November!

November already; I'm feeling pretty disorientated at the moment as we were away for 10 nights and now all of a sudden we're into November and before I know it I'll be trying to get ready for the craft fairs etc in the build up to Christmas...eek!

I can't grumble really as we had a lovely time away on holiday though it was all very much of a whirlwind it was lovely all the same :) We flew from Cork to Birmingham and had a couple of days staying with Peter's Mum, then flew from the East Midlands airport to Venice and had three nights there, then caught the train to Florence, had three nights there and then flew from Pisa to Stansted in England and stayed a night in the hotel there before catching the first flight back to Cork the next morning ------- phew!

Venice and Florence were both out of this world - I took nearly 500 photos and will be posting some of the better ones on my facebook page and on here in due course! So be prepared for a photographic onslaught soon.

While we were away I had to deactivate all my Etsy shop and things have been pretty dead since then but I'm still hopeful that things will pick up before Christmas, there's still time. Now we're back home I'm keeping busy making things - I've just finished a hat for the lovely Siobhan and am making some more crocodile stitch wrist warmers (for my shop) and a little rainbow colours baby cardi :) I like to have a couple of things on the go at the same time.

I've got a biggish custom order coming up - just waiting for the wool to come in the post (from PurpleLinda in Scotland); I'd ordered it just before we went on holiday and it should hopefully arrive sometime next week. I ordered a few extra bits and pieces too, but the lady in America wanted a matching infinity scarf and hat in pure merino wool (she also bought a pair of wrist warmers in the same yarn/colour) - I can't wait to get started on them!

Here are the yarns I bought while in Italy - yes, we actually went looking for wool shops even while on holiday...

the ones in the photo above were bought from a tiny shop in Venice, which we found by accident! They are all pure wool (and merino wool) except for the bottom 'row' - the sock yarn is a wool/nylon blend and the bottom right is a silk and merino wool blend which is just so so soft!

...and I bought all of these at Mirko Filati in Florence; which was just the loveliest place ever! I think I'll write a separate blog post about that shop as I don't really have time right now and it really deserves a whole post of its own.

before I go I'll just leave you with this photo of me crocheting by the grand canal! of course my crochet went with me - this is the pair of crocodile stitch wrist warmers, which will eventually make it to my etsy shop. :)