuesday 8th May.
FREE shipping in the UK.....Overseas buyers please note the discount applies to the item price only, not the shipping costs.

Any questions feel free to ask :-)

Vintage Liberty silk scarves on trend for this season!

Over Easter I have added some lovely vintage Liberty of London pure silk scarves to the website..........
Liberty scarves are always nice quality silk and the variety of designs never ceases to amaze me as I am always seeing one I haven't had before!  They range from the traditional floral and paisley designs associated with Liberty textiles to fabulous pictorial, commemorative and geometric prints.
Buying a vintage Liberty scarf represents very good value for money.........New they retail for around £100 and upwards, the ones I sell on the site range from £26 to approx £65 depending on size and condition.

I always handwash and press my scarves before selling them and will point out any obvious flaws and grade them either 'GOOD' 'VERY GOOD' OR 'EXCELLENT' All are wearable as I won't buy anything I wouldn't use myself so any flaws are very minor :-)

The brightly coloured one above is a perfect example of how vintage can blend with the current fashion trends....This seasons bold florals in bright colours make this scarf completely on trend and it is much easier to wear for most of us than say a dress in a similar print.

I haven't managed to do justice to the scarf above with my photography as the delicate soft pink, blue and lavender colourway and design have lost there impact somewhat....It is much prettier in reality than my pictures show and again links with the other trend for this season 'Pastels'  It would look lovely casually tied at the neck with a soft pink or blue mac!

Tootally vintage!

My Tootal scarf stock on the website has got very low, mostly due to the weather in the last couple of months.  It is hard to handwash things and get them dried on the line in winter as the days are so short and if the sun appears isn't very warm or long lasting.
Last week, I finally managed to get round to washing some of the scarves I have waiting in the wings and thought the day was going to be a good one, but as soon as it was time to put them on the washing line, the sun had gone in for the day :-(

I persevered with them all day but to get them really dry had to resort to the airer in the utility room to finish them off!
Anyway, they are now ironed and looking 'Tootally vintage' I love to see them all clean and pressed, in a nice little stack...... Now,  I must get cracking and get them listed on the site!

A little knitting project!

I used to knit......A lot!
Over the last few years I have scarcely picked up the needles except to knit for my two nephews when they were babies and who are now 13 and 15....shows how long ago I am talking about :-)

Then my friend Jenny (who I stand with at the Nec) became a grandmother in 2010 and I when Alice was born I made her a sweet little cardi in a vintage pink.  I really enjoyed doing it as I found it gave me some clear headspace away from various worries and although I love what I do most of the time, it can become all consuming so it was nice that it wasn't anything to do with work.  I took the needles out again last summer when my other friends daughter had her second baby and was thrilled with how delighted she was with the little cardi and bootees I had knitted.

Things in my personal life have been quite difficult since then, so I decided it was time for another knitting project as a bit of therapy to help clear my head for a hour or so a day :-)
Aran knitting was always my favourite of all as it grows fast and keeps me concentrating enough not to get bored.  I don't mind a bit of stocking stitch but my mind wanders all over the place and I get that I look forward to casting off!
I have chosen a traditional aran pattern for a little boy and have got on quite well as I have finished the back now.

 

Initially though all was not well,  I had to take it back to the ribbing twice as I went completely wrong!!!
I was just being blase because years ago I could rattle off an aran in no time, but I was really out of practice after years of being in the knitting desert and needed to get back into the right mode.  Needless to say once I sat down for long enough and quietly concentrated for the first couple of inches it was like riding a bike.......you don't actually lose the skill, you just go a bit wobbly at first :-)

I am now on the sleeves and for the first time ever I am knitting two sleeves on one pair of needles.  A friend of my Mums used to knit for a shop years ago and I remember seeing her doing both sleeves at once but never tried it.  Well........ it's brilliant!

I have nearly finished them and it will be great that when I cast off, two of them are done :-)
I am now thinking I may attempt the two fronts on one needle!

I'll keep you posted :-)