Val's Diary

Perranuthnoe's buzzing today - this is the place to be!!

2011-08-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

What a lovely afternoon after the dull rainy start to the day, the Craft Centre has been buzzing and the shop has been busy. Kevin and I have been flat out all afternoon selling lots of our Cornish Farm Dairy Ice Cream, with flavours such as Almond & Amerena Cherry and Mint Choc Chip from Moomaid and everyone's favourite Clotted Cream Vanilla and Honeycomb from Callestick Farm plus lots of other equally gorgeous flavours, they're all so yummy!

Our wool shop's been busy too and I've been sorting out all the new stock which has arrived during the last week, in between serving! so it's been hectic but really lovely to see all the visitors to Perranuthnoe. It's also been good seeing everyone enjoying the lovely weather this afternoon, lots just sitting outside around the tables enjoying their ice cream cornets.

It is if forecast to continue with the good weather for the next few days, fingers crossed, so often they get it wrong but we can but hope. Anyway come down to Perranuthnoe, come and have an ice cream, visit the shop and perhaps stay for lunch or afternoon tea at the Peppercorn cafe. You can bring the family and the dog and have a lovely walk along the cliffs to Marazion or in the other direction to Prussia Cove and Praa Sands. It's all here - just come and find us!

apologies: just don't have a 'buzzing' picture to show you, there just wasn't time to nip outside and take one (or even inside!)

Natural hand made soap made in Perranuthnoe

2011-08-08T10:25:00.001-07:00

Just look at all this lovely hand made, natural soap. No chemicals or parabens just pure oils! Treat yourself to one of our truly special fragranced soaps or you might like to try a tablet of the exfoliator felted soap which works beautifully, the soap comes through as you wash leaving you with just a pad of felt when the soap has all gone.

Fragrance soaps £2.95 per tablet and Exfoliator Felted soap £3.50 per tablet.

Available in the Village Crafts shop or you can telephone your order through on 01736 711288.

Hand dyed silk scarves, silver & gem jewellery and a Noah's Ark!!

2011-08-06T14:45:00.000-07:00

Just had a few minutes today to whizz around the shop with my camera and so here are a few shots showing some of the eclectic range of stock we have at Village Crafts. Come and see us soon and if you haven't found us yet then you just must"!!

Come to Village Crafts and try our Cornish Farm Ice Cream

2011-07-07T07:13:00.000-07:00

We now have a selection of Cornish Farm scoop ice cream. All made within a 25 mile radius of Perranuthnoe, two new flavours this week are Almond & Amarena Cherry and Lemoncello which are absoloutely scrummy!! Come and try one!

Also new in to our Knitting shop this week is the Sirdar Simply Recycled Cotton DK, five lovely colours to choose from.

Where can you buy your knitting wool and Cornish Farm Ice cream too!!

Worldwide Knitting in Public Day Saturday 11th June - Come and knit with us!

2011-06-06T10:43:00.001-07:00

Come and join us on Saturday June 11th at the Village Crafts and Cornish Wools Worldwide Knitting in Public celebration. We will be gathering at 11am and will be knitting until 4pm. Bring your knitting or crochet, a chair, your lunch and some suitable clothing and have a fun day. Take away refreshments are available from Peppercorn Cafe on the site if you prefer. For more details please contact us at 01736 711288 or email at cornishwools@live.co.uk

New! Hand dyed 100% Merino 4ply - Gorgeous!!

2011-05-08T02:35:00.000-07:00

Just fresh from the 'Old Piggery' Dyeing workshop in Perranuthnoe six skeins of this fabulously vibrant violet and apricot yarn. A 100% Merino 4 ply knitting wool and absolutely perfect for a lovely fine jacket or cardigan or a simply exotic shawl. Another idea would be some socks or wrist warmers in preparation for Christmas gifts later this year. You have to see it to believe, a hand dyed knitting wool to 'dye' for!

These six skeins will be available for sale on the website and in our Perranuthnoe shop tomorrow. So be quick!!

Joan visits from Minnesota

2011-03-24T05:47:00.000-07:00

Here we all are at our regular Wednesday knitting group last week when Joan Wells from Minnesota USA joined whilst she was visiting the area. It was a lovely afternoon with lots of knitting chat, tea and homemade cake.

New into the shop this week are a lovely selection of spring and summer scarves, polka dots, delicate voile with flowers and in a choice of shades and colours. We also have a basket of new summer bangles just right for jazzing up a spring outfit.

Customers coming into the shop this week will see we have had a change around and there's more to come so watch this space. We have decided expand our range of ice creams and will shortly be stocking Callestick Farm tubs in a selection of flavours and in a few weeks time we will also be offering scoop ice cream too!

New In!! King Cole Moorland Aran & Bergere de France Alaska in Eider

2011-03-05T02:31:00.000-08:00

Just new in last week a fabulous knitting wool, MOORLAND ARAN FROM KING COLE in four lovely colours. It's a tweedie yarn with soft flecks running through it, really beautiful to knit with. Also new in BERGERE DE FRANCE ALASKA in shade Eider, a lovely cream two tone yarn, very soft and warm.

And before I forget we also had in the stunning KNIT PRO PIN POINTS in the long point and in sizes from 3mm through to 5.5mm. We also have the KNIT PRO NATURAL CORDS in 60cm, 80cm, 100cm and 120cm.

Also new in big crochet hooks for those who are wanting to crochet freeform and big!
In Addi we have 5 - 8mm and in Prym we hav sizes 10mm, 12mm and 15mm

All available to buy from the shop in Perranuthnoe but not yet on line through Cornish Wools. For details contact us on 01736 711808 or 711288 or email on perrancrafts@googlemail.com

Textile workshops during March 2011

2011-02-12T22:29:00.000-08:00

'Knitting for Beginners' Monday March 7th
If you would like to learn how to knit we have a 'Knitting for Beginners' workshop with tutor Chris Boulton. Chris will be teaching you all the basics of knitting such as how to cast on and there are different ways even to do this simple task. Also how to cast off when you have finished your project. You will learn how to knit and purl and how to make a rib using these two stitches, how to assess the thickness of the yarn and lots lots more.

'Crochet for Beginners' Monday March 14th
On the Crochet workshop for beginners with tutor Pauline Thomas you will learn the basics of getting 'hooked' you will learn how to hold the crochet hook and yarn, how to make a variety of crochet stitches and how to make circles and squares and how to join these together to make a project item.

'Felting for Beginners' Monday March 21st
Learning how to create felt and the variety of things you can make from it will be a voyage of discovery. Here you start at the beginning with Pauline Thomas, you will learn about the different wet felting techniques and by the end of the day you will have created a wall hanging or mat.

'Hooked Rugs & Proddy Mats' Monday March 28th
Learn the ancient art of rug hooking with Diane Cox. Make a mat, rug or wall hanging from new or recycled materials and just let your imagination flow.

All workshops in March are on Mondays and will run from 10am to 4pm at a cost of £25 per person with a 10% discount for multiple bookings.

To book or for further details please either telephone on 01736 711899 or email on cornishwools@live.co.uk

Welcome to Village Crafts and Cornish Wools - our shop in Perranuthnoe

2011-01-21T23:16:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Village Crafts, this picture was taken earlier this week, looking up from our adjoining Cornish Wools knitting wool shop. Here are some really lovely pieces of wooden sculpture from Samvado of the Lizard and a selection of pottery produced by Holly Jackson of Penzance.

And here is just a small selection of locally hand made jewellery, the necklace and earings are made in Perranuthnoe by Helen Crebo. We have a huge selection of jewellery with lots on display for you to see and try on and perhaps fall in love with.

There are lots and lots of local artist greetings cards for you to choose from and a huge variety of local crafts and gifts ideal for that special birthday or anniversary treat.

Samvado creates some extremely beautiful wood sculptures. He told me, when I visited him recently, that his inspiration comes from the natural form, shape and feel of the piece he intends to work on. I just love this 'One Heart' created from a single piece of Yew wood. Ideal for a wedding or engagement gift!

Different, eclectic, unusual and often the word 'WOW!' are used to describe the Cornish Wools knitting shop. It has an 'arty crafty' look and feel with just the types of yarn that can inspire the textile artist. Here we have some of our Lang knitting wools with baskets and trugs of other exciting yarns such as our Cornish Wools 'Cornish' 4ply sock yarn collection

Here the picture shows some of the items in our Spinning, weaving and felting corner. Hand crafted drop spindles and knitting dollies made in Cornwall by Terry Pearson. Ashford wool carders, pencil rovings and tops, felting needles, gorgeous silk fibres and lots to inspire the textile crafter.

We also stock recycled silk sari ribbon, sari silk, hemp and banana fibre knitting yarns, Ashford traditional spinning wheels, the Ashford Knitters Loom and ideal for beginners the smaller and more straight forward frame looms. So lots to see there too.

Come and visit Perranuthnoe, see our Village Crafts and Cornish Wools shop, have lunch or coffee and a slice of cake in the Peppercorn Cafe or why not bring your dog and boots and take a bracing walk or a leisurely stroll along the cliff path, indulge yourself and just ENJOY!!

Happy New Year - 2011

2011-01-01T09:34:00.001-08:00

To all our customers 'New' and 'Old' I would like to wish you all a very Happy, Healthy, Lucky and Successful New Year.

The shop continues as always to be open 7 days a week. We have a lovely selection of local crafts, lots of beautiful jewellery and if you have not discovered it yet and ever growing selection of knitting wools and yarns. Lots of knitting accessories, needles, books and patterns too.

Cornish Wools has arrived and a BIG Welcome to the Peppercorn Cafe

2010-11-06T03:36:00.001-07:00

As you will see from this picture we have had a make-over, we have a lovely new Cornish Wools sign and a zinging blue door. You can't miss us now!

The Peppercorn Cafe is now open which is fantastic, it has been a time of anticipation, speculation and 4 months of building works. Yesterday afternoon residents of the village, friends and helpers and fellow workers at the Craft Centre were all invited to the Peppercorn Cafe launch party, lots of people came and the drinks and scrummy cakes went down a treat.

So today Saturday 6th of November the Peppercorn Cafe is officially open, come on down to Perranuthnoe and the Craft Centre and treat yourself to lunch or coffee and cake at the Peppercorn and then do come an pay us a visit there are lots of new things to see and lots of Christmas ideas.

Why not give a knitting kit for Christmas?

2010-11-06T03:36:00.000-07:00

Christmas and counting - just some ideas!

2010-10-10T10:04:00.001-07:00

This absolutely stunning woodcut picture made by Rob Braybook of Perranuthnoe would really make a wonderful Christmas gift. We have a number of designs in the shop with prices rangeing from £80 to £120.

Another idea could be this amazing perfume atomiser made out of African Blackwood by Terry Pearson of Camborne. It comes with its own little pouch and small pump for filing and perhaps you might add a bottle of cologne or perfume but just on its own it makes a stunning Christmas present. These perfume atomisers are exclusive to Village Crafts. The price is £28 you can either buy from the Perranuthnoe shop or online at our Cornish Wools website, www.cornishwools.co.uk

Both the Perranuthnoe Village Crafts shop and our Cornish Wools shop online are filled to capacity with gift ideas. Make a visit to either of our shops you won't be dissapointed.

Lovely weather in September

2010-09-19T06:56:00.000-07:00

The weather through September has been quite kind to us here in Perranuthnoe, there have been some really lovely days and we have seen many people in walking gear coming into the shop having walked the cliff paths from Prussia and Praa Sands to the East and from Penzance and Marazion to the West.

This hat is knitted in Sirdar Indie and you can find the pattern and knitting yarn both in the Perranuthnoe shop or our online knitting wool shop.

October will bring hopefully more lovely walking weather together with the Harvest Festivals, Thanksgiving in America and Canada (I say this because I spent my early years in Canada) and then comes Halloween with its witches on broomsticks, pumpkins and trick a treat.

If you are inspired by the colours of Autumn and thinking of knitting yourself something special or a Christmas gift then you just need to see the lovely colours of the Autumn knitting yarns.

This Pumpkin coloured knitting yarn is the Crazy Zauberball from Shoppel Wolle - just wonderful for socks!

and and this Blackberry and Autumn sunset
coloured yarn is the Mille Fiamme from Lang yarns, truly beautiful and just right for knitting scarves and hats or whatever you fancy really.

So now to wind up - and on reading all that I have written here I find that I have been warbling on again about knitting wool etc when I was really going to tell you all about the wonderful crafts and gifts we have in the Village Crafts shop. If you are thinking about Christmas and need to get going then do come and have a look around the shop, we have some really different and exclusive present ideas for you to see.

Big changes 'afoot' at Village Crafts

2010-08-28T05:14:00.000-07:00

I am looking out of the Cornish Wools office window at blue sky, white clouds and sunshine and with my dog Sharna tucked away under the desk as usual, I'm just sitting here doing a bit of drifting and day dreaming. I really don't feel too guilty about this because over the last 12 months there have been lots of really big things happening at Village Crafts and with our new business Cornish Wools.

The most important is that we now have the Cornish Wools Knitting Shop in the Gallery at Village Crafts and we have also launched our new Cornish Wools online Knitting Shop. So whilst the country has been in recession we have been pushing forward all the time.

Our new website has a full range of our Cornish Eco knitting yarns together with a selction of branded yarns from Sirdar, Lang, Sublime, Schopple, Alpaca Select and Bergere de France. We also have a huge and growing all the time range of knitting needles, knitting patterns and other knitting accessories.

You can access our website on www.cornishwools.co.uk

Cornish Wools - our new website and Village Crafts for Knitters!!

2010-07-17T21:42:00.000-07:00

We have finally made it after a long 5 months!!! our new Cornish Wools website is up and running and there for all to see. It's been a long hard slog but it really has been worth it and I am so pleased with the final result. It will need some tweaking as we go along and there are lots more items to put into the online shop but what a relief........

And now we are now well into July and the Summer is here and for a real change we have had some lovely summer weather this year. The Village Crafts shop is looking good with all the tables and parasols and Jenny and Lisa's Peppercorn Summer Cafe doing a roaring trade with their bistro type meals and snacks. Inside we have new displays of jewellery and artistic feltwork by Teona and Patricia Lomax. The Gallery is now the textile crafting shop with lots of super new knitting yarns, knitting patterns, needles and accessories.

We also have a spinning and weaving corner with the Ashford Traditional Spinning Wheel, Ashford Knitters Loom, carders, drop spindles and so that you can get spinning our own Cornish wools carded wool bats and pencil rovings. We also have the Schopple Finger Wolle which comes in an exciting colour range and is a wonderful way to get started on the wheel.

In the craft and gift shop we have a interesting range of greetings cards, lots of artist cards and photo art views to 'Stan and his Surfboard', traditional and
just plain funny! If you need a greetings card then this is the place to find one.

We also have our very own 'Perranuthnoe Greetings Card' desiged especially for us by local artist Wendy Fyers. Its quite unique.

You can find our new website on www.cornishwools.co.uk

'Sea' Knits - having a laugh!

2010-02-18T13:29:00.000-08:00

What a laugh we had at this weeks knitting group gathering, topics of conversation ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous, I really don't think I have laughed so much in a long time. That's not to say that we didn't get any knitting done, I did aim to finish the back of the sweater I am knitting in Sirdar Eco yarn, a lovely soft and natural coloured DK Yarn but it didn't happen, what with interested customers coming into the Gallery with cries of 'Oh what's going on here, how lovely a knitting group' and then stopping for a chat. It's amazing how interested people have been to see our group enjoying just getting together knitting, laughing and with much nattering going on, not to mention the tea and biscuits!

Pauline brings her best friend Tess who is neatly tucked away in the window alcove (as neatly as you can tuck a wonderful and very beautiful ex racing and now rescued by Pauline, greyhound). Pauline is knitting a throw with different patterned squares which is coming on a treat, I'm not quite sure who is going to end up snuggling into the throw whether it will be Pauline on chilly winter evenings or perhaps the beautiful Tess will win out in the end with those beguiling eyes of hers, after all she is very special.

Chis was again on hand to guide and advise, she is a expert knitter, who has been knitting for many years and this week she was just finishing a scarf she has knitted for a Hospice charity event. It was brightly coloured with a mix of unusual and textured yarns of many complimenting colours.

Bev was knitting what is known as the 'Bob Marley' Bag, again brightly coloured and knitted in a variegated yarn and talk about 'big' it was hanging off her knee from all sides. But this will all change when it goes in the washing machine to be felted, so its any body's guess, it will either come out at a reasonable handbag size or something more akin to a 'dolly bag'. So watch this space lets hope Bev has beginners luck on her side.

Sue and her friend Di came again and we were also joined this week by Frances from Ashton. It was good to see everyone enjoying themselves and the afternoon passed very pleasantly and quickly.

1st gathering of the 'sea' knits knitting group

2010-02-09T02:39:00.000-08:00

The sun is shining and its a lovely day - but very cold, exactly right for a bracing walk with the dogs along the cliff tops. Cornwall at its best!

On my last post I told you about the launch of our 'sea'knits knitting group and tomorrow is the day it all begins - Wednesday 10th February 2pm until 4.30pm in the gallery at Village Crafts. You are welcome to join us.

The group is for those who are able to knit - it doesn't matter is you're not very good just so long as you can knit, we will be on hand to help if it's not going well. Shortly we will be putting on a workshop 'Knitting for Beginners' and so watch this space and there will also be posters around the villages near by.

If you want to find out more then phone the shop on 01736 711808.

New knitting yarns in the shop this week are Recycled sari silk yarns and Lang 100% Merino DK (so soft)in a selection of colours also Lang Mille Colori which is a beautifully soft, varigated yarn in wonderful subtle colours. So do come in and have a look at our yarn selection.

Through Village Crafts we also manufacture our own lable knitting yarn, 'Cornish Wools' produces 100% wool yarns from the fleece of sheep kept locally within a 30 mile radius of the shop. Currently we have in stock Lleyn 100% pure wool in Aran, DK and 4ply and shortly we will have Alpaca yarn in DK & 4ply in a selection of natural colours together with a Merino & 10% nylon 4ply sock wool (the Merino fleece I bought from Yvonne who farms and keeps a flock of beautiful Merino sheep near Lydney in Gloucestershire because as yet I cannot find any locally or in Cornwall!).

Currently we stock Sirdar Escape, Crofter DK, Eco and Denim. We also offer our own Cornish Collection of Merino & Nylon sock wool dyed to our own specification replicating the seasons in Cornwall - this is so soft and yet wears well and the colours are really lovely. Lynda Philips produces an artisan yarn, hand spun and dyed by her at her studio in Penzance, this is such a lumpy bumpy yarn and very soft.

Snow's all gone! - SeaKnits knitting group begins

2010-01-13T11:07:00.000-08:00

I just could not show you this photo - it is my most favourite of all my snow photos but now the snow has all gone and today the sun was shining and the day has been really lovely. So you need to see this now as we will probably not get any more snow this year.

So to SeaKnits - my new knitting group.

Village Crafts has launched a knitting group with the name of SeaKnits based on the fact that we are in the unique position of being only 200 meters from the beach and the sea. We will shortly be making the Gallery at Village Crafts the home for the group, this last weekend saw us rejigging all the funiture and stock in there to make way for a working table and enough chairs for our knitters. We have recently got in more yarn stocks and will shortly be ordering Bergere de France and Artyarn to add to the Sirdar range and artisan yarns we currently stock. If you would like to join our knitting group which will be on Wednesday afternoons from 2pm to 4pm then please contact the shop on 01736 711808 or leave a comment on this blog.

If you are on holiday in our area then please book yourself in - we would love to meet you and for you to join our SeaKnits group whilst you are in Cornwall.

Happy New Year 2010

2010-01-12T15:28:00.000-08:00

The New Year of 2010 has certainly come in with a blast, sub zero temperatures, snow the likes of which we have not seen for many a year and now gale force wind and pouring rain - Oh for the balmy Cornish Winter days when it has been posible in the past to sunbathe bikini clad in the middle of February!!

12th January 2010

11th January 2010

More anon.

Truly beautiful feltwork from Teona

2009-12-08T00:04:00.000-08:00

I am absolutely blown away by the shear beauty of this felt work by Teona. It is so fine, exquisitely soft and really stunning. I have never seen felt work like it!

This black and white scarf is so soft and exquisitely beautiful. It is also totally unique. It measures 169 x 1.5cm and is priced at £49.

These hats are very different and quite unique, on right a black felted wool cloche style with a gorgeous pink flower price £59 and the left a similar style but black with a light grey turn back and an applique pink flower design with a scattering of diamante studs price £49. Both very 1920's design and very flapperish!

This gorgeously soft and very fine felted wool scarf is light grey in colour with a black design running down through and finishng with a black felted rose. It is decorated at both ends with more roses. Price £45
A dream of a scarf!

The black felted wool hat has a turn back cuff and is decorated with 3 diamonte studs. Price to follow.

This stunning black and scarlet red scarf is not only so soft but is just a joy to wear. Felted wool with the red design running down through the length of the scarf finishing with a felted red rose. Both ends of the scarf are decorated with more roses. There are two sizes and prices are £45 and £59.
This is my favourite!

And finally 'Still Life' a felted wool collage. I am rather lost for words here, this work is so amazingly real, so tactile and yet a real work of art. This would be a total joy to own. Priced at £130

If you are interested in purchasing any of the above items then you can either contact us by email www.perrancrafts@gmail.com or you can phone the Village Crafts shop on 01736 711808 and we will be pleased to send you the item you require. My apologies but we do on have an online shop at the moment.

Valerie

Ravelry - I'm there - come and find me!

2009-12-02T14:54:00.000-08:00

The news today is that I have managed to get myself, Cornish Wools and Village Crafts on Ravelry, the worldwide chat room for knitters everywhere.

If you visit me 'Prussia' and the Cornish Wools entry you will see that I have not managed to master the general workings of the site quite yet, but I am there!

New yarns into the shop last week were Sirdar Escape DK and Sirdar Eco DK (100% pure wool, natural and undyed). We also took delivery of Prym Bamboo knitting needles and lots of other associated knitting bits and pieces.

Over the last 3 weeks the weather in this part of the UK has been really bad with so much rain and gale force wind but my dogs Sharna and Layla just love it and romp and play even as they do in the middle of summer, they never seem to mind just how wet they get.

Today - the good news is that the sun is shining and the rain has gone for the moment together with the wind - and its just lovely!

The picture here was taken from the cliff path looking out to the Greeb rocks, near to Boat Cove.

2009-09-28T04:03:00.000-07:00

It was a good weekend at Village Crafts, the weather continues to be kind to us and Lynfield Craft Centre has been buzzing especially yesterday, Sunday 27th September when it was host to a Charity day for the Parkinson's Society. Hosted by the Cowhouse Gallery there was live music provided by Glyn a member of the gallery and his band who put everyone in the holiday mood. There was the Parkinson's Society stall with lots to buy and raffles and the members of the Cowhouse gallery had each donated a piece of their work to the special raffle of the day with paintings, ceramics and artwork to be won for the price of a raffle ticket. I was lucky to win a prize - the ceramic hare wall hanging made by Janeve Bainbridge and other lucky villagers were Andrea Robinson of the Old Post Office who won a Dave Robinson picture and Michael Ball of West Cottage who won a Kay Cotton picture.

To advertise our Spinning & Weaving workshops which are set for Friday 9th and 23rd of October, Carole Grace our workshop tutor was demonstrating how to spin yarn from raw sheep fleece on a Drop Spindle. She was also using an Ashford wheel spinning yarn from local fleece from a flock of Lleyn sheep farmed on the Roseland Peninsula. Carole had various items she had produced, wonderful shawls and jackets, rugs & runners all beautifully made by hand and produced using the old traditional methods of hand spinning and weaving.

If anyone is interested in the Spinning & Weaving workshops please email: cornishwools@live.co.uk or phone 01736 711808 for more information or to book your place.

Here are more details on the workshops - limited to 10 persons per session:

Friday 2nd October 2009 - 2 sessions at £12.50 each
10.30am to 12.30pm - Spinning for Beginners
1.15pm to 3.15pm - Weaving for Beginners

Friday 23rd October 2009 - 2 sessions at £12.50 each
10.30am to 12.30pm - Spinning for Beginners
1.15pm to 3.15pm - Weaving for Beginners

reductions for more than 1 session - 1 full day £20 & 2 full days £30

Both workshop days are to be held in the Church Room Perranuthnoe

Enjoy discovering either or both of these traditional and useful skills. Emphasis will be placed on individual interests to allow a range of outcomes from the production of yarn for knitting or crochet to woven tapestry and fabric. Equipment and materials are provided and may also be purchased from Cornish Wools. Tuition is by Carole Grace, a qualified, former college lecturer in art and woven textiles. No previous textile experience is required. Tea and Coffee is available but you may wish to bring a packed lunch.

Follow up days to include regular 'workshop' sessions (e.g. knitting, crochet, rug making, natural dyeing etc) are planned to expand the range of textile knowledge and experience.

So why not come and join us - and try for yourself the old traditional skills.

A visit to Trevarno Garden with Barbara & exciting jewellery making wonderful gifts

2009-08-18T00:02:00.000-07:00

Trevarno Garden is a must!! - If you have never found this beautiful place then you just have to go and see all the wonderful things it has to offer. If you are looking to get away and commune with nature then you can do just that, you can meet with friends or just be alone and dine in the conservatory restraurant, scrumptious food wholesome and good, but not all of it! there is a huge selection of mouth watering and yummy deserts and cakes on offer as well.

Then there is the gift shop, the gardening museum, the Trevarno shop shop and of course the Peacocks - loads of them - up in the trees and just everywhere and making their eirie and haunting call.

The weather on the day I visited recently was not at its best, mixed sunshine, cloud and the odd spit of fine rain! - but that didn't stop my friend Barbara who was over for a visit from her home town in Germany and I from exploring the gardens, enjoying a super lunch at one of the outside tables on the lawn (in the sunshine), watching the peacocks and enjoying the trees, unusual plants and flowers expecially the deep red 'gladdies' down by the steps near the conservatory. We had a lovely day and I am sure you will too.

New in at the Village Crafts shop this week are some really lovely items of fashionable and different jewellery. Not expensive this time - easily affordable for presents and a joy to wear just anytime, no need to keep for special high days, holidays and nights out. Birthday and Christmas gifts (I know but already there are people buying!) are not a problem here because we have a huge selection of gifts to choose from.

Jewellery - lots and lots of choice at Village Crafts - silver, copper, gemstone, pearls, amethyst, and Cornish tin - pendants and necklaces, bangles and bracelets, rings and broochs - there is so much to choose from. This pendant on the left is selling at only £11.95

And finally for today I must just show you this beautiful Indian leather Elephant purse. Fair trade and a lovely little gift idea at £3.95

And so - that is all I have time for today I must get on and get all the new stock priced and into

the shop - so cheerio for now from Val and 'Sharni Babes' one of my best pals - here she is - bless her - she is so patient and waiting for me to finish the diary so that we can go for a walk across the cliffs to Marazion - and perhaps have a swim down at Trenow Cove - Lovely!!

Moomaid & Trenow Honey and knowing that someone is listening to me

2009-08-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

Its been a strange day! - both weatherwise and just generally. The weather hasn't really known what to make of itself, it's warm but not hot! HOT! which is what we were longing for this August and there are grey clouds in the sky and yet the sun shines periodically - so there's hope. It's certainly been a good day for getting out and about and Perranuthnoe has seen a fair number of visitors, many just drifting around, others making the most of the beach and the sea, and serious walkers with hiking poles akimbo striding out for all they are worth. I was asked this morning on my way back from walking the dogs
Sharna and Layla, if this was the way to Porthleven! Some serious walkers they were - they were certainly going to need the poles!

Destination Porthleven - Leaving Perranuthnoe, first you need to make for Cudden Point which is the Eastern boundary of Mount's Bay. At Cudden point our 'walkers' would need to pass by Pixies Cove, a fine chasm, riddled with caves into which the sea rolls with great effect in rough weather, then there's Bessies Cove, once the site of an inn frequented by smugglers and kept by one Bessie Burrows then, coming to Prussia Cove. In the 18th century this cove was the head-quarters of a band of smugglers whose leader, John Carter, was called by his followers, the King of Prussia, after the hero of those times. Hence the name of the Cove. It was John Carter who cut the harbours and the road and adapted the caves, and he is the hero of many tales of the good old days. Shades of Smuggling, French Brandy and Revenue men.

And so back to our Serious Walkers complete with hiking poles! and onwards and upwards to Porthleven
A mile eastward of Prussia Cove is the beginning of Praa Sands, with it wonderful sandy beach, lots of places to eat and of course the restored and yet still haunted Pengersick Castle. - following the sweep of the bay our walkers must continue with rucksac, stick and pole along the cliff path to Porthleven - up hill, down dale and over many ancient styles. Eventually they will arrive at Porthleven, and one of my favourite views - looking down on Porthleven Harbour with its many fishing boats, gift and craft shops and lots of really good places to eat. Our walkers can then relax - they have made it - completed the trek from Penzance to Porthleven which must be 15 miles or more - difficult to say when it all up and down and round! Well done them!

Now Moomaid's quite a different thing altogether and with Trenow Honey it's to die for - really it is. Moomaid is 'some' beautiful icecream made down on the farm at Zennor with Clotted Cream and Chocolate and Fudge really Cornish and yummy. Why Trenow honey - well my friend Karen has her bees down at Trenow all buzzing around and collecting pollen from the wild flowers on the cliffs roundabout and some time ago she gave me a lovely big tub of honey and there's nothing so good as a dollop of Moomaid (clotted cream) and a twirl of real Cornish honey - mmm! - to be honest that was my treat to sit down today and write my diary. I could have been wandering along the beach paddleing!

And then - what do you think? I have been writing this diary for only a little while but every time I wrote a little more and posted it I used to think - where is it going? whoever is going to find this? and who is going to be reading it? would anyone be reading it! I actually do have one follower but would you believe it - its a dog! lovely to have a follower but a dog and I bet it can't read - shame really.

And then today - Val came in - no not me but a lady called Val (just a coincidence - no I am not making this up!) and would you believe it - well I couldn't - her daughter who lives in Oxford had found me and our little shop 'Village Crafts' and had said that Val should come to see us and have a look around - in Val's hand was a printed 'off the computer' sheet headed 'Val's Diary' - you could have knocked me over with a feather!

It was lovely to meet Val, it seems she does some lovely craft work - textiles in one form or another and we found lots in common to talk about - at the moment she is working with an embellishing machine and making collages from all manner of things. Val is going to come again and she will bring some of her work for me to see - I am really looking forward to this and to seeing her again.

So the time has come to bring this to an end - and I haven't yet talked about anything I was going to originally - like lovely gift ideas, beautiful scarves and jewellery that has just come in and new Cornish Ganseys and Chunkies, post cards from Murrey King and lots and lots of other things - anyway enough for another day.

'Weird Fish' have arrived!!

2009-07-25T08:11:00.000-07:00

No don't get me wrong - I have not just returned from a day's fishing off the beach at Perranuthnoe with a haul of weird and wonderful fish, the 'Weird Fish' I am referring to
is a quailty clothing brand that has style,individuality, a sense of fun and offers great value for money.

Weird Fish clothing is worn by men, women, and children. People wear Weird Fish for just about every activity; walking, sailing, gardening, shopping or just going to the pub/restaurant.

And - now I am excited to annouce that we have become stockists of Weird Fish!! Our first consignment arrived yesterday and today it is hanging on the rails in the Village Crafts shop.

Weird Fish ethics - direct from the company -

'We think we are an ethical company. we concentrate our ethical approach on the factories where our clothing is made.

We insist the all production of Weird Fish is based in the "home" and that all of the factories that we deal with are clean, modern and safe.In Turkey our production is mainly in 100% cotton fabrics. Cotton is a "natural crop" product and Turkey is one of the largest growers of cotton in the world. Any factory in Turkey that employs more than 30 people must by law provide them with a hot meal each day as well as transport to and from work.Weird Fish employs a full-time agent and three full-time quality controllers in Turkey. We are working with our suppilers daily and we are confident of their ethical behaviour.

In China and India we do not have full-time representation but we have a full-time very experienced quality control manager based in our UK offices who spends much of her time travelling to and working with the factories in these countries.
We use the same factories as some of the best known clothing brands and we make certain that all of our production is based in the "home" factory. We do not allow any manufacturer to sub-contract our work.We would like to think that all of our garments are produced from "green" organic sources, but this is very difficult to verify and we are not in this position yet.

What we can say is that the companies manufacturing Weird Fish clothing all employ adult workers in clean, modern conditions and pay a fair wage to their employees and this is the most important thing to us. '

To continue - The manufacturing industry in this country has been in decline for many years - and if things have to be made abroad then - they must be made on a fair trade basis.

At Village Crafts this has been our aim - and it will continue to be so

So come to our shop in Perranuthnoe if you can - we will be really pleased to see you.

How much more can it rain today!!

2009-07-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

We are obviously paying for the few nice hot days we had last week. Today has been miserable, if this keeps up then we will all end up with web feet!

Still, knowing Cornwall, it won't last and soon we will have wonderful hot and steamy sunny days(fingers crossed). The beach will be full of families and there will be this endless stream of people going up and down the road past Perranuthnoe Village Crafts and the Craft Centre loaded with surf boards, wet suits, buckets and spades and towels not forgetting the sun cream to get a piece of the action.

Perranuthnoe beach is very good for surfing and a recent happening is that we now get bus loads (small buses) of new surfers coming with the surf school learning to surf. To me it doesn't look easy but then I have never really tried (some reference to hens/chickens here perhaps!). Often in the morning when surfing conditions are good and I am walking my dogs Layla and Sharna around the point at Perranuthnoe, there are sometimes up to 15 to 20 surfers out there enjoying themselves. Often I just stand and marvel at their tenacity and skill, they never seem to mind the cold - surfing Winter and Summer alike. What a wonderfully exhilirating pastime it is and I think that like Golf once you get the bug you are called whatever the weather.

Going for a paddle & looking for Bladderack

2009-07-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

Today has been a lovely day, sunny and warm with people on the beach, swimming and just generally enjoying themselves. As we have both been working today Kevin and I are going to meander down to the beach shortly to look for Bladderack seaweed and also to have a paddle - good for the soul and for the feet!

I use the Bladderack I collect, after it is well washed, dried and chopped, as an addition to the Cornish Palm Natural Soap that I make. It gives the soap a truly local and Cornish element and the use of Seaweed improves the skin's texture and colour. It is packed with vitamins and minerals and is also very therapeutic.

The process of making soap is quite a long one and because I firstly need the Bladderack to dry and then the soap needs around 8 weeks to cure, my Seaweed Soap will not be ready for at least another couple of months - but just watch this space I will let you know when it is!!

The first week of the Summer Holidays

2009-07-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

Monday, the first day of the Children's Summer Holidays and we are keeping our fingers crossed that the weather will be good. Perranuthnoe beach is a lovely safe beach within Mount's Bay, good for children, a wide sweeping beach with lots of sand and rock pools. Good for making sand castles, building moats and flying kites. Good for swimming and surfing too.

Down at Village Crafts, a new week begins with a new batch of visitors to the village and the area. Although I am often busying around doing a miriad of jobs I do love to be in the shop meeting people, coming from all round the world. Last week I served a couple from the Isle of Gotland off the coast of Sweden, famous for the Gotland breed of sheep. The lady was so interested in knitting and weaving which is indiginous to the island where she lives and like Cornwall there are heriditary knitting patterns and stiches which evolved originally from fishing communities. Like the Isle of Gotland many Cornish villages had their very own knitting stitch which when incorporated into fishing gansies (the Cornish word for a Jumper) and worn by the fishermen of the village was a form of identification should they be lost at sea. Quite clever and intuitive in a era when there were no Passports, Driving Licences or ID cards, perhaps we should all wear a Cornish Gansie, life would be so much easier.

The exclusive
'Mounts Bay Plate'
by Holly Jackson - unique to Village Crafts and to be found no where else in the country. Commissioned by myself Holly made these plates as a favour because they are really very expensive to produce. First she makes the plate and fires it. Then there are five layers of different coloured paint which is swirled to make the pattern, then the plate is again fired. Holly then chips out the design of St Michaels Mount and the lighthouse etc, once she is satisfied with the design she covers the plate again in a clear glaze which is fired again. Quite a process - so you will understand why these things are not cheap. Added to that is the fact that Holly Jackson is a former 'Troika'artist and each plate made has her Troika mark. To check this fact you can look her up on the following link. www.antique-marks.com/troika-pottery-marks.html

Holly Jackson plates are for sale in the Village Crafts shop priced from £35 to £50 each. If you wish to buy a plate please email us on perrancrafts@gmail.com and we will be pleased to hear from you.

Welcome to Perranuthnoe Village Crafts

2009-07-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

Hi my name is Val and together with my partner Kevin we own and run our craft shop 'Perranuthnoe Village Crafts' in the heart of Perranuthnoe village. We began the business five years ago with no customers and for the first couple of years very little in the till at the end of each day but since then and with Kevin's patience and determination we have built up a village store where you can buy all manner of things. Free range eggs produced by Karen's chickens (they can be seen just off the track down to Trenow), fresh Bread every day, Cornish Milk and Butter, local Godolphin Honey, Cornish Apple Juice and finally Village Crafts own range of preserves.

And then there are all the local crafts, we now have work from well over 70 local artists and crafts people on display. There is a huge selection of local artist cards, prints and artwork and locally made pottery and wooden sculptures by Sam Vado. Annie's Angels take pride of place in a number of the gallery windows together with Ollie James paintings of St Michaels Mount.

Beautiful leather bags and hats from Owen Barry, and locally made jewellery by Debbie Lord, Carla Jennings and Lucy Kemp. Silver and gemstone rings, pendants and bracelets, Cornish Tin and Serpentine pendants and earings and locally made porcelain jewellery and buttons by Crispin.

There are books, childrens toys, music CD's from local musicians Sue Aston, Annie Henry and Medwin Goodall and fairtrade gifts and clothes. Needlework kits, knitting wool, Pachamama jackets and country clothing by Jack Murphy.

Only yesterday we had a delivery from Lyn Lovekin who makes the most fantastic willow baskets. Lyn lives within a couple of miles of Perranuthnoe, she grows her own willow which gives her basketwork a unique, distinctive and very Cornish appeal. She follows traditional methods and has replecated the Cornish Croust Box which the men of years gone by used to take down the tin mine or out into the fields with their lunch in it. It would also make a very handy work box too.

Lyn Lovekin's Traditional Cornish Croust Box - £95

available from Village Crafts

Lyn has also invented the Cornish Willow Back Pack which is unique to her own personal design, it is light to carry and very practical. A real talking point and a good means of carrying your picnic lunch.

Lyn Lovekin's Cornish Willow Back Pack £95.00

from Village Crafts Perranuthnoe

Village Crafts in Perranuthnoe is now becomming 'the place to go' by local residents and by visitors to the area. Many visitors return year after year and often they make a special journey to come and see us again and many have become friends.

This is what is special about Village Crafts - it's all about people, not only those whose crafts we display in the shop or those that call in for a quick greetings card and gift but also those who seek us out by recommendation. The word is out Perranuthnoe is the place to visit - why not come and find us we would love you to call in and if you do say Val invited you.