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MRS MOON BLOG

Plump and Proud

February 03, 2014

At the end of last week we had the most exciting delivery we have ever had at Mrs Moon, and possibly the smallest!  14 perfectly formed hanks of the softest super chunky yarn imaginable... and they just happen to be ours!  Our very own Mrs Moon yarn which we've called Plump

We have been planning for Plump since last May.  A LOT of thought has gone into it and we are SO pleased with the result!  We wanted to create a yarn that is super chunky but also very soft and snuggly, which is oftern not the case with super chunky yarns.  Plump is a mix of ethically sourced Australian superfine NewMerino and baby alpaca.  It feels like a cloud!

It has been dyed and spun here in the UK.

We have chosen a beautiful palette of colours and continuing on the Plump theme have named them after some of our favourite sweets and treats...  can you work out which colour is which?  In the picture here we've got, amongst others, damson jam, pistachio ice cream, bonbon, raspberry ripple, cherry pie, marmalade, fondant fancy, rhubarb crumble.....

Keeping it simple

January 10, 2014

It's the time of year when everyone seems to be cutting something out or acting slightly more responsibly, so not to be left out I have decided not to diet, get fit or only each raw vegetables, but to try and use up some of my yarn leftovers rather than start something new!  I know, those raw people think they've got it tough?!!

All my leftovers are really rather lovely though, so it's not so bad.... don't be too in awe! And there is something rather lovely about shuffling around all the different colours.  My project is as old as the hills and as simple as they come.  I'm rustling up a granny squares blanket as a gift and am having great fun mixing the colours from different projects that might not necessarily be the colours you would automatically put together...!  That's what granny squares are all about isn't it?!  As you can imagine, I have quite a lot of leftovers from running a shop and am slightly embarrassed to declare that I had 12 different Spud & Chloe Sweater colours to choose from!  

I decided to ditch the cream and white... there is something rather lovely about the clash of other bright colours and the neutral tones seemed to make it a bit too sophisticated!    I'm trying to make the colour combos totally random, but random as always is incredibly hard to achieve, so I've got to the point now where I'm have a little spreadsheet by ny side tallying which colours I've used where to make sure that I don't have too may yellow outsides or blue middles...!  It's coming along nicely though... just dreading the sewing up (and more to the point, the sewing in ends!)

Now where are the carrots??

 

If you want to learn how to crochet granny squares check out our 'how to' section here

Lovely kits

November 22, 2013

We've been busy creating gift kits ready for Christmas (and beyond) this week.  All the kits come with the yarn and needles or hooks needed for our favourite projects, plus a Mrs Moon project bag and the pattern, all wrapped up in a lovely buff box tied with ribbon.

As you can imagine, with the various colour combinations, that's quite a bit of photographing and I was just updating our dropbox folder with some of the latest pics and this is what I saw!  Doesn't it beautiful... ?  The kits pictured include our beginners knitting and crochet kits, Strawberry Hill, Riverdale and Godstone, but I think it's the overall effect of the thumbnails that looks so cool!

If you've been wanting to splash out on a special project, this is a great way of making sure you get exactly what you want ... send your loved ones our way!

Manly scarf

November 19, 2013

My husband is always hoping that the next thing on my needles is for him..... and is generally disappointed.  So desperate is he for a hat, that when I started casting on a beret in yellow, he still thought that there was a possibility....  really??

The thing about men's knits is that they take so long and let's face it, are generally fairly boring... (insert  'always' for 'generally').  Also, don't get me onto the colours!!!  Lordy, it gets me down!

Anyway, if you are thinking that the man in your life does deserve a handknit, here is the solution....  something small, quick and gorgeous.

You've probably realised we're slightly fanatical about Worsted Hand Dyes, but it really is an incredibly luxurious yarn and also wears unbelievably well.  My Strawberry Hill cowl was rarely off my person last winter and looks as good as new.  It's even (don't tell anyone) gone in the washing machine and still looks great!

 

 

So, here is my solution for your manly scarf.....

2 skeins Worsted Hand Dyes (shown here in olive, but charcoal, midnight, cranberry, chocolate, mulberry...(I could go on)... would all be great)

8mm needles

Cast on 36 stitches

Row 1: * K2, P2, repeat from * to end

Row 2: *K2, P2, repeat from * to end

Carry on repeating these rows until you've used up all your beautiful yarn and cast off in pattern.

I'd really recommend slipping the first stitch of every row to ensure you get a lovely smooth edge.

So quick, you could probably start it on 23rd Dec and have it under the tree on 24th....

If you would like a kit for this, click here.

Happy Birthday Mrs Moon!

November 12, 2013

Four years ago, we had just opened our door to our first customers.  We had planned to open the following day, but realised that it was Friday 13th so probably not that good an omen!!  What a steep learning curve we have been on!  Thank you to everyone who has helped us along the way, especially Lynn who has been there since day 1, picking up the pieces (literally and metaphorically) and kept us going!

We've received these gorgeous lilies from Lynn with another incredible knitted project.... tiny weeny knitted things... seriously, they are absolutely tiny.... she is extraordinary!

And Amanda gave us 3 of her delicious cakes from Grounded... What a perfect day!

Thank you to all our lovely customers, both online and in the shop.  And of course  to everyone who has worked at Mrs Moon and still does.. Lydia, Jenny, Nathalie, Kate, Penny, Jodie, Jane and Allison, not forgetting Karen (are you the only person that reads the blog????)... you are all gorgeous!  As a special thank you for those of you who do read this, here's a 10% off code for 24 hours (ends 11.59pm 13/11/13) ... Just use HAPPYBIRTHDAY at the checkout, or mention in the shop...  we're waiting......!

... now, where's the prosecco...?   :)

 

Meet the Ms Moons... pt 1

November 05, 2013

Part one of our 'meet the new faces at Mrs Moon' and welcome Jodie!

Can you guess what Jodie used to do??  Yes, very excitingly for my daughter Tilly (and me) Jodie is a dancer by trade and has promised to give us a few hints and tips on grace and elegance (I think I might be a bit past it with anything else dance related!) 

Before you know where you are, we will be wandering around in handknitted legwarmers and wraps, stretching at every opportunity!  Probably not surprisingly, Jodie seems to have a slightly healthier diet than Susan and me and so far hasn't felt the need for coffee or cake from Grounded next door... she is absolutley lovely though so we'll let her off.  She has relocated to Mrs Moon from New York, but doesn't seem too fazed by the frenetic atmosphere in St Margarets and we're sure she'll keep up with the pace!

Hopefully you'll meet her soon!

Richmond Business Awards

October 25, 2013

Check out Susan and I looking slightly ridiculous at the Richmond Business Awards last week!  We were thrilled to be Highly Commended in the Best Retail category and after the odd glass of wine look very happy to be sandwiched between Vince Cable and Zac Goldsmith.... they obviously weren't enjoying themselves quite as much as us!

The awards were at Hampton Court Palace and we had a lovely table with girls from SKIN lounge on Richmond Hill.  They made it a great fun evening... we had a slightly less serious table than most others!

 

Kew Gardens

October 04, 2013

I just love this scarf that Susan has created using Blue Sky Alpacas' Melange and Sportweight.  When she was making it she kept calling me saying she didn't know what she should do with all these flowers...  they were so beautiful but she couldn't make her mind up (which isn't unusual for Susan!)

We were really keen on a scarf, she wanted to do a cushion cover.  To be honest either would have been fine, but I just don't get why would you have something so lovely on a cushion.. maybe other peoples' children have more respect for their soft furnishings than mine...?

 

Anyway, here is the result.  Perfect too... but is you want it to be a cushion cover, go ahead!

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