iKnit, youKnit, weKnit

another trip out for the huggers, along with the old lady (strangely re-branded as Smith and Coates these days), her egg cosies and new range of childrens' clothes. all made from felted (ie. shrunk in a hot wash) adult jumpers with embellishments lovingly hand crocheted and stitched.

our trip was made possible by the 'knitting guru' Fiona Bailey (in green above - yes, it's really her) she of knit and caboodle and the beautifully produced book 'Simply Knit....Hats', who kindly invited us to join her.

lots of lovely knitting on display - as the term iknit might suggest, we especially loved seeing so much british wool in evidence - John Arvon and Herdy being our particular favourites. Herdy are championing the much neglected Herdwick sheep and making modern, beautifully designed textiles, mugs and cards. what a relief. have a look - herdy.co.uk.

next up Queen's Park Day - sunday 14th september.....come on sunshine.

not just jumpers in arran

let's face it, british holidays aren't really about the sun, and if you're made of wool they are of course perfect - no danger of overheating.

these two made it up to the beautiful isle of arran for a bit of a relax and had a lovely time with Bea and Mrs Booth. they seem to be getting on quite well, no?

a study in purple - and just look how he travelled....

thank you Booths, for really getting it.

she's going to Miami

lucky little hugger. only the second one ever made. she spent the first two years of her life languishing on the dresser waiting for me to send her to little eva (for whom she was made). within months of meeting the nutters she send me this; a snap of her lounging around, blinged up on palm beach.....


just what we expect from you, amigos. feeling the love.

African nights

And so, our tale of wandering huggermuggers brings us to Abuja (that's in Nigeria), for a night of al fresco bench living and a trip to the local Sheraton - get her.

Apparently Miss Hippo loved it so much she might return one day(eh, Philly?).....

Dipped in Honey Does Dubai

dubai - the land of sheiks, shopping and shisha. dipped in honey nipped over for a quick look around, just in case he fancied a move.

the opportunities for coffee and dining al fresco were good, if recently built.

it was especially good to catch up with some old friends, and the sun (who hadn't visited the UK for a while either).

squid, beegu and stripy bunny were all doing well in their new home - squid especially enjoying the pool and his new friends scary shark, big sister starfish

and baby starfish.

it's not a bad life. not quite north london but, hey, you can't have everything.

Huggermuggers in India

so ... two lucky huggermuggers have made it to India. A quick trip to the Taj Mahal in all its hazy splendour ....

followed by what looks like a nervous preparation for their ride home .... or are they just hugging each other with glee at being where they are?

many many thanks to Radha for showing them such a very good time .....


more travel snaps due soon as the huggers discover the world outside north west london

come back soon

Great times at Great Western

A grand day out for the huggermuggers and Old Lady Village Fete at the Great Western Studios. We were very well looked after, lots of soup, tea and a gas fire (thank you Adam). Also, lots of people smiling and sometimes laughing out loud at our stall. We're getting used to that.

Said goodbye to most of the huggermuggers (and all of the bobs) which was weird in a way; some of them have been around for nearly a year. Lovely to see so many kids of all ages, especially you, little-Montgomery-girl -whose -name -I've -forgotten who ran off and did this lovely picture of her bob for us.

If you bought a hugger or a bob this weekend, please think about sending us photos (or films) of anything you get up to so we can put them up on Flickr. Jpegs or mpegs most welcome.

Lots of love for the Old Lady's rooster egg cosies - if you'd like to know more about them, and where you can get some in the future - or any other Smith and Coates products (hats, scarves, tops etc.) get in touch with me for now and I'll forward your messages.

So.... what next (other than making some more huggermuggers, quick smart)? First thing, to get the web shop up and running - I just need to get some clear photos done and sort out how postage and packing works, then it's PayPal here we come.

Then (probably after Christmas) we're going to try and get some postcard and greeting card packs done, and think about doing t-shirts and bags.

Please, if you'd like to keep in touch with what we do, subscribe to the mailing list via the first page of the site - I haven't got the time to bombard you with information I promise....

That's it for now

Clare