Today started in the usual holiday manner, Bry asleep and me very much awake. This morning a seemingly apocalyptic flood was pouring on the caravan roof. Well, that’s the way it sounded, it was a passing downpour at best. I woke Bry up at ten, and he made sausage sarnies for brekky.

Mum had arranged for an ariel man to come and sort out their tv reception. Good job I was dressed. After several re-tunings and moving to point at a different transmitter a time or two the signal was declared better. We’re not convinced yet.

We set off bravely in search of lunch, and stopped in Ventnor at a lovely little cafe. Yummy again. I spied a haberdashery shop, but as Bry had spent the last cash we had on lunch, and the shop didn’t take cards I was thwarted. Damn.

We set off again, along the roads that are slowly slipping down the cliff to Isle if Wight Glass. I love watching the glass being made onto all sorts of shiny things. It’s so interesting to see them doing similar things to my lampworking, but on a bigger scale. I always get torch envy here.

Isle of Wight Glass - making shiny things

Usually we don’t get through a visit without Bry bashing his head on the low beams. This time he escaped unscathed in the head department, although his wallet was not so lucky.

Just along the coast is Isle of Wight Pearl. I could spend a fortune in there, but I never do. I shop for ideas.

Newport next, and a quick stop in Wightcat Crafts. Lovely shop, I’ve been twittering with them this week. Really friendly guys with a loyalty scheme, now that’s the way to do it.

Home via Costa and Tesco for the constituent elements of a cream tea. More felting tonight, the last of the cherry blossom is done, just a few buds to be made now, think I will make a necklace and a vessel.

Feet up in front of the fire now. Ahhhhhhhh, nice.

Bry surpassed himself by sleeping in till 10.45 on Tuesday. Made getting to the garden centre cafe by the 11.15 stop-serving-breakfast deadline interesting. While he slept I started to turn the pre-felt I made yesterday into cherry blossom.

Wet-felted then needle felted cherry blossom

I also finished embellishing the vessel I made last year in the van – man ,how slack am I? A year?

Finally finished piece

Also at the garden centre was a craft shop. I bought stuff. Stamps that will help me cut out flowery shapes if I want to.

Then into Shanklin proper. We hung about on street corners grabbing free wireless to download the second half of the live Perfect Ten podcast that we went to in May. We went to Hyacinth’s Hobbies. I bought stuff. I bought wool to make knitted moustaches. The guys from Stitch and Bitch London are doing a knit crawl wearing false moustaches for World Wide Knit in Public Day in aid of prorate cancer charities, I can’t be with them but I can knit at the festival and wear my moustache with pride.

Manly moustaches

We walked up the hill towards the old tea room, Bry spotted a shop called The Stitches Coven and foolishly alerted me to it. I bought stuff. Embroidery silks which I’ll use to embellish some felted beads I have planned.

Mum and dad nipped over with a table and chairs to go on the decking of the van. They also bought fish and chips. And washed up. Don’t you just love that when I’d happens?

An evening of further felting and only mild finger stabbing and eating minty chocolate wafer things. Mmmmmmmm.

Bet you didn’t know that? Mr P was born on the Isle of Wight y’know.

Anyway, we arrived for our annual IoW pilgrimage late on Sunday. On Monday morning, after spending 2 hours making pre-felt while Bryon slept we went to Newport. We always park near Quay Arts, it’s a wonderful little gallery that has lots of local artist’s work, usually most affordable. This time we stayed for lunch (Bry had the last bacon in his bacon and Brie baguette, the fiend.) In a planter next to the river, a duck was nesting. She even had her own cup full of water.

Pre-felt - in cherry blossom colours

Arty Duck

We ambled around the galleries, some nice oil paintings of local beach, docks and fishing. Upstairs had melted vinyl offerings, and a room full of what appeared to be dead sock puppetts. I bought a ceramic pot and some earrings, plus a little something for Jude’s birthday.

Melty vinyl art

Last week I started playing with felting. First I made some felt beads, here they are - going to make jewellery from them – and add some glass seed beads to make them shine.

Then a felted bowl and a bag. I felted these in the washing machine, but on a 90 degree wash not 60, oops. Still it worked and they are lovely, just a little paler than I intended. Here they are before felting:

And here they are afterwards

 and last I had fun with a felted flower and some flat felt.

The flower came out quite well:

I’ve got some more embellishment to do on it, but you get the idea.