Ministry of Craft is making knitting as easy as 1,2,3. Hence the name of their new course - Knit 123. Whether you’re a beginner with ambition or have neglected your needles, Artyarn’s Sarah Hardacre and Rachael Elwell will take you through a range of skills including basic knitting and purling, how to increase and decrease and demystifying patterns. This course is split into 3 sessions taking place on Thursday 10, 17 and 24 September.

Rachael Ewell has a busy month ahead. She is also running the Ministry’s Learn to Crochet course. This course will give you all the basics you need to crochet on your own, including basic stitches, crocheting a square and a circle, how to follow a pattern and mixing coloured yarns, amongst a whole host of other techniques, hints and tips. You can put all your new found skills to good use by crocheting a flower brooch – ready to wear – by the end of the final session.

This course runs on Wednesday 16, 23 and 30 September.

Both courses take place at Fred Aldous in Manchester.

You can book both courses on the Ministry of Craft website.

At the end of August the Bonbi Forest Indie Emporium will close its doors. Well, sort of. It will no longer sell the work of lots of independent designers. The focus will be solely on the Bonbi Forest brand. Owner / designer Lee May Foster has lots of exciting things planned. She explains, ‘The store has grown and grown over the last 2 years that it has been open and now has nearly 60 designers supplying their wonderful goodies. . . . along with the growth and its success it has also meant that there has been a big increase in the amount of work it takes to keep it running smoothly and efficiently and it really is just a bit too much for this one designer to keep running on her own, as well as keep on making and creating new and fresh and lovely things.’

Lee May will relaunch in September with a whole host of new tees, accessories, jewels and art. Before then you can take advantage of a 15% discount. Just type in BYEBYE when prompted at the checkout. But be quick. There are only a few days left.

Go to www.bonbiforest.com.

Good luck Lee May.

24.08.09

Well, gosh a’mighty! Those ladies at BUST sure do know how to throw a craft bash don’t they? I had the great pleasure of attending the second ever BUST Craftacular event in London Town this weekend. What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than by browsing (and buying) the work of forty plus talented independent businesses owners and scoffing the yummiest cupcakes known to (wo)man in the cutest pop-up tea shoppe in the land? There is no better way. Really, there isn’t.

I joined the queue of eager craft enthusiasts and curious indie shoppers outside York Hall, Bethnal Green at 11.15am having gulped down a nutritious on-the-go breakfast of strawberry milkshake and cheap cigarettes. I was far too excited to eat. Since I’m usually busy working alongside my fellow Made In The Shaders creating large-scale indie craft events in Glasgow, I rarely get the chance to get out and about and explore the glorious array of DIY marketplaces in other cities. As a longtime reader of BUST, this particular occasion really got the butterflies in my tummy a-fluttering. While waiting patiently for the burly security men to let us into the venue, I engaged in some fun queue watching. A fabulous mix of shoppers had gathered in wait for crafty kick off. As groups of excitable gals and fellas joined the line, they took frantic headcounts in a bid to establish whether they’d made it in time to be one of the first 100 customers who’d blag a highly coveted BUST Craftacular goody bag! My friend Clare and I were photographed by a BUST photographer gal AND we sneaked a peek at the Lady Luck Rules OK Pop-Up Tea Shoppe waitresses as they gracefully glided from their cab to the York Hall entrance. I let out a little squeal of delight at the fantastic vintage hairdos and retro aprons on display. We made friends with boys ahead of us in the line and I was spooked by a wasp.

The crowds were let loose right on schedule. Clare and I paid our entry fee (just £2!), ooh-ed and aah-ed at our complimentary Tatty Devine goody bags and made a hurried shuffle through to the main event space. After some to-ing and fro-ing trying to decide on the most effective shopping strategy, we spun round on the spot a few times, marvelled at the variety of work on offer then got a grip of ourselves and made a bee-line for the first ‘lane’ of makers. Feeling rather overwhelmed by the fabulousness of the whole affair, I couldn’t stop grinning. The poor stallholders must have been a little perturbed by my enthusiasm, but I just couldn’t hold it in. It’s not at all practical for me to list my favourite makers and my product highlights. There are too many. Too many. Instead, I’ll share my purchases with you.

I made a pact with myself not to spend any money during the course of my ‘first circuit’ of the market hall. A pact made in vain. I made it just six or seven tables along the first lane, biting my lip all the way and clutching my pocket money so hard my pennies made red dents in my hands - before I made purchases at Fine City Friends’ stall. The seal had been broken. I bought a print by Gemma Correll for my bedroom I bought a little woolly robot guy as a gift for my husband. I already have a couple of birdie prints by Kate Wilson (Little Doodles) found through the wonderful Hannah Zakari consignment store, but seeing an entire range of her work in real life left me a little short of breath. In the end, I couldn’t decide which of the handmade ceramic object d’arte I wanted to take home most. I plumped instead for two pretty birdie postcards and a little set of stickers. I bought the entire back catalogue of DIY craft zine Sugar Paper and… I bought a pie girl!

Yes. A pie girl. Hand sewn by The Cat In The Shoe, my pie girl spoke to me from her little seat on the trestle table. Right now, I’m a pie. Right now, she’s a pie. I love her. Pie girl (she doesn’t have a name yet) is currently perched in my bedroom beside the handmade ceramic tealight holder I bought from By Louise. My chosen motif was a green and indigo vintage floral gun.

In amongst all the shopping and squealing, we managed not just one, but two trips to the Lady Luck Rules OK Pop-Up Tea Shoppe. We may not have won anything in the Tea Shoppe Tombola, but we sure did enjoy tea-for-two and yummy homebaked vanilla cupcakes at the 60s table, then MORE tea-for-two and cookies at the 70s table. A raucous round of applause is due to the wonderful Tea Shoppe hostess who, despite being utterly swamped by customers, still maintained a friendly smile and a truly ladylike demeanor amidst the madness!

We had such a lovely time meeting people face to face whom we’ve built virtual relationships with through our Made In The Shade work. Lush & Lovely, We Make, Rosie Lee Clothing, Custom Made, Little Doodles, Tatty Devine and Lady Luck Rules OK – ’twas just swell to meet you in the flesh! We’ve never been that great at ‘networking’ (bleugh, even the word makes me feel anxious) but the fun, warm, welcoming BUST environment was the perfect backdrop to shop and chat with a troupe of wonderful designers and makers. ‘Twas the perfect place to make new links and put some faces to some names. When all the pennies had been spent and all our Made In The Shade postcards had been distributed, we said our farewells to our Scottish chums Showpony and Hannah Zakari and skipped off on our merry way – our tummies full of cake and our tote bags laden with freebies and handmade goodies. Now. Must save up more pocket money to return at Christmas time!

by Carrie Maclennan

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Thank you for writing such a great post, Carrie.

I love the texture of these ceramics. They are made by Cynthia Vardhan using a fine translucent porcelain which she formulates herself. Hold them up to a lamp and you can see the light shining through them. The colourful slip is applied through a needle-like tool in a precise and clean pattern. The effect is a raised, tactile decoration that you can see and feel.

Cynthia’s work is inspired by her travels, from old English lace to Indian henna patterns.

Shop online at www.cynthiavardhan.etsy.com. To read more about Cynthia visit www.cynthiavardhan.com.

The Doodle Bread Kit helps you ‘make your own bread that doesn’t look like anyone else’s in the world, ever’. Each slice of bread has a shape or icon running through the middle. Like these:

Owner Rose Kane has worked hard to ensure that everything that goes into the bread is simple, safe and healthy. The colouring comes from powdered vegetables, seeds and grains.

Rosa says, ‘Doodle Bread is about Saturday afternoons together, rainy days in the kitchen, getting messy and having fun, then eating the result!’

I love this idea. And what a great way of getting kids into the kitchen.

To buy the kit, read Rosa’s blog and to find recipes, go to www.doodlebread.com.

Sarah Bagner, aka Supermarket Sarah, waved goodbye to the corporate world and set up shop in her own home. She sells a hodge-podge of vintage clothes, weird and wonderful objects and exclusive new designers’ work. The opening page of Sarah’s website is her living room wall. This changes regularly with different themes and inspirations. Hover over the images to buy them. But be quick. Sarah has a keen eye for quirky, eccentric knick-knacks and they don’t last long.

Current designers include Mel Elliot, Mrs D’arcy, Victoria Grant and The Whistling Chair.

Find Sarah at Portobello Market or at www.supermarketsarah.com. Perfect for Friday afternoon browsing!

The NESTA award winning (doesn’t that sound grand?) Made in the Shade will be returning to the Lighthouse next month to host another bumper ‘off-beat design, craft and vintage lifestyle’ fest. They will be joined by an unrivalled pick of UK creative talent who will be selling their wares and making merry. Highlights this season include acclaimed boutique and DIY favourites Lady Luck Rules OK and fellow NESTA award winning business Kabloom – the originator of uber-cool guerrilla gardening product, Seedbom.

Made In The Shade, a dinky but dynamic business based in Glasgow, offers designers, crafters and other creative micro-retailers innovative showcase / retail opportunities and bespoke, sector specific business and marketing services. With plans to open the first multi-functional Made In The Shade retail space in Glasgow in Autumn/Winter 2009, the gals will continue to nurture and support creative talent from Scotland and across the UK.

Last month, the Made In The Shade gals’ efforts were recognised and rewarded by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA). Made In The Shade won grant funding from the NESTA Starter for 6 programme, allocated to innovative businesses with a view to helping them flourish. Yay!

What: Made In The Shade Boutique Shopping Event
When: Saturday 26th September 2009 | 10.30am – 5pm | FREE ENTRY
Where: The Lighthouse, Mitchell Lane, Glasgow, G1 3NU
More Info: www.wearemadeintheshade.com

It’s great to see new craft markets springing up in the UK. There’s never been a better time to buy handmade. The latest is Handmade Market which takes place on 29th August in Chorlton. Expect to find quality handmade arts and crafts, jewellery, photographs and lots more. Ooh and vegan cakes and treats.

What: Handmade Market
When: Saturday 29 August, 10.30 to 5.00
Where: St Clements Church, Chorlton
More Info: www.handmademarkets.blogspot.com