Silky Prudence

Ten Random Facts About Silky...

2012-01-29T12:03:00.000Z

This is me...

1. In Chinese Astrology I'm a Wood Rabbit.

2. I always have to have two cups of tea in the morning to get me going.

3. I can't abide cucumber to extent I have to spend ages picking it out of salads before I can eat them...

4. ...but I love gherkins.

5. I'm left-handed.

6. My eyes have changed colour four times over my life and have now settled on being green.

7. I am currently falling in love with Mr Leonard Cohen all over again.

8. Silky Prudence was named after my childhood cat; it's a family tradition on my mum's side that all the pets middle name was Prudence. Hence Piglet Prudence and Jonesy Prudence carrying it on.

9. I can play the guitar, clarinet, saxophone and ukulele.

10. When I was 4 I lived in Gibraltar and would get the boat across to Tangier every week to buy scrummy food.

Et voila! 10 random facts about yours truly!

Silky Takes A Trip

2012-01-27T10:48:00.000Z

One thing I love about being young, free and single? Arranging a girlie break at the drop of a hat and getting out of London for a few days!

Next week my wonderful buddy Vic and I are driving over to the Isle of Wight to spend a couple of nights in a genteel cliff top hotel and do lots of eating, drinking, exploring and knitting. Neither of us have been to the IOW before so we have no idea of what to expect other than beaches, the sea and sleepy little villages chock full of thatched cottages. In fact the only thing I know about the IOW is that the lovely Fen and Ned live there!

And on the way back to London, I also get to spend the weekend with Vic and her hubby in their new home in Worthing. Oh how I do love to be beside the seaside...

The Silver Screen

2012-01-24T12:57:00.000Z

Ever since seeing The Artist I've fallen in love with the 20s and 30s all over again. Oh, to be a chorus girl in a Busby Berkley film and wear silk palazzo pants and my hair in a marcel wave and be swept off my feet by a dashing Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire...well, a girl can dream can't she?

So my thoughts have been turning to vintage patterns and what I could make to add a bit of old-school Hollywood glamour to my wardrobe. I found a pattern for the most darling of little tops that I fell in love with straight away and whipped my needles out tout de suite!

The pattern calls for 4ply which I didn't have and, suspecting that the sizing was probably a little smaller than today's measurements, I plumped for a dk merino blend that I had lying around in my stash just waiting for a project like this. It's a whizz to knit up, even with the cute drop-stitch teardrop pattern and I got the back done in just a couple of evenings. I have a feeling it will be a bit too short so I'll have to make some adjustments to the pattern for future makes.

If all goes well and I like the look of the finished article I'm going to knit up some in 4ply cotton for the shop's Spring/Summer collection. I think nautical colours would look wonderful - what do you think?

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

2011-12-05T17:29:00.000Z

If you've been wondering why I've been so quiet of late, well here's why:

Yes, this year I'm lucky enough to be participating in the most wonderful We Make London Christmas Fair. Set in the beautiful Grade II listed Battersea Arts Centre on Lavender Hill, We Make Christmas is all set to be the perfect place to find gorgeous and unique presents from great designers.

I've been busy making lots of lovely goodies for my stall, some old favourites will be there and some new designs not yet available in my shop. With each purchase I'll be including a discount for the next time you visit my shop. So if you're in the area next Saturday, please pop by and say hello and maybe indulge in a chocolate coin or two while you look around!

We Make London: Designer Feature Series: Meet Silky Prudence

2011-11-28T18:44:00.000Z

Are you in London on Saturday 10 December? Then why not pop along to the We Make Christmas fair and say hello!

We Make London: Designer Feature Series: Meet Silky Prudence

Season of Mists...

2011-10-16T10:23:00.000+01:00

Freezing cold this morning and I woke up to see a beautiful mist rising from the river. Growing up in seaside Devon, we always knew a morning sea mist meant a sunny day to come. Is it the same for river mists? We shall see.

The stove's still glowing from last night's fire with one cat sat firmly in front of it soaking up the last of the warmth before venturing outside into misty dampness. I can hear a swan nibbling at the algae along the side of Edie and there's a cormorant diving in the distance.

Today (once I finish my second cuppa and get out of my dressing gown) I'm going to get the machine out and make a start on some shrugs using some beautiful peruvian alpaca I've got in 'eco' shades. Eco means the wool is spun in the alpaca's natural colour with no dyes added; I've got black, cream and a beautiful camel shade to work with. It's such an incredibly soft and silky yarn and even though it's 4ply it's far warmer than wool. Beautiful and practical could a girl ask for more?

What Do Happy Sheep Make?

2011-10-15T18:14:00.001+01:00

Gorgeous wool, that's what!

And that's why I'm so pleased to annouce that my supplier for my merino that comes from ethical producers and provides them with a good income.

And my alpaca/wool blends also come from happy Peruvian alpaca's which means that you can feel warm and snuggly inside and out.

Here's a small sneaky peek at some of the new shades I took delivery of yesterday and can't wait to start working with:

And The Winner Is....

2011-10-12T19:26:00.000+01:00

Many thanks to all of you who entered my Autumn giveaway. Alas, my bobble hat is still packed away for winter, but I did draw a name from my favourite cake tin...

...drumroll please...

And the winner is:

Reddskingyal!

Well doneto you and thanksto everyone else for all your wonderful colour ideas (I'm so glad someone picked pink - it's given me an excuse to make one for myself!).

I'll be making more Mossy's very soon so keep peeking at my shop to see what's new xx

It's Giveaway Time!

2011-10-02T15:25:00.001+01:00

I know it's hard to believe it's October when half the country's basking in wall to wall sunshine, but you know what, Hallowe'en's just round the corner - autumn's officially here! 

And in anticipation for when the sky turns moody, leaves start falling and ghosties and ghoulies walk the streets I'm giving away this gorgeous pure new wool Mossy Cowl which will soon be hitting my shop in lots of scrummy colours to brighten up your winter coats. 

All you have to do is leave a comment telling me what colour you think Mossy would look great in and your name will go into the hat in readiness for the grand prize draw in a week's time.

Best of luck ♥

Brave New Girl

2011-10-01T11:04:00.000+01:00

Hello there, remember me?

Maybe I should introduce myself seeing as I have been somewhat of a stranger to my own dear blog these past 10 months.

So, let's start over shall we?

Hi, I'm Sara, pleased to meet you. I'm the designer behind Silky Prudence. I live on a narrow boat called Edie in west London with my two cats; Piglet and Jonesy and it's here that I design and make all my products.

I'm a knitter and crocheter and have a passion for vintage patterns which I love bringing up to date for all those fun-loving retro girls like me who harbour secret crushes on Betty Page and wear their sweaters like Lana Turner. My signature piece is a retro scarflette; Betty which has become a best seller, being sported on necks as far away as Sydney and Mexico City!

When I'm not knitting up a storm in a teacup I can be found on my allotment, tending my veggies, growing herbs and flowers and talking to all my plants. Or just sitting on Edie's deck watching swans glide past and kingfishers flit by in a flash of brightest blue. Living on the water changes your outlook on life; suddenly the need to rush about and get everything done now disappears and you find yourself spending half an hour watching reflections of the water dancing on the ceiling or sitting on the deck gazing at moorhens and coots dabbling about for food.

With this blog I hope to bring you tales of life on the water; new designs I'm working on and probably lots of photos of the mogs doing amusing things which, let's face it, is what mogs do best.

So, welcome. Sit back and enjoy the ride ♥