Home decor

Knitting book wishlist

| beth

You may have noticed that I love a good book (ahem)…so when you combine books AND knitting, I’m in there like swimwear.

I bought Pam Allen’s Home Collection from Quince & Co. as an ebook earlier this year (or was it even last year – how time flies!) – and devoured it. It comes with no less that 18 patterns including clothing, accessories and homewears. I’ve made so many things from it, and have plans to make a couple of the larger garments too. Personal faves include the Tai Baskets, the Bergson socks and the Lily Slipper Flats! Continue reading →

Getting your knitting stash organised

| beth

Before Christmas my knitting stash was an unbelievable mess and my two main areas for keeping my yarn and needles were inside a footstool in our lounge, and *shock, horror* chucked behind one of our armchairs!

Something had to change.

For the last few months I’ve been ever so slowly compiling items of furniture and home decor/storage boxes to be used in my perfectly cosy little office. A slow process because I’ve not wanted to just buy things for the sake of it. Instead waiting patiently until ‘the one’ of every purchase came around. This can take time, but one by one I’ve found my perfect desk, chair, desk lamp, lampshade, shelves and storage boxes. In due course I must take some pictures and show you how it all looks, but at the moment it still needs a lick of paint and a blind (just ordered).

However, it is useable. So over the holiday I started using my office space, having a full clear out of my yarns in the process. Here’s how I tackled my dishevelled collection.

Knitting stash storage boxes | Shortrounds Knitwear Continue reading →

Christmas and New Year 2015

| beth

Happy New Year! And here’s to a fantastic 2016.

Last year was a fantastic year for me and Mr Shortrounds. Not only did we shirk 90% of our DIY projects in favour of days and nights out with friends (oops must do better this year!), we travelled to some amazing countries and met some wonderful people!

Christmas was spent cosily with just Mum, Dad and Lil Bro this year. After a walk around the village, we settled in for a fantastic dinner prepared by Michelin star chef – Mum (ok well, she deserves at least two stars in my opinion). Presents were opening, champagne was quaffed and I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in a long time! These pictures capture the perfect moment when my Mum turned her nose up at the champagne (saved for this very special occasion) – needless to say, we drank it anyway, and very nice it was too!

Christmas dinner spread | Shortrounds Knitwear Continue reading →

A Q&A with Oates & Co.

| beth

I’ve spoken about Oates & Co. before, and it’s a company I keep returning to again and again. This independent homewares and home decor company champions local and British designer/makers as well as scouring the country for the best vintage finds. Each item is hand selected by founder Sylvia Oates, who happens to have impeccable taste when it comes to knowing how to decorate a home. I have bought several things from Oates & Co. already and as we inch towards (dare I say it)….Christmas (sorry)…it’s on my list to pay a visit. Personally, it’s great to know that I’m choosing pieces for my home that have a story and support innovate, independent crafters and retailers.

I was thrilled when Sylvia agreed to be part of my Q&A series – I couldn’t wait to find out the story behind this beautiful homewares business. Plus, I picked up some tips on home decor – never a bad thing!

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Top 10 Instagram accounts to follow

| beth

 

Shortrounds Instagram

I love Instagram. It’s so useful to me. It’s where I share my blog posts. I keep my days documented in a little photo diary thanks to this app. Instagram is such a positive, enlightening social media platform, much like Pinterest – with subscribers seeming to perpetually circulate positive messages and images. It’s where I go for a pick-me-up.

I follow A LOT of Instagrammers, but here are my Top 10 Instagram accounts, that help to keep my feed filled with inspiring and uplifting photos all day long! Continue reading →

Decorative homewares – Oates & Co.

| beth

Every once in a while you discover a website that you just know will frequent your browsing history for years to come. I probably look at hundreds of websites in any given month but I have just a handful that I keep coming back to. These little gems are discovered very infrequently but when they come along they can be a heady mixture of impactful, thought-provoking and inspiring!

So when I heard that my friend Sylvia was embarking on her own decorative homewares business venture earlier this year, I was a little more than excited! Today there are more start up businesses than ever before and more and more people are finding interesting and creative ways to turn their passion in a viable, thriving business. You hear of this happening almost everywhere, and I was so pleased and proud to see that someone I knew personally was taking the plunge.

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Just words…

| beth

In the world of stencils and illustrative typography Dana Tanamachi reigns supreme for me! In my job I’m confronted with endless variations of typography, stencilling and illustrations, I must confess most of the time they all meld into one big blur. But this Brooklyn-based graphic designer/typographer is different. So I thought I’d share her lovely work with you this fine Friday, because sometimes it’s nice to look at beautiful things!

Dana Tanamachi typography - Shortrounds Knitwear Continue reading →