Stocki Blog is moving

After lots of blog button searching I have found that I cannot reply to peoples comments on Blogger, and as my blog is changing slightly, I really need to do that. 

So Stocki is now becoming  - stocktoncrafts.typepad.com - please follow me there... I don't want to lose you :)

A glassy treasure for Christmas

At the auction on Friday I also found 2 broken lights...they have light bulb fittings, so not that old...but one has glass beads like a chandelier, and the other has a glass bowl....

I have Christmassy plans for these lights ...

I dismantled them, and retrieved the glass sparkly components.... 28 gorgeous pendants each of 7 glass beads.....

They really sparkle in the sun....

Imagine these little beauties dangling from a Christmas tree...

Christmas lights twinkling around them....

hmmm.... I'll get back to you on this one!

Suffolk sunniness

A beautiful sunny evening yesterday in the middle of a sunny, warm weekend... perfect for a trip to the 'Low House' in Laxfield....

The Kings Head (or low house), Laxfield, Suffolk, UK

As you can see it is really called The King's Head, but locals call it the 'Low House'... because there is another pub in Laxfield which is higher up the road...I've never heard that one called the 'high' house though....

The special thing about the Low House is that it is one of very few remaining , 'tap room' pubs... there is no bar, the beer is served straight from the barrels in the tap room at the back of the pub. 

The 'tap' room

When we are in Suffolk we make a point of having a drink here, it just feels like you have slipped back a century and all is well with the world.... Freddie quite likes it too... lots of people come up and say hello to him.....

Freddie

Not much creating has gone on this weekend, but I did manage to make a visit to an auctioneers called, 'T.W. Gaze' in Diss, Suffolk. I do love going to auctions - you see antiques and fine arts of all sorts going under the hammer, plus 'modern' items, household clearance sales, old tools, garden statuary... but for me it is all about the glass... beautiful vintage, colourful glass...

Suffolk and Hoopla Grannies

I'm in Suffolk today ... hubby is restoring a barn here.. when we first met (nearly 10 years ago) he told me that he lived in an 'almost finished' converted barn.... well what a porkie pie! It is a ramshackle old barn still.  It has a house on the end of it though, so it's all good. 

Last month work started on the actual barn - it is going to be a living room and bedroom eventually - footings are being dug and beams replaced etc., so we are off the see the progress this weekend.  I'll show you the photos next week. Does anyone else live in Suffolk, UK?

Meanwhile... look what I made in a brief respite from Hexagons!!

Ahh just a good old Granny square I hear you say?  But look at this:

That is my favourite mug next to the square... I got fed up with the lack of sunshine during Wimbledon weeks ... so dull was the light indoors that I decided to brighten up the hall... this may be going a little far... the colours are very BRIGHT!!  But they do make me smile and when the hall is painted white.....ooooo I can't wait!
I used a size 15mm hook and each square took me 50 minutes to make... I reckon I am going to need 6 squares. Has anyone else got any experience with Hoopla Yarn (it is like Zpagetti in Europe)?  I sell it in my internet shop so have the adantage of being able to choose from all the lovely colours, but the cones are HUGE so I think I am going to sell smaller amounts so that people can try it out, or use it to trim smaller projects... I'd love some input from other crafters really... so let me know what you think....